Love, Dreams, Impending End of the World and other minor problems
by mel-chan1003
Summary: Nico still can't believe it. Of all the people in the world, he's dating none other than Percy Jackson. It's a dream come true. But of course, things can't always be rosy. The long awaited sequel to the Advent Calendar. Will turn into Jason/Nico/Percy/Will, but will stay Percico for a long time. M/M (M/M/M/M lol); don't like don't read. Rated M for a reason! You've been warned!
1. Prologue: Waking up with you

**A/N:** Hello cupcakes! :D  
Sooo, I finally decided to at least start uploading the first chapters of the sequel I've been working on.  
To all the people that have read the Advent Calendar: Thank you so much! For reading it, faving it, leaving a comment, everything and anything! You are amazing and I love you!  
To all the people who haven't read it yet: It's not necessary for this sequel per se, but I'd advice to at least read the New Year's Special (FF: here; AO3: here) so you know what has happened and why things are the way they are now. Of course, I'd also love it if you read the Advent Calendar :)

I hope you enjoy it, but please note updating will take a while since this is still a work-in-progress ;(  
Please have mercy D;

Anyways, I hope you'll like it.  
*Blue cookies for all*  
By the way, yes, it might turn into Jason/Percy/Will/Nico (at least that's how it looks so far), but in the beginning and for the first many chapters it is Percy/Nico.

I can't say how it will end because honestly I have no idea.  
The only fanfiction I ever published (or wrote, for that matter) that I actually had a set plan for is my Beauty &amp; The Ghost King PJO-Disney crossover (Here).  
All the others just kind of...happened.

Ungh, I'm rambling (again _) Sorry! ;o

Enjoy,  
-Tári

P.s.: Seriously, please read the New Year's Special first, since it was originally meant to be the first chapter to this. I was thinking about uploading it as such but then couldn't decide whether that was a good idea or not, since it would be double posting or I'd have to delete it off the Calendar.

* * *

**Prologue: 1st of January – Waking up with you**

So warm.

That was the first thing Nico noticed when he began waking.

He sighed contently, snuggling closer to the warm body in front of him, feeling arms tugging him closer.

This felt so nice.

Nico wanted nothing more than to drift back into sleep, feeling utterly pleased with his place in the world right now.

Something pressed against him from behind, warming his back and he felt even breathing against the back of his neck.

A smile sneaked onto his lips at the slightly ticklish sensation.

This really felt so nice.

He buried his nose against Percy's chest, inhaling the salty scent of his boyfriend and wondered faintly whether he could simply lie here forever.

Jason muttered something behind him in his sleep, his nose in Nico's hair, while he felt Will's warm hand on his side, touching bare skin and making Nico sigh contently once more at the funny feeling spreading through from the touch.

He just wanted to stay like this forever.

Warm and protected.

Wouldn't that be the best thing in the world?

He sighed once more, wondering if this could be his wish for the New Year.  
Coming to think of it, how long had he been out?

Oh man, he must have fallen asleep as soon as they had made it back to their room after staying out for so long to celebrate with fireworks.  
Damn it, and he had so looked forward to making out with Percy.

He nuzzled his face against Percy's chest some more.

He'd have liked that.

Jason moved behind him, rubbing against the back of his neck, causing Nico to chuckle slightly and feel goosebumps appear all over his body.

This felt so funny.

He was actually quite sensitive at the back of his neck.

Will's hand twitched and moved, stroking over Nico's side gently, making Nico shiver pleasantly, which then caused Percy to shift and sigh, tugging Nico ever closer.

He grinned to himself and put his arms around him and Will, who seemed to be pressed against Percy's back.

Both guys shivered slightly when he touched them.

How come he was warmed from all sides, yet he was still the coolest?

Oh well, who cared.

.

For a long moment, Nico simply lied there, enjoying the moment.

Then he frowned.

Wait, why were Jason and Will here, in his bed?

He opened his eyes, blinking rapidly as his vision cleared and shifted, trying to get out of the embrace.

No such chance.

The moment he tried to get up, all their grips turned into fiery death-grips that wouldn't budge whatsoever, keeping him safely tucked away in the middle between Jason and Percy, who both wrapped their arms around each other now instead of Nico, erasing even the last bit of space between their bodies.

Will made a small sound of complaint and pressed against Percy, his arms moving, wrapping around Nico as well now.  
Nico blinked and stared at Percy's chest, then towards Will's blond mop of hair, and lastly towards Jason's face close behind him.

What the hell?

He squirmed and next moment, all three of them made small sounds, keeping him there, frowning and awaking slowly, opening their eyes lazily.

"Nico…?" Percy mumbled groggily, blinking.

"Neeks, stop moving." Will whined, lifting his head slightly to frown at Nico.

"What's wrong?" Jason breathed behind him in apparent confusion, his face popping up next to Nico's, who gaped at the three of them, his face heating.

He pulled back, sitting up and causing all three of the guys to sigh loudly as they stretched and sat up as well, looking disheveled and groggy and…annoyingly adorable.

Nico's heart was hammering in his chest.

What the hell was this?  
Why were they sharing a bed?  
How had this happened?  
And why so close together?

This was like the sleep-over all over again, just a hundred times more intimate, and Nico had never thought that possible.

He opened his mouth, but nothing but a small squeak came out.

Oh great.  
How embarrassing.

He felt his face getting hotter by the moment, which only worsened as he felt all three guys gaze at him.

His eyes fell on Percy, his heart hammering even louder.

Was Percy ok with this?  
Had he let them in here willingly?  
Had Nico somehow done something horribly wrong in his half-asleep state that had led to this?  
Would Percy be angry?  
Was Percy angry?

Percy gazed at him with a slightly befuddled gaze, but that cleared a moment later, realization flashing across his face.  
Then he smiled softly at Nico, moving closer and wrapping his arms around his midriff loosely.

"Good morning, Nico. Had a nice sleep?" He asked, placing a soft kiss on Nico's nose.

Nico blinked at him confused, then nodded ever so hesitantly, his eyes hushing over to Jason and Will, who were exchanging somewhat amused, somewhat exasperated glances with each other.

What…?  
So Percy was ok with this?  
This was ok?  
Was Nico the only one thinking this was unusual?

He felt Percy tugging on him and let him drag him back down, instantly feeling Jason's arms wrap around him from behind.

He stiffened slightly, but his gaze was still fixed on Percy's, and Percy seemed utterly relaxed, so he tried to copy him.

It wasn't as if he…didn't like it.

But it was still weird.  
Definitely weird.

Will grinned at him from behind Percy, so Nico tried to smile back slightly, knowing he was still frowning, so it must look really weird.

But Will only chuckled slightly.

"Hey guys, we were out for almost the entire day. That's one nice way of spending the first day of the New Year." Will informed them, seemingly checking the time on the night stand.

Nico blinked as both Jason and Percy made sounds of agreement.

"Let's just sleep a little longer, ok?" Percy mumbled, nuzzling his face against Nico's hair.

He didn't really say his name, but Nico knew he was talking to him in particular, since he had kind of indicated he wanted to get up with sitting up and waking them.

He hesitated for a moment.  
Then he shrugged, feeling Jason's chest pressing against his back behind him.

"Sure…I guess…if that's ok with you guys…" He stuttered awkwardly, still feeling his face flushed and hot.

He heard Jason chuckle against his neck and instantly felt the goosebumps appear all over his body like a rash, making him hot and tingly on the inside.

"Yeah, this feels nice. Just a while longer." He mumbled and Percy nodded, placing a soft kiss on the top of Nico's head before nuzzling his face against his hair again.

Will grinned at Nico again, flashing him a brilliant smile before wrapping his arms back around Percy and him, his hand resting on Nico's hip bone, while his head disappeared behind Percy.

Nico blinked against Percy's chest, trying to understand what was going on and how he felt about this.

It certainly felt nice, but wasn't this a bit close?  
He was dating Percy, after all, so shouldn't this be…weird?

Wrong?  
Too close?  
Too much?

He heard content sighs from all three of them and bit his lip.

They seemed utterly unfazed by this.

Did this mean it was ok?  
Could he…could he really just…enjoy this?

His heart thumped loudly in his chest and he could feel his hands trembling slightly with anxiety.

He squeezed his eyes shut and tentatively moved his arms, putting them around Percy.

Then, ever so slowly and ready to pull back any moment, he let them travel further, towards Will and wrapping around him instead, tugging them closer together ever so slowly.  
He flinched the moment Will moved, but as it turned out, it was just to get closer.

Percy stroked over his back reassuringly for a moment, then he pulled his arms back.

Nico instantly panicked and was about to let go of Will, but then he felt Percy actually placing his arms around Jason, pulling him closer against Nico.

Nico felt his face burn as Jason's arms now snaked around Percy as well and they were one warm, messy bundle again, their legs slowly but surely entangling as they tried to get more comfortable.

This was the weirdest thing ever.

Yet Nico actually found himself liking it.

It felt so nice.  
So nice and warm.  
Nice, warm and save.

He couldn't suppress a small, content sigh, then he closed his eyes and snuggled against Percy's chest, hearing his slightly quickened heartbeat.

For some reason, the thought that Percy wasn't left as cool as he acted soothed Nico.

It showed him that there truly was something odd and unusual about this, but at the same time he knew Percy didn't mind, else he'd have said something.

Somewhat reassured, he began dozing off again, the warmth around him and the softness of the bed simply too alluring.


	2. Chapter 2: Jason's departure

**Chapter 02: Jason's departure, stolen kisses and other minor heartaches**

Nico lazily opened his eyes and found his face pressed against a warm chest.

Shifting, he looked up into bright blue eyes.

"Why, good morning, sunshine." Will greeted him, grinning.

Nico frowned.

Why the hell was he so close?

He made a face and turned around, snuggling against Percy's chest with a content sigh.

"Wah, cruel!" Will wailed while Percy chuckled, wrapping his arms tightly around Nico.

"Gods, Solace, keep it down." Jason groaned behind Percy and sat up annoyed and utterly disheveled.

He looked so adorable in the mornings.  
Nico chuckled and sat up as well.

Somehow, ever since waking up in the late evening of the 1st of January just to find all three of them snuggling up to him, they had made a thing out of it.  
They had intended to stop it, but somehow in the evenings they had always found themselves together in bed once more.

And today was the 5th.

Jason would leave today.

Instantly, Nico's mood turned sour.  
He didn't want him to leave.

They had spent so much time together, yet it felt like no time at all.

He completely understood why Jason's cohort had made such a scene out of him coming back.  
Nico wanted to make a scene about Jason having to leave again.

Why couldn't the gods come to the Camps instead?  
Or even better, why couldn't Jason just write a universal letter that got sent to all the gods and they simply stopped making such a fuss and signed the papers and sent them back?

Nico would gladly help with the paperwork.

He climbed over Percy and tackled Jason, flattening him onto the bed again.

"Ugh, Nico…" Jason moaned, but wrapped his arms around him nevertheless.

Percy and Will chuckled.  
Nico didn't care.

He had no idea when he'd see Jason next.

What if something happened to him during his travels?  
What if the monsters randomly came back?

It had been quite quiet lately, but what if that was all just the quiet before the storm?

He rubbed his face against Jason's chest.

"Can't you stay another week?" He asked hopefully and Jason sighed deeply, turning them sideways so Percy could wrap his arms around Nico from behind again, nuzzling his face against the side of his neck.

Nico turned his face to give him a kiss.

"I wish I could. I really do. But I promised."

For a moment, there was silence.

"Well, then at least make sure to be back soon. I don't think Percy will let me sleep with Nico when you're not around." Will muttered and looked up from behind Percy now.

Percy turned his face towards him annoyed.

"I'll never let you sleep WITH my Nico, no matter if Jason is here or not."

Will made a face and the two started bickering, while Nico just held on to Jason as if trying to keep him there forever.

What was he going to do when he was gone?

Jason kissed the top of his head quietly. "Don't worry. I'll make sure to make it fast, ok?"

Nico sighed and looked up at him.

Jason smiled down at him reassuringly.

Then Will climbed over Percy and flopped down onto Nico, making him groan out loud and turn onto his back.

"Seriously?"

"Yes! I'm feeling left out." Will complained and kept lying on top of Nico, his face on his chest.

Nico sighed deeply while Jason and Percy chuckled, putting their arms around them.  
He put his hands in Will's hair quietly.

This was so weird.  
All of this.

Why didn't he even mind this?

He looked sideways at Percy who only grinned at him, leaning over and giving him another kiss.

Why didn't Percy mind all this?  
In the beginning Percy had been rather possessive of him, reacting instantly whenever one of the other two got too close.

But this should definitely be way too close.

He vaguely wondered if the boys had had a talk.

But he had been there all along, hadn't he?  
When would they have talked? While he was sleeping?

Nico sighed again and looked around to Jason, who also grinned at him broadly.

Nico frowned but smiled back, then looked down at Will, who had apparently dozed off again.  
He groaned and dropped his head back into the pillow, putting his arm over his eyes.

Percy chuckled and leaned in, pressing his lips against Nico's cheek.

Nico hummed quietly and smirked.

He really loved Percy.

Partly, he missed the mornings just with him, snuggling up and kissing and making out.  
But he also kind of liked this.  
It made him all warm and fuzzy inside.

Then again, snuggling with one guy already got pretty hot (temperature-wise, mind you), but having three guys cuddle with you led to them not even really needing a blanket anymore.

Not that Nico was complaining.

He was naturally cooler than the others, so he appreciated the additional warmth.

Though he had to admit he'd kind of prefer being alone with Percy right now so they could make out.  
Ever since that bit of making out in the snow on New Year's Eve, they had only managed to kiss a bit in bed with the other two asleep behind them, but nothing more.

They couldn't even get into the shower together at any point either, because Will and Jason usually managed to get into the shower after one of them while the other made sure the two of them didn't do anything in the bedroom in the meantime.

It was maddening, yet Jason and Will operated in such a pro way by now that it was impossible to really blame them for cockblocking.  
They didn't do it in that obvious way as before, but sneaky and masked in innocence and good motives.

They were so cruel.

Nico wasn't sure what Percy thought of all of this, but he usually only smiled pained whenever they got interrupted and let go of Nico, much to his dismay.

There had been quite a few times where Nico was actually annoyed at Percy clearing the field like that, wishing for nothing more than him just ignoring the other two.

But Percy was surprisingly considerate of them, for mysterious reasons.

At this rate, though, Nico was going to die.

He turned his head sideways and looked at Percy almost pleading.

His boyfriend merely chuckled and kissed him on the shoulder. "Want me to get him off you?" He asked quietly.

Jason sighed next to Nico's ear and put his arms around Will, tugging on him.

"Let me do that. I can practically hear Nico's mute pleading for a nice, long make-out-session."

Nico blushed. "Am not." How the hell could he tell?!

Percy chuckled and pulled Nico closer. "Are you?"

"N-No…"

Percy kissed him gently, nibbling on his bottom lip and sucking tentatively.  
Nico really liked that, rubbing against Percy slightly as Percy's hands began gliding over his body.

Oh yes, he wanted nothing more than a nice, long make-out-session.

"You better not even try to make out with him while we're here, Percy." Came Will's annoyed voice as he opened his eyes slightly to glare at them.

Jason chuckled and pulled his arms back from around the blonde before he noticed he had been hugged by him.

He tended to complain about that (though he always fell asleep much faster and tended to snuggle closer in his sleep, but they decided not to tell him that).

Percy groaned and pulled back rather annoyed, but pulled back nevertheless.

Nico tried to keep him there.

What the hell?

He looked up at Percy rather upset, making him blink surprised.  
Then he only smiled pained and kissed his forehead, sitting up.

"Percy!" Nico right out groaned, sitting up as well.

They all looked around at him.

Nico glared at the lot.

"You're the worst." He then stated quietly and before anyone could say or do anything, he hopped out of the bed and walked out the door towards the bathroom, his pyjama pants annoyingly tight.

What the hell was wrong with Percy?  
Why couldn't he just not care about the other two for a moment?  
One would guess Nico would be the one stopping Percy, since Nico kind of liked Will and Jason, too.

He huffed indignantly, pulling the hem of his shirt down slightly to really cover himself up completely and locked himself in the bathroom.

.

Percy bit his lip. "Seriously, guys, I'm trying to be considerate and all, but I'm not going to neglect his needs."

Will and Jason still had their eyes on the door, rendered speechless.

"He did seem pretty pissed, didn't he?" Jason muttered.

"Yeah…" Will mumbled stunned.

"Well, what do you expect? All you guys let us do is kiss a bit if we're lucky. You let us get all heated and then you interfere. Can't you just leave us alone for a bit?"

Will fidgeted and it looked like he was going to say something, but then he didn't.

He was a lot easier to handle nowadays.  
If Percy had known it would help to just talk it out with him, he'd have done that a long time ago.

Jason sighed. "I guess you're right. We're being selfish. He's dating you and it's natural you two would have sex. It's just…if you just did that while we were gone, without us knowing, I think it would be a lot easier than if we actually know you two are so going to do it. It just…"

"It hurts." Will said quietly.

Percy turned his head away. "I know it does. But what do you expect me to do about it? I already gave in and let you guys sleep in the same bed. I highly doubt either of you would have done that if you were dating him right now. Jason would have kept him to himself and Will, I believe you would have barricaded the door and not let him out for at least a week, hogging him completely to yourself – and I highly doubt you'd have held back on the sex either. I'm not asking you to be ok with it. I'm just asking to get some time alone with him. Work the pent-up frustration off."

For a moment, there was silence.

Then Will sighed defeated. "Yeah, whatever."

Jason shrugged. "He's yours, Percy. You don't really need our consent in the first place. Just go."

They both sounded so upset about it, though.  
Percy felt somewhat guilty.

But still, he got up and left the room.

.

In front of the bathroom, he hesitated, fidgeting slightly.

What if Nico was really, really mad at him?

He hadn't meant to upset him.

Percy had just wanted to be considerate of the guys.

It was maddening, really.

He wanted nothing more than to be with Nico, make him happy, make him his.  
And at the same time, he was trying not to hurt the other two guys too much in the process.

He highly doubted they'd have taken him into consideration much if it was either of them dating Nico.

He knocked on the door. "Nico?"

There was a sound on the other side. "What?"

Ok, he was definitely pissed.

"Can I come in?"

"I'm about to take a shower."

Percy bit his lip. "Want me…want me to join?"

Uncertainty welled up inside him. What if Nico flat out refused him now?  
Or even worse, what if Nico actually considered breaking up with Percy?

Doubt and worry gnawed on him and he waited impatiently for an answer.

Right when he wondered if there even was going to be any sort of answer, Nico opened the door.

Percy breathed out relieved. "Nico, I wanted to say I'm sorry…" He started, but Nico shook his head.

"It's ok. I…I'm sorry about snapping like that. I was just…annoyed." He muttered, stepping aside to let Percy in, just to close the door and lock it again.

Percy tentatively placed his hands on Nico's hips from behind.

"You don't have any reason to apologize, Nico. It's my fault. I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's just…I just don't understand why you actually…why you stop…"

Percy sighed and buried his face in the crook of Nico's neck.

"I'm sorry. I was worried of what you might think if we made out in front of them. And I really didn't want to push you to anything, Nico."

"You're always trying to be so considerate of everybody. That's Jason's job, you know? Just…just do…whatever you like…"

Percy chuckled against his skin, placing soft kisses on it. "Do whatever I like? Then that would be me doing you, Neeks."

Nico chuckled and exposed a bit more of his neck. "Sure…"

Percy hesitated for a splint second.

Then he smiled and began nibbling on his neck some more, letting his hands travel beneath Nico's shirt.

"I love you, my Angel." He breathed into his ear, making Nico shiver quietly.

"I love you too, Percy."

Then he turned his head sideways and they kissed.  
Gods, how much he loved their kisses.

His hands tugged Nico's shirt up, greedily stroking over his cool skin, while his tongue slid inside Nico's mouth, making Nico huff and press against Percy more.

Oh yes.

"Percy…" Nico moaned as Percy's fingers began teasing his nipples and Percy grinned into the kiss.

Then Nico pulled back, panting heavily.

"I swear, if you stop this time, I'll kill you."

Percy blinked, taking in his flushed face, his heavy breathing, the way his body trembled with want.

He pulled him close again. "Wouldn't dream of it. Want to continue this in the shower?"

.

They did.

Gods, Nico still couldn't believe it.

Percy was pressing him against the wall in the shower booth, the water raining down on them and they were kissing with such a force and passion that Nico couldn't even form a straight thought anymore.

His hands were in Percy's hair, tugging him closer every time he tried to pull back.

Who needed oxygen?

Percy's hands were mercilessly running over Nico's body, apparently finding all the good spots, making Nico huff and moan and writhe.  
And that was before Percy's hand suddenly wrapped itself around both their dicks.

Nico groaned, letting go of Percy's hair instantly and dropping his head on Percy's shoulder.

His boyfriend only chuckled, stroking their dicks. "You like that?"

"Do you…seriously…need me…to answer…?" Nico huffed, trying to push his noises down.

Percy took his chin with his free hand and pulled his face up, sealing their lips again.

"Don't you dare keep those moans down, Nico." He muttered as he let go of his face, just to then tease Nico's tip with his other hand.

Nico let his head fall back and moaned, gazing at Percy with dazed eyes.

Gods, why did this feel so good?

He noticed how his hands were uselessly placed on Percy's shoulders now, so he began moving them over Percy's skin the way he had done before.

Percy had his eyes fixed on Nico's face, his lips parted, panting hard.

Nico wordlessly grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.  
Their tongues danced around each other and Nico felt as if he was drunk.  
Well, he certainly was light-headed enough for that.

He could feel Percy taking his hand and leading it down to their hard dicks.

His hand wrapped itself around Percy's hard-on.

It felt so weird, but in a strangely good way.

He tentatively started stroking, causing Percy to huff.  
Nico smiled to himself and looked down, something he had tried to avoid so far out of embarrassment.

He definitely should have looked sooner.  
It was quite an erotic sight.

Percy chuckled quietly, wrapping his hand around Nico's dick again.

"Like what you see?"

Nico looked up to meet his gaze, finding Percy's eyes as dazed as his own.  
He nodded, his face already flushed, so it wasn't as if he could blush anymore or anything.

Percy's lips split into a broad smile and he captured his lips for a kiss again while playing with Nico's tip some more.

Nico moaned lustily and copied the movement on Percy's dick, making him tremble and thrust his hips slightly.

He grinned to himself and continued playing with his dick in a teasingly soft way until Percy huffed indignantly and thrust into his palm.

"Tease…" He complained and Nico looked up, capturing his lips again as his hand began pumping Percy's dick.

Percy shivered slightly and pushed against Nico more, dominating his mouth with his tongue and picking up speed with his pumping.  
Nico moaned into the kiss, now him being the one to thrust against Percy helplessly.

His grip on Percy tightened, trying to match their movements and Percy sucked on his bottom lip, his free hand moving over Nico's nipples.

Nico gasped as Percy began pinching and playing with them.

"P-Percy, I'll…" He huffed, trying to pull away from the intensity.

Instead, Percy grinned wickedly and continued, pushing Nico right over the edge mercilessly.

His orgasm hit him like a tidal wave, washing over him and leaving him senseless, yet in a state of absolute bliss to make up for it.  
His head dropped onto Percy's shoulder as he swayed on his legs and he felt Percy's free hand on his lower back, steadying him as he hissed and groaned, apparently experiencing his own intense orgasm.

Nico's hand still pumped his dick, though he could feel it contracting, shooting out his cum and soaking Nico's hand the same way as Nico had done splint seconds before.

Nico trembled with pleasure and lifted his head weakly, noticing Percy searching for his lips as well.

They kissed softly, sensually, still pressed tightly against each other.  
Percy's arms wrapped around him and it seemed as if they steadied each other.

Nico smiled and kissed Percy again before resting his head on his shoulder again.

"I love you, Percy."

Percy chuckled and kissed the side of his face before copying him.

"I love you too, Nico."

.

They stayed like that for what felt like forever, trying to get their hearts in order and just kissed and had small conversations in hushed voices (usually involving lots of love confessions and promises to do this again).  
Then they finally got out and Percy insisted on drying them both completely so Nico wouldn't catch a cold.

Not that he'd mind being stuck in bed with Nico for a few days.

Percy admitted he had been more than tempted to take things further than just hands, but he had ultimately decided against it.

He really didn't want to rush things, even if it might sound weird, coming from a guy.  
But he was serious with Nico. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with him.

People could call him immature and naïve all they wanted for thinking like that when they were only dating for roughly two weeks, but he didn't care.

Nico was an amazing person in all aspects.

And if they didn't work out, then Percy didn't want that to be because he had rushed anything.

They walked back to Nico's room with Percy right behind Nico, his arms wrapped around him, his face at his neck.

"Percy, seriously?" Nico asked chuckling as they had to time their steps to walk properly.

"Yes. You smell so nice." Percy replied instantly and took a deep breath to prove his point.

"I bet. I used your shower gel after all."

"Yes. You smell like me."

"Well, I AM yours, after all."

Percy grinned contently at that and they entered their room, just to find Jason and Will still sitting on the bed, looking around.

"That didn't take very long." Jason remarked, raising an eyebrow.

Will had his legs pulled up and his arms wrapped around them, looking rather upset, not meeting their eyes.  
He looked quite pitiful.

Percy sighed.

"We only took a shower, guys. What were you expecting?" Nico asked frowning.

He pressed his lips against Nico's neck before reluctantly letting go, allowing him to get dressed.

His poor, clueless Nico.

As Jason threw him a questioning glance, Percy rolled his eyes and held up his hand as if that explained everything.  
Jason blinked, then looked away, a smirk clearly detectable on his lips.

Percy rolled his eyes once more.  
Why was he even doing all this?  
Nico was his.

It wasn't as if he was going to share him.  
He would have his way with him at some point,  
It wasn't as if he was holding back because he was feeling bad for the guys.

He was doing that for Nico, and Nico alone.

Right?

Percy shook his head and left the room for his own to grab some fresh cloths, only wearing a towel, after all.

Maybe he should overthink his future actions, though.  
Being considerate was one thing, but if he continued this, he ran a way too high risk of either losing Nico or having to share him with Will and Jason.  
Maybe he really should just make it plain obvious Nico was his and shove the other two out of the picture, no matter how guilty it made him feel.

He knew their feelings were genuine – damn, there the guilt started again.

Percy sighed and tried faintly to push the matter out of his mind.

Would it really be that bad to share Nico, though?  
Of course, he hated the mere idea.

If one of the others dared to touch his Nico, he'd gladly run them through with Riptide.  
Then again, didn't he already let them touch him more than necessary with allowing them into bed? Didn't he already let them cuddle with his Nico?  
He actually didn't mind it as much as he probably should.  
But Nico looked so content in his sleep when all of them were around.

Of course, Nico had utterly freaked out on the 1st when he had woken up with Percy and Jason snuggling up to him.

Percy still remembered his horrified face as he looked up at Percy with big eyes as if he expected Percy to be mad at him.

He chuckled at the memory and slipped into a fresh pair of jeans.

Of course, he hadn't been mad at him, instead kissing him gently and wishing him a good morning, as if it was the most natural thing in the world that Jason was there – or that Will had had both arms tightly wrapped around Percy from behind, drooling against his back.

And there the blonde claimed he didn't like Percy.

Percy pulled out a pullover and fingered his necklace Nico had given him.

He really liked it.  
He had also never taken it off.  
The same way Nico never took those skull earrings out.

They really suited him, though.

Same as that ponytail.

The best thing ever.

Grinning to himself, he slipped into his shoes and grabbed his jacket, leaving for Nico's room again.

.

"So, when will you be leaving, then?" Percy asked as they sat together in their favorite café.

Nico instantly made a face and looked at Jason as if he hoped Jason would simply stay.  
Percy bit the inside of his mouth, pushing down his emotions.

Of course Nico cared about Jason.  
They were best friends, Jason loved him, Nico had a thing for him, too – ok, that was not very helpful.

He tried to keep his face fixed on Jason, who ironically had his face fixed on Percy to not get tempted by Nico's pleading look.

"I was intending to leave in the early afternoon with a few others that will accompany me for a while because they come from that area or know somebody who knows somebody who…well, you get the point."

"Any inclination of how long you'll be gone this time?" Will pressed, sipping on his coffee.

Jason shrugged. "No idea, sorry. Could take a few weeks, could take a few months…"

They all sighed.

"Just…be safe…" Nico muttered, not looking at anybody, his gaze downcast.

Percy wished he could wrap his arms around him, but Nico was sitting to the opposite of him.  
Instead, Will did. "Don't worry, this is Jason we're talking about. Plus, there haven't been any monsters around for a while now, right? Nothing is gonna happen."

Nico only raised his head and looked at him with a mixture of disbelief and astonishment that he hugged him like that, his eyes immediately hurrying over to Percy, who just forced himself to smile reassuringly.

His insides were in turmoil.  
Somehow, he had mixed feelings about this.

On one side he was glad Nico was getting comfort, on the other side his insides spiked up with jealousy at Will being the one comforting him instead of himself doing the deed.

Will looked over at him, too, shaking his head slightly as if that could soothe him.  
Horribly enough, it DID soothe him somewhat.  
Though that only annoyed him further.

Jason laughed and shoved Will off Nico, ruffling through Nico's hair.

"Hands off him, Will, he's taken. But Nico, Will is right. I'll be fine."

There, why couldn't Will do something like that instead?  
Percy could live with that.

Jason looked at him rather amused and Percy had the impression Jason knew exactly what he was thinking about.

Nico only sighed pained.

"How about I'll IM you every now and then? We DO have a flat rate, after all." Jason offered, tapping his own IM-ing device at his wrist.

Yeah, that had been one of Percy's best ideas ever.  
He remembered lying awake night after night, wondering what the hell he could give Nico as a gift. Something he might need or like or that would be helpful at least.

Well, it certainly proved helpful.

Nico nodded quietly. "But make sure to knock first."

Percy grinned. That sounded a lot like he was thinking about…

Nico looked around at him with a light blush, confirming Percy's inclination.

Jason chuckled. "Will do. Don't want to see anything I'm not supposed to see, after all."

Nico only smiled slightly, though it didn't reach his eyes.

Percy knew Nico was hurting.  
And it hurt him that Nico was hurting.  
But he had no clue what to do to help him.

He couldn't very well announce to come along.  
At least not now.

Maybe if they talked about it quietly at some point and planned ahead, they could think of joining Jason to support him.

But right now, they simply couldn't.

He watched as Jason wrapped Nico into a hug and Nico buried his face at his chest, returning it.  
Jason met his eyes and Percy smiled, mutely permitting the closeness.

It wasn't even that forced.

He knew Nico was hurting.  
He also knew Nico needed this.  
So it was ok.

.

The day passed way too fast.

Nico persuaded Jason to stay until the early evening, which proved to be even worse because he became more upset by the hour.  
He really didn't want Jason to leave, though he wasn't sure what his big problem was.

Jason had left plenty enough times before and it had always been ok.  
Of course, Nico had missed him, but he had never been this affected by it.

Then again, this time Jason had stayed a lot longer than before and they had spent a lot more time together than ever before.

Though Nico felt horribly guilty for not doing more with Jason alone.  
He had always been the one stepping back and letting the others have the best spots, be closest to Nico and spend most time with him, while he only watched.

Considerate fool.

And Nico had let it happen.  
He felt the guilt wash over him and tightened his grip on Jason's arm, who only chuckled and looked around at him.

Percy was next to Nico.  
He wasn't pushing himself onto him, wasn't even searching for his hand, but at the same time didn't seem particularly bothered by it.

Nico had tried to be more affectionate towards him to show him he didn't mean it bad, but Percy only smiled at him and ruffled through his hair, telling him it was ok.

Nico knew it wasn't ok.  
He was being a horrible boyfriend.  
He grabbed for Percy's hand again, pulling him closer.

Percy let him, smiling and putting his arm around him from the side loosely.  
He and Jason exchanged glances again.  
They did that quite a lot lately.

Nico wondered what that was all about.  
Maybe he should ask Percy at some point.  
Right now he was too busy trying to convince Jason mutely to stay.

Who cared about the gods anyways?

He sighed depressed.

He knew Jason had to go.

What was he doing here anyways?  
He should be glued to his boyfriend.  
Or make out with him.  
Or convince him to take another shower.

He shivered at the thought.

Gods, what would he give to do more stuff like that.  
Maybe not necessarily in the shower, though.

Quite loud and wet and the water tended to get into his eyes.  
In bed would be nice.  
Under his Christmas blanket.

Gods, yes.

Nico looked around at Percy, wondering how he'd react if he knew what Nico was thinking about right now.  
Percy had his eyebrow raised and gazed at him intently as if trying to guess his thoughts.

Nico hurriedly looked away again, trying to keep himself from smirking.

He felt Percy's hand dropping lower on his lower back towards his butt and flushed, looking around again reproachfully.

How dare he?  
But the smirk tugging at his lips gave him away.

Damn it.

Percy's eyes narrowed ever so slightly and next moment, he was walking next to Nico with his hand on his butt, squeezing it tentatively.  
Nico pursed his lips but let him, feeling Jason slowly pulling his arm out of his grasp.

Nico let him go, sighing defeated, instead moving closer to Percy.  
It occurred to him vaguely that the two might have planned this.

Well, he didn't care even if they had.

He turned his face towards Percy and his boyfriend gave him a soft kiss.  
He returned it, then looked around to Jason who now greeted the other kids that were meant to go with him.

Nico watched quietly as the group went through a list of things they had or needed or whatever, then the kids started off towards the exit.

Jason looked around at them, sighing.  
Nico sighed, too.

"Well, I guess this is it." The blonde muttered and looked a bit lost, as if he wasn't exactly sure how to do this.

Usually, he had come up to Nico wherever he happened to be at the time and told him 'I'll be gone now' and Nico had replied with 'Ok, till next time'.

So much had changed since then.  
Way too much.

"Just make sure to come back soon. I don't like admitting it, but I'll miss you, too." Will said quietly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Yeah, IM us at least once a week and keep us updated. But do make sure to knock first." Percy warned and Jason chuckled, looking at him amused, if not slightly exasperated.

Then he looked at Nico.  
Nico looked back, pouting.

"Gods, Nico, don't give me that face. It's already difficult enough to leave as it is." Jason complained laughing, though his eyes were sad.

Nico stuck out his bottom lip.  
Jason bit his lip for a second.

Then he wrapped Nico into a tight hug.

"I'll make sure to come back soon." He muttered quietly as Nico wrapped his arms around his neck.

"Kay…Stay safe."

"Will do."

"Want to borrow Jules-Albert?"

Jason chuckled. "I don't think that's a good idea, but I'll keep it in mind."

"If there's anything wrong…"

"I'll make sure to give you a call."

"Emergency setting?"

"Of course."

"And no knocking."

"Hm, fine. But make sure Percy's decent."

"Hey, what about me?"

"You're pouting face alone is the most indecent thing in the world, you could run around naked now for all I care."

"Oh, ha-ha."

They parted, grinning at each other.  
Fine, maybe Jason had somehow managed to make him laugh a bit.  
But that was simply how Jason was, wasn't it?

He sighed and was about to say something, but Jason looked up at Percy for a splint second.

Then he leaned down and pressed his lips onto Nico's.

Nico blinked, instantly stiffening to a board.  
Jason pulled back chuckling and ran off after the others.

"See you whenever I get around again."

"JASON! I swear I did NOT give my consent to that!" Percy yelled after him, instantly at Nico's side and putting his arms around him, letting his gaze hush over all of Nico for a moment.

Nico was still frozen in terror.

Will was behind them, laughing loudly and holding his stomach, almost on the floor already.

"Will, if you DARE, I will tear you to shreds, just so you know." Percy growled and pulled Nico against his chest.

Nico blinked and looked up, meeting his gaze.

Percy looked annoyed, but not exactly furious per se.

At least not at him.

"S-Sorry…?" Nico tried but Percy shook his head.

"Not your fault, Sexy. He just wanted to prevent..." His voice trailed off, his eyes glued to where Jason had disappeared.

"What?"

"Nothing. Come on, let's go. Solace, I swear if you don't stop laughing, I'll still have your head."

"Sorry, but I completely didn't see that coming. That was awesome. I wonder, do you reckon he planned that?" Will asked, wiping his eyes with his sleeves and still chuckling.

Percy only grumbled and had his arm around Nico's waist.

Nico looked up at him.  
Percy was still looking rather upset, glaring at Will.

Nico went on tiptoes and kissed the side of his face.  
Percy looked down at him surprised for a moment, then smiled fondly, all anger forgotten.

"I love you, Percy."

It was the first time Nico had said it loud enough for everyone around them to hear.

Will shut up.

Percy's eyes widened for a moment, then he smiled a million-dollar-smile and leaned down.  
Nico met him half way, pressing his lips onto his.

He knew Percy needed this right now, even if he would never say it out loud.  
Because Percy actually needed reassurance as well.  
Needed to know Nico loved him and wanted him.

Especially because Nico knew Percy knew he liked Jason and Will, too.

"Hey, wait, that bastard didn't hug me! There I tell him I'll miss him and I don't even get a hug?" Will suddenly wailed next to them and they broke apart, chuckling.

"Really? Aw, I think someone's got a bit of a crush." Percy teased and Nico's eyes widened.

Will scowled. "What? No! My one and only is and will always be Nico!"

Percy grinned mischievously while Nico frowned.

"You know…if you say it so loud and so many times, people will actually think you're serious..." Nico muttered, still frowning.

Didn't Will care at all what people thought?

Will stared at him, gaping in disbelief.

Percy snorted and started laughing loudly.

"Oh gods, Nico…I really can't believe you sometimes…"

Will looked rather upset, but only sighed exasperated, shaking his head.

"Whatever. Let's go back. Can I sleep with you guys again? My bed is all creaky and weird."

"Not to mention cold and Nico isn't in it?"

"Yes, most definitely. So, can I?"

"No."

"Percy, that's just mean." Nico scolded quietly as they made their way back through the snow.

"You want him to sleep with us?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Both guys looked around at Nico, who made a face.  
He wasn't exactly sure.

On one side, he wanted to spend a night alone with Percy again, just the two of them, maybe some kissing and making out as well, but not necessarily. Just some privacy.  
But on the other side, they couldn't just kick Will out like that just because Jason wasn't around anymore.

That was just mean and unfair towards Will.

He sighed. "I…don't really mind him being there, you know. We spent the past days together without problems, so I don't see why that only works if Jason is around..." He muttered, looking at his feet.

He hoped Percy wouldn't take it the wrong way.

Percy kissed the side of his face. "Ok, if that's what you want, Nico, then it's fine by me." He whispered quietly and Nico bit his lip, turning his face and kissing him, stopping to wrap his arms around him and pull him close.

"It'd be unfair to push him away like that..." He whispered ever so quietly into Percy's ear, but he only chuckled and kissed his cheek.

"It's ok, Neeks. No need to justify yourself. Just look how happy he is about it."

Nico looked around to see Will's face lit up, practically glowing, making his freckles stand out even more.

He grinned at them broadly, then walked on, humming to himself, seemingly happily lost in his own world.

Nico and Percy chuckled and kissed once more before following the blonde.

.

Of course, the night wasn't all cheerful or anything.  
Percy noticed over and over how Nico would chuckle or say something and look around as if he wanted to exchange a glance with Jason – just to remember he wasn't there and look down at his hands rather upset.

Percy really tried his best to take his mind off things, but Will wasn't making it easy for him, seemingly having the same problem as Nico.

"Why is it you barely notice when he's there, but you always know when he's not?" Will asked incredulously after what felt like the tenth time that he turned around to change exasperated looks with Jason at something Percy did with Nico.

Percy groaned, rolling his eyes, while Nico only sighed.

"That's because he's always the considerate, kind guy that stays in the background and let's everybody else have all the fun so they're happy. People like that are always neglected when they're there but when they're gone, everybody misses them." Nico explained, picking at some invisible pecks of dirt on his pyjama pants.

Percy put his arm around him tentatively from the side, biting his lip.  
He didn't want to push himself onto Nico, but at the same time wanted to give him the feeling that he wasn't alone.  
That Percy was here for him.

Nico looked up at him for a moment, then leaned against him ever so slightly, looking back down at his pants.

There was silence.

"I still can't believe he didn't even pat me on the back, though." Will sulked and Percy chuckled.

"Why don't you IM him about it?" He offered and Will threw him an annoyed glance.

"He's only been gone for a few hours."

"Aw, but I bet he'd love to know you're missing him so much."

"Shut up. I'm not."

"And that you wanted him to hug you and how neglected you feel now."

Will scowled.

Nico chuckled. "I'm glad you three are getting along better now."

They both looked around at him.

Nico smiled at them. "Seriously, I was worried you'd never get around to becoming friends."

Percy blinked and looked at Will.  
Jason was a friend, alright. But that was more because they could get along quite well as long as they weren't fighting over Nico.  
But Will…? Were they friends?

Will eyed him warily as if contemplating the same question.

Percy thought of their past.

He hadn't really minded Will much until he had suddenly shown so much interest in Nico. Then there was also the fact that he had kept pushing himself onto Nico and openly declared war on him. Though he guessed Will had had a good reason for that, knowing about Nico's feelings for Percy and all.

And he only acted so pushy because he wanted Nico to notice him.

So there was that.

Right now, he was quite easy to handle, after all.  
They could actually make normal conversation and joke and laugh together (as long as neither were trying to get their hands on Nico, that was).  
They tolerated each other's presence without complaining or looking at each other disdainfully.

Will even kind of snuggled up to him in bed, even if he tended to complain about it – just to then get even closer as soon as he was asleep, sometimes even nuzzling his face against Percy's back or into his hair almost affectionately.

Percy kind of wondered whether Will was dreaming of Percy being Nico sometimes.  
Or maybe he simply liked to cuddle.

He sighed. "Well, I guess we're all pals now. Not really surprising, though. We do hang out together a lot."

Will blinked, surprise showing in his pretty features (not that Percy would ever really call Will pretty).  
Either he was surprised at Percy declaring them as friends because he didn't think that way, or he was surprised at Percy declaring them as friends so openly without complaint.

Percy grinned and kissed the top of Nico's head, who leaned against him some more.

He seemed tired.

"Want to go to bed, then?" He asked him quietly and Nico shrugged.

"Oh gods, this is awesome, now I don't have to fight with Jason about who gets to sleep with Nico! Baby, come here!" Will exclaimed euphorically and got beneath the blankets, patting the space next to him and making Percy glare at him and take it all back.

Will was the worst.  
He wanted Jason back, alright.

Nico only shook his head and looked around at Percy before crawling over to Will and waiting for Percy to join him.

Percy sighed. "You're lucky I'm so tolerant, Solace, or I'd kick you out just for saying that." He muttered and pulled his pants down.

With Will in bed as well, things were going to get hot again.  
Temperature-wise, mind you.

Taking off his shirt as well, he climbed into bed behind Nico, turning him around so his face wasn't that close to Will, because the blonde looked at him rather seductively.  
Not that he really thought Will would dare to try anything.

"Mmh, Percy…" Nico hummed, snuggling against his chest and wrapping his arms around him.

Percy grinned victoriously at Will, who only made a face and got closer to Nico from behind, putting his hands to Nico's hips tentatively.

They stared at each other.  
Then Percy pulled his hands back from around Nico and inched closer, wrapping his arms around Will instead, thus minimizing the space between him and Nico as well as between Nico and Will.

Will's eyes widened slightly, looking down at the mop of hair that belonged to Nico.  
A smile tugged at his lips for a moment, a gentle gleam in his eyes.

Then he looked back up at Percy, staring at him intently with his bright blue eyes.  
Percy could feel Will's arms moving, placing themselves on Percy's hips now instead of Nico's.

Percy grinned. "Good night, pal."

Will chuckled and turned his head towards the pillow. "Gods, shut up, Jackson."

Grinning broadly, Percy looked down at Nico in his arms, already fast asleep.  
He gently kissed the top of his head and closed his eyes, sighing contently.

Somehow, he didn't mind Will that much anymore.

He was ok, he guessed.  
And he kept Nico warm.

That was good enough for him to be ok with him.


	3. Chapter 3: Nico's Good Spots

**Chapter 3: IM-Calls, massages and Nico's good spots**

"JASON!" Nico's voice sounded through the room and Percy was instantly awake, swirling around in his half-asleep state just to collide with a body behind him, causing them both to roll off the bed and hit the ground.

"Ugh, what the…" Came Will's pained voice near Percy's ear as he blinked rapidly and stared down at the blonde beneath him, looking up at him dazedly.

They both frowned at each other.

What…?

Jason's laugh sounded through the room and Nico's head popped up from the bed next to them.

"Erm…are you two ok? Sorry about that."

"It seems they are getting along way better than I'd have guessed." Jason said amused and Percy and Will got up hurriedly, scowling at each other and looking around confused, sighting the blonde through the mist of the IM.

Percy's scowl deepened as he checked the time. "Dude, it's 6am in the morning! Why would you call at such an ungodly hour?" He asked and got back into the bed and beneath the blankets. It was way too cold without them right now.

Nico took off his IM-ing device around his wrist and placed it at the end of the bed so they could all see Jason properly without the picture moving due to Nico moving his arms.

Then he crawled over to Percy and kissed him gently. "I'm sorry for startling you."

Percy grinned down at him and nuzzled his face into his hair. "Don't worry about it. I had a soft fall."

"Yeah. On me. Thanks a lot." Will complained and got into the picture now as well, making Jason chuckle.

"So Percy still lets you sleep in bed with them, huh?"

Will only made a face.

"Yeah, but he misses you so much. You should have heard him complain about you not hugging him goodbye." Percy teased and Will threw the pillow in his face before he could even look around at him.

Nico pushed away from the two dorks and smiled at Jason broadly. "How are you doing? Any news?"

Percy looked around to his boyfriend, trying to push the wave of emotions down. Nico sounded so relieved and happy to be talking to Jason.

It had been four days since his departure.

Tomorrow, they'd be leaving for Camp Half-Blood again.

Percy wasn't sure whether he was looking forward to that or not. He had a lot of mixed feelings lately.

He was glad Nico was so cheerful, but at the same time upset because it was directed towards Jason, not himself.

He was glad they would get back to Camp and he could have the bed to Nico and himself again (because there was no way he'd let Will sleep in there with them, then), but at the same time he knew he would miss New Rome.

It wasn't as if they really had to follow up a schedule at Camp Half-Blood right now, though Percy would soon give classes again. But still, here they were able to just walk around on the streets, holding hands and stopping at a café, enjoying their time together and just doing nothing productive whatsoever.

Not to mention taking showers together.

Percy's mouth watered at the mere thought. They had taken all their showers together the past days. He had loved it.

And not only because they got each other off.

Though the thought of that made him shiver with want.

He looked towards Will, who had settled down on the other side of Nico. Frowning, he wondered why Will had been behind him when he had woken up, anyways.

They had gone to bed with Will behind Nico, not Percy.

Maybe he had moved in the middle of the night again.

"Not really. We're still on the move. Actually, I only decided to call so you guys know I'm still alive. Sorry it had to be at such an early hour, but we're breaking Camp in thirty minutes and I didn't want to call you while we were on the road." Jason explained and Percy looked around at him again.

He looked pretty tired. And he also gazed at their bed rather wistfully.

"You can call us anytime that's good for you, Jason." Nico said instantly and Percy wondered vaguely whether Nico would accept an incoming call while they were taking a shower.

Sadly, he wasn't sure how Nico would reply, so he decided not to ask him, hoping he'd never have to find out.

"Yeah, as you could clearly tell, Nico was already awaiting your call desperately." Will pointed out, looking at Percy rather smugly.

That blonde.

He was doing that on purpose.

"Not as much as you were, though. I saw you eyeing your own IM-ing device wistfully quite a few times, but I guess you were too scared to call Jason."

It wasn't even a lie. He had caught Will checking his device quite a few times, fidgeting nervously as if he was considering calling somebody.

The blonde turned beet red. "I did not!" He sputtered and turned to look at Jason, who blinked surprised in his direction.

Then his lips split into a broad smile, which looked really endearing, especially with that stapler scar.

"I'm glad I'm being missed like that. I hope I can get back to you guys soon. And Will, you may call me anytime you wish to-…"

"I didn't want to call you!" Will wailed, still bright red in the face.

Percy laughed.

It was quite funny to make Will lose his composure.

He looked around to see his boyfriend chuckling as well, looking between Jason and Will amused. He wondered vaguely whether Nico thought the two were crushing on each other.

If so, he dearly hoped Nico would never ask them about it. That would make for more than just awkward conversation.

They heard somebody say something quietly to Jason and Jason looked at whoever was behind their IM-screen.

Then he made a face and looked back at them.

"Well, I guess I have to go now. Want me to call again tonight?"

"Sure." Percy and Nico instantly replied and looked around to Will, who only huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Jason gazed at him as well.

Will only looked away pointedly. "I don't care."

Percy chuckled. "Jason, I think he's still upset about that hug."

Will shot his head around, glaring at him. "Am NOT!"

Jason laughed. "Aw, Will, I'm so sorry. I did want to hug you, but I didn't want to get impaled by Percy for kissing his boyfriend. Please don't hold it against me. Next time, just come rushing after me and I'll make sure to fulfill your needs."

While Percy glared at Jason for reminding him of that, he also noticed how Nico and Will blushed a dark shade of red, which immediately made him chuckle.

They both looked adorable. Will huffed and puffed and seemingly tried to find the right words, while Nico fidgeted nervously and looked around at Percy with big eyes.

Percy decided to free them both from their misery.

"Yeah, yeah, don't get too cocky, now. I'll still have your head the next time you come around. But yeah, call us tonight. Knock first, though, just in case I kicked Will out to please Nico's needs."

"P-Percy!" Nico instantly stammered, looking around at him embarrassed, while Jason only chuckled and Will looked around incredulously.

"You better please his needs in the shower, man. I want to sleep in this bed without having to picture you doing…whatever you're doing."

Percy laughed at that, watching Nico make a face and jump off the bed.

"You're the worst! All of you!" He exclaimed, bright red in the face and collected his towel and a set of clothes.

"Noo~! Nico, wait for me!" Percy called after him and hurried out of bed, nearly tearing Will down again who had moved quickly to pull his legs out of the way.

Jason laughed loudly and shook his head. "I'll leave you to it, then. See you all later."

He might have said something after that, but Percy was already out the door and rushing after Nico.

.

Nico sighed, reminiscing about their little outing earlier in the bathroom.

He shuddered pleasantly. Gods, things just kept getting better and better during their little quality time in the shower.

Seriously, they were slowly making progress. He himself was getting more daring, too.

Nico actually liked touching and pleasing Percy, but he sometimes felt too insecure to really do what he'd like. Though Percy seemed to always be able to tell and say just the right things to get Nico to continue without feeling stupid or flustered.

They still stuck to hands only.

Even though Percy had dared to go a tiny bit further today, making Nico shudder once more as he remembered the odd sensations rushing through his body at Percy's touch.

Well, it had certainly made up for making Nico all flustered and embarrassed during their chat with Jason.

Seriously, though, why the hell were they all talking like that and about such things?! Somehow, he was the only one who seemed to mind, though.

He smiled at the memory of Jason, sitting there and talking to them, grinning at him in that reassuring way.

He had looked tired, but content. So things seemed to be going well so far.

Nico was glad the blonde had called. He had been half asleep, snuggling against Percy's chest and wondering how Will had gotten behind Percy since he had fallen asleep hugging Nico from behind, when suddenly his IM-ing device had vibrated, signaling the usual 'knocking' of an incoming call.

He had been wide awake in an instant, taking the call and simply hadn't been able to push down his enthusiasm as he saw the blonde.

Which had utterly startled Percy.

Nico still found it amusing how his boyfriend had shot up, instantly trying to get out of bed and probably to his weapon, just to then tear Will down with him who had also woken up with a start. Those two always made it seem like they didn't like each other, but Nico knew by now that it was all just show.

They might not be that close to give their lives for each other, but they certainly were close enough to rush to each other's aid. Unless they killed each other first, since they kept bickering and teasing each other.

Nico felt Percy's hand on his thigh and smiled to himself.

They were sitting in their favorite café, enjoying a hot cocoa and gazing out at the snowy streets of New Rome together.

Will was on the table next to them with some of the Apollo kids from Camp Jupiter, exchanging information about herbs, only looking over to them every now and then, but mostly leaving them alone.

It was a bit as if they were alone together.

Like a date.

"This is really nice." Percy muttered, gazing down at him fondly.

Nico smiled up at him and leaned against him slightly. "Yeah, it is."

"Would you…like to do things like this back at Camp? I mean…maybe not necessarily IN Camp…" Percy asked him quietly, shifting as if he was nervous.

Nico chuckled. "You mean holding hands and showing off to the others that I'm yours?"

That was what Percy had written in one of the notes as well.

Percy grinned sheepishly. "Yeah…"

Nico put his hand on Percy's hand on his thigh. "I'd love to."

They smiled at each other and Percy looked around quickly before pressing his lips onto Nico's for a splint second.

Nico knew he didn't really care about anybody seeing them, but he didn't want Will to…

"I _saw _that! Would you two keep it down? We're in a public place here!" Will's voice sounded behind them and Percy rolled his eyes while Nico only chuckled and turned his head, glancing at the blonde.

He made a face and Nico stuck out his tongue before snuggling against Percy some more, grinning smugly while Percy just laughed quietly and squeezed his thigh lightly.

He could still worry about what other people thought when they were back at Camp Half-Blood. Here, he hadn't met one single person that had looked at them oddly.

Plus, he wasn't going to live here anytime soon, so might as well enjoy it and show off that he had Percy.

Show off that he was happy.

Percy stroked his thigh gently and sipped on Nico's cocoa even though he had the exact same thing. Nico let him, though. He always smiled so contently afterwards. And Nico could always take Percy's drink as well, after all.

His mind drifted off to Jason again.

He wondered vaguely where he was right now. It really sucked that there was nothing they could do to help him.

He wished he could talk to Percy about it, maybe ask whether they might not be able to accompany Jason.

Just for a little while.

The four of them could spend time together and help Jason and everything could be done so much faster. As they had said, it was a lot more peaceful ever since Gaea was gone. He knew it wouldn't last forever.

But he hoped it would last long enough for Jason to reestablish peace and for them to settle down in New Rome.

Ok, that was really selfish of him right there.

Nico scowled and took his cup from Percy to take a sip himself.

Mmh, that tasted so nice.

Percy gazed at him in that odd way again, as if he was trying to decipher what he was thinking about just by looking at his face.

Nico really wished he could talk to Percy about Jason and helping him. But he couldn't. He was worried Percy would take it the wrong way.

And he really didn't want to make Percy feel bad or hurt.

So he just smiled up at Percy and squeezed his hand lightly again.

Percy kissed his forehead and Nico closed his eyes at the feeling.

That felt so nice.

Will came over and wrapped his arms around Nico from behind.

"Want me to help you pack, Neeks?"

Nico sighed, pulling back from Percy slightly. Ah, yes, they'd be leaving tomorrow.

"Sure…"

They hadn't settled on a time yet, but he guessed they'd be leaving in the early morning again. He hadn't even touched his luggage.

Thinking about it, he didn't really want to leave. He wanted to get back to Camp, yes, but at the same time he just wanted to stay here.

It was nice here.

He could so picture living here with Percy in a small apartment together, going to college, spending their free time studying and drinking hot chocolate (and probably lots of making out). Jason and Will would live around the corner and they could all take classes together and visit Hazel and Frank or help out Reyna every now and then.

It would be so nice.

So normal.

But he liked Camp Half-Blood. He really did. It was his home now.

The people there were great, the kids were fun to teach…who knew, maybe he'd offer Percy to help training them. He would actually really like that. And if the kids were willing to put up with him, he would gladly teach them all he knew.

He wondered how the other Campers would take the news of him being gay.

Even more so, how they'd take the news of Percy Jackson being his boyfriend. It wasn't as if Nico was the only person in love with Percy. There were tons of girls that had their eyes on him.

And he had dated Annabeth, so obviously they'd get their hopes up.

Nico squeezed Percy's hand once more. Percy hadn't wanted the girls. He had chosen Nico over all of those girls.

"I love you, Nico." Percy whispered, as if he could read his mind.

Nico couldn't suppress the smile that always creeped on his face whenever he heard those sweet words. Nor could he suppress the warm and fuzzy feeling that spread inside him, pushing all negativity and worry out of the way to make space for giddiness and joy.

He looked up at Percy, grinning broadly. "I love you too."

Will sighed. "And who loves me?"

"Aw, Will. You know we love you, too." Percy said and patted Will's head who wrapped his arms around Nico, while Nico suddenly wanted to leave.

Sensitive topic.

"Erm…how about we get going, then? There's so much to pack." He muttered, shifting and winding out of Will's embrace as well as fleeing from Percy's touch, calling up the waiter to pay.

Will and Percy exchanged glances behind him, but he was too busy searching for some change in his wallet to really notice or think much about it.

.

They spent the rest of the day packing Nico's stuff and Nico had almost skewered Will when he dropped his flower by accident.

Luckily, it survived the fall without any visible damage to neither the glass nor the delicate flower on the inside.

Percy had been the one to calm him, much to both Nico's and Will's surprise. Then again, Percy guessed it surely was a bit odd how HE was the one protecting Will from punishment, when it was usually him wanting to do his head in.

But they were pals now, so there was that.

He put Nico on his lap, looking at the flower with him and telling him how it had been a pain in the butt to convince one of the Hecate kids to help him out after he had gone through the trouble of looking up different flowers and finding the real thing after ages of searching and looking and asking the Demeter Cabin for advice.

He had half expected Will to make a dumb comment, but he hadn't, instead sitting down on the chair, listening to his story quietly and gazing at the flower from afar (he didn't dare get close to it anymore because he was scared Nico would end him if it did break).

Then again, if he had commented, Percy would have let Nico rape his sorry ass (not literally, though). So then they all sat there quietly until Nico asked the question Percy had half expected.

"Why didn't you just ask one of the Demeter kids to grow one for you? Why go through so much trouble?"

Percy chuckled and noticed Will looking rather curious as well.

He sighed. "Because it was a gift for you, Nico. I wanted to go through the actual work myself. Of course it would have been easier, but I knew you're worth it."

"But you didn't even know whether I'd date you in the end." Nico complained unbelieving.

Percy chuckled pained and tightened his grip around Nico, staring at the flower in his hands. "I know."

There was silence in the room.

Will turned away somberly.

Nico looked around at Percy with big eyes.

Percy smiled and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Nico. I really do. Much more than you can imagine."

He nuzzled his face against the side of Nico's neck, inhaling his scent. He always smelled so nice. And this time he had actually used his own shower gel, too.

"But why?" Nico's voice was barely audible, but Percy and Will heard him just fine.

"Because you're an amazing person, Neeks. You might not think so yourself, but we know so. You've had the most horrible and cruel stuff happen to you and suffered for so long, yet you're the most wonderful and kindest person there can be. We know you, and because we do, there's just no way not to love you for who you are. Even with you being painfully oblivious by times." Will explained and looked around at Nico with a lopsided grin.

Nico stared at him. "What…?"

Percy shifted uneasily but didn't say a word. Will was about to say something, but then his IM-ing device suddenly buzzed and all three of them stared at it.

"What the..." Will muttered, blinking at the name it said on the small screen. "It's Jason."

"Well, answer it!" Nico urged and jumped up, motioning for him to come over and pulling the nightstand up to them.

Will still stared at the small screen. "Why's he calling...me?"

Percy laughed and got up as well, pulling him over and pressing 'Accept' on his device.

"Because he wants to talk to you, it seems."

Originally, Percy had indicated to even put him between Nico and him, but the moment he sat Will down, Nico went to Percy's other side, much to his surprise.

Will didn't even seem to notice. He was still stunned.

Percy took the wristband off and placed it on the bedside table as Jason's face popped up.

"Hey there. Bad timing?"

"Nah, perfect. Sorry it took so long, Will was so startled that you'd call him that he forgot how to move." Percy explained grinning and Jason chuckled, looking at Will who pressed his lips tightly together and made a face.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He said sourly and seemed pretty peeved.

Jason tilted his head. "So I shouldn't have called you?"

"I don't care!" Will spat and it sounded a lot like Nico when he tried to act indifferent to something.

Percy found it strangely amusing, though he kept his face in check. Jason seemed thoughtful for a moment, then he shrugged it off, looking around at Percy and Nico grinning.

"So, how was your day?" He asked them cheerfully, but Nico shook his head impatiently.

"Forget about that. How was YOUR day? Any news?"

Jason laughed. "Nico, we only talked this morning. Nothing much happened. We're still travelling. Though we did drop off a few people at..."

And with that, Jason started telling them about where they were, what they did, the people they had dropped off, the people they would drop off, the people that knew people that knew people that might know somebody...things like that.

Then Nico and Percy told him about their day, Will still being rather sulky. Percy was faintly wondering if he truly WAS crushing on Jason. But maybe it was also just his imagination.

If Will did fall for Jason, it would be good for Percy and Nico, of course, because then Percy didn't run the risk of Will trying to steal his Nico away.

But at the same time, it would surely suck for Will because Jason still was head over heels in love with Nico.

Who knew, though, maybe they'd find each other?That way they might actually all be able to stay friends.

Because Percy was thinking a tad further ahead. Something he had refused to do before.

If the other two came out to Nico, Nico didn't really have many options.

One would be to stay with Percy and brush them off, something he highly doubted Nico would or could do, given the fact that he couldn't even hurt a fly.

Another one would be to dump Percy for one of them, which he didn't wish to elaborate because it tore his heart into pieces and made the inside of his mouth bitter and his stomach acid.

Or he could try to keep friend zoning Jason and Will, but then he ran the risk of losing them as friends because they wouldn't want to keep getting hurt by the fact he was with Percy.

Was there really no way out of this? He knew there was still the option of sharing Nico. But he was still vehemently against it.

Nico was his Nico. He could be considerate of the guys, yes. He could maybe forgive them under certain circumstances if they dared come a tad too close to him, yes.

But he would never give Nico away to them, knowing they'd do all sorts of stuff with him.

His insides churned and he realized this had to be how Will and Jason felt every morning when Percy left to take a shower with Nico.

The thought made him guilty. He shook his head. What the hell was he thinking about anyways?

Nico would never have 'sex friends' or the like in the first place.

He'd be faithful. Percy knew he would be. And the others wouldn't be satisfied with just sex anyways.

They wanted Nico's love.

_And he did love them._

Percy fixed his gaze on his hands.

_He did love them._

Percy knew he did.

Something inside his chest clenched painfully. Nico's hand shot out of nowhere, placing itself on Percy's hand in his lap, squeezing it tentatively. Percy looked up, trying to put on a quick smile.

Nico looked at him worriedly from the side, Jason and Will bickering like an old married couple next to him about something Percy couldn't quite catch.

"You ok?" Nico asked barely audible and Percy nodded quickly.

Maybe a tad too quickly. Nico inched closer and folded his hand into Percy's while placing his other hand at the side of Percy's face, caressing his cheek gently.

Percy sighed at the touch, smiling slightly.

He loved Nico. He really did.

Nico leaned over and their lips met halfway for a soft, quick kiss. Then Nico leaned his forehead against Percy's and looked him deep into the eyes, as if trying to see what was bothering him.

But Percy only smiled and pushed his worries and fears down.

He didn't know what would happen in the future.

He didn't know whether Nico would stay with him or not.

But he had him now.

And he was going to do give it his all to make Nico happy.

He kissed his nose gently, now smiling a genuine smile.

Nico chuckled quietly.

Percy could feel Will shift next to him and decided to pull back, looking around to the two blondes. He caught sight of them exchanging pained looks. Maybe he really should be a bit more considerate of them.

He threw them an apologetic smile but they both only shrugged, not exactly meeting his gaze.

"So...I'll call you in a few days again? How are we going to do it? Want me to call during day or in the evening/morning? Since I doubt you'll let Will sleep over at your cabins..."

"Hell no." Percy instantly declared.

Will pushed out his bottom lip but he was half grinning, so Percy knew he knew there was no way Percy would keep the cuddling up. As soon as they were back at Camp Half-Blood, Percy would have Nico to himself in the nights again.

He was definitely looking forward to that.

"I guess the evenings would be good. Maybe we can discuss a set time when we're back." Nico shrugged and looked around to Will and Percy for confirmation, but they were busy sizing each other up now.

At last, Will sighed and admitted defeat. "Fine, you can have him to yourself when we get back. But may I at least get the privilege to massage him tonight? It'd be a good chance to try out the massage oil I got him as well."

Jason chuckled. "You just want to get the most touches out of tonight."

"Jason! Stop convincing Percy not to let me do him!"

"Excuse me? I thought you wanted to do Nico. Since when do you want to do me?"

"I WANT TO DO NICO!" Will cried exasperated.

"Guys...? Are you still talking about massages?" Nico asked frowning and Percy had to bite his lip to hold back from laughing.

"Yes." Will instantly assured him.

"No." Jason piped in, seemingly unhelpful on purpose.

"What the...Jason!"

"You just want to get into his pants."

"Yeah, you do." Percy agreed and Nico looked around at them with big eyes.

"Nico, we're just joking. As if Percy would ever let me touch you like that." Will sighed and threw Percy a last glare.

Jason and Percy chuckled and looked around at Nico too.

"A massage might actually not be a bad idea, though. You felt rather stiff when I felt you up in the sho-...erm...I mean, when I snuggled up to you last night." Percy corrected himself quickly, scolding himself.

Damn it. He had wanted to be more considerate of them. What the hell did he have to remind them of his quality time with Nico in the shower for?

But, by the gods, it had been so hot.

Nico was getting more daring by the day, making it much harder for Percy to hold back from jumping him. Not to mention that he himself slowly started taking things a bit further.

Today in the morning had been one of those moments where it had taken all of his self-control not to do Nico.

It had been tempting. Very, VERY tempting.

Then again, Nico had been with his back to him, slightly bent over, looking back at him with a face so seductive it should be illegal.

Gods, just the thought of it made him hot and wanting again.

Damn it.

He looked around at Nico who was biting his lip, looking flustered. He obviously got what Percy had been about to say.

Percy glanced at Will and Jason and found both of them looking away, disgruntled.

Damn it all. Was there no way all of them could be happy somehow?

"Well, so massage it is." Will then said, trying to be cheerful and got up.

Percy noticed frowning how Will put his hand on Percy's thigh as he did so.

It wasn't a mocking or mean motion. He didn't squeeze or look around at him annoyed or put a lot of weight to the touch. Instead, it felt more as if Will hadn't even noticed himself.

The blonde hurried around the bed to the other bedside table, looking for the massage oil.

Nico sighed loudly. "I just love how you all just decide for me whether I get a massage or not."

"Oh, trust me, if you want to be able to walk after Percy did you, you want me to massage you first." Will ensured him matter-of-factly, making Percy look around in alarm.

"What the hell, Solace?!"

"Well, sorry to inform you, Percy, but you're a newb in this area. So I just want to make sure Nico won't take too much damage from your inexperience."

For a moment, Percy was tempted to punch him in the face.

Jason snorted behind them, seemingly trying to hold back from laughing.

Nico was beet red in the face.

Percy considered defending himself, but Will was kind of right, wasn't he? Percy had done his research, but he certainly lacked experience.

He turned to Nico. "Neeks, how about we take a nice long bath before you have that massage?"

Nico's eyes widened while Will and Jason visibly cringed.

"Erm...sure...want me to start the water?"

"Yes, please."

Nico blinked and jumped up, muttering a quick goodbye to Jason who grinned at him, though the grin was gone the moment the boy turned around.

Percy knew Nico wanted to get out of here to regain his composure. And he also wanted to shove it into their faces that Nico would take a bath with HIM.

As the door closed and Nico's footsteps hurried away, he huffed indignantly.

"So, I agree to let you snuggle up to my boyfriend at night, I let you interrupt any quality time I have with him except in the shower, I allow you to massage him even though I know you just want to get your hands on him – and as a thanks, you doubt my ability to please him correctly?"

Will crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked away, seemingly unsure whether he should act defiantly or sorry.

Jason took a deep breath. "Oh my, Will, I think you hurt his pride."

"Yeah, you kind of did. I might not have any experience with guys, and I know if I said I did my research, you'll just laugh in my face because it will sound pathetic. But I'll have you know that I intend to do everything I can to make it least painful and most enjoyable for Nico and you know what? You pissed me off enough to tell you this: I'm gonna go to my _boyfriend _now and take a long hot bath with him and you bet I'm going to please the hell out of him right then, right there, which you two can't, no matter how experienced and great you are."

And with that, he rounded the bed, got out the room and slammed the door behind him. He stood there for a moment, lost in thoughts and emotions.

He hadn't said what he had originally wanted to say.

'I'll get my hands on his hot, hard dick and make him moan my name out loud while pounding that sexy ass with my fingers'.

Good thing he hadn't said that. He had no inclination of pushing himself onto Nico in the bathroom after all. Though a bath did sound nice.

And who knew what it could evolve into...

The door got ripped open behind him and Will's hands shot out, closing in around his chest and pulling him back into the room before he could even look around.

Next moment, he found himself on the bed, Will on top of him.

"You are an idiot. A really, REALLY cruel idiot!" He spat at him, his bright blue eyes ablaze with hurt and pain.

Percy cringed just looking at him, but pushed it down. "Well, how would you feel if I told you you'll suck at pleasing your boyfriend just cause he happens to be your first?!" He hissed defiantly.

"Will, leave him alone. You brought it upon yourself." Jason put in from over where Will's IM-ing device was.

Will still had Percy by the collar of his sweater, looking down at him.

Then he let go, sitting up. His gaze travelled over Percy for a moment, studying him. Then he sighed.

"Nico's good points are here, here and here. Do him a favor and use lots of lube. Take your time preparing him. Use one finger until he completely accepts it, you'll notice. Don't overdo it. Prepare him over a longer amount of time, so don't do him spontaneously. Get him used to you fingering him. Try out different movements, but this one should be the easiest and most effective to get to his prostate. Make sure to distract him when you first enter him. If you deem him ready, continue with the fingering. If you then deem him absolutely ready, continue with the fingering. Only use your dick when you are really, really, absolutely to a hundred percent sure he's ready. Make sure to touch the rest of his body as you go. Best positions for starters do not include doggy. Don't even think about it. Keep him wanting and don't let him concentrate on any form of pain, distract him in any way possible, keep him utterly dazed. Give him lots of water afterwards so he doesn't dehydrate. And don't expect him to walk around afterwards, so don't even think about doing this in a hurry in the shower in the morning. Such stuff you should only do when you two have had sex for a while and it doesn't hurt him at all anymore. Though that's a lie, it will still hurt for a while and I swear if you don't use lube I'll be the one raping your sorry ass dry. Did I make myself clear?" Will raved, gesturing wildly with his hands.

Utter, complete silence.

Percy stared up at Will as he looked down at him with a resigned expression on his face.

"Why...?" He asked, confused.

"Because if I can't have him, I at least want you to take proper care of him." Will spat, looking away, trying to hide the pain in his eyes.

Jason shifted in the background but didn't say a word.

Percy sat up quietly and wrapped his arms around Will. The blonde snorted but didn't push him away. It felt odd, hugging Will. It didn't feel anything like hugging Nico.

Then again, Will and Percy were pretty much the same height and built, while Nico was a tad shorter and slimmer than them.

Plus, he was a lot warmer than Nico.

"Thanks. And I'm sorry for what I've said."

He also wanted to say sorry that they were hurting, but he doubted they'd believe him.

"It's understandable. We pushed it." Jason muttered behind them.

He felt Will's head drop onto his shoulder in a similar way Nico's usually did. Then he felt something wet.

"Just go..." The blonde whispered feebly and Percy could feel him trembling, fighting back tears.

Guilt washed over him.

He was the one who least deserved Nico. He was the one who had hurt him the most. Yet here he was, getting Nico, getting the chance to be happy with him. Hurting the two guys who'd do anything for Nico and loved him the same way Percy loved him.

Nico deserved either of those guys much more than him, didn't he? Wasn't he just being selfish? But he couldn't leave Nico.

For the first time in his life, it just all felt so right.

And Nico loved him. But Nico also loved those two.

Would it make a difference?

And then, Percy felt his own head dropping onto Will's shoulder.

Will didn't say a word, wrapping his arms around him as well now.

"Don't mind us, Percy. You might have been a dick in the past, but you've changed. Nico loves you. He always has and he most likely always will. We're grateful that you don't make it painfully obvious with making out with him in front of us, but don't let us get between you. You did a big thing for him and I know you didn't do it to win him over. You want to make him happy. But you won't make him happy with being considerate of us, Percy. You won't. It will only hurt you and it will confuse him. And, as hard as it is to say it, it will only allow us to keep hoping and keep trying. Just go for it and get him. He's yours. I accept that and I know Will does, too. We love him, but we want him to be happy. And he's happy with you. Don't you doubt that." Jason's voice sounded soothingly from behind him.

Trust Jason to know what to say to calm him. Why did Jason do that for him, though?

Shouldn't he have said something mean like 'Yeah, you don't deserve him' so Percy would let Nico go and find happiness with one of them?

Why did both of these fools have to be so kind and considerate?

Not just of Nico, but of him as well?

"You guys are the worst..." Percy muttered and Will chuckled quietly.

They pulled out of their hug and looked at each other, both with slightly red eyes.

"You're pathetic." They both said at the same time and had to laugh.

Jason smiled at both of them, shaking his head quietly. "Seriously, what am I going to do with you two?"

"It's more like: What are we going to do without you?" Percy remarked and Will chuckled, looking at Jason with a lopsided grin.

"Yeah, seriously, get back to us, soon. Percy and I both suck at cheering Nico up permanently. You always know best what to say to get him to laugh."

Percy nodded. "I agree."

Jason laughed heartily and held up his arms. "Well, I can't do more than hurry. And I'm already stressing the team, thank you very much. But seriously, if you miss me so much, maybe you should consider coming along."

Percy bit his lip. "Actually...I was thinking about that."

Both looked around at him surprised. "I...was only joking..." Jason muttered, surprised.

Will noticed how he still had his legs wrapped around Percy for some reason and pulled back, getting up.

"I know. But Nico was so upset I was wondering if there'd be a way we could actually come along..."

"Not a good idea. We'd be on the move most of the time and be in really confined space around each other. We can already hear you moan in the shower, I don't want to hear you moan in the tent next to me when you do him." Will instantly put in.

Percy blushed. "What? We're not that loud!"

"True, but loud enough to be heard when we pass by the bathroom door."

Percy made a face and looked away.

"But you'd seriously consider it just because Nico was upset at me leaving?" Jason asked, still surprised.

Percy shrugged. "We have the same goal. We all want to make Nico happy. I just seem to be the only one who thinks that it kind of takes all three of us to truly make him happy."

For a moment, there was silence.

Then Percy groaned. "I did not mean it in that way."

Will and Jason chuckled.

"I don't think that'd work out anyways. Foursomes are usually completely sex-based, after all. For a real relationship, we'd all have to love each other. Like, you'd have to love Nico, Jason and me. Jason would have to love you, Nico and me. I'd have to love Nico, you and Jason. Get what I mean? And then there's still the issue with the top/bottom thing..." Will wondered and suddenly seemed thoughtful.

Percy made a face and waved off. "This is dumb. Forget I've said anything. I'm not gonna share him."

"Even if you were willing to, I think you guys aren't thinking of the most important thing: Nico. I highly doubt he'd be ok with dating all three of us." Jason put it, though his expression was thoughtful aswell.

"Well, I know he loves all three of us, so there's that." Percy muttered, then groaned.

"This is it. I'm leaving. What the hell am I defending that bullshit for?"

Will chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. "You know what? You're funny. I'd have locked him up and never let him out again, making him utterly addicted to me and wouldn't have given a damn about you guys. Jason would have happily taken Nico with him and we'd have never seen him again, and if we did, then he'd have been well protected by a fierce and possessive Jason. But you...you don't think like that, do you? All you think about is that he's happy, even if that makes you unhappy."

Percy shrugged. "If he's happy, so am I."

"Is that because you actually have an even lower self-confidence than Nico?" Jason asked quietly and Will's eyes widened surprised, scanning over Percy's face.

Percy looked away, pulling back. "Oh, shush. I just want to see him happy. I've been a crappy person before and only cared for myself. He deserves all the love he can get, doesn't he? I can't let myself get in the way there."

And with that, he walked towards the door again.

"You completely ruined my mood for sex, though. Now I'll have to resort to just hand again. Thanks a lot, guys."

They two guys chuckled and Percy grinned to himself, leaving for the bathroom.

.

"P-Percy..." Nico moaned as Percy tentatively licked over his left nipple, taking it between his teeth gently to let his tongue flick over it.

The bath had started normally enough with Percy in a mood he completely couldn't identify.

He had brushed it off as Percy still being rather upset at Will's nasty comment about his inexperience.

Nico completely didn't mind. In his opinion, Percy was doing an absolutely great job so far. If this was him being inexperienced, Nico didn't even dare imagine how it would be like when he did know what he was doing.

So he had tried to cheer him up a bit, getting into the water with him and snuggling up to him, kissing and touching a bit.

When things had gotten quite out of hand like this...he had no idea.

All he knew was that his legs were firmly wrapped around Percy as his sea prince was on top of him, holding his body as to not push him under water and kissing and licking and grazing over his skin longingly.

"Yes..." He huffed, arching his back slightly as Percy nibbled on his other nipple, one of his hands moving down to grab Nico's butt.

He chuckled slightly and Percy came back up for a kiss. Nico eagerly pushed up against him.

Gods, he loved this so much. All of this.

Percy chuckled in that raw, lusty voice of his and looked at him with those intense sea-green eyes, studying his face as if he tried to memorize every little detail. Nico gazed back at him, knowing he must look absolutely ridiculous, but it simply felt too good.

Then Percy went down on him again, kissing and nibbling on his skin, his eyes still fixed on Nico's face, watching his every reaction. Nico gasped and moaned again as Percy teased his nipples and kissed down his rib cage, nibbling at his side and making him tremble with want.

Percy grinned slightly, letting his tongue trail over Nico's stomach, tracing his muscles and examining his belly button. Nico huffed and noticed absent-mindedly how Percy pushed Nico's legs up and placed them on his shoulders.

What was he doing?

Percy grinned up at him wickedly and placed a soft kiss on his inner thigh, making Nico blush and squirm slightly.

This was getting way too intimate.

Percy didn't let him go, instead getting dangerously close to Nico's dick, still grinning up at him.

For a moment, Nico wanted to ask him what he was planning to do. But then Percy licked across his tip and all rational thought left him.

He drew a sharp breath, his head falling back, his body trembling as Percy's hot mouth wrapped itself around his tip, sucking tentatively and letting his tongue flick around it.

Nico was going to die.

Right then and there.

He made a sound he wasn't sure himself what it resembled and found his hands clutching Percy's hair, keeping him there. Not that Percy made any inclination to stop.

Instead, he slowly began taking more of him into his mouth, exploring how far he could go and how he could use his tongue to make Nico moan and whimper and writhe beneath him.

"P-Percy!" He gasped as Percy started to suck on his tip again, flicking his tongue around it mercilessly.

Then he took more of him in his mouth again, moving up and down and finishing each thrust with a suck and a flicker of his tongue at Nico's tip.

Nico's whole body trembled and he could barely control the noises he made, his voice already hoarse from moaning.

Percy had his eyes fixed on Nico's face again. Why was he always looking at him so intensely? If he wasn't so busy being drowned in the sensations Percy's mouth sent through him, he'd feel pretty self-conscious. But when one was writhing and moaning and groaning and clawing, there wasn't really any time left to be ashamed or embarrassed.

Nico tried to push his orgasm down as long as possible, not wanting this to stop. Then he feebly tried tugging at Percy's hair.

"P-Percy…!" He pressed out, his voice urgent as Percy started focusing on his tip again instead of letting go.

Nico stiffened and tried to hold back for as long as he could, frantically tugging on Percy now, but he brushed him off, sucking hard on his tip and letting his teeth graze against it ever so lightly.

Nico shivered and was distracted for a moment by the whoosh of sensations rushing through him.

Next moment, he was arching his back, his orgasm hitting him full force.

Like a tidal wave. Why always like tidal waves? Must be because of Percy.

He saw nothing but stars and fell back, feeling Percy swallow and pull back slowly, his hands still on Nico's lower back, keeping him from going underwater. Truth be told, Nico had utterly forgotten they were in any water in the first place. Or in the bathtub. Or in the bathroom in general.

He fell back with a feeling of utter bliss and pleasure settling over him, his senses numb and his mind still empty.

Now he knew what the term 'mind-blowing' meant.

He noticed dazedly how Percy chuckled, slightly red in the face as he looked down at himself.

"I think that's the first time I came without even touching myself." He stated embarrassed and Nico blinked surprised.

Then he let his head drop back weakly and sighed deeply.

"That…was…amazing…" He muttered, closing his eyes and wondering if anyone would mind if he fell asleep right now.

Percy chuckled and Nico could feel him coming closer, kissing his jawline softly.

"Sorry for not doing anything for you, though…" He then added and tried to lift his head again, but Percy dropped onto him and had his head in the way.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Nico. I loved it. I love you."

And with that, he placed a quick kiss on Nico's nose and pulled back, letting the water out.

"Now, let's get you back to our room so Will can give you that massage."

Nico lazily opened one eye, contemplating whether he should really get up now. Percy stepped out of the tub and Nico couldn't resist gazing at that butt. Unfortunately, Percy noticed and chuckled, raising an eyebrow at Nico who instantly blushed and got up, hurrying out the tub to hide his face. But Percy only laughed and pulled him close the moment he set foot on the bath mat, kissing the side of his face again.

"Nico, really, you're allowed to check me out anytime you want. I know I'm checking you out all the time. But now, stop making me want to kiss you before I brushed my teeth." He scolded and wrapped his towel around Nico, more to put something on him than to dry him, for he had his hand on his shoulder already, insta-drying him as it was.

Nico still took the towel, grinning sheepishly and glancing at Percy's butt again as he turned away.

That surely was one sexy butt, though.

.

When they got back to their room, Will was sitting on the bed and just ended the IM-call with Jason, looking around surprised.

"That was fast." He remarked and Percy noticed his gaze travelling over the both of them, examining them for a possible clue to what they had done.

Percy only smiled and excused himself to grab some fresh clothes, kissing Nico on the forehead before he left.

He had brushed his teeth and all, but he didn't know how Nico would take it if he kissed him right now, what with Percy sucking him off and all. Gods, that had been one hot experience. Obviously, that had been the first blowjob he had ever given and he was fairly sure compared to experienced people he had sucked.

But he told himself he couldn't have been that bad, because Nico had obviously enjoyed it.

Gods, his face.

The way he arched his back. The way he had had his hands in Percy's hair, clutching it for dear life. And those moans. The noises he made in general.

Percy sighed longingly. Then he bit his lip, scolding himself. He really shouldn't be thinking of this now. He hurried into his clothes to get back to Nico and Will quickly.

After all, he really wanted to be there during the whole of that massage.

Not necessarily to make sure Will didn't cross the line (he was quite certain Will wouldn't dare) but more to figure out some more helpful details about Nico.

Will had somehow known a few REALLY good spots on him after all. Percy still had no idea how he had known, though.

Of course, Will had been quite touchy with Nico, but how could he have known?

When he got into the room, Will was already busy taking off Nico's pants he had only just put on, Nico bright red in the face and saying something Percy couldn't catch as Will pushed him down onto the bed.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Am I interrupting something?"

Will and Nico looked around, Nico flustered, Will unimpressed.

"Here I am, wanting to give him a whole body massage and he refuses to get undressed for me. Can you believe it?"

"Well, who'd willingly get undressed for you in the first place, Solace? No matter if for a massage or not."

Will made a face. "Ha-ha. Seriously, Nico, off with those socks, too."

"What? But it's...erm...it's cold!"

"I'll make you hot."

"That sounds so wrong."

"Good."

Percy rolled his eyes and went over to the window, flopping down on the chair. "Just so you know, Will, I'll be watching. So make sure to not get too carried away."

"Of course, Perce. Thanks for your trust. Now then, Neeks, let's get started."

Percy couldn't tell whether Will was sarcastic or serious. He really couldn't. But he didn't really care either.

Percy watched quietly as Nico repositioned himself on the bed, lying on his stomach and exposing that trained back to Will, who let his gaze travel over him hungrily for a swift second before looking around to Percy apologetically once more, climbing on top of Nico.

"Well, I'll start with your back, then." Will said enthusiastically and Nico only shrugged, putting his head on his arms.

Percy wondered vaguely what Nico thought of this. Of Will so close to him. On top of him like that. Touching him.

It was weird, knowing Nico liked Will. Knowing Will liked Nico. Maybe it was because Percy had known this before they had even gotten together, but he found himself strangely untroubled by it.

Because Nico had chosen to date Percy even though he had feelings for Will. Because in his own way, he had chosen Percy over Will. Then again, Nico didn't know Will liked him that way.

He should, of course, but Nico still played painfully oblivious to Will's and Jason's quite obvious hints.

Percy wondered vaguely if Will had intended to confess to Nico when he had told Nico 'we know you, so we can't help but love you for who you are'. Somehow, Percy hadn't been quite as anxious as he probably should have been.

He was scared of Nico leaving him, of course. But at the same time, he cared too much about Nico to wish to urge him to stay.

It was all his decision. Percy would accept it either way. Even if it broke his heart.

He watched as Will started to place his hands on Nico's back unbelievably gently, as if worried Nico would scram at the touch.

Watched as Will's eyes glazed over and he slowly started massaging, touching Nico, sometimes halting for a moment to put some more massage oil onto his palms.

He seemed completely in his element, utterly focused on the body beneath him, his hands kneading the skin and muscle thoroughly, making Nico moan every now and then quietly.

Percy found himself smiling.

This was one of those rare, quiet moments of peace where people got lost in their own little world and nothing else seemed to matter.

He knew this meant a lot to Will.

And he knew from Nico's reactions that he enjoyed the experience.

So he just leaned back noiselessly in his chair and gazed out of the window at the darkness settling in outside.

.

Will let his hands travel lower on Nico's lower back, knowing he was beginning to tread dangerous territory.

He wasn't allowed to go too far.

It was a miracle Percy let him do this at all.

But Percy was different these days anyways. Will would have expected him to hog Nico all to himself, and in the beginning, it had certainly felt that way.

Now, however, Percy let Jason and Will do so much.

They were still allowed to hang around Nico without problems, even keeping the two from going too far too fast.

Somehow, he would have expected Percy to take things much further much faster.

He had expected a lot.

But he had never expected things to go this way.

Percy was kind. Considerate. Thoughtful.

He let Will close to Nico, even though he knew how Will felt.

He let Jason close to Nico, even though he knew how Jason felt, as well.

He held back from making out with Nico in front of them, though Will could tell by the way he looked at Nico that he could ravage him all day long if given the chance.

He tried not to let them get hurt too badly, cutting Nico off before he said something hurtful or changing the topic before things got too serious.

He let them sleep in the same bed as Nico, which Will imagined must be pretty horrible.

Will had imagined being with Nico a lot of times. In a relationship.

He had hoped that after the war was over, they could get around to being friends and then make more out of that.

But then Jason and Percy had popped up.

Ok, both had always been there, but Percy had treated Nico like shit before, so why did he have to butt in now?

Jason, Will could live with, though. Jason was ok. He was nice and considerate and Will accepted that he was Nico's best friend.

Next to him, of course.

But why did all three of them have to fall for Nico so hard?

It just wasn't fair.

And why did Percy get to have him?

Will admitted he was more than envious.

In the beginning, when Percy had started hanging out with Nico all of a sudden, Will had outright hated him.

He had never been there for Nico, hurting him with his carefree attitude and his obliviousness to Nico's feelings for all those years, but suddenly he just marched into Nico's life, trying to be a buddy and Nico actually let him.

But by now, Will admitted he might have judged him too quickly.

Percy had changed. The wars, Tartarus, Annabeth...all that had changed him. But mostly, it was his love for Nico that had changed him the most.

He was so gentle, so caring. For Nico, for them. It was as if he was a completely different person.

Not the loud, dumb hero that was always the center of attention and ran around carefree, wielding his sword and bragging about being better than...pretty much anyone.

He was quiet, thoughtful, still the center of attention, but it seemed he didn't care anymore, trying to teach the kids how to fight properly instead of showing off (though he still liked to do that every now and then in the arena with Jason and Nico).

And his eyes would always search for Nico, smiling at him fondly as if he was the most beautiful thing in the world. The one thing that mattered.

Will knew how that felt, alright. He had the exact same feelings for Nico, after all.

Will went for Nico's hips now, feeling him stiffen slightly beneath him. He felt Percy's gaze on him, but nobody said anything.

It was astounding how much Percy seemed to trust him. Well, it certainly was weird how well they suddenly got along in the first place.

He was still upset at Percy getting Nico, of course. But somehow they had become friends in a really weird, unexpected way.

There it was again. Expectations.

Percy made him expect a lot of things, yet he always did unexpected stuff.

He was weird like that.

Damn it, why was he thinking about Jackson now, anyways?

He should thoroughly enjoy this.

It might be the only massage he could ever be allowed to give Nico. He massaged soothingly along Nico's hips downwards, over those sexy buttocks of his. Now Nico definitely did stiffen, shifting slightly.

He acted oblivious and continued downwards to his thighs, resulting in him needing to move to access them better. Pity, he'd have liked to stay like that.

He risked a glance at Percy, but Percy was only watching quietly, his expression thoughtful. He wondered what the dark-haired was thinking about.

"Spread your legs a bit." Will ordered quietly and found Nico obeying.

He risked a small smile. "Sure you don't want to take those boxer shorts off?"

Nico stiffened and Will knew by the way his neck turned red that he was blushing.

"No way."

Will chuckled quietly. "As you wish." He muttered and took some more of the massage oil.

It smelled quite nice. And it surely was good quality, not leaving ugly smears or being too sticky whatsoever.

He had chosen well.

Slowly, he wrapped his hands around Nico's left thigh, beginning to massage him while inwardly triumphing at finally getting his hands on Nico's legs like this.

The skin felt smooth and cool beneath his fingertips. What wouldn't he give to have Nico be his? To be able to do this without having to resort to massages? To touch him and make love to him, make him happy and relaxed and even happier?

Again, he glanced towards Percy out of the corner of his eyes. Will kind of wished Nico would love him the way Percy loved Nico. Then again, who wouldn't want to be loved the way Percy loved Nico?

He shook his head slightly, trying to shake off those thoughts.

Instead, he focused on Nico's inner thighs, noticing his slight shifting and the way his skin heated beneath the touch.

Oh, so he did like this.

Will couldn't suppress a small smile and decided to take his time on the places Nico seemed to like the most. This sure was fun.

After a while, he even managed to go higher without Nico stiffening to a board again.

He knew he was teasing himself if he continued this. But at the same time it was so very tempting, he couldn't resist.

He let his hands travel further up on his inner thighs, massaging gently and noticing the heat radiating from Nico now.

Could feel the quickening of his pulse, the way he slightly shifted, spreading his legs the tiniest bit more.

Will's eyes narrowed ever so slightly and he proceeded, relishing the fact that he could make Nico feel like this.

His hands brushed against his crotch ever so slightly and he could feel Nico tense and shift.

Hehe, he was so cute.

Will acted as if nothing had happened, aware that Percy was gazing at him intently, waiting to see whether he'd cross the line.

Will didn't.

He went downwards again towards Nico's knees, then further down to his calves and lastly to his feet. Nico had fairly nice feet.

He also turned out to be fairly sensitive, almost kicking Will in the face when he started massaging the sole of his foot.

"T-tickles!" He squirmed and tried to pull his feet back, but Will held onto them.

"I'll be careful, then. Stop moving and relax."

"Why do you have to do my feet anyways?"

"This is a whole body massage, of course I'll do your feet. They're one of the most important parts to massage."

He started focusing on Nico's left foot, kneading his sole again carefully and pushing down on one of the pressure points.

Nico trembled slightly and then, to Will's surprise, he huffed and moaned.

Percy shifted.

Will blinked.

Then he smirked. "Well, I'll be damned. Could it be I just found another one of your good spots?"

He watched grinning as Nico's neck turned scarlet. "I…I don't know what you're talking about."

Will copied the movement and Nico trembled clearly noticeable.

"S-Stop that…"

Will chuckled and went to massage the rest of his foot, though he did tease him a couple of times more.

Same went for the other foot and he thought he might have overdone it a bit when Nico clutched the bed sheets and looked around at Percy with a longing expression on his face, but he then just tickled his foot and laughed amused as Nico squeaked and tried to escape, kicking with his feet.

Percy didn't interfere whatsoever, staying on his seat and watching them quietly, thoughtfully, as if debating something.

Will faintly wondered if he was going to get 'the talk' again later (or tomorrow) for teasing Nico like that and obviously crossing the line.

To make up for it, he settled on giving Nico a head massage next, making him shiver and relax again, though he still looked slightly flustered. Then he went down his face (Nico didn't like that much, glaring daggers at Will whenever he was permitted to have his eyes opened) and towards his neck, fascinated by that smooth, cool skin.

He urged Nico to lie down on his back, straddling him to massage his chest and stomach area, just to hold his breath for a moment at the view.

Half naked.

Beneath him.

Will let his gaze travel over the boy's body hungrily. What wouldn't he give to claim him as his? He tried to get a hold of himself, grabbing for the massage oil to distract himself.

It didn't work.

He put his hands on Nico's skin and had to suppress a wanting tremble. He didn't just want to massage him. He wanted to touch him, yes. Touch him and kiss him and kiss over his skin and lick and nibble and suck.

Gods, yes.

Now he couldn't suppress the tremble, but he tried to act oblivious, massaging his chest downwards.

Nico looked up at him with a faint blush on his cheeks, but he didn't move. Which Will was immensely grateful for, since his pants were awfully tight and he definitely did not want Nico to notice that by accident.

He gently massaged down his front, going for the sides and then back up to his arms, trying to memorize every single detail, savoring the moment.

He really had to thank Percy later for letting him do this. Maybe he really should cut him some slack. And maybe, just maybe, he should pull back a little, giving them some more time together.

Percy did deserve Nico, after all. He was a good guy.

Even though that didn't mean Will was giving up on Nico.

Not yet.

Will watched the uneven rise and fall of Nico's chest as he went back to his chest, slowly moving down to his stomach, inwardly admiring his well-built state. Will smiled down at him fondly, resisting the urge to bend down and kiss him.

He doubted Nico would like that. Not to mention Percy would be at his throat in an instant.

So instead, he settled on moving down to his boxer shorts, massaging towards his hip bones.

Seeing his sexy butt in those black boxer shorts had already been bad, but seeing his front was even worse, making his mouth water and his insides churn with want.

Needless to say, he stayed away from that part of Nico for his own safety.

Will began massaging his arms thoroughly and then went down his legs once more, just to have a reason to kneel between them, really.

It was quite a sight, too. He could see Percy shifting slightly out of the corners of his eyes, but the dark-haired hero didn't say anything. He hadn't said anything the whole entire time – very unlike him, truth be told.

Will wondered what he'd do in this kind of situation.

Seeing a guy who's utterly in love with one's boyfriend kneeling between the boyfriend's legs and massaging his inner thighs, looking down hungrily while the boyfriend just laid there with the most adorable and seductive blush on his cheeks...his insides clenched.

If he was hurting just thinking of that, how was Percy feeling right now? Will found himself looking around at Percy, just to have their eyes meet.

Those sea-green eyes though.

Percy tried to smile in that 'Don't worry about me, I'm fine'-way, but it wasn't very convincing. Quite the contrary, it practically screamed 'It hurts so much, why can't you stop it?!' at him.

Just great.

Will sighed. "Say, Percy, do you want me to give you a massage as well?" He asked, mainly to say something.

Percy blinked surprised. "Erm...what?"

Nico looked fairly taken aback as well. Will chuckled at the both of them while pulling Nico's legs up, placing one over his shoulder as he played with the sole of his other foot again.

Nico stiffened and clutched the sheets again, though at least he didn't kick him again.

"What's with that reaction?"

"I thought you wouldn't want to touch me."

"Aw, now you're hurting my feelings. Weren't you the one insisting we were pals?"

Percy still seemed stunned.

Will pressed down on the spot Nico liked so much, making him gasp and throw his head back.

This sure was fun.

Percy flinched and for a second, Will thought he was so going to push him away from Nico.

He didn't.

Instead, he came over and climbed onto the bed. "Well, I wouldn't mind...sure. I think I'd like that. And now, seriously, what spot are you hitting? I want to do that, too."

"Percy, you are impossible!" Nico wailed while Will laughed loudly and moved over to allow Percy closer to him to look at Nico's foot together, explaining the different sections and pressure points.

Nico was bright red in the face and started kicking again, trying to get away from both of them, but then Percy flopped right onto him, flattening him onto the mattress. Nico groaned loudly and Will caught himself wondering whether that was out of pain, mortification or lust, since Percy's hand had definitely disappeared between their bodies.

Will decided to pointedly ignore that, though it did make him rather envious.

Of course, he could butt in again.

But he didn't, instead excusing himself to go to the bathroom and wash his hands due to the massage oil. That should give them a bit of time together.

Will knew Percy needed reassurance most right now. He only hoped Nico knew that as well.

It was a big thing of Percy to allow them so close to his boyfriend.

It showed Percy trusted them as well as Nico. A lot. And it also showed he really loved Nico unconditionally.

So, even if it hurt, Will decided to cut back a bit, give them more space. They deserved it, after all.

He wasn't rooting for them, but he...accepted it.

He just hoped he wouldn't come back to find them all over each other.

.

The moment Will was out the room, Nico grabbed Percy and pulled him down for a kiss.

Percy seemed to already have been waiting for it, because he instantly cupped his face and licked over his lips wanting, their bodies pressing against each other.

"Nico..."

Gods, that voice. Why did Percy have such a sinfully sexy voice?

He let his hands travel up and down Percy's back, pushing his hips down onto his own slightly.

"Somebody's wanting." Percy remarked lustily as he pulled back, shamelessly rubbing their crotches together.

Nico blushed slightly and huffed, pulling his legs out from beneath Percy and wrapping them around him instead.

"Not...not my fault..."

"Of course not. He simply found another one of your good spots."

He wondered vaguely if Percy actually thought it was Will touching Nico that had made him this hard. If so, he was mistaken.

Will's massage had felt great and, ok, he admitted, the thing with his feet hadn't left him completely cool, but it had been the way Percy had climbed into the bed and gotten between Nico's legs, touching his foot like that and - gods what had been up with that expression in his face?!

Nico should NOT be turned on with a mere curious, eager expression on Percy's face, nor the hungry gleam in his eyes when he had watched Nico moan quietly at the touch.

Why were his feet so sensitive, though?

Anyways...

"You do know it was the way YOU touched me that made me like this, right?" Nico asked, raising an eyebrow at his boyfriend.

Judging by the surprise on Percy's face, he had assumed right. Nico wrapped his arms around his neck again and pulled him back down for a kiss.

"You idiot. I love you."

"I love how you insult me and then tell me you love me."

"Oh shush. Touch me."

Percy chuckled and complied, letting his hands travel over Nico's chest and stomach area, tracing his muscles and feeling on his oiled skin.

"You smell nice." Percy muttered quietly and gazed at Nico with that hungry, wanting expression.

Nico looked back at him dazed, his legs wrapping around him tighter.

Then Percy kissed him again, tonguing him and rubbing against him, making Nico painfully aware Percy was still way too dressed. He tugged on Percy's shirt annoyed, making Percy chuckle, then began letting one hand slide inside Percy's pants.

Percy groaned quietly, thrusting into Nico's palm as he wrapped his hand around his boyfriend's dick.

"Will will come back soon..." He muttered as he pulled Nico back into a heated kiss.

Nico couldn't care less right now. He tongued Percy frantically, knowing he was getting rather daring now, what with him actually getting a tad dominant again.

He still pumped Percy, who was trying to get into Nico's boxer shorts, but Nico swatted his hands away and pushed against him, turning them around with him on top.

"Percy..." He breathed against Percy's lips and began kissing the side of his face to his neck, letting his tongue glide over the sensitive skin and nibbling every here and there, his hand mercilessly on Percy's dick.

Percy moaned beneath him, shifting slightly and placing his hands on Nico's hips now, playing with the waistband of his boxer shorts since Nico wouldn't let him at his dick.

It wasn't as if he didn't want his hands on his dick. Gods, he'd die for that right now.

But there had been two times now where Percy had pleased Nico beyond belief while not getting anything out of it himself.

Nico hadn't touched him the first time Percy had given him a handjob, too out of his mind to act in any reasonable way whatsoever.

And Nico hadn't done a thing earlier, when Percy had given him that amazing blowjob. Gods, just the thought of it made his dick twitch.

He so wanted to return the favor, though he was a bit scared to suck at it.

Plus, Percy was right. Will could come back any moment, so there wasn't that much time. He sucked on a spot between Percy's neck and shoulder, making Percy take a sharp breath and let his hand shoot forward to rub at Nico's erection through the fabric. Nico licked over the spot and then kissed and licked his way to his collarbone, swatting his hand away unceremoniously once more.

"Let me...do this..." He whispered quietly, as Percy made an indignant sound, openly confused at not being allowed to touch him.

Nico nibbled on his collarbone, then pulled his shirt up in one fluid motion to get to the skin beneath.

Percy looked up at him with dazed eyes, fighting with the sleeves of his shirt to get out of it while Nico let his gaze travel over his perfect body, licking his lips unconsciously.

Then he bent over to kiss Percy once more, shamelessly dominating his mouth and resuming the pumping of his dick in his pyjama pants, making Percy huff in protest, shaking his right arm free of the shirt to wrap it around Nico, pulling him down further.

"Gods, Nico..." He muttered against his lips and Nico couldn't suppress a slight grin.

"I love you." He whispered, giving him another peck before going back down to his chest, kissing and licking and nibbling on his skin, leaving a thin trail of saliva in his wake, as well as some small red marks to mark his favorite spots.

There were a lot of favorite spots.

Percy let him, his face flushed and his gaze intently on Nico's face, as if he couldn't believe this was happening and didn't want to miss one fraction of a second of it.

Nico began playing with the tip of his dick, squeezing and teasing it, making Percy close his eyes wistfully, his uneven breathing getting even more uneven, a low moan escaping his lips.

There was a short knock on the door. "I'm grabbing something to eat. Will be back in 15-20 minutes." Will's voice sounded and they heard him walking away.

Nico turned his head slightly, faintly wondering whether Will knew what they were doing right now.

But he didn't really care, either.

Not right now.

He licked over Percy's left nipple, noticing how that caused his boyfriend to shudder rather pleasantly, so he did it again.

He liked doing this.

All of this.

Feeling Percy beneath him, enjoying what he was doing.

Nico let his teeth graze over the small bud and Percy's grip in his hair tightened for a moment, followed by a small huff.

Nico grinned up at him. Percy gazed at him utterly dazed, opening his mouth to say something, but Nico bit his nipple gently once more and all that came out was the sweetest moan.

Who'd have guessed Percy could make such luscious sounds?

Who'd have guessed Percy would even permit Nico to push him down like this, anyways?

Nico felt quite proud of himself. And now, with Will gone for a while, he could take this a step further.

He leaned back, causing Percy to shift and tug on his hair ever so slightly before letting go, looking up at him confused.

But Nico decided to ignore him, grinning to himself and pulling Percy's pyjama pants down together with his boxer shorts.

"Off with those." He ordered, tugging them down some more before Percy took over, sitting up and pulling them off hurriedly, then cupping Nico's face and pressing his lips onto his.

Nico grinned broadly into the kiss, letting his tongue challenge Percy's and pushing him back down into the mattress, his hands all over Percy's body once more before settling on his dick again.

Percy groaned and let his hands slide down Nico's back to his butt, squeezing and kneading it slightly, making Nico's insides fill with want. Want for Percy to touch him more.

No. He couldn't get distracted now. He wanted to do this for Percy, not himself.

He sucked on Percy's bottom lip slightly before pulling back, moving back down to his nipples.

Nico played with them for a while, now letting go of Percy's dick to help teasing both nipples at the same time. One with his teeth and tongue, one with his fingers.

Percy rather enjoyed it, judging by the sounds. Nico moved down on him, grazing across his tanned skin and tracing his muscles with his tongue.

Percy's hands were back in Nico's hair now, disheveling his ponytail once more, but Nico only smirked and licked down the line of dark hair that lead to Percy's dick. There he halted for a moment, hesitating slightly and looking up at Percy. Sea-green eyes bore into him and his heart thumped loudly at the wild display of emotion in them.

Percy opened his mouth once more to say something, making Nico's lips twitch in amusement and he bent down, licking the length of him tentatively.

Percy groaned and let his head fall back, his hands trembling in Nico's hair.

Nico took that as a good sign and began exploring Percy's dick with his tongue, tentatively placing open kisses on different parts to see his reactions. Then he licked across the tip and Percy's hands clutched his hair for dear life as he gasped loudly.

Nico was quite pleased with himself, wrapping his mouth around his tip now to let his tongue flick around it, slightly sucking on him. It didn't really have a definite taste to it, probably because they had only just taken a bath. However, as he sucked on the tip some more, he could definitely taste something salty/bitter-ish.

He found he didn't really mind, slowly taking more of Percy's dick into his mouth to see how far he could go.

Percy was a mess beneath him, barely able to suppress his noises and seemingly having a tough job holding back from thrusting up into Nico's mouth.

Nico felt rather proud of himself, continuing to let his tongue flick around his dick, moving his head up and down on him.

It felt weird, to say the least. But not in a bad way.

He began using his hand on the base of Percy's dick to make up for the area he couldn't cover with his mouth, not wanting to take the risk of gagging.

His other hand began fondling with Percy's balls.

"Oh gods, Nico..." Percy groaned and gazed down at him with a dazed, awed expression, those sea-green eyes ablaze with desire, bliss, wonder and love.

Nico continued, quickening his up-and-down movement and sucking harder. For a moment, Percy tried to push his head down, but then he instantly let go and started fisting the bed sheets instead, making Nico roll his eyes inwardly.

Percy could move his head all he wanted, Nico would make sure he wouldn't overdo it. But he still found it rather cute of him to be so considerate, anyways.

He licked the length of him again, from the base to the tip, letting his teeth graze against a particular vein that seemed to be another one of Percy's soft spots, then wrapping his lips around the tip once more, sucking slightly.

Percy groaned loudly, thrusting up into his mouth slightly and trembling.

"Nico, I'll..." He muttered, panting hard and his hands reached out to pull Nico off him, but Nico had no intention of budging.

Instead, he solely concentrated on the tip, sucking and letting his tongue flick around it demandingly, while his hands found a sweet spot at Percy's balls that made him moan out loud and his dick twitch dangerously, his hands now on Nico's head again, but to keep him there instead of pulling him away.

Nico smirked to himself and kept it up until he could feel Percy cuming, accompanied by him hissing and groaning, his head falling back and his breath coming out in pants and huffs, as his semen shot into Nico's mouth.

He swallowed and pulled back, feeling rather elated.

He had just managed to give Percy a blowjob. And Percy had enjoyed it.

Nico grinned at Percy victoriously, just to feel Percy's hands on the side of his face, pulling him forward.

Next moment, their lips connected.

"Percy, I..." Nico started surprised, pulling back.

He had just swallowed his cum, Percy couldn't kiss him now! But Percy wasn't listening, wrapping his arms around him tightly and keeping him there, kissing him as if his life depended on it.

"I don't care." Percy breathed against his lips as he pushed his tongue into Nico's mouth, tonguing him frantically and pushing against him, grabbing hold of Nico's legs and wrapping them around him as he fought himself up into a sitting position.

Nico huffed into the kiss slightly, though his mind was still spinning and he wasn't entirely sure what to do.

Percy pulled back. "Nico, I love you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. And for gods' sakes, you give amazing blowjobs. That can't possibly have been your first."

Nico blushed slightly at that, his insides churning with euphoria and giddiness.

"It was...and I love you, too." He muttered meekly and kissed him on the nose.

Percy was still panting, gazing at him with those beautiful sea-green eyes. Then he smiled at him gently and dropped his head onto Nico's shoulders weakly.

"Gods...give me a second...I need to catch my breath..."

Nico chuckled and put his hand on Percy's back, stroking over it softly. "I'm glad you liked it."

"Are you kidding? That was amazing."

"Now you're over exaggerating. It wasn't that great."

"Yes it was. You did it, after all."

Nico blushed and his insides felt all warm and fuzzy. "Well, then just wait until I get even better. I'm going to blow your mind."

Percy chuckled and lifted his head slightly, kissing him once more. "I don't doubt that. Already looking forward to it."

They grinned at each other, then Percy's head dropped back onto Nico's shoulder.

Nico chuckled quietly and resumed his stroking.

.

When Will came back from his stroll outside, he made sure to first listen at the door for any signs they were still busy.

Gods, he didn't even want to know what he almost interrupted earlier.

Though, judging by the fact it had been Percy moaning, at least he didn't need to worry about Nico reassuring him. He was fairly certain Nico had given it his best shot.

Will still knocked, just to be safe.

"Are you guys decent?" He asked and heard movement on the other side, followed by Nico opening the door.

He looked somewhat disheveled, with his ponytail messy and kind of pointless, since most of his hair was out and about again.  
Will raised an inquiring eyebrow, which was met with Nico blushing slightly and grinning sheepishly.

"We've been wondering when you'd show up again. So, what did you get?" Percy called over from the bed, where he laid stretched out like a cat in his pyjama pants and shirt, looking utterly pleased with himself and the world.

Will raised his eyebrow even higher, looking at Percy and Nico in turns.

Then he smirked. "Oh, some Chinese takeaway, actually. I was thinking about getting you some blue candy, but something tells me you already got a treat."

Both Nico and Percy blushed slightly and shot each other quick glances, which immediately confirmed Will's assumption. He chuckled and walked over to the bed, setting down the bag of food.

"I hope you guys cleaned up after yourselves. So, Nico, I got you Asian noodles with vegetables and fried chicken and lots of egg, so you get all the nutrition you need. Percy, I wanted to give you sweet and sour chicken with vegetables and rice, but at this rate I think I'll switch yours with my crispy chicken and lots of pineapple. Nico, you'll thank me for it."

Nico pressed his lips together, bright red in the face and clearly flustered.

Percy on the other hand frowned. "Pineapple? Why pineapple?"

Nico fidgeted. Will wondered whether Nico knew. Judging by his face, he did.

"Want me to tell him, Neeks?" He asked, taking out the dishes and passing them to the boys.

Nico hesitated for a moment. Then he leaned over to Percy and whispered something in his ear. Percy blinked surprised and seemed to listen curiously.

Then he blushed and looked down at his dish rather dumfounded, before turning towards Nico again and whispering something into his ear.

It was quite fun to watch and even though Will couldn't hear any words, he knew exactly what Percy was asking.

Nico rolled his eyes slightly and shook his head, smiling reassuringly at Percy, who looked a tad relieved and smiled back, eyeing Nico's food suspiciously now and nodding towards it, whispering something else into Nico's ears.

"As endearing as it is to watch you two whisper like that, you do know I know exactly what you're talking about, right? So it's kind of pointless." He notified them cheerfully and opened the lid to his sweet and sour chicken, grabbing the chopsticks.

Nico muttered something else to Percy quietly, who looked around surprised and then nodded in understanding, then the two shifted back into their original positions and began eating as well.

Will chuckled and shook his head.

Those two were just too cute.

.

"How could you tell, though?" Percy asked as Nico left for the bathroom.

It had bugged him ever since Will had come back. He had only looked at them once for a few seconds and knew exactly what had happened.

Was it tattooed on their foreheads or something? Not that he particularly cared whether Will knew or not.

Gods, that had been one awesome blowjob, though.

If that was Nico being inexperienced, Percy did not want to find out how good it would be when he knew what he was doing. Ok, he did want to find out. Gods, the way those lips had felt wrapped around his tip, that hot tongue licking across it, teeth grazing against his skin ever so gently…

Percy cleared his throat and tried to direct his thoughts into a different direction.

"Please, it was obvious. Your moaning indicated he was getting more active. Then the way you just laid on the bed all pleased and happy while he as slightly flustered and fidgeting but pleased with himself simply yelled 'I gave him a blowjob and he liked it'. Next time, though, open the windows afterwards. You'd be surprised how much a room can smell like sex even when you didn't have any."

Percy felt his face getting hot and looked around at Will, who only flopped down on the bed with an indifferent expression on his face. Their gazes met for a moment, then Percy lowered his head slightly, looking at the bed sheets.

"I was surprised, though. I thought you'd so walk in on us and interrupt."

"Nah. You let me give him a massage, I guessed some nicety was in order."

"Well...thanks, then."

"You're welcome. By the looks of it, he got you good."

Percy grinned to himself, reminiscing about the feeling of Nico's mouth around his dick.

"Yeah..." He sighed, a pleasant shiver running down his back.

Will chuckled and climbed onto the bed. This would be the last night he'd spend with them. Tomorrow, they'd be leaving for Camp Half-Blood and then Percy would have Nico all to himself again.

He wondered vaguely why Will seemed so cool with all this, though. One would guess he'd be upset or at least somewhat depressed.

Instead, he seemed fairly indifferent to it, getting comfortable beneath the blanket and looking around at him questioning.

Just as he was about to say something, Nico came back, yawning loudly. "So, we're going to bed? It'll be a tough day tomorrow, after all. What, with us being in the car forever." He asked, stretching, showing off those abs as his shirt exposed his stomach.

Percy grinned and was over at his side in a heartbeat, wrapping his arms around him and letting his fingers stroke over the soft, cool skin.

"Yeah, let's get to bed. This is the last night here. Better make the best of it."

Nico smiled up at him and went on his tiptoes to give him a quick kiss.

"Come on, get to bed, guys. You can make out later." Will called over from the bed exasperated and patted the space next to him impatiently.

They both looked around and chuckled.

"Someone can't wait to cuddle." Percy remarked and took Nico's hand, pulling him over to the bed with him.

"Well, it will be the last night I can, so I want to do it as long as possible."

"It's not like you can't sleep over every now and then when we're back at Camp Half-Blood." Nico muttered, making Percy look around at him uncertainly.

Did that mean he had to share his bed with Will again after this? Not that he minded thaaaaat much, but he rather had Nico to himself at night. Though, he guessed whenever Jason would come over they'd probably have sleep-overs all the time, as well.

Nico caught his gaze and his eyes widened for a moment. "I mean, our cabins have plenty of beds in them. We don't necessarily need to share one together, but I'm sure we can do some sleep-overs every now and then." He explained hurriedly, his ears turning red.

Percy chuckled and kissed the side of his face, lifting the blanket for him to get in.

Nico was so adorable. And trust him to immediately understand what Percy was thinking about.

Will laughed quietly and opened his arms to wrap them around Nico as soon as the Italian laid down. "I know, but I'll still miss this. Percy, mind if I hog him to myself tonight?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. He's mine. Nico, you hear that? You're mine."

Nico laughed, shaking his head and wrapping his arms around Percy as he put his around both Nico and Will, pulling them into a tight embrace again.

"Yes, I'm yours. All yours. Jealous boyfriend."

"Not to mention possessive." Solace muttered under his breath.

"Hey, take that back, Solace. I'm much more agreeable than others. After all, I let you snuggle up to my boyfriend. Know your place, living-hot-water-bottle-that-ensures-Nico's-warmth-and-welfare." Percy teased and pinched Will's side, causing Will to cringe and punch Percy at the arm playfully, just to then wrap his arms around him as well, snuggling closer to Nico from behind, who was facing Percy this time.

"Ha-ha. You're just envying my hotness."

"Shush, you two. This is nice. Don't spoil it." Nico muttered, rubbing his face against Percy's chest affectionately.

Percy grinned down at him quietly and kissed the top of his head gently.

"Of course, my Ghost King. Don't worry, you know we're just making fun. I mean, everyone knows I'm the hottest."

Will snorted and they started bickering again until Nico lifted his head and shut Percy's perfect argument up with a kiss.

"Leo is the hottest. Now get to sleep, both of you."

"Why Leo? Nico, is there something I need to know?" Percy wailed while Will outright laughed, putting his face at Nico's back of the neck and getting way too close with his lips to Nico's delicate skin - in Percy's opinion at least.

Seriously, why Leo? He knew Nico was only teasing, but couldn't he come up with somebody better than the Latino? And why the heck was Will still not retreating from Nico's neck?! Will still had his nose in Nico's hair, his lips inches away from Nico's skin.

Everything inside Percy itched to push Will away. He knew Nico was quite sensitive there. And he knew Will knew as well, because it had been Will to point it out.

Nico shifted slightly, but didn't say anything, holding way too still in Percy's opinion. He involuntarily tensed, his grip on Will's hips tightening slightly. The blonde turned his head slightly, so one blue eye looked at him.

"Someone's getting jealous." Will remarked with a teasing smirk and placed a quick kiss on Nico's neck, causing Nico to make a surprised noise and look around at Will with big, dark eyes, while everything inside Percy turned to pure acid.

Percy huffed indignantly. "I hate it when you do that." He said darkly to the blonde and pulled his hand back, placing it on Nico's chin instead to make him look up to him.

Then he pushed his lips onto his and immediately felt Nico melting against him, kissing back and cupping his face. It made him feel better instantly. He was about to lick over Nico's bottom lip for entrance, but Nico's lips already parted, eagerly awaiting their tongue play. Percy grinned into the kiss victoriously and let his hand travel down Nico's front, slipping beneath his shirt.

"Oh, please. I was only teasing. No need to make out right in front of me, I got the message. Damn. If you think I'll leave the room again so you two can suck each other off, you're dead wrong. I'm gonna go to bed. Here. Now." Will's sour voice came from behind Nico and Percy froze.

He had completely forgotten Will was even there.

Damn it.

Nico seemed equally surprised, pulling back and looking rather flustered. The two sneaked a peek at Will, but he was just staring at them unimpressed. Percy sighed and pulled his hand back out from beneath Nico's shirt, placing it back on Will's hip as he kissed Nico's side of the neck quickly.

"Fine. But no more kissing my boyfriend. I hate it when you guys do that. Next time, I'll ravage him right in front of you no matter how much you complain."

"Oh? And you think you'll get his consent to that?"

Percy hesitated for a moment. He would never actually urge Nico to do anything. Though he had just kissed him and kind of started making out with him right in front of Will. Had he done that with his consent or without it?

It wasn't as if he had actually asked Nico whether he was ok with it...

Nico shifted. "Will, shut up. You're making it sound as if Percy would ever force me to anything. If you overdo it and Percy wants to make out with me to prove his point, I'm fairly sure he'll give me the choice whether I want to participate or not. Now, let's sleep." He explained quietly and snuggled closer to Percy.

Percy's heart thumped loudly in his chest. A thousand questions burned inside him, but he didn't dare ask any of them in front of Will. Will only sighed and chuckled to himself, getting closer from behind Nico.

"Fair point. You like it when he's jealous and wants you all to himself, don't you?"

Percy blinked and looked down at Nico, noticing a faint blush spreading on the parts of his face he could see. "Shut up."

Will grinned at Percy, their faces inches apart because they both pressed against Nico. Then Will closed his eyes and hid his nose in Nico's hair again, while Percy had to shift slightly as to not touch foreheads with the blonde.

Blah, that was his favorite spot. Nico's hair felt so nice and soft against his skin and he always smelled so nice.

Now, he had to be satisfied with the pillow and Nico's warm breath against his shirt, warming his chest beneath.

Which felt really nice as well, though.


	4. Chapter 4: Pet Names

**A/N:** Heeeeeey cupcakes!  
I know, it's been sooo long since the last chapter x_x  
But here's the next one, at last ;)  
I kinda hate how it's already JUNE and I'm still not past Nico's birthday -.- Gotta work on that procrastination-issue I'm having.  
Anyways, I wanted to say thanks again to all of you, for reading, for liking, for commenting, for everything!  
You're the best!

I'm hoping that the next chapter won't take as long to finish up as this one, but can't guarantee anything ;(  
The fact that I'm writing on a few other projects next to this isn't really helping, either.

Hope you'll enjoy this.  
You're the best!

-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 4: Pet Names, Groping and some deep conversation**

When Will woke up after having one bad dream after another, he found himself pressed tightly against someone's back, his face hidden in a bundle of messy hair.

What...? This wasn't Nico.

Frowning, he let his hands travel over the person's front.

Broad chest, much broader than Nico's.  
He could feel muscles through the fabric, but the statue was off. Nico was a lot slimmer, though this body was rather lean as well.

His hand travelled lower, to a waistband that was also not Nico's.

Percy's hand stopped his, gently but firmly pushing it away.

"Hands to yourself, Solace. How many times a night do I have to tell you that? You don't even try half as much to get into Nico's pants." He heard Percy's tired voice and froze.

What?!  
Why was he snuggling up to Percy?!

Will felt Percy moving slightly and the next moment, the dark-haired boy turned around to face him.

He tried faintly to act asleep, his body stiff as a board.  
But Percy didn't say anything, instead wrapping his arms around him sleepily and pulling him close.

"What in Hades..." He muttered, unsure of what to do.

Why was Percy snuggling up to him?!

Percy pulled back slightly, opening one lazy eye and gazing at him half-asleep.

"Try to sleep, will you? You've been thrashing around in your sleep until you finally came over to my side. I don't care why you did it and that you did it, but please just let me go back to sleep."

Will stared at him.

Then Nico pushed himself up behind Percy sleepily. "What's with my dad...?" He asked groggily, looking around at them with barely open eyes.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep, love." Percy muttered, lifting one hand slowly to stroke through Nico's hair slightly before letting it drop back onto Will.

Nico gazed at them sighing before dropping back into his pillow, wrapping an arm around Percy. "Kay..." He mumbled, then he was fast asleep once more.

Will blinked and stared at Percy, whose sea-green eyes gazed back into his quietly.  
Then he pulled him closer, pressing Will's face against his chest.

Will was about to start complaining, but the even heartbeat of Percy stopped him.

It had something...soothing...to it.

He found himself relaxing slightly, his arms tentatively wrapping around Percy now. Percy sighed with what seemed like relief and snuggled closer, putting his face in Will's hair.

It felt weird.  
But not exactly in a bad way.

"No word about this..." Will muttered quietly as his embrace tightened.

Percy chuckled, which sounded kind of weird and gave Will goose bumps and made an annoyingly pleasant shiver run down his back.

"Yeah, yeah."

.

When Percy woke up in the morning, Will was still in his arms, snuggling against him.

He was a lot warmer than Nico, not to mention it was kind of strange cuddling with him, since he was roughly the same size as Percy, but other than that they had a disturbingly similar waking up routine.

Percy watched with half-open eyes as Will snuggled closer to him, his face against his chest, a hand on his shirt – the same way Nico usually held onto him whenever they woke up facing each other.

Their legs weren't entangled, though.  
But they were already way too close for Percy's liking in the first place, so he was quite glad about that.

He turned his head slightly to look at Nico behind him, his hands fisting Percy's shirt from behind, his nose at Percy's nape, so Percy couldn't really see much of his face.

Shame, Nico always had such an adorable sleeping face.

He looked back around at Will, who shifted slightly and Percy caught a glimpse of his face.  
Well, he looked quite cute for someone so annoying.

With his face so relaxed and his eyes closed peacefully, he looked rather innocent and angelic – though that was most likely due to his healthy tan and that bright blond mop of hair framing his face, making it look as if he glowed, not to mention that cute assortment of freckles.

All in all, he looked quite a bit like his dad.

Percy absent-mindedly stroked some strands of that blonde hair out of Will's face, making him frown slightly and shift.

It seemed he was either a fairly light sleeper or about to wake up.

Regarding the futile tries to wake him from his nightmares last night, Percy was in for the latter.

Seriously, what had been wrong with the blonde?

He had thrashed around and muttered in his sleep, sometimes pulling Nico tighter to him, sometimes pushing him away, then grabbing for Percy and half hoisting himself over Nico in order to get closer to him.

It had been really weird.

One reason more why Percy was looking forward to get back to Camp Half-Blood and have Nico to himself again.

Oh, he could barely wait.

Of course, he didn't have anything against this. But he really wanted some more quality time with Nico.  
Some cuddling and touching and kissing, not needing to be considerate of everybody and everything.

They could invite Will over every now and then to have a slumber party or the like, but that was it.  
Maybe they could make a deal to have such parties whenever Jason came around.

That way, he'd have Nico to himself for plenty of nights and didn't have to share him much, while Will and Jason wouldn't be able to complain.

Hopefully, Nico would agree to that.

Ever since that comment yesterday about consent, Percy was a bit worried he might have pushed Nico to some things he might not have wanted.  
But what was he supposed to do now? Ask him every time he wanted to do something?

'Can I kiss you?'

'Can I touch you?'

Either Nico was going to go crazy and yell at him all flustered and embarrassed, or he'd go crazy and be annoyed and fed up, like that one time when Percy had pulled back because of the other two.

But did that incline it was ok for Percy to do those things or was this supposed to show Percy he was doing something wrong?  
If Nico still got all flustered and embarrassed and didn't want to say he wanted something, did that mean he didn't want to do it?

Things like that went through Percy's head as he gently stroked over Will's back in up and down movements, noticing how the blonde shifted more and more, his eyelids fluttering.

He was waking up the same way Nico usually did.

Nico snuggled closer to him from behind, muttering something under his breath that sounded a bit like 'I love you' and 'Yes, like that', making Percy vaguely wonder what Nico was dreaming about.

Hopefully, it was about him, though.

Will frowned again and rubbed his face against Percy's shirt, inhaling his scent.  
Percy would have guessed the blonde would pull back at him not smelling like Nico, but Will only sighed and grinned to himself, nuzzling against him some more, his grip on his shirt tightening.

Percy chuckled and looked over at the bedside table with the alarm clock.

It was almost 8am.

They should get up soon so they could get done and leave.

The three of them had decided to meet up with Reyna, Frank and Hazel (and some other people from Percy's former cohort and even more Apollo kids) at 9am and spend a last hour together to say goodbyes.

He wished they could have spent more time with them.

But Reyna and Frank had been utterly busy with their duties, since Octavian had done plenty of damage to the Camp, even if not visible at first glance.  
They were giving their best, of course, but what was needed most was time.

Hazel had spent some time with them, but not much because she had wanted to stand by Frank's side – which they could understand, of course.

Percy hoped they would see each other again soon.

Though this reminded him of Nico's upcoming training.  
Will had promised to consider it and Percy knew Nico would not let him forbid him to try his powers again.

Percy had full faith in him, of course.  
But he was also worried.

He had not seen Nico fading as Will had, but he had heard from Lou Ellen and Cecil, and the boy had still looked rather weak when Percy had seen him fighting against Gaea's forces.  
He knew, that, if it hadn't been for Will stopping Nico, Nico wouldn't be here right now.

He was immensely grateful for that.

Though it also filled him with guilt, because it had been him pushing Nico to take the task in the first place.  
Somehow, everything could be traced back to being Percy's fault.

Yet Nico still loved him.

Will muttered something under his breath and wrapped his arm around Percy, his hand resting on...his butt?

Percy stiffened slightly and went to move the hand.

Seriously?

This had already happened way too many times the night to be a coincidence.

Will was most definitely a pervert.

Percy turned his head slightly to look at Nico, wondering if Will had ever groped on him like that as well.  
If he did, then he was lucky Percy had never caught him.

Will made an indignant sound and shifted, seemingly annoyed.

Percy only chuckled quietly, which lead to Will frowning and opening a lazy eye.

"Percy?" He asked in a rather drowsy voice and shifted, seemingly trying to either get up or move backwards.

"Morning, Mr. I-don't-like-you-but-I-love-cuddling-and-molesting-you-at-night." Percy said with a lopsided grin, which immediately earned him a glare from Will as he pulled his arms back from around him.

Nico shifted behind him, wrapping his arms tighter around him and sighing rather contently, making both boys look around at the Italian.  
Percy could only shake his head at his adorable boyfriend and turned slightly to wrap his arms around him again.

Now that Will was awake, he didn't have to cuddle with him anymore, after all.  
Not that it hadn't felt nice – though he preferred not to dwell on that.

"Gods, it's that late already?" Will hissed surprised and jumped up.

True, as a son of Apollo it sure was weird that Will hadn't woken up sooner.

Percy grinned at him suggestively. "Enjoyed cuddling with me that much?"

Will hit him flat in the face with a pillow in reply, causing Percy to yelp and laugh in surprise, which then lead to Nico waking up with a start, holding out Mrs. O'Leary Jr. as if she was his Stygian Iron Sword.

"What...where...what happened?" Nico muttered confused, pointing the plushie in different directions before lowering it, looking around at Will and Percy with a frown.

They both only laughed and Percy wrapped his arms around Nico, nuzzling his face against the side of his neck.

Mmh, Nico always smelled so nice.

"Good morning, my Angel. Ready to start the day?" He breathed against his ear, watching it turn pink with satisfaction, then placing a soft kiss on it before pulling back and looking at Nico's slightly flushed face.

He looked so adorable.

Percy found himself looking around at Will, who looked a bit at a loss, standing next to the bed, gazing at them with those bright blue, yet somewhat...sad...eyes.  
Before Percy could pull back from Nico to be more considerate, though, Will had already turned around and announced he was going to take a shower.

Guilt washed over Percy, but he pushed it down, instead turning back towards Nico and grinning mischievously as he noticed Nico's eyes fixed on his lips.

"So...what did you dream about? You've been muttering some quite suggestive stuff in your sleep."

The blush spreading on Nico's face, combined with his flustered and surprised expression confirmed Percy's assumptions.

Grinning broadly, he leaned over and gave Nico another kiss, pushing him back down into the bed as the door closed behind them and Nico's arms wrapped around him, hands tentatively sneaking their way beneath Percy's shirt.

What a way to start the day.

.

Nico caught himself gazing at Percy's butt and hastily looked back at Hazel, who was telling him animatedly about a plan she had set up for IM-ing, so they'd have a fixed time and day in the future and would call in regular intervals to keep each other up to date without worrying to interrupt/disturb anything.

Good thing she wrote it down for him, though, because...well...he couldn't really focus much right now.

The reason stood a few feet away, chatting and laughing with Dakota and Frank and some other kids Nico didn't know.

After having a rather hot and absolutely indecent dream, featuring Percy and Nico in a cabin by the sea with seemingly nothing better to do than rolling around in bed (and various other places...), Nico had been woken up abruptly by Will swearing and Percy yelping and laughing.

At first, he had to admit he had been quite annoyed – right after pulling out his plushie as if it was a weapon and trying to find the monster that must have attacked them. It had been a very nice dream after all.

The annoyance had quickly left though when Percy had leaned over and kissed him, instantly making him remember those sweet moments in his dream, with Percy on top of him, whispering the sweetest things while rendering Nico to a moaning, writhing mess.

Well, as it turned out, Percy had done exactly that to Nico right then and there in real life as well, kissing and touching him all over the place and dragging him after him into the shower hungrily as they had heard Will walk into his room, just to then continue, causing shivers to run down Nico's back as he remembered the sweet sensations rushing through him at each and every of Percy's touches.

Gods, just how did Percy always manage to seemingly know exactly what Nico liked, wanted, needed?

Why could he make Nico go crazy with want and pleasure and bliss with touching him in places Nico didn't even know he liked being touched at?

Not that he minded.

Hell, he loved it so damn much, he never wanted to miss the feeling.  
But he wished he knew only half as much about what Percy liked.

Somehow, Nico wished he was a bit more experienced.

Not to mention more confident.

He would love to try out so many things, touch Percy in all those different ways and find out every single thing his dark-haired hero enjoyed, but somehow he could never make himself do anything.

He was scared Percy would push him away.

Reject him.

But that was stupid.

Up until now, Percy had never even remotely stopped Nico in any way.  
If anything, he had tried to encourage Nico to be more daring, always looking immensely happy and relieved whenever Nico would touch/kiss him or indicate something himself.

But usually, things like that only happened when Nico was overly tired and didn't give a damn about anything anymore.

It was just...he wished he could just ask Percy straight out what was ok and what wasn't.

He didn't want to overstep any borders.

But, at the same time, he had no idea how to talk about this with Percy, either.

Again, he lacked experience.  
Experience to how to deal with such things in a relationship.

Hell, he hadn't ever even thought he'd BE in a relationship one day.

He sighed, noticing Will coming over to him now, seemingly done with bidding his farewell to his Roman siblings.

Nico found himself wondering if Will had ever been in such a situation as Nico was now.  
Then he wondered what would happen if he tried to ask Will for advice.

Oh gods, that would make for one awkward conversation.

Not to mention Will would probably take it the completely wrong way. And Percy would, too, if he found out Nico rather talked to Will about such things than with Percy himself.

Not a good idea.

Percy popped up next to him, grinning down at him in that fond way again, while Will stopped next to them, rolling his eyes pointedly at Percy's hand grabbing for Nico's.

"Hey."

Nico chuckled, folding his hand into Percy's. "Hey."

They smiled at each other like idiots.

"Hi." Will put in, making them both look around at him.

For a moment, there was silence.  
Then the three of them chuckled, shaking their heads.

"Hi." Nico said back, while Percy put an arm around Will, pulling him closer.

The blonde actually let him do it without glaring or the like.  
It seemed that last night's cuddling had actually melted the ice completely between those two.

Seriously, that groping, though.

Will had never tried to touch Nico even half as much as he had with Percy last night.

It made him wonder vaguely whether Will might not subconsciously be harboring some sort of feeling for his Percy.

Then again, that wouldn't make much sense, so he pushed the thought away.  
He felt Percy shifting closer, placing a soft kiss on his forehead.

Mmh, he really liked that. It felt so nice and warm and loving.

"Ready to go, then, my Ghost King?"

Nico chuckled. Percy could really make anything sound endearing and nice.

Even 'Ghost King' which was usually used by people with a tinge of fear (or at least awe and respect).

Nico loved it.

He tugged on his hand and urged him down for a quick kiss.

"Yep, let's get going. I'd love to say I hope we'll miss rush hour, but I fear we're going to get all of the rush hours there will be."

Will chuckled and came closer a bit, though his eyes immediately hushed over to Percy as he did.  
But Percy didn't even seem to notice, gazing down at Nico fondly, so Will relaxed slightly.

"Probably. But hey, I still got some snacks and games for the drive, so this one shouldn't be as boring as the last one, at least." The blonde said smirking and Percy chuckled.

"Yeah, all we did was sleep and have toilet breaks. We didn't even get to eat much."

"That's because you were sleeping the two times we stopped in the drive-through's." Will informed him with a frown and Percy made a face.

"I did?"

"Yeah, you and Neeks. I wanted to wake you up, but Jason told me to let you sleep, saying we'd simply stop again somewhere on the way if you happen to complain about being hungry."

"Damn it. Well, then again, I probably would have killed you guys if you had woken us up. Nico was so nice and comfortable and I was just so freaking tired..."

"Because you were up all night to watch out Jason wasn't bedding your lover?"

"Nah, I knew Jason wouldn't do something like that. I was waiting for Nico to get back to his cabin so I could come and give him his next gift – and to cuddle with him, of course. But he was completely knocked out as soon as he hit the pillow, I was so worried they did do something that I only fell asleep in the last thirty minutes or so before he started waking up."

Nico blinked.

He had never even thought of that.  
Maybe he should seriously sit down with Percy for once and talk about the whole admirer thing from beginning to end.

He'd actually really like that.

It had been really special.

The sweetest thing anyone could have ever done for him.  
Also the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for him, but that wasn't very hard to achieve, given Nico's past.

He leaned against Percy slightly. "We were only stargazing."

"Yeah, I know. You two told me, after all."

"I still remember your face when Jason freaked you out."

"Hey, that was really bad, ok? For a moment I really thought he was dead serious."

"Yeah, I know. You looked devastated."

"I was."

"What did he say?" Will asked bewildered, looking between them curiously.

"That they'd had passionate sex on the rooftop of his cabin." Percy said with a similar dry tone as Jason had done, as if he was dead serious.

Nico started laughing, though his ears turned slightly pink. "Oh gods, you even used the same words. You're pathetic."

Percy chuckled at Will's surprised face, as the blonde gaped at him slightly.

"Aw, that's cruel. I give you such nice pet names like 'Ghost King' and 'Angel', and all I'm getting is 'pathetic' and 'Idiot'?" He whined at Nico.

Nico pinched his side slightly. "Well, you are. Would you prefer me to call you 'my Sea Prince'?"

He made it sound like no big deal, though his insides were all churning and whirling.

That was actually how he'd love to call him, but he had never dared, thinking Percy might laugh at him.

Percy didn't.  
He looked down at him rather surprised for a moment, a slight blush spreading on his cheeks.

"I...yeah...sure...I'd like that..." He then muttered meekly and Nico blinked.

He...he would?

Will shifted uncomfortably next to them.

"T-Then I will..." Nico mumbled quickly, trying to control his facial muscles not to split into a broad smile.

"And how are you guys going to call me?" Will asked curiously.

"Are you our boyfriend?" Percy retorted, frowning as if he actually needed an answer to that.

It was now that he actually noticed he still had an arm around him, too.  
Nico watched as Percy blinked, pulling his arm back slowly, though Will didn't seem to notice.

"No, but I'd still like a pet name."

"Sunny D." Percy immediately said, making Nico bite his lip as to not start laughing.

Will made a face. "Ha-ha. Seriously? Then I'll call you Ocean Spray."

Nico chuckled. "Hey, but then there's no drink that would suit me."

Both boys looked around at him thoughtfully for a moment.

"Pepsi." "Coke."

Both looked at each other for a moment, sizing each other up.

Nico made a face. "I don't want to be either."

"Diet Pepsi." Both guys then declared in unison as they looked Nico up and down once more, nodding approvingly at each other.

"Seriously?" Nico asked, huffing indignantly.

Why Diet Pepsi?

"It comes in blue cans, it's dark, it's sweet and delicious." Percy explained, shrugging.

"I'm not blue."

"No, but blue is my favorite color, and you'd look ravishing in it." Percy grinned and kissed his nose.

Nico blushed slightly.

Will laughed. "Gods, you're so cheesy."

"Shush, Sunny D. You're just jealous." Percy replied, sticking out his tongue to Will.

Funnily enough, Will actually blushed slightly, making a face at them both and crossing his arms in front of his chest pointedly, though he still chuckled.

"What are you guys talking about?" Hazel asked, coming over with Reyna.

They just laughed and shrugged it off, beginning to bid their farewells to them all.

.

The car ride did start off better than the last one. Mostly because Nico actually had had some breakfast beforehand and they had had a decent amount of sleep (well, Will at least).  
Percy looked around fondly at Nico, sitting next to him and concentrating hard on staring his cards to death.

They were playing Happy Families and right now it looked as if Nico was going to win again.

Somehow, only Jason could ever keep up with any sort of card game with Nico.  
Well, therefore Jason always sucked at video games, so there was that.

Percy watched how a few rebellious strands of dark hair fell into Nico's face over and over, having escaped his ponytail.

He'd love to brush them out of his face.  
Or nuzzle his face against that delicious looking neck, maybe nibble on it a bit...

But Nico would probably think Percy wanted to cheat and peek at his cards, so he didn't do it.

Instead, he gazed down at his own cards, grabbing for his water bottle next to him.

Seriously, they had already needed three toilet breaks so far, and the way things were going, they'd need plenty more.

Maybe they should have stayed up all night after all, that way they'd all be knocked out most of the drive and get back to Camp Half-Blood faster.  
Not that Percy was complaining.

But he would have preferred it greatly if Will had just stayed in the front seat, instead of sitting next to Nico in the back as well.  
Then he could have Nico all to himself and wrap his arms around him and snuggle up to him and sleep.

Or at least have some more space.

But with Will right next to Nico, that didn't seem like such a great idea.

Percy sighed and finished his turn, feeling Nico's hand tentatively touching his thigh.  
He looked at his boyfriend surprised, noting how Nico was studying his face uncertainly for a moment to see if this was ok.

Gods, Percy wished he knew what to do to make him more confident about these things.

There was nothing he could think of that Nico could do that he wouldn't like.  
He smiled at him broadly and inched a tiny bit closer, enough for Nico to notice but without risking him thinking he was just doing it to peek at his cards.

Nico smiled back slightly and his hand stayed on Percy's thigh for the rest of the game, only leaving it when he needed to pass cards, sometimes even stroking across the fabric of his pants ever so lightly.

Percy loved it.

Gods, why was his heart beating so fast just because of something small like this?

Well, because it was Nico di Angelo doing it, of course.

.

Nico did win the game, but no surprise there.

Percy gazed out the window, watching the people in the cars around them on the highway.  
They were in one hell of a traffic jam – again, no surprise there.

Will had dozed off around half an hour ago, happily snoring against his window, while Nico had snuggled closer to Percy, his hands playing with the Christmas blanket that he had put over their legs.

Percy smiled to himself, his arm around Nico tugging him closer ever so slightly.

He was glad Nico liked the blanket.  
It WAS quite colorful, after all.

All in all, Percy was still surprised that Nico had liked all of the gifts he had thought of.

He'd have guessed more than half of them to be a disappointment.

Nico shifted slightly, fidgeting, and Percy had the impression he was going to say something any moment now.  
But when he looked around, Nico only bit his lip and looked away again.

Hm, weird.

"Are you ok?" He asked quietly, straightening up again to look at Nico properly.

He seemed nervous.  
Did Percy do something?

Nico nodded quickly. "Yeah...yeah. I was just...thinking..."

Percy waited, but Nico only fidgeted more and looked around at Will.

Percy made a face. Was this supposed to be some sort of talk about whether Will was going to sleep over at their cabins?  
Nico noticed his face and his eyes widened for the fraction of a second. "It has nothing to do with Will. Nothing like that. I was just...wondering...erm..."

Ok, now Percy was confused.

He watched as Nico fidgeted and fumbled with the blanket even more.

But he didn't really state what he wanted.

And Percy sadly had no idea what this was about, either.  
He wished he did. He really did.

Nico groaned and shook his head, putting his face into his hands.

"Just...just forget it. It...it's not important..."

Percy tilted his head slightly, studying his boyfriend.

Then he smiled, pulling him closer.

"Do you want to know how I had the idea with this blanket as a possible gift for you?" He asked and Nico immediately looked around, curiosity sparkling in those beautiful, warm eyes of his.

Percy kissed his forehead gently, pulling the blanket up higher a bit and taking Nico's hand into his own.

"Well, get ready for a long story, then, my Angel. This blanket goes way back to when I only just decided I'd THINK about making an Advent Calendar for you."

Nico looked down at the red blanket surprised, his eyes hushing over the different designs on it.

And then Percy told him.

Told him how he had spent ages pacing his cabin, thinking of something – anything – he could do to get to Nico, to make him happy, to make him smile in a way usually only Jason accomplished (this got him a frown and a deep scowl from Nico, but he didn't interrupt him).

How he had spent his free time whenever he wasn't around Nico or training kids with running after Leo and Calypso, begging them for help, after Annabeth had made it quite clear he had bugged her more than enough.

How he had finally decided on an Advent Calendar, since he had absolutely no patience anymore whatsoever to wait for Valentine's Day (this had caused Nico to blush a dark shade of red and mutter something incoherent, making Percy smirk fondly at him and kiss his forehead again).

How he had run around the city looking for ideas, yet with close to no money.

"I saw so many things, but nothing seemed to really...fit. I must have entered a hundred different stores, looking at pretty much anything and everything. I was just so worried to screw this up. I always screw everything up, after all."

Nico seemed like he was about to interrupt him, so Percy quickly went on.

"So I was just about to give up, thinking that there was no way I'd find anything you'd actually like, when I saw this blanket. In my defense, I was desperate. I had been running around town for hours, hope had pretty much evaded me already and I just so badly wanted to find SOMETHING. So, when I saw this blanket, my first thought was: Oh gods, so much color, Nico would hate it. Needless to say, I walked straight past it and looked through the rest of the store, but for some odd reason, I kept looking back at it. And the more I looked back at it, the more I started wondering whether you'd really hate it. I mean, I know you always wear black and you don't really have any color anywhere in your cabin, but for some reason I simply couldn't tear myself away from that blanket. I kept thinking of you...of us...beneath it, and I mean, it was for Christmas. And somehow, I talked myself into buying it. It was as if the blanket simply WANTED to be bought. It was also the last one they had. When I got back home, I was both glad I had found something and at the same time devastated, because I was sure you'd hate it. But it seemed to have been a good luck charm, for right afterwards, I had tons of ideas, including those earrings of yours and the plushie."

Nico looked at him surprised, then gazed down at the blanket again, a soft smile dancing on his lips as he traced the design on it with his fingertips.

Then he turned around and kissed Percy's shoulder gently. "Thank you. I loved the blanket. Even if it's completely unlike me. Or maybe especially because of that. And I don't think you screw everything up. You're great just the way you are and in my opinion you did a great job. I love you." He muttered quietly, looking up at Percy with those warm, dark eyes of his.

Percy's heart did a little summersault and he felt a wave of relief washing over him, closely followed by immense joy and giddiness and the urge to grab Nico and kiss him.

The place where Nico kissed him still burned, sending a pleasant shiver down his back.  
Why did everything Nico said or did affect him so much?

He found himself smiling fondly at his boyfriend, his hand finding its way to Nico's chin as he leaned over and kissed him.

"Thank you, Nico. I'm glad you liked it. And I love you even more."

"No way." Nico smirked, a competitive gleam in his eyes.

Percy chuckled. "Yes way."

Then they kissed again.

It was a soft, sensual kiss and didn't last long enough for their liking, but since they were in a car and Will was sleeping right next to Nico, they knew it would have to suffice.

"I...well, I was wondering...are you...I mean...do you think it was...well...worth it?" Nico asked meekly after a while, fidgeting with his hands again.

Percy blinked. Then he frowned.

Was Nico seriously asking him this?

Had he done anything to make Nico feel as if he didn't enjoy every single moment with him so far?

Percy had no clue how to react.

Part of him wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the question.

Of course it had been worth it. More than so.  
He loved Nico. Loved being with him. Loved every single moment around him.

But he highly doubted laughing would be a smart thing to do right now, given that Nico seemed to be dead serious.

He tugged Nico closer. "Yes. Yes, it was. More than that. I love every single moment with you. Why are you asking me this, though? Did I do something wrong?"

Nico spun around, eyes wide. "No! No, you are great! You did nothing wrong! It's just...I'm...kind of...well..."

"Unhappy?" Percy offered, a feeling of dread spreading through his body.

"No! I'm happy. More than happy. I love it. Everything. It's just...I don't know anything about...about being in a relationship...about having a boyfriend..."

Percy wanted to slap himself.

Of course.

That's what Nico was worried about.

"Nico..." He started, but didn't even really know what to say.

Don't worry? It's fine? You're doing more than great?

"It's like, I'm just so worried you'll get tired of me being like...like this. I just don't want to do anything wrong..."

"Nico, there's nothing you could do wrong. Just be yourself."

"Easy for you to say..."

Percy blinked. Then he sighed. "Do you really think I don't worry about such things, too? I don't really have much experience with such things, either, you know. Most of the time, I have no idea what I'm doing. And whenever I am doing something, I am so freaking worried I'll screw up or go too far or urge you to be ok with something you are not."

Oh shit.

Why did he have to let that last part slip?

Nico looked around at him, stunned.  
Percy had no clue what to say or do.

He was supposed to be the confident one, the one who led Nico and reassured him.  
Not drown him in his own stupid worries and make him even more insecure than he already was.

Percy was about to say something, though he wasn't sure what that was, when he felt Nico's hand on his thigh again.

"I...I think you're doing great. And you haven't 'urged' me to anything. I liked everything we've done so far..."

Percy's heart was beating loud and fast in his chest, his whole body tingly.

Gods, why did Nico have to reassure him? Percy was meant to reassure Nico.  
Not the other way around.

Still, he couldn't help but feel relieved at Nico's words.

"You are doing pretty well as well, you know?" He tried, but Nico only snorted.

"Hey, I mean it. All you need is a bit more confidence."

Nico hesitated for a moment. Then he looked around at Percy uncertainly, biting his lip.

"I...I just don't..." He started, then halted.

Their eyes locked and Percy gave him a reassuring nod.

Nico took a deep breath. "I just don't know how far I'm allowed to go. What I'm allowed to do and what not. I don't want to do something you don't like." He said in one breath and Percy had the distinct impression this was what Nico had wanted to talk about earlier.

Relief washed over him.  
_This_ was what bothered him?

Seriously?

Percy found himself laughing, wrapping his arms around Nico tightly and half pulling him onto his lap. "Gods, Nico! You're allowed to do anything you want. There's no right or wrong, no rules or guidelines. I'm sure I'll love anything you do, Nico."

Nico was bright red in the face, but didn't look upset or anything. Instead, he gazed up at Percy with those beautiful, dark eyes.

"But..."

"No buts. Remember New Year's Eve? When you got on top of me and kissed the living hell out of me?"

Nico's ears turned a dark shade of red and he nodded ever so slightly.

"I loved that. I love it when you kiss me, touch me, when you trace the scars on my back at night or in the shower when you think I don't notice. When you check me out whenever you think I'm not looking. I love that. And I'm fairly sure there's nothing you could possibly do that I wouldn't like."

Nico gazed at him with wide eyes, utterly embarrassed at being found out.  
Percy chuckled and rubbed his face against Nico's hair.

"Just do what you want to do, ok? No holding back anymore because you think I might not like it. I'll let you know if there really is something I don't like. And in return, you tell me off whenever I'm doing something you don't like. Deal?"

He knew it wasn't much of a deal. He wasn't offering anything, after all.

Nico hesitated, fidgeting with his hands again. Then he placed one of them on Percy's thigh again. "Deal. Percy?"

"Yes?"

"Is it ok if I say stuff like 'Kiss me'?"

Percy blinked, looking sideways at him.

Then he grinned broadly. "I'd love that."

Nico grinned back, his cheeks still flushed.

"Ok. Kiss me."

Percy did.

Gods, how much he loved those kisses with Nico.

.

When they reached Camp Half-Blood ten hours and several toilet breaks (not to mention the three times McDonalds drive-through) later, all three of them just wanted to drop dead into bed.  
Percy helped Nico with his luggage, the harpies luckily ignoring them.

Nico could only smile at his boyfriend.

That had been one awkward conversation in the car, but somehow he was glad they had had it.  
To think that Percy was worried about doing things against Nico's will had come as a surprise, though.

Percy always seemed to know exactly what to do and always seemed so confident at it, too.

Just as he had known exactly what to say to Nico.

Or how he had told him about the blanket when Nico had wanted to sink into the ground (or the shadows, if he could) from embarrassment, since he couldn't voice out his worries at first.

Nico looked around at Will, sorting out his luggage from theirs, yawning.  
Somehow, Nico couldn't shake off the feeling that Will had actually overheard at least part of their conversation.

At least he had stopped snoring midway and had made one hell of a show of 'waking up' five minutes after they got done kissing the hell out of each other.

Of course, the mere thought that they'd been overheard at a moment like that was more than mortifying, but if Will really had been awake, then Nico was glad he hadn't interrupted them or mentioned it in any way up to now.

Nico looked around at Percy, who was just bending over a bag he had dropped, collecting the contents.

That butt, though.

Nico hastily looked away, just to catch Will staring, too.  
Staring at Percy.

Nico blinked, wondering if his eyes were playing a trick on him.

Will raised an eyebrow, a rather curious, appreciating expression on his face, and his eyes were most definitely on...Percy's butt?!  
Was he... was he checking Percy out?

Will noticed him staring and blinked, his ears turning slightly pink, but he winked at him nevertheless, flashing him one of his dazzling smiles as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"I think I'll be off to my cabin." He announced awkwardly, throwing another look at Percy – though his face this time – and grabbing his travelling bag as well as a smaller bag.

Nico was about to wish him a good night, thinking he must have misinterpreted things, when Percy popped up beside him. "You sure? I mean, your siblings are going to slaughter you if you wake them up. It's already early morning. If you want, you can stay over at my cabin." He offered, causing both Nico and Will to look at him surprised.

Percy allowing Will to sleep over?  
With them?

Then again, he had said his cabin and Nico was quite sure they'd be crashing at the Hades cabin.

"Nah, it's ok. I don't like sleeping alone, so I rather endure the wrath of my siblings. Thanks, though." Will said cheerily, grinning at them and raising his arm awkwardly as if to wave, but with the bag it seemed more like weight lifting.

Percy and Nico exchanged a long glance.  
Nico could see it in Percy's eyes.

The unspoken question.

Nico thought of the past nights with Will in their bed, snuggling up to them – it had been nice, it had been warm. He had more than enjoyed it.  
It had felt pretty damn good, though he wouldn't ever say that out loud.

Then he thought of last night, with Will snuggling up to Percy.  
And then the way he had most definitely checked him out.

Was Will crushing on his boyfriend?

He didn't like that idea.  
But at the same time, who was he to judge?

Percy knew Nico kind of had feelings for both Will and Jason.

Yet, he could see in Percy's face that he'd be ok if they had Will over another night.

Just one night.

Nico sighed. "Do you want to sleep over?" He asked, causing Will to stop and turn around to look at them surprised.

Then he blinked, laughing awkwardly. "I don't think..."

"Yeah, come on. Join us. You know you want to. I know I want to get out of this freaking cold." Percy said, grabbing Nico's luggage and walking off to the Hades cabin.

Nico rolled his eyes and grabbed the rest of his luggage, painfully aware how most of this stuff really did belong to him and him alone.

Will still stood there, dumbfounded.

"Erm...sure, I guess...if you're ok with that..." He muttered, helping Nico with some more of his luggage and they hurried after Percy.

.

They dropped Nico's luggage in one corner and the rest of the luggage in the other.  
Needless to say, Nico's corner was a lot more packed than the other.

But nobody mentioned it and Nico seemed awkward enough as it was.

It was quite endearing, really.

Though Will was still surprised he was permitted to stay over.  
Seriously, he'd have expected Percy to hog Nico all to himself as soon as they hit Camp.

Then again, their little chat in the car had shown Will once more that, with Percy, anything he ever expected seemed to be wrong.

He wasn't pushing himself onto Nico at all.  
He was cherishing him, relishing in every moment he had with him.  
He was careful, cautious, worried and insecure.

Not at all how Will would have thought he would be.  
Would have expected him to be.

Percy had never struck him as insecure before.

He was the type of person to rush into things first and think later.

But with Nico, he was different.  
With Nico, he seemed to care so much.

It seemed he was trying his hardest to fulfill each and every wish of Nico without him even needing to say it out loud.

It was weird.

And the way Will felt about it was weird, too.

He thought of the way Percy had talked about the blanket.

Somehow, he could so picture Percy walking through store after store, his ADHD keeping him on the move while he desperately tried to use the few brain cells he had to think of something good.  
But at the same time, he simply couldn't, what with his ADHD and only a few brain cells to spare.

How much did Percy love Nico to actually go to such lengths?

He seemed like a completely different person.

Of course, Will knew he was nobody to talk. He was different when he was alone with Nico, as well.

But was it really like this?  
Was he like Percy, too?  
A completely different person?  
His true self?

Was that some sort of special power of Nico? Getting people to show their true selves?

If so, Will wasn't sure whether to be grateful or not.

Because a boasting, loud, annoying and stupid Percy was much easier to dislike and ignore and tease than a honest, caring, kind Percy with nothing else on his mind other than making Nico happy.

His heart thumped loudly in his chest and he shook his head wildly, looking around at Percy disappearing in the bathroom, while Nico bent over his luggage and pulled out the small fire jar of his, placing it onto his bedside table with utmost care, gazing at it fondly.

Will found himself smiling slightly at that.

Those two really did fit well together, didn't they?

They deserved each other.  
Nico deserved somebody like Percy to take care of him and make him his number one.  
And Percy deserved Nico.

Even if that meant Will couldn't have him.

But hey, that didn't mean Will couldn't enjoy being around them as much as possible.

Damn it, he meant around Nico.

Nico alone.

He wasn't going to be an idiot and fall for Percy now.  
Unwantedly, his mind drifted off to a certain blonde.  
Nope. Definitely not falling there, either.

He shook his head again, banishing all those thoughts forming in his mind.

End of story.

Will watched Nico hush about the room, placing the glass case with the flower back onto the window sill and adjusting it slightly so it seemed to glow in the moonlight from outside.  
Then he pulled out his Mrs. O'Leary plushie and put it onto the bed carefully.

Nico treated everything as if it was the most precious thing to him.

It was really endearing.

Will heard a noise behind him and turned to watch Percy emerging from the bathroom, only wearing his boxer shorts and yawning loudly.

Had Will really tried to get into his pants last night?

It didn't make sense.

He had never groped on Nico, why would he try it with Percy?

He hushed into the bathroom while Percy went over to Nico, grinning down at him fondly and wrapping his arms around him, pressing him against his bare chest.

Will felt a tinge of jealousy and again had to wonder whom it was directed to.

Percy for being able to hold Nico like that, or Nico for being held by Percy like that.  
He wouldn't have it.

This was all because he was lonely.

Because Jason wasn't here.  
Not that he was missing him or anything.

He was just...well, ok, he was missing Jason.

He didn't know why himself. Well, he guessed he did know why.  
It was just, that, now Jason was gone, one actually noticed how much they needed him.

He was that one person everybody could turn to for help or to talk or for pretty much anything and everything.

Jason was simply THERE and he listened and he cared. When he was around, they would take him for granted. But now that he was gone, Will actually really, really missed him.

With Percy and Nico all in love and in a relationship, he was now the odd one out (again).

When Jason had been here, Will hadn't minded that at all.

Not because he had a thing for Jason (he wouldn't make a good bottom, after all), but Jason had kind of understood how he was feeling about Nico (he was feeling the same way, after all) and they had been able to kind of be there for each other.

Not in that obvious 'crying on your shoulder' type of thing, but just with hanging out with each other, throwing each other pained glances whenever Percy let it hang out he could touch and kiss Nico while they couldn't, or just sitting on the bed together, trying to make conversation as to block out the thoughts of what Nico and Percy must be doing in the shower right about now.

Will sighed.

He was pathetic.

He finished up quickly and stripped down to his boxer shorts as Percy had done.

The way things were, Percy would probably brush him off to one of the other beds, anyways, so it didn't matter.  
And he had better things to do than feel self-conscious.

When he got back to the other two, they were still standing by the bed, Percy's hands on Nico's hips, their gazes locked.

Somebody look at those fools, all lovey-dovey with each other.  
Even though it should have annoyed him, he found himself smiling.

They kind of did look cute together.

Both of them looked around at him and Percy let go of Nico, making Will wonder once more if he was doing that out of consideration for him.

Then Nico smiled tentatively at him and left for the bathroom, seemingly getting ready for bed himself.

Leaving Percy and Will alone in the room. Awkward.

Will hesitated a moment longer, noticing how he was touching the side of his neck in that typical awkward way of his, then he moved over to one of the beds next to Nico's quickly, tentatively sitting down.

"Thanks for letting me sleep over, I suppose?" He tried to swat the awkward silence away.

"No problem. I know how nasty nightmares can get. Wouldn't want you to get slaughtered by your cabin mates for waking them by walking into the place as well as for waking everybody up with your thrashing around. Though you better not do that tonight, either. There's a stone wall next to the bed, after all."

Will snorted. "Thanks for the care. But I'm fine, really."

Was this why Percy let him sleep over? Because he was worried about Will's nightmares?  
Will wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Well, I hope so. Gods, I'm just so freaking tired."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry for keeping you two awake, ok? No need to rub it in." Will muttered sourly.

Percy chuckled. "If I wanted to rub something in, I'd tell you to better keep your hands to yourself tonight. Seriously, do you have any idea how often you had your hands down my pants?"

Will off-handedly noted how Percy had just rhymed.

Hands down my pants. His siblings would be all over that.  
It seemed to be an Apollo-thing to always notice that.

Good thing Will didn't possess the usual tick to strike up songs or make more rhymes to go along with it like his siblings.  
Instead, he blushed slightly, playing around with the blanket on the bed.

This bed didn't feel nice at all, by the way. The mattress was clean, but stiff due to lack of usage, and completely cold.

Nico's bed probably wasn't much warmer, either, but Will found it looked a lot more appealing – that might have just been the Christmas blanket giving it some color, though.

"I did not." He said defiantly, though he was fairly sure he did try to get into Percy's pants a couple of times – even if he had no idea why and would have never done so consciously.

"Oh yes, you did." Percy retorted, a challenging gleam in his eyes and a crooked smile on his lips.

"No." Will said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

They both scowled at each other, though in a surprisingly playful way.  
Then they found themselves laughing.

"Well, you two seem to get along just great now. Guess the groping helped?" Nico muttered, walking over to his boyfriend in nothing but his black boxer shorts.

That bone structure, though. He looked ravishing.

Will's fingertips itched with the want to touch him, caress his skin, trace his muscles, examine his body once more as he had done during that massage he had given him.

Gods, how much he wanted that right now.

Just one more time.

He noticed himself gazing after Nico wistfully and hastily looked away, though he knew Percy must have noticed.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. And how could anybody not laugh at Percy? He's Percy, after all." He stated sulkily instead and watched Percy make a face, while Nico only rolled his eyes chuckling.

"Of course."

"Ok, enough talking, you two. Off to bed with you, love. I want to sleep." Percy then said loudly, rubbing his hands together before urging his boyfriend into bed with way too much touching involved.

Nico only laughed quietly and complied.  
Will felt a pang of envy, but ignored it.

As they settled into the bed, he sighed and lifted the blanket of the bed he'd be sleeping in.

"Will, what in Hades are you waiting for? Get your butt here." Percy said and Will looked around, blinking surprised.

He couldn't see much of Percy, what with the bed quite a bit away, the cabin being rather dark with just the jar of fire as light source, and Percy having mostly his back towards him, but he could definitely see him frowning, as if he was wondering what the hell Will was doing.

"Erm...what?" He asked, unsure whether he had heard correctly.

Nico looked around now as well.

Percy's frown deepened. "You really expect me to let you sleep by yourself when you had a nightmare last night? I'm sorry, but I don't fancy waking up in the middle of the night to collect you off the floor because you tumbled out of bed or something, searching for physical contact. So, yeah, get over here and do it quickly. I'm tired."

And then he lifted the blanket somewhat to indicate 'Get here NOW'.

Will was still dumbfounded, though he slowly got up.

Was he joking? This was Nico's bed.  
Nico's quite small bed.  
Smaller than the one in the room they had stayed in.

And Percy had been craving to get into bed with Nico alone.  
He had been crying about it for ages.

Why would he actually let Will in there?  
Why did he care so much, anyways?

His gaze fell onto Nico, who only smiled slightly at him and snuggled back against Percy.

He seemed to have no problem with this whatsoever.  
Could anybody believe this couple?

But why was this happening?

"But I swear, you better keep those hands to yourself this time. And I hope for you that you'll never molest Nico like that, because if I find out, you'll wake up WITHOUT your hands." Percy added warningly as Will ever so slowly got into the bed behind Percy, awkwardly putting an arm around him.

"I never...that's...oh, shut up." Will muttered, slightly flustered.

He would never molest anybody (other than Nico if he ever wanted him to).

But, gods, why did Percy have this really nice body temperature?  
It was warmer than Nico, but still soothingly cool compared to his own.  
Not as calming as Jason's, but annoyingly nice all the same.

Percy only chuckled and placed a kiss at the side of Nico's neck.

Those two.

"Good Night, Nico."

"Good Night. Remind me to call Jason when we wake up again."

"True, he did say we should give him a call when we arrive." Will muttered thoughtfully.

Then he blinked. Oh shit.

He had talked to Jason today in the morning, while those two dorks had taken up the shower for their perverted whatever-it-was-they-were-doing.  
He had completely forgotten to tell them about it afterwards, though.

Well, with him being a bit flustered and shocked at the prospect of having his hands down Percy's pants, trying to molest him, he hadn't really been able to focus much, ok?

Both Percy and Nico spun around.

"You talked to him?" They both asked at the same time and he found himself blushing for some dumb reason.

Had anybody ever noticed how intense their eyes were?

Nico's eyes had this warm, dark color to it that seemed to bore its way into your soul and look at all of you and make you all warm and fuzzy inside, as if you just had a good hot chocolate with marshmallows, while Percy's eyes were so vivid and sea-green, throwing everything inside you into turmoil like a ship at sea in the middle of a raging storm, yet also had this confusing immediate effect of calming you the longer you looked into them, as if you first had to bear the storm to deserve the calm.

Gods, this was stupid.

He blamed his dad for this almost-poetry.

"Well, actually, he called while you two were in the shower. We didn't really talk much and he just told me that nothing much happened and that he'll be waiting for us to call him whenever we get home." He explained awkwardly, tearing his eyes away from theirs.

He didn't want to have either thinking he was flirting with them.  
Not that he was!

"Really? Should we call him quickly, then? Not that he worries..." Nico muttered uncertainly and pushed himself back up into a sitting position.

Percy groaned. "Nico, he's probably sleeping. It's, like, 3am in the morning."

For a moment, there was silence.

"Well, this is _Jason_ we're talking about..." Will put in thoughtfully, thinking of how Jason was like their mother hen, always looking out for them and worrying, even if he didn't particularly like them (at least not when it was about Nico).

They exchanged glances.

Then Percy groaned. "And I was so looking forward to sleeping right now." He complained sulkily, yet it was him who pulled off his IM-ing device first and called Jason, leaning over Will to place it on the small bedside table.

He noticed annoyed how his heart started thumping loudly in his chest at the sudden closeness of Percy, his chest right in front of Will's face and then even found Percy glancing down at him.

Their eyes met for a moment, but then Will made a show of rolling his eyes exasperated and Percy glared at him accusingly, as if all of this was his fault to begin with.

Bad Will for having Jason want them to call him.

"Remind me again to never be nice to you again, Sunny D. I could be falling asleep pressed to Nico right now."

"Oh, shush, Ocean Spray. Maybe Jason won't even pick up." Will retorted exasperated.

"You guys have pet names for each other? Did I miss something?" Jason's voice sounded from the IM-ing device that had produced a clear screen, showing a rather disheveled, but wide awake Jason, shirtless with a cup in one hand, grinning at them with a curious expression.

They both scowled, while Nico seemed to immediately brighten up. "Hey, Jason."

Will looked around at him. Nico practically beamed, his eyes full of emotion.  
One could definitely tell he still had a thing for Jason.

Will risked a glance at Percy, but couldn't tell what he was thinking of that.

Jason gazed fondly at Nico, making it plain obvious he still had a thing for him as well.

"Hey, Nico. How was the drive?"

"Oh, it was ok. Got held up in pretty much every traffic jam, had to do toilet breaks every time traffic got better...how was your day?"

"Hey, don't just forget to mention how Will slept through most of the drive, while he was the one getting most sleep last night.", Percy complained loudly, making Will groan and bury his face in his hands while Nico only rolled his eyes.

Gods, was this never going to stop?

Was this going to haunt him down forever?

"Really, Percy, somehow I get the impression you LIKED it when he tried to get into your pants. You keep bringing it up."

"Wait, what?" Will, Percy and Jason exclaimed, aghast.

Will felt his ears heating up, but pushed it down.

Of course Nico was only joking.

The way he burst out laughing proved that just fine.

But still...wait, why would he care, anyways?

Blah!

"Nico, I would never...that's just...well, I would like it if YOU did it..." Percy instantly started, then turned rather suggestive, while Will began hiding his face in his hands, sinking into the pillow and beginning to shrink back beneath the blanket.

They were never going to get over this, were they?

Jason seemed rather confused, frowning at the lot.

"I guess I missed something quite big there." He stated drily and Will could have sworn he heard some sort of bitterness in his voice.

"Yeah, kind of. But anyways, how was your day?", Nico asked, seemingly trying to change the topic, though he was still grinning at Percy, who had pushed out his bottom lip now, trying to convince Nico it was ok to molest him in his sleep (which sounded pretty creepy?).

"Okay. But seriously? Will tried to get into PERCY'S pants?"

"Gods, can't you all just drop this? It wasn't on purpose! Whatever I did, I didn't do it consciously!" Will complained from beneath his blanket, refusing to get back out.

This just plain out sucked.  
And he somehow hadn't wanted Jason to know, though he wasn't sure why it mattered.

It simply mattered, ok?

"Well, you certainly didn't tell me about that when I talked to you this morning. Was that why you were all flustered?"

That was it.

Will shot up, scowling at the blonde. "No! And I wasn't flustered!"

Jason bit his lip to stop himself from laughing, something that only brought out that small stapler scar for some reason – by the gods, why was Will even caring – and held up his hands defensively.

"Ok, ok. But hey, if it calms you, you've tried to get into my pants tons of times as well. I never thought much of it, since you never really seemed to notice."

"I...what?" Will started, but stopped, staring at the blonde in disbelief.

What?

"What?" Nico asked, startled.

"Eh?" Percy muttered, tilting his head and mustering Will for a moment.

Will could feel the heat rising in his face.

What?!

This was...this was impossible! He couldn't have...could he? But how? Why?

"Well, when we stayed over in Nico's bed and you snuggled up to Nico with me behind you, you'd always turn around in the middle of the night and play with my waistband and stuff like that. You never DID anything, though, and I usually managed to remove your hands and turn you back around if you went too far."

Will's face went from slightly flushed to dark red. "I...how...why..." He stammered and instantly regretted opening his mouth at all.

This was impossible.

Why would he do something like that?

And his very unhelpful brain also had nothing better to do than point out how Jason had said 'turn you back around _if you went too far_', as if to indicate he actually left Will to play with his waistband or whatever else he might have found.

This was horrible.

How come Will had never noticed?!  
Did that mean he had groped on Nico as well?

"Huh? You never tried to grope on me." Nico stated with a frown and all three of them looked around at him.

He hadn't?  
Wait, why not?

Nico was the only one he actually DID want to grope on!

"Not?" Percy and Jason asked, mildly surprised, making Will scowl.

Seriously, what was with that attitude?!  
It wasn't as if he groped on EVERYBODY (at least he hoped he didn't...?).

"Not that I know of." Nico shrugged.

Will made a face. "Well, I wouldn't complain if I were you. But if you want to, sure, I can grope on you. With you, I'd at least ENJOY it." Will said pointedly, glaring at the other two.

But they only laughed, much to his dismay. "Keep telling yourself that."

"Hey!" He complained, but they only laughed louder.

Cruel bastards.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Anyways...do you have any idea yet when you'll be back?" He asked Jason, seemingly trying to finally switch the topic to something far away from groping.

Bless him.

This was exactly why Will loved him.  
Well, not really, but it was one of the points he loved about him, anyways.

Jason sighed. "Not really. I wish I knew. I really do. Seems like it'll still take quite a while, though."

"Oh..." Nico muttered, sounding a tad upset.

Will could only relate to that.

He knew Jason had only just left, so they shouldn't have expected anything else, of course.  
Still, the month was long. Way too long.

He noticed Percy looking around at Nico oddly, as if trying to determine how far the news affected him.

Poor Percy. It must be horrible to know that your boyfriend had a thing for somebody else.

Then again, Nico had made it clear several times he was all Percy's.

Nico met Percy's gaze, trying a small smile and shifting closer and Will watched quietly as Percy wrapped an arm around the smaller boy, smiling at him gently, comforting.

"Dude, get home soon, ok? We miss you." The dark-haired said quietly and Will blinked surprised at how open he could say that.

Then Percy grinned at him. "Well, at least Nico and Will do – ouch! Ok, Nico does, but Will is still keen on living in denial. Anyways, you should go to bed. Did you seriously stay up all night to wait for our call?" Percy asked, rubbing the side where Will had just punched him unceremoniously before dropping back down into the pillow and pulling the blanket all the way up so only the top of his head (which was to say: a blond mop of hair) was visible.

That idiot.  
He did NOT miss Jason.

Well, he did, but Jason didn't have to know that.

Will found himself peeking through a gap in the blanket, watching Jason.

Jason sighed, taking a sip of whatever he was drinking and adjusting his glasses awkwardly.  
Those glasses though.

Will suppressed a smirk as he thought of all the times Nico had adjusted them in the past.

He could completely relate to why Nico did that. He himself had felt the urge countless times, his fingertips itching to touch those glasses and push them up on his nose properly.

Ungh, he should not be thinking of this.

"As a matter of fact, I did. I'm glad you made it back to Camp alright. I mean, monsters have been lying low lately, but with you three, I wouldn't have been surprised. But I guess you are right, it's pretty late. Should I just ring you up sometime the next few days or what?"

"Sure, anytime you want or have time. Maybe next time we can actually talk for a bit longer than a few minutes." Nico replied and Will watched how Jason chuckled quietly, gazing at the Italian fondly.

Will's heart throbbed for a moment, but he pushed it down.

Seriously, this was dumb.

"Yeah, I'd really like that, too. Well, good night, then. And, Will, remember to keep your hands to yourself."

Will groaned into the pillow and held up his middle finger at Jason, who only laughed and winked at Nico and Percy, who both seemed to have a tough time holding back their laughter.

Those jerks.

"Oh, shush, Sunny D. Well, at least I know now that you didn't confuse me for Nico. You confused me for Jason."

"Did NOT!" Will exclaimed annoyed, sitting upright again and looking outrageously at the lot, while they only chuckled.

Even Jason. Annoying, evil, stupid idiot.

"But seriously, you have pet names for each other?"

"Yeah, long story short: Will complained, so now they are Sunny D and Ocean Spray. I'm supposed to be Diet Pepsi." Nico explained, making a face at his given name.

Will still thought it suited him just fine.

Jason raised an eyebrow, his sky-blue eyes scanning the Italian amused.

"Well, I can see where that's coming from. It's contained in what seems like an impenetrable barrier and seems dark and brooding, but is actually sweet and delicious. Yeah, I can see why they named you that." He summed up thoughtfully, making Nico blink surprised.

Will's chest throbbed again.

Then Jason turned to Percy and Will. "So, what am I, then?"

"Pfft, let me think..." Percy started and Will found him gazing at him.

Then again, he was gazing back, lost in thought.

"Red Bull?" "That Superman energy drink?"

Oh gods, this was just like that one time when they had tried to find a name for Nico.

"No Superman stuff. And why the hell Red Bull? Do I look like one or something?"

Will blushed slightly. "No. But, you know, it's supposed to give wings and all." He muttered meekly, already regretting speaking up.

"Oh...So, wait, I'm an energy drink either way? No fair."

Percy shrugged, grinning broadly. "Maybe you're simply so energizing?"

"Ha-ha. So I can take my pick between a red bull and superman?"

"No, you can take your pick between being the one that flies or the one that will make other people fly." Nico corrected, making them look around surprised.

But the Italian only shrugged. "It makes sense."

Will sighed. "Well, I guess Superman drink it is, then." He said, shrugging the matter off.

Seriously, what had he thought, offering up something lame as Red Bull?

He knew why, of course.  
Though he wasn't ready to admit that just yet.

"Actually, I think I'm in for Red Bull." Jason muttered thoughtfully.

Will blinked surprised, pushing down the loud thumping of his heart.

Of course, Jason chose that because he was most likely thinking of Nico. How much he'd like to be with him. Fly with him. Plus, Jason was a helpful person. Of course, he'd choose what would benefit others, not himself.

By the gods, they were talking about a freaking DRINK, what was Will interpreting so much into this for?!

"Well, alright then, Red Bull it is." Percy announced with a big grin, just as Nico yawned.

"Ok, it's really getting late now. So, Nico, Percy…Sunny D..."

"Oh, shush. Just get to bed already!" Will complained and glared at him before burying his face in the pillow once more.

That idiot.  
He could hear those three dorks chuckling and watched as Jason waved at them, though he didn't wave back.

"Sleep well. Until next time."

And with that, he ended the call.

"Finally." Will sulked.

"Gods, Will, stop being so upset. He said it's ok, so he's not holding it against you that you've groped on-..."

"Don't you DARE even going there, Percy. Just. Don't.", Will growled and Percy chuckled, lying back down as well now and pulling Nico with him, wrapping his arms tightly around him.

Will tentatively moved closer to him, putting an arm around both of them carefully, as to not even as much as brush against any part of their bodies that they could use to tease him with.

But they didn't.

"You're such dorks." Nico commented and sighed contently, snuggling back against Percy.

"Good Night to you, too, my love." Percy replied sulkily, but the soft grin on his lips destroyed the picture.

"Good Night."

"No pet name?"

Seriously, that guy.

Nico sighed. "Good Night, Ocean Spray?"

Will had to bite his lip as to hold back laughing.

Nico for the win.

"Awe, Nico. I meant the other one."

Of course he did.

Will felt a form of melancholy washing over him.  
They had quite nice pet names for each other.

Of course, he was surprised Percy had managed to think of so many (and rather decent ones, to boot).

But then again, he hadn't expected Percy to be able to, and thus Percy had obviously proven him wrong again.

"Hey, you two do know I'm still here, right?" Will muttered quietly against the back of Percy's head, watching him turn his face towards him slightly.

"How would I forget? Your arm is resting on my waist."

"Well, with you, I'm never entirely sure where your brain is. Just wanted to make sure."

"Hey!"

"Guys, shut up. Good Night, Will. Good Night my...my Sea Prince."

Will's heart throbbed painfully in his chest, his insides stinging.

Just the way Nico had said that...  
No, he shouldn't dwell on it.

It only hurt.

Percy snuggled closer to his boyfriend, humming contently. "Mmh, I really like the sound of that. Good Night, my Angel."

Will rolled his eyes, noticing off-handedly how he was inching closer to Percy ever so slightly.  
And he wondered vaguely whether there'd ever be somebody to actually give him a pet name.

A real pet name. Not as a joke or anything.

Something nice, like Sea Prince.

Though he wasn't much of a Prince, especially not of the sea.  
He scolded himself for having such thoughts in the first place.

"You're pathetic." He muttered, surprisingly more directed towards himself, than the other two.

But they didn't have to know that.

"Shut up, Sun-bug and go to sleep." Percy complained, nuzzling his face against Nico's side of the neck affectionately.

"S-Sun-bug?" Will repeated, taken aback.

What?

Had he just...did Percy just...?  
Had he just called him 'Sun-bug'?  
Had he just given him a pet name?

Like, an actual nice sounding pet name?

He knew Percy was probably just making fun of him right there, he had to be.

But this actually…it had actually sounded kind of…nice.

Percy only sighed exasperated. "Sleep. Now."

And then all three of them actually did fall asleep (finally).


	5. Chapter 5: Sandwiched Will

**A/N: **_Hey there, Cupcakes :D_  
_Since the last chapter took forever to get done, I put everything else on hold to get some more of the story done, so this one could get uploaded a tad faster._  
_It's a bit shorter than my usual chapters, though, I hope you don't mind._

_Since I received a couple of comments saying 'Please don't make it JasonxPercyxNicoxWill' or 'Keep this Percico!' (more on than AO3, and mostly as guest reviews), I want to clarify something:_

_I do not know how this story will turn out. I do not know if the four of them will get together or not._  
_I do not force them to, they do whatever they want, anyways, the story was out of my hands the moment the first chapter was done._  
_So far, it does look like there will be, which is why I  
1\. Put it in the title_  
_2\. Put it in the description_  
_3\. Put it in the tags_  
_So yeah, please, I really love getting comments, but please don't tell me to make/not make it something I have no control over._

_Of course, I CAN do anything. I'm the one writing this, I know that. But I do not forcefully take control of the characters and make them do whatever I want because then we have one big mess with OOC characters doing illogical things and ruining the plot and flow of the entire story._

_Sorry for rambling, I just wanted to get this out there._  
_To all the other cupcakes who leave messages or want to or want to criticize or have ideas for improvement (I have a feeling my formatting is still horrible, for example) - go right ahead! :D_  
_I love reading what you think, and I respect your opinion, even if you do not agree with the pairing - I do not mind if you tell me, just don't do it in that 'DO THIS BECAUSE I SAY SO!'-way (●´ω｀●)_

_I understand polyamory is not everybody's cup of tea, it isn't mine, either, but this story isn't about me and my standards and preferences hold no place in this._  
_(Trust me, the story would be way different, given that I'm an asexual)_  
_But this is what they have decided themselves given the character development in the Christmas Calendar and the way they are now interacting with each other._  
_And for all I know, it could stay Percico for the entire story (in which case I'd of course change the tags, description and title after finishing) or turn to a different pairing._

_So, anyways, here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it :D_  
_The chapter after this will be a Will-Special by the way, entirely out of his POV._

_Jason's POV will have to wait a few chapters more ;/ Sorry about that._

_Oh my god this is one long A/N again. Why does it always escalate like this D;_

_Love you all *blue cookies for everyone*_  
_-Tári_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Sandwiched Will, stealing plates and other little dilemmas**

When Will woke up in the morning, he was sandwiched between Nico and Percy.

What. The. Hell?

He looked around at both of them in disbelief, staring at their sleeping faces.

When had this happened?

He felt Percy snuggling closer to him, rubbing his face against one side of his neck, while Nico practically copied the move from the other side.

Their arms were tightly wrapped around Will and he could feel Percy's leg around him as well.

This was so weird.  
So close.  
So...nice.

Will felt utterly hot, but he didn't dare move, trying to enjoy this moment for as long as possible.

It felt great.

As if he belonged here.

As if this was exactly how it was meant to be.

Of course, he knew that wasn't the case.

He had probably dragged himself over Percy in the middle of the night or the two had put him in the middle after he had 'molested' one of them again or something.

They didn't think of this the way he did.  
Heck, they'd probably be utterly weirded out if they knew he enjoyed this in the first place.

He felt Nico moving slightly, his grip around him tightening for a split second before he shifted and rested his head on Will's chest.

Gods, so close.

Will gazed down at the dark mop of hair and the bits of Nico's face he could see.

He had the most adorable sleeping face.

A warm feeling spread through Will that didn't have anything to do with the heat here in bed.  
It was a nice, fuzzy feeling.

Nico looked so peaceful and at ease.  
Like an angel.

He could so see why Percy liked to called him 'my Angel'.

Will looked at Percy out of the corner of his eyes.

Percy was snoring softly, a tickle of saliva running down the corner of his mouth onto the pillow, right next to Will's neck.  
But somehow, he found himself smirking instead of scowling.

And the way Percy's even breath felt on his skin was annoyingly nice, too.

Will shook his head, trying to ignore the thumping of his heart.

This was stupid.

What was he doing here, anyways?

It was early morning, he could simply leave for his cabin right now. His siblings would all be awake already, anyways.  
But he found he couldn't leave, savoring every passing second with Percy and Nico snuggling up to him.

Damn it.

And it was so hot here, too.

Which made him think of Jason.  
Seriously, if only Jason was here. He had this ability to keep this nice, cool body temperature.

Wait- oh, hell no!

There was _no way_ he was missing Jason here in bed while being cuddled up to Percy and Nico!

Enjoying them so close was already bad enough, but he was not going to mourn not having Jason in here, too.  
Please, this couldn't be happening.

Will definitely had to hang out with other people at Camp.  
This was getting ridiculous.

Nico muttered something in his sleep, his hand clutching Will's arm tightly, but without hurting him.

Will immediately found his hand on the boy's face, caressing his cheek ever so softly.

He felt Percy react to the noise Nico made, coming closer and wrapping his leg tighter around Will, making him painfully aware of Percy's crotch against his thigh.

Not a good thing to dwell on.

It was also not a good thing to dwell on the fact that they were all just wearing their boxer shorts.  
Well, better that than nothing at all.

Will noticed how his hand was still caressing Nico's cheek and he pulled it back quickly, shifting slightly as to get a tiny bit more distance between him and Percy.

He shouldn't have done that.  
He really shouldn't have done that.

Because next moment, Percy frowned slightly, nudging Will's neck with his nose and making a small sound of complaint before coming closer again, wrapping his leg even tighter around him.

Just great.

Nico muttered something incoherent again and also shifted closer, his head now exactly over Will's rapidly thumping heart.

But surprisingly, Nico kept on sleeping.

It was Percy who woke first, nuzzling his face into Will's hair and lazily opening an eye, sighing deeply.

"Morning, Solace."

Will ignored the fact that he still stayed way too close to him and cast him a look of fake annoyance.

"How did we revert back from 'Sun-bug' to my last name?" He asked sulkily, causing Percy to grin.

"Oh, so you DID like that!"

Will made a face. "I didn't say that."

"Awe, living in denial again. I bet if it had been Jason calling you his sun-bug, you wouldn't have-..."

"No. Don't even go there. Just shut up." Will interrupted him quickly, shifting and looking away disgruntled.

Nico sighed in his sleep and rubbed his face against Will's chest, smiling contently to himself.

Both boys looked down at him, watching him quietly for a moment.

"So...what did I do this time?" Will asked with an exasperated sigh.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Well, how come I wake up sandwiched between you two? Not that I mind, but I kind of doubt you two had a sudden inclination in the middle of the night to cuddle with me like that."

Percy chuckled and gently stroked through Nico's hair, gazing at his sleeping face.

"It was Nico's idea. You were moaning in your sleep and muttered some incoherent stuff, so we tried to calm you down a bit. But with you on the outside of the bed, you kept running danger of falling off the bed and also you constantly rolled out from beneath the blankets. So Nico suggested taking you in the middle. You kind of went with it instantly, snuggling up to both of us, so I guess it was alright."

Will felt his face heating up, but pointedly ignored it. "I...I see. Thanks, then, I guess."

"No problem, Sun-bug. So, what's up with those nightmares?"

"Don't call me 'Sun-bug', Percy. You're not my boyfriend." Will instantly complained.

Percy only chuckled. "Aw, you know you like it. But fine, I'll let Jason know that name is reserved to his usage only."

"Percy!"

Percy chuckled and held up his hands defensively, though he didn't look sorry whatsoever.  
Then he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

Will would have liked to follow, but Nico was still half lying on top of him.

Seriously, he just waited for Percy to say something about that.

He looked around at him, but found him only gazing at Nico fondly, then climbing out of the bed.

"I'll be in the bathroom." He announced cheerily and walked off.

Will blinked. "Seriously? You just...doesn't this bother you?"

The question had slipped before he could ponder whether he really wanted to know the answer.

Percy looked around at him questioningly. "What do you mean?"

Will frowned. "Erm...this? Me, in Nico's bed, with Nico? With you leaving us alone? I don't want to say anything, but if I was the one dating Nico, I wouldn't want you anywhere close to his bed at any given time?"

Percy hesitated for a moment, going through his hair awkwardly.

"I don't…really care, Will. Of course, it doesn't leave me completely cool, but I know I can trust you not to do anything to my boyfriend. And I know I can trust him to not let you do anything. So there's that. I just want him happy. And he looks happy right now, so why not let him be?"

Had Will ever mentioned that no matter what he expected Percy to say or do, it was always the complete opposite?  
Did anybody really ever understand this guy?

"You…are unbelievable."

Percy only winked and left for the bathroom.

Seriously, that guy.

Will loosely put an arm around Nico, tugging him closer as to get him into a better position to prevent later aches.  
Then he gently stroked up and down his back, relishing the moment, the closeness, the fact that he could touch Nico like this.

He sighed contently, gazing at Nico's sleeping face and giving in to his phantasies of 'What if he was dating me right now'.

.

They spent most of the day dozing off in various places, running away from the kids that wanted them to train with them and eating snacks in Nico's cabin.

Seriously, the Hades cabin really was something like their headquarters now, it seemed.

Percy chuckled as he watched Will dozing off again, this time sprawled on the floor as they had just finished a game of Mythomagic.  
Percy was so getting the hang of the game now.

At least in his opinion.

He looked around at Nico, who gazed amused at Will and sighed.

"I really can't believe it. He's the one getting the most sleep, yet he seems to be the one most tired. I just don't get it." He muttered and Percy shrugged.

"I think what he needs isn't necessarily sleep, but rest. What with those nightmares and all." He said and got up, hearing Will snore softly from where he laid.

Seriously, that guy could be pretty cute when he wanted to be.  
Almost as cute as Nico - but only almost.

"Yeah, I've been wondering about that. Isn't it weird? I mean, ever since we beat Gaea, nightmares have pretty much stopped. Why would Will still have them? Do you think it has something to do with Apollo?" Nico wondered and grabbed his Christmas blanket, putting it over Will quietly, while Percy came over and pushed a pillow beneath Will's head.

They looked at the blonde for a moment.

"No idea. He doesn't seem to want to talk about it, so it's hard to tell if it has something to do with the gods or if it's just something personal."

"I tried talking to him about it, but to no avail. He simply switched the topic." Nico sulked and Percy sighed.

"Well, I'm sure he'll come out to us if it's anything serious. Do you think we should pick up something to eat?"

Nico shrugged, his gaze still fixed on Will's sleeping face.

Percy was surprised to notice he wasn't bothered by that at all.  
He worried about Will, too.

Will had muttered throughout the night, though neither Percy nor Nico had understood a single word.

It had gotten better when they had put him in the middle, and he had seemed utterly contented for a while as well, but it hadn't completely stopped, either.

Maybe it did have something to do with Apollo.  
Or maybe it was simply something personal.

Percy wondered vaguely whether it might not actually have something to do with Jason not being there.

He knew Will always made a show of not liking Jason or being annoyed, but he also knew Will did miss him.  
Even if he didn't want to admit to it.

Hell, they all missed Jason.

Percy missed him, as well.

Next to his calming attitude that they all appreciated and needed, Jason was pretty fun to hang around with.

He could be the most sensible and mature of them all, or as crazy and immature as them (Percy still remembered how Jason had tried to fly into Nico's pictures like superman back in that one clearing Will had shown them. Good old times).

He was something like the safe haven of the group.

Nico was the one that held them all together, since all three of them had feelings for the Italian, but Jason was the one all of them went to whenever there was something wrong or they were feeling down or just needed to feel like everything would be ok.

But what did that make Will and Percy?

He looked down at the blonde, pondering the question as Nico put on his jacket.

In a picture, Nico would be something like the hearth.  
Jason would be the save shore, radiating peace and calm.  
Will would be sun and the bright colors, giving the picture its liveliness and emitting a feeling of joy and the wish to live.

But what would Percy be?  
He was usually like the sea.

Did that mean he was the murky waters, disgruntling the peace around him?  
A storming mess of waves, causing havoc and disaster?

Or was he the calm sea, adding to the tranquil mood of the picture?

He didn't know.

And damn, what the hell was he even thinking about?

He shook his head and followed Nico out of the cabin, automatically grabbing for his hand as he had done in New Rome.

Nico stiffened for a splint second, causing Percy to halt as well.

Was this ok?  
Was this not ok?

They hadn't exactly discussed how they'd go about this here at Camp.

Damn it, Percy had wanted to talk about this before.

Why hadn't he?

Percy pulled his hand back, trying to conceal the pain in his chest with a reassuring smile.  
Nico looked around at him worriedly, his dark, beautiful eyes showing the jumble of emotions and thoughts inside him.

He seemed conflicted, torn between something Percy didn't know.

"You ok?" He asked quietly, beginning to walk towards the dining pavilion as Nico followed hesitantly.

"Yeah…just…I don't know…" The Italian muttered and Percy felt soft, cool fingers against his hand.

He looked around surprised. "You don't have to, if you don't want to, Nico. We have all the time in the world to come out to the others." He said quietly, trying to determine how Nico was feeling about this by his expression alone.

But Nico only shook his head. "It's ok. It's not like it's a big deal or anything, anyways. I'm not…I'm not ashamed or anything. It's just…" Nico trailed off, his gaze far off in the distance.

Percy knew he was scared.

He knew Nico came from a different time, where things like this…well, they could get people killed.  
So he couldn't blame him for being scared.

But this was Camp. Nobody was going to try murder them because they were gay (maybe for other reasons, but not because they were gay, no).

And if anybody dared to say anything, Percy was certain he'd be able to sort it out in his own way.

Seriously, it wasn't as if boys liking boys was that horrible.  
The gods had done it, too.

Zeus himself had had plenty of male lovers.

Wasn't there this one guy who was now water-bearer who was his lover, too?

Or maybe Percy was confusing things again. It didn't really matter, anyways.

He loved Nico, and he wasn't afraid to show it.  
And if anybody had a problem with it, well, he couldn't care less.

They could look away.

If he didn't like seeing that guy with that other girl, he had no right to butt in, either.  
So why would anybody butt in because he was seeing another guy?

"Don't worry, we have time. Just tell me when you're ready, ok?"

"It's…it's really ok, Percy…" Nico muttered awkwardly, though he didn't look ok at all.

He looked rather distressed, fidgeting slightly and appearing stiff as a board.

Percy wished he could wrap his arms around him and pull him into a tight hug and kiss his fears away.

Instead, he sighed and let Nico take his hand. "If you say so…but Nico, you can always pull your hand back if you feel uncomfortable, ok? I don't mind whatsoever."

Nico nodded quietly and they walked on in silence, Percy taking in the familiar surroundings.

There were barely any people around, but then again, they were usually around the Camp Fire still.

Even though the snow was slowly melting, it was still rather cold, after all.

Percy was glad about the lack of people.  
Nico already stiffened whenever they saw anybody or somebody looked around at them or called over a greeting.

If there had been half of the Camp running around, he was fairly sure Nico would turn into a pillar of salt in shock or something.

He gave him a comforting squeeze and felt Nico return it a short moment later, though it was rather feeble and Nico still seemed unnaturally stiff and uncertain.

Again, Percy wished Jason was here.

Jason would know exactly what to say or do to make Nico feel at ease.

They entered the dining pavilion and Percy wasn't surprised whatsoever to find Nico pulling his hand back three steps later, when a group of girls came rushing forward to wish them a Happy New Year and asked how his stay at Camp Jupiter had been.

They were only being nice, of course, but Percy still noticed how Nico kicked at some imaginary dirt, his expression forcefully indifferent, so he brushed them off fairly quickly and dragged Nico over to the Poseidon table.

That led Nico to blink surprised, but also smile slightly relieved, which made Percy want to wrap his arms around him and reassure him, telling him he loved him and that he would gladly make out with him right here, right now, just to see the worry and uncertainty disappear from his gaze.

.

"Seriously though, what should we get Will? He always eats something different in the evening, it seems so random, but knowing him, he's got a freaking nutrition plan or something." Percy muttered next to Nico and Nico couldn't help but chuckle.

He said it in such a complaining voice, but Nico knew he was genuinely pondering the question, not wanting to pick the wrong thing.

"I think as long as we pick something not too greasy, we can't go too wrong. I'm more wondering whether we shouldn't get a nutrition plan for ourselves. All you've been eating the past weeks was pizza, pasta, fast food and more pizza." He chided and Percy threw him a amused glance, wrapping up some blue pizza for himself in napkins.

"You are no one to talk, you know?" Percy muttered, raising an eyebrow at the fries and burger Nico wrapped up, together with a brownie in a separate napkin, though this made him painfully aware he wouldn't be able to share it with Jason as usual.

That had become such a nice ritual between them.

"Well, at least I'm having potatoes? That's healthy, right?" Nico said uncertainly, eating one lonely fry that was left over.

Percy chuckled. "As healthy as pasta, I'd guess. Maybe we really should get Will to make us a plan. But if he thinks I'm going to eat salads and all that rubbish, he can forget about it again right away. So, again, what are we going to get him?"

Nico made a face, staring down at the plate they were abusing to conjure up their food.

"No idea. He didn't eat much all day, not even the snacks, so he should be pretty hungry. Not good for a salad. Maybe some ratatouille? He had that before, after all."

"Does that even fill you up? I can't imagine ever eating that out of my own free will, but even if I had to eat it, don't you think you'd still be starving afterwards? Who could eat so many vegetables, anyways?"

Nico couldn't help but smile at the adorable way Percy frowned, looking utterly bewildered.

"Well, I guess it tastes to him as your blue pizza tastes to you. So ratatouille it is?"

Percy sighed. "I guess so. But maybe we should also get him some chicken or something. Just so he doesn't starve to death."

Nico chuckled. "Aw, I didn't know you cared about him that much?"

He wasn't sure how he thought of the two of them.

Will's groping on Percy and the way he snuggled up to him (and the way he had checked him out) did indeed point towards Will being somewhat attracted to his Percy.

But he had always acted as if Percy was the worst!

It just didn't make any sense.

Did he somehow have a change of heart? And why didn't it even trouble Nico that much?

Of course, it felt weird and he felt a somewhat possessive streak inside him acting up, wanting to show Will Percy was his.

But then again, Percy didn't express any interest in Will…did he?  
Nico thought back to the way those two behaved around each other lately.

Chatting normally instead of bitching at each other, laughing a lot more because they finally realized they actually had a very similar humor, actually touching every now and then, though Nico was fairly sure neither really noticed.

Nico had noticed, though.  
He had noticed how Will's hands would sometimes place themselves on Percy's thigh or arm or his side, how he would lean against Percy instead of Nico.  
How Percy sometimes had an arm around Will as well as Nico without even really realizing.

They had gotten quite close, he guessed.

But that didn't mean Percy was interested.  
He was dating Nico, after all.

And just because Percy and Will got along better now didn't mean he'd up and leave Nico or anything.

Percy and Jason got along great as well, after all, and Nico had never worried about Percy wanting to date him.

Then again, Nico had kind of always taken Percy for being straight.  
Not to mention Jason was straight…he guessed.

Lately, Nico refused to think about sexualities much anymore.

It was too confusing.

Percy had been straight but had suddenly turned gay for Nico, which he guessed made him bisexual?  
Will had been bisexual all along but Nico hadn't really known.  
And Jason was straight, but he had kissed Nico three times now and snuggled up to them the same way Percy and Will did, so maybe he wasn't that straight anymore either?

It wasn't as if Nico really cared, anyways.

For all he cared, the lot of them could be whatever the hell they wanted.

Demisexual, asexual, pansexual, the whole palette.

As long as Percy loved him and stayed with him and kept making him feel so damn good with just small gestures, he completely didn't care.

He just wished the rest of the world would see it the same way.

He got pulled out of his train of thoughts as Percy looked around at him incredulously.

"Really? I just don't want to get in trouble with his siblings for having a whiny, starving Will in their cabin all night. You know you're the only one I care about." He said sulkily and reached out for Nico, seemingly with every intention to wrap him into a hug and kiss him.

But then he halted, pulling back and looking conflicted for a second, before turning around to the napkins once more.

Nico instantly felt bad.

He shouldn't be scared of what the others thought.  
Seriously, sooner or later it'd come out anyways.

Everybody would know.

So what did it matter when they found out?

Nico was about to reach out to Percy, touch him, hug him, kiss him, just do something to show him it was ok.  
But he couldn't make himself do it.

He was painfully aware of all the people around them, even though it weren't that many.

He didn't want to hear them talk.  
Didn't want to find out what they'd have to say about them.

Instead, he looked down at the plate once more, willing it to conjure up some ratatouille.

"Let's get back to Will before he wakes up all alone in my cabin." He muttered, wondering how they were going to transport ratatouille with napkins, but Percy simply picked up the plate, putting napkins over it and looking around him to check the coast was clear.

Nico raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Are you going to do what I think you're going to do?"

Percy grinned at him sheepishly. "I watched the Stoll's do this a couple of times. The plates don't actually conjure up new food, but they keep the food on there that was conjured up before. We just have to watch out we're not getting caught."

Nico stared at his boyfriend.

Were they seriously going to steal a plate so Will had dinner?

Percy looked at him with a mixture of determination and anticipation, as if he had always wanted to try this.

Nico sighed.

They were so going to steal a plate.

.

"Percy! People!" Nico hissed and Percy hissed back. "Well, distract them!"

Transporting a warm, overfilled plate and their food-filled napkins in a way that went unnoticed by others was almost as simple as running around as a pink Minotaur in a flower dress and not wanting to attract attention – which was to say: impossible.

Still, they had almost made it out of the dining pavilion.

If Percy had known they were going to nick a plate, he'd have chosen a table closer to the stairs, seriously.  
But it had kind of been a spontaneous decision.

Seriously, Will better ate that ratatouille, or Percy would rub it into his face.

He didn't even know why they were going through this much trouble.

They could have simply picked up some sandwiches and be done with it.

But it was kind of fun to see Nico so…excited.  
He seemed so utterly into it, even though he had looked so skeptical in the beginning.

Percy looked over Nico's shoulder at the people Nico was talking about.

A couple of Ares kids.  
Not good.

Ares kids were bound to sneer at him and make trouble.

"How would I distract them?" Nico hissed back at him and he shrugged before noticing Nico wouldn't be able to see.

"I don't know. Just do something, I guess. Don't skewer them with your sword, though."

Just in case the thought would cross his mind.

Nico turned his head far enough to throw him a pointed glance that mutely stated 'Really, Percy?'.  
Percy only grinned innocently and watched as Nico rolled his eyes.

This was much better than the awkward, worried Nico.

He was still worried, though this type of worried was much better than the one from earlier.

The kids were coming ever closer.

Percy got closer to Nico, holding the plate in a way it could only be seen when somebody was right next to them.  
Plus, the food-filled napkins piled on top of it kind of distracted from it, as well.

But he knew the Ares kids would definitely stop to comment on something and they'd definitely see.

Why couldn't it have been Demeter kids? They tended to not care.  
Or even better, some Hermes kids? They'd probably even help them.

They met at the stairs.

As expected, the Ares kids glanced at him and instantly stopped, sneering.

But right when they were about to say something, Nico groaned loudly and spun around, directly in the way of the guys and Percy, shielding the plate from their view.

"No! I'm sick and tired of this, Percy! If you really think a simple sorry is going to be enough, then you are WRONG! And what are you doing, dogging after me like this? You know I hate it when you do that! Didn't I tell him I hate it when he does that? Doesn't everybody know I hate it?" He asked loudly, turning around to the other guys as if wanting their approval.

They stared at him as dumbfounded as Percy.

What…? What had he done?  
Had he done something to piss him off?

All he did was nicking the plate…oh.  
Of course.

Percy inwardly face-palmed.

Nico was a jewel. He was creating the perfect distraction.

He put on a defiant face, lowering the plate somewhat as to prevent them from accidently seeing it over Nico's shoulders or something.

"You know what? Fine! Have it your way, then! I was just trying to be nice. When you get down from your high horse, you know where to find me!" He spat with fake annoyance, then turned around and stormed off.

"If you think I'll go running after you, you're dead wrong!" Nico called after him and Percy couldn't help feeling horrible inside, guilt and dread filling him, even though he knew they were only acting.

Seriously, just the thought of them fighting like this was horrible.  
Good thing he had no intention of ever causing Nico to feel this way for real.

He heard Nico ramble some more behind him at the foot of the stairs, seemingly complaining to the Ares kids about something, who seemingly still stood rooted to the spot and utterly perplexed and disturbed.

Percy couldn't blame them.

Nico had never really interacted with a lot of people at Camp other than when they had fought together or when Nico had tried to take pictures with them.  
It must come as quite a shock to suddenly have Nico talk so heated about anything, really.

He made it to the cabin without problems, finding Will sitting on the floor where he had fallen asleep and looking at him confused.

"Where have you been? And where's Nico?" He asked, but Percy only closed the door relieved and brought the plate over.

"Seriously, the things we do for you, mate." He muttered as Will eyed the plate perplexed and removed the napkins.

"Eh…?" He uttered surprised, but before he could ask anything else, Nico rushed inside, closing the door behind him, looking utterly done with the world.

"Percy, we are never doing that again! That was the worst ever." He exclaimed, leaning back against the door and hiding his face in his hands.

Percy chuckled and was over there in a heartbeat, stroking a strand of hair out of his face.

"That was awesome acting, Nico. For a moment, you completely had me wondering what the hell I had done wrong."

Nico looked up at him, then rolled his eyes, wrapping his arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss.

"We are never stealing plates again."

Percy grinned into the kiss. "Of course not, my Ghost King. I don't think I could survive you shouting at me like that another time."

"It was the only thing I could think of. I'm sorry if I freaked you out." Nico muttered, giving him another peck on the lips.

"It's ok. I realized a moment later it was just acting. Seriously, you'd make one hell of an actor."

"Guys…you do know I'm still here, right? And why the hell did you steal a plate? And how did you do it? I swear, I'm never going to fall asleep again. It seems all the good stuff happens while I'm asleep." Will sulked behind them and they blinked, slowly letting go of each other, giving each other another quick peck on the lips.

Then they went back over to Will, telling him of their great 'adventure'.

Will found the whole matter utterly amusing, it seemed.

At first, he only frowned, mildly amused with their concern about his eating patterns, then he raised an unbelieving eyebrow at Percy's sudden idea to nick the plate, then he laughed out loud at the part with Nico causing a scene.

"You guys seriously did that just to get me some food?" He asked in disbelief, looking at both of them in turns, then gazing down at the plate.

Percy and Nico grinned at each other. "Well, we figured you'd be hungry." Percy said, shrugging and watched rather pleased as Nico passed Will the fork he had 'borrowed' from the dining pavilion.

Personally, Percy would have completely forgotten about that.

"Yeah, and Percy doesn't want you to know, but he actually packed a piece of chicken just in case the ratatouille won't fill you up." Nico gave him away cruelly, making Percy scowl at him.

"Traitorous boyfriend, you!" He wailed, trying to get his hands on him, but Nico only laughed and evaded his grasp, hiding behind Will who blinked surprised and gazed at Percy.

Their gazes met for a moment and Percy found himself halting, looking into those bright blue eyes.  
They were completely different from Jason's sky-blue eyes.

Much more vivid in color and intensity, sparkling with emotions.

Jason usually had a soft, thoughtful gaze and his eyes generally held a sort of affection in them, especially when looking at Nico.

But Will didn't really have that affection in his gaze, rather a form of joy and life.

Yeah, they were full of life.

Percy found himself thinking back to his very poetic picture-idea, the thought of Will representing the sun and the vivid colors manifesting itself.

Will blinked and frowned, seemingly trying to figure out why Percy was staring at him.

The moment ended.

And with it, Percy shook his head to clear his thoughts and laughed, hurrying after Nico.

What the hell was he thinking about, anyways?

.

"I still can't believe you stole a plate just for me." Will muttered quietly and Nico chuckled as he accompanied him to the door.

Both of them glanced back to Percy, who had passed out on Nico's bed halfway through Finding Nemo (it was the first time Nico had ever seen Percy fall asleep during that film, and they had watching it many, _many_ times).

"It was all his idea. But seriously, we just wanted to make sure you really eat. We both noticed you didn't eat much all day and seemed rather distant. Are you sure everything is ok?" Nico asked him as Will opened the door, halting in the doorway to throw Nico one of his dazzling smiles.

Still, Nico had the distinct expression the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Of course I'm ok. No need to worry about me, neither of you. So, I guess I'll see you in the morning?" He asked cheerfully enough and Nico sighed, not really wanting to let the topic drop so fast.

"Yeah, see you in the morning. Though you can always come over in case you're getting nightmares again. Really, I'm fairly certain Percy wouldn't mind too much if you stayed another night if it made you feel better…" He started, but Will shook his head, smiling at Nico in an odd, pained way.

"It's ok, Neeks. It really is. I loved cuddling with you, though. We really gotta do another sleepover at some point. But my siblings will start up rumors if I don't show up again. Also, all my clothes are over there. So, yeah, you'll be having your quality time with Percy again. Don't you want that?"

Nico smiled to himself, thinking of the few times Percy and he had been alone in bed, snuggling close to each other and whispering gentle 'I love you'-s at each other.

Yeah, that would be nice.

He sighed. "I do. But really, if anything happens or you need anything…"

"I know. I'll come right over. I'm having a weird Deja-vu here, wasn't it me telling you to come and get me whenever you need anything only a few weeks ago?"

Nico chuckled and looked up at Will, noticing him smiling fondly down at him.

They were still just standing there in the doorway.  
It was odd, seeing him off like this.

Nico had gotten so used to Jason and Will sticking around for the night, it seemed just wrong to send Will away now.

Then again, he wasn't really sending him away - Will was leaving out of his own accord.

Ok, Percy's wailing the past weeks and the fact that he and Nico were dating might be big factors there, but meh.

Nico had offered letting him stay another night.

Though he was fairly certain that if Will agreed, they'd be stuck with that agreement forever - which meant no quality time with Percy for forever.

Will sighed. "Ok, I'll be gone then. See you in the morning, Neeks. Sweet dreams." He then said, flashing a last grin before waving and turning around.

"Good night. Sleep well." Nico called after him quietly, watching him wave and walk on for a bit before slowly closing the door.

Then he looked around at Percy, softly snoring into his pillow.

A smile formed on his lips.  
Percy looked so adorable.

Turning off the lights and getting undressed hurriedly, he tucked his boyfriend in correctly and collected the Christmas blanket, throwing it over them as he sneaked under the blanket himself.

"Mmh, Nico…" Percy mumbled in his sleep, his hands instantly reaching out and tugging Nico closer, pressing him against his chest and putting his face into Nico's hair.

Nico chuckled quietly, wrapping his arms around him.

"I love you, Percy."

"Love you too…" Percy muttered quietly, sighing contently and Nico smiled to himself, closing his eyes.

This was the best thing ever.

He only hoped Will would get a good sleep this night as well.


	6. Chapter 6: Will Special

**A/N: **_Hello there, cupcakes!_  
_As promised, the next chapter - entirely out of Will's POV._  
_It's really sad that it's June already and we have six chapters and it STILL HASN'T BEEN NICO'S BIRTHDAY!_  
_Shame on me. _  
_No, but seriously, just as a warning, this fanfiction is going to be LONG. Like...really long._

_Usually I first finish my fanfictions, reread them a thousand times to find as many mistakes as possible and fix them - and to fix chapters and the length and flow of the story._  
_This is the first story other than the Advent Calendar that I'm pretty much uploading the way I wrote it.(Then again if I had had the idea for the Advent Calendar a tad sooner than a few days before it was time to start uploading, I probably would have prepared it properly as well. I'm still amazed how well it turned out, given that I was writing most of the chapters in the late evening for the next morning with no clue or plan.)_

_So, yeah, I hope you'll still enjoy this mess :)_  
_Who knows, maybe once I actually finish it, I might work it over once more in Word and then update on here, I don't know._

_Hope you like the chapter _(●´ω｀●)  
_Thanks to everyone who left a like/comment! You're the best!_

_-Tári_

* * *

**Chapter 06: Will Special – Percy's acting, Will's sleeping disorder and other minor disasters**

"Will! You have to help me!" Percy's voice sounded through the Apollo cabin, ripping Will out of his dreams and causing him to topple straight out of bed onto the floor.

"Per…cy…?" He mumbled confused, still half asleep.

"Man, what the hell?" Somebody complained on the other side of the room, accompanied by some more low grumbles.

"Who let Jackson in?" Another voice asked disgruntled.

"It's not even 6am yet."

"What the hell?"

"Fuck you, Jackson."

"How did he get inside?"

"Sorry guys…Will, get up, you lazy butt. You have to help me." He heard Percy utter quietly, footsteps echoing through the cabin, hurrying towards him and pulling him upright.

Will only frowned and looked groggily at Percy with half-closed eyes. "What…?"

Percy looked at him pleadingly.

Then he frowned and chuckled. "You look horrible. I thought Apollo kids woke up with the first ray of sunlight?"

Will didn't even have the power to reply, instead groaning and rubbing his eyes, blinking rapidly and looking around.

"THERE IS NO RAY OF SUNLIGHT, YOU BASTARD!" Came several cries from around them and pillows were thrown at Percy, who only made a sound between a hiss and a chuckle and grabbed Will's hand.

"Seriously, let's go."

"What…?" Will repeated confused, feeling his legs move automatically as Percy dragged him towards the door.

"Will, teach your lover boy some manners!"

"I swear, if this happens one more time…"

"Jackson, if you ever dare…"

"Seriously, how did he get inside?!"

Came the caring remarks from his beloved siblings, but he only frowned and looked groggily at Percy's hand holding his.

What…?

What was Percy doing here?

In his cabin?

And what did he want?

And why so early?

The cold hit him like a punch in the face.

"Cold…" He mumbled, noticing off-handedly that he was only wearing his orange boxer shorts.

Why was this happening?

Where was Percy taking him?

Why was Percy here, anyways?

What did Percy want?

And what could possibly be that important that Will wasn't allowed to sleep, nor even get dressed?

Percy looked around at him, eyes hushing over his body ever so quickly.

"Oh. I'm so sorry, I didn't notice…well, I did, but I didn't think…sorry, Will. Here, have my jacket." He muttered and let go of Will's hand, stopping them both in the middle of the Camp to take off his jacket and putting it over Will's shoulders awkwardly, while Will began dozing off again, even with the cold.

He simply couldn't help it.

Truth be told, the past days had been hell.

He had had nightmare after nightmare, though funnily enough, whatever he dreamed about was gone the moment he woke up completely in the morning.

Though he knew he remembered all of it whenever he woke up at night.

It was weird.

He couldn't really explain it.

But his brothers and sisters were all ok, so he guessed it was simply him.

He admitted he had thought of talking to Percy and/or Nico about it, but in the end, he hadn't.

Thinking back, maybe he should have.

Then Percy might have actually let him sleep.

"Will? Are you sleeping? Oh gods, you are. Seriously, wake up, you're standing in the middle of the Camp."

He felt Percy's hands on his face and frowned, opening his eyes disgruntled.

"What…?" He repeated for what felt like the hundredth time, looking into stunning sea-green eyes.

Percy's lips twitched. "I can't say whether you look awful or endearing. I'll go for awful. Come on, let's go to my cabin. It's cold out here."

Will's frown deepened as his dazed mind tried to grasp whatever Percy was saying.

But nothing made sense.

"You don't say." He mumbled, stifling a yawn before feeling Percy's hand on his again, dragging him towards the Poseidon cabin.

Percy chuckled. "And there I thought you're a morning person." He teased, grinning mischievously at Will.

"I hate you." He muttered nonplussed, looking up at the utterly dark sky.

It must be like 4am in the morning or something.

Which meant he had successfully gotten roughly thirty minutes of sleep.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on." Percy said quietly and Will heard what sounded like somebody fumbling with a key at a door.

Then he heard the creaking of a door opening and was ushered into a rather cool cabin.

"Where's Nico…?" Will managed to ask as Percy pulled him inside and closed the door behind him.

Coming to think of it, _where_ _was Nico_?

Why had Percy come to him without Nico?

He never went anywhere without Nico.

Well, Will wouldn't know, since he had tried catching up with Lou Ellen and Cecil to get over his whole I-might-be-falling-for-somebody-dilemma – but he wasn't ever going to talk about that.

Still, he had had the impression things were going well between Percy and Nico.

Though if he remembered correctly, didn't they usually stay at Nico's cabin?

Eww, too many questions.

He stifled another yawn and looked around at the interior of the Poseidon cabin without real interest, while Percy walked through the room towards the fireplace, starting a fire by the looks of it.

Will caught himself gazing at his butt as he leaned over.

Percy had a nice butt. Not that Will was ever going to tell him.

Raising an eyebrow at himself, he looked away again, fixing his attention on the water fountain instead.

Much better to look at.

Who wanted to see Percy's butt anyways?

He certainly didn't.

It might look half decent, but nothing compared to, let's say, Nico's butt.

Ah, that made him wonder about where Nico was, again.

"Where's Nico?" He repeated sleepily, walking over to Percy's bed and flopping down on it, tempted to just drop sideways onto it and sleep.

Percy looked over at him. "In bed."

Will let his gaze pointedly travel over the empty bunks in the cabin.

Percy chuckled and came over. "In his own cabin. I told him last night I'd leave in the morning because you needed to talk about something, so he should be ok."

Will frowned, trying to make sense of all this.

"But…I don't need to talk to you…" He then mumbled, putting his face in his hands as he tried to will himself to completely wake up.

It was still so freaking cold.

He felt himself shiver, but other than that, the cold more made him even sleepier.

Percy sighed, wrapping an arm around him and tugging him closer.

"No, you don't. I need to talk to you. As I said, I need your help. I kind of thought you'd be in a better state than this, though. And who sleeps in their boxer shorts with this cold outside?" He scolded, rubbing at Will's arms through the fabric of his jacket.

Will only sighed and looked around at Percy quietly.

"Percy…if you wanted to talk to me, why didn't you at least warn me yesterday? Something like 'Oh, hey, Will, by the way, for some unknown und incomprehensible reason I have to talk to you really early tomorrow morning. Would it be ok if I came over and picked you up?' That way, you wouldn't have had to wake my entire cabin, disturb the bit of sleep I had and drag me through the cold in my underwear." He grumbled, watching Percy blink and blush slightly for whatever reason.

Then he started fidgeting and looking guilty.

"I…well, I'm sorry, ok? But it's important. I wasn't sure whether to really go to you about it, anyways. So it was kind of…spontaneous? But I really need your help."

"With what?" Will asked confused, gesturing with his arms and then looking around at Percy's pillow wistfully.

"Well…you know…it's just…well…" Percy started, fidgeting around awkwardly and bumping his knee against Will's by apparent accident.

He scowled at Percy. "Either you tell me what you want, or you let me sleep in your bed." He grumbled and Percy blinked, then shook his head.

"It's his birthday."

"Whose?" Will asked, frowning again.

"Nico's of course. It's his birthday soon and I have no idea what to do." Percy exclaimed loudly, desperately, gesturing wildly with his arms before hiding his face in his hands in despair.

For a long moment, there was silence.

Will just stared at him.

And stared.  
And stared.

"I am going to kill you." He then stated, perfectly calm, and looked straight ahead into the darkness, wondering how he was going to do it.

Percy turned towards him. "No, you don't get it. It's horrible. I have no idea whatsoever. He's going to think I'm so lame. Seriously, I thought of 25 freaking gifts for him for the Advent Calendar, but now it feels like I'll never be able to top that! And I have no clue what I'm going to do for his birthday. No clue whatsoever. Not even something lame. I'm the lamest of the lame. I can't even think of a lame gift for him. I can't think of anything." He rambled, but Will wasn't really listening.

"I'm going to kill you. I'm going to put my hands around your pretty neck and strangle you to death. Yes, I'm going to strangle you for waking me at this ungodly hour and I'm going to strangle you for waking me for something as stupid as a birthday gift. Percy. A birthday. Gift. That's what you woke me up for?" He uttered in disbelief, holding his head and refusing to look around at Percy, who was still rambling next to him, trying to somehow explain to him how important this was.

A gift.

Percy was freaking out over a gift.

Of all the things in the world, he woke Will up because of A FREAKING BIRTHDAY GIFT?!

Percy wrapped his arms around him, wailing quietly. "Please, you can be mad at me all you want, kill me if you have to, but first help me find a gift for Nico."

Will stared at him.

Then he groaned.

"What have you thought of so far?"

"I can't think of anything! That's my problem. For the calendar, I had so much time to think and after a while ideas simply flew into my face! But now, I'm at an utter loss."

Will rolled his eyes. "Percy, forget the stupid calendar for a moment. Seriously, Nico is not going to care what you give him and whether it's better than anything from that dumb calendar or not. You could give him a toothbrush, he'd still worship you." He remarked sourly, still utterly disgruntled about being woken up for something as stupid as this.

Percy made a face, putting his chin on Will's shoulder and pushing out his bottom lip, looking at Will with big, pleading eyes. "Please help me find a good gift?"

Since when was Percy so open with him, anyways?

He knew they were getting along better and all, but this was fairly new.

Not that he was complaining.

Percy felt nice.

So nice and warm and the way he had his arms wrapped around Will, being so close to him…wait, what?

Will scowled and pushed Percy away.

"Fine. Gods, you are the worst. Let's see…clothes?"

"He already has everything."

"Sweets?"

"I gave him the stash of candy I had left a few days ago."

"Well, that was stupid of you." Will said drily and Percy pouted, causing him to roll his eyes unimpressed.

"A movie?"

"I asked him two days ago whether there was anything he'd like to watch and he said he has so many DVD's he can't even be bothered watching anything else."

"Ugh, how about you take him out for a fancy dinner?"

"I would, but I'm broke."

Will turned his face towards Percy in slow motion for best dramatic effect.

Percy made a face. "Well, I'm sorry, ok? I wasted all the money I had saved up on the few items I couldn't make myself for the calendar and in New Rome. I first have to go back into slavery at Leo's before I'll get any cash again."

Will frowned. Again. "What? What does Leo have to do with anything?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "How did you think I paid for everything for the calendar? You know how Leo and Calypso have that little repair shop thing going on, right? Since they can't leave Camp yet, they get most of their customers through online stuff, I don't really understand how it works. But anyways, I helped them out for a while, fixing machines and all that type of stuff for a bit of cash. And in order to get Leo to show me how to build all those things I made myself, of course. Like the IM-ing device."

Will stared at him. "I never noticed anything like that."

Percy sighed. "Of course you didn't. It's not as if I walked up to you guys and said 'Hey, I'm going to go work for Leo now to pay for a few gifts for Nico's Calendar. See you in fourteen hours when I'm half-dead, gross and sweaty and gruesome, trudging to my cabin and drowning myself in the bathtub', you know."

Will raised an eyebrow, eyes hushing over Percy's body for a moment, trying to picture him all 'gross and sweaty and gruesome'.

He probably wouldn't even look half bad with some grease marks on him, to be honest, and exercise always made him glow in that certain, horridly attractive way.

Annoyed at himself, he looked away again, noticing how his sleepiness was slowly subsiding.

"Well, you do that. So we're looking for a gift you don't have to pay for, because you can't handle money." He summed up drily.

"Oh come on, just give me a freaking good idea and I'll see what I can scratch together. But a fancy dinner is out of the question. Also, Nico doesn't like mixing with people much."

"So no birthday party, either." Will stated, scratching his head.

"I was thinking about that, too. But Nico really doesn't like parties much and the only people he'd really want to see are Hazel, Frank, Reyna, you, Jason and me. Maybe even Piper. Annabeth I'm not too sure about, but I'll never understand those two. Anyways, I already talked to Hazel, but she said there have been problems with the cohorts and some people seem to be making trouble because of something Octavian had promised them. Things seem to be quite chaotic over there right now, so I highly doubt they'll be able to come. Annabeth and Piper, I have no idea when they'll even come back. And Jason…well, Jason isn't sure whether he'll make it, though he said he's trying his hardest to get back by then. He's really distressed about it, too." Percy told him, shaking his head and fingering his IM-ing device absent mindedly.

Will sighed. "I see. So, no party. How about you simply give him yourself?"

Percy scowled at him. "Ha-ha. Very funny."

Will let his eyes travel over him once more. "Actually, that's not such a bad idea. We'll get you naked and wrap you up in the wrapping paper Nico kept from the calendar and decorate you with some ribbons. Then he can unwrap you and you can ravage him or he can ravage you…the usual…" He yawned, watching Percy roll his eyes.

"Yeah, right, can we be serious, though? I don't really think he'd like that a lot."

"Oh, I think he'd love it."

"Will, if I seriously walked up to him and said 'Hey, I'm giving you myself, do whatever you please', he'd probably think I've gone mental."

Will only raised an eyebrow at him. "Rubbish. And you're doing it wrong. You gotta go about it like this." He stated, forcing himself off the bed, stretching his stiff, tired limbs for a moment.

Then he shrugged off Percy's jacket that was still draped over his shoulders and turned towards Percy, who was looking up at him utterly bewildered.

Will rolled his eyes and cleared his throat.

"Percy, I've thought of a thousand things I could do for your birthday, but nothing seemed to be good enough." He started, his voice gentle and soft, taking Percy's hand as he stood before him, urging his legs apart slightly so he could stand between them.

Percy stared up at him incredulously, but seemed too stunned to say anything.

Will began lowering himself onto his knees between Percy's legs.

"So, I've been thinking, I know you can have me any way you want, any day you want, but today, as it is your special day, I just wanted to…I just wanted to give myself to you, Percy." He said, inserting a pause here and there for best effect, looking at Percy with his face slightly downcast to give off a slightly uncertain expression.

"I know it's not much, but I just…I want to be yours. In any and every way. So today, you can do however you please with me. Anything you want. There are no rules and no borders. You can have me in any and every possible way. So please…take me." He reduced his voice to a mere whisper, his face inches away from Percy's, who funnily enough didn't budge.

He'd have guessed Percy would move backwards or even scram.

Instead, he still stared at Will, lips slightly parted, the most adorable blush adorning his cheeks.

Will took in his stunned, speechless expression a moment longer.

For some reason, he was so tempted to just lean forward and kiss him.

He didn't know why.  
Maybe it was because he looked kind of cute right now.  
Maybe it was because Will would simply love to see what he'd do.

Anyways, it was stupid, and Will shouldn't think of that.

So, instead, he chuckled and pulled back, getting up again.

"Yeah, that's how you should do it." He said, nodding at his own performance appreciatively.

Percy stared up at him. "That was…seriously…"

"What?"

Percy shook his head. "For a second that felt almost real."

Will laughed, feeling his insides being all jittery for some reason, his heart thumping loudly.

He didn't want to admit it, but he knew part of it had been real.

That didn't mean anything, though.

Nothing whatsoever.

"Of course. I'm the son of Apollo, after all. We are amazing actors. You'd be surprised." He said winking and flopped back down on the bed next to Percy, who still looked at him rather stunned.

"Don't look at me like that. Do you think you can pull that off?"

"Well, I certainly wish I could. Seriously, did you ever do that for somebody? It sounded as if you knew exactly what you were doing."

Will frowned at him. Usually, people didn't go around asking other people what they did in their past relationships. That was kind of private.

"Nope. I improvised. Well, if you can't do it, I'll tell Nico to do it in case he comes around, asking what to give you as a birthday gift."

"Oh gods, don't do that. If he did that…I think I'd die." Percy muttered, putting his face in his hands and shaking his head feebly.

Will rolled his eyes. "Oh wow. Seriously?"

"You have no idea. He's already sex on legs. If you made him any more seductive, there'd be no way I could…" Percy muttered, shaking his head more furiously now.

Will chuckled, shaking his head. "So, I shouldn't make Nico give himself to you to ravage? You're one weird guy, Perce. I have to give you that. So, anyways, you're not going to do it? Not even going to try?"

Percy looked around at him miserably. "My acting skills are as good as a whale at dancing samba." He muttered and Will raised an eyebrow.

"But Percy, you wouldn't have to act at all. Don't you just want to throw yourself at Nico's feet, begging him to take you? You kind of gave off that impression whenever you cooed about him getting dominant."

Percy flat out scowled at him, his face turning a dark shade of red. "Shut up. I'm not saying I wouldn't want to do that, but I could never pull it off in that seductive type of way you just did it."

"I wasn't even seductive, really. Come on, it's easy. Just try it." Will said, nudging his knee with his own.

If Percy thought he had acted seductive just with that, he would love to see how Percy would react if Will did act seductively.

"With you?" Percy asked, looking around at him bewildered.

Will had to admit the statement kind of hurt.

He was also fairly certain it showed, for he could see Percy's eyes widen a second later.

"I didn't mean it like that. Just…I didn't think you'd be ok with that."

"Percy, I just did that with you, too. What would I care?" Will said drily, looking at him rather unimpressed.

Percy made a face.

"Fine then. I will." He said and got off the bed.

Will looked up at him amused, crossing his arms in front of his chest expectantly.

Percy scowled, pressing his lips tightly together and looking down at him with a mixture of determination, uncertainty, nervousness and embarrassment.

"Yeah? I'm waiting." Will teased, leaning back slightly to look him in the face better.

Percy made a face, then fumbled with his arms. "This…is horrible."

"You haven't even done anything, yet." Will remarked drily.

This was kind of funny to watch.

Percy seemed so adorably embarrassed by all of this.

It was just an act.

Will knew Percy would never mean a word of it.

What was he making a big deal about?  
Then again, why was Will pushing it?

He couldn't care less what Percy gave Nico as birthday gift.  
And the less it had to do with sex, the better, right?

Why was he even supporting him?

And anyways, why was he urging him to play this scene out with him?

It wasn't because he wanted to hear Percy say those words to him.

Absolutely not.

He simply wanted to tease Percy.  
Wanted to tease him and watch him be all flustered and embarrassed and fidgety.

That was it.

Nothing else.

Will wasn't having any ulterior motives.

None whatsoever.

He watched as Percy swallowed hard, stepping back and pacing in front of him awkwardly.

"Ok." He then said and moved forward again, stopping right in front of Will, who immediately noticed the renewed determination in his gaze and felt himself lowering his arms, placing his hands on his thighs instead as Percy stood between his slightly spread legs.

Their gazes locked.

Percy swallowed again. "Will, I…erm…" He broke off again, his ears turning scarlet.

Will tried hard not to smile. "You can act as if I'm Nico, I'm just saying. No need to picture telling _me _that, per se." He said quietly, but Percy shook his head, waving him off.

"Will, I've been thinking for…erm…well…I was thinking about your birthday and I…erm…shit, what did you say?" He asked, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

Will chuckled. "Hm? I don't know, honey, what are you talking about?" He teased and Percy threw him an exasperated glance.

"Ok, once more. I swear, this is the worst ever. I've never done anything like this." He muttered, seemingly trying to muster all his strength for this horrid and tedious battle.

Will smirked up at him, taking in all those little details about his flustered state with immense pleasure.

Not even Nico could make Percy blush like that.  
Not to mention that adorable stammer.

Will grinned to himself and waited patiently as Percy cleared his throat.

"Will, I've thought of so many things I could get you for your birthday…but…well…I couldn't decide on anything, it all seemed stupid. So…" He started off promising, but then started fidgeting around again, looking positively devastated.

Will found himself nodding reassuringly.

"So…I have thought of all those things, but they all seemed lame, and I'm a really lame guy, so I guess they would have fit." Percy continued bitterly and Will pursed his lips, trying not to laugh or show any sign this was the worst ever.

"Anyways, I've decided that, because, well, you know we're…erm…dating? And…like…you could…always…you know…erm…have…have me…and…"

"Percy, you want to seduce me, not make me want to shut you up. Don't stammer like that unless you want me to wrap my arms around you and kiss you and reassure you the entire damn day, wondering what I've done wrong to make you be like that." Will mocked, shaking his head and holding his head in exasperation.

Percy sighed frustrated.

"Well, this isn't easy, ok? To you, maybe, but I never even thought of saying stuff like that! That's like out of one of those teeny shows or something, and I never got a chance to even watch those!"

Will chuckled. "Percy, just be yourself. You don't have to say what I said. Just picture yourself walking up to Nico with every intention of giving yourself to him. Be yourself. Say how you feel. You can add that you're insecure and scared or whatever you like, but don't just stand between his legs for ten minutes, stammering like a fool. That will only worry him and make him wonder what he has done wrong to make you so uncomfortable."

Percy stared at him, slowly lowering the hands he had put into his hair in apparent despair.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then Percy turned around, distancing himself from Will once more and pacing the space in front of him again.

Will watched him quietly for a moment, then sighed.

Maybe he should just drop it.

"I got it now." Percy said and Will raised an eyebrow, though he didn't say anything.

Percy came back over, positioning himself between Will's legs again.

"Will, listen. I just wanted to wish you Happy Birthday. I've thought of so many things I could give to you, but I couldn't settle on anything. You're really special, and I really wanted to find something, anything, to show how special you truly are. It's like…do you know those pictures of landscapes? Of course you do, but just picture the most beautiful picture with a sunset and all that. All those warm colors." Percy said quietly, his gaze fixed on Will's face.

The atmosphere was completely different from before.

Will found himself staring up at him, noticing how his heart was thumping loudly in his chest.

He tried to push it down.

This didn't mean anything.  
Nothing at all.  
There was no point in him getting jittery over this.

It was just an act.

He gulped hard and nodded slightly, silently urging Percy to continue.

Percy licked his lips. "So, you see this really beautiful picture with all those warm colors and this really peaceful, tranquil feeling spreads through you, right? And you just…you just feel so happy you're alive and living, it all seems just so wonderful, right?"

Will nodded again.

"That's how you make me feel. It's like you're…you're all those warm colors and that peaceful, tranquil mood. I mean, you can be an idiot by times and really loud and noisy, but somehow, that feeling never leaves."

Will swallowed. Hard.

His heart was still beating hard and fast in his chest, his insides in utter turmoil.

Percy didn't mean a word he was saying, of course.

Nothing of this was real.

"So, I wanted to find something, anything, that would convey this feeling, but there simply was nothing, Will. Nothing that really showed how much you really mean to me. And…I know we're dating and I know you know that you can have me…pretty much anytime you want and all, but…I just thought that…well…" Percy hesitated for a moment, lowering himself slightly and placing his hands on Will's on his thighs.

Will swallowed again, feeling the warmth of the touch radiating through his entire body.

"I just…wanted to give you myself. I know it's not much. I know I'm already yours, but I just wanted to completely, utterly give myself to you today. Anything you want, any way you want. I'm all yours." He breathed the last part against Will's lips, their faces mere inches apart.

Percy even glanced down at Will's lips for a splint second, as if thinking about kissing him as much as Will was thinking of right now.

Nothing of this meant a thing.

He kept telling himself that, kept screaming it at himself inside his head.

He swallowed hard, eyes still locked with Percy's, those stunning sea-green eyes looking at him so…sincere.

This was stupid.  
This was just an act.

Will swallowed once more.

Then he cleared his throat and Percy blinked, pulling back and putting some more space between them.

"That was…erm…surprisingly…good." Will muttered, blinking rapidly and trying to control his heartbeat frantically.

Percy chuckled quietly, scratching the side of his neck awkwardly.

"You…you think so?"

"Definitely. That was actually really…you know what, I'm not going to lie. You almost had me."

Percy grinned sheepishly. "I did?"

"Yeah. Especially when you talked about that thing with the picture. I never heard of anything like that. Where did you get that from?" He asked curiously, watching Percy look away rather flustered.

"It was…well…I thought of something similar a while ago and thought it kind of…fit." He muttered awkwardly, making Will raise an eyebrow.

"Ok. Well, it was really sweet. I would definitely have you."

Percy looked up somewhat surprised, then he laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I guess I'm not as hopeless as I thought I'd be."

"Nah, that was pro acting. Nico is going to ravage you all day long."

Will wondered vaguely why he was reassuring Percy like this.

It definitely wasn't because Percy looked so adorable with that blush on his cheeks and the way he still scratched the back of his head so flustered, seeming surprisingly pleased with himself.

Definitely not.

Percy chuckled. "Yeah, I don't think I'm going to be able to pull that off, though. I think I'll simply go for something lame like a walk around the lake or something. Maybe I can get him a new bottle of massage oil, too…" He muttered uncertainly, gazing off into space.

Will rolled his eyes. "Don't even think about it. He's getting a new bottle from me. Also, I was thinking of including a pack of condoms. Think you and him are going to use them before the expiration date is due?"

Percy made a face. "You know, I was just thinking you're a really nice guy and I'm glad I went to you for this, but now you kind of ruined it."

Will laughed. "I was joking. But seriously, I did include a pack of condoms. And a separate bottle of lube. That way, you can use the massage oil more freely without needing to save in case you do take it further."

Percy sighed. "Thanks, I guess?"

"Just curious, what exactly are you waiting for? I mean…I know you haven't dated for long yet, but you are already practically living together, so it's kind of weird you'd keep holding back on that but are fine with everything else." Will couldn't help but ask, watching Percy sigh again and look towards the fire happily dancing in the open fireplace.

True, it had gotten a lot warmer.

"I don't know. It's just…I don't want to rush it. And then I keep thinking of you guys and it just…I don't know." Percy muttered, his shoulders sagging.

Will tilted his head slightly.

Then he smiled and patted the space next to him on the bed.

"Come here, you big crybaby. We both just swore our undying love to each other, I'm fairly sure I can take you crying your heart out about why you can't bed your true beloved."

Percy looked at him with a mingled expression for a moment, as if he couldn't decide between suspicion, surprise, annoyance or exasperation.

He still came over, though and flopped down next to him.

"So, what's troubling you? What are you so scared of?" Will asked him with a surprisingly gentle voice.

Percy put his face in his hands.

"I don't want to fuck up. That's pretty much it. I just…I really love him, you know?"

Of course he knew.

It was plain as day, after all.

"Yeah, I do. But what makes you think you're going to fuck up?"

"I always fuck up. I fuck everything up. I brought on the apocalypse with my nosebleed, Will! I just want to make him happy, but at the same time I'm the one who took everything from him that made him happy. And now, I actually have him. Will, he actually likes me. Do you have any idea how amazing that feels? But I just… I don't want to lose him. What if I do something wrong? I don't want to hurt him. I don't want to hurt anybody, really. I love being with him, it's the best thing ever, but at the same time, I just feel so horrible, because I know you two are still there and you love him and you deserve him so much more than I do, and it just feels so unfair."

Will found his hand on Percy's back, stroking it soothingly as Percy still had his face in his hands.

This was so weird.

Will had seen plenty of things and had listened to plenty of people talking about their problems.

But he would have never pictured Percy to talk to him like that, and not about this.

He didn't even know what to say.

Percy seemed so vulnerable.  
So scared of losing Nico, yet at the same time seemingly pushing himself to accept the prospect of losing Nico.

That couldn't possibly be good.

Now Jason's talking about Percy actually being even more insecure than Nico made a lot more sense.

He tried to cover it up and because of his past, his heroic deeds and all that, people didn't usually see this side of him at all.

To them – and Will – Percy had seemed like the perfect hero, strong and determined and always knowing what to do.

Percy still gave off that picture, too.

But he was so scared.  
Why was he so scared?

"It's just…I did so many dumb things. Because I was childish, immature, stupid. I was oblivious to his feelings for the longest times, I treated him like shit, Will. I really did. I treated everybody like shit. As soon as they weren't around me anymore, I completely forgot about people, only caring about myself. But you guys, you guys were there for him. Jason was there for him. You are there for him. It's like, you deserve him so much more than I do, yet I just…took him from you. And I can't help feeling like I'm keeping him from being happy. Am I keeping him from being happy?"

He looked around at Will, his face miserable, his sea-green eyes full of despair and hurt and worry.

Will shook his head, tugging him closer.

"No, you're not, Percy. He's happy. He's really, really happy with you. And he loves you a lot. Even if you were an idiot in the past, and I'm not going to lie, you were, but he forgave you, Percy. And maybe you should forgive yourself, too. You changed and the Percy you are now, that Percy deserves Nico, ok? And Jason and I, well, we had our chance. It's our fault we didn't use it. So don't you feel bad about us." He said soothingly, rubbing circles on Percy's back with one hand as Percy sighed, his head dropping against his shoulder.

"I don't know…sometimes I'm wondering why there can't be a way we're all happy."

Will sighed. "Because life is no fairytale. But hey, it's ok. I want Nico happy, too, after all. And when he's with you, he's happy. So I'm happy."

"Lies. You would love to shoot me down with an arrow if that gave you a chance to be with Nico instead." Percy remarked drily and Will rolled his eyes.

"No, I wouldn't. We're pals now, right? And pals don't kill each other just because they have the same love interest."

Percy lifted his head and they shared a long glance.

Then they both sighed.

"Ok, maybe they would. But we're different pals. We're part of the Making-Nico-happy-squad. Our main priority is to make Nico happy. And if we killed each other, he'd be very, very unhappy. So we don't do that. Ever." Will then said seriously, while not even bothering to suppress the grin forming on his lips at his own words.

Percy chuckled, his head back on his shoulder.

"You're really something, Will. I got to give you that."

"Talk about yourself, Perce. But seriously, you woke me up at 4am because of a birthday gift?"

"Shut up, Sun-bug. I was desperate."

"I noticed. So, anything else you want to talk about?"

He decided not to point out that Percy had used his new pet name for him again.

Seriously, ever since that one night he had actually kept using it every now and then, though generally seemingly unconsciously.

Will actually really liked that, though he utterly refused to admit to that, either.

Somehow, he didn't admit to a lot of things nowadays.

Maybe he should think about that at some point.

But not now.

"Nah, I'm good. Want to talk about your nightmares? You look pretty tired lately, so I doubt they went away."

Will shrugged. Not a good topic.

"Nothing much to tell you. I do have them, but as soon as I wake up, I can't remember what I was dreaming about, so there's that."

"Hm. Weird. And you just manage to sleep through them without problems? I mean, you thrashed around rather horridly when you slept with us."

Will pursed his lips.

He generally fell out of his bed a lot lately, though luckily, it went fairly unnoticed by his siblings, as far as he could tell.  
He didn't really want to tell Percy that, though.

Will didn't want him to pity him or something or tell him to sleep over at their cabin again.

Really, Will would love to snuggle up to Nico again (not Percy, never Percy, no, no, no and no), but he also knew he wasn't wanted there.

They were dating.

And as nice as it had been to sleep over back in New Rome, he knew he had to give them their privacy.

Even if it was difficult.  
Even if it hurt.  
Even if he wished he could belong in that bed as well.

"I'm fine." He said quietly, looking down at his hands determinedly.

Percy sighed next to him. "Well, if you say so. But you do know you can always come to us, right? I'm serious. If you need something, anything, you can come to us. Even in the middle of the night. You can also come to me for anything, Will. We are friends now. I'll be there for you."

Will pressed his lips tightly together, swallowing hard.

This was really sweet.

Especially given their rough start.  
The way they had openly despised each other.  
The way they had bickered and teased and made fun of each other.

He nodded feebly. "I know. Thanks."

"No problem. Now go to bed." Percy said and got up.

Will sighed. "No point. Even if I go back now, there's no way I'll fall asleep before my siblings start waking up. It's a pain, really. Seriously, it's horrible when you simply _have_ to wake up with the first rays of sunlight. It's like you don't even have a choice. I think it's my dad's fault, but we all don't really know why."

"You slept in just fine when you were sleeping over, though." Percy pointed out frowning and Will sighed.

"I know, I am still trying to figure out how I did that. I really want to do that again, like, all the time."

Percy chuckled. "Well, first of all you should sleep in general. We can still work on you sleeping in later."

"Percy, I just said I won't go back to sleep with my siblings around." Will pointed out frowning, but Percy only looked at him with an amused expression.

"Well, that's why you'll be sleeping here, right?"

Will blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. Lie down, you can use my bed, it's the most comfortable, I assure you. I kept you from your sleep, so it's only fair I give you a chance to catch up on it, right?"

Will stared at him, then down at the bed he was still sitting on.

"I don't…" What? He didn't think this was a good idea? It really wasn't.

But Percy didn't seem to care, moving over and pushing him sideways onto the bed.

"Go to sleep. Seriously, I wasn't joking when I said you looked awful. Endearing, but awful all the same."

Will glared up at him as Percy began ushering him under the blue blanket, tucking him in and moving about.

Seriously, what the hell was happening?

And why was he letting Percy do it?

"Is this good enough? Or do you need me to snuggle up to you?"

Will felt his face heating. "Shut up. Get out. Go back to Nico or something." He mumbled disgruntled and turned around, tugging the blanket upwards slightly to hide half of his head.

Might as well make the best of it, he guessed.

If Percy already offered him his bed, he might as well take it and at least try to sleep a while longer.

Percy chuckled and ruffled through his hair. "Okay. I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea to check on Nico. I'll come back later, ok?"

"Whatever." Will muttered indifferently and closed his eyes, more to make Percy shut up and leave than to actually sleep.

He heard Percy's footsteps moving towards the door.

"Sleep well, Will. And thanks for the help. Really, thank you. For everything."

"Mhm." It was all Will could think of replying, though he knew Percy was really grateful, not just saying thanks for the hell of it.

But there was nothing he could really say to convey his understanding.

Also, he really was tired.

"Sweet dreams, sun-bug." He heard Percy's gentle voice, then the door closed.

"Shut up, Sea Prince." Will grumbled disgruntled, noticing a moment too late he was actually really falling asleep.

By the time he noticed, he was already fast asleep, snuggling into Percy's pillow, inhaling his scent and smiling rather happily to himself.

.

When the first rays of sunshine sneaked through the window, Will felt himself waking up again.

It was horrible. He wanted to stay asleep.

He so wanted to sleep.

Forcing his eyes to remain closed, he snuggled into the pillow some more.

It felt so nice.

Warm and soft and fluffy…and it smelled so nice, too.

He buried his nose in it, inhaling the sea-like scent it emitted.

He sighed rather pleased and wished he could stay asleep a little longer.

Just a few more minutes.

Strong, warm arms wrapped around him from behind, pulling him against an equally warm body, keeping him close, while a soft, gentle hand brushed some strands of hair out of his face from in front of him as he turned his head sideways to breathe properly.

It felt so nice.

This had to be the best way to wake up.

He sighed happily and snuggled back against the person behind him, his hands searching for the warm body in front of him, sneaking beneath the layer of fabric and stroking across wonderfully cool skin.

Somebody chuckled and the grip around him tightened, someone's face nuzzling against his neck.

"So you _are_ molesting Nico as well, huh?" Percy's voice sounded nice, all soft and relaxed – yet annoyingly teasing.

Will grumbled something, wishing he could find a suitable retort, but nothing came to mind.

Instead, he felt himself dozing off again.

It was so comfortable.

So warm.

So nice.

He wrapped his arms tightly around Nico, tugging him close and burying his face in his hair, causing the Italian to chuckle quietly against his chest, his arms snaking around Will as well.

Will inhaled Nico's earthy scent contently and snuggled back against Percy, relishing in the pleasant warmth of his embrace.

Without permitting himself to think of anything else, Will fell back asleep.

.

Then suddenly, several things occurred to him.

Percy. Nico.

He had fallen asleep in Percy's bed.

He was lying in Percy's bed.

Percy and Nico were here.

They were…cuddling…with him?

Why were they here?

Why were they so close?

And why had it been so easy to just fall back asleep?

He usually never fell back asleep.  
Like, never ever.

He might doze off during the day or something, but not like this.

What was this?

And why were they so close?

He pulled himself out of his sleep, sitting bold upright in bed and snapped his eyes open.

"Wait what?" He exclaimed loudly, just to halt and frown.

Percy and Nico had both jumped at the sudden movement, both sitting up as well and looking at him confused and rather disheveled, as if they had been in bed for a lot longer than a few minutes.

The cabin was unusually well lit for the early morning hours and he could even hear a lot more laughter and noises outside than there should be at this time of the day.

What…?

"Will? Are you ok?" Nico asked and both guys looked at Will rather worried and uncertain.

"What are you doing?" Will asked them confused, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that for some reason the whole Camp seemed to be awake at 6:30am in the morning?

"What do you mean?" Percy asked, tilting his head slightly and frowning at him as if he really couldn't think of anything unusual or weird about both of them snuggling up to Will.

"Why are you here? What are you trying to snuggle up to me for?" Will asked, gesturing to the bed and looking at both of them incredulously.

Percy and Nico shared a meaningful glance.

Then Percy shrugged. "Well, I thought it would be a nice idea to try help you sleep. You said you wanted to sleep in and the only way that ever worked was when you cuddled with us, so I reckoned it might work again and talked to Nico about it. And since he was ok with it, we came back here to try it out. And it worked, didn't it?"

Nico nodded and Will stared at them both.

Could anybody believe these two?

He made a face.

They were impossible.

Percy raised an eyebrow at his expression and he looked rather exasperated. "Don't even try to act like you didn't enjoy it. You snuggled up to us and looked utterly contented for once, so don't even think about saying stuff like you didn't like it." He said with a warning undertone and Will scowled.

Then he frowned. "That hardly counts. It's been like, what, five minutes or something since you got into bed."

Percy blinked. Then frowned.

Then looked at Nico with that confused, hesitant expression on his face.

Nico also frowned, looking at Will rather uncertainly.

"Erm…Will…" The Italian muttered quietly as Will tried to wrap his mind around what the hell was going on.

"What?"

"We've been here for the past hours. It's 2pm in the afternoon. You've slept for the past 9 hours."

Will stared at them.

More silence.

Nobody said a word.

Nico looked sideways awkwardly, not meeting Will's gaze.

Will looked towards Percy, who had his lips pressed together and stared up at the ceiling with unbelievable interest.

Even more silence.

Then Will could feel his face burning and he scrambled out of bed, rushing to the door and ripping it open.

Tons of sunlight.

Way too much sunlight for the early morning.

He stared at a couple of kids passing by the cabin, looking at him frowning and confused, some of them chuckling since he was only in his boxer shorts.

He slammed the door shut again and looked back at Percy and Nico, who were sharing another glance again.

"What the…" He started, but had no idea what to say.

What the hell was this?

How had this happened?

He could have sworn he had just fallen back asleep!

He hadn't dreamed anything or…anything, really!

This was crazy!

And why the hell would Percy and Nico do something like that for him?

They couldn't have possibly stayed with him all those nine hours, just so he could sleep.

Or…could they?

His throat felt immensely dry.

This couldn't be right.  
He must be dreaming.  
Yeah, he must still be asleep.

In reality, he was probably still back in his own cabin, happily sleeping his head off and everything that had happened so far, including Percy coming over (especially Percy coming over) was all just a dream.

He shook his head.

Yes, this must all just be a dream.

Why did it feel so real, then?

He put his face into his hands, then pinched his arm.

Of course, he didn't wake up.  
Though it did hurt.

"You got to be kidding me…" He muttered quietly.

He heard a noise and next moment, Percy was there, taking him by the arm cautiously and guiding him back to the bed.

Will wanted to push him away, but at the same time couldn't make himself do it.

"It's really not such a big deal, Will. We were glad to help. Nico got you some food and told Lou Ellen and Cecil you wouldn't be able to make it today for whatever it was you three planned on doing. I think you really needed that sleep, Will." Percy explained quietly and urged Will to sit back down, passing him a glass of water while Nico went and fetched him some sandwiches.

"I agree. You slept like a stone, Will. Why didn't you tell us you were having problems sleeping? I told you you could always come to us." Nico put in, looking a tad upset.

They both sat down to the left and right of Will, looking at him with their astonishing eyes.

Will swallowed, looking down at the food and drink.

Why were they doing this?

This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

He was meant to be the doctor, taking care of other people around him.

And Percy and Nico were meant to be in a happy, lovey-dovey relationship chasing hippocampi and waltzing through Elysium, ignoring Will or at least not caring this much about him to sacrifice pretty much an entire day on him.

He looked around at them in turns quietly.

They were mad.  
Yes, utterly mad.  
The doctor had spoken.

He looked back down at the food and drink, taking a sip of the water after what felt like forever.

"I'm not having problems." He then muttered when he was sure his voice wouldn't crack.

Both boys groaned and rolled their eyes.

"Will, seriously, what the hell? You were completely knocked out the past hours, in the middle we thought you were dead. Nothing would wake you, you wouldn't move an inch if it wasn't to put your hands down my pants or to tug Nico's shirt in order – which is really unfair, by the way. Why would you try to undress me, but make sure he's all neat and tidy – anyways, you were utterly gone." Percy rambled, shaking his head in disbelief and gesturing with his hands.

"And I'll let you know I met your cabin mates when picking up food and I'm sorry, but I did ask them whether they had any nightmares too and they said no, but they told me they noticed you were having troubles lately and that you'd fall out of your bed several times a night and seemed really tired in the mornings, but you wouldn't talk to them about it, so they thought it wasn't anything serious." Nico added in an accusing type of voice.

Oh shit.

He had talked to his siblings.  
That meant they would definitely have a talk with him.

He didn't want to get pitied.

He might be having bad dreams, but he couldn't remember them, so what did it even matter?

It wasn't as if there was anything that could help against something you couldn't even remember once you woke up.

"I…it's not that much of a deal, really." He muttered, taking a bite off his sandwich, just to devour it instantly.

By the gods, he had had no idea he was so hungry.

Percy and Nico sighed.

Will made a face. "Listen, I really appreciate you worrying for me like that and all, and I do think it was nice of you to help me sleep, but I can sleep. I do sleep. I don't know myself why I'm having nightmares, nor what they are about, but that's my problem. If I can't even remember myself, how would you be able to help me? So, yeah, just drop it. Thanks for letting me sleep here, I'm feeling a lot better now, but there's no need for you to do this. I'm fine, really. I'm a doctor, I have to know."

Percy and Nico both raised their eyebrows at him.

He scowled.

"I am the closest thing to a doctor there is in this place. My word is law. If you dare comment, I'll write you both a medical report that will ban any sort of fast food from your menu. For the rest of your lives." He threatened, but they both only grinned at him.

Apparently, they weren't taking him serious one bit.

He huffed indignantly.

The next moment, both of them wrapped their arms around him.

"Ok, but it would have still been nice of you to tell us you've been having sleeping problems. When we thought you had nightmares we had no idea they were that bad that you needed to catch up on nine hours of sleep, man." Percy muttered against his shoulder.

Will shoved him away.

Nico chuckled, rubbing against his other shoulder and shaking his head at Percy wailing and Will scowling, which made Will scowl at him as well.

"You guys are so weird." He commented, causing both Nico and Percy to grin.

"You know you love it." Percy said, winking and Will pointedly rolled his eyes, ignoring the uneven beating of his heart.

"I don't."

"Living in denial again. You seem to be doing that a lot lately. I really can't see why. You already told us plenty of times you love cuddling, why act like you don't now?" Percy asked, frowning.

Will pursed his lips.

That was actually a pretty good question.

Why was he acting like this?  
It wasn't a big deal, after all.

Well, it was, but only to him.

Not to them.

They didn't know how he was feeling, after all.

He sighed, looking around at Nico quietly.

Nico smiled slightly at him, for once not blushing or fidgeting.

He had no idea Will actually really loved him.  
Will couldn't understand why, given that he had been the one most open with his feelings and kissing him and all that stuff, but Nico was living in denial himself, it seemed.

But it didn't matter.

Even if he knew, Will highly doubted much would change.  
And if it did, then not for the better.

If anything, Nico would avoid him, because he was dating Percy and he loved Percy and Will knew they made a good couple.

Just looking at Nico right now confirmed that once more.

Nico was doing great, permitting this physical contact, even searching for it himself, without getting flustered or seeming embarrassed about it.

Will highly doubted anything like this would be happening if it wasn't for Percy and his calendar.

He sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, guys. I guess I should have told you. And I like living in denial, thank you very much."

They both chuckled and started pushing each other around playfully, resulting in them trying to tickle the hell out of each other.

Percy won against Will, tackling him onto the bed and tickling his sides, with Nico actually coming to Will's rescue, just to then result in all three of them going after each other again, throwing each other off the bed or fighting for the upper hand.

It was a hell lot of fun, even though Will was never going to admit that.

Living in denial was a beautiful thing.

It allowed him to thoroughly enjoy himself and relish in the closeness and the way they played around without admitting he did any of those things.

Of course, deep inside he knew he'd have to face all he was pushing down right then, but that could wait.

Spending time with Nico and Percy simply was too much fun.

.

"I can't believe we're doing this." Will muttered next to Nico, but Percy only chuckled quietly, while Nico made a small 'Shht!' noise.

"Stop whining, Will, it's an awesome idea. It will be so much fun." Percy whispered and Will rolled his eyes.

This was not an awesome idea at all.

"You do know we'll be in a hell lot of trouble if we get caught, right?" He asked quietly, but Percy only sighed exasperated.

Nico looked at Will half pitying, half amused.

He had been on Will's side in the beginning, telling Percy not to do this.

But then the traitor had switched sides all of a sudden, apparently deciding this was so worth getting into trouble for.

Then again, those two had stolen a plate from the dining pavilion on a whim, too, so it wasn't very surprising they'd look for even more trouble now.

Of course, Will found it somewhat surprising Nico would be up for rule-breaking and risky business so much.

But it showed all the more how well Percy and he actually fit together.

Just that Nico still had common sense.

Will suppressed a grin and instead settled for a small scowl as they quietly hid out in the bushes next to the frozen lake.

"This is the dumbest thing I've ever done." He muttered quietly, causing Nico to chuckle and Percy to roll his eyes.

"It will be fun."

"Until we are caught."

"Then we simply can't let them catch us. My cabin is closest. At the first sign that the harpies spotted us, we can dash there and hide out. They aren't going to go in there anytime soon, and even if, it's still the holidays, so we are allowed to do sleepovers still." Percy told him in a hushed voice and Will sighed deeply.

"You do know I'm useless at night, right? There's a reason why I generally don't leave the cabin after sundown."

They both looked around again, this time fairly surprised.

"Really?" Nico asked, taken aback.

"I thought you guys only said that for fun." Percy muttered, frowning.

Will sighed. "Well, it's not that bad that we can't do anything, but it's a known fact we're all a lot better at whatever we are doing as soon as the sun is out and as long as the sun is out. But at nighttime, that's a different story. It doesn't affect all of us the same way, but I for one can't do half as good healing as during the day and my reaction time is reduced by at least half." He explained quietly, not meeting their gazes.

It was weird, admitting to one's weaknesses like that.

But they didn't make fun of him.

Lucky for them, for he could still punch fairly well (not that he'd ever need to resort to physical violence against those two dorks anyways).

"I never noticed. Then again, we never did much past nightfall other than playing cards, and you always suck at those." Percy mused and Will did punch him gently against the shoulder, resulting in him making a small 'Eek!' sound and losing his balance, flopping onto his butt.

Nico chuckled quietly and was about to hold out his hand to Percy to pull him back up into his squat, but he was already up and throwing himself at Will, causing them both to fall backwards into the bushes behind them.

"What, no! Percy, you idiot!" Will wailed, trying to get out of the bushes and Percy off him at the same time, while Percy only laughed and tried to keep Will there while getting out of the bushes himself.

Nico sat next to them and laughed.

It was nice, hearing him laugh. It was still a way too rare sound.

But being in a bunch of hard, cold bushes full of hard, cold twigs that kept snapping and got stuck in Will's hair and giving him small cuts all over - that was not nice.

Percy on top of him, pushing down on him was not nice, either.

He wrapped his legs around Percy's hips and lifted him up somewhat, much to Percy's surprise, who now had to stop trying to keep Will down in order to balance himself again.

But Will was faster, throwing Percy sideways into the bush and jumping out of it himself.

"Ha! Got to try harder next time if you want to keep me beneath you, Jackson." He said smugly, watching how Percy fought his way out of the bushes, his hair even more a mess than usual, twigs all over the place and his arms full of little scratches, chuckling all the while as if he was having the best time of his life.

"Oh, shush, sun-bug, you know you like it." He teased and Will was about to retort when Nico grabbed them both and pulled them down.

"Stop flirting, both of you, and be quiet. I think I can hear somebody." The Italian muttered quietly and they both scowled.

"I wasn't flirting!" Both of them exclaimed loudly, but Nico instantly covered their mouths, shooing them.

"Quiet."

They both made a face, sizing each other up mutely.

Percy still looked annoyingly handsome, even with twigs in his hair, his clothes all rumpled and his arms full of scratches.

How could this be the hero that had saved the world? Seriously.

He was such a kid.

Will found himself smiling, glad Nico's hand was covering his mouth.

Percy's eyes narrowed ever so slightly and Will wondered faintly what he saw when he looked at Will.

Probably a loud, annoying git with unruly blonde hair and way too many freckles on his face (or his body, for that matter).

Unwillingly, he thought back to this morning, when Percy had kneeled between his legs, his face coming ever closer.

_'You're all those warm colors and that peaceful, tranquil mood'_

Will's heart thumped loudly in his chest, though he tried his best to push it down.

Damn it, it had been nothing but an act.  
Percy didn't mean a thing of all that.

He had probably thought of Nico.

Nico, his boyfriend, the boy that they all loved.  
Nico, whom Will still loved.

What was he doing, thinking about what Percy had said?

Will ignored Percy still gazing at him and looked around at Nico, letting his gaze hush over the boy's face, the way he had this utterly concentrated expression, the way his beautiful dark eyes seemed to gleam with excitement and anxiety, the way his for once unbound hair framed his face and adorned his shoulders, the way his jacket exposed the slightest bit of skin at the base of his neck, the spot Will would die for to just nibble on for once in his life.

His heart thumped loudly and he could feel his skin heating.

Oh, he still loved Nico, alright.  
He still loved him and he wanted him and he would die to have him.

But Nico wanted Percy.

And those two were dating.

It didn't matter that Will liked him.  
It didn't matter that Will wanted him.  
Yet Will could never tear himself away from the Italian.

Could never make himself even want to move on.  
Of course, he could try fall for somebody else.

But he didn't want to.

Nico was special.

He had always been.

And Will had always been fascinated by him, ever since the first time that loud, cheerful kid with way too many questions and a way too wild imagination had set foot into the Camp and let Will lay eyes on him.

Gods, Will had been a goner from that very moment on, falling in love with that olive skin, those bright eyes full of curiosity and wonder and the way he always talked so animatedly.

Will still remembered watching him from afar, wanting so badly to come closer, but at the same time not daring, in case he could ruin the first impression Nico might get of him.

If only he had dared, then things might not have turned out the way they had.  
He might have been able to befriend Nico enough to make him stay back then.

Or at least have him come back sooner.  
And with him.

Gods, why had Will not dared?

He still remembered all those talks he had had with Cecil and Lou Ellen, his two best friends next to Nico (and maybe Jason, too. Not Percy, though. Never him. He was reduced to a pal forever and ever more, that much was certain).

Every time there had been news on Nico, Will had practically soaked it all in like a sponge and related all that information to the two of them instantly, raving and rambling and worrying and hoping that Nico was going to get back to Camp soon – and stay.

So that they could be friends.

Ok, maybe Will had always wanted to be more than friends with Nico, but come on, who could possibly resist that bundle of sweetness right there?  
It wasn't Will's fault he was born with a sweet tooth.

Ungh, what was he even thinking about?

He sighed and Nico glanced at him, eyes hushing over his face as he lowered his hand quickly, giving Will free again.

Will flashed him one of his best smiles.

The Italian blushed ever so faintly and looked back at his boyfriend, who had now finally stopped staring at Will, instead looking at Nico affectionately, making Will wonder if he had also just thought of the Nico of the past, the untroubled child whose favorite game had turned into reality.

Or maybe he hadn't.  
It didn't matter, anyways.

"I think they're gone now. How long should we wait?" Nico asked quietly and Percy looked out into the distance thoughtfully.

"How about a few minutes more, then it should be save?"

"Maybe you should first do a test round alone. If you get caught, it will be enough distraction for Nico and me to run off." Will suggested with a sly smile, causing Percy to make a face at him.

"Very funny, Solace. How about I throw you out there as a test and we'll see if the harpies are all over you."

"You're just scared of getting caught."

"Am not."

"Shut up, both of you. You're unbelievable. Seriously, one moment you're getting along great, next moment you're doing…this. What is this? I know teasing is a sign of affection, but aren't you overdoing it a bit?"

Both scowled at Nico. "Nico, stop dropping those suggestions. I'm not being affectionate with him." Percy lamented and Will couldn't help but feel his chest clench painfully.

He looked out at the frozen lake.

"Wouldn't want you to, anyways." He said quietly, trying to keep his emotions in check.

Then he got up. "I'm gonna do that test round then. Otherwise we'll still be sitting here in the morning because Percy's a chicken." He announced and before either of them could say anything, he was gone.

Seriously, what was Nico thinking, saying stuff like that?

Was he jealous? He didn't seem that way.

All in all, he seemed more amused, though by times somewhat confused about their behavior, but never really jealous.

Not that there was anything to be jealous of.

Will liked Nico. Not Percy.

And Percy would never see more in him anyways. He only had eyes for Nico after all.

Will's heart throbbed, but he pushed it down, slipping into his ice skates quickly and stepping onto the frozen lake.

He knew he'd have to think about why he was feeling the way he was feeling sooner or later.

But not now.

Now it was time to play along with Percy's dumb idea of going ice skating in the middle of the night.

That dork.

Unwillingly, Will smiled, rounding the lake and searching for a sign, a sound, a movement, anything to announce any harpies that might want to devour him for being out of bed.

But there was nothing but peace and quiet around him.

Then he heard movement behind him and sighed, identifying the body as Percy's instantly.

"I do not chicken out."

Will inwardly rolled his eyes amused. "Of course you don't. Where's Nico? I want to swirl him in circles again. Maybe he'll accept my kiss this time?" He teased, just wanting to get back on neutral ground with Percy, really.

Percy instantly stopped, scowling. "Don't you dare. Jason was already bad enough with kissing him like that. I swear I won't let you get away with it, too."

"Aw, that's harsh. And there I never even got to tongue him."

"Good!"

"What? Think he'd have liked it too much?"

"You little…" Percy started and Will laughed, immediately skating away as fast as he could, with Percy hot on his trail.

"I swear, you two!" Nico exclaimed as they zoomed past him, nearly knocking him to the ground.

Will chuckled quietly, trying to navigate in the dark.

This was so unfair, he already was at a disadvantage because of the lack of speed he usually had on ice (thanks to the lack of sunlight), but not being able to see (again thanks to the lack of sunlight) was just making it all worse.

He was fairly certain Percy had no problems whatsoever, what with him controlling water.

He probably just needed to concentrate on the ice a bit to know exactly where he was and how to get to him the quickest way.

His assumption seemed correct, for at the next turn he decided to make, Percy barreled right into him, knocking them both off the ice and into a heap of snow.

"Wah, cold!" Will exclaimed loudly, while Percy only chuckled and began tickling him.

"You better keep your hands off my Nico, Solace." He threatened, his hands moving beneath Will's jacket and shirt, touching his bare skin.

Oh gods, so nice and cool…wait, this wasn't the time to reminisce about that!

Said hands found his sides and began tickling again, making Will instantly yelp out and laugh, trying to shove Percy off him.

Damn, why was he always so ticklish?

Percy chuckled quietly, his voice dark and raw, and Will couldn't help but involuntarily shiver at the sound.

"Can't promise that, Jackson."

"Then I'm not going to let you go." Percy said quietly, their gazes locked.

There was that beautiful, determined gleam in his eyes.

Will loved it when those eyes were ablaze with determination.  
They usually only were when Percy wanted to do something to make Nico smile.

"You can't keep me here forever, I don't make a good bottom." Will exclaimed, fighting against Percy's annoyingly nice hands and trying to suppress the laughter bubbling up inside him at the tickling sensation.

Percy chuckled again. "You keep saying that, but the way you write beneath me indicates different."

Will froze, gaping. "Never!"

"Yes." Percy breathed, grinning maliciously as he kept tickling that exact sensitive spot at Will's side that always made him squirm the most.

"No!"

"Hell yes."

"Guys…seriously, if you don't keep it down, the harpies will be here in no time." Nico uttered behind them and the next moment, there was a flash.

They both looked around at Nico, who was holding up his camera with an amused, yet also unbelieving expression on his face.

"I am so going to show this to Jason. He'll never believe me otherwise." He muttered, looking down at his camera and seemingly checking the photo he had taken.

Will and Percy glanced at each other quickly.

Next moment, they both scrambled out of the snow and towards Nico.

"No, you gotta delete that again!"

"You can't show that to Jason! He'll tease me for the rest of my life for letting Percy top."

They both lamented, but Nico must have seen it coming, for he instantly pocketed his camera and zoomed off.

"No way I'm deleting that! It's the perfect snapshot!" He called over his shoulder and off he was.

Will and Percy looked at each other surprised for a moment.

"And another thing you two have in common, I guess." Will said drily as they both took off after Nico.

"And that would be?" Percy called back.

"You both never do what I'd expect you to."

Percy threw him a questioning glance and Will rolled his eyes.

"I so thought he was going to join in and show off you're his. You know? Usually people get jealous when their boyfriends get so close to other guys." He explained as they zoomed after Nico, who was surprisingly still ahead of them.

Seriously, he was getting way too good at ice skating.

To his surprise, Percy laughed.

"Will, we cuddled up to you for most of the day today. We can't get much closer than that, really. And if we don't get jealous over that, I don't think this bit of playing around is going to do much, either."

Will swallowed at the choice of words, but he knew he had brought it upon himself with mentioning this.

He could have simply decided to keep quiet, but somehow he seemed to have a masochistic side to him that just wanted to get hurt over and over again.  
Nah, not really, he hated any form of pain.

They caught up to Nico now and threw each other quick glances, nodding towards each other.

Then Will grabbed for Nico's arm and started breaking down, while Percy barreled into them a second later, sending all three of them onto the ice.

They all laughed, though Will didn't really have the gentlest fall, even with Percy's arms around Nico and him and protecting his head (probably by chance, though).

Then the two began tickling and teasing Nico, who only chuckled and laughed quietly, trying to squirm away.

This was just like back in Percy's cabin, when they had spent ages tickling and chasing each other.

Will didn't know why they were even doing this.

But it was fun to do, so meh.

"We seriously got to stop this, or not only the harpies will be on our trail." Nico gasped as they finally let go of him, all three flopping back onto the ice and staring up at the dark, starry sky.

"True, I guess that means I can't make out with you out here." Percy said thoughtfully, making Will roll his eyes.

"You couldn't have done that in the first place, since I'm here, you forgot?"

"Pah, you could have looked away or something."

"Wow, how considerate of you." Will muttered drily.

"Are you two starting this again? Seriously, how does the saying go again? The quarrel of lovers is the-…"

"Nico, no!" Both guys groaned loudly, covering their faces.

Then they both glanced at each other, lying on each side of Nico, but the Italian was still a head shorter than them, so they could see each other just fine.

Will wanted to scowl at him wanted to, do anything to make him realize this was NOT like that and he did NOT want that.

But then Percy smiled.

It wasn't cocky, it wasn't teasing.

He just looked at him and smiled.

And Will couldn't do anything but stare at him for a long moment.

Then Percy turned his head away again, shaking it slightly and staring up at the stars.

"This is nice, though." He said quietly after a while.

"Yeah." Nico sighed, moving upwards to them slightly and putting an arm around each, tugging them closer.

Will felt Nico shiver at the feeling of his warm body against his side and grinned to himself, snuggling against him slightly.

"I guess it's not half bad." He said quietly, making both the guys look around with knowing smirks.

"Told you you'll like it. You're as crazy as Percy, after all." Nico teased.

"You're only saying that because you can function as Nico's hot-water-bottle again- and what do you mean, as crazy as me? I'm not crazy! I'm simply different. He's crazy." Percy exclaimed, looking rather upset and tugging Nico closer and out of Will's grasp, who immediately made a face and came closer again.

They'd have to get off the ice soon.

He could already feel the cold spreading through his clothes from the ground they were lying on.

So he had to make the most of it, he guessed.

"I'm not crazy. My mother had me tested." He assured them, causing both of them to laugh quietly.

"Seriously?" Percy inquired, his eyes ablaze with amusement.

"Seriously."

"Oh gods, there's a test like that?" Nico asked both amused and bewildered, frowning slightly.

"You'd be surprised. It wasn't very helpful, though."

"You bet. A complete waste, too. After all, it diagnosed you wrong." Percy teased and Will pinched his side.

When he had put his arm around Percy, he had no idea.

"Shut up, Jackson."

"Aw, you like it, sun-bug."

There it was again.

Sun-bug.

Percy used that term way too much around him nowadays.

Will sighed and closed his eyes.

Good thing the day was over.

Tomorrow, he could go back to avoiding these two and spending more time with Cecil and Lou Ellen again.

Of course, it felt great spending time with Nico and Percy.  
More than great.

Even lying here outside in the cold in the middle of the night, on the frozen lake, felt really, really nice.

As if he belonged here.  
With Percy and Nico.

He pursed his lips.

But he didn't belong here.  
Not with Percy and Nico.  
He was like the third wheel.

Just that Percy and Nico were apparently both too nice and considerate to just get rid of him already.

He could just picture these two sneaking out at night together to come here, spend some time together on the ice – probably even make out as Percy had said earlier.

But Will was here, too.

Why hadn't they just sent him back to his cabin?

They could have simply bid their farewells and then Will would have went to bed and the two could have had their fun.

No biggie.

But they had taken him with them.

Why had they?  
Were they pitying him for suddenly being left out, what with the two of them dating?

Or was it because of his nightmares, that they felt as if they needed to give him a good time to make up for his sleeping problems, take the guilt off their shoulders because they couldn't do anything else?

He didn't know.  
And he didn't really want to think about it much, either.

He felt a hand brushing some strands of hair out of his face and opened his eyes again, meeting Percy's gaze.

"Don't you fall asleep, I so don't feel like carrying you around when the harpies could be lurking anywhere."

Will rolled his eyes and pushed himself up, closely followed by Nico who also sat up.

"I won't. But I think I should go now. It's pretty late and as I said, I'm useless at night."

Percy got up as well now, helping Nico stand up with his skates, though they all knew Nico could have done it himself.

"Really? Well, if you say so. Nico, want to go to bed as well?"

"Sure. It is getting a bit cold, after all."

"Aw, really? Come here, let me warm you." Percy cooed and Will rolled his eyes, turning his back to them.

Seriously, those two.

He sighed and took off towards the edge of the lake, just to find Percy and Nico following him as well.  
He'd have guessed they'd at least hang behind some more to at least get some quality time out of this.

"We definitely have to repeat this sometime." Percy said enthusiastically as they all took off their ice skates and replacing them with their boots.

"Yeah, maybe with Jason here, too. Do you think he'll make it back before the ice starts melting?" Nico asked thoughtfully, looking out over the lake.

Will glanced over at Percy, who didn't seem particularly upset at the mention of Jason.  
Instead, he looked rather thoughtful himself.

"I wouldn't know. He said he'd hurry up, so I wouldn't be surprised. But hey, if not, we can always go skinny-dipping." He suggested, wriggling his eyebrows.

Nico and Will both rolled their eyes, sharing a meaningful glance.

"Sure, you do that, Perce. We'll be taking pictures, alright?" Will said grinning, while Nico chuckled.

"Bet the Naiads are going to love that."

Percy made a face at them both. "You're just chickening out because you couldn't take the awesomeness." He sulked and Will and Nico laughed quietly.

"Of course."

They silently made their way back to the cabins, always on the lookout for the harpies.

They narrowly missed one while passing the Hermes cabin, but Nico saved them in the last moment with shoving them all behind a tree.

Not the easiest thing to do, but it had certainly been an interesting experience to have Nico pressing against his front with his arms to the left and right of Will, urging him further backwards against Percy's chest, who was in turn being pressed against the tree.

"You freaking hot-water-bottle." Percy had hissed into his ear and Will had had the hardest time not laughing out loud.

Not just because of the comment or the clear annoyance in Percy's voice, but also because his ears were actually one of Will's most sensitive spots (not that Percy needed to know that – nor anyone, really).

When the danger seemed to have passed, they dared to move on, but then there was that loud noise of wings behind them and next moment, Will felt both Nico's and Percy's hands on his arms, tugging him forward.

Then they were all running for Percy's cabin at top speed, not even sure whether there truly was a harpy behind them or not.

"That was close." Nico muttered as Percy shut the door quickly and turned the lock, while Will bent forward, putting his hands on his thighs and trying to catch his breath.

He hated running.

Especially at night.

"You guys ok?" Percy asked, not looking around at them, instead looking out of the window.

"Yeah." Nico said, his breathing still slightly irregular but much better than Will's.

Both guys looked around at the blonde.

"Damn, you really are powerless at night, huh?" Percy stated with mild surprise in his voice and next moment, he offered Will a glass of water.

Will took it without complaint, still breathing hard. "I told you so."

For a long moment, they just stood there, Will still panting, Percy and Nico just standing there, all three of them looking at each other.

Then they started laughing.

"Seriously, this was the craziest thing ever. I can't wait for next time." Percy said grinning broadly, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

Will rolled his eyes, standing upright again and draining the rest of his water in one go.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm hoping I'll survive this time, still. No clue how I'm going to get back to my cabin now."

They both looked around at him surprised. "You aren't staying over?" Both of them asked perplexed at the same time, making Will blink.

"Erm…no?"

"Why not? It's no big deal, really." Percy shrugged, wrapping an arm around Nico and insta-drying him with a suggestive smile and Will watched as Nico grinned back, a gentle blush spreading on his cheeks.

"Nah, thanks, but I wouldn't want to be in your way when you're making out, sorry."

"Hey!"

"Seriously…"

They both complained instantly, but Will only chuckled and shook his head, looking out of the window.

There was a harpy right outside the door, pacing to and fro as if just waiting for one of them to step outside.

He heard the two moving behind him, walking towards the bed.

"Seriously, sleep over, Will. If you're uncomfortable with sharing a bed with Percy and me, I'm sure you can use one of the other bunks."

"Don't even try. We all know you like it. You know you like it. Get your butt into the bed." Percy said unimpressed and Will glared around at him, meeting his cocky stare.

They had a mute battle.

'You know you like it.'

'I do not. Maybe you like it, I don't.'

'Keep telling yourself that, sun-bug. Now get to bed.'

'No.'

'Yes.'

'No.'

Percy glanced towards Nico.  
Then he raised his eyebrows at Will.

The message was clear as day.

'Not even to get your hands on Nico?'

Will looked towards Nico himself, who was pulling back the covers, yawning loudly and looking around at the bathroom door as if contemplating whether he should go first or wait for one of the other two.

It would be nice to spend another night with them.

Of course, it would only hurt and add to his misery and upset him because he knew there would never be more but friendship, but at the same time he would get to feel that soft calm again.

And he was fairly certain that with both of them around, he'd be able to sleep a lot better.

After all he had managed nine hours of straight sleep just like that, merely because the two of them had snuggled up to him.

Maybe it was because he was so hot (temperature-wise this time, though he surely looked hot, too, what with his dad being the god of the sun…more or less, at least).  
Maybe that really was the reason.

Both Percy and Nico were cooler than him, after all.

So maybe he could sleep a lot better because they cooled him down somewhat.  
He decided to settle on that solution, though something kept nagging at the back of his mind.  
He decided to ignore that bit.

Instead, he sighed deeply. "Fine. If you two really need me so badly."

They both looked around at him unimpressed, though neither argued.

Instead, Nico announced he'd be in the bathroom and left, while Percy did the bed and looked rather pleased.

Will only shook his head and looked back out the window, waiting for the time to pass.

This would be the last time.

A last night with those two.

Yeah, that sounded good.

He would be fine with just one more night.

And tomorrow, he could avoid them again.

Even though it would hurt and he'd miss them.

Maybe some distance really was necessary to get over his jumble of emotions.

But one more night would be ok.

Yeah…


	7. Chapter 7: Absolutely vital lessons

**Chapter 7: Good morning kisses, absolutely vital lessons and rolling in the mud**

Nico felt soft lips against his neck and grinned to himself, identifying them as Percy's and instantly exposing more of his neck.

Percy chuckled, his breath tickling Nico's skin.

"Why, good morning, my Angel. Had a nice sleep?"

Nico sighed, keeping his eyes firmly closed and turned around, snuggling against Percy's warm, broad chest.

"No. Let me sleep some more."

Percy chuckled against his ear, placing a soft kiss on it and wrapping his arms around Nico, holding him close.

"Of course. The usual five minutes that take three hours?"

Nico huffed indignantly against his chest.

That was so not true.  
The last time he had begged for more sleep, it had only taken him…oh…ok, maybe there was a bit of truth to that statement after all.

He buried his face at Percy's chest some more and inhaled his scent.

He always smelled so nice.

Like the sea.

Nico wished he'd smell nice, too.  
But as far as he knew he smelled like dead people.

Talk about a turn-off.

He sighed, placing a small kiss on Percy's skin.

He intended to pull back, but then placed another kiss on his chest because his skin felt so nice against his lips.

Percy moved slightly, kissing the top of his head, but other wisely not doing anything.

Nico tentatively kissed his chest again, this time sucking slightly on the skin and letting his teeth graze over it before licking over the spot gently.

Percy shivered, but held absolutely still.

Nico wondered faintly what the hell he was even doing.

But it felt good, so he continued, moving slightly until he found Percy's nipple.

He hadn't had many chances to really play around with his nipples, especially not with his mouth.

Licking over the small bud, he immediately felt Percy shiver again and tug him closer.

So Percy did like that.

Nico grinned to himself and sucked on it tentatively, feeling Percy's hands at his back, keeping him there without wanting to move too much or give himself away, nothing to make Nico stop.

Nico's grin broadened.

Oh, if Percy liked this, he wasn't going to stop.

He nibbled on his nipple, teasing it with his teeth and tongue as he brought up his other hand to play with the other one as well.

Percy huffed quietly, inching closer.

Nico gently pushed him back onto his back, following right after and opening his eyes to look down at his boyfriend, who was gazing up at him dazedly.

Nico felt his lips splitting into a wide smile and leaned down to kiss Percy, who grinned back stupidly before meeting him halfway.

This was an awesome way to start the day.

He could feel Percy's hands at his side, tentatively beginning to touch him, keeping him there on top of him as Nico began kissing him more deeply, before nibbling on his bottom lip and gently sucking on it.

Percy huffed and tugged his hips down, urging them closer and wrapping his arms tightly around him as if intending to keep him there forever.

Nico smiled into the kiss, licking over his lips as to demand entrance, but Percy already parted his lips willingly, trembling slightly in seeming anticipation.

Nico let his tongue slide into his hot, wet mouth, starting up their usual little play fight for the upper hand.

Nico won by far, though he suspected Percy wasn't exactly trying.

His hands began hungrily moving over Percy's body, touching, stroking, caressing, groping, searching for the best spots to ravish, turning Percy into a writhing, panting mess beneath him.

Who'd have ever guessed this could happen?

Nico pulled back slightly, gazing down into those stunning sea-green eyes.

"I love you." He breathed, noticing how much he was panting himself.

Percy's hand shot up, placing itself on the back of Nico's head and tugging him back down for another kiss.

"I love you, too." He whispered between kisses as they kept sealing their lips over and over and over again, sometimes tonguing, other times only placing gentle pecks.

Their bodies rubbed against each other, their boxer shorts the only fabric in the way.

By the time Nico noticed that, Percy's hands were already at his waistband, sneaking their way inside to free his hard-on.

Nico closed his eyes at the touch, a soft moan escaping his lips as a blissful shiver ran down his back.

Oh gods, he loved it when Percy touched him.

They were still so close together that his tip rubbed against Percy's stomach whenever his hand moved down Nico's dick.

Nico huffed and leaned back down over Percy, kissing him deeply and brushing a few strands out of his face, leaving his hand to rest on his forehead, keeping him from moving too much and starting another tongue play.

"I love you. I love this." Nico breathed against those luscious lips and placed another peck on them before moving down towards Percy's neck.

Percy panted, immediately exposing more of his sun-kissed skin as his hand kept teasing Nico's dick, now rubbing the tip against his skin on purpose.

Nico felt another series of shivers running down his back, but tied to push it down, instead focusing on ravishing that beautiful neck.

He placed some open kisses here, nibbled super gently on some spots there.

He didn't dare leave a mark.

They weren't out to the Camp yet (mostly Nico's fault) and he didn't want anybody asking dumb questions.

Moving down, he began nibbling on his collarbones, getting some sweet moans out of Percy.

He moved further down, even though it meant removing his dick from Percy's reach.

Right now he wanted to be everywhere at once, touch, kiss and ravish every single inch of Percy's perfect body.

"Oh gods, Nico…" His sea prince groaned as Nico wrapped his lips around his left nipple, sucking gently and teasing the bud mercilessly.

Hands folded themselves into his hair, keeping him there as Percy's body grinded against his, trying to get closer.

So much closer.

It felt as if they were never going to be close enough.

Nico used his teeth carefully, causing Percy to groan out loud, his head falling back into the pillow as his legs wrapped around Nico.

When Nico had actually gotten between Percy's legs, he had no idea.

He must have moved.

It didn't matter.

He was mostly lying on top of Percy, anyways.

Nothing else mattered.

He used one hand on his other nipple, pinching and teasing it as is second hand began moving downwards to Percy's own waistband.

Nico wasn't even sure where he wanted to take this.

He hadn't been this dominant ever since he had given Percy that blowjob back in New Rome.

It felt weird, taking the lead.  
But very, very good weird.

He loved it.

Not because he was in charge, but because he relished in the fact that he could make Percy be like this.

That he could make him feel so good.

Could turn him into this writing, panting mess, looking at him with dazed green eyes full of love and devotion.  
This was exactly what he wanted.

He wanted to make Percy feel amazing.

As amazing as Percy made him feel day in day out with simply being with him.

"I love you, Nico. I love you so much." Percy huffed, eyes locked with Nico's as he pulled back slightly, letting go of his nipple reluctantly to concentrate on tugging down Percy's boxer shorts, urging him to untangle his legs from around him, much to both of their displeasure.

Nico smiled down at him. "I love you, too." He said, resisting the urge to kiss the tip of his nose, instead hurrying up with those annoying boxer shorts so they could get back close to each other.

Percy pushed himself up, hands immediately going for Nico's own underpants that didn't serve a purpose anymore, what with his dick half out anyways.

Nico let him pull them down, let Percy push him backwards into the blanket to take them off completely, let him push his lips onto Nico's to start another heated tongue play.

He guessed it was time to let Percy take the lead again.

But the moment he stopped touching Percy, just enjoying his touch, Percy pulled back.

"No, don't stop…" He whispered against Nico's lips, looking at him with almost pleading eyes.

Nico blinked, taken aback slightly, but then he placed his hands back on Percy's skin and suddenly everything just flowed as if this was exactly how it was meant to be.

They touched and kissed and teased and groped, a hot, moaning, groaning, writhing mess of entangled limbs.

Sometimes Percy would be on top of Nico, grinding against him and placing open kisses on various parts of Nico's body, sometimes Nico would be on top of Percy, rubbing against him and teasing him with hands as well as lips and tongue.

They didn't care whether this was going to lead to sex or not.

All that mattered was making each other feel as good as possible, relishing in the closeness and enjoying each and every touch as much as possible.

Then Percy's lips wrapped around Nico's dick and Nico groaned out loud, his legs somewhere over Percy's shoulders again to allow him as close as possible.

"Oh gods, yes…" He huffed and pushed up into Percy's mouth slightly as his lower body lifted off the bed while his upper body ground back into the mattress in a mute plea for Percy to go on.

Yes, this was exactly what Nico wanted.

Oh, by Hades, by all the gods, this was what he needed.

He could feel Percy chuckle as he licked across his tip, using his hands to fondle Nico's balls.

Nico found his hands in Percy's hair, keeping him there for all it was worth, even though Percy made no sign of leaving.

Instead, he sucked on Nico's tip tentatively, slowly making his way down.

Nico kept himself from thrusting upwards with all his willpower he could muster, instead pushing his head further into the sheets, his whole body trembling, chaotic moans and whines escaping his by now hoarse throat.

Percy began bobbing his head up and down, sucking on him, teasing him with his tongue, his hand still fondling his balls.

Oh gods, why was Percy so damn amazing at this?

There was no way Nico was going to last long at this rate.

"Percy…" He huffed, noticing how it sounded more like a whimper than anything else, but he didn't care.

Nothing mattered but the amazing feeling of Percy's mouth right now.

Oh gods, it simply felt too good.

He looked down just to find Percy gazing at him intently as he began concentrating solely on Nico's tip again.

Dazed, sea-green eyes bore into him and Nico found himself incapable of looking away.

Percy let his teeth graze against his tip again and Nico whimpered, feeling his dick twitch ominously.

It took all of his willpower not to simply burst right there.

Percy repeated the motion and Nico couldn't help thrusting upwards into his mouth ever so slightly.

Percy's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, showing he had noticed.

Then he began bobbing his head up and down again, giving Nico what he wanted.

Nico groaned, his hands fisting Percy's hair, their gazes still locked.

Percy's tongue kept flicking around his tip every time he moved up and he kept doing that sort of swallowing motion when he moved down.

It was maddening.

Maddeningly amazing.

Nico's entire body started tingling as his moans became a chaotic mess, his mind wiped utterly clear, his hands anchored in Percy's hair, keeping him there for dear life as his orgasm hit him.

His head smacked back and he groaned out loud as his vision went black for a moment, a feeling of utter bliss and pleasure washing over him.

He could feel Percy swallow as he came into his mouth, felt him continuing to suck on him slightly before slowly letting go, placing soft kisses around his softening dick and lower stomach area.

Then he moved upwards, continuing to place kisses every here and there until lastly being face to face with Nico, half lying on top of him.

Nico still panted, only peeking at him slightly, not capable of opening his eyes completely right now.

Nor move, for that matter.

If there was any monster attack right now, he'd just keep lying here in bed utterly useless.

He should probably work on that.

Not right now, though.

Percy gave him a peck on the nose. "That's one way to start the day." He remarked, grinning his typical pleased smile as if it had been him getting that blowjob.

Nico smiled softly, his hand at Percy's cheek, his thumb caressing it gently.

"Most certainly. And we're so not done yet."

Percy chuckled quietly, playing with one of Nico's messy strands of hair, twirling it around his finger.

"Oh? Think you can handle more?"

Nico only raised an eyebrow at him and moved his hand to the back of Percy's neck, tugging him down for a kiss.

He might not be able to take any more right now, but he certainly had lots to give.

.

Will was sitting on his bed in his cabin by himself when he felt the IM-ing device on his wrist vibrate, signaling an incoming call from Jason.

So much about having his peace.

He sighed, pushing down the fluttery feeling spreading through his insides at the thought of Jason actually wanting to talk to him, and accepted the call with a forced neutral expression.

There he had finally managed to keep out of Percy's and Nico's way for a bit, just to have Jason pop up.

Seriously, sometimes he wondered whether the three of them had all of this planned out somehow.

"Hey Will." Jason greeted cheerfully enough as the picture built up completely, showing the blonde leaning against what looked like the wall of a small cabin, looking at him with one of those dazzling smiles.

Will only sighed and tried faintly to smile back.

"Hi Jason. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much. We're having a break right now so I thought I'd call to check up on you guys. I didn't get to call last night, after all." Jason explained, shrugging slightly before sitting down, positioning the IM-ing device in front of him on the ground.

Will took the time to pull his bedside-table over to place his own device on there.

"Well, then I have to disappoint you. Percy and Nico aren't around."

"Not? That's a surprise. Usually you three seem to be completely glued together nowadays." Jason said, frowning at Will and looking him up and down as if wondering whether something had happened.

But Will only pursed his lips and shrugged. "Sometimes I need some time to myself as well, ok?"

Ok, that sounded a tad harsher than intended.

Damn it.

But it was true, usually he would be out and about with the two, if it wasn't for the fact he was frantically trying to avoid them in order to get himself back together (not that it was going very successful).

The constant tiredness wasn't helping much, either.

Ugh, how much he already dreaded going to sleep tonight.

Better not think about it.

Jason lifted his arms defensively, blinking surprised. "I…I'm sorry? Is everything ok? I didn't mean to…"

Will waved off quickly. "Nah, sorry, my bad. It's just…nothing. I'm good. Everything is good. How are things going? You gonna make it for Nico's birthday?"

Jason still frowned slightly and eyed him oddly, as if trying to figure out what was wrong.

Meh, he could try, but Will was certain he'd never figure it out.

If Will didn't know it himself, Jason Grace wouldn't know it either.  
At least that's what he kept telling himself.

The blonde sighed deeply, signaling Will that things weren't going that smoothly after all.

He wasn't surprised.

Jason had managed to get the signature in question and was on his way back.

But it had taken him up to this point to get to the god - one could guess how long it should take him to get back.

"I'm trying my hardest here. Been pushing the team as it is. We pulled an all-nighter last night again as well to cover more distance, but it's still going to take a while." Jason explained, looking sideways towards something Will couldn't see (though he did look sideways too - only to see the walls of his cabin, much to his confusion until he realized he wasn't in fact sitting in front of Jason now in front of a cabin in the middle of nowhere).

He shrugged. "Well, I'm sure he won't mind. It's not like we're really having a party or anything. He made it clear he doesn't want one."

Jason still looked miserable. "I still want to be there. But oh well, only time can tell whether we'll make it or not. So, what's up with you?"

"What do you mean?" Will asked, acting oblivious and brushing off imaginary dust off his sweater.

"All by yourself? In your cabin? During the day? Come on, something's up."

Will made a face. He really didn't want to talk. Not about this.

And not with Jason.

Especially not with Jason.

"I just felt like…spending some time in my cabin. That's all." He tried to shrug it off, but Jason only raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it.

"Is it because of your nightmares? Or because of a certain couple…? Do you want me to have a talk with Percy?"

Will wasn't sure whether he was upset, confused or flustered by the offer.

It was kind of a mixture of all three.

Upset because hey, what gave Jason the right to assume it had to do with them?  
Confused because Jason offered to help, since it didn't have anything to do with him.  
And flustered, because in fact it did have to do with them and Will found it kind of sweet of Jason to care enough to offer talking to Percy.

Jason usually only did such things for Nico, having chats with everybody and scolding them in such a horribly nice yet stern way that one couldn't even be annoyed with him.

Will had to know, since he was usually the one on the receiving end of such talks.

So not his fault, of course.

For a moment, he considered just brushing it all off with an 'I don't know what you are talking about'.

But Jason looked at him in such a way that just showed he knew there was something and he wouldn't let it go until Will spat it out.

So he only sighed defeated.

"No, it's ok. He isn't doing anything. In fact, it's exactly that. It's because he's not doing anything."

"What do you mean?"

Will shrugged, burying his face in his hands.

Was he seriously going to talk about this to Jason?

"Will?"

"I don't know. He calls me sun-bug, Jason. He calls me sun-bug and is kind and nice and considerate, the fool he is. How am I supposed to dislike him if he's being so adorably annoying?" He babbled before he was able to stop himself and inwardly groaned.

What. The. Hell?

He glanced at Jason through a gap between his fingers, holding his breath though he was unsure why.

The blonde looked surprised for a moment, but only for a moment, then his reassuring smile was back in place.

"Yeah, he can be like that. Trust me, I've tried to dislike him, too, but he makes it close to impossible, even when he's being an absolute idiot."

"I know right? Why does he have to be so annoying! It's frustrating, that's what it is. There he has Nico and instead of being an absolute ass and gloating about it, he's a freaking dork, considerate of anyone and everyone and cherishing Nico and dragging me along when I know he'd rather spend his time with him alone. And then he bloody gives me pet names and acts as if we're best friends and sometimes, I catch myself thinking that we are. And it's all so confusing." Will still had his face buried in his hands, heaving a big sigh and rubbing at his eyes.

Gods, how badly he wished for things to just work out fine for once.

Who knew, maybe if his insides were in less of a turmoil, he might actually catch a few more hours of sleep for once.

"The pet name is really bugging you, huh?"

"You have no idea." Will groaned quietly, thinking of the way Percy said it.

The way Percy looked when he said it.  
The way Percy's lips moved when he said it.

Will should not be thinking about this.

He shook his head. "As long as you don't start using it."

Jason chuckled. "Nah, I wouldn't. 'Sun-bug' doesn't really sum you up, sorry."

"Oh wow. Thanks a lot." Will said drily, ignoring the stab of annoyance at the indication Percy's pet name for him wasn't any good.

"No problem. So, what's your plan then?" Jason asked casually, grinning at him and eyeing him oddly, as if he had just figured something out.

Will didn't want to know what that was.

"For what?"

"What do you intend to do now? With Percy and Nico? Are you just going to try to run away and hide in your cabin?"

Will shrugged. "It's not like they give me much chance to. They usually manage to find me and drag me off somewhere. It's a miracle they haven't gotten me yet."

As he said it, he glanced towards his cabin door, wondering faintly what they must be doing if they weren't looking for him yet.

Or maybe they had simply decided to do something by themselves today.

Suited Will just fine.

He swallowed the pain that welled up inside him at the thought of being just the third wheel after all, instead looking at Jason again, who gazed at him thoughtfully.

"Will?"

"Hm?" Will finally dragged his hands away from his face.

Damn, his head felt so heavy.

He hated the lack of sleep, he really did.

Seriously, what the hell was going on with that, anyways?  
As if his life wasn't confusing enough as it was, he was still pained with dumb nightmares that didn't make any sense whatsoever.

Though he at least remembered bits of it now. Nothing of importance, of course.  
Would have been too easy.

Instead, only fragments of conversations he didn't understand and snippets of images, sound, sometimes just a particular feeling was all that remained after he woke up.

"When's the last time you got any sleep?"

Jason wasn't asking with any particular emotion detectable in his voice or face, nothing to indicate worry, pity, accusation.

But Will could practically feel the silent assumption of his whole I'm-so-confused-and-don't-want-to-hang-out-with-my-friends-anymore-attitude coming from his lack of sleep.

His insides boiled with unreasoned anger in a heartbeat.

"This is NOT because of my nightmares!" He spat, glowering at Jason who instantly lifted his arms again defensively, trying to soothe him.

"Calm down, I was just asking. You look tired, that's all."

"I'm not." He was. Oh gods, yes, he was. Tired of this bullshit. And of his nightmares.

Though he was more tired because of the nightmares than of them.

"Why aren't you sleeping over at Nico's?"

"Why aren't you staying out of other people's business?" Will instantly shot back, knowing he was being unfair.

Jason didn't mean it bad, of course.

But seriously, he had no idea how Will was feeling!

Mainly not even Will knew how he was feeling!

And all because of Percy.

Unwillingly, he thought back to that one day again that he generally tried to ban from his mind.

The day when Percy had dragged him out of his cabin before sunrise because of those gift-ideas for Nico, just to then act out that whole dumb scene that kept replaying in Will's mind every evening when he faintly tried to sleep.

But now, he wasn't even thinking about that. He was thinking of that moment when Percy had put his face in his hands in that depressed, defeated sort of way, confiding in him how worried he was about screwing things up.

A mixture of emotions welled up inside him, drowning out his anger in an instant.

What was he doing?

This was so unlike him.  
Not to mention stupid.

He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, that was uncalled for." He mumbled, glancing at Jason again who just sat there, looking at him with that odd expression again, the one Will couldn't place at all.

"It's ok. I guess I was prying."

"No, it wasn't you. I was just…as I said, things are…whatever."

Jason eyed him quietly for another moment.

Then he sighed and leaned forward, putting his chin on his hands, his elbows resting on his thighs.

"How about we make a deal?"

Will frowned. What? Where did that come from?

He gazed at the blonde warily. "What kind of deal?"

Jason shrugged. "Nico's birthday is in four days. How about I promise I'll make it until then and in return, you sleep over at their place because we all know you need it."

Will scowled at him. "That's not a good deal at all. First of all, I don't want to. Second of all, what would I care whether you make it for his birthday or not?"

Jason seemed unperturbed. "Easy. Because if I do make it, you have one free wish. You can ask me to do anything you want and I'll do it, no questions asked."

Will halted. What…?

Well, why would he care?

Then again, the thought was kind of alluring.

"I'm gonna be like your genie. You could ask me to abduct Percy so you can have some quality time with Nico – though I do hope in that case you'll behave yourself, else we're both dead, of course…" Jason mused and Will felt his lips twitching against his will.

"Or you could make me do something really stupid." Jason offered with a smirk.

"Like running around the Camp in your superman boxer shorts?" Will suggested, almost laughing at the picture in his head.

That would be the best thing ever.

Oh, how he'd love to see the reactions of the others.

And their faces!

"With this cold? Damn, I think you want to kill me. But yeah, anything you want. So, how about it?"

Will hesitated. "This still doesn't seem like much of a deal. What if you don't make it? And seriously, my part isn't really a deal at all."

Jason shrugged. "If I don't make it, I'll run around the Camp in my superman boxer shorts for the entire time I'm staying there, just so you can have a laugh. And if you can't keep your end of the deal, you'll have to do something for me. Maybe I'll send you running about Camp in your underwear, too."

Will huffed indignantly. "I'd love to see you try!"

"Does that mean we have a deal?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.

Will hesitated a moment longer.

Should he really?

But hey, his part was far easier to stick to than Jason's.

Now he'd have a good excuse to stay over at Nico's.

Though he was still somewhat reluctant about that.

But he did like staying over. And he so badly needed sleep.

Hm, maybe… "Alright."

"Great. Then we have ourselves a deal. So, how's the guys? Is Percy being an ignorant prick again or did he permanently convert to the considerate fool?" Jason asked, rubbing his hands together and looking rather pleased.

Will blew a strand of hair out of his face. "Definitely considerate prick. Not fool, but prick. Seriously, he's the worst. Acting all nice and kind and giving people pet names for no reason, just to show up at the worst times and asking questions you NEVER wanted to hear out of his mouth."

Jason laughed at his dismay.

"Really? Like what?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. Sometimes it's just small things like 'Hey Will, you're good with music, right? Can you dance? Can Nico dance? Can you find out if he can dance so I know and can you teach me in case he does so I can do it too?' – which is already pretty annoying, you know. But then he also has questions like 'Hey Will, there was this Aphrodite girl who said a good guy gives their partner multiple orgasms. Can I do that with Nico too? Is that possible?'! Do I look like Sex-ed? I mean, seriously! He's so naïve and clueless, I'm surprised he's even still alive! Ungh, I'm just waiting for the day he comes barging in and-…"

Further he couldn't get, because just in that moment, the door to his cabin flew open and Percy barged inside, slamming it shut behind him, looking as if death himself was right behind him.

"Will! Teach me how to deep throat!"

Will stared at him.

No. He had not just heard that right. He must be too tired. Yes, that must be it.

Jason started laughing. Not a subtle, small chuckle or a soft laugh.  
A right out laughter.

And Percy Jackson?  
Percy Jackson walked up to him, panting hard, working his hand through his hair and looking around the side of the IM-ing 'screen'.

"Oh, hi Jason." He greeted, as if it was the most casual thing in the world to ask for blowjob-help.

Yes, Will must have definitely heard wrong.

"So, can you help me? Please tell me you know how to deep throat." Percy turned to him, looking at him with wide, sea-green eyes.

Shit. Will had not misheard.

He noticed he was gaping at Percy, so he tried to compose himself again, clearing his throat while Jason almost rolled on the floor from laughter.

Yes, Jason, good to see you're enjoying yourself.

"Percy…"

"Shit. You can't do it, can you? Damn it, that means I'll have to-…"

"Excuse you, of course I can deep throat! I give the best fucking blowjobs you would never know!" Will called indignantly, then frowned at himself for actually discussing this.

Percy's face brightened.

"Sweet! Then you can tell me how!"

"No."

"No? Why? Damn it, Will, his birthday is in four days! I gotta know that!" Percy wailed, kneeling down in front of Will, between Jason's reflection and Will's knees.

"Please?" He pleaded, putting his hands on Will's thighs, looking at him with puppy eyes.

Jason raised both eyebrows, his eyes full of glee and merriment – and what looked a bit like tears from all the laughing.

"Percy, you can't ask him something like that!" He chided, shaking his head amused.

Will sighed out in relief. At least Jason was his opinion on this matter.

Percy wasn't going to get through with this. Good, good.

"At least not when I'm not around! How unfair is that? Maybe I want to know, too?" Jason then elaborated, making a face.

Percy's lips split into a grin. "You can learn from there, I don't care. You all have more time than I do! I only have four days! Will, please! I'll do anything you want in return."

"But I thought he said your blowjobs are fine!" Will exclaimed, inching backwards more and more, pulling his legs up as he went, out of Percy's reach.

"Well, he doesn't know any better, so of course he'll think they are fine. But I want to do something special! I want to do it and think afterwards that I did everything I could and that if that wasn't nice by any standards, then I simply suck. Wait…" He frowned at his own words and Jason chuckled, while Will put his face in his hands.

What was he going to do with these guys?

"You can't…ask that of me…"

"Oh come on, why not? Have a heart! Else I'll have to go to the Aphrodite cabin and I don't want to know who's going to be telling tales and to whom and before we know it, everybody will know. I was hoping you could do things a lot more discrete. Plus, you did say you were the best. Who else could possibly give better advice than the best of the best?"

Percy was definitely trying to soft-soap him.

He scowled at him, then caught Jason looking mildly curious as well.

He scowled at him as well.

"You're mad."

"Ok. I'm mad. I'll do anything. Please? Pretty, pretty please?" Percy started getting onto the bed now as well, his puppy face firmly set in place, coming closer again.

Will inched further backwards.

"Jason, tell him to stop it. How would I even teach you anything? That's something you learn over time, something that comes with the more experience you have. What are you going to do, train on a banana?"

"Banana! Perfect! Well, almost. I need a straight banana. Nico isn't curved like that."

Will closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and banning any visuals from his mind.

Also, he prayed for patience.

And for the God with capital G to drop brains from the sky for Percy.

"You can't be serious." He then muttered, looking at both Percy and Jason, who were looking back at him expectantly.

"I am. Please. You're my only hope. I know this will be awkward but I'll do my best? I just want to give Nico everything he deserves. Please." Percy insisted.

Will looked at Jason, who was scratching the side of his neck thoughtfully.

"I'd actually really like to know as well."

Will groaned.

"You guys are horrible! Do I look like a porn star or a sex-ed teacher to you? Just because I'm experienced and know how to do it doesn't mean I want to show you guys how to do it! Especially not on a banana! And not during the day! And not in my cabin!"

"Well…" Percy started, but Jason interrupted him hastily. "Don't say it, Percy. Just. Don't."

Will agreed with him. Whatever Percy had been about to say, he didn't want to know any of it.

Percy sighed defeated. "Ok…I get it…I'm sorry…I just thought…"

He sounded so upset.

Will watched him climb off the bed, shoulders sagging, face downcast.

He glanced towards Jason, finding him looking down as well, a light pout on his face.

Seriously?

Were they seriously serious?

This couldn't be.

"I guess I'll leave you to yourself again, then…sorry for disturbing…I guess…" Percy mumbled, slowly trudging towards the cabin door, sighing heavily.

Will looked after him.

Then at Jason, who still had his face downcast but had his eyes fixed on him, blinking once.

Will glanced back at the heartbroken Percy.

Then he groaned, putting his hands to his face.

"Fine! But I SWEAR one stupid comment and I'll CASTRATE both of you!"

.

"This is the most horrible thing in the world." Will muttered under his breath and caught Jason grinning amused as they both watched Percy eyeing his somewhat straight banana with a scrutinizing, dead-serious expression.

"It's just a banana, really." Percy deadpanned and Will's nose twitched.

The banana wasn't the problem.

This whole situation - that was the problem.

Percy held out the second banana, the one with a light curve to it, to Will, urging him to take it.

He still couldn't believe they were actually doing this.

In Will's cabin.

In the middle of the day.

Oh well, at least they were sitting in the bathroom with the door locked (he had checked several times just to make sure).

He didn't even want to imagine what would happen if one of his siblings came running into the cabin to find Percy and him with bananas down their throats or something.

Seriously, did he have to do this?

Why couldn't he just have said no?

He took the banana grumpily, glancing towards Jason.

"So, what are you going to do? I thought you're only on a break? I swear, if there's anybody else close by, watching this, I will-…"

"Nobody else is here, don't worry. But yeah, it's only a break. I'll have to leave in roughly half an hour." Jason interrupted him quickly, looking off to somewhere on his left for a moment.

"Better get started then, huh?" Percy mused and instantly earned another glare from Will.

"Don't rush it. Seriously, this is madness. I don't know what you're thinking."

He really didn't. How was he meant to teach them this?

This was something that demanded to be learned over time, with each blowjob a little more.

"Come on, please. Just try to teach us. Anything other than 'just stick it in your mouth and force your throat to cope' is going to be of help, really. Cause that's all I got so far and it's not really helping." Percy whined and Will frowned at him.

Did he want to know who Percy had talked to about this?

Probably not.

It was somebody with no clue, that much was for certain.

He wondered faintly what Nico would have to say about all this if he knew Percy was sitting here, on Will's bathroom floor, begging him to teach him how to deep throat.

Yeah, he probably shouldn't dwell on that.

"Ugh. Whatever. Yeah, don't do that. You have to ease into it. Forcing your throat to 'cope with it' would just lead to you gagging more." Will explained and found Jason and Percy instantly perking up.

Seriously?  
Ugh, why had he said yes?

Will sighed deeply, eyes hushing over to the door once more, contemplating his chances of getting away.

They were zero.

"Alright, first things first. Blowjobs can be done in pretty much any position, right? Well, deep throating isn't as easy in some – in most, actually. For somebody utterly new to it, it would be better to…"

"I kind of just go down on Nico when he's on his back? Like, with his legs over my shoulders." Percy interrupted, expression uncertain.

A series of visuals forced its way into Will's head and he closed his eyes for a moment.

What the hell?

He had not asked him to elaborate that.  
He did not want to know how Percy went down on Nico, thank you very much.

Though that wasn't a very bad idea.

He could think of a lot worse ways to go down on somebody if you had no clue how to do things.  
And with his legs over his shoulders, too, getting them out of the way without having to lean onto them at any point…not too bad.

Not that he was appraising Percy's methods.

Hell no.

"I didn't need to know that. Don't interrupt me. I'm the teacher here, so shut up and listen, ok?" It sounded harsher than he had meant to, but there was nothing he could really do about it.

He definitely wasn't going to say sorry.

This was all Percy's fault to begin with.

Percy bit his lip. "Sorry."

Jason sighed, shaking his head slightly to himself and Will wondered how he took that tidbit of information.

What did he think of Percy and Nico together, anyways?

He seemed happy for Nico, but not overly jealous of Percy, yet it did seem to bother him…meh, whatever.

Nothing of Will's business, anyways.

"So, anyways, it's always better to get into a position that allows your mouth and throat to align. That will make it easier on you and your gag reflex. How strong is your gag reflex?" Will asked with a frown, glancing towards Percy, but he only blinked at him for a long moment.

"Uh…"

Wow, so he didn't know?

They were off to a good start, that much was for certain.

"Jason?" Will looked towards the blonde, who looked a tad taken aback at the sudden attention.

"Huh? How would I know about his gag reflex?"

Will closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.

Were they serious?

"Oh! Mine isn't too bad, I guess. I mean…I can…erm…control it?" Jason hurried to explain, looking surprisingly flustered.

Well, at least Will was going to get something out of all this.

It had been a while since he had seen Jason blush like that, after all.

Certainly a nice change.

"Alright then. I guess we'll find out about Percy's gag reflex in a moment. So, the gag reflex is going to be your biggest hindrance. If you have a really strong one, it will be a lot harder and take a lot more work, but it's not impossible. Since you so gallantly informed us Nico isn't curved, I won't need to talk about that as well. Cause it does make a difference whether the thing you're taking down your throat is straight or bent. A lot more work. A lot more difficult. A lot harder to find the right angle."

They both looked at him for a long moment and he could almost read the unspoken question in their faces.

He scowled at both of them. "Yes, I'm talking from experience. Shut up."

Unwillingly, a shudder ran down his back as he remembered who it had been he had gained this experience from.

He didn't want to think of him.

Closing his eyes for another moment, he took a deep breath, pushing the rising nausea down.

No. Not now. Not in front of them.

"Will?" Jason asked oddly and Will forced his eyes open again.

"Anyways, since he's straight – well, his dick is, anyways - that leaves one problem less. So, next. Deep throating isn't some sort of fancy trick you learn within a few minutes. It takes time. Of course there are naturals, but chances are neither of you are going to be so lucky. So you'll both have to practice. Percy, even if you succeed in perfecting it on a banana, it still doesn't mean you won't have any difficulty with the real thing. A banana you can move freely, Nico's dick probably not so much. Keep that in mind. Also, deep throating is more of a treat, really. Combine it with the rest of your blowjob. I don't know what you're doing – and I do NOT want to know!" He added hastily as he caught Percy opening his mouth again.

"But try to combine it with that, test out the waters. Especially since you're new to it. Don't try to overdo it. It's much better if you keep going down every here and there, doing little swallowing motions or the like. I don't know, it depends on what he likes and what you are comfortable with. The key is to actually like what you're doing."

"I think I have to write this down." Percy mumbled, apparently glued to every word Will was saying.

Will sighed. "It's not that big of a mystery, Percy. Ok, here comes the most important stuff once more: Breathe. Relax. Start slowly. Don't suck too hard or strain your jaw, else you'll get cramps. A little tip from my side is to really start deep throating him when he's about to blow. That will make him go crazy."  
He couldn't believe he was seriously doing this.

Giving the guys advice on blowjobs.

Telling Percy how to deep throat Nico.

Who'd have thought this would happen?

Two months ago he'd have found the pure notion of Percy and Will spending their time together without Nico around absolutely impossible.

So much could change in so little time.

It was scary, really.

"Ok. So, erm…what positions would be good?" Percy asked meekly, playing with the banana in his hands.

Will hesitated. "Well…in my experience, the easiest is when he's sitting down somewhere – let's say on the bed, and you are either in front of him in a way to get your mouth and throat aligned, or next to him and bend over, kind of as if you're giving him a blowjob in the car while he's driving." He then said slowly, hands clenching as unwanted memories rushed through his head.

He swallowed hard, eyes hushing about the room to find something – anything – to ground him.

Percy's eyes were on his banana again, so he glanced towards Jason instead, finding him staring straight at Will with a slight frown, eyes filling with worry.

Ah. He was noticing something, wasn't he?

Not good.

Not good at all.

Will took a deep breath, putting on a small smile.

"Yeah. Or maybe when he's standing. I don't know. You'll be able to think of something, I'm sure. It depends on your gag reflex, really. If you have close to no trouble at all, you should be good with the position you've been using so far. Though trying out something new probably wouldn't be bad, either. Each position has its up and downs and some things feel better in one position than in another."

"So my position isn't good?" Percy asked and Will could swear he heard way too much uncertainty in his voice.

Rolling his eyes, he shook his head. "Percy, your position is good, else Nico wouldn't like it that much, right?"

"How would you know? And how would he know?"

"I know. Not shut up and stick that banana in your mouth before I do it for you." Will threatened, though he had no intention of actually doing it.

The panic in Percy's eyes was amusing, though.

Then the dark-haired dork glanced sideways at Jason…and blushed.

Will had to suppress a grin.

"Don't tell me you're going to chicken out now. I just had the most mortifying conversation in my life, telling you guys all this, and you're embarrassed because Jason is watching?" He teased and found Percy's face turning scarlet as he started mumbling something incoherently.

Jason chuckled next to them.

"I don't really care what you stick down your throat, Percy. Do whatever pleases you." The blonde explained with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

Percy glowered at him. "It's unfair you're getting away without doing this. It's just weird to be the only one doing it."

"You wanted to be taught." Will and Jason both said with a shrug.

Percy made a face, eyeing his banana again.

He moved it upwards to his lips, but then hesitated again, looking conflicted.

Will rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Percy, get it over with. Oh yeah, just in case you need to puke, do it in that direction." He waved towards the toilet to Percy's right, but the boy only scowled at him.

"I will not puke. Shut up. Just…give me a minute. I swear, don't laugh at me, ok?"

Will decided not to point out that the way Percy was behaving strongly indicated he was going to be too stressed out to not have his gag reflex act up.

Instead, he leaned back slightly, crossing his arms in front of his chest and glancing towards Jason, who watched Percy with mild interest.

This was kind of amusing to watch, to be honest.

If he forgot about the fact he was the one teaching deep throating, it was kind of funny to see Percy sitting on his bathroom floor, staring at a banana inches from his lips, swallowing hard over and over again as he was apparently mentally preparing himself to take the fruit into his mouth.

Yep, definitely funny.

"Saliva is good, by the way. Keep it wet. Better for him and for you." He pointed out casually and caught Percy glaring at him.

"Shush. I know. Whatever."

"Come on, we don't have all day. Relax, it's just us."

"Then why don't you do it?" Percy shot back with a scowl.

Will eyed him unimpressed.

Then he picked up his banana with a shrug. "Alright."

Both Jason and Percy looked taken aback, staring at him.

Will raised an eyebrow at them. "What? I just explained to you how to deep throat. It can't get much worse than that. Really, it's just a banana. And I know I can do it, so what would I care what you think? I'm not gonna chicken out."

In reality, there was no way he was going to do this.

Never ever.

But he knew what effect it would have on Percy.

Sure enough, the dark-haired dork sat up straighter, looking positively offended.

"I am NOT chickening out. You know what, I can do this."

"Oh really?" Will teased, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

Percy scowled deeply and looked at the banana with new determination.

Jason's eyes widened with realization and Will knew he understood what Will had just done.

They shared a knowing glance.

Then Percy hesitated only a moment longer before pushing the banana into his mouth.

.

On the bright side, Percy didn't choke on the banana and die, nor did he puke.

On the not so bright side, his gag reflex had acted up instantly and it wouldn't have taken much to make him retch, which was more than mortifying, especially with the guys watching.

But they hadn't laughed.

Instead, Will had just sat there with his arms crossed, shrugging and stating he hadn't expected any different, since Percy was supposedly too tense.

Since it didn't sound like he was trying to insult Percy, he had just let it pass, glad for an excuse to his obvious fail.

"You have to work around it. Slide it in until you start feeling uncomfortable and then pause, wait for your throat to get used to it. Once you relax again, you can slide it in further."

"What do I do once it's all the way in?" Percy found himself asking, then wanted to sink into the ground.

He had hoped this was going to get mentioned without him having to ask for it.

How embarrassing.

Will frowned at him. "Usually, just having it down your throat is good enough. Move up and down on him, for example, as if he's, you know, having sex. Or try swallow. Also, if you move up and down and you're more comfortable with everything, try turn your mouth from one side to the other. Gives a different sensation. I don't know about your preferences, but maybe find out whether you want to set the speed and depth yourself or whether you want Nico to take lead. It really makes a huge difference."

"Really? How?" Percy asked curiously.

Will hesitated. "It's…one lets you know you're in control. You can work your way up and be comfortable and at ease. It's not…bad…for him to be in charge, but it is usually unexpected. You don't know what he'll do next, how fast he'll go, how much air you'll get."

Percy watched with a frown as Will's hand moved up to his throat apparently subconsciously, his breath hitching for a moment.

"Will?" Jason asked oddly, same as he had done earlier, but this time Percy noticed the change in Will as well.

"Hey, are you ok?"

Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all.

He had no idea what Will had gone through in the past, after all.

Stupid him. He hadn't even considered the possibility that this could trigger something in Will.

Then again, he might just be interpreting too much into this, too.

"Well, as ok as I can be when we're sitting here, talking about deep throating. Just make sure to remember what I told you. Now, try again." Will brushed him off, not meeting either of their gazes as he instead studied the tiles beneath him with utter interest.

Percy sighed and looked at his banana again.

It did not look anything like Nico's dick.

Oh well, it would have to do.

Even if it was embarrassing, he'd go through it.

It was for Nico, after all.

.

The next tries worked a lot better.

It was still awkward, but the fact that neither of them made fun of him made it better, he guessed.

Though he really didn't want to know what they must be thinking of him, nor how stupid he must look with a banana in his mouth like that.

But hey, at least Will was giving him actual tips and such and Jason even asked a few questions that Percy would have never thought of until he had been in the situation in question.

So all in all, it worked out quite well.

Though he couldn't help but notice that whenever Will had to elaborate about something that indicated his experience, his expression would change, become more guarded, haunted, his hands clenching to fists and his breathing would speed up.

Exchanging glances with Jason had showed him the blonde had noticed as well.

What did that mean, though?

That Will wasn't over the person in question?

Or that things hadn't gone well with that person?

Maybe it had been someone who had died in the war.

The thought was unpleasant, so he pushed it aside, hoping that whatever had happened in Will's past, it hadn't been something that bad.

Still, he tried to keep the questions from going towards anything that could make Will too uncomfortable, and Jason went with it, as well.

Will luckily didn't seem to notice.

Much too soon, it was time for Jason to go.

Percy was glad he wouldn't have to embarrass himself in front of the blonde any longer, but at the same time he didn't want Jason to go.

Spending time with him, even if it was just sitting on the bathroom floor of Will's cabin learning how to deep throat, was nice.

Almost as if he was here again.

It was really time for him to come home.

"I'll call back tonight, alright? Will, you're going to sleep over? You said something earlier that you really considered it. Have you made up your mind yet?" Jason asked as he was about to end the call and Percy's head shot around.

Really? Will wanted to sleep over?

Nico would be thrilled.

He hadn't said anything, but Percy knew he had been worried about the blonde.

Percy had been worried as well.

From a few of his cabin mates they knew Will was still having nightmares, still barely sleeping and badly sleeping when he managed, but they knew better than to say anything.

Will had already started distancing himself from them, and they didn't want to push him away completely.

Percy wasn't sure why Will was like this.

Maybe he had done something wrong, maybe him being with Nico was taking its toll after all, maybe it didn't even have anything to do with any of this.

But he hoped whatever it was wouldn't completely ruin things between them.

Catching up with Lou Ellen and Cecil was ok, of course, and more than understandable, but if Will thought he was doing a good job at hiding the fact that he was running away from them and outright avoiding them, then he was wrong.

But if he actually considered sleeping over again, that had to mean something, right?

Will looked conflicted for a moment, sharing a long glance with Jason, who only raised an eyebrow and threw him a reassuring smile before unceremoniously hanging up.

Hm. Weird.

"You want to stay over? We won't mind. Nico will love it." He asked as the silence in the room seemed to get louder.

Will fidgeted with his banana. "I…sure, I guess. If you so insist on it."

Percy rolled his eyes, fighting the smile threatening to spread on his face.

This guy.

Always acting as if he wasn't actually enjoying it.

Percy really couldn't see why.

Both he and Nico had admitted they liked having the blonde around, so why he was still acting so forcefully indifferent was beyond him.

He knew Will liked Nico, after all.

So there wasn't really anything he could think of that Will had to hide or prove to anybody.

"Cool. Just tonight?"

As he asked this, he realized what Will sleeping over actually meant.

The first night Will had spent back in his cabin instead of with them, the bed had felt oddly empty again and both Nico and him had had trouble falling asleep (though he was never going to admit that).

But after that, they had kind of gotten used to it and now their evenings and morning were usually spent with tons of kisses and soft touches – often also escalating into rather hot and passionate making-out sessions (like today in the morning...gods, how much he loved Nico).

With Will over at their place, there was no way they could possibly do this.

But having Will over again would definitely be nice.

"I…well…it depends on tonight, I guess. I don't want to force myself onto you, you know. I do respect that you two are dating, after all." Will said hesitantly, peeling his banana open absent-mindedly, then staring at it incredulously.

Percy almost laughed. "Well, really, it's ok. We're good. You can stay over as many times as you want. Nico likes it. I like it. And we all know you like it, too."

"Even if you can't make out with him anymore? Don't think I can't guess what you two are doing in the mornings, Percy. I can practically read it in your faces when I see you guys at breakfast." Will stated drily with his eyebrows raised, pointing the peeled banana at him almost accusingly.

Percy felt his ears heating and peeled open his own banana without meaning to.

Damn it.

Well, that ended the training for the day, he guessed.

"I'll live. Seriously, I don't have to make out with him every day. It's nice – great, perfect, and, by the gods, if he gets that dominant streak again I'm-…erm, I mean…whatever. Anyways. Erm…what I was going to say..."

Will threw him a long, pointed glance.

Then he bit off his banana, gesturing with his hand for Percy to continue, a somewhat smug expression on his face.

"I mean I don't mind. I stand by my word. You can stay over as many times as you want."

They all knew it was better for Will with his nightmares.

He could see the boy was tired, could see the bags under his eyes that were so unusual on the usually so bright face, saw the way his shoulders slumped as he suppressed another yawn.

If all it took for him to get better was Percy refraining from making out with Nico, then he'd take that sacrifice (there was always time in the shower to do that, after all).

He knew Nico would think the same way.

Even though he was fairly sure his boyfriend would never say it out loud.

Good thing Percy could pick up on the small things by now.

Will chuckled quietly, shaking his head and taking another bite of his banana.

"You're really something. You really are. Well, since you opened your banana, I'm guessing that's it with deep throating for the day. I kind of told you all I can tell you, so you should be good. Just practice with bananas or something and you'll be good. Your gag reflex isn't that strong. You'll be fine."

Percy found himself relaxing slightly, grinning broadly.

"Thanks, Will. Really, you're a lifesaver. I know this was a rather awkward thing to do, but I really want to…you know…"

"Yeah, yeah. You want the best of the best for our precious Italian. Don't I know it. Go tell him I'm coming over tonight, not that he's getting the shock of his life." Will waved him off, getting up with a sigh.

Percy rolled his eyes and got up as well.

"What? I thought you'd come with me. He's with Cecil and Lou Ellen right now. We were thinking of going to the arena later for a bit of training because he promised that one Ares kid. Want to join?"

Will threw him a bewildered glance. "What? Why? I can't fight for the life of me, what would I even do there?"

Percy hesitated.

He knew Will wasn't very good at fighting, but still he found himself wanting to spar with him every now and then.

It seemed risky to just have Will focus on healing and medicine.

What if there was a monster attack or something and Will couldn't defend himself?

Though he knew better than to say that out loud.

He knew that Will knew basic self-defense and all and wasn't completely hopeless with weapons, even if he could never beat Jason, Nico or him – he also knew this was a sore point for Will, and he really didn't fancy an argument right now.

Not after just being on such good terms with him again for once.

"I thought it would make for a nice change. If anything, you can tell me how to beat Nico. Maybe you can see some sort of weakness with your almighty medic eyes." He said instead with a grin, laughing as Will looked at him with his typical 'Are you freaking kidding me?' face.

"That's cheating. Just for that, I'll side with Nico and tell him exactly how to fuck you up." The blonde stated drily, finishing his banana and throwing the peel into the bathroom bin.

Percy chuckled, still holding onto his whole, uneaten, untried, peeled banana.

"Does that mean you're coming with? Sweet."

Will halted for a moment, looking dumbstruck.

Then he scowled and rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Eat your banana. I am not walking around Camp with you holding onto a banana."

When Percy stuck the tip in his mouth as suggestively as he could, Will shoved him backwards slightly, uttering a series of curses and leaving the bathroom a splint moment later, all the while shaking his head and muttering obscenities about Percy's maturity and what the hell he had to put up with.

Percy laughed and ate his banana quickly, letting his peel join Will's in the bin and following Will hastily.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry."

"No, you did that on purpose. On utter purpose. There I am helping you, and you have nothing better to do than being a little sh-…hi guys." Will broke off, stopping in the middle of his cabin to find Kayla and Austin standing near their trunks, staring at Will and Percy with stunned expressions.

Oh damn.

He could almost imagine what they must be thinking.

Both of them coming from the bathroom, Will still with a light blush on his face, Percy with his shit-eating grin, Will rambling about helping him with 'something'.

In the bathroom. The locked bathroom. Just the two of them.

Damn it all.

This was so going to start rumors.

Percy technically didn't mind, but he would have preferred it greatly if they were about Nico and him instead.

"Hey there. How are you? Will, thanks again for helping me with the nutrition plan. I suppose I really shouldn't eat that much greasy stuff. Meh." He made up, scratching the back of his head with an awkward chuckle.

Will still stared at his siblings, but then pulled himself back together, throwing him an alarmed glance.

"Hey Percy. Nutrition plan? Wow, I didn't think you'd actually convince him to get one, Will. Good job." Austin stated in a surprised tone, looking almost appreciatively at Will, which made Percy instantly feel bad about lying.

Well, at this rate he'd seriously have to let Will make him a dumb plan.

Kayla still eyed him suspiciously, then the bathroom door.

"Yeah, it certainly wasn't easy, but it will be worth it. Seriously, if we just let him eat whatever he wants, he'll not only get fat but also ruin all his values. Can't let that happen to our mighty hero now, can we?" Will stated with a shrug, scratching the side of his neck awkwardly, looking utterly uncomfortable with the situation.

He was so adorable.

"Yes, your sacrifice is mighty appreciated. If I ever have kids, I'll tell them I'm only that healthy because you have pulled me back on the right track, yada yada." Percy sighed, moving his arms about exaggeratedly and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him towards the door.

"See you guys around." He called over his shoulder, catching a last glance of Kayla's suspicious expression, then they were gone.

"I hate lying to my siblings." Will muttered under his breath as soon as they were out of the reach of the cabin.

Percy sighed, letting go of Will's arm again that he didn't know he was still holding.

"Sorry about that. How about I actually let you make me a plan like that? Then it wouldn't be a lie?"

"Would you follow it?" Will asked with a raised eyebrow.

Percy looked off into the sky, acting deaf.

"I thought as much." The blonde stated drily.

Percy made a face.

"Fine. I'll do it. As long as you don't make me eat salad 24/7."

Will looked around at him from the side, a surprised expression on his face, though he immediately tried to cover it with indifference.

"Really?"

"Yeah, whatever. It might actually not be too bad. I guess…"

"Well, how about I make you a plan that will not only get your values up, but also guarantees Nico will enjoy going down on you a lot more?" Will suddenly offered suggestively, a sly grin on his face.

Percy was all ears in a heartbeat. "You can do that?"

"I'm a doctor. I can do anything." Will claimed smugly and Percy rolled his eyes, nudging his shoulder with his own.

"Oh really? Well, fine. If you do that, then I'll eat whatever is written on that plan without complaining."

Hopefully Will was serious, though.

Did that mean there'd be a lot of pineapple?

Percy didn't exactly mind, but he didn't like pineapple that much that he really thought he could eat lots of it over and over again.

Well, sacrifices needed to be made.

"Deal. So, where are those three?"

"At the lake."

"Good. Race you there." Will suddenly exclaimed and took off.

Percy stared after him, taken aback.

Then he laughed and followed.

"Wait up, Solace! I wasn't ready!"

"Suck it up, kiddo!"

"Hey! I'm older than you!"

"In your dreams, Jackson." Will called over his shoulder as they ran past a bunch of Ares kids that all looked around at them disgruntled.

Percy laughed and managed to catch up with him shortly before reaching Nico, who was standing a few feet away with Cecil and Lou Ellen, looking at them with a doubtful expression on his face, as if he wasn't sure whether this was such a great idea.

"I'll so get to him first!" Will exclaimed next to Percy.

Percy snorted (or tried to - damn it was difficult to snort while running like this).

"In YOUR dreams!"

They raced on, trying to get past one another as they got closer and closer to Nico.

"Uhm…guys…." Nico exclaimed meekly, pulling up his arms defensively.

"Guys…!" He repeated more urgently as they kept getting closer.

They exchanged a challenging glance and sprinted on.

"Guys! No!" Nico called horrified – and then they both collided with him, throwing him clean off his feet and tumbling onto the ground in a bundle, rolling in the mud.

Percy took most of the fall onto him, but it was Will who ended up in the dirt with Nico and Percy on top of him, laughing and panting his heart out.

"Guys! Seriously! You are…this is…you are MAD!" Nico wailed, squirming between them, but chuckling all the same a moment later, while Percy was wheezing and laughing even worse than Will was.

"I so won!" Will exclaimed and Percy tried to glare at him, but couldn't summon the power.

"No way. I so won."

"You are mad, mad, mad." Nico mumbled, shaking his head as they untangled themselves from one another and got up again, Percy and Will taking much longer than Nico as they were still catching their breath.

"Seriously? What was that?" Lou Ellen asked next to them with a chuckle, chewing her bubble gum that she apparently always had, while Cecil picked some dirt from Will's hair, grinning at him with an unbelieving expression, eyebrows raised.

"You guys are really something."

Percy and Will both grinned at them, panting hard.

Then they threw each other provocative glances again.

But Nico stepped between them. "No. Don't even think about doing anything stupid again. Seriously. Next time warn me, at least. Dorks. So, what have you been up to? Percy said there was something you needed to talk to him about?" He asked innocently, throwing Percy a disgruntled glance as he picked at some mud on his Camp Half-Blood sweater.

Percy rolled his eyes amused.

It wasn't as if he even liked the sweater.

Good thing he wasn't wearing his jacket though. Would have been hell to clean that thing.

"Yeah, I was discussing his new nutrition plan, since I finally got him to agree to it." Will said with a shrug and Percy inwardly groaned at the oncoming torture, but since the blonde had promise to make it…worthwhile…he wasn't going to say anything that could make him change his mind.

"Really?" Nico asked surprised, looking back at Percy stunned.

Percy put on an innocent expression and fingered a strand of muddy hair.

"Well…you did say I probably should do it, so I thought I'd give it a try…"

Nico blinked slowly.

Then his expression softened. "Kay. I hope you're making one for me too, then, Will." He said and Percy looked up surprised.

"Oh gods, today seems to be my lucky day. I managed to get both Percy AND Nico to take proper care of their bodies. All hail me. This is it. Today is my favorite day of the year. I shall mark it in my calendar. Somebody buy me a calendar so I can mark it." Will exclaimed loudly, exaggeratingly moving his hands as if he was in some sort of musical or theatre.

Percy and Nico both exchanged amused glances as Cecil and Lou Ellen laughed, shaking their heads at them.

But yeah, Will was right.

Today was a good day.

Percy grinned to himself, putting an arm around his muddy boyfriend and tugging him closer.

"We should probably get cleaned up, I'm just saying. You got some mud in your hair." He muttered suggestively, tugging at some dirt in Nico's hair.

The boy shot him an incredulous look. "And why ever would that be, I wonder? You dork. But yeah, let's get back to the cabin. You guys wanna come, too?" He asked into the group, but Cecil and Lou Ellen instantly excused themselves, eyes hushing between Will, Nico and Percy knowingly.

"Will said he'd like to stay over tonight." Percy informed Nico as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Really? That's cool. I mean…" Nico broke off, looking uncertain for a moment.

"I already told him it's ok. He's even thinking of spending the next few nights with us. Aren't you, Will?"

"Yeah, yeah. Only because you seemed so desperate to have me back in your bed, Perce." Will insisted with a light blush on his face, looking anywhere but at them.

Kind of cute dork, though.

Nico chuckled. "Well, ok then. I don't really mind."

"See? Told you he wouldn't mind. Dork." Percy stated smugly, earning him a frown from Will.

"You're the dork. I'm…erm…I'm awesome."

Nico and Percy chuckled. "Sure you are, sun-bug." He said affectionately, picking some dirt from Will's hair amused.

Will glared at both of them for a long moment.

Then he chuckled with them and they made their way to Nico's cabin together (or better said: Their official HQ by now), their arms thrown around each other.

Yeah, today was a good day.


	8. Chapter 8: Melting Ice

**Chapter 8: Melting ice, photos and celebrating into birthdays**

"So, superman, how's the journey coming along? Am I going to see you running around in your underwear soon?" Will teased with an evil grin as the IM-ing screen built up in front of him, showing a rather exhausted, but amused looking Jason.

"Oh wow, that's how you're greeting your best pal? Really? But hey, if you so badly want to see me in my underwear, you need only ask, my dearest."

Will immediately scowled. "Ha-ha. Very funny. Don't you dare calling me pet names now as well. So, really, how's it going? You know, his birthday is tomorrow, so…"

Jason sighed deeply, looking sideways at something Will couldn't see. "I know. I'm working on it. There's a kind of 50/50 chance right now of me making it or barely not making it."

"How's the team taking it?"

Another sigh. "Not well. As a matter of fact, we split groups. The people that I usually travel with are still with me but for two, who have stayed behind with the very frustrated and worn out rest. They are not happy. Can't really blame them, of course. I guess I am being rather selfish." Jason muttered, scratching the side of his neck awkwardly.

Will didn't know what to say to that, so he stayed quiet for a long moment, eyes hushing over Jason, taking in his appearance past his pretty, yet tired face.

His hair was a mess and the shirt he was wearing was wrinkled and had dirt sprinkled over it every here and there, as if Jason had run through mud at top speed, making it fly everywhere.

He probably had.

"Well, don't over exert yourself or anything. Nico really won't blame you or anything if you don't make it. As a matter of fact, he keeps insisting his birthday is no big deal and he would rather nobody knew about it. Can you believe him? Such a dork. Cute dork, but still a dork."

"Isn't that how you described Percy yesterday, as well?" Jason asked, lips twitching and his eyebrow rising knowingly.

Will scowled so deeply his face hurt. "Don't even go there. I did not say such a thing. Percy is and will always be the worst."

"Aw, that will break his heart."

"Good. I want him in tears." Will insisted, looking away.

"Then just tell him you will change his diet plan. He'll be sobbing at your feet." Jason offered with a shrug and Will chuckled at the thought.

"I still can't believe they're actually doing it, though. I mean, I'm glad they are, because you know as well as I do how much rubbish they've been eating, but it's still so…unexpected…oh. Yeah, that explains it all." Will grumbled, waving off.

Seriously, was this going to haunt him forever?

Jason chuckled. "Another one of those 'they never do what I expect them to' moments?"

Will had told him about that, too.

He hadn't meant to, but somehow, he always ended up talking to Jason about precisely the things he didn't want to talk about with him.  
Then again, Jason was always so easy to talk to.

He had this way about him that made everyone relax and just babble aimlessly.

Or maybe that was just Will.

He didn't see anybody else making a fool of himself around Jason, after all.

Other than Percy when he was being a dork again, but that was usually intentional.

"Definitely. They never stop. Because those two literally NEVER do what you expect them to."

"Maybe you should simply stop expecting things, then." Jason mused with a small smile and a gleam in his eyes Will couldn't decipher yet.

He blew out a frustrated breath, making a strand of curly blond hair fly out of his face and found Jason's eyes following it amused.

"Easier said than done. Oh, by the way, Percy is _devastated_." He informed the blond off-handedly.

"What? Why this time? Did he choke on the banana again?"

Will chuckled at the thought. "Nah, he told me he's utterly pro at that now. Not that I want to know. Ugh, he's way too open with intimate stuff like that. No, he is devastated because the most horrible thing in the world happened."

"I bet. So, what is it? Training lessons start again? Nico said he doesn't like blowjobs? The DVD of Finding Nemo broke?"

Will laughed at the weird assortment of guesses, but shook his head.

"Nope. The ice is melting. He is devastated because he wanted to go ice skating with all of us once more before it melted. Can you believe him? He's seriously so upset about it. Keeps looking at the lake as if it cheated on him. Nico finds it hilarious. And I do, as well, for that matter."

Jason laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. What did you guys offer as comfort?"

"Well, Nico was all sensible of course and told him we'd just do it next year and that we would therefore go swimming in summer. I on the other hand said we can still throw you in the lake. He liked my idea more, so watch out when you get here."

Jason made a face. "Seriously? Thanks a lot, traitor. Therefore I'll tell Percy you like it when he calls you sun-bug."

"You wouldn't dare!" Will exclaimed in horror, catching that gleam in Jason's eyes again as he leaned forward smugly, resting his chin on his folded hands.

"Oh? So you DO like it."

"I do NOT." Will insisted immediately, looking away disgruntled.

He didn't like it.  
Not at all.

"Of course not. So, anything else I have to watch out for when I get back?"

"Well…" Will started, voice trailing off as he looked anywhere but at Jason.

The blonde sighed. "Yes? I have a feeling you like making my life more difficult…"

"Nah, just more interesting. I had to make sure your stay here wouldn't get boring, after all, right? Anyways, I'd watch out for pranks from the Stoll brothers. They might or might not be tempted to try get to you the best they can because you're rumored to be immune to pranks – which has absolutely nothing to do with me, of course." Will said innocently, whistling a small tune.

Jason groaned. "Great. Thanks so much. Whatever would I do without you?" He asked sarcastically, giving Will a long, pointed look.

But then his lips twitched ever so slightly and Will grinned at him.

"You'd be bored out of your mind, of course. Anyways, just get here as soon as possible, yeah? I want that free wish, after all. Somehow, I get the feeling you wouldn't even bat an eyelash at running around the Camp in your superman boxer shorts. You'd probably even make it look cool and cause everybody else to do it too and catch a cold and end up in the infirmary or something-...so yeah, I want that wish."

"I'm honored by the faith you put in me. Have you thought of what you'll ask for, yet? Just so I have a little time to mentally prepare myself?"

Actually, Will hadn't thought on it.

Well, that was a lie. He had thought about it plenty, but couldn't really find anything he really wanted to use something like that for.  
That was a one-time chance.  
He had to make it worth it.

"Not sure yet. And even if, it's gonna be a surprise for maximum effect." Will shrugged and winked at him suggestively.

Jason only raised one eyebrow. "You'd make such a good child of Hermes. That, or you could be Percy's brother. You two are way too alike."

"That idiot and me? Never. You insult my awesomeness, Jason. Seriously." Will exclaimed in mock horror and Jason rolled his eyes amused.

The two grinned at each other.

"Well, I better get back to my few people. See you tomorrow, if things go well. Greet the other two from me, yeah? Where in Hades are they, anyways?"

"At the lake. As I said, Percy is devastated. We tried to get him to give up on it and move on with life, but he just sits there, moping at the shore and wailing and complaining to anybody who takes enough pity to listen to him."

Yeah, he was still not sure how they were ever going to move him back to the cabins.

"That sounds like him. Well, tell him the faster the ice melts, the faster he can go skinny dipping. Bet he'll love that." Jason offered, flashing him another one of those pretty smiles.

"Yeah, he mentioned before that he wanted to do that. As a friend, I'll warn you now that he did mention to force you to go with him should he ever really go skinny dipping."

Jason groaned and made a face. "You guys really have no mercy on me, huh?"

"We do. Nico and I agreed we'd take more pictures of Percy and give you some privacy when the time comes." Will said seriously, nodding sternly when Jason threw him a doubtful glance.

"How…considerate of you two. Now I feel a lot better. So, see you soon?"

"Tomorrow. See you tomorrow. And don't forget that wish I'm getting." Will reminded him with a pointed glance.

Jason grinned at him, that gleam in his eyes once more. "Wouldn't dream of it. Keep up your end of the deal, though, else I'll be the one with a wish free."

Will's face fell. "Huh? I don't think they'll let me sleep over tonight. And I'm not sure I'd want to, either. Tomorrow is Nico's big day, I bet Percy will take each and every chance to make it as special as possible."

Jason's grin widened. "Well, then you better think of something, huh? Oh my, I better start thinking of what I'll wish for."

Will gaped at him in horror.

No, how had things backfired like this?

Jason chuckled, lifting his hand and waving at Will with a last, much too malicious grin before he ended the call.

"Seriously?"

Great. How was Will supposed to do this now?

Damn, at this rate he rather wanted Jason to not make it tomorrow.

Then again, what would happen if both of them failed?  
Would they both have to give each other a free wish? Would they both have to run around in their underwear for ages?

Will didn't want to find out.

He stood up resolutely.

Time to get back to Percy and Nico before they disappeared to somewhere.

Maybe he'd get a chance to discuss the matter with Percy at some point discreetly.

Then again, he couldn't exactly tell him he had a bet like that with Jason, could he now?

Damn, what was he supposed to do?

Well, first he had to get back to the two.

Maybe he'd be able to think of something.

.

The ice was melting.

Why was it melting?

It wasn't THAT warm yet.

So cruel.

So mean.

So unfair.

Percy grumbled some more, refusing to get off the frozen ground.

Why was the ground still frozen, but the lake was thawing?

"Aw, Percy, come on. Next winter we can all go ice skating again. Cheer up." Nico said next to him, nudging him with his shoulder, but Percy only stuck his bottom lip out.

"What tells you Chiron and Mr. D will let it become winter at Camp again? What if this was a one-time thing?"

"Percy, I'm sure they'll come around. And if not, we can always go to that lake you took me to for our…erm…our…our date…" Nico's voice became quieter and quieter, the last word nothing but a hesitant whisper.

Percy glanced around at him, noticing the faint blush adorning his cheeks before Nico put his hands to his face to get some rebellious streaks of hair out of it and fix his beanie hat.

Seriously, he looked so adorable in that.

Percy should probably thank Jason for getting him that.

Ah. The root of his problem.

"I suppose so. But why couldn't he just hurry up some more and get here BEFORE the ice started melting? Two days ago would have been great."

"Percy, he doesn't even like ice skating."

"He'd like it if he gave it a serious try."

"He'd probably have liked it if you and Will would have actually taught him, instead of teasing him all the while and trying to trip him."

Percy considered that possibility for a moment, then shrugged.

"Touché. But I simply didn't like how you two got so close to each other just because you both could barely hold your balance."

Nico chuckled amused. "Jealous much? So, wait, you're ok with them sharing a bed with us, but you don't like it when I hold onto Jason so I don't fall onto hard, cold, unforgiving ice?"

Percy made a face.

Did Nico have to put it like that?

"Yes." He stated flatly, not knowing how else to reply to the matter.

Then he wrapped his arms around Nico and tugged him closer, nudging off the beanie hat so he could bury his face in the Italian's hair, messing it up even more.

"Percy~…" Nico complained, but chuckled at the same time, letting Percy know he wasn't doing something terribly wrong.

He grinned into his hair. "Tomorrow is your big day, huh?"

"Oh gods, stop making such a fuss about it. It's only my birthday."

Only his birthday.

Percy sighed. Yep, this was just like Nico.

Nuzzling his face into the boy's hair some more, he inhaled the scent of their shampoo and Nico's own earthy scent.

So nice.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that, love." He mumbled and heard Nico huff exasperated.

"So, are you done sulking about the lake yet?"

Damn. The lake.

Percy made a face, letting go of Nico again, sticking out his bottom lip at the thawing ice in front of them.

"No…" He whined, thinking of how cool it would have been if they could have gone just once more, all four of them together.

"Oh gods, Percy!" Nico groaned, pulling his legs up and putting his face to his knees, grumbling some more.

Percy chuckled, but then switched back to his entirely upset and devastated face the instant Nico peeked at him.

"Hey guys, still sulking about the ice?" Will's voice sounded behind them and they both looked around.

There he was, the mighty son of Apollo, in his faded jeans and Camp Half-Blood sweater with matching Camp Half-Blood jacket, with his tousled, curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes, trudging through the mud with a teasing grin - just to then almost slip and fall.

Very graceful.

"Watch it, sun-bug, or you'll be kissing the ground. And I am not sulking. I am merely disappointed that the ice has just randomly decided to _betray_ me like this. It could have stayed frozen for _one day_ longer, after all. It's not like that would have hurt it or anything." Percy pointed out, shooting a glare at the lake.

Nico groaned next to him.

"Of course. You know, technically it's not the ice's fault. It's the weather's fault. You know, when it gets warmer, ice doesn't have much choice but to melt. Also, Jason called." Will said with a shrug, flopping down next to Percy and nudging his shoulder with his own.

Percy raised an eyebrow.

Was that why Will had left earlier? To chat with Jason?  
Did they have fixed calling times now?

But then he could have stayed and have them talk to the blonde as well.

Hmm, unless Will wanted to keep Jason to himself?

A smirk played on his lips. "Ah, flirting with Jason again, I see."

Will scowled at him and was about to reply, but Nico cut in before he had any chance to.

"Really? What did he say? How's it going?"

Yeah, if Will had known Jason was going to call, he would have definitely stuck around so Nico could talk to the blonde as well.

Nico had already missed his chance yesterday, because by the time Jason had called, he had already been fast asleep, snuggled up between Percy and Will, which had bugged the Italian greatly already.

Apparently, he had utterly expected them to wake him up.

As if.

"Oh, this and that. He said he's trying to be here by tomorrow, but he can't guarantee it. If he won't, he'll be here the day after. Oh, and he said he doesn't want to be thrown into the lake, by the way."

Percy snorted, throwing his hands up. "You weren't supposed to ASK him, you dork! I told you we were going to act all nice and friendly and dump him in there when he least expected it!"

Seriously, Will had just destroyed the only good point of the ice melting.

"Yeah, well, I wanted to prevent you from getting pulverized by lightning, so I thought I'd give him a fair warning." Will declared with an indignant huff and nudged Percy's shoulder again.

Percy nudged back.

"Yeah, right. I'm honored you care so much about me."

"Who said I was doing it for you?! I was just thinking of Nico's welfare." The blonde insisted, his ears turning pink.

Percy nudged him again, then turned to face Nico, who was watching them with an exasperated sigh and a roll of his eyes, but then halted when he caught Percy looking at him.

"No, don't even think about it. Leave me out of it this time. Better yet, stop bickering about every little thing. Seriously, you two should get a grip on yourselves. It's either you're best pals, schmoozing each other up, or you're worst enemies, turning over each and every word the other says and analyzing it for a possible insult. That's worse than your bromance with Jason, Percy." His boyfriend complained, shooting Percy the evil eye.

Percy stuck out his bottom lip instantly, trying to win him back over.

"I'm sorry. It's all Will's fault, though. He's being moody and mean to me the past days non-stop."

"Well, excuse you, but I am not moody. I'm simply saying it how it is."

"Just cause you're living in denial." Percy muttered under his breath.

"Oh gods, are you doing it AGAIN?" Nico uttered in disbelief, throwing up his arms in defeat.

"This is it. I'm going back to the cabin."

And with that, he got up, brushed off some dirt off his dark skinny jeans and made to leave for the cabins.

Percy and Will acted simultaneously, getting up in one fluid motion and holding onto one of Nico's arms each.

"No! We're sorry. We'll behave." Percy insisted, wrapping his arms around Nico and tugging him close, permitting Will to do the same from his other side.

"Yeah, we'll be good. Let's do something together. Take pictures, for example. You are so good at taking pictures, after all." Will cooed, fingering Nico's camera with a hopeful smile.

Nico eyed them both suspiciously for a moment, as if trying to discern whether they were being serious or not.

Both of them instantly put on their most serious, innocent expression they could muster.

The Italian sighed. "Alright. Let's take pictures then. But I swear, if you two start bickering non-stop again tomorrow, I'm never going to speak to either of you ever again."

Both of them hastily nodded and let Nico step out of their embrace to take his camera off from around his neck.

It wasn't as if it was Percy's fault they bickered this much, anyways.

He liked Will. The guy could be pretty cool to hang out with if he wasn't being an ass.

And if the two of them were alone together, they got along splendidly.

It was just when Nico was around that Will seemed to be keen on proving Percy how much he still liked Nico, which then always got to Percy and made him say mean things he didn't exactly mean.

Though he hoped Will knew he really was only joking 90% of the time.

Hmm, maybe he should mention it at some point just so Will wasn't misinterpreting anything.

He looked around at the blonde, just to find him staring at Percy's face quietly.

"What?"

Will made a face, looking away quickly with a light shrug. "Nothing. Just wondering what we'd do tonight, you know. I was thinking we could stay up until midnight. You know, celebrate into his birthday."

Percy hesitated a moment. "I guess we could do that. What do you think, Nico?" He asked and both guys looked at the Italian in their middle, who only shrugged and fixed his hair in a ponytail, now that the beanie was off.

"I suppose we could, though I really don't want to make such a big deal out of my birthday. It's just a day like any other."

"Yeah, but you were born that day, so it's a super special day." Will remarked pointedly and Percy nodded.

"He's right. It's a super special day. And we're going to celebrate it right. So, I'd suggest you should think of a few movies we can watch to pass the time."

"Or we could play Truth or Dare." Will offered with a wink.

"NO!" Both Percy and Nico instantly all but yelled, causing the blonde to laugh out loud.

"Alright, I guess we are only going to play that when Jason is around."

"No way. I'm never playing that game again. Plus, I'm dating Percy right now, so you couldn't make me do any embarrassing stuff anymore, anyways." Nico pointed out with a light blush on his cheeks.

"Why? There's still plenty of Dares we could do even with you dating him. Also, we could simply have you do the Dares with Percy. Problem solved."

"Oh really? Well, I wouldn't be so sure of that. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to resist ravishing Nico when you guys made me hump him?"

Gods, Percy could still remember it all too vividly.

Whatever had driven him to pick that position, anyways?  
Then again, he had known doing any other position that would have required them to actually look at each other would have killed him.

So it had been his only choice, kind of.

By the gods, he had wanted to kill Will so badly at that moment.

It had been hot, much too hot, the stupid fireplace creating way too much heat in the small cabin.

And Nico had looked so utterly ravishing as usual.

Not to mention the way he had gotten into position so fluidly, so beautifully seductively, driving Percy crazy and getting him hard before he had even gotten his hands on the boy's hips…

"Oh gods, Percy, don't remind me! That was mortifying!" Nico wailed next to him, burying his face in his hands and Percy could see his ears turning dark red.

Aw, so adorable.

"Yeah, I bet that was very _hard_." Will teased him with a wink and a sly smile, then waved innocently at a few Campers passing them.

Percy shot him a dirty look and put an arm around Nico's shoulders, tugging him closer.

"Ignore him, love. Someday he'll get it all back."

"Yeah, right. What are you going to do? Make me hump Jason? Won't really affect me, sorry." Will said nonchalantly with a shrug.

True, if Percy had had to hump Will or Jason, he probably wouldn't have had any problem at all, either.

Then that would mean he'd have to let Will hump Nico, and he was never ever going to allow that.

Also, Nico would definitely not let him do that while dating Percy…he hoped?

"You know what, maybe we should let Jason hump you instead. Wonder if that'll leave you 'unaffected', as you put it." He suggested, watching how the color drained off Will's face in an instant.

"You wouldn't. I do not bottom. For anybody."

"Guys, seriously, we're in the middle of the Camp, could we stop talking about humping people?" Nico put in rather pained and still had his face hidden in his hands.

Both guys looked at him surprised for a moment.

Then they chuckled and Will put his arm around Nico as well, squeezing his shoulder slightly.

"Sorry, Neeks. Guess we got a bit carried away talking about a game we're apparently never playing again. Though I still think it's fun, even without the really embarrassing things. Promise you'll reconsider?"

"Yeah, yeah. Maybe someday far away in the future." Nico abided, looking around at Percy, still evidently flustered.

Percy grinned at him, resisting the temptation to lean in and kiss him.

Instead, the three walked on.

He really wasn't sure whether he wanted today to be over quickly or not.

On one side, he really wanted it to be Nico's birthday already so he could get it all behind him and rid himself of this nervous giddiness that befell him whenever he thought of tomorrow, on the other hand he was seriously worried about messing it all up.

But both Jason and Will had ensured him everything was going to be fine.

Easy for them to say, but still, he took comfort in their reassuring.

They seemed to be genuine, too.

Sighing, he tugged Nico closer.

Maybe he should talk everything over with Will once more.

Or call Jason.

No, it was going to be fine.

They had it all planned out.

It was still going to be lame, but a better lame than nothing at all.

Yes, everything was going to be fine.

"So, where would you like to take pictures, my Angel?"

.

"Yes, now a bit closer together. Closer together. Seriously, guys, I have pictures on here with you practically snuggling, so don't act like you can't a bit closer than- yeah, that's good. Stay like that. Smile. Will, you look like you're going to stab Percy any moment now. Percy! Don't move! He probably won't, so don't worry."

Why did these two always have to pose so many problems?

They were back in their favorite clearing, the lighting and trees giving the perfect background for pictures.

Getting the two into focus, he snapped a few pictures, hoping they wouldn't turn out blurry even with those two constantly grimacing or fidgeting.

"Why do you need pictures of the two of us together, anyways?" Will complained, shoving Percy away the moment Nico lowered the camera.

Why was Will so touchy lately, anyways?

One moment he sat leaning against Percy with an arm around him, acting as if it was the most normal thing in the world, the next moment he overreacted when Percy only as much as brushed against his shoulder.

Did anybody understand what was going on between those two, anyways?

Nico certainly didn't.

They bickered more than ever, yet Percy still disappeared every day to talk with Will about something Nico wasn't allowed to know about.

Of course, Percy had at first masked it, same as he had the day Will had ended up making them nutrition plans (they were hell, by the way. No fries, no burgers, no pizza…life sucked).

But he had seemed conflicted with the whole prospect of making up an excuse, apparently not wishing to lie to Nico (which he was quite grateful for. He hated lying, after all and wanted to be able to trust Percy unconditionally), so he had told him it had to do with his birthday and that he please not be mad.

As if.

Nico was glad they could actually work together.

Sometimes – in times like now, for example – he was worried they'd end up reverting to their old selves again, what with genuinely disliking each other and arguing 24/7.

They were still bickering so much, though.  
Or again.

It was so weird.

Hopefully, things would solve themselves out, given some more time.

"I want them for my photo album. When Jason is back, we'll do some more with all three of you."

"Your album? Isn't that already full by now?" Will asked, raising a dubious eyebrow.

"He got himself a new one." Percy put in amused.

Nico grinned.

After putting the notes from the Christmas Calendar into his photo album with some more pictures from throughout December, ending with a shot of Percy and Nico kissing under the mistletoe, there really hadn't been any space in there anymore, so he had gotten himself a new one.

Percy liked looking through it with him every now and then, also showing him his own he had gotten as a Christmas present from Nico.

While Nico had somewhat organized his and did some captions on several pages, Percy had kind of no order whatsoever, shots of the Camp and landscape on the same page as pictures of them.

Also, he hadn't written anything on the pages, saying he didn't want to ruin the look of the page with his messy handwriting.

Still, it looked nice.

"Really? You gotta show me the old one sometime. It's been ages since I last saw it. I do hope there are some nice pictures of the two of us in there." Will added, wriggling his eyebrows.

Nico rolled his eyes amused. "Of Percy and you? Not so many, you just wouldn't hold still so they all ended up blurry."

"Aw, Nico, I meant of you and me." Will complained, but Percy's laughter drowned his words.

"Serves you right. Come on, Nico, let me take a few." His boyfriend announced, walking over.

Nico lifted his camera and started taking pictures until he was right in front of him, grinning amused and kissing his forehead.

"Will those go into the album as well?" He asked, taking the camera from Nico and looking through the past pictures with raised eyebrows.

"Maybe, maybe not. So, what should I do?"

Percy didn't immediately reply, instead lifting the camera and snapping a picture of Nico just standing there.

Ha-ha. Very funny.

"Well, you've already perfected the 'stand there and look pretty'-part, so I guess we can do some-…"

"Couple shots!" Will declared, wrapping his arms around Nico from behind the moment Percy snapped another picture.

"Really?" The dark-haired stated drily, eyebrows furrowed together.

But then he only sighed exasperated and took another picture.

Nico blinked at him, stiff as a board and uncertain whether he should fight his way out of the embrace or just stay like this.

"Alright, smile, then, both of you. Will, don't look at him like that or I'll get mad." Percy directed, glowering at the blonde before snapping some more pictures.

Nico turned his head slightly, finding Will grinning at him in a rather dangerous way.

"Would you look at that, he is actually taking pictures of us, Nico. Wouldn't have expected it." He uttered quietly, just loud enough for Nico to hear.

"What are you saying? It better not be anything suggestive."

Will chuckled, tugging Nico closer, pressing his chest against his back, feeling the warmth seeping through the many layers of clothing.

How could Will always be so warm?

Kind of nice, though.

Nico sighed. He did want some more pictures of Will and him.

Somehow, they had the least pictures alone together, if one didn't consider the many pictures from their day together, but those kind of all depicted the same thing, so he couldn't use many of them without making it look as if he used the same over and over.

Leaning against him slightly, he turned his focus back on the camera, smiling tentatively.

"Nothing suggestive. Just saying you're surprisingly nice." He reassured his boyfriend, watching his eyebrows shoot up as he snapped some more pictures.

"Damn right. About time you realize I'm the greatest guy you'll ever meet." He gloated and Nico felt Will stiffen behind him.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just take some more pictures of Nico and me so I have something I can put in my photo album." The blonde then stated sourly and started moving, changing their position.

Percy huffed indignantly, but went with it without complaint, so Nico guessed it was ok.

He let Will mishandle him, putting him into positions he was certain were usually used between couples only, but nobody said anything, so Nico didn't, either.

"Jason is going to be so jealous." Percy remarked after taking a few shots with Will having his arms around Nico and Nico having his arms around the boy's neck, making sure he was staring straight at the camera and not the bright blue, alluring eyes.

He was dating Percy.

So he wasn't going to make it look as if he was being lovey-dovey with Will.

Especially not with Percy only a few feet away and taking pictures.

"Yeah, he will be. Maybe we should do a little photo session with him once he's back. Hey, maybe he'll let you throw him into the lake if we say he'll get that as reward." Will suggested with a sly grin, letting go of Nico with a last wink before walking over to Percy.

"Maybe. But that would only work if Nico offers it." Percy said thoughtfully, looking over at Nico as he mutely handed over the camera to Will.

"I don't understand why you want to throw him into the lake in the first place. The water is way too cold. But I'd like some more pictures with him, too."

"Then we'll take some. Now, Percy, put your arms around him like I did earlier. Yeah, like that. And a bit closer together. Nico, look at him, not at me. I know I'm irresistible, but I want you two to make heart eyes at each other, so I can show Jason what I have to endure day in day out."

"Oh wow, thanks so much, sun-bug. I'm being considerate, you know." Percy grumbled and Nico chuckled, turning to look at his boyfriend.

Percy met his gaze, expression instantly softening.

"Hey."

Nico's grin widened.

Why were they always doing this?

"Hey." He replied and both of them chuckled quietly, Nico instantly relaxing into Percy's arms.

Percy tugged him closer, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.

Nico rolled his eyes, glancing towards the camera and Will, but Will seemed utterly absorbed in taking pictures, not even scowling or making a dry remark at the proximity.

Then he looked back at Percy, getting lost in those sea-green eyes of his.

One of his hands reached out to stroke a rebellious strand of hair out of Nico's face and then placed itself on his cheek, thumb gently stoking circular patterns across it.

"That's cute. Want me to take some kissing pictures? I think the only ones you have are those from Christmas and New Year's, right?"

"You'd do that?" Percy asked surprised and Nico looked around as well.

Therefore that Will started complaining or looking upset every time Percy as much as held Nico's hand for too long, this was kind of unexpected?

The blonde rolled his eyes openly.

"Well, duh. Earth to you dorks, I know you're dating. I've seen people kiss before. It's not like it's that big of a deal."

Percy and Nico exchanged a doubtful glance.

"Well…ok, then. Nico?" Percy asked hesitantly.

Nico shrugged.

He…he did want pictures of Percy and him, and kissing pictures would surely be nice, but to actually kiss on demand in front of the camera?

With Will the one taking the pictures?

Sounded kind of awkward.

The mistletoe kisses had already been horribly awkward, but both of them had kind of been too elated to really care.

"You're doing it. Now shush and smooch." Will ordered and lifted the camera again.

Nico blinked up at Percy, who looked back slightly flustered, if the light blush stood for anything.

Then he leaned down and pressed his lips onto Nico's timidly.

It was completely different from their usual kisses.

Awkward and stiff and much too hesitant.

"Oh gods, guys, stop. Seriously, that's horrible. What are you doing?"

Percy pulled back, looking utterly ashamed and uncomfortable, a dark blush adorning his face.

Nico couldn't help but chuckle and buried his face in his hands.

"Sorry…"

"Don't worry, love. It was my fault. Want to try again?" Percy offered.

"You're both too stiff. Relax. Come on, just get into a position that makes you both comfortable and forget I'm here. Or want me to leave for a few minutes?"

Nico bit his lip and shook his head. "No, I'm good. Let's try again."

Percy nodded and they tried to get back into the same position as they were in before, facing each other, arms around each other, both pink in the face.

"No. Stop. Still too stiff. Ok, change of plans. Percy, come here for a moment."

Percy's head instantly snapped around. "You are NOT kissing my boyfriend, Solace." He growled, green eyes dark with unspoken threat.

Will lifted his arms defensively, though unimpressed. "Chill. I had no intention of doing so, whatsoever. I might be crazy, but neither desperate nor suicidal. Now, get your butt over here."

Percy grumbled, but followed suite, trudging over to Will, his expression still guarded.

But Will didn't pass him the camera or anything.

Instead, he leaned forward to whisper something in Percy's ear that Nico couldn't catch.

What?  
What was he saying?

Percy's eyes widened slightly and he glanced towards Nico for a moment, then back at Will, who lifted a questioning eyebrow.

Percy looked conflicted for a moment longer, then he gave a slight nod.

Will shot Nico a grin and a thumbs up, then held up the camera again as Percy walked back towards Nico.

"What was that a-…" He asked, but couldn't get further before Percy cupped his face and drew him in for a kiss.

Holy Hera!

Where had that come from?

Nico stayed stiff for a total of three seconds before relaxing against Percy, returning the kiss and closing his eyes, arms wrapping around him by themselves, tugging him closer.

Yes, this was how they usually kissed.

Percy huffed against his lips slightly and deepened the kiss, nudging his bottom lip with his tongue until Nico gave in and let him in.

Yes, this was exactly what he wanted.

He gasped as Percy's hands moved from his face to his chest to his sides, pulling him closer against him, his warm fingers sliding beneath his Camp jacket and sweater to touch his cool skin beneath.

Percy grinned against his lips, then challenged his tongue once more, his legs suddenly beginning to move, urging Nico to walk backwards.

He did, feeling a tree against his back only a few stumbled steps later, Percy pushing against him from the front.

This…why hadn't they done this before?

Percy pulled back slightly, nibbling on his bottom lip some more and placing a series of pecks on his lips.

"Much better." He purred against Nico's lips and Nico couldn't help but grin.

"Definitely."

Opening his eyes slowly, he looked into dazed, sea-green eyes full of lust and love and warmth.

"I love you."

"Love you more."

"No way."

"Yes way."

They shared some more pecks, grinning at each other stupidly, Percy's hands moving back up to meet Nico's as he pulled them back from around his neck, threading their fingers together.

"Splendid. See? This is how to do it. Was that so difficult?" Will's voice piped up next to them and Nico squeaked, the two jumping apart in shock.

Oh shit! He had completely forgotten about the pictures - and Will being there!

Looking around, he saw Percy looking around at Will with wide eyes, apparently in the same situation as Nico.

Will on the other hand seemed fairly unperturbed, clicking through the pictures on the camera with a serious face.

"I think I got a few good ones. What's next?" He asked, looking up at them with an utterly indifferent expression.

But it was an odd form of indifference.

Like…detachment.

Even though he smiled at them, the smile didn't reach his eyes, leaving them a dull blue.

"S-Sorry, I think we got a bit…erm…carried away." He found himself apologizing automatically, fumbling a bit with his jacket to fix his tousled appearance.

Percy looked uncomfortable as well.

But Will only waved off. "No big deal. So, you want me to take some more or want to go back to your cabin and check them out on your laptop? I think I saw a fair few of us I'd like to print out."

Nico looked towards Percy, who gazed at him uncertainly, then towards Will, then he shook his head confused.

"I think we should go back. Let's take more photos when Jason is around as well. That way we can do more group pictures."

Nico nodded his agreement, taking the camera from Will.

When their hands touched by accident, Will immediately pulled back, grinning sheepishly at him before distancing himself, putting his hands into his pockets.

Guilt welled up inside Nico.

They had pretty much made out right in front of him just like that.

What if they had actually continued? What if they had taken things further than that, oblivious to their friend standing right next to them?

Will was always the one complaining the loudest when Percy and Nico got too close and all, why was he trying to act so unbothered by them now?

He didn't understand.

Glancing at Percy, he found him gazing at Will with a frown as well, apparently at a loss just like Nico.

Exchanging a clueless glance, they both shrugged and followed Will as he led the group back to Camp, whistling a happy tune that for some reason didn't sound happy at all.

.

"Hey…sorry about earlier…you know…" Percy mumbled awkwardly, closing the door behind him quietly.

Will threw him an exasperated glance. "Is that why you've asked me to come into the bathroom with you?"

Seriously, that guy.

He was FINE.  
Ok, it had hurt, but that had kind of been the point.

But, gods, those two idiots just had to be the most considerate people on the planet.

Next to Jason.

How ironic.

Seriously, there were billions of people on the planet, tons of them assholes, the rest normal-ish, and a fair few were considerate fools.

And it was just Will's luck that he not only found himself having one such fool as friend, no, Will had to go overboard and have three of them.

Then again, he wasn't surprised.

With his luck, they could have been the only fools in the entire universe and he'd still have ended up with them.

Other people would be happy, he guessed.

It was great having them as friends, after all.

But they were just so difficult!

"Huh? Oh, no. Well, I did want to apologize once more, though I have to admit it was kinda your fault because, for one, you told me to take him by surprise, which probably was the only way to get any good picture of us kissing, by the way, else we'd still be standing there really awkwardly – I should probably thank you for that, then, shouldn't I? And for another, you completely did not interfere. You should have said something! You kissed him before, you know how alluring it is to just forget everything around you and get lost in that…that feeling…" A dreamy expression hushed over Percy's face and Will blew out an exasperated breath.

That guy.

"I wouldn't know. When I was kissing him I was so scared he'd pull back that I couldn't get to the point of 'forgetting everything around me'. The fact that he ran away right after didn't help much, either, for some reason. No clue why. Do you have any idea?" He asked sarcastically and Percy made a face.

"Sorry. I guess that was a dumb thing to say."

"No duh. So, tell me, why exactly are we in a bathroom? Alone? Again?"

Was this becoming a thing? Because Will didn't like it.

The bathrooms in the cabins were small, smaller, the smallest, and Percy wasn't exactly a distance-type of person.

Quite the contrary, standing so freaking close to Will there was barely enough space between them to fit a Nico in.

"Can we go over everything once more? What's the plan for tonight? I kind of originally just wanted to get him into bed and sleep and then start kind of…normal-ish tomorrow morning."

Will wanted to strangle him.

They had already been over the whole plan for tomorrow a hundred times!

Just because Will was staying over until some point past midnight didn't mean anything had to change!

"Well, let's see. Nico is picking a few films right now. We'll watch films, eat some snacks later, maybe play some card games. Come midnight, we'll wish him a Happy Birthday and hug and kiss - oh my gods, Percy, don't shoot me that guilty look, you're meant to look mad and upset and tell me off and say something like 'Don't you dare kiss my boyfriend', instead of looking like a kicked puppy, get your shit together! I said I'm fine. It's not like I haven't seen you kiss before. I even saw you make out before. I even heard you getting off before. It's not like it's such a big deal! Anyways, I'll leave you two alone at some point past midnight and you can drag him into bed and sleep. Then, in the morning, you can proceed utterly normally, doing whatever you planned on doing and we'll see each other at breakfast eventually, together with the others. And everything past that point will go exactly as planned as well. If Jason makes it, that will just be an additional plus. But even if he doesn't, everything is going to be fine. Anything else?" He asked, raising an eyebrow that hopefully conveyed something along the lines of 'I am just asking to be nice, this better be all'.

Apparently, it didn't.

"You heard us getting off?"

Will just stared at him. "Didn't we already discuss this when Jason said it wasn't a good idea for the two of you to tag along with him because you were kind of loud in the bathroom?"

"Oh! That. For a moment I thought…" Percy's ears turned a dark shade of red and he looked away hastily, looking partly relieved, partly embarrassed, but a hundred percent guilty.

Will had a feeling he did not want to know.

"Right…so, anything else? Or can we get back to Nico now? You do know you'll end up making him worry if you act so secretive, right?"

"Yeah, I'm so glad his birthday is tomorrow. I don't think I could take it if I had to wait another week or something."

"You seriously aren't a very patient person. However did you manage not to tell him about the Advent Calendar? Or any of us, for that matter. Seriously, I would have expected you to at least confide into Jason. You two are kind of close, after all. If you want to be, that is."

It was true. When Will had found out it had been Percy, his first thought had been that Jason must have known, so it had come as a huge surprise to have Jason that shocked, declaring he had thought it had been Will.

He so wished it had been himself, too.

Then Nico would be his now and none of this mess would have happened.  
Oh well, that's what he got for not thinking of an Advent Calendar.

For a moment, he wondered what would have happened if he had had the idea as well and Nico would have suddenly had two admirers.

Oh my, and what if Jason had had the same idea?

Nico would have so thought somebody was trying to mess with him.

He would have never believed them.

"I wanted to. So many times. I wanted to tell anybody, everybody, all the time. It was horrible. I kept talking to Annabeth, Piper, Leo and Calypso about it, though. Did you know they are all very impatient, easily aggravated people? They all kicked me out, yelling at me to get myself together." He wailed and Will would have laughed if Percy didn't look so devastated for a moment.

Without thinking, he found himself stepping closer to Percy a moment later, stroking some strands of dark, messy hair out of his face.

"Oh really? I wonder why." He said in a low voice, hand staying at the side of Percy's head for a long moment, playing with his hair.

Percy made a face, leaning into the touch slightly. "Well, I couldn't help it, ok?"

Will nodded with exaggerated sympathy, his hand still in Percy's hair.

What was he even doing…?

He should stop this.

This was dangerous.  
They were way too close.

And why was Percy even letting him do this?

Eyes hushing over the boy's face to discern what he might be thinking of this, he found Percy's bottom lip sticking out slightly, looking way too alluring to Will in his current state of mind.

Scared of what direction his thoughts were taking, he finally managed to pull back, giving Percy some more space again.

"Of course. Now, come on Romeo, let's get you back to…Julio."

Percy's lips twitched and Will took it as permission to unlock the bathroom door and step back outside hastily.

.

"Oh? You done? That was quick. I thought I'd only see you again in some hours." Nico remarked drily, finally having recovered from the photo-taking.

He still was a bit fidgety, though.

"Yeah, your boyfriend is a worrywart, by the way." Will informed him drily, hurrying over to the bed and flopping down onto it, looking slightly distressed about something Nico didn't know.

"Yeah, I know. Adorable, isn't he?" He said with a small smile, glancing towards Percy as he emerged from the bathroom as well, looking a lot better than earlier.

Seriously, whatever had troubled him, Will seemed to have been able to soothe his worries.

That was good, he guessed?

Nico looked back towards Will, but the blonde was fingering his envelope with the pictures he had printed out and seemed lost in thought.

Well, they had taken plenty of good pictures, he guessed.

Nico certainly had a lot more of Will and himself now than he'd probably ever need.

Unsurprisingly, Will had demanded one of each of the various positions he had placed them in.

Seriously, they looked way too close for friends.

But neither Percy nor Will had said anything about it, so Nico had refrained from mentioning anything, either, instead obligingly printing out the demanded pictures, some twice or three times for Percy and himself as well (though Percy was very picky with his choices).

While Percy had been rather open about the pictures of Will and himself, wanting four of the best shots for his album, Will had complained non-stop about the necessity of those pictures in the first place, needing both Nico's and Percy's insistence to even as much as agree on one of them (Nico actually couldn't have cared less, but Percy had acted almost heart-broken at Will's constant denial and resentment, so he had decided to pick his side just this once).

Seriously, he couldn't understand these two whatsoever.

One moment Will insisted he didn't want Percy's face in his photo album 'because of reasons', then he let Percy drag him to the bathroom no ten minutes later for 'last-minute counseling'.

Whatever that meant.

They were seriously making way too much fuss about his birthday.

A small smile played on his lips and he allowed Percy to wrap him into a hug from behind, tilting his head to the side for a kiss to the neck.

Ok, maybe he did like it a tiny little bit.  
It was simply the way they seemed so excited about it all, excited for him to get a year older.

It made him feel loved and cared for and that was a really awesome feeling.

"Adorable, huh? Well, I hope that's a good thing, then. I'm just trying to ensure everything is going to be perfect for my perfect, super adorable boyfriend." Percy muttered against his ear and Nico chuckled, putting his hands on Percy's arms and holding him there as he leaned against him slightly.

"Of course. You're such a dork, you know that?"

"You know you love it."

"I do." Nico admitted, closing his eyes as Percy kissed the base of his neck again.

"I love you." Percy breathed against his skin and Nico felt himself shivering slightly.

"Yeah, we know you do. Now, come on, let's start the movie!" Will's voice piped up next to them and the magic of the moment was broken.

Nico urged his eyes open again and caught Will rolling his eyes exasperated before he turned away to get the TV.

Yeah, this was definitely the downside of having people over in the evenings again.

He guessed they should tone it down a bit with Will around.

Glancing at Percy, he found him looking rather guiltily to the ground, looking towards Will every now and then with a conflicted expression.

Well, he guessed they really had to tone it down a bit.

Nico knew Percy generally tried to be considerate of the guys whenever they were around, that had already been like that back in New Rome.

It seemed to him as if they might have had a talk about all of this, which he wouldn't be surprised about in the slightest, either.

So he could understand that Percy would feel guilty if they did end up overstepping the invisible line Nico could not yet decipher.

It was all just too confusing?

One moment Will was laughing and taking pictures of them kissing, directing them around as if he didn't have any problem whatsoever, another moment he looked heartbroken when Percy as much as put his arm around Nico.

How was Nico supposed to know what was ok and what was not?  
How was Percy supposed to know?  
Did Will even know, himself?

He did seem somewhat…confused, Disorientated. Sometimes Nico even had the impression he felt lost.

In those times Nico tried especially hard to embed him into their conversations or doings and he could swear Percy did the same, indicating his boyfriend felt the same way, but he couldn't be completely sure (they didn't exactly talk about Will that much, because Nico still dreaded the day Percy demanded to know how Nico felt about the blonde since dating Percy – ugh, not good to dwell on that now).

But it seemed things were getting better.

Maybe it simply had to do with the lack of sleep from before.

Now he actually got more sleep, the sleepovers apparently really helping.

He hadn't managed to sleep in anymore, but at least he had only woken up twice the first night, other wisely actually sleeping through, though barely.

Nico still remembered all too vividly how both Percy and him had tried to wake the blonde, who had thrashed around between them like a maniac, panting as if running a marathon, his body covered in cold sweat.

He had woken with a small cry, eyes unfocused and wild, babbling something neither of them had understood before somewhat coming back to himself, at least enough to sit up, looking disorientated and disturbed.

Percy and Nico had helped him to the bathroom both times to clean him up and dry him off somewhat and brought him back to bed, though Will hadn't spoken a single word and only stared into space, looking dazed, unfocused, too far gone.

When they had asked him in the morning what that had been about, however, he had only given them a puzzled expression, apparently not remembering a thing.

It had been quite disturbing.

But gladly it had only happened the first night.

Now Will was pretty much as he had been before Jason had left.

Maybe it really had something to do with Jason, but somehow Nico kind of doubted it.

It just didn't…fit.

But he had no clue what else it could be, just a feeling in the pit of his stomach that piped up whenever he watched Will struggling with his nightmares.

Just…something.

Maybe it was simply because he was so used to prophecies and drama and lots of conspiracy and murder and blood, that he expected something bad to happen or something.

That those nightmares meant more than they did, that they were just the beginning of something much bigger, darker…oh wow, now he was seriously going way too deep into this.

Nico shook his head slightly to himself, bringing himself back to reality, inside his cabin, looking around to watch Percy eye his choice of movies for the night with a small grin.

Of course he'd like them.

"Well, it's going to be an entertaining night, that much is for sure." Percy commented as he noticed Nico's gaze and held up the DVD's for Will to see, who groaned at the sight, flopping backwards on the bed.

"Not the Pirates of the Caribbean again…"

Percy and Nico exchanged amused glances and went over to the blonde, Percy putting in the first DVD and getting everything ready while Nico sat down next to Will on the bed, leaning over him slightly to grin at him.

"Oh come on, you said you liked them."

"Yeah, but we already watched them like five times ever since you got the series." Will complained, looking up at him with a pout, his hand closing around Nico's wrist as if to keep him there – though Nico had made no indication of wishing to move.

He gazed down into those bright blue eyes, noting off-handedly how he really looked a lot better now from the past nights of sleep.

His tan was back to normal, his freckles not standing out so prominently anymore, though Nico had to admit it had kind of made him look cute.

Though this definitely looked healthier.

Will gazed up at him, his expression unreadable as his eyes hushed between Nico's, maybe looking for something, maybe contemplating something, maybe both, maybe neither, Nico had no idea.

"So? At least we're not watching Finding Nemo. I seriously don't know whether I'm looking forward to 'Finding Dory' or not, because on one side it will give us some sort of variety, on the other I know that if the film is good we'll have to watch it until we know it by heart."

He heard Percy snort indignantly behind him but he didn't contradict him either.

They all knew it to be the truth, anyways.

Will's lips split into a wide grin. "Know it by heart? Please, what an understatement. We will watch that film a thousand times no matter if it's good or bad. Come on, you know as well as I do that we will not only know that film by heart, we'd still be able to recite the entire thing in our sleep. Even if some god erased our memories, we'd probably still be able to reenact the movie."

Nico chuckled at that thought, though they knew they wouldn't laugh if it truly happened (Nico wouldn't put anything behind the gods, after all), looking around at Percy, who only made a face and huffed, apparently utterly offended.

"I am NOT that bad. Come on, guys, cut me some slack. We have only watched Finding Nemo like, what,…twenty times? That's not THAT much." He stated sulkily, coming over to them and Nico finally moved away from leaning over the blonde, allowing him to sit back up and pull his hand back from around Nico's wrist, which promptly felt a lot colder.

He half expected Percy to force his way between the two, but Percy only flopped on Nico's other side and played with the TV remote, his bottom lip still sticking out in a pout.

"Percy, we watched that film more than twenty times. Every time Jason and you got me to hang out with you, we'd watch that film. Even when none of us were actually watching, it was still running in the background. So don't tell me we 'only' watched Finding Nemo twenty times, because first of all, that's a heavy understatement, and second, I know that film by heart and I don't even like it all that much. That's like…like…"

"Like knowing the lyrics to a song you don't like." Will put in helpfully, putting his elbows on his thighs and his face in his hands, looking gleefully at Percy, who glowered back insulted.

"Yeah, pretty much like that."

"You guys simply don't have any taste. That's all." Percy uttered with a sniff.

"Hey, I have splendid taste, just so you know. Nico, I'm not so sure about, though. He is dating YOU, after all." Will stated drily and Nico groaned.

He was being an ass again.

This was going to be one hell of a night.

"Pfft, you're just jealous!" Percy complained and Nico grabbed the remote from him, starting up the movie.

Seriously, if he didn't stop them now, they were going to keep bickering all night long.

"Hey, who do you guys like more? Captain Jack Sparrow or Will Turner?" He asked, unable to think of anything better right now as he hoped the film would start quickly and make them shut up again.

"Sparrow." Both of them replied instantly, then turned to glare at each other again.

Oh gods, they weren't going to start an argument on who liked him more right now, right?

"Excuse you, I liked him first."

Shit, they were.

"In your dreams, Solace."

"I think it's cool. He's cool, after all. I mean, he's funny, kind of good-looking and always manages to get out of everything in the most bizarre ways. I can see why you like him. To be honest, he reminds me a bit of you, Percy." Nico tried futilely to get them to stop bickering.

For a long moment, there was silence.

Then Will looked away pointedly.

"He's not that great. I don't like him all that much."

Percy snorted. "You just said you liked him first!"

Nico closed his eyes, burying his face in his hands.

"Well, I changed my mind. I'd take Will Turner. He's handsome as well and loyal and kind, looking for his girl and risking everything to get her to safety. Much better than some pirate guy who just wants to live forever. I mean, just think about it, Will Turner really did everything for that girl, even after finding her kissing Jack. Jack would have never risked half as much for her." Will rambled, still looking firmly away except for a pointed glare in Percy's direction, who huffed indignantly and shifted uncomfortably.

"So what are you playing at? Are you trying to say I wouldn't risk everything for Nico?"

Oh shit.

"I'm just saying that Will Turner simply was the better guy, that's all."

"Guys, stop. Let's just watch the film in peace. And anyways, who said anything about me being the girl? Maybe I'm Will Turner or something? Ever thought of that?"

"No. Will is Will Turner." "I'm Will Turner." Both of them stated resolutely, glaring at each other positively menacingly.

"Fine then. Then Jason is the girl. I'll be one of the pirates. I always wanted to be a pirate. You go ahead fighting over Jason, I'll let him know of your efforts." Nico uttered sulkily, crossing his arms in front of his chest and pointedly staring at the screen, where the movie was already starting, disregarded by the other two.

Both guys sputtered and looked at him alarmed.

"We are NOT fighting over Jason!" Will insisted shocked.

"Nico! What are you bringing Jason into this for?" Percy cried horrified.

Nico only shrugged with his shoulders. "Why not? You obviously want to fight over somebody, but since I'd be a pirate getting myself a pirate boyfriend and sailing the seas with him and my crew, that can't be me."

"Eh? You wouldn't date me?" Percy pouted and inched closer, nudging him slightly to draw his attention, but Nico kept his eyes firmly on the TV, watching Jack save Elisabeth from drowning.

Will mumbled a quiet 'Who would?', but it luckily went unnoticed by Percy, who still tried his hardest to get Nico's attention.

But Nico only pulled his legs up and moved back on the bed to put his back against the wall, ignoring both of them.

Seriously, they were such kids.

And he was NOT the girl!

He'd be a pirate, a really cool one.

With his own ship and crew that would respect him and they'd have tons of adventures and find more treasure than any of the others and have the best life ever.

He could so picture that.

Nico had his eyes peeled on the screen, but he could still see Percy and Will exchange pointed looks.

At first, they were glares – Nico could almost hear their mute conversation.

'This is all your fault.'

'No way, Solace, you started this whole mess.'

'Don't even try to pin it on me. It's you who can't shut up for once.'

Yep, he could so picture it.

Then the glares turned to exasperated, pointed looks of 'Would you finally give in?' and 'Get over it already!'.

It was kind of funny to watch them, really.

And Nico was kind of curious who of them was going to bend first.

Was he going to see them actually make up for once?  
Like, really make up? Instead of just dropping the topic and never speaking of it again?

Both of them raised a pointed eyebrow, daring the other to apologize.

Then they both scowled once more.

So much about that.

He guessed he shouldn't have expected that much.

Sighing, he concentrated back on the film, feeling both their eyes on him once more.

Pah! If they thought he was going to pay them any mind before they acted like their age, they were dead wrong.

The two looked back at each other, then moved simultaneously towards Nico, inching closer from his left and right, snuggling up to him and obviously trying to draw his attention to either of them.

No, he was NOT going to play this game (again).

The last time this had happened, they had started bickering all over again about Nico picking one of them (at the time, it had been Percy – duh, he was dating him, so obviously he was going to turn to him first, especially if he was going to get a kiss...Will hadn't seemed to think the same way, though).

Lifting his chin slightly, he kept his eyes trained on the TV, though he wished he could glance at them at least a tiny bit more to see their faces better.

Apparently, they were staring each other down again.

Then Will groaned out loud.

"Fine! I'm sorry. I suppose what I said was a tad harsh. It's not like I was being utterly serious." He admitted, turning his face away slightly and not looking at either of them, looking disgruntled.

"A tad harsh? You pretty much threw it in my face that-…whatever. Nevermind. I suppose I brought it upon myself. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I guess." Percy grudgingly gave in, looking away sulkily as well.

Nico risked a glance at both of them, taking in their bitter and disgruntled expressions.

They tried so hard to act all tough.

It was almost endearing if it wasn't so tiring and exhausting at the same time.

Then both of them looked around at him with identical pouts and snuggled closer.

"Nico~, I'm sorry!" Both of them wailed at the same time and Nico had trouble controlling his face muscles as to not laugh or chuckle or as much as grin, instead only raising one assessing eyebrow.

Both pushed out their bottom lips, giving him the puppy eyes.

He looked from one to the other, fixing them with a long, pointed stare each.

Then he rolled his eyes and looked back at the TV screen. "You're such kids."

They both started grinning broadly, exchanging a relieved glance – then they suddenly threw themselves onto Nico, urging him down into the mattress with their bodies.

"What the…" He exclaimed, then Will's hands found his sides and started tickling, forcing him to laugh out loud against his will.

"Nico~!" They both all but purred, Percy's face at his neck, blowing a raspberry, Will's face right above Nico's, grinning maliciously.

Nico snorted and sputtered with laughter, one hand trying to shove Will away, the other one in Percy's hair, trying to either tug him away or closer to stop that horrid tickling sensation (and the noise).

His legs started kicking as well, but Will simply sat down on them, taking away any chance of freedom, while Percy's hands joined Will in their apparent mission of tickling Nico to death.

So far, it was working.

Tears formed at the corners of his eyes as he started pleading for mercy, pulling his hands back to cover his face instead of trying to stop them, because seriously, it seemed pointless.

They chuckled menacingly and continued, their words lost in Nico's laughter.

He felt Percy pulling back and had a fleeting spark of hope for mercy, but then Will took his spot, blowing raspberries on his arms and shoulder (luckily, not his neck, though) and Nico found his hands on Will's back, clawing his shirt and giggling (actually. giggling.), chuckling, laughing and pleading for mercy with all the breath he could muster.

He was just beginning to wonder where Percy had went, when his boyfriend appeared on his other side, grinning over both ears and taking over Will's tickling spots at Nico's side again.

"No…please…stop…" He huffed and panted and wheezed, every muscle in his body aching from laughing so hard.

"Should we stop, Perce?" Will asked with a malicious grin on his face, eyes fixed on Nico with a dangerous gleam that sent shivers down Nico's spine.

"Hmm, I don't know, sun-bug. We don't want to overdo it. Wouldn't want to risk his wrath now, would we?"

"I suppose we don't, you're right, Gorgeous. But he can take a bit more, right?"

They both looked down at Nico, who only managed to shake his head feebly, wheezing and panting and utterly out-powered.

"No…no, I really…really don't…"

Percy and Will exchanged knowing glances, evil smirks building on their faces.

"A tiny bit more?" Will suggested.

"A tiny bit more." Percy agreed.

Nico wailed in terror as both of them pounced on him once more, the DVD still running in the background, long forgotten

.

The next hours passed with them joking around and tickling each other, Nico taking revenge and effortlessly dominating both Percy and Will in turn, not needing any help in keeping them down and tickling the living hell out of them.

Percy loved and hated it at the same time.

He loved tickling, but hated being on the receiving end of it, though Nico doing it wasn't half bad, especially not with that dangerous gleam in his eyes that made Percy shiver and yearn for Nico to get closer, to kiss him, make out with him…yeah, not good, especially not with Will right next to them.

The blonde had at first put up a good fight against Nico, but had then given in and admitted defeat, letting Nico tickle him and laughing and giggling freely, only gazing up at him with a wanting expression that indicated he felt the same way as Percy did about Nico being dominant.

Percy had to admit it didn't leave him cool, having Will looking at Nico like that, but since he didn't try anything and kept his hands mostly to himself, he didn't say anything or stop them.

He was also fairly certain Nico didn't notice a thing, so there was that.

When they had finally managed to settle down again, the film had already been almost over, so they had pulled out Nico's Mythomagic game and played that for the rest of the film, only watching every here and there, though still enough to justify having it running.

Once it was over, though, Will had loudly complained about the sudden silence, which had led to Nico putting in the second DVD, much to Percy's delight and Will's dismay.

Needless to say, they had started debating the use of watching the second part of a series where they had just pretty much skipped the first part of, but Percy was proud to say he had won (offering to watch the first part all over again while quoting a few of his favorite scenes surely had done the trick).

Once the second movie was running, though, they somehow found themselves back on the bed, all three with their backs against the wall, Nico in the middle, Percy on his right, Will on his left, both having their arms around the Italian.

It felt nice, sitting here like this, watching a film together, stealing each other's chips from the bag in Nico's lap (every time one of them grabbed one chip, the other two would try snatch it away- yes, they were very mature and they knew it) and basically only goofing around to pass the time.

As the other two concentrated on the screen, Percy picked some crumbs off the Christmas blanket, flicking them off the bed.

Then he went to grab himself another handful of chips, just to have Will aim for the same.

Their hands started swatting each other away, trying to get into the bag first.

"Sun-bug…" Percy muttered darkly, trying to move past Will's much too fast hand.

Seriously, it was night-time, Will should be slow as hell right about now!

"Forget it, Gorgeous, I was first." Will retorted, giving him the evil eye.

Gorgeous? Where had that come from? The first time Will had said that, he had brushed it off as joke, but now again?

Percy found himself grinning broadly for no real reason, his insides all jittery and warm. Flicking Will's hand off and sliding past it into the bag Nico had pushed further away from himself to not have their hands in his face anymore, he grabbed a handful of chips, only to notice that those were the last chips in the bag.

"Ha!"

"No way!" Will cried, grabbing the empty bag as Percy pulled back.

Percy grinned victoriously, trying to get his chips to safety, but the next moment, Will used both hands to try get them, causing Percy to pull his hand up as far as possible with Will hanging onto his arm.

"Mine!" Percy insisted, chuckling and stretching his upper body to get his hand further away, losing a couple of chips that fell back into Nico's lap.

"That's unfair, I was first! You can't just take chips that are rightfully mine!" Will whined, tugging on Percy's arm.

"Should have been faster. They are mine now! Only mine!"

"Sharing is caring!"

"Well, who said I cared?"

Will gaped at him in mock shock, then tugged on his arm once more with renewed determination, shifting his position as if he intended to stand up on the bed or something.

Percy imitated his movements to stay out of his reach, some more chips falling, this time onto Nico's head, who only sighed exasperated and looked from one to the other.

"Really, guys? You do know I have another pack of those, right?"

They ignored him, staring each other down and slowly getting up, Percy's hand full of chips still firmly out of Will's reach, though he knew that wouldn't be for long.

They were roughly the same height, after all.

As soon as they stood on the mattress, Percy pulled back in order to keep his snacks safe, whereas Will spurted forwards, apparently intending to tackle him.

"You'll never get them!" Percy cried and jumped off the bed to run for it, closely followed by Will, simply hopping over Nico, who looked after them unimpressed, though Percy could have sworn he had seen his lips twitch.

"You coward! They are mine! Give them back!"

"They have never been yours! Give up, it's pointless!" Percy called over his shoulder, racing from one corner of the cabin to the other.

Running from Will was easy enough, since it was night and Will was much slower than usual, not to mention out of breath a lot faster than usual.

The problem was that Will wasn't stupid and the cabin was small, so it was only a matter of time until freckled arms closed around Percy's midriff, pulling him backwards and causing him to lose his balance, sending them both tumbling onto the floor.

For some reason that eluded him, Percy had this dumb idea of turning around to catch Will's head as to soften his fall (he didn't want him to get a concussion or something, after all).

Yeah, might have been a nice idea - if he hadn't been using his chips-filled hand.

A loud crunch filled the cabin next to their absolutely manly outcries of 'Oww' and 'Ouch!' as they hit the ground, staring at each other in utter shock, their faces inches apart.

For a fraction of a second, Percy almost got lost in those bright blue eyes, the memory of that picture floating back into his mind.

But then he felt the left-over's of the chips pricking into his hand and he made a face, pulling back.

Will's arms were still around his waist for some reason, holding onto him for a moment longer, tugging slightly, as if to keep him there, on top of him.

But then the blonde let go of him harshly with a scowl, shoving him off him and sitting up, putting his hands to the back of his head.

"What the hell-…the chips! Oh, man, Percy!" He wailed, picking crumbs out of his hair and glaring at Percy, who instantly made a face.

"Not my fault if you decide to tear me down!"

"But the chips!"

"Not my fault!"

"The chips, Percy!" Will whined and Percy pushed his bottom lip out, inspecting his hand and trying to rid it off the last remnants of the potato chips.

Then he found one lonely, still intact chip on his lap and his face lit up.

"Chip!" He chirped, picking it up, just to see Will's incredulous expression.

Just as he was about to eat it, Will surged forward. "Oh no, you won't!"

And then the most peculiar thing happened.

It was as if time slowed down around them or something, because Percy could definitely see in very clear detail how Will got closer and closer and_ closer_, eyes ablaze, lips still parted from his outcry - yet he had no time whatsoever to react in time.

The potato chip had only just made it halfway past his lips when Will's lips closed around it, brushing against Percy's ever so slightly, sending an unidentifiable jolt through Percy's entire body, setting him on fire.

And he felt the utterly illogical and impossible urge to move forward, to press their lips together, to get closer, to do something.

What…?

But then Will was already pulling back, eyes gleaming triumphantly as he snatched the potato chip from him, though Percy found himself utterly uncaring about the chip right now, staring transfixed at Will.

"Ha! Mine. Told you so." Will stated smugly, sitting back upright and chewing the potato chip exaggeratedly, looking utterly pleased with himself.

Percy still stared at him, his insides swirling.

What had that been?  
Had that just been him or had Will felt that, too?

That had definitely been…weird.

Percy couldn't remember ever feeling anything quite like that.  
Except when he was making out with Nico, of course.

But this…this had been different.

And Percy did not like it.

Not with Will, not like this, not in this weird, half-assed and apparently one-sided way.  
No, he didn't like it.

"That was my chip, you bastard! Spit it back out!" He called and Will squeaked, jumping up and running for it, Percy stumbling to go after him.

No, he hadn't liked it whatsoever.  
Absolutely not.

Will fled to Nico, who had apparently gotten up and gotten them the second bag of the potato chips, holding them out to Percy as he came to a stop before him.

But instead of grabbing the chips, Percy cupped Nico's face and pulled it forward, sealing their lips.

Yes, this was what he wanted.  
This was what he liked.

Nico. This. His perfect, alluringly soft lips against his own.  
The earthy scent filling his nose.  
The gentle coolness radiating from his body.  
The little huff escaping Nico as he parted his lips for Percy's tongue.  
The warmth of his mouth and the way his tongue nudged Percy's, as if asking to play.

Yes, this was exactly what he wanted.

"Oh really? If I had known I'd get a kiss from Nico, you could have kept your potato chip." Will remarked drily from somewhere to his side and he found himself pulling back automatically, letting go off Nico to turn his head towards Will.

"Oh shush, sun-bug."

Sun-bug.

He frowned at himself.

Was he really using that pet name this often?  
Maybe he should stop doing that.

It seemed to confuse something inside him, apparently.

Yeah, he should probably stop using that.

If only he had any actual control over using it.

It just kind of always slipped out, he only ever noticed after he had already said it.  
Ugh, he would simply have to pay more attention in the future.

He wanted to tug Nico closer, wanted to bury his face in his hair and inhale his scent and curl up with him under the blanket, wanted to forget the world around him and just be at ease again, but Nico pulled back slightly to sit back down on the bed.

"Seriously, you two. Come on, let's finish the movie, it's only two more hours until midnight. Here, I even got you two bowls, so you won't have to fight anymore."

Percy huffed, pushing out his bottom lip in a pout as he gave in to the fact he couldn't snuggle up to Nico as he wanted right now, instead flopping down next to him and risking a quick glance at Will while taking one of the two bowls from Nico as he filled it up with a few handful of chips.

Will met his gaze with a contemplative one of his own, as if he had only just now noticed something.

Percy's insides clenched and he looked away hurriedly.

Please, to all the gods in existence, let Will NOT notice what was bothering him right now.

He had most likely not even noticed.  
It hadn't even been a kiss or anything, after all.

Their lips hadn't even really touched!

There was literally nothing for Percy to worry about, and definitely nothing he should feel guilty about.

He had not cheated on Nico or anything.

It had been out of his control and for gods' sake, nothing had even happened!  
Nothing! Nada! Zero!

Ugh, he was probably just overly tired, that was all.

Yeah, most likely.

Tomorrow, he wouldn't give a damn about all this anymore, for sure.

He'd probably laugh at himself.

Yeah, definitely.

"Hey, I just realized…" Will started all of a sudden and Percy could feel his stomach drop.

What? Had he noticed something? Had he realized they had almost kissed?

Had he figured out what was going on in his head right now?

"If Nico was the girl, you'd be Jack and I'd be Will, then Jason would have no choice but be that Norrington guy. How ironic is that? He's gone for most of the films and in the end he doesn't get much more than a kiss from the heroine. Poor sod."

Both Percy and Nico stared at him.

What…?

"I am NOT the girl! How many times do I have to say that? I am a pirate! Or I would be, anyways! And you'd be lucky to even get a place in my crew, I'm just saying!" Nico started rambling, sputtering and throwing some potato chips at Will, who laughed loudly and pulled his arms up defensively.

Percy frowned at the actual accuracy of his statement about Jason, then scowled and threw a potato chip at Will himself.

"You're not getting the girl, either, though, don't you forget that! Nico is mine."

Will only rolled his eyes with a lopsided grin.

"I am not the girl." Nico insisted with a pout, looking towards Percy almost hurt.

Percy instantly put his arms around him, tugging him closer.

"Of course you aren't. You're the manliest of us all. You know what, I think in all honesty you could fuck us all up if we were pirates. I know I wouldn't want to be on your bad side."

"You sap. You're just saying all that to make him like you again. Nico, don't believe him. I know for a fact you'd be the toughest pirate around, with Reyna and Cecil and Lou Ellen and me as part of your crew. Frank and Hazel and Jason as well. Just picture it, we'd have the greatest fun ever." Will put in, wrapping his arms around Nico from the other side, face inches away from Percy's again.

But Percy didn't budge, meeting his gaze with a defiant one of his own.

"I'd be his First Mate."

"You're not even on the ship!" Will complained, then frowned. "Nico, I'd be your First Mate, right? Jason could take over the job as the boatswain or Third Mate or something."

"No way, who said I'd have either of you on my ship?" Nico put in disgruntled, looking at them in turn.

They both stared at him in shock.

"What?!" Both asked in disbelief, while Nico turned to glare at each of them in turn.

Then his lips twitched.

"Just kidding. Of course you'd be there. Though I'd have to keep you completely separated at all times to prevent you from murdering each other. Hmm, or maybe it would be better if you both had your own ships. Yeah, just imagine that. We'd be four captains, each with our own mighty crew, sailing the seas and doing pirate-y stuff." He then mused thoughtfully and Percy relaxed again, feeling Will do the same from Nico's other side.

Their gazes met once more, this time with amusement at Nico's enthusiasm, as he now started talking animatedly about all the things they could be doing and how awesome they would be as pirates, the film all but forgotten (again).

As Will looked down at the Italian again, a small smile playing on his lips, Percy studied him a moment longer, taking in the delicate bone structure, the vivid blue of his eyes, the length of his eyelashes - Percy had never noticed, but Will had quite long eyelashes for a guy (in his opinion, at least) – then gazed at the countless freckles adorning his face until his eyes finally came to rest on the boy's lips.

Will had nice lips, he guessed.

And Percy couldn't deny he felt…something…while looking at them, right here, right now.

But that didn't really have to mean anything, right?

After all, it wasn't as if Percy wanted to jump him or something.

They were friends.

He had caught himself ogling Jason on several occasions already, and there hadn't been anything weird about that, so why would things be different for Will and him?

Exactly, there was no reason whatsoever.

So everything was good.

Will looked around at him once more, raising a questioning eyebrow, his gaze somewhat…cautious.

Percy vaguely wondered what he was thinking of right now, what he thought Percy was thinking of.

Well, hopefully he wouldn't be able to figure that out.

Swallowing nervously, he averted his gaze quickly, instead looking down at Nico's mop of dark hair, concentrating back on what his boyfriend was saying (he was happily making up all sorts of ship names and plans as to where to hide their treasures and who should and shouldn't draw the maps).

He felt Will's gaze on him for a moment longer, could almost feel the frown he could detect out of the corner of his eyes, but he ignored it, instead nudging his nose against the side of Nico's head, causing him to turn around slightly, still talking.

"…and then we could sail to Calypso's island because she could obviously get back there and I swear, doesn't that sound like the best hiding place ever? We could just leave all our treasure there and no monsters, no mortals, not even other demigods could get to it unless they have a crystal – which they won't, of course, since…"

Hehe, Nico was so adorable.

It was so good to see him this passionate about something.

And that gleam in his eyes was so beautiful, too.

Seriously, how had Percy ever been able to resist this bundle of cuteness?

He must have been utterly out of his mind.

"You know what, maybe I should take you sailing sometime. We could rent a boat. Or maybe Leo could help us build a ship. Like the Argo II., but more pirate-y." He suggested thoughtfully, imagining going cruising with Nico and the guys.

That definitely sounded like fun.

With the monsters laying low all over the place, they might actually have a decent shot at a sort of 'vacation', like normal people.

They could sail across the ocean, maybe with a goal, maybe just aimlessly through the waters.

Hey, they could check out Italy, he guessed.

Nico's eyes seemed to practically sparkle.

Ok, that decided it. Percy was going to do everything in his power to get a ship.  
Oh, and some actual background knowledge about sailing.  
And a permit from Chiron to leave Camp for indefinite time with Nico, Jason and Will.  
And he'd have to call his Mum and let her know.  
Not to mention he'd have to get some supplies beforehand.  
Oh, and money, of course, they would need lots of money for more supplies and in case they'd need anything from any of the places they'd go to.

Eww, that sounded like a lot of planning.

Good thing Jason would be back soon, he was better with things like that.

"You'd do that?" Nico asked, a hint of surprise in his voice that made Percy frown slightly.

Hey, what wouldn't he do for Nico?

"Of course. It sounds like a really fun thing to do. It'd be like back when we sailed with the Argo II., but this time, it would be just the four of us. I suppose we'd need Leo to temper a bit with the machines, but-…"

"Four of us? Who else are you taking with you?" Will interrupted, looking dumbfounded.

Percy blinked, momentarily confused.

Was it not obvious he'd take Will and Jason with him?

But as he looked at Nico, the Italian looked slightly surprised at him as well, as if he, too, was wondering whether he'd heard right.

"Erm…you and Jason? Not good? I don't know, it just seemed like a fun idea. We could check out Italy or go once around the world or something stupid like that. You know, just…I don't know…erm…sail, I guess? But if you're not up for it, I'm not going to force you to come…" He let his voice trail off with a forced little laugh, scratching the back of his head awkwardly as both boys stared at him.

Then Nico's lips twitched. "That sounds great. We should so do that. Come on, what do you think, Will?"

Percy instantly relaxed, his forced smile turning into a real one.

If Nico liked it, there was no way Will was going to say no.

"Well, if you guys want me along, of course I'm in. Just thought you two would…ah, never mind. Jason is going to love this, I just know it."

Of course he was making it look as if he was only coming along because both of them wanted him to.

Yeah, yeah. Will could try fool them all he wanted, Percy could practically see it in his pretty face that he was as excited as Nico was about the prospect of going sailing with them all.

Then again, he seemed excited about anything that got him close to Nico, so there was that.

Percy felt something in the pit of his stomach grumble, dampening his good mood slightly.

It wasn't jealousy, exactly, but…more a form of…disappointment.  
But about what?

Percy didn't understand.

Shrugging to himself, he grinned at them both and they jumped into a whole jumble of ideas and options and plans that they probably shouldn't be making in the middle of the night with all three of them tired as hell, but nobody cared.

"We could dress up as pirates like in the movies!" Will suggested enthusiastically.

"I'm getting the eye patch!" Nico instantly declared, flopping backwards onto the bed with a laugh and holding a hand over one of his eyes.

"No way! I'm getting the eye patch! After all, all the cool pirates have dark hair and such and I'm the only one with blonde hair, I need something to make me look dangerous!" Will exclaimed, looking indignantly towards Percy as if he expected him to agree with him.

But Percy could only snort with laughter.

"And your solution is an eye patch? You could cover both of your eyes, all it would do is make you look like an idiot." He remarked drily, just to get a pillow in his face.

"You are so MEAN!" Will declared, grabbing the pillow once more and smacking Percy again with it, who could only laugh and pull his hands up.

Nico chuckled, sitting up again abruptly and thus blocking Percy from any more incoming pillow-attacks.

"I think he's right, though. An eye patch wouldn't suit you. Also, you're forgetting Jason is a blonde, as well."

Will only waved off.

"Yeah, but have you seen him when he gives people the evil eye? There's no way anybody would NOT be scared of him if they were on his bad side. Me, nobody ever fears me."

Percy raised an eyebrow at the hurt tone Will was using.

Apparently, even with their joking, this seemed to be an actual sore spot for Will.

"Dude, you can't be serious. Remember the time when Nico had to stay in the infirmary? I came to check on him once, but you were there ranting about Nico's health and ordering other kids around like crazy and ranting even more. I was so freaked out seeing you so angry that I turned around on the spot and left, worried you'd tear me apart if I asked to see Nico."

Well, it was true he had been surprised and angry Will certainly was something he didn't wish to see again (especially not directed towards him), but he hadn't been THAT scared – in fact, he had only left because he had known if Will was already in a bad mood he certainly wouldn't let him to Nico (and he had been a coward, unsure what to say to the Italian, anyways).

Though Will didn't have to know that.

The blonde looked at him surprised for a long moment, blue eyes wide.

Then a soft red tinged his cheeks, bringing out the freckles even more.

"Really?"

Nico looked thoughtful for a moment, then grinned. "Yeah, I remember you having a go at that one Hermes kid. I thought you were pretty scary then, too. Nobody would want to mess with you, Will, trust me. Also, with your medical knowledge, you'd be much too important to piss off. They'd cower in fear, I'm certain."

Percy nodded enthusiastically. "I completely agree."

Will looked at them both suspiciously for a moment longer, the red now turning a tad darker and taking over his ears as well.

Percy noticed off-handedly how there were a few freckles there as well.

Seriously, Will had a lot of freckles.  
Kind of made him want to count them, though he was fairly certain that would not only take forever, but also be kind of awkward.

Will's lips split into a wide smile. "Alright then, if you say so. But I want a really cool hat! Like Jack!"

He looked so pleased with himself.

Percy couldn't help but grin, glancing at Nico, who was grinning at him as well, looking so cheerful and happy, it was almost impossible to think that there had ever been a time Nico had not been like this.

It was great to see him so at ease with himself and the world.

"No way, I want to have the coolest hat." His boyfriend declared.

"You're already getting the eye patch." Will whined in response.

"I don't care."

"You can't have both."

Percy chuckled, shaking his head to himself as he looked around at the still running TV, where Jack was running from gods knew what.

"You can try all you want, but we all know I'm going to be the hottest pirate of you all." He teased the two and instantly earned two evil glares.

"That's not fair." Nico stated sulkily.

"Say that to my face. If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times: I'm the son of the god of the sun, I'm the hottest thing there is."

"I'm the son of the god of the sea, I'm meant to look hot as a pirate. You wouldn't be able to look at me without drooling with want." Percy grinned maliciously at the incredulous expression on Will's face.

Then the blonde blushed an even darker shade of red.

Huh? Interesting.

Percy felt his heartbeat increase slightly, his insides all jittery for some reason.

"Dream on. You're the one with a drooling problem, so it would be you drooling all over me."

As Will said it, he gestured at himself and Percy couldn't help but let his eyes travel over him ever so faintly.

It was true he had a quite good built, not nearly as muscled as they were since he wasn't regularly sparring, but still in a good shape from the running around, Capture the Flag and his work in the infirmary.

He could also picture Will looking quite good in a loose white shirt, the kind you saw pirates on TV wearing all the time.

It would certainly show off his sun-kissed skin – and all those freckles.

Yeah, he'd probably look pretty good, there was no denying that.

"Oh please, can you two ever not compete? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad Jason isn't here right now, or this would be a full on war between the three on you on who'd look best in a pirate outfit. Seriously, we'd all look either awesome or ridiculous." Nico put in, looking between them with a small huff.

Percy shrugged. "Never said Will wouldn't look good. Just said I'd be the hottest."

Will opened his mouth to bicker again, but then halted, looking taken aback.

Then he grinned broadly. "Whoa, did I just hear that right? Neeks, did Percy just admit I'd look good? Oh gods, I have to write this down somewhere – mark it in my calendar. Dang it, I should seriously get myself a calendar. First I get you two to follow a nutrition plan, then Percy is telling me I'd look good."

Percy felt his ears heating and made a face. "Oh, shut it, Solace. All I meant by that was that you wouldn't look utterly misplaced."

Will only raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

Percy pursed his lips, his entire face now burning. Embarrassed by himself, he looked away, burying his face at Nico's shoulder, hiding it from view.

"Hmpf. Remind me never to say anything nice about you again in future."

Nico only chuckled and patted his back, shaking his head to himself, while Will outright laughed, rubbing Percy's arm in an apparently apologetic way.

"Nah, just joking, Perce. I'm honored. Keep telling me nice things and I might be tempted to return the favor one day – once I can think of something nice about you, that is."

That little shit.

Percy lifted his head ever so slightly to shoot him a glare, but Will only laughed loudly and the three went back to think up all sorts of stuff for their sailing trip.

.

"Only…five…minutes…to go…" Will mumbled, half-dozing off again, even though he had put everything into sitting as uncomfortable as he could.

Maybe it would have worked better if he hadn't let Nico sit right next to him, leaning against him and resting his head against his shoulder, with Percy doing the same with Nico, staring into the distance with barely open, glazed over eyes.

"Really…you guys are just…making a way too big deal out of…my birthday…" Nico uttered, eyelids fluttering shut, head falling against Will's shoulder even more.

Percy didn't say anything, and by now Will wouldn't be surprised if he was actually sleeping with his eyes open or something.

Making an effort, he managed to move his arm and placed his hand on Nico's thigh, squeezing gently.

"Rubbish. This is nothing. I'm wide awake." He declared, closely followed by a jaw-breaking yawn that kind of ruined the picture.

But it didn't seem like either of the other two even noticed.

Nico's hand found his and squeezed it slightly, holding onto it as he seemed to utterly nod off into sleep.

Will raised an eyebrow, listening to his even breathing and gazing down at their hands.

Then he glanced towards Percy, who was still staring off into space unseeing.

Smiling to himself, he leaned back against the cold, uncomfortable bed behind them, shifting slightly closer to Nico.

This was so nice.

And Nico was so adorable, holding onto his hand like that.

Of course, he was also holding onto Percy's hand, which rested on his other thigh, but Will didn't really care.

He forced his head around ever so slowly to look back at the little alarm clock on Nico's bedside table, which was pretty much right next to Will.

Two minutes to go.

Then they'd congratulate Nico and Will would have to leave for his cabin.

Ugh, he was so not looking forward to that walk.

But there was no way he was going to stay over.

Not that he wouldn't put it behind those two to LET him stay over, but there was simply no way he wanted to be there in the morning when those two made out or something.

And given the fact that Percy had done everything in his power to perfect the art of deep throating (in theory, at least) he was fairly certain they were going to make out.

Will could only shake his head, though that posed too much effort in his current state, so he quickly dropped it.

Seriously, how had all of this happened? What had become of his life?

A year ago, he would have never thought it possible that Nico would even come back, much less befriend him.

Now, here he was, sitting on the floor in Nico's cabin, with Nico holding his hand and leaning against him, being his best friend and things being so damn amazing between them.

He would have never thought he would ever be anything like friends with Percy, yet here they were, being buddies, with Percy running to him for advice (on horrid topics, sadly) and Will teaching him how to deep throat.

Seriously, this was crazy.

He glanced around at Percy again, watching unimpressed how a trickle of drool ran down to his chin.

Yeah, Will was fairly certain he was sleeping.

With his eyes open.

With a sigh, he pulled his other arm up and made the effort of moving it towards Percy, nudging him gentler than intended.

But Percy didn't budge.

"Perce." Will mumbled, nudging him again.

Percy's eyelids fluttered – then fell shut.

Rolling his eyes, he moved his hand up to Percy's face, stroking the hair out of the way and poking against his forehead.

"Percy. Wake up. Only half a minute to go, then you can take our birthday kid to bed."

Percy's eyes shot open, his head snapping up.

"How dare you eat my waffles, you monster! Those were for the guys! How am I going to justify-…oh. What? I'm awake, I'm awake."

Will stared at him, drowsiness momentarily forgotten as laughter bubbled up inside of him.

"So, I take it somebody ate your waffles?"

Nico shifted next to him, opening his eyes a tiny little bit to glance around at them for a moment, then he yawned and sat upright.

"What's with waffles? I want mine with syrup. Lotsa syrup." He mumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

Will chuckled, pleased to note that it was the hand that had held Percy's hand that he was rubbing his eyes with, not the one holding Will's.

Though he did let go of it a moment later with a slight frown, but Will thought that might have been more due to Percy's incoherent mumbling as the dark-haired hero yawned loudly and tried to speak at the same time.

"What?" Both asked, looking around at Percy, who sighed exasperated.

"Nobody has waffles. I had waffles. In my dream, I was making waffles for all of you, and then this…this…oh, I don't know. Somebody came and ate the waffles. Just like that." Percy mumbled incredulously, gesturing with his hands before going through his hair with a sigh.

Will smiled at him affectionately, unable to help himself.

Sleepy Percy was so adorable, looking drowsy and confused, yet utterly offended at the prospect of somebody eating his waffles, even if it had only been a dream.

"So, no waffles?" Nico asked groggily, looking slightly disappointed.

Will chuckled and checked the time, then rubbed his face against the side of Nico's head.

"No, but you can have some for breakfast, birthday boy. Happy birthday."

Percy's head shot up, instantly wide awake. "It's…is it the…? Time already? Yes? Happy Birthday, Nico!" He uttered confused, then turned around and tackled Nico, tearing him onto Will's lap, who only laughed at Nico's horror-struck expression (yes, he was wide awake now, as well), and tried to get his legs out from under them to get out of the way as Percy showered the boy in kisses.

Poor Nico, he looked utterly overwhelmed by everything.

This obviously didn't stop Will from tackling him as well the moment Percy let him go free and the two sat up again.

"How's it feel, being a year older? What are you now, 90?" He teased, face at the side of Nico's neck, pulling him against him so his back was pressed against Will's chest.

Nico turned his head to shoot him a warning glare, but then chuckled and shook his head amused.

"Whatever. Not that different. Now, let me go! You two are impossible, you know!" He complained, but the wide grin on his face showed he enjoyed it, anyways.

Percy chuckled next to them, moving in closer once more and hugging Nico from the front, sandwiching him between himself and Will.

Will could only roll his eyes as Percy started kissing Nico all over the place again.

Seriously, could he not wait until Will was gone?

That guy!

"Hey, guys, you're squishing me here." He complained as he was pushed against the bed behind him more and more, Percy apparently deciding he wanted to crawl INTO Nico or something.

Neither reacted, Percy happily biting Nico's neck before blowing a raspberry on his skin, making Nico laugh and kick, his hand finding Will's thigh and squeezing it, either asking for help or forgetting he was there and taking him for Percy.

He'd have almost thought they truly HAD forgotten him, but then Percy's eyes locked with his and he grinned victoriously.

Will only rolled his eyes and shook his head to himself.

This guy.

What was he so triumphant about?

That he could smooch Nico all he wanted? That was harsh.

Kind of a low blow, which didn't sound like something Percy would do (well, in the past maybe, but not now).

Will didn't have much time to ponder that, though, since Nico was by now pretty much on his lap, and his butt was rubbing against a place Will did NOT wish to react right about now.

He sent an urgent glance towards Percy, who only rolled his eyes amused and tugged Nico off him, though Will had the impression he didn't know what Will's problem had been.  
Else he certainly wouldn't have looked so relaxed.

"Come on then, my angel, off to bed with you. Sun-bug, you staying over or leaving? I kind of need to know."

Will was busy standing up and fixing his attire to really wrap his mind around what Percy was saying for a moment, but once he did, he halted in his movement to stare at Percy.

Was he freaking serious?

There he had been crying about things having to be perfect and had empathized a thousand times how he was going to wake Nico up in the morning and yada yada (Will had generally zoned out at that point for obvious reasons, though he was certain Percy had never actually mentioned anything intimate, thank the gods) – and now here he was, asking him whether he was staying as if it was nothing, no big deal.

Could anybody believe this guy?

"I'm leaving, thank you very much. You're already all over him, I don't want to see that in the morning." He pointed out drily, but Percy only shrugged nonplussed.

"You could have looked away or left before we got up."

He loved how Percy's first point had been for him to look away.

Seriously, this guy.

Nico yawned loudly, stretching and exposing his low waistband of the skinny jeans he was still wearing, along with a stretch of pearly white skin.

Damn, what Will wouldn't give to…oh well.

"Want me to bring you to your cabin?" Nico offered sleepily and Will's heart fluttered at the prospect of having him alone for a few moments.

But he firmly shook his head. "Nah, get to bed, both of you. I'll be fine."

"You sure? Would be a shame to find out the harpies ate you or something." Percy asked with a light frown, looking genuinely concerned.

But Will waved off. "I'm flattered, but don't worry. I might not be the fastest, but my cabin isn't that far away. Truth be told, I'm more concerned about how my siblings are going to react."

"Sure you don't want to stay?" Nico asked, but Will only rolled his eyes and turned away, more to resist temptation than anything else.

No, he was not going to stay over.

He had done his part, there was no way Jason could get to him now, unless he was a real ass and wanted Will to actually sleep over the entire night or something, in which case he now officially admitted defeat.

Walking towards the door in big, confident strides, he only dared to look back over his shoulder for one quick moment.

Percy was right behind him, studying him for a long moment and even though Will wanted to turn away again and leave, he found himself captivated by those vivid sea-green eyes, staring at him as if he could see right into his soul, a contemplative expression on his face.

"Alright, if that's what you want." Percy then conceded with a shrug, though he seemed reluctant as he opened the cabin door and looked outside to check whether the coast was clear.

"I'll be fine. Just don't come over in the early morning again. I think at this rate I'll sleep in as well. Tired as hell." Will uttered with a yawn, looking for any harpies as well.

Percy shot him a wry look. "I hope for you. If I see you later with bags under your eyes I'll be mad."

Will raised an eyebrow at the dangerous tone Percy was adapting.

His heartbeat quickened and he could feel his insides filling with an indescribable want that he instantly tried to push down.

Seriously, he should not be this affected by mere words.

"Of course. That is so going to make me do as you say, sir." He said ironically, but Percy's eyes only narrowed and he leaned in close.

"I'm serious. I'll be mad. Nico, tell him he'll regret it if I have to get mad."

"You'll regret it if Percy gets mad. Seriously, he's crazy. I won't put anything behind him. Also, I'll be mad, too. So…what were you talking about, again?" Nico uttered sleepily from somewhere behind Percy (most likely the bed) and Will rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, alright. I'll be off, then. Thanks for everything. See you in the morning. Nico, I wish you a long and relaxing night and sweet dreams. Percy…yeah, good night." He waved off, turning to go, but Percy held him back by the shoulder.

Before Will could even turn around to ask him 'What now?', a key dangled in front of his face.

"So you don't have to get the spare from under the orange tile." Percy stated and pushed the key in his palm as he reached for it.

Will stared at it, dumbfounded.

Then he spun around. "You FORGED my cabin's key?" He hissed, shocked, taken aback, offended and…impressed, actually.

Wait, so THAT's how he had gotten into the Apollo cabin that morning!

But why? Why his cabin? What sense did that make?

Why would he do that?

Percy glanced over his shoulder at Nico, who didn't seem to notice anything, probably asleep once more, then he looked back at Will.

"I…yes. Back for the Advent Calendar, I needed access to the cabin for the gifts, didn't I? So at first I kind of broke in with a trick the Stoll brothers taught me, but once I knew there was a spare key, I went to Leo and got it duplicated. But he got a bit carried away and in the end it – with Calypso's help, I guess – it turned into a sort of master key. You can pretty much open nearly any of the doors here at Camp with it. He was quite reluctant to give it back to me, but I promised I wouldn't abuse it. You better not tell anybody, either. I'm only using it if I have to, and I haven't even told Nico yet, though I'm guessing he has to know by now I have some sort of key, given that I go in and out of his cabin all the time."

Will only stared at him, shock and awe battling for dominance inside him.

This guy.

"You…are crazy." He then stated, shaking his head and looking down at the key, watching stupefied how it started changing form in his hand.

How had he never realized Percy had this?

Why hadn't he asked him how he had gotten into his cabin, anyways?

Then again, he knew the answer to that one – he had tried to act as if that day had never happened.

Yeah, well, maybe he shouldn't have.

It was kind of weird, knowing Percy could pretty much get into any place.

Seriously, PERCY of all people, with a key like this?

For some reason, the lack of worry he felt worried him.

Percy looked at him with an apprehensive expression, as if he was worried Will would throw a fit or something.

Will only shook his head. "I…seriously…well, this explains a lot. Anyways, thanks. I guess I'll…give it back to you tomorrow- later, I mean." He mumbled, turning his back on him and glancing outside again to check for harpies.

If they stood in the doorway any longer, they might as well put up neon signs announcing 'TASTY HALF-BLOODS OUT OF BED'.

"I promise I would never use it on your cabin – or any, for that matter – if it wasn't an emergency or something." Percy stuttered, but Will only shrugged.

"Yeah, I know. Though birthday gifts for Nico are not an emergency, I'm just saying. But don't worry. I trust you." He said absent-mindedly, wondering whether that shadow at the Hecate cabin was a tree or a very clever, motionless harpy.

Yeah, he was fairly certain it was a tree.

Glancing back at Percy, he found the boy smiling to himself in a way that kids did when they received praise.

Frowning, he decided not to mention it, wanting to finally get going.

"Alright, see you later. Be gentle with Nico."

"Will do. Sleep well."

"You too."

Sharing a last glance with the dark-haired boy, Will finally stepped outside the cabin, his heart beating way too fast even though he wasn't even running yet.

Seriously, being seen off by Percy like that was so…weird.

He was going to say 'nice', but for obvious reasons he much rather went with 'weird'.

Taking a first few sneaky steps to see whether anything would jump out of the bushes, he waited to hear the door close, but it didn't.

Glancing back over his shoulder confirmed that, yes, Percy was still there, watching, glancing around Camp as if to check for any incoming danger.

For some reason, Will found that notion unbelievably sweet, his insides churning with the urge to go back and kiss Percy for caring this much about him.

For obvious reasons, he didn't give in to said urges.

Instead, he turned around and started running for his cabin.


	9. Chapter 9: Nico's Birthday

**A/N:** Hello Cupcakes ;D  
Yay, another update ;D And lo and behold: IT'S NICO'S BIRTHDAAY!

I thought I'd never see the day x_x  
Anyways, as usual I want to say thanks to all you lovely cupcakes that read this story (and like it, and fav it, and follow it, and leave those absolutely awesome reviews!)  
You're the best :) Seriously, I love you guys.

Sooo, what I also wanted to say is that I'm sorry it took so long (I received a couple messages asking whether I was actually still writing on this. My last update wasn't THAT long ago, was it? Q_Q)  
As a little explanation as to why it's taking some time for new chapters:  
I am working.  
Yeah, I know I've mentiones it before, but right now it's like...really bad. I'm gone 16 hours of the day, which means I get to be home roughly 6 hours per day, in which I still need to eat, sleep, do the chores and take care of husband and cat...and write.  
Due to obvious reasons, I can't exactly write at work (though I'd love to see my colleagues faces when I'm writing smut haha)  
So, now that's already kind of draining, but last Monday (the 20th of July) my mum called me, sobbing and utterly devastated, because they had baby sparrows in the attic (they kind of got inside through the erm...filling? Filling in the wall? I don't even know the word in German, I have no clue how to explain this, sorry. They pretty much ate their way through the filling in the roof from their nest into our attic and couldn't get out).  
So it was 5 baby birds up there, all crying for their parents, who couldn't get to them.  
My mum and my 11 years old, down-with-the-flu brother (which is super bad because he runs the risk of getting febrile seizures when he has a fever - and that can kind of kill him you know..) went up in the stuffy, absolutely utterly hot and scorching attic to get the baby birds.  
One died within the hour, another one an hour after that. The third one escaped and hopped through an open window and fell down from the 2nd floor, but survived the fall, just to sit in a giant bush and cry for its parents that didn't come all day. It's dead now as well, the neighbor cats got him when my mum didn't manage to chase them away fast enough due to my brother breaking down.  
So there were two left.  
One, my grandparents took in and fed with cat food (Seriously, DON'T FEED A SPARROW CAT FOOD! Anyways, they're old people and think they know everything better, so they won't listen) and is currently still alive, though sickly, but I believe in the little guy.  
And the other one, my mother had, but the little girl wouldn't eat.  
So she was on the phone, crying because she was alone at home with my sick brother and a baby bird that JUST WOULDN'T EAT, and she had work and chores and everything and nobody was there to help her and she was utterly devastated.  
Yeah...obviously, I said I'd be right there and went over as soon as I got done with work.  
Funnily enough, the little sparrow seemed to take a liking to me, snuggling into the towel on my lap and staying still and taking some water without too much difficulty.  
And so, I decided to take her with me and try to get her to make it.  
Long story short, I managed to get her to eat through a LOT of persuasion and after the first some crickets and house flies and grasshoppers, she started getting stronger again.  
I named her Blue (after the raptor in Jurassic World cause she's a fighter; and after Blue from The Raven Cycle, cause she's a fighter in her own way, too, and I want baby bird to make it) and she's getting better by the day, eating 30 freaking crickets an hour and currently learning to fly (her favorite landing place: my glasses, my shoulder and my hair? My husband said it's because my hair is a bird's nest HOW DARE HE! XD No, seriously, I got my hair cut. From below waist to kinda short, ending just around my ears. Now it's all puffy and weird and the bird seems to think it's a nest lol) and eat seeds and the like, though by the looks of it it will still take another week until i can let her outside to fend for herself.

So, yeah, I know it's my problem, and I knew the consequences would be tough if I take her in, but I'm that sort of dumb, self-destructive person that would do anything to try save something, no matter if it's pointless or not.  
My husband and my father (who was out town at the time, btw) both told me to just set it out somewhere to die because it's useless.  
Now they're both utterly in love with Blue, because she wormed her way into their hearts and they now see she HAS a chance.

Anyways, she demands food every hour, so out of the 6 hours I'm home a day, I have to sleep 2 to function properly (or as properly as can be), which leaves 4 hours to write, eat, do the chores and do anything else I can/need to do at home.  
In those 4 hours, I have to feed the girl 4 times, which takes roughtly 15 minutes with preparing the food and getting her to sit still enough to eat without flying into my face.  
So each hour I have roughly 45 minutes to write, but it takes me ca. 10 minutes to get back into the story after pausing.  
So, yeah, you can do the math ;) I don't have much time to type with all of that going on.

I'm still working on this story, even if I don't update weekly. I try to, but I can't promise, and I can't really do more than I already do, else I'll drop dead someday and then I really can't write anymore (though I ordered my husband to take over the story in that case and also let you know, though I think you'd notice by the change of writing style, anyways, I think. Not to mention, he isn't exactly a writer, doesn't even really read, and he isn't exactly into Boys Love. BUT he is at least American, so his English should be better ;D Why he isn't proofing my stories, I have no idea. He just makes me write them, but doesn't help in any way. Meanie.)

So, yeah, sorry if it takes a bit longer for updates.

Wish my working overtime would be paid though, then I could seriously just retire in some years and be a millionaire and write whatever I want all day long XD  
(One can dream...)

Anyways, thanks for sticking with me so far ;)

Hope you enjoy the chapter.

JASON IS BACK! ;D

Free cookies for you all,  
-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 09: Nico's birthday and other nearly perfect disasters**

When Nico finally awoke from the dead, he found himself pressed tightly against Percy's chest, his boyfriend's arms wrapped around him in a deadlock.

He smiled, kissing Percy's chin without opening his eyes and snuggling back against him, listening to the even beating of his heart.

This was so nice.

Percy mumbled something in his sleep, his hold on Nico momentarily tightening, then he let go of him, turning onto his back.

Hehe, Percy was so cute.

Nico grinned, at last opening his eyes to look at his boyfriend's sleeping face – a creepy hobby he had developed.

But hey, he rarely woke up before Percy, and usually caught Percy doing the same with him, so it was ok, he guessed.

Percy had such an adorable sleeping face, though.

Pushing himself up slightly, he scooped over to snuggle against his side, stroking some strands of hair out of Percy's face, letting his fingers caress the side of his face ever so softly.

He looked so peaceful, so at ease.

It was a beautiful sight.

Seriously, Nico could watch him sleep all day long.

His fingers stroked along his jaw now, then down the side of his neck.

He had such nice skin.

It felt so warm and alive.

Not as warm as Will's, but still so, so nice.

Smiling to himself like an idiot, he leaned forward and kissed Percy on the cheek.

"I love you." He muttered quietly, knowing Percy couldn't hear him, anyways.

Then he got up, checking the time as he climbed over Percy to get out of bed.

9 am.

Well, not too bad, given their lack of sleep last night.

As he was about to turn his back to the bedside table to go to the bathroom, he halted once more, looking back.

There, leaning against his jar of fire was…

"A note?" He asked perplexed, sitting back down at the side of the bed and reaching out for it, touching the creamy paper hesitantly, as if expecting it to evaporate into thin air.

Percy wouldn't have…would he?

Nico looked back at Percy's sleeping face, his insides a jumble of emotions.

This was just like the Advent Calendar, with Percy leaving him notes for every day.

How had he known how much that had meant to Nico?

How had he known how much he had always looked forward to those very notes?

Well, he should probably first read the note before thinking all this.

Maybe it was all a mistake or something and one of his old notes had fallen out of the photo album and Will or Percy had simply placed it there.

His insides still all jittery, he fingered the card, turning it over at last.

_[Dear Nico,_

_HAPPY BIRTHDAY!_

_I know this is probably going to be kind of awkward, given that I'll be here this morning, but I couldn't resist writing you at least a small note, for old time's sake (hehe, old times, it wasn't even that long ago, was it? Time sure flies)._

_I just wanted to tell you that I love you._

_Sitting here, watching you sleep…it makes me feel so happy, just being with you like this, being able to touch you, kiss you, hold you while we sleep…that really means the world to me._

_I wanted to tell you all of this so many times, but it always sounds so cheesy in my head already that I don't dare say it out loud._

_But I still want you to know how much this means to me._

_How much you mean to me._

_I even learned this one Italian sentence (ok, I admit I had help on that one), but I was told my pronunciation is utterly off, so I'll just write it here and hope I rehearsed enough times not to mess up._

_Here goes:_

_Oggi si festeggia i tuo compleanno ma io lo festeggio tutti i giorni._

_('Today is the celebration of your birthday, but I celebrate it every day', just in case I wrote it wrong or you can't decipher my handwriting)_

_And I mean it. I really, really do. You're the best that has ever happened to me and I'm grateful for that every single day._

_I love you. I love you with all my heart, with all my soul._

_Let's celebrate your birthday together today._

_Kisses (you'll get lots of those, just you wait),_

_Your –utterly and hopelessly in love- boyfriend]_

Nico stared down at the letter, his face feeling unbelievably hot, same as the rest of his body as he reread it a few times.

This was…this was the sweetest thing ever.

He glanced around at the still sleeping Percy, his heart thumping wildly in his chest.

"You're such a sap." He muttered with a stupid grin on his face, leaning over his boyfriend to place a chaste kiss on his lips, tempted to just slide back beneath the blankets and snuggle up to his utterly perfect boyfriend once more.

Gods, was there anything better in this world?

He didn't think so.

Still grinning like an utter idiot, he got up, placing the card gingerly back on the bedside table before making his way to the bathroom.

He'd let Percy sleep – he deserved his sleep, after all.

Nico would simply take a quick shower and then watch him sleep until he'd wake up on his own (maybe read that note a couple more times…).

Seriously, he had even written in Italian! Just for Nico!

How adorable was that?

In Nico's opinion, today was already the best day of his life, they could stay in bed now and just sleep until tomorrow, he'd still be the happiest person in the world (actually, that was quite a tempting thought, given that he really didn't want to make such a big fuss about his birthday and all).

He quickly shed his boxer shorts and stepped into the shower, mentally preparing himself for the cold of the water that would hit him in a moment.

But hey, Percy had left him a note for his birthday, just for him.

Smiling, he let the cold spray hit him.

.

Percy shot up in bed the moment he felt…well, the lack of Nico, really.

After having spent so many days snuggling up to his boyfriend (and Will), the sudden lack of a body pressing against his was bound to not go unnoticed.

Nico had woken up before him.

Oh no.

Why?

Why today?

Of all the days, why had Nico woken up before him today, on the most special day ever?

Percy climbed out of bed, almost tripping over the blanket and crashing onto the floor, but he managed to catch his balance at the last moment, looking at the time.

9:20 am.

Damn it.

It wasn't even that late yet, why was Nico even awake already?

He caught sight of the little note he had left for Nico, noticing it was placed differently from where he had put it, which meant that Nico must have found it already.

His insides squirmed nervously.

What had Nico thought of it?

Percy had played with the thought of leaving a note over and over again, always pushing it out of his mind as something way too cheesy and stupid, but in the end he had still taken the paper with him yesterday, putting it in Nico's bedside table until he would truly decide.

Needless to say, once he had watched Nico sleep so peacefully, still completely dressed, with that adorable smile on his face and his hands clutching the pillow, Percy had grabbed the paper and pen almost automatically, scribbling away.

The Italian had been the hardest, but he hoped he had managed to pull it off.

Leo and Calypso had helped him with that the last time he had come over quickly to discuss the birthday plans for Nico.

Seriously, writing in English was hard enough already, but writing in Italian…yeah, he really hoped he had managed to do it right.

As long as Nico didn't make him try to say it.

The last time he had tried, it had resulted in Calypso burying her face in her hands devastated and done with the world, and Leo rolling on the floor, laughing and exclaiming Percy shouldn't ever try again unless he wanted to either offend Nico or make him laugh at his stupidity.

Yeah, no.

But now wasn't the time to be thinking of that.

Where was Nico?  
This morning was supposed to go way differently!

Damn it all!

He was about to make a dash for the cabin door when he heard the sound of water from the bathroom.

Oh. Of course.

Relief washed over him.

At least Nico was still in the cabin, still here, still with him.

He wouldn't have known what to do if Nico had left for breakfast without him.

Then again, that didn't exactly sound like something Nico would do, anyways.  
Well…unless he thought Percy needed his sleep and didn't want to wake him, which sadly did sound like something Nico would do.

He made his way to the bathroom, only halting long enough to knock on the door before opening it.

"Good morning, birthday boy. May I come in?" He asked sheepishly, announcing his presence.

"Morning, Percy. Sure. I'll be done in a moment."

No, please, why did he have to almost be done already?

"Actually, I was thinking of joining you. Mind staying in there a little while longer?" He asked innocently as he walked into the room, closing and locking the bathroom door behind him for privacy reasons (he knew the front door was locked, but he wasn't going to take any risks).

Nico stood under the water with his back to him, so Percy couldn't see his face, but damn, this was one fine view as well.

His mouth watered and he found himself stepping out of his underwear even before he heard Nico's hesitant 'Sure, if you want to'.

By Hades, yes, he wanted to.

A moment later, he was there with Nico, warm water hitting his skin, filling him with strength and a deep sense of ease, relaxing him.

Wrapping his arms around Nico, the boy leaned back against him with a low chuckle, turning his head so Percy could finally catch a glimpse of his beautiful face.

"Hey." He said with a smirk, leaning in to nuzzle his nose against the side of his face.

Nico chuckled. "Hey."

Their lips found each other and Nico turned around properly, wrapping his arms around him as Percy began kissing him over and over again, each kiss turning deeper and more passionate.

This was exactly how he wanted to start pretty much every day of his life.

Humming contently, he felt Nico pressing up against him more, arms pulling him down further to get them even closer together.

"Nico…" He breathed, his voice husky and raw.

Nico smiled against his lips, nibbling and tugging on his bottom lip slightly, hands now beginning to roam his body as Percy pressed against him by his own accord.

Oh yes.

Wait…shouldn't he be the one ravishing Nico?

But a dominant Nico setting the pace was so much more tempting!

He entangled their tongues, starting up a little play-fight for dominance, relishing in the small gasp Nico let out.

His hands began stroking down Nico's back, feeling the countless scars under his fingers, tracing a few until he reached Nico's butt, giving it a playful squeeze.

Nico smirked against his lips, pulling back slightly to give him a knowing look, eyes gleaming with affection, joy and most definitely lust.

"So…you liked my card?" Percy asked, his voice way too husky for his own liking.

Nico's smile widened for a moment and he leaned forward to place a peck on Percy's lips again.

"Sweetest thing I've ever read. Your Italian was spot on. Now, kiss me."

Percy breathed out a relieved breath and instantly leaned in to fulfill the demand.

There was nothing he'd rather do, after all.

.

Even though he had been in the shower for way too long already, Nico would gladly spend the rest of his day in here, if only it meant Percy would keep kissing and licking down his body, hands holding onto his butt as his boyfriend lowered himself to his knees.

What was he planning to do? Wasn't that somewhat uncomfortable?

The water was still raining down on them, yet seemed to stay out of his face for miraculous reasons.

Percy smirked up at him sheepishly, a faint blush on his face.

Nico only furrowed his brows, but he enjoyed Percy's hands kneading his butt cheeks and his lips against his hipbone too much to voice out his thoughts.

Then Percy's lips trailed into dangerous territory and suddenly his kneeling made much more sense.

"Percy, you don't have to-…" He started, but by that time Percy's lips were already at the base of his rock hard dick, placing open kisses around it, hands still firmly on Nico's backside.

Nico's words died in his throat, replaced by a low groan as he gazed down at Percy with a mixture of longing and worry.

Should he really let Percy do this, like, right now?

He loved his blowjobs, that was out of the question, but they had never done it with him standing and Percy kneeling like that in front of him, especially not on such hard ground.

Percy smirked up at him, still slightly pink in the face. "Please?"

Why…why was Percy asking him?

HE should be the one begging on his knees for Percy to continue!

He stared at him, thoughts too much in a jumble to form a coherent sentence.

Percy however seemed to grow impatient, leaning forward to lick across his tip.

Holy-! "Yes! Yes, if…if you want…" He found himself stutter as a low groan escaped his lips, head falling back and hips bucking forward slightly.

Percy chuckled, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction and want.

Well, if he wanted to, that was just fine with Nico.

More than fine.

Gods, who was he kidding, he loved Percy's lips around his dick.

Ugh, he was such a dirty minded person.

Sadly, he couldn't care less right now, especially not with Percy lusciously licking from the base of his dick to the tip, looking up at him in that terribly hot, teasing way that made Nico's breathing even more irregular than it already was.

Gods, ok, it was decided, this was the best birthday in his entire life.

He held onto the shower walls for support, his body beginning to shake as Percy continued licking and teasing him all over the place, mostly avoiding his glans, but still licking across it every some times, driving Nico crazy.

Damn it, couldn't he finally…?

When Percy (finally) licked across his tip again, Nico - very inconspicuously, of course - showed him exactly what he wanted him to do by bucking his hips again, his glans nudging against Percy's lips once more.

Percy looked up at him, raising both eyebrows, a knowing smirk on his face.

"P-Please…" He breathed, trying to keep the desperate need down in his voice to not outright beg as everything inside him wanted him to.

Percy's eyes widened slightly for the fraction of a second.

Then he grinned again and leaned forward, lips slowly wrapping around Nico's dick.

By the gods.

Trying futilely to keep himself from groaning out in bliss, he let his head fall back, hands suddenly in Percy's hair, holding onto him more to steady himself than to direct Percy.

Percy let him, tongue swirling around his tip, pushing Nico's dick further and further into the wet heat of his mouth.

Gods, yes!

"Percy!" He breathed out urgently, but he wasn't sure whether it was a plea for him to go on, to stop, to push him over the edge or to not dare to do so just yet so he could enjoy this for as long as possible.

It was kind of a mixture of all of that, which didn't make any sense, but nothing made sense right now.

It didn't matter.

All that mattered was that mouth wrapped around his dick right now, moving up and down on it, tongue teasing him relentlessly in all the right ways.

And the way Percy looked up at him through clouded, heavy-lidded eyes full of lust and love wasn't helping Nico's sanity either.

Most of the noises he made were thankfully drowned out by the shower, but he still hated how loud he was, biting his lip in a futile attempt to keep it down.

Percy's hand pinched his butt in reply, looking up at him scornfully and letting his teeth graze against his skin ever so lightly, making him gasp and groan out loud once more.

Damn it.

His legs were already shaking badly enough as it was, he didn't need Percy to take away all of his self-control with using his teeth – not that Nico had a thing for that…ok, he might have.

But it was one of his best kept secrets so far.

He completely did not want Percy to find out, else he would seriously lose his-…

Percy's eyes widened with realization and his lips twitched around Nico's dick, then he could feel those cursed teeth grazing across the length of his dick once more and let his head fall back with a loud groan, hips buckling and hands clawing Percy's hair in a desperate try to keep himself grounded.

"Percy!"

Percy pulled back slightly, his hands leaving his butt to hold onto his hips, pushing him backwards slightly, towards the shower wall.

At first, Nico was reluctant to move, much more interested in the way Percy was sucking on the tip of his dick, but once Percy let go of him with a pointed glance, Nico let him move him until his back hit the wall.

Ok, maybe this made him a tad more stable, whatever.

He couldn't really care less right now.

Mewling, he bucked his hips into Percy's hold, trying to convey wordlessly for him to please, PLEASE, continue where they had left off.

Then he felt his face heating at the realization how he must have sounded right then and there.

But Percy's eyes only shot up to him in surprise, ears turning an even darker shade of red as he all but surged forward again, wrapping his lips back around his dick to give him a teasing suck before moving further down.

And down.

And down.

Holy-!

Percy had never taken him THAT far before.

In that moment, Nico was utterly grateful for that wall behind him, because he would have certainly toppled over if it hadn't been there.

His hands were in his own hair, clutching it mindlessly, moaning and groaning and doing all he could not to thrust into Percy's mouth.

Yes!

Percy's hands were holding onto his hips, steadying him as well as additionally keeping him from thrusting, and seriously, Nico was more than grateful for that.

His eyes were solely fixed on Nico's face, taking in every little reaction he was showing, much to his arousal and dismay.

His mouth was firmly wrapped around him, head bobbing up and down, tongue swirling around him and…by the gods, Percy was doing that swallowing motion.

Nico wasn't going to lie, this felt amazing.

More than amazing.

Seriously, he had never actually had 'sex' - at least not the type where one actually penetrated or was penetrated (he did consider their making out 'sex' already, after all) - but he was fairly sure that, if anything, it would feel a lot like this.

Hot. Wet. Tight. Perfect.

His head fell back, hitting the shower wall, but he didn't care, too far gone already to feel any pain.

His hands were still in his own hair, tugging on it as if it kept him sane, though it certainly didn't help, nor did it keep his moans down in any way that kept flooding out of his mouth.

But Percy didn't seem to mind whatsoever, looking rather pleased as he kept bobbing his head, looking more concentrated than usual.

Then he did that swallowing motion again and Nico found himself closing his eyes for a moment.

He could feel and hear Percy taking a deep breath and worried for a second whether he got enough air, but then he felt Percy's hands grabbing a firmer hold of his hips and…pulling them forward.

Nico felt his dick hitting some part at the very back of Percy's throat, half expecting him to choke or pull back, but he didn't, staying like that for a moment as if to adjust, then he moved, pulling back slightly, only to repeat the process.

Nico felt utterly light-headed, his mouth hanging open uselessly with no words coming out, not even moans, only disbelieving, blissful huffs, his eyes barely open.

He tried to look down at Percy, but just moving his head an inch seemed way too much effort as his dick was sliding in and out of Percy's mouth.

Completely in. Slightly out.

Yes, this was basically sex.

He was practically f-…doing Percy's face.

Percy's hands squeezed his hip bones slightly and he managed to look down, his head feeling way too heavy, but he was able to keep his balance.

Percy gazed up at him almost uncertainly, apparently trying to discern whether Nico was enjoying this or not.

Nico had no idea how he could not tell.

He nodded wildly, head falling back again and hands clawing his own hair frantically as Percy continued, now moving Nico's hips instead of his head, which only added to the whole sex-feeling.

Then Percy did that swallowing motion again and Nico almost cried out, his hips now really bucking, more surprising himself than Percy, who instantly tightened his hold on him again, though he didn't push him back.

Instead, he sped up, giving Nico exactly what he wanted.

Yes, he needed this.

He groaned loudly, his entire body shaking like mad as he was relentlessly brought closer to the edge that he had tried to avoid for so very long.

Percy's tongue swiped over his tip as he pulled back all the way, just to then push him all the way inside his mouth again, throat constricting around his tip as he swallowed.

This was madness!

So intense!

There was no way Nico was going to survive this.

"Percy, Percy, Percy, Percy, Percy!" His lips were moving, Percy's name flooding out of him over and over again, each time more urgent than before, each time more dragged out than before until he was right there, right on that very edge.

And Percy looked at him with those beautiful, mesmerizing, sea-green eyes, knowing so full well Nico was gone, Nico could just tell from the way his eyes gleamed – and as he pulled back a last time, he let his teeth graze against his length before pushing him back in, and Nico's mind all but exploded.

Sputtering, groaning, gasping and crying out at the same time (which resulted in the weirdest noise ever and Nico was not proud), his orgasm hit him full force as cum shot down Percy's throat, who didn't seem surprised nor perturbed in the least, sucking on him with an utterly satisfied expression on his face, eyes still glued to Nico's face.

But Nico couldn't care anymore about how he looked.

He slumped against the wall, hands still in his hair, mouth still hanging open uselessly, eyes still slightly open, yet he couldn't see much more than the intense green of Percy's eyes.

His breathing was ragged and his heart was beating so loud and fast he almost feared it would jump out of his ribcage at any moment.

As the last drops of cum disappeared down Percy's throat and he pulled back, Nico's knees finally buckled, and Nico was not proud to say that he didn't do anything whatsoever to stop himself from falling.

Percy did, though, grabbing onto his hips harder and trying to keep him steady, though he seemed to realize that didn't work out too well, for he eased Nico down a moment later until he sat between Percy's legs, head dropping onto Percy's shoulder instantly, weak as he was.

He was pathetic, and he knew it.

But to hell with it, he had just had the best orgasm in his entire life.

Percy chuckled quietly, one hand stroking up and down his back soothingly as the other one finally turned off the water that was still raining down on them.

Nico had completely forgotten about it.

It didn't matter, anyways.

"I take it you liked that." Percy remarked in a voice dripping with amusement, satisfaction and what sounded like pride, and Nico couldn't help the smirk forming on his lips, glad Percy couldn't see.

"Gee, you don't say." He mumbled weakly, shaking his head against Percy's shoulder, which was more of a rubbing of his forehead against his skin, really.

"No, but seriously, that was…it was…"

How could he possibly describe this in words?

"Mind-blowing." He blurted out a moment later, unable to think of anything better.

Percy laughed and put both arms around him, holding him tight.

"I'm glad. Happy birthday, Nico."

"Happy birthday, Percy." Nico replied tiredly, unthinkingly, automatically, then slapped himself inwardly for that mishap.

Percy only chuckled, burying his face at Nico's neck and placing a gentle kiss on his skin.

"I love you, Nico. Now, let's get you out of the shower, alright?"

Nico reluctantly made to lift his head, still finding it absurdly heavy, but a lot more manageable than earlier, so there was that.

The first thing he did as he regained control of his body was wrapping his arms around Percy's neck and dragging him in for a kiss, which Percy returned with a small laugh, thumbs caressing Nico's cheeks as he cupped his face.

He could still taste himself on Percy's lips, but he had stopped caring about things like that ages ago, anyways, so it didn't stop him from licking across Percy's bottom lip to demand entrance, even though it was a much more lazy motion than usual.

Percy hesitated for only a moment, then parted his lips for him, turning the lazy motion into an even lazier kiss, where they both just sat there on the shower floor, tongues slowly swirling around each other and moving in and out of each other's mouths, filling them with love and warmth instead of lust and want.

"I love you so much, Percy Jackson." Nico breathed against his lips when he finally urged himself to pull back to give them some air.

Percy smiled at him so warmly, so affectionately, so stunningly beautifully that Nico thought he was going to die from all the love Percy was giving him.

But that would be the most beautiful death he could ever imagine, so he didn't do anything to stop his insides from overflowing with emotions, instead leaning in again to kiss him again.

And again.

And again.

"I love you, love you, love you." He whispered between kisses, cupping Percy's face and not wanting to ever let go.

Here, right here, on this horribly uncomfortable, hard shower floor, with his Percy right there with him, was where he belonged, where he wanted to be, where he had to be.

And he loved him so very much.

.

"Come on, now, we're almost there." Percy said soothingly, trying to drag Nico after him as gently as possible, which was one of the hardest tasks he had ever taken upon himself, given how uncooperative Nico suddenly was.

"Do we really have to go eat breakfast? I think I'd much rather stay in bed some more. So many people. What if Will will cause a scene? I don't think Annabeth and Piper know it's my birthday, but I know Will does and he makes as much fuss about it as you do. I don't want that." Nico uttered bitterly, walking ever so slowly and looking back over his shoulder towards the cabins wistfully.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, I told you everything is going to be just fine."

Nico didn't seem convinced.

Percy squeezed his arm gently. "Come on, trust me. Would I ever-…"

"I'm not saying you're lying, I'm just saying that you have no control in what other people do. I just…don't want to be the center of attention. That's all."

"Alright. I can't promise what random campers are going to do in case they know, but I know all your friends know you well enough not to make you uncomfortable in front of everybody. Ok? Plus, I'll be there to protect you in case it gets too much, right?"

He threw him a hopefully reassuring smile and squeezed his arm again, but Nico only eyed him warily for another moment.

Then he sighed and pulled his arm back with a start.

Percy sighed, looking off into the distance and swallowing the hurt, starting to put his hand into his pocket for nothing better to do with it.

But then Nico's hand closed around it.

"Let's actually walk like a couple, alright? You dragging me by my arm looks weird." Nico muttered forcefully indifferent voice, but Percy's entire world suddenly brightened and he grabbed hold of Nico's hand firmly.

Really?

His heart was beating wildly in his chest, a wide grin spreading on his face.

Nico glanced over at him and Percy could see him rolling his eyes, but he could also detect the traitorous twitching of his lips and the way his ears were scarlet.

He squeezed his hand gently and found Nico squeezing it back, sending him a amused glance.

Percy only grinned broadly at him, not even trying to mask the joy bubbling inside him at this simple gesture.

Nico pursed his lips and looked away. "Dork. Don't…make such a big deal about this."

Percy tugged on his hand, pulling him closer so their shoulders brushed against each other, placing a butterfly kiss against the side of his head quickly.

"I will. I love you and I'm dying to show it to the world."

Nico looked at him oddly for a moment, a light blush spreading on his face.

Then he chewed on his bottom lip and his blush deepened as his hand tightened around Percy's.

"Ok then. Let's…let's do it, then."

Percy looked at him, stunned. Do it?

As in, _do it_?

"You…you sure?"

Nico hesitated for a moment, eyes fixed on the dining pavilion that was ever coming closer.

"Yes. I've pushed it back for long enough. It's my birthday and I'm not going to hide having the best boyfriend in the world just because I'm scared of what other people might think." He then said determinedly, hand shaking slightly in Percy's.

Percy's insides went for a rollercoaster ride and he resisted the urge to pull Nico into a rib-breaking hug.

"O-Ok!" He exclaimed euphorically, earning him an odd glance from Nico again before the Italian chuckled.

"You…are such a dork."

Percy grinned from one ear to the other, everything inside him warm and fuzzy and awesome.

This was the best day of his life.

He had managed to deep throat without accidents, had given Nico one hell of an orgasm, now he was holding his hand in the very middle of the Camp with Nico saying he was ready to come out to the others…yes, this was the best day of his life.

He loved today.

He loved his life.

He loved Nico.

This was more like his birthday than Nico's, really.

They entered the dining pavilion like that, holding hands, walking right next to each other and Percy could hear Nico inhale deeply as the first eyes fell on them.

Luckily for Percy, most of the campers just nodded or called over a greeting and went back to their food.

Only a few frowned, eyes fixed on their joined hands, looking from one to the other with the unspoken question of what this was about.

"Erm…your table or mine?" Nico asked, clearing his throat and trying to not look at anybody in particular, ears a dark shade of red while his face looked unusually pale, which was an odd combination and instantly worried Percy.

"Your choice." He considered adding 'It's your birthday, after all', but decided against it, given how Nico didn't want people to know for whatever reason.

"Your table then. It's clo-…"

"Nico! Oi!" Clarisse interrupted him and walked up to them, her expression either indicating she was either unnaturally cheerful or had just whacked a ton of kids.

It was kind of hard to tell with her, though it could very well be both, too.

Nico instantly stiffened, his hand tightening around Percy's, but he didn't let go.

"Hi Clarisse. What's up?" He asked, his voice only shaking a little bit.

"Morning Clarisse." Percy greeted her calmly, giving Nico's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Oh, you. Yeah, hi. Listen, Nico, I heard it's your…" She looked to the side, glaring at a few kids that were hollering around right next to them, as if trying to eavesdrop to figure out what was going in.

They immediately scrammed.

Percy's stomach lurched.

Did Clarisse know it was his birthday? Was she going to congratulate him HERE?

Oh shit.

And he had JUST promised Nico nothing out of the ordinary would happen at breakfast!

Damn it, he should have considered talking to Clarisse!  
Then again, who'd have thought she'd even care?

The buff girl looked around her once more, then leaned in closer to Nico.

"Happy Birthday, kiddo. I know you're not one for celebrations and all, but I thought I'd be nice. Here." She said, punching Nico's arm playfully and passing him a small package wrapped in simple brown paper, making it look more like a post package than a birthday gift.

Percy blinked surprised as Nico took it with his free hand, looking taken aback.

"Erm…thanks. I…I didn't know you knew…"

But Clarisse only waved off. "Hedge told me. He knows from that woman from Camp Jupiter, what's her name…Rara? Rina? Something like that. Anyways, I'm supposed to pass their greetings, too. Hedge's and Mellie's, that is. Make sure to come over sometime to play with Chuck. He misses you, the little devil."

Percy stared at his boyfriend, watching him blush and nod, promising Clarisse to visit the baby satyr when he found the time.

Then he watched awestruck as Clarisse punched his arm again, shooting Percy a dirty look.

"So, you two dating?" This, she said in her normal, loud, boisterous voice and Percy noticed how the campers at the closest table to them all fell silent, staring at them.

Oh wow.

Couldn't they all mind their own business?

He was about to open his mouth and explain himself, when Nico cleared his throat.

"Ah, yes. As a matter of fact, we are. We've been. For a while now. Since…since Christmas."

Percy heard a crash somewhere behind him and a few surprised gasps.

The kids that had been staring at them now gaped at them openly.

Clarisse, on the other hand, just nodded simply.

"Figures. Thought I saw you being more touchy feely towards each other than usual. Well, my congratulations, then. Percy, be good to him, or you'll have my spear in your ribs."

He stared at her, stunned and speechless.

He had had no idea Clarisse, his Clarisse, the Clarisse that usually bullied people and wasn't nice to anybody except her boyfriend, would ever care this much about…Nico.

This was great!

"Oh, I plan to take the best care of him." Percy ensured her, throwing Nico a promising glance, but the boy was too busy chewing on his bottom lip, looking at a fixed point far away.

His hand was clammy and trembling and Percy gave him a reassuring squeeze before dragging him after him towards the Poseidon table.

"Well, off to breakfast. I'm starving. See you around, Clarisse."

"Yeah, don't forget to visit Chuck, Nico. You can bring your boyfriend, too, if you wish. Chuck will love a new punching bag. He takes after me." The daughter of Ares exclaimed proudly, puffing out her chest and flexing her muscles before striding out the dining pavilion, probably to break some more bones in the arena.

Bless her.

The other kids were still staring at them, but a fair few of them (mostly the Aphrodite and Apollo kids, actually), started nudging them and striking up loud conversations, as if trying to redirect their attention, which Percy really appreciated (he also saw money exchanging hands, leaving the impression some people had been betting on them. Weird thought. Definitely weird).

"Well, that didn't go too bad." He mused quietly as he seated them both at his table and watched Nico's face worriedly.

He was pale, his body trembling slightly.

But then he nodded curtly and stared at his plate.

"Yeah, you're right. We're still alive. That's a plus."

Oh my. Had Nico really been THAT worried?

Percy put an arm around him, tugging him closer and kissing the top of his head, resulting in Nico making a small noise of complaint and several people dropping their forks in shock/surprise.

But Percy couldn't care less.

He hadn't been joking when he had said he'd show it to the world that Nico was his.

"Come on, let's eat. How about some waffles? You talked about them last night." He offered, shooting dirty looks at the last persistent campers ogling them.

Seriously, where was…

"Waffles? I want waffles, too. Oi, what are you looking at, kiddo? Never seen three hungry demigods?" Will's voice sounded behind them and the next moment, he flopped down next to Nico, beaming at them brightly.

"Morning. So, did I miss anything? A couple of kids just stormed out the dining pavilion rambling about your gayness, Percy. So, you've decided to finally come out?" He asked, making waffles appear on his plate and wriggling his eyebrows at them.

There he was.

"About time. I thought you'd never come around."

"Well, excuse me for doing as you told me and sleeping in." Will huffed indignantly, then leaned towards Nico and whispered something in his ear.

Nico was still unnaturally stiff (and quiet), but slowly regained the color in his face, nodding slightly and putting on a small smile before staring his plate to death once more.

Will put his arm around him, pressing him against his side in a half-hug for a moment, a reassuring smile on his face, whispering something else and being way too close (as usual).

"Oh really? You've been sleeping up until now?" Percy asked, raising an unbelieving eyebrow as he tugged Nico out of Will's hold.

Will stiffened slightly and looked off into the distance with a forcefully neutral gaze.

"I…had an adequate amount of sleep, yes."

That sounded either like a straight-out lie, or a very bent truth.

Percy rolled his eyes, but regarding that it was Nico's birthday, he decided to drop it for now.

They had promised not to bicker, after all.

So, instead, he got up to give his food offering of the day, watching pleased as Nico immediately followed him, looking only slightly bothered by the looks the other campers shot them.

He saw an Aphrodite girl whack an Ares kid across the head with what looked like a book on make-up through the centuries, then watched money exchanging hands at the Athena cabin, half of them looking reproachfully at Percy, the other half looking utterly triumphant.

He wasn't surprised in the least to find that Annabeth hadn't given him out.

Even though he had never told her to keep it a secret that he was bisexual, he had also never told her to tell anybody, so she had probably had a good time watching her siblings mulling the matter over for the past weeks, maybe even months.

The Aphrodite kids didn't seem surprised in the least, either, and the Apollo kids…well, the Apollo kids had been rooting for the four of them all this time already, anyways, so they probably were only surprised Percy was Nico's only boyfriend.

The thought made him glance back at Will, who shot everybody staring such an evil look he felt goose bumps appearing all over his body.

Good thing he didn't intend to ever truly get on Will's bad side.

Giving him a once over, he figured Will looked well enough rested to assume he had gotten at least some sleep.

Today surely seemed to be a splendid day.

Dumping more than usual of his food into the fire, he wished his dad a splendid day as well and asked him to wish him luck with their plans for today.

Then he waited patiently for Nico and Will, noticing how Nico's lips moved with what appeared to be a silent prayer, while Will just threw part of his waffles into the fire nonchalantly and turned away utterly disinterested.

Their eyes met and Percy raised a questioning eyebrow, but Will only shrugged and looked away again, looking peeved.

Apparently, Will had a bit of a dispute with his father, huh?

Well, all the Apollo kids had to fight with being weaker than before, so it was understandable, he guessed.  
He just wondered how he hadn't noticed that before.

They made their way back to the Poseidon table and Will did his best to start up a normal conversation, though Nico barely took part in it.

Percy had to admit he was slowly starting to worry.

This was Nico's birthday.  
He wanted him to be happy, not worried and distressed.

But what could he possibly do?

He shot Will an uncertain glance, but the blonde just shrugged, looking uncertain himself.

"Want to try some of my waffles?" Percy offered hesitantly, holding out a forkful of blue waffles to Nico, who looked up at him with a half amused, half exasperated expression.

"Percy, I'm fine. Don't look like that. I'm simply…I don't know. I just need a bit to…you know…" He started off confident, but then started mumbling and looking away uncertainly.

Percy's fork still hovered in front of his face. "Is that a yes or a no?" He asked with a puppy face.

Nico's lips twitched and he rolled his eyes exaggeratedly – then he leaned forward to take a bite.

But before he could reach it, there was Will, wrapping his lips around Percy's fork and taking the waffles meant for Nico with an evil gleam in his eyes.

"Hey! Those were for Nico!" Percy exclaimed in disbelief, staring at his empty fork as Will pulled back, looking utterly smug.

Nico just looked taken aback, but not exactly upset.

"Yeah? So? I'm his doctor, I have to make sure that stuff is edible before letting him try it. We don't want him in the infirmary with food poisoning or something, after all. Especially not on this splendid day, do we now?"

Percy scowled at him. "So then, Doctor Solace, do you deem my waffles edible enough, then?"

He expected many things, but he didn't expect Will's head to shoot around, cheeks turning pink.

Oh? Somebody seemed to like being called 'Doctor' it seemed.

Percy was going to remember that in case he ever needed to butter up to the blonde.

Maybe he shouldn't have grinned so maliciously, because the moment Will saw his expression, he scowled, glaring at him as if he wanted him to vaporize on the spot.

But given that his blush only deepened, Percy wasn't all too worried.

"Nah, they are horrible. Mine are tons better. Also, didn't you assure me you were going to follow your nutrition plan without complaint? I don't see you eating even one type of fruit right now. Care to explain yourself?"

Oops. Damn it.

But come on, it was Nico's birthday!

"But…but…"

"Will, today doesn't count. That's mean. Now, both of you, let me try your waffles and I'll be the judge as to which is better." Nico announced between them, sitting up straighter and looking at them with renewed confidence.

Percy and Will blinked, throwing each other surprised glances.

Then both of them grinned wickedly and started collecting bits of their waffles on their forks, trying to get to Nico quicker.

Nico only rolled his eyes with a small smile on his face, eyes fixed on the table.

.

After they finally finished breakfast, Will shot Percy a questioning glance to see whether their original plan was still a thing.

Percy's wild and of course utterly inconspicuous (which was to say: obvious as hell! That idiot) nodding confirmed at least that much, so Will and Percy took Nico in the middle and guided him out of the dining pavilion.

Will sent a last glare at a couple of Campers that huddled at the entrance to the dining pavilion and stared at Percy and Nico as if they were on display, muttering in hushed voices.

Seriously, he couldn't understand why so many people were this surprised.  
It had been fairly obvious that Percy had a thing for Nico, even if one didn't hang out with the two all day.

Also, he hadn't shown any interest in any girl whatsoever since Annabeth.

So, yeah, Will really couldn't see what their big deal was.

Also, it wasn't as if there needed to be any fuss about Percy and Nico dating.

They were still the same powerful demigods.  
Who cared who they were dating?

Granted, Will had expected at least a bit of a reaction because Percy was something like the biggest idol (and object of desire) possible right now, but seriously, they didn't have to stare like that.

Well, he guessed things would settle down soon enough.

Camp was fairly open-minded in regard of sexualities, after all.

So it was probably just the initial shock of all the girls finding out they couldn't land with Percy Jackson anymore.

And the rest of them was probably mourning the loss of the slim chance of ever drawing Nico di Angelo's attention.

Yeah, that kind of sucked.

Will would have liked to date him instead, too.

But meh.

He might not say it out loud, but those two made a fairly good couple.

And as long as Nico was happy, he was happy for him.

"Oh no, I forgot! Leo wanted me to come over because of my IM-ing device. He said he wanted to check the connections or something. Want to come with? He could probably check yours as well while he's at it." Will said quickly, looking hopefully at Nico, who looked slightly taken aback, blinking at him surprised.

"Your IM-ing device?"

"Really? What happened, did you drop it? Seriously, watch your stuff better." Percy chided and Will shot him a dirty look.

It had been HIS idea for Will to come up with this sort of story, not Will's, so he better kept quiet.

Percy only grinned smugly.

"No, nothing like that, but he said he wants to check it real quick, anyways. Who knows, maybe he just wants to take another look at the design to make some more for other campers?" He suggested, fingering the device on his wrist thoughtfully.

Nico shrugged. "Sure then. Unless Percy has something aga-…"

"No, it's cool. We can go to Leo's quickly and then we can think of what we want to do today, how about it?" Percy said quickly and Will inwardly groaned at his nervous behavior, how he fidgeted so painfully obviously, looking anywhere but at Nico as if that made his blatant lie any better.

Ugh, Percy, get your shit together, this whole mess had been your idea!

"Ok then." Nico muttered with a shrug and Will studied his expression for any sign he suspected anything.

He didn't seem to be, which partly made Will feel bad.

It was meant to be a sort of 'surprise', but he didn't want to surprise Nico too bad, since the boy obviously trusted them not to pull any birthday surprises on him.

They were about to leave for Bunker 9 when they heard somebody calling after them behind them.

"Hey, Nico, wait! I wanted to…wanted to talk to you…" The boy called breathlessly as he came running towards them.

"Bill?" Nico asked with a frown as they stopped to look around.

Ah, the Ares kid.

He and Clarisse were the main reason for injuries at Camp nowadays.

Will guessed their father would be proud.

"Hey. It's…it's your birthday today, right?" The boy exclaimed once he reached them, panting heavily and bending forward, resting his hands on his thighs exhaustedly.

He must have come straight from the arena, since Will hadn't noticed him at the pavilion.

Also, he was already sweaty, so yeah, it looked a lot like he had just taken a break from training.

Ambitious kid.

Nico looked utterly dumbfounded. "I…yes. But how do you…oh. Clarisse." He muttered, looking slightly uncomfortable.

Bill nodded. "Yeah, she pulled me aside just a few minutes ago because of Chuck and how you said you were going to visit him sometime. I wondered whether that meant today, but she said she doubts it because it's your birthday. I just…Happy Birthday!" He blurted, face turning beet red as he held out his hand like a weapon instead of a gesture.

Cute. If Will didn't know better, he'd say Nico had a new admirer.

Though he was fairly certain this admirer more idolized Nico instead of wanting to get into his pants.

Still cute.

Nico only hesitated a moment before taking Bill's hand, a smile spreading on his face, his shoulders relaxing.

"Thanks. That's really nice of you. I hope training is coming along just fine?"

"Oh yeah, it's going great. Thanks for your advice back then. Is there any chance you're going to be showing us anything new again, soon?"

The new kids always seemed so excited at the prospect of learning new moves.

Will smiled, glancing towards Percy, who had a wide grin on his face as well, looking from Bill to his boyfriend with a soft gaze.

Percy had been the same way back when he had come to Camp.

Eager to learn new things, taking up all new information like a sponge.

Though he had discarded most of the stuff that hadn't had anything to do with swordplay.

Oh well, to each their own.

"I'm not sure. Classes are going to start soon again, anyways, so I'm sure Percy will be able to show you some cool stuff." Nico said hesitantly, glancing towards Percy for reassurance.

Percy instantly jumped in.

"Yeah, I'm going to do my best to get you ready. You're all doing a pretty job already, anyways, so I'm confident we'll make quick progress."

"Oh." Was all Bill had to say to that, looking slightly slumped.

Will had to suppress a laugh.

Somebody seemed disappointed to have the hero of Olympus training him.

Percy looked almost offended, but he pulled himself together almost instantly, nudging Nico.

"But hey, I'm sure you could help out a few times, Neeks. I'd love to show them how it's done properly with someone I wouldn't cut to bits by accident."

"You just want to keep him all to yourself, Perce. Nico has to help me out in the infirmary, else I'm never seeing him, what with you two all over each other all the time." Will scowled, then froze in shock.

Oh shit.

If Bill had come from the arena, that meant he hadn't been there during Percy's and Nico's kind of coming out.

That meant he didn't know yet!

Well, better now than later through the gossiping of the other campers.

Though Will wished he had taken a better way around this.

Him and his big mouth though!

"You…you two are dating?" Bill asked, looking taken aback.

Nico stiffened next to him and Will guiltily glanced towards Percy, who shot him an exasperated glance.

Ok, ok, he was sorry, alright!

"Yeah…Percy and I are dating." Nico mumbled, taking Percy's hand as if he had to prove his words.

Will could clearly see Percy giving him a reassuring squeeze.

"Yep, we've been dating ever since Christmas. I'm surprised nobody has noticed up until now." He said cheerfully, tugging Nico closer to him.

Bill gazed at them quietly for a long moment.

Then realization dawned on his face. "Then you must have been the secret lover!"

Will raised an eyebrow.

Secret lover?

Percy and Nico looked slightly taken aback, exchanging a quick glance before both of them chuckled, somewhat pink in the face.

"Ah…yes. Guilty as charged." Percy mumbled, scratching the back of his head as he always did when he was flustered.

Will had no clue what they were even talking about.

"That's so cool. My friends and I were going crazy trying to guess who it could possibly be. This makes so much sense. Oh man, I would have never thought it would be you."

"You…you don't mind?" Nico asked, the surprise all too evident in his voice, making Will inwardly cringe.

Had he really expected people to be homophobic assholes like in the 1940's?

Oh gods, he didn't even want to know how scared Nico must have been of coming out, how worried he must have been of how others might view him, of how they must think of Percy afterwards.

Bill frowned at him. "Why would I mind? I'm sorry, but I don't like guys like that. And Percy isn't my type, I'm truly sorry."

Will snorted with laughter, turning away and covering his mouth with both hands, but the damage was already done.

Percy looked so offended in that moment, though he couldn't tell whether that was because of Bill's words or because of Will's laughing.

The fact that Nico laughed as well probably wasn't helping much, either.

"Sorry, it's just…I just…" Nico tried to apologize, but then snorted again and laughed, hiding his face in shame from Percy, who only huffed out an irritated breath and glared towards Will, who was still desperately trying (and failing) to push down his own laughter.

"Yeah, yeah."

Bill seemed uncertain what exactly was going on, looking at each of them in turn and looking uneasy. "I'm sorry if that came across as offending?"

"Oh no, it's alright. They are just being their usual stupid selves."

"Did you just call me stupid? On my birthday?" Nico asked, looking insulted and stepping away from Percy, who immediately made a face, apparently regretting his choice of words.

Served him right.

"No, angel, I didn't mean it like that!" He cooed, putting on a puppy face and trying to get back on Nico's good side by wrapping his arms around him – or trying to, but Nico didn't let him, winding out of his grip to send him a wry look.

"Don't even think about it."

Will rolled his eyes, wondering once more how anybody could possibly be surprised about those two dating.

They were always like this.

How had people not seen?

He watched with Bill how Percy put on his best pouting face, trying to get Nico to look at him, but Nico was trying his hardest to keep his face turned away, which resulted in the weirdest angles and looks.

Bill seemed to find that quite amusing.

"Are they always like this?"

"Yes. Always. Every day. All day long." Will said gravely, causing Bill to chuckle.

That kid most definitely had a sadistic streak if he could laugh about other people's pain like that.

Great, that indicated there'd be a lot more people in the infirmary once Bill visited Percy's classes.

"Guys, remember, we wanted to go to Leo's!" He reminded them after another few minutes of Percy pleading for mercy and Nico (who hadn't even been mad in the first place, judging by the wide smile he was hiding) still refusing to face him.

They both looked around at him.

Bill stepped back. "Oh yeah, I have to get back to training, too. So…erm…have a nice day! I don't know if you celebrate, Clarisse said you probably won't, but I still hope you'll have fun." The boy said with a lopsided grin, then he nodded towards Percy and Will and ran off towards the arena again.

Ambitious kid.

"He grew so confident." Nico remarked with a hint of awe in his voice.

Will shot him an amused glance. "Yeah, I remember now. He was that shy kid that didn't want to fight and couldn't even look us in the eye, wasn't he?"

Nico and Percy nodded. "He had a tough time accepting his dad and all, because he hates war and fighting. I told him about Frank and how we fight for what's important, not because we like the bloodshed."

"Well, good thing you did. Look how he's changed. He can look us in the eye and tell Percy straight out he isn't his type."

"Hey!" Percy put in, glaring at him again, but Will ignored him.

"And my siblings tell me he's one of the main reasons the infirmary is still regularly inhabited by injured kids. So, yeah, you should be proud."

"I didn't do anything. He did."

"Yeah, but he probably wouldn't have if it hadn't been for you talking to him, taking your time to understand what's bothering him and reassuring him. Small things like that can make a big difference, you know? If you hadn't talked to him, who knows, he might still struggle with himself and his father and grow to despise his heritage or what he is. Now, he can grow into a strong warrior that will protect those close to him and smother Percy's pride."

"You know what!" Percy sulked, looking offended again.

But Will simply couldn't help himself, he simply looked too adorable with that little pout.

Nico chuckled at his boyfriend, squeezing his hand gently.

"Well, I suppose you're right- I mean with all the other stuff he said, Percy! No, you're awesome, he just doesn't know it. I bet you're everybody else's type, alright? You're my type, Will's type-…" Nico started as Percy shot him a pouty look as well.

"Oh hell no!" Will immediately exclaimed, scowling at Nico.

"Will, shut up, I'm trying to get him back on my good side." Nico hissed urgently and then looked around at Percy, who had an unimpressed face.

"You two are the worst." He then stated drily and Will and Nico exchanged contemplative glances.

"But I love you, anyways. So, off to Leo's, now?" Percy added, wrapping his arms around Nico and pulling him in for a super quick hug before pulling him and Will off towards Leo's.

Will and Nico both chuckled, grinning at each other and following his lead, though Will had a tough time keeping his insides in check.

Of course, Percy had only meant Nico with his love declaration.

It was stupid of Will's heart to beat twice as fast as before just because of something stupid like that.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Annoyed with himself, he grabbed Nico's other hand that wasn't held by Percy and sped up so he was the one leading the way.

"Come on, then, slowpokes. The sooner we're there, the sooner we have the day to ourselves again. Nico, how about you and I-…"

"Don't you forget me, sun-bug. I'll go wherever Nico goes."

"To the bathroom?" Will asked doubtfully, not surprised by the interruption whatsoever.

Quite the opposite, he had done it just to tease Percy, to be honest.

As if Nico would ever spend time alone with him if he had the chance to spend it with his boyfriend.

"Absolutely. Bathrooms are right up my alley, after all." Percy instantly replied, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively at Nico, who instantly blushed and looked away flustered.

"Percy!"

Will only rolled his eyes.

Seriously?

"I mean, I am a son of Poseidon, after all. You know, water and all…" Percy tried to backtrack with a glance at Will, but Will knew better.

Though he decided to not think too much of Percy and bathrooms right now, instead dragging them after him towards Leo's.

Hopefully everything would work out and Nico wouldn't freak out or something.

Maybe he should warn him?

Then again, there wasn't really anything he needed to be warned of, per se.

Oh well, they'd find out soon just how Nico would react to everything.

If anything, Will could still blame it all on Percy, anyways.

Good, good.

And thanks to Bill's utterly chilled reactions at Nico's coming out, Nico seemed a lot more relaxed now as well, so that was a plus, too.

.

Nico didn't suspect anything to be amiss until he noticed Percy getting more nervous the closer they got to Bunker 9.

The real giveaway was the irritated, exasperated glance Will threw Percy shortly before they entered Leo's favorite hideout, though.

From that moment on he knew they had planned something.

All in all, it shouldn't have come as a surprise.

Now the only question was: What was it?

Percy had ensured him there wouldn't be a 'birthday party', but every time Nico had pointed out nobody knew it was his birthday anyways, Percy had grown unnaturally quiet, so Nico could bet his sword arm that the others were at least going to show up sometime today to congratulate him.

Still, what could Percy and Will possibly have planned?

Especially at Leo's.

They didn't exactly enjoy hanging out at Bunker 9, so he doubted they came here to stay.

Maybe it was some sort of trick to get him to Leo and Calypso do they could wish him a happy birthday and then they'd leave for the next friends (Piper, maybe, or Lou Ellen and Cecil) with some sort of excuse.

Yeah, that could be it.

Well, that was ok then.

As long as he would still have some time to call Hazel, Frank and Reyna, he was fine (he had had to promise them to call them, no excuses and no delaying until tomorrow or anything – really, they made it sound so plausible he'd do something like that…ok, maybe he would).

"Come on, then, we're almost there." Will said from in front of him, sending him another one of those odd glances he'd been giving him ever since entering the Bunker.

He seemed curious, but at the same time uncertain, maybe even worried.

It didn't bode well with Nico, that much was for certain, since it made him nervous all over again.

Seriously, why did everyone have to make such a big fuss about his birthday?

It was just a day like any other, really.

He hadn't even celebrated his birthday ever since…well, actually, he couldn't remember the last time he had celebrated his birthday.

When Bianca and he had been put in the Lotus Hotel, they had lost all track of time, so they had kind of missed his seventy-something birthdays there.

And once they had been out of there and back in the real world…well, he had kind of lost his sister and with that all reason to even wish to celebrate his birthday.

So, yeah, there was that.

But he decided not to tell Will and Percy that, given that they seemed so utterly excited for him.

He might not care, but he knew they did, and he supposed he'd just have to deal with it.

It wasn't as if he hated the notion, he actually found it really sweet of them.  
Though he would still prefer to spend his day rolling around in bed with Percy, or watching films or playing games or something with Will around as well.

Maybe Jason would come back today, too.

That would be a really great birthday gift.

He'd seriously love that.

Will stopped in front of a door that hadn't been there the last time they had been here, but he wasn't surprised.

They had kind of walked in on Leo and Calypso making out before, after all, so it was to be expected they'd get some more doors and the like for privacy reasons.

Will looked around at him uncertainly for a moment.

Oh, wow, just get this over with, alright?

He had just come out to Camp with Percy, seeing Leo and Calypso was going to be his least problem right now.

Though he still couldn't believe he had actually done that.

Then again, this WAS his birthday, and there was no way he wasn't going to spend it with Percy as his official boyfriend.

"What are you waiting for?" Nico asked as Will shot Percy a questioning glance, who fidgeted next to Nico and looked somewhat conflicted.

"Ah…nothing, just thinking…erm…Nico…listen…" Will started, but then stopped, scratching the side of his neck and looking down.

Nico found his behavior very peculiar.

"It's just Leo and Calypso, what's the big deal?" He asked with a frown, moving past Will towards the door and opening it.

"Happy Birthday!" Came the euphoric outcry of the people inside the room.

Nine. People.

He turned his face to throw Percy and Will an accusing look

They could have warned him!

But before he could think of anything to say or do, nor look for a way to run, Cecil, the one closest to the door, pulled him in.

He stared at all the faces in turn, finding no words for the situation.

There were Leo and Calypso, standing right in front of him and grinning at him, knowing better than to try for physical contact since he was still picky about that.

Then there were Cecil and Lou Ellen, who still dragged him into hugs and muttered another round of congratulations, beaming at him.

Annabeth and Piper followed, patting him on the back and Annabeth winked at him, though he wasn't sure why.

And then there was a giant IM-ing screen picturing Reyna, Frank and Hazel, all three of them grinning at him and Hazel looked as if she wanted to jump through the mist to hug him (she probably did – and he wouldn't mind).

He looked around at Percy and Will again, but the two had their heads together, discussing something in hushed voices that Nico couldn't hear.

Great, thanks for the support, guys.

Looking back towards his friends, he found them all beaming at him, apparently waiting for a reaction from his side.

"Uh…thanks?" He mumbled meekly, feeling the heat rising in his face.

Then they grabbed him and pulled him into their midst and there was nothing more he could do but let them, not even trying to hide the smile that snuck its way onto his face.

Alright, maybe celebrating ones birthday wasn't THAT bad.

Just maybe.

.

They laughed, they joked, they pushed their gifts into Nico's unsuspecting arms.

Percy and Will both watched with dumb grins as Nico seemed flustered, yet somewhat pleased, looking a bit at a loss with his arms full of packages of varying sizes.

Percy moved to help him, finding Will moving forward as well.

It wasn't really a birthday party, Percy kept telling himself.

There was no cake (yet, but that was because a certain someone – yes, Will, we're all looking at you – forgot to bring it from the secret hiding place at the Big House) and nothing was decorated.

It was just a get together of Nico's friends to congratulate him and give him their gifts instead of them coming for Nico in the middle of the Camp.

So, in a way, it should be cool.

He could already tell it hadn't been a too bad idea, given that Nico seemed to relax relatively fast, what with him talking more animatedly now and with that adorable permanent smile on his face.

Will and he got some of the gifts off him and placed them on a small table that looked a lot like a bigger recreation of Buford, the walking table.

Percy could only hope it wouldn't make a run for it at any point.

He saw Will using his chance of adding his own gift to the bulk, apparently not wanting to force himself into the perfect circle around Nico to give it to him personally (or maybe he figured it made no difference whether Nico was holding onto it along with the others or having it placed on the table for him to look at later).

Then the blonde came over to stand next to him, crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaning back against the wall, same as Percy was, both of them watching Nico.

"We'll just give him the cake later. No big deal. He won't even notice we forgot it now. We'll just play it off cool as if it had been planned that way, alright? It's good weather today, so I'm guessing we're going for the clearing? Or did you find a different place?" Will asked quietly and Percy sighed.

The cake.  
How could he have forgotten to remind Will of the cake?  
How could Will have forgotten about the cake in the first place?

It had been so much trouble, how could anybody forget about it?

The discussion had started the very day Percy had asked Will for help with his blowjob skills, when the three of them had been in the arena and Nico had let some kids team up against him while Percy and Will had gone over a few things for his nutrition plan that Will had pretty much built from scratch in minutes (if Percy had needed any more proof that Will had been wanting to do that forever already, that had been it).

It had been him to ask 'Hey, what about a birthday cake' and Will had been the one to point out the difficulties and the plausibility of it all working out.

Their chances had obviously been slim.

Needless to say, by the time they had left the arena with Nico, it had been decided that a birthday cake was a must.

No matter the odds, and whatever the cost.

In this case, it had required even more hushed conversations than the deep throating issue had demanded, as well as the help of Annabeth (for the recipe), Cecil (to miraculously get them the ingredients in question), Leo (for the tools and the stove to actually bake the horrid thing) and Calypso (to make it edible and save Camp Half-Blood from being burnt to the ground because they had left the cake in the oven for too long – all Will's fault, of course).

But hey, they had made it.

Jason had kept them some company via Iris-Message, though not for very long, and Percy remembered with a pang of guilt in his chest how down he had seemed for not actually being able to help them with it.

That reminded him the guy might actually make it back to Camp today.

That would be awesome.

"I suppose so. And yeah, it's still the clearing. I considered the bottom of the lake, but I don't really think either of you would be up for it." He said with a shrug and Will snorted, playing with the ribbons on one of the nicely wrapped gifts.

"Oh, wouldn't you love that? I can just picture you sitting down there with Nico in a perfect little bubble eating cake and cracking bad fish jokes or something."

"Wow, thanks a lot. My jokes are splendid, just to let you know. And as I said, I was going to bring you along, too, so your whining would have drowned out my jokes anyways."

Will only rolled his eyes at that, shooting him a funny look.

"You still haven't quite grasped the concept of a date, have you? It's when two people that are dating go out together – alone together – to spend time alone together, you know?"

"Funny, I had the impression you enjoy being around." Percy deadpanned, feeling the unease rise in his chest.

He liked spending time with Nico alone.

But he also liked spending time with Nico and Will together.

He didn't really mind having Will around, it didn't really harm his relationship with Nico, after all.

If anything, it was more fun, because there was one more person to contribute to their conversations, and Will always had an interesting opinion.

Not to mention bickering with him over the choice of movie or game was fun and it helped getting Nico out of his shell whenever he withdrew again due to uncertainties and worries.

So, with that said, why was Will complaining?

He seemed to have been enjoying himself greatly the past days, after all.

Ok, every here and there he seemed a bit distant and/or down, and he did start more arguments with Percy nowadays than usual, but he was sure that was something they could solve, given some more time.

Will huffed out an indignant breath and let go of the gift to cross his arms in front of his chest once more, apparently unable to think of a good comeback.

Percy smiled triumphantly and looked back towards Nico, who was glancing over at them, currently talking to Hazel and Reyna, with Frank standing off to the side with a scarlet face for some reason.

Percy waved stupidly at his boyfriend, who beamed at him and lifted his own hand slightly, waving back ever so subtly, before turning his full attention back to Hazel, saying something else with a smug expression on his face.

Whatever that something was, it caused Hazel to blush and fan her face, which looked really adorable.

Reyna on the other hand only shook her head amused, raising one hand as if for a high five.

Nico raised his own and they met at the screen, though of course they went right through each other.

Percy chuckled and found Will snorting next to him in a fail attempt not to laugh and the two looked at each other.

Then they finally gave in and joined the commotion around Nico, making their way to his side.

Those guys had had enough quality time with Nico now, it was time they got him back to themselves.

.

Alright, it was a lot of fun, Nico had to admit that.

After everyone finally settled down a bit and Percy and Will decided to squash him with their clinginess again that they called public display of affection, he was urged by eleven insistent demigods to open the gifts.

Oh gods, this was so…he wasn't sure whether embarrassing was the right word, but he couldn't think of anything better right now.

Seriously, how could he really just stand here and start unwrapping gifts like a little kid with all of them watching him so intently?

He knew he was red in the face again, not only because he felt it, but also because Percy and Will shot each other knowing smirks, those smug bastards.

Since none of them could decide which gift he should open first, he plainly decided to go for Clarisse's to shut them all up.

It worked splendidly, given that they were all rendered speechless by the fact that Clarisse herself had gotten Nico something for his birthday (he still couldn't believe it himself – maybe Coach Hedge and Mellie had something to do with it, though. That seemed a lot more plausible than the Ares girl actually caring for him to that extend, even though he knew they got along a lot better than others might think).

Percy and Will on the other hand seemed to have gotten over it in the dining pavilion, now much more interested in what was inside than anything else, sticking to Nico's sides as if they were glued together and watching his fingers work off the tape on the back.

Seriously, those two.

If they were already this close, they could as well help him open the gifts, that way he'd be done faster.

"You're so slow." Will instead commented drily on his gift-unwrapping-skills and Percy huffed out a small laugh before clearing his throat and nudging Will's side with the arm he had wrapped around Nico.

Nico could feel that so well because Will was glued to said side, whereas Percy was glued to his left side, where Will's hand was.

Those two.

He ignored them, slowing down even more, much to the others' dismay.

"Oh, come on, don't make us wait all day!" Lou Ellen exclaimed, shaking Cecil's arm as if she thought that might make Nico work faster.

Well, it didn't.

In fact, he stopped, looking up at them innocently. "What? But I thought you'd like to spend all day here with me. It's my birthday, after all, right?"

They all made faces and mumbled something, but Nico only chuckled and went back to work the tape off.

"This reminds me so much of those dumb Advent calendar gifts you'd get every day." Will remarked, putting his chin on Nico's shoulder.

"Hey, they weren't dumb." Percy instantly sulked, copying the movement on Nico's other shoulder.

"You're such dorks." Annabeth muttered with a roll of her eyes, winking at Nico, who only smiled back weakly, trying to ignore those two fools as they shot each other dirty looks on the left and right of his face.

"You promised you wouldn't bicker today." He reminded them after feeling the intensity of their glares making his skin crawl.

Instantly, both boys looked away, mumbling incoherent apologies or something along those lines, much to the amusement of the rest of the group.

Piper and Annabeth gave each other knowing smiles that made Nico slightly uncomfortable, but he wasn't going to ask them what they were thinking.

He was glad they were all here, though.

As in, all of them, all of his friends, being here at Leo's.

It was nice.

Plus, this way he didn't have to deal with any other campers who might overhear their conversations or something.

It wasn't as if he didn't like the rest of the camp.

It was simply that it would still take him quite some time to truly feel comfortable enough to be himself around them.

He knew he had managed to do that before, in moments like when he had gotten his camera, for example, but somehow he had been too full of euphoria and joy to really care about what people thought, and once he wasn't anymore, he couldn't believe he had actually done that.

What wouldn't he give to be more straight-forward and open like Percy or the rest of his friends, who couldn't care less what anybody else thought and just did their thing.

But he was glad they didn't push him to be like that.

They just accepted him the way he was, and for that he'd be forever grateful.

These were truly the best friends he could have ever asked for.

Finally bothering to completely open his gift, he wasn't surprised to find a picture frame with a picture of Coach Hedge, Mellie, Clarisse, Chuck and himself inside.

He could still remember the discussion they had had before taking this picture, debating whether it was a good idea and what not.

He couldn't remember who had first had the idea, but he remembered being all for it until he had realized he'd have to be in the picture too.

Good old times.

"Aw, that's so cute. Look at you being all shy and flustered, holding that baby satyr." Will instantly cooed, grinning at Nico, still way too close to his face.

"I want to see, too!" Cecil exclaimed and Nico allowed him to take the picture from him, watching it getting passed around in the group, all of them grinning down at it and beaming at Nico, making his face feel like it was on fire.

Percy kissed the side of his neck affectionately, tugging him closer against him.

"You look really nice in that picture. Babies suit you." He whispered into his ear quietly and if Nico had had anything to drink in that moment, he would have spit it across the room.

Will stiffened on his other side and his expression became close to incredulous.

This was it, he was moving to a different state.

"Percy! You've been dating like what, one month? You are NOT making baby plans with my Nico!" He hissed heatedly and Nico found his hands moving up to his face almost automatically, hiding behind them and trying to control his expression.

No way!

Percy had not just…that hadn't been…oh gods!

Somebody had to get those images and thoughts out of Nico's head RIGHT NOW!

Percy pulled back slightly. "What? Oh! No! That's not…I didn't mean…well, I suppose we could…but I mean, not now! Sometime in the future, maybe, I don't know, I didn't really think on it too much, yet, because…I mean…oh gods, that completely came out wrong. I meant it brings out he's actually a sweetheart, not scary or creepy how he thinks other people think of him. That's…that's all I meant…" Percy exclaimed urgently and Nico risked a glance at him through a gap in his fingers to find his face almost as flushed as Nico's.

Thank the gods.

He hadn't meant THAT.

Nico had no clue what he would have done if Percy had seriously started the baby-talk one month into their relationship.

Though, he proudly thought to himself that it was a bit over a month now.

He was dating Percy for a little over a month already.

Could anybody believe it?

He found himself grinning stupidly and kept hiding his face, now more because this could definitely be misunderstood for a reaction to the baby-comment.

No, he most definitely wasn't ready for kids yet.  
Especially not any of his own. And not with Percy.

Not that something like that was actually possible, Nico knew two guys couldn't produce children.

But he knew there were other ways, and even adoption.

But NOT NOW!

Damn it, somebody seriously had to get these thoughts out of his head!

They hadn't even had any actual sex yet!

"Nico, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…well…you know…it just came out wrong. I mean, I suppose I would like to talk about this at some point, but I do think now is a little bit early…"

"A little bit? Are you kidding me? Percy, if you bring out the baby-talk before dating him for at least two years, I'll make sure you won't be the contributing part. A baby is lots of work and not a decision made unwisely and definitely nothing that should be rushed!" Will ranted on Nico's other side, sounding utterly upset.

"I didn't mean it like that! Damn it, sun-bug, calm down! I'm not going to give Nico the baby-talk before we get married, anyways!"

"M-Married?!" Nico choked in disbelief and Percy stiffened next to him, then groaned.

"I didn't mean we had to, I just…well…I was just…"

"Oh gods, Seaweed Brain, shut up, you're only making it worse. Gods, you're pathetic." Annabeth exclaimed from in front of them and all three of them looked up in horror, only now realizing that yes, this could actually be overheard by the others.

But luckily for them, only Piper and Annabeth seemed to be paying attention, while the other seven seemed utterly absorbed in chatting about the picture and Clarisse, Cecil and Lou Ellen trying to explain her to Hazel, Frank and Reyna, since they hadn't exactly gotten to know her much.

Thank the gods.

Nico was still rigid as hell.

Had Percy just indicated he actually intended to MARRY him one day?

He wasn't even sure whether that was possible.

Sure, he had heard that there were a few places where gay couples could get married, but he had never bothered looking into that or verifying anything, since it hadn't mattered.

But for Percy to just state that as if it was the most normal thing in the world…oh gods.

Of course, Nico wasn't stupid.  
Just because Percy said now he considered Nico to be with him for a lifetime didn't make it happen.

But still, he would have never thought to hear anything even close to this from anybody in his entire life (much less from Percy), so who could blame him for freaking out like this?

"I…I'm sorry. I'll just shut up now." Percy mumbled awkwardly, pulling back from around Nico to give him some space.

Will snorted his approval from Nico's other side, letting go of him as well.

Piper and Annabeth shot each other telling glances again that made him frown, but he pushed it down and instead looked around at Percy, pursing his lips as he tried to collect his courage.

"I…I think we still have a long way to go until then. But…but I'm flattered, anyways." He forced out, trying to keep his face straight, but he guessed his self-control was as queer as the rest of him, because he felt his face doing anything but staying straight.

Percy blushed an even darker shade and gave a quick nod. "My thoughts exactly. Well, not exactly, but…but you know what I mean…yeah…"

Nico nodded quickly, feeling his entire body burn now.

Seriously, he wouldn't be surprised if he looked down at his hands and found them red as a lobster or something.

Was it possible to get a full-body blush?

He hoped not.

Piper and Annabeth chuckled and turned their backs on them, joining the ongoing conversation about how to best explain Clarisse's character, while Will only let out an exasperated huff.

"I'll go open the next gift now or I swear I'm going to drop dead any moment now." Nico mumbled more to himself than anybody else and found Will and Percy instantly leaping forward, taking his arms.

"Maybe you should do that while sitting down. Percy, get him some water. And no more talking about this. Seriously, I am too old for this." Will remarked drily and they both shot him wry glances.

He ignored them, instead pulling up a chair and pushing Nico onto it, grabbing the next best gift he could find and shoving it into his hands.

"There. Open. Percy. Water."

Percy huffed out a breath and turned away with a last uncertain glance at Nico, so Nico did his best to smile reassuringly, though he had the strong feeling it looked more like a grimace.

Seriously, this was not only the best birthday in his life, it also seemed the most awkward one to boot.

Everything just had to come with a catch, it seemed.

As soon as Percy left with Leo to get some drinks, Will let out a big sigh and patted Nico's shoulder.

"Don't worry, he just loves you to bits. Don't let him rush anything, though, alright?"

Nico pursed his lips and nodded quickly, trying to keep his face from blushing again.

"I'm good. I just…didn't think anybody would ever say something like that. Not even remotely. It just…caught me off guard."

"Yeah, I noticed. But hey, we all were. He really is horrible with words. How in the world did he manage to write you such orderly and nice love notes for your calendar? Seriously…"

Nico found himself chuckling at Will's disbelieving expression and the blonde smirked at him.

"Now, come on, birthday boy, open that gift so I can give you mine."

"Why didn't you give me yours first, then?"

"Because I didn't know the others wouldn't be looking now. If I had, I'd have done so."

That implied that whatever Will had for him was bound to make him flustered and awkward again.  
Terrific.

Sighing, he tore open the rectangular package, guessing it was from Annabeth, judging by the grey paper and the fact it felt a lot like a book.

It was a book.

On old Italian architecture.

"Thanks, I'll make sure to check the accuracy." He said once he noticed Annabeth watching him from across the room, grinning at her and holding up the book to show he liked it.

He didn't care much for architecture, but he supposed it'd probably be interesting to know, anyways.

Will chuckled next to him and fetched a gift from the side that Nico hadn't even seen yet.

It looked kind of pretty, even though utterly deformed.

"Do I really want to know what's in here?" Nico asked doubtfully as he tried to get a feel of the contents, but Will only winked and shrugged.

"Only one way to find out, sweetheart. I can ensure you'll end up liking it, no matter what you say now, though."

That sounded ominous enough already.

Nico eyed the orange gift once more, then sighed and started opening it delicately.

"Oh, please, don't tell me you're going to keep all this wrapping paper as well. Is that why you took forever with Clarisse's gift?" Will complained and threw his hands in the air in apparent despair.

Nico chuckled, feeling his ears reddening again.

Well, he did like the notion of all the gifts, and he had kind of thought he'd keep the wrapping paper…though he wasn't exactly sure what he'd do with it, yet.

Will only sighed, scanning his face. "Damn, you ARE keeping it, aren't you?"

"It's…it's special to me, ok? Sorry…" He mumbled awkwardly, avoiding Will's gaze, but Will's hand shot up and took hold of his chin, turning his head again as Will bent down in front of him.

"It's ok. Don't ever be ashamed of who you are, Neeks. I'm flattered if you're going to keep it, to be honest. I thought that's just a privilege Percy gets because he was your secret admirer. Sorry if I upset you."

Nico gazed up into those blue eyes that had captivated him back on that fateful day in the middle of the war against Gaea.

He felt his heartbeat quickening but forced it down.

He was dating Percy.  
Why was he still feeling so strongly for Will?

He really shouldn't.

He was happy with Percy!  
Really, he was!

Will's gaze dropped to his lips and Nico felt his insides igniting, remembering that sweet, agonizingly short kiss they had shared back in the clearing on their special day together.

No, he was NOT allowed to think of that!  
Damn it, if Percy knew, he'd probably hate Nico.

He'd have every right to, as well.

Oh gods, he had to get a freaking grip on himself RIGHT NOW!

Will's face coming closer slightly did not help that, though.  
Oh gods, they weren't going to do this, right?

Their friends were right there, behind Will, chatting and having a good time.  
Percy could come back any moment, too!

There was no way Nico could let this happen.

Will's gaze hushed back to his eyes, his expression as conflicted as Nico felt.

Then the blonde put on a small smile and pulled back, though it seemed to take all the effort he could muster.

"Well, open it, then." He said, trying to sound casual, but the stiffness of his shoulders gave him away.

Nico pursed his lips, swallowing hard and forcing his gaze down into his lap to the gift.

The gift.

Continuing on the tape where he had left off, he noticed his hands shaking slightly and bit his lip from the inside, trying to calm his raging insides.

This was stupid.

He was with Percy.

What was he doing, sitting there and letting Will get that close?  
What was Will doing, getting so close to him, anyways?

He might have a big mouth, but he didn't seem like the kind to actually make a move on a taken guy, especially not Nico, especially not with Percy as the boyfriend.

Will wasn't suicidal and he and Percy got along too well to give the impression Will didn't care.

So, really, what were they doing?

Warm hands found his, squeezing lightly.

"Are you ok?" Will asked gently, looking at him worriedly.

The warmth of his touch made Nico want to lean against him.

It had something comforting, soothing to it, which he thought might have something to do with Will being a healer.

Or maybe that was just how Will was.

He nodded quickly, swallowing again and trying to focus on the task at hand – removing that evil tape off the gift.

"Want me to help?" Will offered, but Nico only shook his head.

"This is my gift." He managed to say, which caused Will's lips to twitch and his eyes to sparkle.

"Indeed it is."

With that, the blonde stood up again and went to grab the next gift off the table, giving Nico a moment to compose himself completely, again.

Seriously, he definitely had to work on himself.

Now that he had Percy, his crushes on Will and Jason were long overdue.

Why couldn't those feelings just…disappear? Fade out? Or at least grow weaker?

That couldn't possibly be good.

Was Percy still feeling like this for Annabeth?

It didn't seem that way.

Maybe something was wrong with Nico.

Or maybe he was just thinking too much into it.

Anyways, it was stupid, and he had to stop thinking about it right now, because it was his birthday and everybody wanted to be happy and be happy for him and be happy with him and he couldn't have that if he was brooding all day long.

Taking a deep breath, he removed the paper from around the deformed package, only to snort out a laugh.

Seriously?

Will came back with what looked like Piper's gift, grinning at him while wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"I figured you two would like some spares, you know."

Nico raised his eyebrows, looking down at the assortment of condoms, the bottle of lube and the massage oil.

"Therefore that you keep telling us to take it slow, you're surely giving us all we need to take it further. Kind of contradictive, don't you think?"

Will only shrugged. "I only want what's best for you, Neeks. But if you don't want it…"

"I didn't say that." Nico instantly replied, pocketing his new assortment of condoms quickly, as well as slipping the lube into his jacket pocket.

The massage oil, he left out, figuring it looked innocent enough.

Will only winked at him knowingly. "And do me a favor, use at least one of those condoms on Percy. Seriously, his cooing about you being dominant is starting to-…"

"Will!" Percy cried indignantly, showing up next to them with a bottle of water for Nico, looking bright red in the face.

Though it was nothing compared to the blush on Nico's face.

What?

Nico actually…actually doing Percy?  
No way.

There was no way he could do that.

Not that Percy would let him, anyways.

Or would he?

Oh gods, what if he would?

He found himself glancing at Percy, who was still looking at Will with a look of utter betrayal on his face, as if Will had just given out something he had not wanted Nico to know, while Will just laughed heartily at them both.

What if he would?

Oh gods, today truly was a day full of awkward moments, it seemed.

But if things were going to continue at this rate, he had no idea how he was going to survive the day.

On the bright side, he wasn't thinking about kids and marriage anymore.

On the not so bright side, now his mind was filled with a whole new world of possibilities, all based on a small 'What if' inside him that he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to quiet down, now.

Thanks a lot, Will.

.

Eight gifts and lots of talking and joking later, Percy, Will and Nico finally made their way back to Camp, all three of them carrying part of the gifts.

Yeah, maybe Percy should have considered that before settling on Leo's place for the meet-up.

But it wasn't too bad, he guessed.

At this time, most of the campers were bound to hang around in the arena, anyways.

He glanced around at Nico again, who had his gaze down on his feet firmly.

He had barely looked at him ever since Will had told him about Percy's cooing.

Seriously, why had Will done that?  
What if Nico thought he actually talked about what they were doing in bed (or in the shower, for that matter)?

Ok, he had to admit he had told them more than they probably should know, especially when he had sought help with deep throating, but still!  
Or what if Nico didn't want to be the top?

He had made it quite clear in the past he was quite content as a bottom, after all.

Honestly, Percy couldn't care less, he loved Nico and was willing to do pretty much anything with him and have him do as he wished, so it really didn't matter.

He just wanted Nico to be comfortable.

And now, Will had gone and bloody talked to him as if he knew everything that was going on between them.

Seriously, that guy!

Percy shot the blonde a sour look, but Will only grinned back broadly, wriggling his eyebrows and winking suggestively.

Percy made a face and looked back on where he was going.

He was so going to get that back.

They made it to Nico's cabin shortly later, the silence still hanging over them like a cloud.

Dumping the gifts onto the bed, Percy sighed, watching Nico emptying out his pockets and putting the condoms on the bed as well, his eyes anywhere but on them or Percy.

This was so awkward.

Will snorted next to them, earning him another glare from Percy, which he completely ignored.

"So, Nico. Percy and I have been thinking of what to do with you today. Percy offered taking us all to the bottom of the lake for a tea party, but I had the much better idea of going to that clearing, have a nice birthday picnic together. Would you be up for that?"

"That is so not how it went. I said we could go to the clearing, but you were the one having second thoughts, so I offered the lake." Percy retorted indignantly, but Will only shrugged.

"Same difference. Anyways, what would you like, Nico?"

They both looked at the Italian, who was putting the picture frame from Clarisse on his bedside table, next to his jar of fire.

"The clearing sounds great. Won't we need to pack some stuff for a picnic, though?"

"Already accounted for. I'm master at planning picnics, after all. Remember ours?" Will asked with a suggestive wink.

Percy threw Will a disgruntled glance, then watched with a sinking feeling in his stomach how Nico's ears turned red, his face still turned away firmly, but Percy knew it would probably be as red as his ears.

Of course he remembered.

Percy knew Nico still had feelings for Will.

He knew, but that didn't make it any easier.

It wasn't as if he truly minded too much, but it still wasn't easy to deal with.

Mainly because he had no idea how to deal with it.

"Ok, the clearing it is. Ready to go?" He asked, eager to get this stupid silence out of the way.

Will shot him knowing look, but luckily didn't say anything else that could make things even more awkward than they already were.

Nico only nodded quickly, glancing at the bed uncertainly for a moment.

"No worries, we'll help you sort the stuff out later." Will said, putting an arm around the Italian and the three left the cabin again.

Percy tentatively put an arm around Nico as well and found Will instantly pulling back, nudging Nico towards Percy with a reassuring nod.

He frowned, looking down at Nico, but Nico had his eyes on the ground again.

How were they going to get over this awkwardness?

He felt Nico leaning against him slightly and tugged him closer, his hand firmly at Nico's side.

Walking like this was somewhat awkward, but he just needed to feel Nico right now, and he hoped Nico felt the same way.

He felt Nico's hand on his a moment later and inwardly relaxed at the soothing cool feeling of his fingers.

He turned his head to kiss the side of Nico's head the moment Nico looked around at him, which resulted in an awkward kiss on the forehead.

"I love you, Nico." He whispered quietly, feeling Nico's hand tightening around his.

"I love you, too. Sorry for being…well, like this. I was just…lost in thought."

"It's ok, love." Percy said automatically, putting on a reassuring smile, though he wished he could ask what he had been thinking about, whether things were ok between them or whether he had messed up.

Nico smiled up at him, then glanced around at Will, who was whistling a small tune and had his eyes on the faraway lake, though Percy knew he could still hear them just fine and was just acting the part to give them a moment of fake privacy.

That dork could actually be nice sometimes, it truly was astounding.

He looked back down at Nico and found him coming to a halt, pulling his arm free from between him and Percy to place his hand at the back of Percy's head.

Before Percy could even comprehend what was going on, Nico tugged him down and their lips met.

What?

They were in the middle of the camp!

Since when would Nico ever…

He couldn't think further, his body reacting on its own as his hands found Nico's face, his lips eagerly returning the kiss as he pressed their bodies closer together.

Oh gods, yes.

He heard a few muffled voices as if people were talking somewhere close by, yet far away and felt Nico stiffen slightly, but he only pulled him in closer and started deepening their kiss.

Who cared about others?

This was his boyfriend.

This was the guy he loved to bits.

He wasn't going to give a damn about what anybody else had to say on that.

Then he remembered that Will was right there, too and found something inside him clench painfully.

His thumbs still stroking Nico's cheeks, he pulled back slowly, opening his eyes to let them hush over Nico's face, making sure he was ok with both him kissing him and him stopping the kiss right now.

Nico looked slightly dazed, adorably disheveled and utterly in love.

Percy found this was the best way for him to look.

Glancing around at Will, he found Will giving a couple of giggling Aphrodite kids the evil eye, his arms crossed in front of his chest, not looking around at them.

He opened his mouth, ready to apologize, but Will just started walking again.

"Come on, you can be all lovey-dovey when we're in the clearing. I'll just go and grab the…" His voice trailed off as his eyes fixed on something in the distance, his expression changing to stunned surprise.

"Hm? What is it?" Nico asked and both he and Percy turned to look at whatever Will was looking at.

It didn't take them long to figure out what that was.

Or rather, who.

Walking down the hill towards the center of the Camp, loaded with luggage and looking worse for the wear, was none other than…

"Jason!" Nico breathed in disbelief, and it took longer for Percy to look around at his boyfriend than it took for said boyfriend to take off towards the blonde, closely followed by Will.

It took a moment longer for it all to make sense to Percy, but when it did, he also started forward.

_Jason was back._

.

Sighing in relief, Jason stopped at the base of the hill, closing his eyes in exhaustion.

He had made it.

It was still Nico's birthday.

He had done the impossible.

Ok, his people were going to hate him forever, most likely (he had kind of left them behind the last some hundred miles to get here faster), but Nico was his top priority and nothing was ever going to change that.

He was about to make his way to his cabin to drop off the luggage and maybe clean up a bit – seriously, he hadn't had a shower in a way too long time and he didn't even want to think for how long he was already wearing these clothes – when he heard somebody call his name.

Looking around, he was glad he had at least received that much of a warning, because the next moment, all he could do was drop his luggage to the ground and hold out his arms as none other than Nico leaped into his arms.

"You're back!" He exclaimed euphorically, wrapping his arms and legs around him and Jason found himself laughing, spinning him in a small circle to take out the force of the impact.

He was about to reply when he saw a blonde head coming closer dangerously fast and could barely manage to react in time to catch Will as well as he threw himself at him as well, causing him to stumble backwards slightly.

"Will! Nico!" He managed to force out, still laughing, feeling both of them holding him tight and laugh as well.

"Incoming!" Percy called and Jason tried faintly to catch him as well, but the moment Percy jumped at them, he knew there was no way.

Toppling backwards, the four of them hit the ground, a bundle of laughter and giggles and hugs and closeness that filled Jason's insides with warmth and affection for the lot.

Seriously, these guys.

How could he ever be without them?

"What a way to get welcomed back at Camp." He remarked as they finally let go off him and he managed to sit up, taking in their beaming faces in all their glory.

Yes, these were definitely his dorks.

"You made it! I knew you'd make it!" Percy exclaimed, sea-green eyes sparkling with joy, though it was nothing compared to the adoring gleam in Nico's eyes as his hand squeezed Jason's slightly.

"You made it."

"Happy Birthday, Nico." Jason resisted the urge to cup Nico's face and draw him in for a kiss.

Instead, he went to stroke a strand of hair out of his face (not that it made much difference with his hair a mess, but Jason needed an excuse to touch him, ok?), feeling Nico lean against his touch ever so slightly.

"You seriously made it. And there I thought I'd get to see you run around Camp in your superman boxer shorts. Shame." Will remarked drily from next to him and Jason shot him an amused smile.

"You really want me dead, it seems. I missed you, too, darling."

The scowl he earned from Will was worth pure gold and Jason couldn't suppress another laugh.

"What?" Nico and Percy asked, looking between them, but Jason waved off.

"Don't worry, it's just a little bet we had. So, how was your birthday so far, Neeks?"

He watched Nico blushing slightly, looking at him with those astonishingly warm eyes full of emotions and was at once reminded why he had fallen in love with this guy.

"We were on our way to the clearing right now to have a picnic. How about we help you with your luggage and let you clean up a bit and then we can all go? That way you can tell us of your travels and Nico can tell you about his day." Percy offered and Jason turned to look at him, taking in his affectionate expression with a grin.

It was so good to be back.

"I missed you guys so much." He mumbled instead of a reply and all three of them beamed at him.

Then they threw themselves at him again and Jason surrendered himself willingly with a laugh, falling back into the mud with them all over him.

It was so damn good to be back.

He never wanted to leave again.

.

Since their rolling in the mud left them rather worse for the wear, they parted ways at Jason's cabin, planning to meet up again in fifteen minutes to give Jason a chance for a quick shower and rinse off themselves as well.

Will hurried through it all, eager to get back to the guys, only calling a quick 'see you guys later' over his shoulders to his siblings, but they all only waved off, anyways, not believing a word of it.

Yeah, he surely was a bad counselor for the Apollo cabin, given that he was constantly gone.

But he had never actually wanted to be head counselor, anyways, so it was kind of their own fault.

They didn't really seem to mind too much, anyways.

He was the first back in front of the Zeus cabin, but that wasn't all too surprising.

One had to consider that Percy and Nico probably showered together, so chances were it would still take a while till they came around.

And Jason deserved to enjoy his shower.

Seriously, he had made it!

Not that Will had had any doubts, but…well, at any rate, he was glad Jason had made it in time.

That meant Will got a free wish!

Yay!

He waited in front of the cabin for another few minutes, then grew impatient and decided to knock on the door.

Maybe he was lucky and Jason was already done and simply waited inside or something.

"Jason? Are you done or do you still need some time?" He called, tempted to just open the door, but then deciding against it, just in case Jason was just getting dressed or something.

"Will? You can come in, I'm just looking for clothes." Came the reply from the inside and Will blinked.

Looking for clothes?

He opened the door slowly, wondering to himself whether that meant Jason was…

Spotting the blonde, he promptly pulled the door shut again, closing his eyes and fighting the heat threatening to take over his face.

Oh gods.

Jason, you idiot!

Why would he ever just invite people in before checking whether the towel was actually AROUND HIS BODY instead of ON HIS HEAD?!

Well, on the bright side, he now knew Jason had a very well-formed backside.

He swallowed hard, fanning his face and deciding to open the door with as much ruckus as he could muster.

Luckily, Jason now had the pale blue towel wrapped around his hips, glancing around at him with a frown as he entered as noisily as possible, but other wisely seeming unperturbed.

So he apparently hadn't noticed Will had seen more than he probably should have.

Will cleared his throat, watching Jason bend down and searching through his bags for something, clean clothes most likely.

"Don't tell me all your stuff is in those few bags. Don't you have any clothes stashed here, somewhere? Some more Camp Half-Blood sets or something?"

He knew his wardrobe was full with Camp Half-Blood clothes for one (next to his locker full of scrubs at the infirmary).

"Nope, I only got a few sets because they didn't have my size in stock and I thought it would be inappropriate to ask again, what with all the new campers and all. I'm fine, really, just need to wash the dirty clothes and my wardrobe will be overflowing."

Well, that sounded just like Jason, alright.

Finding it 'inappropriate' to ask for more clothes.

What a considerate dork.

Will grinned against his will. "Well, if you say so. I'd offer you to lend you some of my clothes, but I doubt you'd fit them. Percy's, maybe."

"Nah, we already tried switching clothes before. Didn't work. My clothes would somewhat fit him, but his are a tad too small for me. Kind of sucks."

Oh gods, when had they done that?  
Will would have loved to see that.

"Well, that's what you get for being so buff and all." He muttered, giving the mostly naked Jason in front of him a quick once-over.

He could see why Percy's clothes wouldn't fit.

Jason was the one with the broadest shoulders and the most muscles out of all of them.

No surprise there, of course.

And damn, he looked hot. Not that Will was interested.

He was all for Nico's looks and body type.

Jason glanced up at him from his bags. "Thanks."

Uh, that hadn't been a compliment.

Or had it?

Will forgot what he had said in the first place, but was fairly certain it hadn't been a compliment.

Had he complimented Jason?  
Hopefully not.

The blonde moved towards him and he automatically stepped out of the way, which earned him a funny look from Jason, though he didn't say anything, instead just walking past him towards another bag closer to the door.

Will wasn't proud of himself, but he found his eyes following that towel anyways.

Jason was either a very confident person or he didn't care what Will thought of him in only a towel.

Then again, they had all kind of cuddled together in only their boxer shorts, so he guessed he had already seen this much naked skin of Jason before.

There shouldn't really be any difference between the two things.

Then again, a towel was much easier to drop and could offer much more insight than boxer shorts did…no, Will shouldn't dwell on that.

Jason looked around and caught him staring, so Will hurriedly forced his gaze towards the Zeus statue, towering over them both with an unfriendly face.

Whoa, creepy!

Will had utterly forgotten about that thing being here.

How could Jason possibly sleep with his dad staring at him all night long?

Will surely wouldn't be able to close an eye.  
Good thing they never did sleep-over's in Jason's cabin.

"Well, I guess you'll have to make do with me in only slightly less deranged clothes than the ones I was wearing. Hope you don't mind." Jason declared with a defeated sigh and Will glanced back at him, watching him pull out a faded blue sweater and some other more or less clean garments.

Seriously, that was what he was worried about?

"Dude, we're just happy we got you back. You can run around in a King Kong outfit now for all I care." He babbled without thinking, then wanted to smack himself.

Yeah, great, good job Will, that sounded absolutely wrong.

But Jason only beamed at him warmly. "Oh really? Well, I'm glad, then. Oh, that reminds me, did you keep your part of the bet? Or will I get a free wish, too?"

Oh damn.  
Here it was.  
The bet.  
Wait…

"Why does a King Kong outfit remind you of our bet?" He asked suspiciously, eyeing Jason warily.

What kind of wish had he thought of?

Will didn't exactly want to run around the camp in a King Kong outfit.  
Then again, he didn't really want to run around camp in any sort of outfit.

Jason seemed to guess his thought, rolling his eyes in apparent amusement. "No, I wouldn't make you wear one. Anyways, did you?"

Will fidgeted with his hands.

Uh…well, he supposed he COULD tell him he had made it without giving too much detail, but this was Jason, and it would kind of go against Will's morals (not to mention his pride) to even tell as much as a half-truth to him.

It would be half-lie, after all.

And Will hated lying.

"Well, I stayed over until midnight, so technically I was with them. But you couldn't have seriously expected me to sleep over when we all know what those two were going to do in the morning!" He blurted, watching Jason's expression intently as he started folding his clothes together and standing up again, walking past Will towards the bathroom with a contemplative expression.

"Well, but you didn't sleep over, right?"

"Oh, come on, Jason! I slept over all the other days!"

Jason raised a mocking eyebrow. "All the other days? It was only about four days in the first place. Five nights. You only made four. That makes it clear: I get a free wish!" The blonde announced with a triumphant grin – then he shut the bathroom door before Will could start wailing.

Seriously?

That was SO unfair!

"But I slept over all the days I could!"

"Yeah? Did you sleep well? I have to admit you look a lot healthier now." Came Jason's amiable voice from the other side of the bathroom and Will was glad he couldn't see his face turning red right now.

That guy!

He wasn't even back a whole hour and Will already had enough of him again.

"I can sleep by myself just fine, I'm just saying! It's just that I happen to manage to _sleep in_ with them around." He huffed indignantly, defending himself against the silent accusation only he heard in Jason's statement.

"Oh, I utterly believe that. I'd sleep all day long as well if I had the chance to snuggle up to them."

Oh wow.

Jason apparently didn't possess any pride if he could talk that open.

Somewhat unfair.

Will kind of wished he could be like that, too.

"Well, you'll have that chance tonight, won't you? I highly doubt Nico is going to let go of you at any given point today. Kind of sucks I'll have to share with you again, but then again, I guess I rather want that than you gone again. Seriously, you were gone forever!" Will rambled, then put his hands over his mouth and stood frozen in shock.

What the hell was he saying?!  
He couldn't say stuff like that to Jason!

That must have sounded way too much like 'Hey Jason, I missed you to bits. Good to have you back. I love you'.

Which was NOT what he had meant! Not in any way whatsoever!

The bathroom door unlocked and he hurriedly put on an indifferent, bored face, glad for once he had superb acting skills.

Jason popped up in the doorframe, looking handsome as ever, a soft smile on his face.

"I missed you, too."

That bastard!

"That's not what I said!" Will exclaimed, feeling the heat rising in his face and making sure to give Jason his deepest scowl, but Jason only grinned broadly, taking him by the arm and leading him towards the door.

"Of course not. Come on, let's go outside to wait for the others. Seriously, it's great to be back at camp and see you guys again for real."

Will would have loved to keep on ranting and scowling and being an evil little Chihuahua, but the warmth and honesty in Jason's words instantly melted any anger or annoyance (or mortification, rather), replacing his scowl with a small smile.

Yeah, it was great to have Jason back for real as well.

Iris Messages were great, but this was way better.

So he grudgingly permitted Jason to keep tugging him by the arm, enjoying the cool grip on his warm skin.

It kind of reminded him of Nico's cool body temperature, but it was Percy who usually dragged him after him, so it was kind of weird to have the two things mixed together.

But he kind of liked it, anyways.

Jason glanced around at him as he pulled the door shut behind them, eyes hushing over his face.

Will faintly wondered what he was thinking about.

It certainly wouldn't be anything along the lines of him being attractive, though, that much was for certain.

Not for the first time, Will wished he didn't have quite so many freckles, not to mention his kind of petite body built.

Even Nico had more muscles than him, and he was a lot scrawnier than Will.

Meh, it didn't matter, anyways.

"Yeah, you look a lot healthier than when you slept alone."

Oh. That.

Will scowled up at Jason.

That was what he was thinking about when he looked at Will?  
How healthy he looked?

Just great.

Then again, he should probably be happy Jason had taken the time to give Will's appearance a closer look before and after, so he could tell the difference.

Yeah, well, he wasn't.

"Hey, that's a good thing! I'm complimenting you."

"Not necessarily. You could also just be saying I looked like shit before and now I'm at least presentable again."

"You are much more than just presentable, and you know that." Jason replied drily, shooting him a wry glance.

Will pursed his lips.

Then he noticed Jason's hand was still on his arm and pulled back.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Keep your hands to yourself, though. You're almost as touchy-feely as Percy is."

"Oh, sorry. Didn't notice. Wait, Percy is being touchy-feely with you? Damn, how much did I miss?" Jason wailed with a look of fake shock, an amused gleam in his eyes as Will made a face.

"Nothing. Other than Percy manhandling me, of course. Did I tell you of that one time he dragged me out of my cabin at, like, 4am in the morning?" He asked and promptly found something to talk to Jason about (leaving out most of the acting and Percy's breakdown, though) until Percy and Nico showed up again, looking a little disheveled but cleaned up and happy.

Percy did his little trick on them again, drying their hair so they wouldn't catch any colds and Will couldn't shake off the feeling Percy had definitely held onto them longer than had been necessary.

But then again, Percy was probably just distracted because Jason was finally back and it was Nico's birthday and so on, so he guessed it was understandable.

Not that he'd have wanted there to be any other reason, of course.

Nope, he was good.

Absolutely splendid.

Wrapping an arm around Nico with Jason on the other side, he grinned mockingly at Percy, who only sent him an unimpressed look and went to Jason's right side, instead.

Yes! 1:0 for Will!

With all of them having their arms around each other, they made their way to their clearing, which was a sort of official secret hideout for them by now, as well.

Some things in life simply were perfect.

This was certainly one of them (especially because Will had found the clearing in the first place! Yes!)

.

"Percy, move over."

"No way, Nico's my boyfriend, I sit with him. Sucks to be you, but you'll have to make do with either me or Jason."

"Guys, seriously…"

"I meant move over because else I'm sitting next to the blanket, you dumbass."

"Oh."

Jason watched those three interacting with each other with a small smile on his lips.

They surely had bonded while he had been gone.

Flopping down with an irritated expression on his face, Will pushed against Percy slightly to make him budge some more, which resulted in a chain reaction of all of them moving further down the blanket.

Seriously, they should get a bigger blanket at some point.

Then again, this meant they were closer together, so maybe it wasn't too bad, after all.

Nico only sighed at the two once more bickering demigods next to them, signaling Jason this was fairly common for them.

He seriously seemed to have missed a lot.

The last time he had been around, they had only just started tolerating each other and accepting they breathed the same air without fighting over it.

Now, it looked more like they were at a loss at what to do with the sudden change in their attitude towards each other, so they tried to make up each step forward and out of their comfort zone into a giant argument with lots of hissing and complaining.

It kind of looked a bit like flirting, too.

"Don't mind them. They're always acting like an old married couple nowadays. Oh, I have to show you something later! You won't believe it until you see it. Seriously, they keep insisting they don't like each other, but I'll show you something that will prove what I've been saying all along." Nico told him excitedly, grinning smugly to himself, while the other two were utterly oblivious to his words, glaring daggers at each other about…

"Oh yeah, that's right. You two are on a diet plan now, aren't you? How's that working out?" He asked curiously, which immediately got the attention of the two quarrelling demigods.

"Why? Want one, too?" Both asked at the same time, giving him a once-over before throwing each other calculating looks as if they were wondering whether they should (or could) start another argument over saying the same things at the same time.

Luckily, they let it drop, though Jason had the feeling it was more because of Nico's 'disappointed' sigh he let out, watching the two out of the corner of his eyes with a bit of a gleeful gleam.

Jason would probably never understand this new bond between those three.

Hopefully, he'd be able to get there too, though.

Have a deeper bond with them.

He'd really like that.

"Well, I suppose I wouldn't mind. We could make a group thing out of it. That way you don't have to be the only ones suffering when you get food you don't like."

"Hey, I'm making sure to take their tastes into consideration!" Will immediately called over, frowning at Jason with a clearly offended expression.

"You made me eat rice with nothing but vegetables for lunch yesterday, how is that taking my taste into consideration?" Percy wailed and Nico put his face in his hands in apparent defeat.

"It's taking Nico's taste into consideration."

Oh gods, had Will just made an open, impossible to misunderstand reference to their making out?

He looked around at Nico, who didn't seem surprised in the slightest, only shaking his head slightly, while Percy immediately shut up, looking thoughtful.

Jason looked towards Will with a raised eyebrow, but Will only had eyes for Percy, looking rather smug.

Ok, he had seriously missed A LOT by the looks of it.

He had known that they were close, especially after all Will told him of his time alone with Percy every here and there, and he had seen Percy being impossible with the whole blowjob-matter (though that had been a lot of fun, and seeing Will so flustered had certainly made his day), but apparently they were much more comfortable with each other than he could have ever guessed.

"Well, you can talk about diet plans later. Now, let's hear about your travels. How did your teammates take it?" Nico asked, trying to change the topic and the other two instantly went with it.

"Yeah, tell us how the meeting went, too! You never found the time to tell us. What god was it, again? I forgot." Percy added.

"How long will you be able to stay this time?" Will asked, moving closer to Percy apparently subconsciously.

Jason smiled at them, his heart warming at their genuine interest, their warm gazes making his insides all fuzzy.

"Oh my, so many questions. Well, let's see. My teammates were mostly ok with the way things went, though I'll make sure to apologize for my running off once they all get to Camp. The meeting went as expected, I suppose. It was a goddess, Ilithyia, to be exact. The goddess of childbirth and labor pains. She wasn't very fond of me visiting her, as I am a male and won't require her assistance, but we managed to find a way to get what we wanted, anyways."

"What, did you have to sacrifice your firstborn to her?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow at his odd wording, but Jason only threw him an exasperated glance.

"No, I didn't. She demanded better sex-ed for schools and that we finally start fighting the rape culture. It wasn't easy to convince her I'd do my best at getting her points across to the other gods, but in the end she signed, so I hope the others will wield as well."

"Yeah, that stuff is important. Have you seen the mortal news? You'd think people would get the hang of consent by now. And don't get me started on the poor excuse for sex education in schools, because-…" Will started ranting, but all three of them gave him a long, pointed glance that made him stop again, making a face.

"Alright, alright. I know you know."

"So, yeah, that was about it. As soon as we finished, the team and I left to get back here as soon as possible. Nothing really happened that would be worth telling. The Iris Messages with you guys were the most interesting thing to happen to me, really."

"I wish I would have been there more than a few times, as well." Nico grumbled next to him and he tugged him closer against him instinctively.

"I'm sorry. I would have called you more often, but the other two were going crazy about your birthday, so I had to help them. Next time, I'll call you tons more, ok?"

Percy and Will both threw him warning glances, but he ignored them in favor of watching Nico look up at him with a small smile.

"Alright. But when will next time be? How long will you be able to stay?"

Yeah, about that.

"I'm not sure yet. I'm kind of behind on the original plan, so there's a lot catching up to do, but I was hoping to stay for at least two weeks…"

"Two weeks? You gotta be joking!" Will exclaimed with such an upset expression Jason inwardly cringed.

Percy and Nico stared at him in disbelief as well.

Hey, two weeks was already a lot, considering he had nowhere close to as many signatures as he should have by now.

This peace contract wasn't going to get itself signed (sadly) and he had to make the most of now, what with no monsters around.

Who knew how much longer that would last?

Once that was over, it was bye-bye to the relatively uneventful but at least safe travels, and hello to massacres and fighting for one's life while trying to run after the various gods and goddesses that clearly couldn't care less.

"Look, I'm sorry, guys…" He started, then sighed, looking off into the distance.

"If I could, I'd stay here, too. But I have to finish what I started, right? I'll make sure to come back as soon as possible again, alright?"

"Well, if you say so…" Percy mumbled, shifting slightly and putting his head on Nico's shoulder, who leaned his head against his in return, looking down with a slightly disappointed expression that broke Jason's heart.

Will didn't look at him either, instead staring at a snowdrop pushing bravely out of the still mostly frozen ground in the clearing, the only flower in sight.

Trust Will to find it first – and stare it to death, apparently.

Silence settled over them like a dark cloud and Jason shifted uncomfortably.

"But hey, you got me for the next two weeks. Let's make the best of it, alright?"

"Absolutely. Percy, that means you won't get any quality time with Nico the next fourteen days, you know that, right?" Will piped up, dragging his gaze away from the flower, though his expression was still tight.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm alright with that. How about you, Neeks? We still got the shower to ourselves, after all."

"Yes, I agr- Percy!" Nico wailed, turning red in the face and shoving Percy off him half seriously, half playfully.

But Jason had his eyes on Will, who still had a rather stony face, looking as if the news of Jason's 'short' stay bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

Why would he care so much?

It wasn't as if Jason and Will were that close, after all.

Then again, he guessed he could understand the medic wouldn't want to be left alone with those two lovebirds again.

It had to be difficult to be around them so much with them being so obviously in love with each other while Will still felt so strongly for Nico.

And might or might not be developing feelings for Percy.

It hadn't escaped Jason's notice how Will looked at Percy nowadays, especially when he thought nobody was looking.

Also, the bickering and the way those two kept being subconsciously touchy-feely wasn't exactly speaking in his favor, either.

But Jason wasn't going to tell Will that.

Not yet, at least.

Maybe he was interpreting too much into it, anyways, given that those three were a lot closer nowadays, after all.

Maybe it was all just nothing and Jason was seeing things.

Not that it mattered to him, anyways (well, it did, but he knew nobody knew about that).

He liked those three dorks just the way they were and they could love whoever they wanted, he'd be there to listen and help where he could.

Though he hoped for Will's sake he wasn't really falling for Percy, since it was painfully obvious Percy only had eyes for Nico.

At that moment, Percy looked around at Will, who had his face turned away again and was staring at the flower again, and Jason watched how Percy's lips split into a small, affectionate smile, hand reaching out to ruffle through Will's hair, then tugging him back closer towards him from where he had distanced himself before Will could complain.

As Will started ranting again, Jason was amazed to find Percy only tilting his head, grinning to himself and watching Will's face with a sort of amusement, but there was genuine affection in his gaze, as if he didn't care what Will was throwing at him, as long as he kept talking and looking at him.

Jason looked towards Nico, who had an arm around Percy and an arm around Jason, head resting on Percy's shoulder, grinning at Will as well while shaking his head slightly.

Then he turned to glance at Jason, smiling and tugging slightly.

He took it as an invitation to flop against him like a log, making him laugh out loud and the other two look around.

"It's so good to be back." He mumbled into Nico's hair, putting both arms around him and inhaling his earthy scent.

Oh, how much he had missed this.

"Yeah, yeah. It's good to have you back, too." Percy said, putting his arms around Nico and him and putting his face next to Jason's, nose against his shoulder.

"Group hug." Will announced before apparently dropping onto Percy as the boy groaned out in pain and Will's head popped up above his, arms wrapping around them as well.

Nico and Jason chuckled and Jason's hold on him tightened.

He had missed this so damn much.

This was one of those moments in life he never wanted to end.

"This is the best birthday ever." Nico mumbled against his chest and Jason's heart warmed.

This time it was Will and Percy chuckling and Jason could tell by the way they moved next to his face that they were glancing towards each other.

He only tugged the lot closer.

"Happy Birthday, Nico. Hopefully your next one will be even better."

It took forever for them to let go of each other again, beaming at each other as if something magical had just happened.

Maybe, in a way, it had.

Jason had never felt so much at home as right now, with these three dorks.

Gods, he just had to say it again, it was so, so good to be back.

.

In the evening, they found themselves back at the Hades' cabin, laughing and chuckling and making fun of various birthday gifts lying on the bed.

They helped Nico find suitable places for most of his new possessions, Percy stuffing the condoms into the bedside table first chance he got before Jason could comment on them, though he had seen the blonde raise an eyebrow at them already and looking over towards Will.

Percy wasn't sure whether that had been because he knew Will had been the one giving them to Nico or whether he just wanted to know his intake on the matter of Percy and Nico eventually having sex.

He didn't really want to know, either.

And he really shouldn't think of having sex with Nico when the other two were around to throw him exasperated glances the moment he grabbed hold of Nico and kissed him senseless, too overwhelmed with the urge for a long, hot make-out session.

After they had all gotten seated, with Will on the outside once more, this time next to Jason, Percy had felt the paper in his pocket, reminding him of the cheating sheet he had made the night before.

Grinning to himself, he pulled his arm back from around Nico, fishing the note out of his pocket to look at it, instantly drawing Nico's attention, but he leaped off the bed before Nico could see the horrid scribbling and dumb doodles along the sides that Percy had done absent-mindedly whenever his pen had stopped working correctly or he had forgotten what he had been about to write (ADHD did that to him, sometimes).

"What's that?" Nico asked, looking after Percy with curiosity sparkling in his stunning brown eyes.

And they thought Will was the nosy one.

"Is that a cheat sheet?" Will asked, having jumped off the bed half a minute before Percy had in order to get himself something to drink and now standing behind Percy, looking over his shoulder.

Never mind, Will and Nico were both nosy.

Percy turned his head to scowl at Will, holding the paper out of his reach just to be safe.

He didn't want Will to see his scribbling, either.

Especially not after showing them all his best handwriting with the notes for the Advent calendar.

"Maybe."

"It so is. Come on, read it out loud, then. Let's see if you thought of everything and if we got it all covered." Will dared him with a playful shove, grinning broadly.

"You really had everything planned out?" Nico asked dubiously, while Jason only watched them amused, though his eyes seemed a bit dull, as if he had just remembered he hadn't been able to be of much help with the planning, nor the execution of said planning.

Percy sighed, glancing at his paper once more.

"Fine, I'll read it. In my defense, before you laugh too hard, I wrote this last night after Will kept us up forever, so I was tired and confused. Now, be still and be merry."

"That made no sense whatsoever." Will muttered under his breath, but put on an innocent expression the moment Percy turned to glare at him.

Then he cleared his throat and tried to keep his serious face for as long as possible.

It lasted until he read out the first point on his list.

"Ok, here goes: 'Wake up on Nico's birthday, not the day after!'"

To his defense, they were all still high on love and joy from Jason's return, so it was somewhat understandable (in his twisted mind, at least) that they all started laughing because of a dumb sentence like that.

"Yeah, yeah, you just be laughing and making fun. Next: 'Make sure to wake up Nico! Don't forget! Don't let him convince you to let him sleep, either!'"

"Oh my gods, Percy, you seriously wrote it down like that?" Nico wailed, throwing a pillow at him that Percy deflected by accident because he was stepping out of Will's reach, who had tried to grab the paper for verification.

"You're pathetic. How tired were you when you wrote that?" The blonde asked, shaking his head and clinging to Percy's right arm while he held the note far away with his left.

"Shush. Third: 'Wish him a happy birthday because it's his birthday.'. Yeah, I didn't want to go into too much detail here because of reasons, alright?"

In truth, he had doodled roughly fifty hearts behind that point, but nobody had to know about that.

Nico buried his face in his hands, blushing slightly since he knew exactly what Percy had meant by 'wish him a happy birthday' and it didn't have anything to do with him congratulating him.

If he had thought he had been subtle, he must have been wrong, for both Jason and Will only raised their eyebrows at him between laughing and chuckling, giving each other a pointed, knowing glance.

But as long as they didn't mention the blowjob-lessons, he didn't care.

"Next one: 'Take him to breakfast, make sure he eats. Beat Will up if he looks tired.'"

"What?! You seriously wrote that down? Oh gods, Percy!" Will wailed next to him, trying and failing once more to get a hold of the paper.

"'Get to the Leo cave before you lose it and jump him in front of Camp.'"

"Well, you definitely didn't manage that, given that you two are freshly out to the Camp now." Will remarked drily, while Nico only buried his face deeper in his hands.

Percy only shrugged. "Nico wanted to, so I wasn't going to complain. But I didn't do anything I shouldn't have, right? I was a good boy."

"Yes, Percy, you've been such a good boy." Will teased and Percy shot him a wry look before looking back at Nico with a pang of anxiety rising inside him.

Nico looked at him through a gap between his fingers and Percy could detect a slight twitch of the part of his lips he could make out.

"You were perfect. Don't let him tease you."

"See? I was perfect." Percy repeated smugly, wriggling his eyebrows at Will, who only huffed out an indignant breath before snorting out a laugh again.

"Alright, next: 'Don't forget the birthday cake, you doofus. Don't let Will forget, either.'"

For a long moment, there was silence.

Nico frowned, looking up with a big question mark on his face, while Jason seemed to contemplate something.

Percy and Will stared off into space for half an eternity, the words sinking in.

"THE BIRTHDAY CAKE!" They then both yelled, staring at each other in shock.

"You guys had a cake for me?"

"You seriously forgot that cake after all the work that went into it?" Jason asked dubiously.

"PERCY, YOU IDIOT!" "WILL, YOU ASS!"

With those loving remarks, they both turned on the spot and made a dash for the door.

"Hey, guys, wait! It's not that import-…"

They couldn't hear the rest of whatever Nico was saying, already on their way across the Camp grounds.

_The cake!_

For all the gods' sake, how had they forgotten about that cake TWICE?

.

"They are gone already. No point in shouting after them, Neeks." Jason mumbled and Nico sighed, falling back into his spot on the bed after half getting up to run after them on impulse.

"Such dorks. I had no idea they got me a cake." He said thoughtfully, snuggling into Jason's side as the blonde put an arm around him and tugged him closer, back to how they were before.

It was so good to have him back.

Nico had seriously missed him so damn much. Much more than he had wanted anyone to know.

Though it was good to see the other two reacting the same way towards Jason.

That meant it was ok for Nico to let this much show.

"They baked it themselves. I thought it would be one of the first things they'd do, bring you that cake to brag about their hard work."

"Really? When did they do that? I was with them most of the time, after all." Nico asked, trying to push down the hint of uncertainty in his voice.

Will and Percy really did spend a lot of time without him, it seemed.

Of course, it had been for his birthday and all, but it was still…odd.

He was happy they got along well enough to work together like that, but all the secrecy had somewhat bugged him, still.

And now finding out about this…oh well.

At least it had been a pleasant surprise.

Nico liked birthday cakes.

He only hoped those two would be able to get it from wherever they had put it (maybe the Apollo cabin?) before the Harpies got to them.

"Two days ago in the evening. You were with Lou Ellen and Cecil at the time. I only called in quickly to make sure they were good, when they were sitting in front of an oven at Leo's, debating world hunger and crying about burning the third cake in a row." Jason told him, stroking his side through his thin shirt gently and placing his other hand on his thigh like he used to before Christmas, when they had watched films together.

Nico let him, closing his eyes and soaking in the familiar, comfortable feeling that seemed to practically flow off Jason, warming Nico to the core as usual, even though Jason was still so nice and cool.

Or maybe this was simply what Jason was. Comfort. Family.

Nico was so glad to finally have him back.

How had they ever survived without him?

"They burnt three cakes in a row? Oh gods, so much trouble because of a cake. They didn't have to bother. I didn't even miss it, did I?" He grumbled, though he couldn't deny he felt somewhat elated nevertheless.

Those two seriously had tried to make his birthday as special and awesome as possible, even with him forbidding a birthday party and wanting to keep it a secret from practically everybody.

They really had taken his feelings into consideration as well.

He would have to thank them properly later.

"They simply care about you. I hope the cake will be edible, though. They kind of refused to try it, using a lame 'it's Nico's birthday cake, we can't risk destroying it in any way, that includes eating it' as an excuse. Those two are such dorks, I'm just saying." Jason said and Nico could practically feel the smile on his face, even though he wasn't looking at the blonde.

But that reminded him of something.

"Oh yeah, I wanted to show you the pictures. Seriously, you're going to love this." He declared as he pulled away from Jason reluctantly in order to get up and grab his camera.

Jason seemed equally reluctant to let go, though he didn't say a word and only held out his arms again the moment Nico came back.

He settled back next to Jason, resisting the temptation to sit between his legs instead to have him closer – he was fairly sure Percy wouldn't appreciate that too much.

Turning slightly so he had his back against Jason's side, he started zapping through his pictures hurriedly to find the ones he was looking for.

Jason watched the pictures on the screen zoom by, not saying a word, but Nico still slowed down slightly so he could see them all for at least a short moment.

"Can I have some of those for my photo album?" He asked after a moment and Nico instantly nodded, turning his head sideways to beam at Jason.

"I hoped you'd ask. I made a new folder on my desktop with all the photos we took while you were gone, already a bit sorted out so you have it easier."

Jason's face was so close, allowing him a close-up of the dazzling smile Jason gave him.

Then the blonde nuzzled his face against the side of his head affectionately.

"Thanks. Always so considerate."

"Nah, you're the considerate one. Wait, I'm almost there."

He had lots of pictures he wanted to show Jason, but first he just had to show him that one with Percy and Will the night they had been on the ice.

With neither of them here, it was the perfect opportunity, after all.

Getting there…

"Here. Look. Just look. THIS is how they are like when they both forget they want to hate each other." He explained smugly, passing the camera to Jason so he could take a proper look at his snapshot.

It was so perfect, though.

Will, on the frozen ground, looking up at Percy, legs wrapped tightly around him, not looking at all as if he was trying to get Percy off him – but more as if he had wanted to keep him there with all his might.

His hands had been on Percy's arms, pushing, but again, it looked half-hearted and more as if he had just wanted an excuse to hold onto Percy, looking up at him with a laugh that Nico could still hear in his ears whenever he thought back to that moment, and eyes full of something Nico didn't know how to interpret yet.

And then there had been Percy, towering over Will as if he did that all the time, not seeming to mind the legs around his hips whatsoever, instead leaning over the blonde, a close to hungry expression on his face, accompanied by a dangerous smile, his hands roaming Will's body beneath his shirt.

Nico of course knew Percy had been tickling Will, so he knew it wasn't how it looked on the picture, but he loved the way Jason's eyebrows shot up, eyes widening for the fraction of a second before he looked back at Nico with a big question mark in his eyes.

"And they were doing…what exactly?" He asked cautiously, passing the camera back to Nico, and Nico noticed how reluctant the movement was.

He shrugged, putting the camera down next to him and snuggling against Jason's side.

"Being dorks. Will had said something stupid again so Percy kind of pushed him off the ice and tickled the hell out of him, demanding him to take it back or something. That was the night we went out for ice-skating in the middle of the night. Percy wanted to do it with you along as well, but now the ice already melted, so yeah…"

Jason sighed, putting his chin on Nico's head.

It was a low, pained sigh.

"But hey, at least you're back now. The others will be able to think of tons of other stuff we can do that will be fun." Nico tried tentatively and more felt Jason's chuckle than heard it.

"Oh, I'm sure of it. Will told me Percy thought of skinny dipping already."

"Yeah, but so far he'll be doing it alone. Both Will and I decided that we're going to be the ones standing off to the side taking pictures. Feel free to join him, though."

"No thanks, I prefer to keep my dignity."

They both chuckled and Nico let his head fall back, looking up at Jason, who was looking down at him with those beautiful sky-blue eyes, gentle and affectionate.

His eyes always initially reminded him of Will's blue eyes, but at the same time they seemed nothing alike.

Jason's gaze was always soft, caring and affectionate, whereas Will's was bright and warm and comforting in an entirely different way.

Somebody cleared his throat from somewhere to their left and they both looked around surprised, Jason's hand instantly reaching to his side where his sword usually was, but then halted.

Nico at first didn't understand why, but then he realized just who it was that stepped out of the shadows.

"Dad?"

.

Meanwhile, Will cursed his father with all the curse words he had ever heard (or made up, for that matter), trying to keep up with Percy, who was running ahead of him towards the Big House.

How had they forgotten about that damn cake?

Why had Percy not pulled out that dumb list earlier, when it had still been day?

Why did Will have to be one of those unlucky bastards from his cabin that was utterly useless at night?

Why did he have to trip over his own two feet and hit the ground an instant later?

He coughed and wheezed, panting harder than he had ever during any marathon he had run during the day, his body aching, his lungs on fire.

Trying to get up was painful and futile and he stopped a moment later, just lying face down in the dirt.

So this was how he was going to die.

Either his heart/lungs were going to fail on him or the cleaning harpies would have a feast.

Or maybe both.

He looked up, expecting to see Percy disappearing into the distance, leaving him behind, but the moment Percy noticed he was out cold, he slid to an abrupt stop, almost slipping on the muddy ground.

"Will?" He called, but Will couldn't even get enough of his breath together to reply, instead staying where he was, trying to calm his thumping heart with breathing exercises.

Yeah, it didn't work.

Percy came jogging back, making it look so easy and chilled Will had the strong urge to strangle him, along with his dad and the rest of the gods for being so utterly unfair.

"Hey, you ok? Come on, we need to get going before the harpies get us." Percy said, squatting down in front of him and putting a hand on Will's shoulder for some reason.

For a moment, Will considered saying 'Go on without me' like in all those cliché movies, but then he decided to at least give it one more try, wriggling his arms beneath him to push himself up.

Ugh, why was he so heavy?

He didn't remember being this heavy.

He managed a few inches, then his arms gave way and he hit the ground with a small 'Oof' once more.

Percy sighed loudly, but at least he had the decency not to laugh.

"That bad? Why didn't you stay at the cabin? It's not like I couldn't have gotten the cake by myself." He chided and Will wished he could at least lift his head enough to glare at him since he still couldn't manage to find his voice.

Instead, he went through the extremely painful task of pulling his hand out and flipping him the bird half-heartedly.

Percy only chuckled and the next moment, he felt hands on his sides.

What…?

A second later, he felt himself lifting off the ground.

"Hey, you're lighter than expected." Percy uttered slightly surprised, holding him princess-style in his arms.

"T-The hell are you doing?!" Will forced out between pants, looking utterly alarmed and even more offended at Percy, who had the indecency to look straight at him with a neutral expression, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

"P-Put me down!" Will insisted, feeling the heat rising in his face.

There was NO way he would EVER let Percy get away with something like this.  
He rather DIED.

Percy rolled his eyes and let go of his legs, setting them down on the ground again.

Ugh, heavy body!

He promptly lost balance and swayed, but Percy kept a tight hold on him, sighing exasperated.

"Alright, then let's do…this…" He muttered and before Will could comprehend what was going on, he found himself on Percy's back.

He opened his mouth to complain, but then Percy moved and all that came out was a strangled noise as he instinctively wrapped his arms around Percy's neck to keep himself from falling off.

Percy adjusted his legs around his waist, then shook himself slightly as if to check whether Will would stay on him.

"Percy, what the-…"

They heard a flutter of wings not too far away and Percy's head shot around.

"Hold on, sun-bug."

That was all the warning Will had before Percy made a dash for the Big House, holding onto Will's legs and acting as if his weight was nothing.

Maybe it really was nothing to Percy.

Will seriously should work out more.

Then again, during the day he usually didn't feel quite so heavy.

He held onto Percy, pressing his face against the side of his neck to prevent the wind from whipping into his face so much.

This was so weird.  
So, so weird.

What was this?  
This was not ok.

Percy and his dumb savior-complex.

Trying to calm his still rapidly beating heart, he took a deep breath, inhaling the sea-like scent Percy emitted and feeling himself relax slightly.

Then he stiffened again as he realized what the hell he was doing, turning his face towards Percy's shoulder instead, even if it was a lot less comfortable.

"You doing ok?" Percy asked, turning his face slightly towards him as he was running.

Will decided to ignore him.

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad."

"Uncomfortable." Will lied, face still firmly turned away.

Percy chuckled, nearing the Big House, which stood in front of them tall and dark and kind of creepy.

"I don't believe a word of it. I gave Nico piggybacks before and he said they are nice. Even fell back asleep, didn't he?"

Did he have to remind Will of that?

He still wished he had won that time so HE could have been the one to carry Nico to bed.

"I hate you."

"Sure you do, sun-bug."

"Stop calling me that."

They were slowing down now and Will was pleased to note that he was slowly beginning to feel better.

At least his mouth was working again.

His heart was still beating faster than normal, but then again Percy was giving him a piggyback ride, so he wasn't that surprised.

"Does…does it bother you that much when I call you that?" Percy asked hesitantly, halting in front of the door to fish out the key out of his pocket.

It apparently didn't occur to him to set Will down, and Will didn't trust his legs enough yet to point it out.

Instinctively, he wanted to say 'No, it's ok', but a part of him also wanted to say 'Yes, stop it'.

Sadly, he couldn't tell whether the 'No' was because it WAS ok, or because Percy seemed so concerned about it, nor did he know whether the 'Yes' was because he truly wanted Percy to stop it or just out of spite.

"Will?" Percy asked as he unlocked the door (damn, that key of his really DID work on all the locks, it seemed…scary…), making his way inside.

It had been Cecil's idea to hide the cake here, which had been a good idea two days ago, what with them not wanting anything to happen to the cake and all, but now it seemed like their dumbest idea yet.

Kind of a shame it hadn't been Percy to bring this place up, else Will could tease him about it now.

"I…you…ugh, just do what you want. I don't care." He grumbled, annoyed with himself for his stuttering.

"Well, if you honestly don't like it, then I'll stop." Percy said quietly, making his way to the room to the far right with as little noise as possible.

Will's grip on him tightened slightly.

Gods, what if they were caught?

Them up and outside their cabins in the middle of the night was already bad enough, them in the Big House in the middle of the night was already crazy, but if they were found with Will on Percy's back like this…gods, he didn't want to find out what the others would think about that.

He dearly hoped Chiron was a heavy sleeper.

Horses weren't exactly heavy sleepers if he remembered correctly, but he was just going to pray to all the gods that the human part of him was the heaviest sleeper alive.

Then again, he probably shouldn't pray to any god right now as to not draw any attention to them.

Who knew where Mr. D was, after all.

"I don't like it." He whispered defiantly once they entered the small room and closed the door behind them, not daring to turn on any light.

"Then I'll stop." Percy stated with a shrug, making Will's heart ache.

It was as if Percy didn't even care.  
Well, he probably didn't.

Why would he?

"I don't dislike it either." He heard himself saying before he could stop himself.

Percy stopped.  
Just stopped.

Will turned his head ever so slightly to peek at him, though he couldn't see much in the darkness.

"Does…does that mean I can call you that? Or not? I'm confused." Percy then asked hesitantly, taking a few cautious steps.

"You can let me down now, I think I'll be good." Will muttered, keen on avoiding the question.

Percy only sighed, cautiously putting him back down on his own two feet, turning to hold him upwards as he still swayed slightly.

Damn, his legs still felt so wobbly.

He hadn't run THAT much.

And even if, he was better trained than that!

This had to be some sort of bad joke.

He just waited for Percy to say something about it.

"Is this ok?" Percy asked, the genuine concern in his voice drowning out the instant wave of defiance rising in Will's chest.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't you dare make fun of me, I can still kick your ass." He stated drily, though they both knew it was a lie.

If Will wasn't able to even land a blow on Percy during training during the day, there was no way he could ever beat him at night.

"Didn't doubt you for a second. You got all the willpower needed, after all."

Did Percy…did he just make a pun?!

Will stared at him, again noticing how dark it was around them, but his eyes were fairly used to it by now, so he could at least make out the general location of Percy's face.

"Willpower? Really?"

Percy chuckled, squeezing his arm he was still holding.

"Yeah, that was a good one, right? Come on, let's get the cake and get out of here."

How were they going to get back?

The harpies had to know they were out of bed by now, given that one of them was bound to have spotted them (good thing Percy had learned to be a fast runner), so there was no way they'd have time for Will to try and fail to run again.

Did that mean Percy would have to carry him again?

No way.

They made their way through the darkness until Will hit his knee against the small fridge that had been placed here years ago after getting confiscated from the Hermes cabin (Cecil had told them the story – weird how it had only been a few months since electric devices were actually allowed at Camp Half-Blood. They had gotten used to it so quickly they had already utterly forgotten there had been a time before that).

"Ouch."

"You ok, sun-bug? Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to call you that. My bad." Percy mumbled awkwardly as he made his way over to him, opening the small fridge and taking out the cake they had kept in there, all nice and wrapped up.

"Just forget I said anything. I don't…if you want to give me pet names, then just do it. If you don't, don't." Will said through clenched teeth, massaging his hurting knee.

His pain tolerance surely was low these days.

Probably because he used it all up during the day while watching Percy and Nico being all over each other.

Percy huffed indignantly and suddenly stepped way too far into Will's personal space, his face inches away from his, green eyes almost gleaming in the darkness.

"When will you realize I don't want to do things that make you uncomfortable? Will, I get it that you're living in denial and don't want to admit to pretty much anything. I get that you don't like me and love to pick fights with me and drive me up the wall with your constant hitting on Nico, but I'll have you know right now that you are my friend. I care about you. A lot. And as my friend and a person I care about, I don't want to make you uncomfortable. So if I do something you don't like, would you please just tell me, instead of whining about the dumbest things, but refusing to actually answer when asked seriously?"

Will stared at him, speechless, his heart beating a hundred miles an hour, though he couldn't tell whether that was because of Percy being this close or because of his words.

Luckily, Percy didn't seem to notice.

"So, I'll ask again: Do you mind me calling you sun-bug? I won't judge you, Will. I like calling you that and I'll have you know I mostly do it subconsciously, but if you don't like it, I promise I'll see to it that I stop."

There was silence after that, in which they only stared at each other, their eyes the only things they could really make out in the darkness.

Will found his eyes hushing down to Percy's lips, his mind a whirl of thoughts and Percy's words and emotions.

What was this?

This was like one of those cliché movies or something.

Or a really weird dream.

"I…" He started, then cleared his throat, stepping back to get some distance between them, not trusting himself not to lean forward to connect their lips.

Nope, that would only get him killed.

Or really, really hurt, both mentally and physically.

At least he thought so.

"I don't mind. If you call me that. I…I don't…I don't dislike it. It's just…it's weird, because it's kind of…well…"

By Apollo, why was he beginning to stutter again?

"It's kind of intimate, so I admit I didn't really like it in the beginning, because you are dating Nico and you shouldn't have pet names for anybody but your boyfriend." He forced out after a big breath and glanced at Percy, who had stiffened slightly, looking away with an indescribable expression on his face.

"But…" Will started again and watched as Percy looked around at him again, something almost hopeful in his gaze.

"But I do admit I…might like it. Alright, I like it. I like it more than I should. Are you happy now? Damn it, Percy, come on. Let's get the hell out of here before we DO get caught." He said quickly, turning on his heel and making a dash for the door, only tripping a couple of times, ears trained on the smallest noise Percy might make.

A moment later, he heard him laugh.

A quiet, but honest and genuine laugh.

"Alright, sun-bug. Let's get out of here, then."

Will resisted the urge to turn his head and glare at him, instead opening the door and peeking outside into the hallway to see whether there was anything out of the ordinary.

They made their way to the front door, checking for any immediate threats outside, but coming up empty.

"How are we going to get back? I can't exactly run and you have to carry the cake, after all." Will finally voiced out his worries, surprised that he wasn't feeling as embarrassed or upset as he thought he would at admitting to it like this.

Percy glanced at him from the side thoughtfully, a contemplative expression on his face.

Then he seemed to make up his mind, holding out the cake to Will.

"Can you hold this for a moment?"

Will blinked, but took hold of the cake, anyways.

The next moment, Percy grabbed hold of him and started moving, hoisting him into his arms princess-style as he went.

"What…"

"Just keep holding the cake. This is the fastest way." Percy stated, keeping his eyes straight ahead while Will felt his face burning with mortification.

"Percy!"

"Shush."

"No!"

"It's only for a few miles!" Percy hissed defiantly, breaking into a quick run and Will had to concentrate on not squishing the cake between them as he felt himself moving up and down in Percy's arms.

"I hate you!"

"Love you too, sun-bug." Percy mumbled absent-mindedly, turning his head to look sky-wards as they heard the definite sound of wings.

Then they heard the screeching of one of the harpies and her eager cry of 'Demigods out of bed! It's a feast!'

Percy cursed under his breath, while Will groaned out loud and their eyes met again, this time with a mingled, exasperated expression.

"Stupid harpies." "Damn those harpies." They both said, then shook their heads with a small smile as Percy rounded the corner to Nico's cabin, letting Will down a splint second before tearing the door open and rushing them both inside.

Will tried to ignore the way his hands felt on his lower back as he gently pushed him forward, but couldn't, which lead to him tripping over his own feet and almost falling flat on the ground (and the cake), if it hadn't been for Percy's arm around his side, tugging him back upwards while stumbling forward with him, slamming the door shut behind them.

"Made it!" Percy called, relief and euphoria in his voice.

"Feast!" The harpy wailed outside their door with such disappointment Will almost felt bad.

"There they are. About time. Well, I'll take my leave now, Nico. We'll be awaiting your visit. Jason Grace, as I've said, you know where to find me. Goodbye." A cool voice said and both Will and Percy froze, staring at the person standing in the middle of the room, sending them a short, indifferent look.

Nico's dad.

The god of the underworld.

Will felt hot and cold all over, wondering what the hell must have happened for Hades himself to come here, then started worrying it might be because they all kind of always hung out here

It was Hades' cabin, after all, so Will wouldn't be surprised if he knew about them being here.

Hell, of course Hades knew they were here.

He probably knew everything that was going on in these four walls.

Instinctively, he glanced around at Percy.

Did Hades know what Percy and Nico were doing?  
Did he care?  
Was he ok with them doing this here?

Was he going to pulverize them?

Percy looked nothing but stunned, gaping at the god, apparently speechless for once.

But Hades didn't look at him for long, and not with any malice in his gaze.

He looked rather bored, really.

Then he looked back at Will and Will found himself swallowing, resisting the urge to straighten his hair and/or clothes, knowing he must look horrid with mud all over him.

It wasn't as if he wanted to leave a good impression on the one god that could not only decide his future after his death, but also just so happened to be the father of the guy he loved, but HELL THIS WAS THE ONE GOD THAT WAS JUST THAT!

But Hades' expression didn't change and the next moment, he turned back to Nico and Jason with a small nod and then, just like that, he disappeared into the shadows.

For a long, long moment, there was utter silence in the cabin, in which Percy and Will stared at Nico and Jason for an answer, and the two stared back at them stunned, apparently trying to get a hang of what had just happened same as they were.

Will was the first to move, fidgeting uncertainly and holding up the cake.

"So, uh, who wants cake while we talk about what the hell just happened?" He asked and thus broke the silence in the room, tearing the others out of their stupor.

.

"So…what did your dad want, Nico?" Percy asked hesitantly once they were all seated on the bed in a small circle, the blue birthday cake in the middle, getting cut into bits with Will's scalpel since none of them had a knife at hand and it was better than a sword (seriously, why did Will carry around a scalpel, though? Or several, by the looks of it).

Nico shifted slightly, exchanging a quick glance with Jason.

"He…just wanted to wish me a happy birthday and remind me to visit him."

"In the underworld? When?" Will asked, taken aback, still manhandling the cake.

He looked a lot better now that he was a bit more cleaned up from his earlier rendezvous with the ground.

"That's all?" Percy asked surprised – and maybe a little bit relieved.

He had already feared Hades would have something against them all staying over at the Hades cabin (not to mention their make-out sessions. He wasn't sure how much Hades knew, after all).

Nico blushed slightly and Jason chuckled. "Funny, that's the same thing Nico asked his dad."

Really?

Nico threw Jason a warning glance, then sighed and shrugged. "He said what happens in this cabin is none of his concern. Anyways, the latest he wants me to come is in March. He said Persephone has been staying in the Underworld longer due to the crisis with the gods, but she'll leave mid-march and I should be there until then."

Percy shifted and opened his mouth, though he wasn't sure what to say, nor how to say what he really wanted to ask.

Was he still allowed to come with?

Should he come with?

Would Nico even want him to come along?

"How are you going to get there? Jules-Albert?" Will asked from next to Percy and Percy was glad to have another moment to think.

"About that…he also talked to Jason because of this whole contract business…" Nico started, voice trailing off as he looked towards Jason, who shifted slightly and sighed.

"Yeah, he said he's tired of always coming last and if I want to have his signature, I should set my priorities straight. Basically, he told me to come to him next. Also said that he's 'very interested' to hear what I have to offer him in return for his word." He mumbled, looking slightly pained.

Percy couldn't blame him.

For a moment, he wanted to pat him on the back and tell him everything would work out fine in the end.

But then his mind caught up with what this implied.

"Wait, you two are going to go together?"

His world fell apart.

Those two…they wouldn't, would they?

Well, Nico was always the most comfortable around Jason, he had said that before, so it shouldn't be a surprise, but…but…

But _Percy_ was his boyfriend.

Was he just going to leave him here?

Will's head shot up, the piece of cake he had wanted to pass to Nico promptly falling back onto the plate.

"What?"

Jason and Nico both exchanged a meaningful glance.

"Actually, I was thinking of us…us going together. He did say you were allowed to come, too, so I thought we could all travel together. Jason will have to take his team back to Camp Jupiter, so we can't travel with Jules-Albert, and I don't think I'll be able to shadowtravel so many people with only a few weeks of training-…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. What training? Who said you could shadowtravel again?" Will interrupted, scowling at Nico, but Nico's expression instantly turned defiant.

"Will, you promised you'd let me get back into using my powers after Christmas. It's pretty much February now. I'm fine."

"Do you have any idea what that shadow business has done to you? What tells you it won't suck you in again? What tells you that you won't fade again?"

"That was because I overdid it. Now I'm smarter, and I don't have a reason to overdo it, do I? In case you forgot, it was kind of the end of the world and we only barely managed to avoid a full-fledged war."

Percy and Jason exchanged alarmed glances as the two bickered back and forth, deciding simultaneously to interfere.

Percy went to tug Nico into his arms, while Jason blatantly interfered Will's personal space, putting an arm around him and pulling him closer.

"Come on, guys, don't argue. Will, why don't you at least give him a try? How about you two look for a nice place the next some days and Nico will try – under your supervision – to use his powers. Then we'll see whether he's ready or not." Jason suggested and Percy quickly nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. I'm sure Chiron will let you use the arena for that. Jason and I can keep the campers entertained and you can do your thing."

Nico and Will both seemed reluctant to let the matter drop, but eventually relented.

"Alright…but only if he promises he'll trust my judgment. If I see it wearing him down too much, I'll put him under probation again until I see him fit to try again." Will demanded, looking dead serious.

Nico instantly huffed. "Then what tells me you won't just say that, anyways? I'm not a kid anymore, Will!"

"I never said you was, but I don't want to see you fading away in a puff of shadows just because you want to prove the world you can do it."

That statement would have probably set Nico's blood boiling if it wasn't for the way Will's voice cracked at the end.

That kind of shut them all up, staring at Will as his face was full of genuine concern and fear.

Not of Nico, but for Nico.

Nico was the first to look away, staring down into his lap with a guilty expression on his face.

Yet nobody spoke a word.

Percy opened his mouth, but couldn't find anything to say, so he looked pleadingly towards Jason, who caught his glance and gave a small nod.

"Alright, enough of this for now. Let's have birthday cake. Nico, should I try it first to see whether it's edible? It looks fishy, to say the least." He said with a smile, instantly getting shoved away by Will as he turned to face him with an indignant scowl.

"Hey, I'll have you know we did everything right with that batter. The color is Percy's fault. See? I told you not to dump so much food coloring into the mix!"

"I think it looks perfect." Nico said cautiously, collecting his piece from where it had fallen back onto the plate and taking a demonstrative bite out of it.

They all watched him, Percy's lips still parted for the retort he had wanted to give but forgotten, instead intently watching his boyfriend chew.

Had they added enough sugar? Or maybe too much?

Maybe they had forgotten something.

What if it hadn't been done yet? It wouldn't surprise him if this cake was still raw in the middle after having the others burnt black.

Nico made a show of swallowing, looking contemplative into space and smacking his lips.

Then he looked around at them and smirked at their intent expressions.

"Tastes perfect."

Percy tugged him closer and nuzzled his face against the side of his neck.

"Really? That's great."

"Yeah, have a bite."

"See? Told you I'm an awesome baker, Jason. Come on, tell me I'm awesome." Will demanded, nudging Jason's side with a smug expression on his face, while Jason used the scalpel to work on the cake once more, looking around at him amused.

"Alright, you're awesome."

"Jason! Say it like you mean it!"

Percy watched them out of the corners of his eyes as he let Nico feed him a piece of the cake they had made.

It was a fairly plain cake, next to the fact that it was blue and for decoration purposes (it WAS a birthday cake, after all) they had dumped blue icing onto it, though it looked more as if somebody had dropped it into a puddle of blue mud, truth be told.

They hadn't even put candles onto it because they had wanted to do that at Leo's and didn't have any candles at hand.

Well, at least it tasted decent, he guessed.

Still pathetic, though.

"This is the best birthday cake I've ever had." Nico mused, a pleased smile on his face as he took another bite, leaning against Percy.

Percy smirked from one ear to the other and kissed the top of his head, watching as Will started nudging Jason with his foot now, eating cake and demanding Jason to get on his knees and beg for forgiveness for something he had said, while Jason ate his cake utterly unperturbed and muttered an unimpressed 'Make me' under his breath, winking at Percy.

Maybe this birthday hadn't been the best, but it had certainly been good enough to count as a best birthday.

One of many to come.

"Oh yeah, before I forget, Jason, what do you think of sailing?"

.

Several hours later, they found themselves crammed into Nico's bed, all huddled together, the blanket only up to their hips due to the already intense heat building between them.

But none of them complained and nobody moved, relishing in the closeness.

As expected, Jason got to snuggle up to Nico, but instead of Percy being on his other side, he had asked Will to take that spot for the night.

'With your nightmares I don't want you on the outside' he had said with a face that hadn't allowed a 'no'.

So here he was, snuggled against Nico's back with Percy right behind him, arms around him and Nico, whereas Jason's arms were around Nico and Will as well from the other side.

Seriously, looking down he couldn't even tell whose arms belonged to whom.

It didn't really matter, either, which was both weird and beautiful all at the same time.

Unsurprisingly, it was Jason who fell asleep first, face in Nico's hair.

Nico managed to chuckle about that, then fell asleep no five minutes later, face against Jason's bare chest.

Will was slightly envious about that, though he had had Nico's attention the past weeks, so in a way he wouldn't ever want to switch with Jason.

Instead, he glanced over his shoulder at Percy, who funnily enough seemed to be watching him quietly.

"What?" The dark-haired asked barely audibly, searching Will's eyes for something he didn't know.

"Nothing. Just wondering whether you were still awake." He mumbled, looking away again.

Percy shifted closer, so close Will could feel his breath on the back of his neck, which felt weird and nice at the same time and made him strongly dislike having his back to Percy right now.

Not that he ever actually liked it.

"Do you think Nico is ready?"

The question caught him off guard and it took him a moment Percy was actually talking about the shadowtravelling and not about sex (though Will wouldn't have put it behind him, sadly enough).

"I don't know. The darkness is still inside him, you know? I just want him to be safe."

"So you can still feel it?"

"Every time I touch him. It's feeble, but it's still there. Partly, it is meant to be there, because it is a part of him. But not like this. It's holding onto him and doesn't want to let go, and I think only time will be able to heal him enough from inside and out to get rid of that."

Percy nodded at that, close enough for Will to feel his face against his back, much too close to the side of his neck, sending shivers down his spine.

"Well, you'll be there for him, so I'm sure everything will be fine." Percy mumbled quietly and Will stilled, surprised by the faith and trust Percy had in him.

He thought of something to say in return, maybe even a thanks or something, but couldn't find his voice.

By the time his heart stopped racing, he heard Percy snoring softly behind him and found himself smiling, snuggling against Nico's back slightly and tightening his grip on Jason.

This was so nice.

Jason was finally back.  
They were finally all together again.  
Nico's birthday surely had been a success.

Now they'd have two weeks of bliss and fun and joy, then Nico, Percy and Jason would leave for Hades.

His good mood dampened slightly at the thought.

He wished he could go with them.  
But there wasn't any reason for him to.  
He was neither Nico's boyfriend, nor did he need any signature from Hades.  
They didn't seem to want him around, either, given the way they had discussed travelling together right under Will's nose.

But that was ok.

He had two weeks.

And he'd make the best of them.

Percy rubbed his face against his back, muttering something under indistinguishable under his breath, accompanied by a small sigh.

Will found himself grinning, turning his head slightly to glance back at Percy's sleeping face.

As expected, he couldn't see much of it, but he could see Percy drooling into the pillow inches away from his skin.

He chuckled quietly, turning his head back and closing his eyes, relishing in the warmth and comfort of his three best friends around him.

This was so perfect.

He never wanted this to end.


	10. Chapter 10: Will gets lost

**A/N: **Hello Cupcakes ;D  
As a little update, the bird is doing great. At this rate, she'll be able to 'move out' by the end of next week, and live a normal bird's life ;D

This is going to be a longer chapter, I don't know how that happened, actually ;o  
I thought it would be the smallest chapter yet, but suddenly, things escalated..

Hope you enjoy it ;)

-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 10: Will gets lost, small confessions and hey, let's move this water fountain**

The next days passed in a blur of laughter, games, half-serious battles over the dumbest things and the most fun Jason had had in forever.

Or ever, really.

The only time that might have come close was the time around Christmas.

Or maybe his day with Nico where they had mostly lounging around in his cabin playing games.

This was an entirely different way of fun, though.

They were rarely indoors, and if, then the four of them were huddled together on the bed watching films they had already watched way too many times or playing a quick game of Mythomagic before dropping onto the mattress 'dead and exhausted' from the day.

The rest of the time, they were out and about, taking the most impossible pictures, racing each other through camp and forest, terrifying a good 80% of the campers by almost destroying the climbing wall (mostly Percy's fault), playing utterly stupid kid's games, terrorizing Leo with their newfound wish for a ship (which he refused to help with, that mean little imp) and generally doing nothing productive whatsoever.

Jason loved it.

Half his team had come back three days after his arrival, the rest had followed over the course of the two days after that and he had seized the first chance he had had to apologize to them, but most of them had only waved it off with an 'It all worked out in the end. It's ok', anyways (though he knew they were still pissed).

Waking up the day after Nico's birthday to find himself still in their bed with all three of them with him had been the best thing in the world and Jason couldn't imagine how horrid his life must have been before that very moment.

He had been the first to wake (probably because of his travelling) and had at first been disorientated and surprised by the warmth surrounding him (again, probably because of his travelling. There wasn't really any warmth and comfort in a lonely, small sleeping bag).

It had taken him a moment, but once he had realized it was Nico snuggled up against his chest, arms tightly wrapped around him and their legs entangled, with Will and Percy right behind…he had never felt happier.

He had also never wanted to move again.

For the first time in way too long, Jason had felt utterly at peace, utterly at home.

He had watched them sleep, had stroked across Nico's sleeping face, traced lines down the side of Will's neck and twirled Percy's hair around his finger, soaking in as much as he could for almost an entire hour before Will had finally stirred, due to the rising of the sun outside.

It had been odd to see Nico and Percy reacting almost instantly at the merest sound and movement Will had made, but at least they had stayed asleep.

Jason had watched Will waking up, from the fluttering of his eyelids to the way he had snuggled back into Percy's embrace with a small, content smile, his face disappearing at the back of Nico's neck for the longest time, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as if he tried to stay asleep for as long as possible.

He probably had.

Jason couldn't blame him.

He knew he would have liked to stay asleep like that forever, too.

But once Will had opened his eyes and noticed Jason was awake, that moment of utter peace had been over.

Jason still remembered that look of mortified shock on Will's face, not to mention the blush that adorned his face no minute after, before he had suddenly bounded, rolling over Percy and making a dash for the bathroom door with a mumbled 'Morning. I'm first'.

That had of course instantly woken Percy and Nico, but not in the way Jason had expected.

Instead of a pained outcry or annoyed remarks, both guys had bolted upright in bed instantly, instinctively grabbing for the by then empty space between them where Will had been only moments ago, wide awake and expressions tight and urgent.

It had taken them a long moment to figure out it hadn't been one of Will's nightmares that had made him move and that everything was ok.

Jason was still somewhat amazed by that, though - especially by their almost instant reactions and alertness, given their rather deep sleep.

He was also amazed that nobody had been mad at Will.

Instead, both boys had blown out a relieved breath, smiling at each other and sharing a quick good morning kiss before Nico had flopped back into bed and fallen asleep again right away, while Percy had used the time to talk in hushed voices with Jason, telling him this was the first quiet night they had had with Will in forever (Percy had also said he hoped this was a sign the nightmares were going away and that it might have been Jason's absence that brought them, after all, but Jason highly doubted that).

Then Will had been back and the three had stayed in bed with Nico (though Will had taken his place behind Percy this time and had avoided Jason's eyes) until the Italian had been more willing to get up, which hadn't been for another two hours, but they had had lots to talk about, anyways.

The next few nights had passed similarly, with them snuggling together in the evening, Will in the middle and Jason behind Percy three out of five nights, though he hadn't really minded too much.

As a matter of fact, by the sixth day, Jason was starting to believe they had exaggerated on the nightmares as it was, or that they at least were exaggerating with their surprise and elation since Will really didn't seem to get them anymore.

Well, as it turned out, he was wrong, and they had cheered too soon.

Jason woke up with a start at feeling Nico shift out of his embrace.

Confused, he opened his eyes, just to find Nico and Percy wide awake, talking in hushed voices and trying to keep Will calm, who – as Jason only now noticed – was thrashing around wildly in his sleep, face taut and beaded with sweat.

"What's going on?" He asked urgently, sitting up himself as Nico hissed something else towards Percy, expression urgent, but Percy only shook his head in reply before turning to Jason.

"Nightmare."

It was only one word, but the way Percy said it sounded so crushed and defeated Jason couldn't believe they were talking about the same thing.

Nightmares were bad dreams, things that bugged you from whatever had been going on in your life that you couldn't cope with (or something along those lines, anyways).

For demigods, nightmares could sometimes be something different, visions, outer-body experiences, messages from gods, etc. – but that hadn't happened to any of them ever since Gaea.

Nothing of the sort had happened to any of the campers, neither here nor at Camp Jupiter, same as neither the Apollo kids (Will excluded at any rate since he didn't possess any gift of any prophecy whatsoever) nor Rachel Elizabeth Dare had had any visions or the like whatsoever anymore ever since Gaea.

So it didn't make sense why Percy would say it as if it tore him apart from the inside.

That was before Jason took a closer look at Will, though.

Will was pale, much too pale for his usually healthy skin-tone, his body rigid and burning hot, sweat pouring down his body as if he was running a marathon in his sleep.

His expression was pained and scared and urgent, even with his eyes scrunched shut, and Jason cringed at the small cries leaving his mouth, as if he was being hurt.

He looked at the other two for equally surprised expressions to his own, but they only looked bitter and angry, though he doubted either of those emotions were directed at Will, but more at the situation itself.

It didn't take him long to realize they had been through this exact same thing too many times to find it surprising.

They reacted when Will let out another, slightly louder cry, thrashing around wildly and almost tearing apart the sheets.

Moving fluidly, as if they had done this a thousand times already, Percy bent down and wrapped Will tightly in his arms, forcing his arms to his sides to stop them from thrashing, and he held him so close Jason was sure it must hurt, whispering small words of comfort into the blonde's ears with his eyes firmly closed and his expression tense.

Nico however got up and hurried off to the bathroom, coming back a moment later with a wet cloth, which they placed on Will's forehead.

Jason watched, unsure how to help, but when Will let out another strangled cry of pain, his body moved on its own, moving forward and wrapping his arms around Will from behind.

"Shhh…" He heard himself trying to soothe the blonde slightly, hands moving over Will's sweat-covered front.

Will was burning hot.

Nico took back the cloth, which now seemed almost dry, and left for the bathroom once more, leaving Percy and Jason alone with Will again.

He noticed how reluctant Percy seemed to even as much as let Jason this close, tugging Will even harder against himself, expression tense.

"Percy?" He asked cautiously, moving after Will, but finding Percy tugging him away once more.

Percy looked conflicted, almost angry for a moment, but then he hesitantly let go of Will, at least enough to put his arms around Jason instead of the blonde, and Jason copied the movement without another word.

Heat rolled off the son of Apollo in waves, burning his skin, but he didn't care, too held up by the pained noises Will made.

This was horrible.

What was this?  
Was Will in actual pain?

How was this possible?

"Shouldn't we try wake him?" He asked quietly, but Percy only shook his head, his mouth a thin line.

"Doesn't work. Plus, if he wakes up, he'll feel bad the entire day for 'being a bother'. It's better like this."

Better.

Better with Will sounding as if he was being tortured in his sleep.

Better with Will trembling as if he was facing his worst fears.

For a moment, Jason wanted to argue, wanted to wake Will, wanted to stop all of this.

But then he realized that Percy and Nico must have felt the same way, must have gone through the same thoughts, and must have tried enough times to know what they were talking about.

So he reluctantly let it drop, instead wrapping his leg around Will's as the boy started flailing around again.

Nico came running back, putting the cloth back on Will's forehead and using a second one to wipe the sweat off his face slightly.

"It hasn't been this bad before." The Italian whispered, expression sad and pained, while Percy's looked straight out miserable.

"And I had hoped it was over. That he got better." He mumbled, putting his face at the side of Will's neck, ignoring the scorching heat – or maybe he simply didn't care about it anymore.

Jason pressed tighter against Will's back, trying to maybe cool him down a bit with his own body temperature.

At least Will wasn't thrashing anymore.

He wasn't moving much anymore at all, truth be told, his breath coming out in uneven, way too shallow pants, the rest of his body motionless next to the trembling.

Was he getting better?

Was it over?

Nico hurried back towards them with the re-dampened cloth, but Jason couldn't even remember him leaving.

He pinched Percy's side as the boy didn't give any indication he was going to move, and earned himself a way too intense death glare in return, but at least he moved slightly to let Nico clean Will's face, brushing the by now wet hair aside and dabbing the sweat away.

Then he moved down Will's neck and the blond flinched so hard both Jason and Percy reacted instantly, whispering soothing words and pulling him close, while Nico pulled back as if stung, watching them helplessly.

"He's still so hot. Why is he so hot? He has never been this hot before."

So Will wasn't usually burning up?

In other words, his nightmares had taken a break for some days, only to come back much worse.

Why though?

Jason had known it wasn't because of his return (though he completely wouldn't have minded), but he couldn't see what else had been different, what else could have been the reason for those considerably few days of peace.

He tugged Will closer against him, earning himself another small glare from Percy, but Will leaned against him on his own accord, shivering slightly and whimpering under his breath, clawing into Percy's shoulder, though Percy didn't even as much as flinch.

"How long does this usually last?" Jason asked hesitantly, but both Nico and Percy only shrugged helplessly.

"Differs. Sometimes he just thrashes around a bit and settles down again, sometimes he's going on for an hour or two. Always roughly around this time, though. Weird." Nico said with a glance at the alarm clock on his bedside table.

Jason tried to check the time as well, but without his glasses he couldn't see anything but a red blur where the digits were.

"Percy, switch with me. I'm cooler than you. Maybe that'll do the trick." Nico decided after another moment of silence and Jason felt Percy stiffen slightly, expression turning conflicted again.

What was his problem?

"He already settled down a bit. Let's give it another minute." Percy muttered and Jason felt his grip on Will tightening slightly.

It was almost as if Percy didn't want to let go of him.

But why?

Percy wasn't this possessive when it came to cuddling up to Nico at night, that much was for sure (given that Will and Jason were allowed to do so without problems).

Nico blew out an irritated breath. "Percy. Move. Now. I'm as worried as you are about him, but he needs to cool down."

Percy's expression tensed, but he obediently let go and pulled back.

The moment he was out of the bed, Will turned around and hid his face in Jason's chest, fingernails clawing into his skin, but he couldn't even feel the pain, too distracted by the pained expression on the boy's face.

Percy made a small noise and moved, but Nico held him back and climbed in the bed instead, wrapping his arms around Will and Jason.

Will shivered slightly at the change of body temperature, but then he visibly relaxed a bit.

Jason started rubbing circles across Will's back, since Nico gave a bit more space than Percy had, and Nico imitated the movement on Will's side and front.

Will whimpered, but slowly seemed to calm down, his breathing evening out somewhat.

Percy watched for a moment longer, then spun on his heels and left for the bathroom in long, quick strides.

Jason looked after him with a frown.

"He's very protective whenever Will is having nightmares. Don't mind him." Nico explained quietly.

Jason glanced at Nico, taking in his tired, somewhat exhausted expression.

"And you're ok with that?"

Nico frowned at him for a moment. "Of course. I'm as worried as he is, after all. Plus, we all know Percy has this savior-complex."

Jason only nodded slightly, looking down at Will again, who looked utterly exhausted now that his face wasn't scrunched up in pain anymore.

He wasn't sure what to think of all this.

He also wasn't sure what to make of Percy's behavior.

If he didn't know better, he'd say Percy was being more than just protective of Will, but he didn't wish to elaborate that with Nico, given that those two were dating.

Percy came back with a small bowl of water.

"Is he settled down now?" He asked, his voice cool and indifferent.

Jason inwardly sighed, his assumptions confirmed by Percy's change of behavior.

Could it be that Percy was jealous?

He pulled back slightly from Will, but the blonde instantly followed, his face nuzzling against his chest, tickling him slightly.

Percy's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say a word, instead setting the bowl down next to Nico, who had his eyes fixed on Will, expression worried.

"Careful, guys, I'm going to rinse him off now." Percy announced quietly, and Jason tried to pull back again as to give him space to work with.

He held his hand out over the water and the next moment, it began doing as he wished, moving out of the bowl on its own.

Nico pulled back slightly as well, looking around at his boyfriend quietly, watching him work as Percy sat down next to him, one hand placed on Nico's hip, the other now moving over Will's face, not touching, but directing the water where it had to go.

The blonde flinched when the water made its first contact with his skin, but then relaxed, his body finally going completely still.

Jason watched in amazement with how much care and concentration Percy began cleaning Will, making sure not to drown him or get water in his ears or eyes, even though they were shut.

Will didn't really seem to mind, even turning his head towards Percy slightly, as if sensing his presence, his help, him.

It was enough to make Percy smile softly, confirming Jason's rising suspicion of those two once more.

Well, if that wasn't a surprising development.

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say a word, instead glancing towards Nico.

Nothing would come out of it.

Percy loved Nico too much and Will would never accept that turn of events.

Also, Will was still head over heels in love with Nico, so it was a double no.

Nope, nothing would come out of it.

Jason sighed inwardly, wondering faintly why it always had to be Percy to get everything.

He had a father who actually showed how much he cared for him and who could talk to him normally, even joke around occasionally, and who wasn't disliked by pretty much everyone.

Everybody loved him, no matter at which Camp, and he was generally accepted and celebrated as a hero everywhere, instead of constantly having issues with Roman/Greek differences, always managing to win everybody over almost effortlessly.

He could stay and go wherever he wanted, not needing to keep any promises.

He had Nico's love, had Nico, could give him everything Jason would die to give him.

And now he even had Will's definite attention, affection, maybe even love already.

Why was that?

Jason looked up at Percy, studying his complexion, the dark, wavy hair and the perfect face, his sea-green eyes that practically seemed to gleam in the dark, and those nicely shaped lips, currently still forming another small, soft smile.

That and his character…

Their eyes met for a moment, and Jason sighed in defeat.

Alright, he knew why.

But it still wasn't fair.

Not that Jason had any right to complain.

He had brought everything upon himself, and he knew he'd do it again if he had the choice.

Doing the right thing was simply what he had to do, but that didn't mean he had to like it unconditionally.

"There we go. That's better." Percy stated quietly, looking pleased with himself and his work as he put the now empty bowl next to the bedside table on the ground, slipping into bed behind Nico.

Jason looked back down at Will, glad to see him looking somewhat better again with all the sweat gone and his expression relaxed.

"So, you think it's over now?" He asked hesitantly, finding his hand brushing out a strand of now dry blond hair out of Will's face.

"I hope so. Guess this answers the question whether we're going to share a tent or have separate ones once we go to the Underworld." Percy stated, putting an arm over them and looking tired.

True, they had talked about that earlier.

Will was always quiet during those conversations, looking distant and distracted.

Jason vaguely wondered whether Will even wanted to come along.

He hadn't said a word about it yet.

But he had been all for the idea of them all travelling together before, back when they had first discussed it ages ago.

It didn't make any sense.

"I'll have to check whether I have a big enough tent then or ask Leo for help. Unless you two are telling me you have one?"

"Uh, no. I've never gone camping before, unless you count my time as a runaway as that. But back then I didn't even have a tent, so yeah…" Nico muttered, twirling Will's hair in his fingers absent-mindedly.

Percy stiffened at the mention of Nico's past, guilt hushing over his face, but his reply was calm.

"I don't have one, either. I have a big sleeping bag, though, in case we need one."

"Well, I'd hope we do. I don't want to sleep on the floor." Nico deadpanned, earning him a gentle pinch from Percy, before he kissed the side of his neck.

"Smartass. You could sleep on me."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "And where do Will and I sleep? On top of Nico?"

"Hey, nobody tops my Nico."

"Percy!" Nico exclaimed and Jason could see him blush even in the darkness.

Jason only shook his head slightly, tugging Will closer to his chest.

"Yeah, I think I prefer the sleeping bag. Less conflict."

"Alright, then I can show you later." Percy mumbled against the side of Nico's neck and it took Jason a moment to realize he was talking to him and not the Italian.

"Sure."

"So you two are going to check on the sleeping bag and ask Leo about the tent? That's good. I'm taking Will to Clovis." Nico announced, hands playing with Will's hair again as he snuggled back into Percy's chest.

"Clovis?" Jason asked surprised, trying to place the name.

It sounded so familiar…

"You mean that Hypnos kid? Why?" Percy asked equally surprised.

Nico frowned at them both.

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I am sick and tired of seeing Will hurting like this. I want Clovis to take a look at him. Maybe he can figure out what to make of those nightmares. If not, maybe he can at least help him find some other way to sleep and rest."

Jason remembered now.

Back when he had first come here, they had brought him to the Hypnos cabin in hopes of getting his memories back.

It might not have been of much help in the end, but Nico was right.

If anybody could help, it was Clovis.

"Alright, then you take him there." He said, the same moment Percy asked "Are you sure we shouldn't come with for that?"

Nico sighed.

"I think it will already be difficult enough to convince him of me coming along, Percy. You know his nightmares are a touchy subject to him. I think it's better if I go alone with him. Clovis and I get along well, so I have an additional excuse to hang around."

"You do?" Percy asked taken aback, eyeing his boyfriend oddly, as if this was news to him.

"Well, yeah. I stumble into his dreams every now and then. Not advisable, by the way."

"Oh, true, I forgot you can do that. Want to visit my dreams by times?" Percy offered suggestively, wriggling his eyebrows, and Jason shook his head amused as he watched Nico throw him an exasperated glance.

"You're such a pervert, Percy."

"I didn't even do anything!" Percy defended himself with an upset expression, but Jason caught the way Nico blushed slightly and smirked.

"Something tells me a certain someone is yearning for some more affection, Percy."

Nico froze, glaring daggers at Jason as his blush deepened, while Percy halted, looking down at his boyfriend surprised.

Then a teasing grin made its way onto his lips.

"Oh really? Nico, is there something you want to tell me?" He asked, his voice a lot lower than a moment ago.

Jason rolled his eyes amused and buried his face in Will's hair, glad to hear his breathing completely evened out again.

"Nothing that I want Jason to hear, no."

Jason could barely suppress an amused snort.

How considerate.

He felt them shifting and opened one eye, watching unimpressed how Percy started kissing the side of Nico's neck, grinning at him with a dangerous gleam in his eyes before tugging on his skin with his teeth slightly, the intent obvious.

Then his eyes hushed over to Jason and his expression became apologetic as he pulled back slightly with a small sigh.

So this was what Will meant whenever he rolled his eyes and affectionately called Percy a considerate fool.

Yep, Jason could completely relate.

He squeezed Percy's side slightly to catch his attention and made a show of closing his eyes and yawning, hiding his face fully in Will's hair.

"Well, night, guys."

Percy gave his side a small, appreciative squeeze as well, then pulled his hand back and Jason smiled to himself.

"Good night, Jason." Both boys said obediently, before shifting again and Jason could hear what sounded like the exchange of some more or less innocent pecks.

Those two were so obvious about everything, it was both amusing and hurtful.

He tugged Will closer, glad he wouldn't wake up for another few hours, then tried his best to fall back asleep himself, before those two really did take it further than they should with Will and Jason here as well.

Good thing Jason was used to irregular sleeping hours from his travelling and could practically fall asleep anywhere and anytime on command.

When Will woke up and found himself squished against Jason's front, he knew he had had his nightmare again.

It was disturbing, knowing he must have thrashed around and terrorized his friends, yet not knowing he had done so.

Jason's body was still so nice and cool, though.

How could anybody be cool when snuggling up to somebody else?

Things like that didn't happen in real life - in real life, people were gross and sweaty when they tried to cuddle all night, not to mention annoyed and uncomfortable.

But with them, somehow, it always worked out just fine.

Then again, temperatures outside (and in the Hades cabin) were still fairly low, so that might be a supporting factor as well.

He faintly hoped Nico's cabin was cool during the summer months as well.

Will found himself snuggling against Jason's chest slightly, then tensed up, remembering that first morning after Jason's return all too well.

Damn, he had completely let his guard down, snuggling against Nico and Percy, relishing in the comfort their embrace had given him – only to find Jason watching him curiously.

How could he have let that happen?

What did Jason think of him now?

He was bound to have noticed something!

Wait, what could he have noticed? There was nothing to notice!

Will felt a sense of panic rising inside him but pushed it down, instead deciding to act utterly asleep, just in case Jason was already awake again.

Making a show of moving ever so slowly and as inconspicuous as possible, he managed to turn himself in a way he could at least glance up at Jason (why was he pressed against his chest, anyways).

For one horrid moment, he thought Jason would really be awake and watch him as he had done back then.

But Jason wasn't.

He was still sleeping, lips slightly parted, his blond hair a mess, expression relaxed and calm.

It was actually…kind of cute, really.

Will suddenly found his hands on Jason's face, caressing his cheek slightly, then brushing out some wild strands of hair (Jason's hair really had grown quite a bit, he hadn't even really noticed up until now).

Jason had an adorable sleeping face.

How had Will never noticed that?

His fingers slid down to Jason's lips, touching the small scar absent-mindedly, wondering if he had ever actually watched Jason sleep before.

Thinking about it, he had always kind of been out of sight, either because Will had been behind him or because Percy and Nico had shielded him from view.

Jason stirred slightly, frowning in his sleep and turning his face slightly towards his finger.

For one fleeting moment, Will thought Jason would wake up, but instead of flinching back (or moving in general), Will found himself frozen in shock, unable to even as much as move an inch.

But Jason didn't wake up.

Instead, he did the most bizarre thing Will had ever witnessed in his entire life: He kissed Will's finger.

Just. Like. That.

Just turning his head towards it and actually KISSING it, not just his lips brushing against it fleetingly or any of the sort, actually, seriously, kissing it.

Will stared at him in disbelief, pulling his hand back as if it had been burnt.

Well, it certainly felt hot enough now to qualify (thanks a lot, Jason).

He felt someone shifting behind him and felt Percy's arms wrap around him from behind Nico, but whether that was coincidentally or because Percy felt something was wrong, he couldn't tell.

Nico came closer as well, rubbing circles on his back as if to soothe him, and Will found himself relaxing against them again with a sigh.

Gods, what was he even doing?

This was stupid.

Why had he even had his hand in Jason's face?

Jason had probably assumed it was Nico, or maybe he was having some sort of nice dream with Nico right now.

Will eyed the blonde warily, as if a screen would pop up and show him the guy's dreams.

Not that he wanted to know.

No, it was already bad enough imagining what Percy and Nico were doing (or watching them get intimate, which was even worse), he really didn't want to imagine what Jason would do with…ok, damn, he was imagining.

Thanks a lot, sleeping-Jason-that-just-had-to-kiss-that-finger.

Will sighed again, shifting to turn around, but that caused Jason to frown and growl, making Will freeze instantly.

Jason growling sounded remarkably…no, Will was not going to go there.

Arms moved, and he felt Jason bat Percy's and Nico's hands away from around Will, wrapping his own arms around him tightly instead and pulling him closer with a sharp tug.

Will let out a surprised huff before finding himself pressed against Jason's chest once more, his face burying itself in Will's hair, hands running over his back, up and down in soothing strokes, before settling down somewhere around his lower back, keeping him close.

He could feel his face heating and contemplated pulling back, out of this embrace, out of Jason's arms, but then stopped himself.

Jason was sleeping right now.

The other two were as well, based on their even and regular breathing.

Nobody knew of this, and if, then they didn't know Will was awake.

Will might as well be in deep sleep and have no clue what was happening right now.

Nobody could blame him for not moving, nobody could say he was the one pushing himself onto anybody, since it was obvious Jason was keeping him in this deadlock, not the other way around.

All in all, there was no real reason for Will to move.

He could actually…just stay like this for a while and enjoy it.

Wait, was he really enjoying this?

Will stiffened, suddenly all too aware of the blush on his face, the fast beating of his heart and the way is breath hitched slightly.

He was also way too aware of the way Jason held him, the feeling of his strong arms protectively wrapped around him, the even beating of his heart, the wonderfully cool skin he was getting pressed against.

Yes, yes he did like this.

Damn yes, he wanted this.

And at any rate, why would he risk Jason waking up? Or the other two?

If he had had nightmares again, it was only fair to let them sleep for as long as possible.

Why would Will risk taking that from them?

Right, there was no reason whatsoever.

So Will smiled to himself, making himself comfortable in Jason's embrace, feeling Nico and Percy move closer behind him again, apparently having waited long enough for Jason to settle down again to touch him.

Their arms wrapped around him, a soothing warmth engulfing him from behind.

Mmh, yes, he loved this.

Closing his eyes again, he found himself drifting back off into sleep in no time, a content smile on his face, hands over Jason's heart.

"Nico, I really don't think this is a good idea." Will muttered urgently and Nico rolled his eyes.

As expected, Will was NOT very willing to go to Clovis.

"Will, at least let him take a look at you, ok?"

"I just don't see the point. I'm fine. I'm a doctor, I know what I'm saying."

"Will, you are not a doctor, you are a healer. That's a big difference, especially since you seem to be pretty self-destructive." Nico stated drily, walking towards the Hypnos cabin anyways, trusting Will to keep following him.

Will did, huffing indignantly as he walked a step behind him, looking utterly insulted.

"Excuse you, I am NOT self-destruct-…how would you even-…why…Nico! I am taking splendid care of myself!" He insisted, a scowl on his face, his expression still offended.

Nico only looked at him exasperated.

"Good! That means you will come along and let a Hypnos kid take a look at you to see whether there is any way of you getting a good and healthy amount of sleep. That's what every other person would do if they took splendid care of themselves, right? That's what you'd want me to do if it was me having a sleeping disorder or nightmares, right?"

That shut him up.

Nico almost felt bad, but he was too worried for Will's welfare to care right now.

They made their way quickly past the other cabins, ending up in front of Cabin 15 without exchanging another word.

Once Nico knocked on the door however, Will made a frustrated sound and tried once more.

"But I can't even remember the nightmare, Nico. If I don't remember it, and don't know what's causing it, how could-…"

"Will, you know very well that the Hypnos kids have the ability to see your dreams, sometimes even your memories and all. That means there's a chance they'll be able to figure out both what the nightmares are about, and maybe even what's causing them, all in one go. The only justifiable reason I can see that would excuse anybody from coming here in your position, is if they have a hell lot to hide they don't want anybody to know."

He hadn't meant to reassure Will with those words, but he hadn't meant to make him blanch like that, either.

What was wrong with the blonde?

"Will?"

Will averted his gaze, looking conflicted, almost scared.

What…?

What had he said?

He had only stated the obvious.

Everybody knew what Hypnos kids could do, and Will even more so, given that he had been at Camp much longer than Nico had been and knew the other campers better than Nico probably ever would.

Will had told him himself that he knew Clovis, that they might not exactly be friends, but that they got along well together, had told him of a few conversations they had shared and how he actually liked the Hypnos kid quite a bit, mostly because he used to help him lull some people in the infirmary to sleep.

So what was his problem now?

Rethinking his words once more, he frowned.

"Wait, you don't actually have any secre-…"

"Hey guys, what's up?" Clovis asked lazily from the door and Nico flinched, noticing Will do the same even though he had had perfect view of the door, unlike Nico, who had turned his back to it in order to look at Will better.

Will didn't actually HAVE any secrets, right?

Then again…he did work in an infirmary…didn't they have those oaths that they weren't allowed to speak of anything private about their patients or something?

Maybe that was the issue.

If so, Nico couldn't care less.

He would probably not even know who Will was talking about, and he highly doubted Clovis would give a damn, either.

"Hey Clovis, we were wondering, if…" He started, but Clovis' sigh interrupted him.

"Nightmares? Yeah, I noticed. You were completely out of reach last night, Solace. Where were you? Couldn't sense you anywhere at Camp. I mean, I've noticed before, but you were never THAT far gone before, so I figured you'd be fine. Want to come in?" Clovis asked, stepping aside to let them in with a yawn.

Will and Nico shared a surprised glance.

Out of reach? Gone? What?

Will's face turned conflicted again, almost miserable, as he stepped forward and into the cabin, eyes shying away from Nico.

"Oh, you coming too, Nico? Well, alright, if that's fine by Will." Clovis said with a note of surprise as Nico wanted to enter as well.

He hesitated. "I…I don't know. Will?"

Maybe he WOULD feel better if Nico wasn't around?

Will glanced over his shoulder at him, eyes uncertain for a moment.

But then he only shrugged. "Sure…I don't mind…" He mumbled, though it didn't sound very convincing.

Clovis on the other hand didn't seem to care, shrugging and pulling Nico inside, even though Nico was fairly sure he had told him before he didn't like physical contact.

Then again, he snuggled up to his boyfriend and his two best friends at night, so he guessed he shouldn't be that much of a hypocrite.

"Alright then, let's sit you down and have a look. With your permission, of course." He said, motioning for Will to sit on one of the beds while looking wistfully at a different one that Nico knew was his own.

But Nico didn't really care about Clovis right now, his eyes were on Will.

Will was pale, sitting down but fidgeting, his foot tapping against the ground, his eyes anywhere but on Nico.

"Are you sure you don't want me gone?" He asked hesitantly, but Will only shook his head.

"No, it's ok. I'm just…I don't know what the nightmares are about, so I don't really know…" His voice trailed off, but Nico thought he understood.

Clovis let out a small, impatient huff, throwing them both exasperated glances as if asking them whether they were finally done now and they could proceed.

Then he yawned once more.

"So, are you ready, then? I'll put you to sleep and then make you relive your nightmare – or at least one of them. Nico won't see that, anyways. Only you and I, if we're lucky."

Will nodded quietly, still looking uncertain, his gaze fixated on a spot faraway.

"Alright, let's do this, then."

Nico watched apprehensively as Clovis stepped towards Will, ordering him to close his eyes before holding a hand out over his face.

For a long moment, Nico thought nothing was happening.

Then he realized that neither of them was moving whatsoever and stepped up to them, realizing they must be sleeping…well, doing their sleeping-thing, at any rate.

He wasn't exactly 'worried', but he was…concerned.

Of course, he trusted Clovis. He also trusted Will, even though his fidgeting made Nico slightly uneasy, but he still trusted him nevertheless.

It was just that he wasn't sure whether this had really been a good idea after all.

Maybe they should have consulted Chiron first.

That's what everyone else would have probably done ages ago, anyways.

Have a camper that can't sleep properly as the only one in the entire Camp?

Go to Chiron and tell him, best if you bring Mr. D into the mix as well, that's a god for you, they'd be able to patch you up in no time.

Yeah, why exactly hadn't they done that?

Then again, Will had brushed them off over and over again and they were his best friends, so Nico was fairly certain even if he had mentioned this as possibility, Will wouldn't have gone to either Chiron, nor Mr. D.

He'd have probably brushed it off as some small issue not worth mentioning.

Nico sighed, watching some water drip down from on top of the fireplace.

He knew better than to get closer to that, of course.

Having been bathed in the River Lethe once before already, he wasn't keen on repeating the procedure at any given point in his life again.

Instead, he looked back at Will and waited…and waited…and waited.

Then the blonde suddenly dropped sideways onto the bed, utterly knocked out.

Nico flinched, but he wasn't worried yet.

No, he started worrying (and regretting coming here) the moment Clovis suddenly dropped sideways like a log as well.

"Guys?" He asked uncertainly, rushing forward to check on the blond kid on the floor, but not daring to touch him (it had a nasty side effect of either making people drowsy or making them fall asleep instantly).

So, instead, he hurriedly went to Will, touching his shoulder gently.

"Will? By the gods, guys, wake up. What's going on?" He asked urgently when he felt the boy burning again.

Clovis groaned from the floor, suddenly snapping awake.

"Nico, wake him up!" He called, the panic in his usually drowsy voice cutting through Nico like a knife, and he bent over Will, shaking him.

"Will!"

They shouldn't have come here.

He shouldn't have forced Will to come here.

Gods damn it, he hadn't meant for anything bad to happen!

He had just wanted to help!

Nico shook him, turning him over and cupping his face, calling his name.

Clovis got himself off the floor, putting his hands over Will, but nothing happened.

For once, Clovis didn't start sleeping again randomly, his face alert for the first time since Nico knew him.

But none of that mattered right now.

All that mattered was lying beneath him, still knocked out cold, his skin…oh gods, was his skin GLOWING?!

"Clovis, what in the name of Hades happened?!" He shot at the blonde next to him, still shaking Will, pinching his arms and slapping his face, while Clovis still had his hands over his face, face full of concentration.

He didn't answer Nico, but Nico hadn't expected anything, anyways.

Nico kept calling Will's name, panic rising in his chest as Will seemed to be practically burning up, his skin smoking hot, burning his palms, but he couldn't make himself let go.

In a last futile attempt, he crashed his body onto Will's, ignoring the searing pain surging through him as he scorched his skin.

Wrapping his arms tightly around him, he held onto Will, eyes scrunched up and lips tightly pressed together.

What if…no, he couldn't think like that.

"I think I got him." Clovis suddenly muttered and Nico's eyes shot open.

"Stay like that. I think I got him. Pulling him back now."

He glanced at Clovis from the side, but the boy had his head bowed downwards, so Nico couldn't see his face.

Looking back at Will, he pressed his face into the side of his neck.

Please, please let this work.

Let Clovis get him back, from wherever he was.

And Nico was never ever going to suggest anything stupid like this again.

What had he been thinking?  
This was all his fault.

A groan escaped Will's lips, then his lungs filled with air again and Nico shot up, cupping Will's face and looking down at him with wide eyes.

"Will!"

Will groaned again, his face scrunched up in apparent pain.

Then he opened his eyes to look up at Nico, disorientated and confused, but at least he was alive and his body temperature was quickly receding, turning back to normal.

"Ugh, we're never doing that again." Will muttered weakly, hands finding Nico's cheeks, cupping his face the same way Nico was cupping his.

Nico breathed out in relief, dropping back down on top of Will, causing him to groan out in pain once more, but he ignored it in favor of feeling his beating heart against his own, his now comparably cool skin against his own, soothing the burns he had.

Thank the gods he was ok.

"Nico?" Will asked hesitantly, arms gently moving to his side, stroking over his lower back.

"Hey, you ok?"

How ironic that Will was asking him that.

It should be the other way around.

Nico shook his head, hiding his face at the side of Will's neck.

"Clovis said he lost you. You were gone, Will. Gone. Your body…you were burning up…what the hell happened, Will?" He asked, his voice a mere whisper, cracking at the end as he pushed his arms beneath Will and around him, holding him as close as possible, needing to feel that he was ok.

Will didn't say anything, maybe in shock, maybe because he didn't exactly know what to say.

At first, Nico just waited, but Will didn't speak, his silence stretching on for so long Nico pulled back, worried all over again.

"Will?"

"I'm here. I'm here. Just…thinking. I…I don't remember. I know I knew just a moment ago, but the moment I tried to grasp it…it was gone." Will muttered with a frown, pulling his arms back to rub the sides of his head in either frustration or concentration (or maybe both).

Nico put his hand against his cheek, still sitting on top of Will, though the blonde didn't seem to mind whatsoever.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought you here. I just…I thought…"

But Will shook his head quickly. "No, it's ok. I know you meant well. I…I don't remember what happened, but I think I know it was a good thing. Like, it was good that I came here. I don't know. Clovis?"

As Will said his name, they both looked around to the boy standing next to them at the bed, but Clovis had fallen asleep.

"Hey, Clovis." Nico said, snipping his finger in front of his face.

"Yes, grandma, I'll take out the tra-…what? I'm awake, I'm awake. Where were we? Oh yeah, you were gone, Will. We almost lost you." Clovis stated unimpressed, as if he had just talked about the weather, not Will's life.

It was enough to set Nico's blood boiling, but he bit back his remark, since it was kind of his fault they were here in the first place.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Don't you?"

"No."

Clovis frowned at him for a long moment, then his eyes hushed over to Nico.

"Well, in the beginning, there was only personal stuff, issues you need to deal with yourself that you currently keep pushing aside. Then, everything changed and we left Camp. It was…strange. I've been to several places before, but that one was new. I don't know, man. Maybe you don't remember for a reason. Whenever we dream and don't remember, there's a good reason."

"But what happened at that place? What was I doing?"

"You? Nothing."

"Then what else was happening? Was there somebody else?"

Clovis looked at them for a long moment.

Then his eyes glazed over, signaling them he was once again asleep.

"Hey. Clovis." Nico repeated, snipping in front of his face again and Clovis flinched.

"Bananas! What?"

"Will asked whether there was anybody else there." Nico stated sourly, pushing down the urge to wince at the stinging in his hands and chest, feeling the burns more and more.

"Oh, no, just monkeys and- oh wait, you mean your dream. Right. Let me think…"

Will and Nico exchanged an unimpressed glance.

"Yeah, there were. But they don't want me to tell. They say you have to figure it out yourself."

"Who is 'they'?" Will and Nico asked instantly, shooting each other another glance.

But Clovis only shrugged. "Sorry, can't say."

Both Will and Nico groaned in annoyance.

Great. They had almost lost Will, but it had all been for nothing.

Just great.

"But I can tell you this…" Clovis started, then suddenly fell back asleep, snoring loudly.

Nico growled and snipped in front of his face, now seriously pissed off.

"Clovis!"

"I'll clean my room later! Oh, you guys are still here?"

"Obviously. You just said you have something you CAN tell us." Nico said, not even trying to hide his irritation, but Clovis didn't seem to either notice or care.

Will frowned at him, but said nothing, his hands on Nico's side, expression clouded and distant.

Nico snipped in front of his face as well.

"Oi, listen to what he has to say."

"Oh, it's nothing to do with the dream. Well, it does, but nothing about it. As I said, you have to figure it out by yourself, but there are two things. One: You have to get rid of all those personal problems, they are holding you back. Sit down and clear your head and stop pushing everything aside. Percy is right, stop living in denial. Second-…"

Will's face turned bright red. "W-What?! How would you know that? What have you seen?"  
Nico looked down at him in confusion.

What? He remembered Percy saying that, but what was the big deal?

And what did this have to do with anything, anyways?

Clovis waved off with a small laugh. "You mean what _haven't_ I seen? Don't worry, I don't care about your love life, Solace. I don't judge. Anyways, as I was saying, second-…"

Will's incoherent sputtering interrupted Clovis again, but this time Nico clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Shut up. You heard him, he doesn't care. Clovis, as you were saying?"

Clovis only let out an exasperated sigh, which irritated Nico only further, given that Clovis was the one that kept falling asleep.

"Second, I can show you a way to find the rest you need. You still have to sleep the normal way, and the nightmares will not stop until you have figured it out yourself, but there is a way for you to get rest, so you will not…" Clovis dozed off again.

Nico was utterly tempted to rattle him.

Instead, he clucked his tongue, unwilling to remove his hand from Will's mouth yet.

Clovis' nose twitched and he opened an annoyed eye.

"…have to go through the nightmares the entire night. Right now, you are on a sort of middle ground. The nightmares will worsen, but as long as you're with your guys, they'll be able to protect you from harm. What I can show you is a way you will find rest, but you can't use it to skip your nightmares, or even your boys won't be able to protect you anymore. Do you understand that?"

Nico frowned at Clovis, trying to make sense of his words.

He wasn't exactly surprised Clovis knew they were sleeping together, since he was bound to catch their dreams coming from the same cabin every night, but his statement still threw Nico off for some reason.

How were they 'protecting' Will?

And what were they protecting him from?

They never actually managed to wake him up, and all they really did was maybe clean him up a bit and keep him close, cooling his body and trying to soothe him in any way possible.

None of that was protecting him from is nightmares, though.

Will nodded beneath him, a hesitant and reluctant nod, eyes on Clovis.

"It will also make you vulnerable to outside intruders. You can't dream in this state, as it is between the second and third state of sleeping, just between light sleep and actual sleep. You will have a dreamless rest for as long as your body requires, but you will still have to go through your nightmare. Can you promise me that? I need you to promise that, else I can't show you."

Nico looked back at Will and pulled his hand back reluctantly to allow him to speak.

Will was gazing up at him distractedly again.

"Well?"

"Hm? What? Oh, yeah, I swear. I think I know what you're talking about. So, I have to sleep, but once the nightmare is over, I can do that rest-thing, yeah?"

Clovis blew out a small breath as if irritated, but then nodded. "Yeah, sounds about right."

"Alright. Show me, then."

Nico half expected Clovis to tell him to get up.

He definitely expected Clovis to tell Nico to get lost.

But instead, Clovis only held out his hand over Will's face again and Will obediently closed his eyes.

Nico stayed on top of him, his hand finding Will's on his side and holding onto it, ignoring the stinging in his fingers to feel the warmth of his hand and the even pulse.

Everything was ok now.

Even though Nico had no idea whatsoever what had happened and what was going on now, everything was ok.

And this visit might not have been for nothing, either, if Will could find a way to get some decent rest again.

"Ok, that's it. Now, get lost, you two. I need my sleep." Clovis stated with a yawn a moment later and Will opened his eyes.

"That's it? Did he show you?" Nico asked, surprised by the speed.

He knew time was sketchy when it came to dreams, but this had been extremely quick.

"Yeah, I know what I have to do. I've actually done it before. Every time I slept in."

"Guess you're a natural. Now, seriously, get out. I want to get back to my camels." Clovis grumbled, trudging over to his bed before flopping flat down on it, instantly snoring again.

Nico and Will exchanged a long look, and at last Nico climbed off the blonde.

"Aw, I liked you on top." Will teased with a wink and Nico made a face.

"Ha-ha. I thought you don't bottom?" He teased right back, raising a pointed eyebrow.

Will opened his mouth, then halted, a blush spreading on his face that made all his adorable freckles stand out even more.

Then he cleared his throat and grinned at Nico. "For you, I'd make an exception."

Damn it, and he had just been proud he hadn't blushed.

So much about that.

His face felt hot and he turned away hurriedly, walking towards the door.

"Don't let Percy hear that, he'll get jealous."

"About what? That I'd let you top? Or that I wouldn't let him top?"

"By the gods, take your perverted conversations out of my cabin, you're giving me nightmares!" Clovis called over indignantly, making them both flinch and blush a dark shade of red as they hurried towards the door for real now.

"Sorry! We were only joking!"

"Out!"

They let the door fall shut behind them and threw each other rueful glances.

"Hopefully he'll forget that before I see him next." Nico mumbled awkwardly, inwardly cursing himself for playing along with Will in the first place.

He had never done that before!

Why had he talked back, he should have just dropped it and left!

Will looked off into the distance.

"Yeah, well, I rather hope he won't meet Percy anytime soon. I don't want him to skin me alive for making a move on you again."

Nico frowned, looking around at him as they started making their way towards the Hades cabin.

"Nah, he wouldn't. We were just joking."

For some reason, that didn't seem to cheer Will up, though, if the miserable glance and low sigh stood for anything.

"Yeah…joking…listen, Nico…" He started, making a grab for Nico's hand.

Sadly, Nico hadn't been expecting it, wincing back at the touch instinctively.

Will froze.

"Nico…"

Oh shit.

"Ah, it's nothing. Let's hurry, in case they are back already…" He started, turning away and trying to run off, but Will grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him back with surprising strength.

"What the…Nico! Why didn't you say anything?" Will exclaimed horrified as he turned Nico's hand to look at the dark red, stinging skin.

"It's nothing, really."

"Did this…Nico, this happened because of me, didn't it?"

"No! Well, as I said, your body was kind of burning up, but…"

"Nico, these are second-degree burns!" Will cried out, fingers tracing over a few of the blisters that had built by now, the touch light enough not to actually hurt, but still firm enough to be felt.

Nico looked around him at the other Campers around them that started looking around at Will's loud exclamations.

"Will, listen…"  
"No. We're going to the infirmary. Now."

And with that, Will started storming off, hand firmly clasped around Nico's wrist, pulling him after him.

"But what about Percy and Jason?"

"They will have to wait. These need treating. I knew I felt some sort of pain coming off you. Gods, I thought something was off, but I guessed it was just me being confused, because – again – you didn't say anything! We should have treated this right away. Do you have any other injuries anywhere else?"

His entire body, but he was fairly sure he shouldn't say that.

"Maybe some minor burns." He mumbled vaguely, wondering how he was going to get out of this.

Maybe he was lucky and would just need to eat some ambrosia/nectar to have all of this heal.

"Where?" Will asked, glancing at him from over his shoulder with an expression that couldn't be fooled.

Nico pressed his lips firmly together.

"Maybe my…arms."

Why was it that his skin was burnt, but his clothes were still intact, anyways?

It made no sense.

Not that he was complaining at not having the fabric imprinted on his skin or anything.

It was just weird, that was all.

Will sighed theatrically, throwing his other arm up in apparent desperation.

"You are impossible."

"Sorry…" Nico mumbled, though he didn't mean this.

Will glanced back over his shoulder, expression knowing and apologetic.

"It's ok. I'm the one who burnt up, so it should be me apologizing. I think…I think it was partly my fault that I got lost. I can't vouch for it, of course, but I think it's because of…because of the things I've been pushing away. So it wasn't your fault. I was basically pushing myself away."

"What is it that's bothering you so much, Will? Is there anything I can do? Clovis made it sound as if it was something really serious." Nico tried cautiously, not trying to pry, but trying to understand all the same.

Will's hand tensed slightly on his wrist, but he wasn't looking back anymore.

"No, I'll have to get over it myself."

Nico had expected as much, but it still stung to think Will didn't trust him enough to confide in him.

But that was his choice.

Nico had to respect that.

"Alright. But I'm right here if you need me, ok?"

Will glanced back again, an amused smile on his lips that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"What, you'll be right here, in the middle of Camp? That's sweet, but you can wait in your bed, as well. I'll make sure to make your wait worthwhile." He said with a suggestive wink and Nico felt his ears burning once more.

"Will!"

The blonde laughed, making a peace-sign with his other hand.

"Just joking, Neeks. Come on, the faster we're in the infirmary, the faster I can check you out."

"I swear, if you don't drop your suggestions…" Nico grumbled under his breath, but was glad all the same that Will's mood seemed to improve somewhat again, given his cheerful whistling.

That dork.

"Hey, now that I think of it, what are you going to do for Valentine's day?" Jason asked thoughtfully as they made their way back from Leo's towards Nico's cabin, the tent all wrapped up over Percy's shoulder.

Percy sent him a despairing look.

"I have no idea. I was thinking of asking my mom for some more candy, but I kind of want to _do_ something, rather than give presents. He kind of already got tons of those and look at how overwhelmed he is with those. Seriously, he's going to be the death of me one day. How can a single person have such a morbid childhood that they are that surprised about receiving birthday gifts?"

He knew the answer, of course, same as Jason, but still.

"What sort of 'do something' do you mean? The sort that will have Will and me running from the cabin with hands over our ears or the 'taking him out for dinner'-sort?"

Percy sent him a sour look.

Even though Jason was usually much more tactful than Will (and he certainly said things much nicer than Will did, who was usually rather blunt and straight-forward), Percy still found his ears burning at Jason's words, his insides jittery.

"Ha-ha. You know what, I think I'll have to think on that, though. It'll be our last day at Camp before we go on that trip, so I know I won't be able to get my hands on him for quite a while. Kind of doubt his dad would be very happy if I try anything in the Underworld, you know." He mused, then regretted his big mouth, given that Jason wasn't exactly over Nico yet.

Damn, with Will he had usually only slipped up like that if Will had teased him first.

With Jason, it was more an issue of knowing Jason was the guy they always went to for serious talks, so Percy liked to forget he couldn't talk about everything with him anymore.

But when he looked around, Jason seemed fairly unperturbed.

"You poor thing. I feel so bad for you." He stated drily instead, a nonplussed expression on his face.

"Thanks for your condolences." Percy grumbled sourly.

Jason only shrugged. "I wouldn't know what to tell you. You have all you need to take it further, and as far as I can tell, he's more than willing."

"He…he is?" Percy asked with a jolt, halting in his steps.

Jason frowned at him. "You can't tell?"

He…couldn't.

He knew Nico's moods, could guess his thoughts on good days and generally picked up on whatever bothered him, but once it came to anything sexual, Percy was at a loss.

What was ok, what wasn't, it was all still a big question mark.

He knew Nico's good spots, knew what he liked and he did always seem willing to take it as far as Percy would take it, but Percy had no idea whether that was because Nico really wanted that, or because he wanted Percy to be happy.

There had been a few times where they had almost gone all the way, though.

It had happened kind of spontaneously, with them just playing around as they usually did in bed, and Percy had found himself wanting, wanting so badly, wanting Nico so badly, and Nico's movements against him had shown he would have been utterly ok with it, too.

But in the end, Percy had reigned back, instead redirecting them to hands and mouths.

Nico had never complained.

What if, instead of taking things too fast, Percy was taking them too slow?

"Stop."

"What?" Percy asked, looking up.

"Stop it. I can see the gears working in your head, can practically hear you asking yourself whether you're doing something wrong. Stop it." Jason said quietly, but firmly.

Percy made a face.

"No, don't give me that face. Percy, it's time you get a grip on yourself. You can't keep pushing yourself back forever just because you're scared. He won't leave you, Percy. Nico loves you more than anything in the world. He'd wait for you forever, if you so wanted him to, but he'd also let you take things further this very night if you asked him. He loves you, and he wants you, and he is as insecure as you, but he needs you to take the lead. He needs you to show him it's alright to take things further. No, don't give me that look. You're his boyfriend. I'm not going to say a word to him. I wouldn't even say a word to you if I didn't know I had to in order to save your sorry butt from yourself."

Percy looked down, partly ashamed, partly embarrassed by this conversation alone.

Jason was such a mother hen, though.

Percy was immensely grateful.

"I just don't want to screw things up."

"You won't. Just be yourself, Percy."

"Will said that, too."

Jason looked surprised for a moment, then his expression became slightly guarded.

"You talked to Will about this?"

Now it was Percy's turn to hesitate.

"Well, there was this one time I went to him in the early morning because of…because of a birthday gift for Nico. And…well, after a lot of fail acting and mortification at its finest, I might or might not have had a minor breakdown and wallowed in self-pity a bit."

Jason surprisingly didn't look surprised at that at all, though he did frown slightly.

"Alright. What did Will say?"

"Well, same as you did, really. I shouldn't worry, Nico loves me, I should be myself and that I've changed, and that he says the 'me' I have become deserves Nico."

Jason looked at him quietly for a moment, as if contemplating something.

"Well, there you have it. Exactly. So, why don't you listen to him?"

Percy huffed exasperated, throwing his arms up, which made him almost hit himself in the face with the tent.

"It's not that easy! I can't exactly walk up to Nico and tell him 'hey, let's have sex tonight'!"

"Why not?" Jason shot back, expression still utterly unimpressed.

Could anybody believe this guy?

"Well, for one, you guys are there, so there's that. Plus, I'm sorry to be old-fashioned, but I don't want his first time to be in the shower."

"So? Then tell us to leave. Percy, you two are dating. You shouldn't even bother about either Will or me. And you definitely shouldn't hold back because of us. Didn't we have this conversation before?"

Percy threw his arms up again, this time making sure not to get the tent in his face.

"It's not that easy, alright? I don't want to…I don't want to hurt you guys. I just want us all to be happy somehow, gods damn it!" He exclaimed, hearing thundering in the distance.

Well, maybe he shouldn't curse at the gods while being out here in the open (in a cabin, he couldn't hear any indication of a reply, at least).

Jason raised his eyebrows.

"So this is what he meant."

"Who? Who meant what? What did who say?" Percy asked confused, but Jason didn't elaborate, instead sighing loudly.

"Percy, you are hopeless. Have I ever told you that? Anyways, to be frank, I don't care. I love Nico, I know you know that, I know he doesn't, even though I've made it clear, but that doesn't matter. I love him, and he loves you, and you make him happy, so I'm happy. Get it? And I'm sure Will feels the same way…with a slight alteration, maybe, but that doesn't change the complete picture."

"What alteration? What's with Will?" Percy asked, his insides instantly a swirl of worry and confusion.

Was there something he should know about?

Jason gazed at him quietly for a long moment, then shook his head.

"No." Was all he said, and Percy felt even more confused.

He was about to ask, but Jason didn't let him.

"Alright, let's turn this around. Imagine I was the one dating Nico. You love him, but he is dating me. Just picture it."

"It hurts."

"Yeah, it does. But look at him. It might hurt, but then you see him happy and content, growing more confident with himself and the people around him, allowing physical contact, letting himself go, being much more open with his emotions. You see him laughing and smiling a lot more, see him making jokes he would have never made before. Suddenly, he's not the blushing, awkward guy anymore that you can't even lean against without him flinching away. Instead, he's laughing and joking with you, being more comfortable with you within weeks than in all the time you've spent with him before. And all of that is because he's with me."

Percy looked down.

"It still hurts."

"Yeah, but you're also happy for him. You see those changes, and you know that it's right, Percy. You see that he's in good hands, that he is happy where he is and if you really love him, you know it's ok. It won't stop hurting, but watching him so happy and content with himself and the world more than makes up for it."

But Percy didn't want it to hurt.

He wanted them to be as happy as he was with Nico.

What did he have to do for them all to achieve that?

He already did it all.

He let them stick around, let them snuggle up to Nico.

He let them closer than he should, closer than he had at first been comfortable with.

Yet he knew it still hurt.

What was it that he had to do?

"Maybe we should all go out together on Valentine's day." He mumbled thoughtfully, gazing off into the distance as he thought of things they could do together.

When he looked back at Jason, he saw him staring at him in disbelief.

"What?"

Jason only shook his head. "You…just…you know what? Forget everything I've just said. You're hopeless. Utterly hopeless. Were you even listening? Probably not." He rambled and Percy had to admit this was the most agitated he had ever seen the blonde.

"What? Why? I was just thinking it'd be nice. Also, that way you can also give him something for Valentine's day. Not a good idea?"

Jason buried his face in his hands, a loud, defeated sigh escaping his lips.

What was his problem?

Had Percy said something stupid?

He rethought his sentences, but they seemed utterly fine.

"No, no. Splendid idea. I can't wait to hear what Will thinks of it. Gods, I feel so bad for him." Jason stated with a serious expression.

Percy felt the irritation inside him rising.

"Hey, what's your problem with Will?"

Oops, that sounded harsher than he had intended.

Jason's eyes shot up to his. "Nothing. I have no problem with him. I simply feel bad knowing he had to put up with you like this all this time. No wonder he's…never mind."

"He's what? Grace, you're starting to annoy me." Percy's insides were one big jumble.

What was with Will?

Did Jason know something he didn't?

Was it something important?

Did Percy do something wrong?

"Good, then you know how we feel when you pity us."

What?!

"I don't pity you!"

"You pity us when you kiss Nico, then look guilty because you forgot we were there and only just notice again. Else you would simply keep kissing him, knowing we can look away. Instead, you pull back like a beaten dog."

"I do not! I'm simply trying to be considerate!"

Jason blew out a long breath, but didn't say anything else, just looking off into the distance thoughtfully.

"So what's with Solace?" Percy asked again, not wanting to let this drop.

"Nothing. He's a cool guy, isn't he?" Jason asked, his voice calm and neutral once more, as if they hadn't just almost fought.

Percy frowned, trying to make sense of that sudden change of heart.

"He's…yeah, I guess? Why?"

Jason only shrugged, beginning to move again, so Percy followed, still frowning at Jason and mulling it over.

Then it suddenly clicked.

"Wait, you're not thinking of making a move on him, right?" He asked, his heart suddenly beating so fast and loud he could hear his blood rushing in his ears.

Jason turned around, expression nonchalant.

"And what if I do?"

Percy had never ever attacked a friend before, had never even thought of doing so and had never had any reason to, either.

Jason hadn't said anything that should have set him off like this, but the next moment, he had the blonde shoved against the next tree, holding him by the scruff of his neck.

"Cut it out! Don't you dare use him as a push-over or some shit, just because you can't have Nico!" He hissed, needing all his willpower not to draw his sword.

Jason however didn't seem surprised in the slightest.

In fact, his lips twitched. "What makes you think I'd use him as a push-over? Weren't you the one rooting for us to fall for each other mere weeks ago?"

Percy flinched back.

"I was joking! He's still head over heels into Nico, and I know you are, too. Leave him alone. He deserves better than that."

"Yeah, what does he deserve, then? Watching you and Nico all happy and lovey-dovey until the day he dies?"

Percy growled and pushed him harder against the tree, even though he knew deep inside that Jason was right.

He let go of him, not actually wanting to hurt him, since he cared about Jason too much for that, but that didn't mean he wasn't reluctant about it.

Trying to collect himself again, he took a deep breath and worked on keeping his voice steady.

"So, you're saying you are crushing on Will?"

"Maybe."

Percy hadn't expected an answer at all.

Hearing this answer, however, stunned him even more.

"What?"

"I said 'maybe'." Jason repeated quietly, not breaking eye contact.

Percy found himself stumbling back.

"You…no. Since when?"

Jason seemed to consider that for a moment, looking thoughtful

"Since Christmas? I don't know, he's always been interesting." He finally replied with a small shrug.

"You're lying."

Percy's mouth felt like sandpaper, his insides a jumble.

"Have I ever lied to you?" Jason asked quietly, looking down and picking up the tent Percy had dropped when he had shoved Jason against the tree.

How would Percy know?

His insides were in utter turmoil.

Jason liked Will?

Will Solace?

His Will?

But Jason had never before shown any interest in him!

Was he making fun of Percy?  
Was he trying to get to him somehow?

But why would he?

Jason wasn't the type to do something like that.

Jason was considerate, kind, selfless.

Even if what Percy said had somehow upset him, Jason wasn't the sort to go for the kill, to pay back, take revenge or whatever.

But then again, all he was saying was that he might like Will.

That wasn't exactly anything that should hurt Percy.

But why tell him that?

Even if he wasn't making fun, even if he was dead serious right now, why would he tell Percy?

If he wanted his blessing or some rubbish, he could forget it.

Over his dead body.

Alright, he might have thought those two might make a nice couple, and it certainly would solve the issue with Nico, but…but…

But Will didn't like Jason!

Hah!

Wait…oh.

Maybe that's why Jason told him?

To show him he not only loved one guy he couldn't have, but also started having feelings for another one he couldn't have?

But that didn't make sense, either.

What was Percy supposed to do about that?

"I didn't know." Was all he was capable of pressing out.

Jason shrugged. "I never said anything."

Percy eyed him quietly for another moment, then sighed, kicking at some dirt on the ground.

"Sorry for snapping at you. I just…"

"Don't worry. I'm not holding it against you. In fact, I'm impressed. Therefore that you two have only just gotten around being friends, you're pretty protective of him, challenging me the moment you think I could do him harm, even though you know me longer than him and know I could have defended myself."

It was true, Jason could have easily attacked back.

Damn, what had Percy thought, rushing at him like that?

And why had Jason not even been surprised?

He didn't even seem surprised now.

Nor perturbed, for that matter.

If anything, he seemed amused, his hands in his pockets, the tent dangling from his arm.

"Why are you telling me this, anyways?" He finally managed to ask, though it took him a while.

Jason shrugged, looking away. "Just thought you should know. That's all."

"Why?"

Jason's eyes moved back to his slowly, a dangerous gleam in them that Percy had never seen before.

"Because it means I'll protect him as well."

If Percy didn't know better, he'd think this was a threat.

Maybe it was.

He didn't know better, after all.

But it didn't make sense.

Jason apparently didn't wish to elaborate, turning his back on Percy.

"Come on, let's get back to the cabin. Maybe they're already back."

"Will this change anything?" Percy asked, hurrying after him.

Jason shrugged. "Not really. It's not like I've actually settled on anything, and he's not interested, anyways."

"But I thought you liked Nico." Percy blurted, since it still didn't exactly make sense to him.

Jason threw him an amused glance.

"Yeah, I love Nico. But I also like Will. I wouldn't say it's 'love' yet, but I can't deny I'm interested in him."

Percy couldn't believe his ears.

He also couldn't believe this entire conversation, nor how openly Jason was talking about this.

"So…huh? I don't get it. You're…you like them both?"

"Percy, there's such a thing as liking more than one person at the same time." Jason stated with a roll of his eyes.

Percy made a face, thinking of Nico.

"I know that." He muttered quietly, looking away.

How could he not?

Nico loved all three of them, after all.

He might think Percy didn't notice, but Percy could pick it up from the glances Nico threw at Will every now and then, could tell by the way his eyes lit up when he saw Jason.

It wasn't even the cuddling in the evening, that could still happen without any such feelings from Nico's side, but those small things, like lingering touches, wistful glances…thinking about it hurt, so Percy generally tried to redirect his thoughts.

Jason glanced at him from the side.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm ok. Just remembering something. Anyways, what are you going to do now?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

Then why had he told him in the first place?

Jason seriously didn't make sense by times.

"I wouldn't make a move on him unless I know I'm serious. Given that you just almost skinned me alive for showing as much as an interest in him, I believe it's for my own good as well to wait first."

Percy pursed his lips, regretting his outburst once more.

He really had no clue what had gotten into him.

He had just…snapped.

Just like that.

"And when will you know that?"

Jason threw him an amused glance again.

"I don't know. There's a lot of things I don't know about him, yet. If you've noticed, he talks a lot, but rarely about himself."

Percy had noticed, but he had no clue what this had to do with anything.

Frowning, he stared off into space as they walked, trying to somehow connect the dots.

Jason watched him struggle for a while, then sighed.

"I'm demisexual, Percy. I only feel sexual attraction towards people I actually know, people I actually have some sort of…bond with, I guess you could say."

Ah. That's how it all connected.

And suddenly a lot more made sense.

Percy looked around at him surprised. "That's why you waited forever with Piper!"

Of course.

They had all wondered why he had waited so long, had all wondered how he could resist such a pretty, smart and obviously interested girl for as long as he had.

Jason nodded, an appreciative expression on his face.

"You catch on quite fast for being so slow on the uptake. But yeah, that's why I waited. In the end, we didn't work out, but that's ok. She's happy, I'm happy…"

"You're happy?" Percy blurted before he could contain himself.

Jason rolled his eyes, tilting his head in his direction.

"You let me snuggle up to both of them. Of course I'm happy."

Wait…

"So that's why you were so nonchalant about him molesting you."

Percy clearly remembered that Iris Message, with Will mortified beneath the blankets (that adorable dork) and Jason just shrugging the whole 'he-might-or-might-not-try-to-get-into-my-pants'-matter off as if it was no big deal.

That finally got a satisfying reaction out of Jason, a blush spreading across his cheeks as he looked into the distance.

His response was fairly neutral, though.

"As I said, he never actually did anything, so I saw no reason to stop him."

Percy decided to keep his mouth shut for once, looking off into the distance himself.

So Jason liked Will.

That was a twist of events if he had ever seen one.

His insides churned, but he pushed it down.

He should be happy, he guessed.

If Jason concentrated on Will, he might get over Nico.

And maybe Will would get over Nico too and those two would be a couple.

He guessed that was something to look forward to.

Why was he feeling so down then, though?

Why was he feeling more hurt than happy for them?

They deserved to be happy.

And those two were so supportive of Percy as well, it was only fair he would cheer for them.

Also, there was no reason not to cheer for them.

"Are you going to tell Nico?" He asked after some silence as the cabins came into view.

Jason laughed.

"Of course not. The day I tell him is the day I know I have a chance with Will. I still love Nico, Percy. And that might not change even if I do end up loving Will."

Percy thought he understood, but then again he didn't.

What did it mean, loving more than one person?

Wasn't it confusing?

He tried picturing himself still loving Annabeth, but couldn't quite make it happen.

Things were…complicated.

They had been best friends and had kind of just went with the flow.

He had loved her, he really had, but their love had been…different.

By the time they had split up, his feelings for her had been a lot different from how they had been in the beginning, but not because of something bad between them, they simply had changed.

Now, all he really saw her as was his friend, maybe a form of sister, even.

He 'loved' her, but more in an utterly platonic type of way, not romantic (and definitely not sexual).

For a moment, he thought of Will, and wondered how it would feel to love him, the way Nico loved both Jason and Will next to Percy.

His heart started beating so fast he thought it would jump out of his chest, and he pushed the thought aside hurriedly.

Not a good thing to dwell on.

Percy didn't want to think on that.

It only made him remember that fleeting almost-kiss Will and he had shared and DAMN IT he had never wanted to think of that again!

"Are you ok? You look tense." Jason asked next to him and Percy shook himself slightly, as if he could shake those unwanted thoughts off.

"I'm good. I just tried to understand…never mind."

Yeah, he probably shouldn't try to explain that to Jason.

The real issue right now was how Percy was supposed to act now.

Was he supposed to support Jason?  
Was he supposed to give Will some hints or at least give them some more opportunities to get to know each other?

Or was he supposed to act like he didn't know a thing?

"Just curious, would you have shoved Will against a tree as well if he had hinted at making a move on me? Without defining he was seriously interested, of course." Jason asked as they were almost at Nico's door.

"Yes." Percy instantly replied, then frowned at himself and the answer.

Would he?

It had come instinctively, same as he had instinctively grabbed Jason and shoved him against that tree.

Was he really that protective of his friends?

And was that a good thing or a bad thing?

He glanced towards Jason out of the corner of his eyes and found the blonde smiling to himself.

It reminded him a bit of Will when he grinned to himself and started whistling a happy tune.

But Will always glowed with that aura of sunshine and light and warmth and life, whereas Jason emitted a sort of calmness, a gentle breeze, maybe.

It made him think of that dumb picture in his mind all over again.

"Hey, this is kind of random, but…erm…" He started, but then hesitated.

Jason looked around questioningly and they stopped in front of the door.

"If…if somebody had to draw me as…as water…would I be a good picture or a bad one?"

Ok, it was official, he was pathetic.

What the hell was that question?

Jason blinked at him, obviously not able to follow him.

He gestured, then rubbed the side of his neck helplessly.

"Alright, don't laugh at me. I have this picture in my head, alright?"

Jason raised an eyebrow, but nodded all the same.

"And Nico would be the safe shore, yeah? A safe place, a safe haven, the heart, the glue, whatever, you get what I mean, right?"

Now Jason frowned, nodding a tad hesitantly.

"And Will is the sun and warmth and just…gives the picture life, yeah?"

Jason stiffened slightly, but nodded, still not saying a word.

"Whereas you are more the…air. Wind. Breeze. Whatever. You…"

Gods, it was difficult to talk about the person with the person in question right in front of you.

"You are this sort of calm. Peace, quiet. Will gives the picture life, but you're the one that gives it that tranquil mood, yeah?" He continued hurriedly, then hesitated as Jason blinked, taken aback.

"I'm…in your picture…" He said slowly, as if he didn't understand.

Percy waved him off. "Of course. So, anyways, you have the hearth, that safe place you can turn to, this middle ground where everybody gets together. Then you have all those warm colors and this joy of life and all that. And you have that tranquil mood, that inner peace sort of thing, yeah? What…what would I be?"

Jason gazed at him quietly for a long moment.

Then his expression turned thoughtful.

"I know I'm water, because I mean, I'm always kind of the water. But I just want to know whether I'm…whether I'm the murky waters, the storm at sea or the merciless waves, destroying the rest of the picture." He ranted on, knowing they must look dumb, standing here in front of Nico's cabin and talking about…a picture.

In Percy's head.

Oh gods, he should have never started that conversation!

Jason considered him a moment longer, then looked away, studying the door with a concentrated expression.

"I think…I think you'd be the murky waters, but not in a sense of dangerous, but mysterious. You are not easy to understand, and at first glance one might think they know you, but the deeper they go, the more they find out that they would have never thought possible. You'd be the waves that try to make their way to shore, but that are scared of going too far, thus pulling back out again, worried you could destroy something if you stayed for too long. Does that make sense?" Jason said at last, though he sounded uncertain and hesitant, as if choosing his words as carefully as possible.

But Percy only breathed out in relief.

He wasn't destroying the picture.

"Not really, but nothing about that picture makes sense, so I gave up on logic three minutes after thinking of it."

That made Jason smile. "Three minutes? Wow, I'm impressed. I don't think I could have lasted one minute with logic involved."

Percy nudged him against the shoulder. "I could only stand three minutes because it took me so long to catch up. You know how slow I can be."

Jason laughed.  
A genuine laugh that made Percy smirk and feel warm all over.

Yeah, they were good again, even with his outbreak earlier.

"Well, let's check whether they're home." Percy decided and gave the door a tentative knock.

"I'm sure they'd have heard us chatting if they were back already, to be honest." Jason mused thoughtfully, moving towards the window to look inside.

At the thought of Nico and Will overhearing his ramble about that picture, his heart almost stopped.

He might be able to explain it to Nico somewhat, but Will…

He had kind of told him about that picture before.

And he didn't want Will to know he had meant that.

Never. Ever.

"I can't see anything moving in there. Do you want to wait? I don't think they'd appreciate if we walk into the Hypnos cabin. Nico did have a point with Will's stubbornness, after all."

Percy was only half listening.

"Ah, yeah, right. I don't know, I guess we could go pick up something to eat. My nutrition plan tells me I'm allowed to eat…"

He pulled out the sheet of paper he always carried around in his pocket nowadays.

"Here it is. Rice. With vegetables. Splendid. I think I'm going to die of an overdoses of healthy food soon."

Jason chuckled, glancing at Percy's plan as well.

"That's not too bad. You're getting a fruit salad tonight, after all. Lots of pineapple."

Percy made a face at him.

"You're no one to talk, you know. If I remember correctly, you have to eat fish tonight."

Jason sighed, pulling out his own plan that Will had made him.

"Oh, you're right. Shame. Want to switch?"

"Hell no. I don't like fish."

"Why? Cannibalism much?"

"Hey! I'm not a fish!" Percy called out indignantly, but they made their way to the dining pavilion, anyways.

"Nah, fish are quicker than you, Perce."

"You know what."

"What?"

"You're an idiot."

"Aw, that's the sweetest thing you've ever called me. Is that going to be my pet name?" Jason teased and Percy scowled at him.

"You don't get a pet name, Red Bull."

But that only made Jason laugh even more.

Percy sulked for a moment longer, but then had to join in.

"Alright, hold still." Will said much gentler than intended, but Nico didn't call him out on it, sitting patiently on the bed in the infirmary, looking conflicted, but not uncomfortable.

"Will, really, I'm fine. Can't I just have some ambrosia and be done with it?"

"No. Let me treat you myself."

"But…"

Will frowned at him, effectively making him shut up and look away miserably.

His expression softened.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I really didn't. I had no idea…"

Nico waved off instantly. "Don't worry about it. It doesn't even really hurt anymore."

That had to be a lie.

Will knew how much burns could…burn.

They had a climbing wall with lava, after all.

He rubbed the self-mixed cream onto Nico's demolished hands, careful not to apply too much pressure.

Then he moved towards Nico's arms, treating the exposed, burnt and blistered skin gently.

What had Nico done, anyways? Hug him?

Actually, that could be, now that he thought about it.

And Nico called him self-destructive.

He was only lucky the rest of his body had remained unmarred.

Working his way up Nico's left arm, he followed the traces up until reaching the sleeves of Nico's black t-shirt he was still wearing (Will had managed to make him take off his jacket and sweater once they had come here, after all).

How his clothes had survived, Will had no clue.

But he was glad, anyways.

Nico had been wearing his favorite jacket, after all (that aviator's jacket from Reyna).

He'd have hated for it to get destroyed.

Then again, he would have rather had that destroyed than Nico's skin.

"Can you take off your shirt?" He asked and found Nico tensing instantly.

Huh?

"Do I have to?"

Will frowned, glancing back at the door.

"I locked the door, nobody can come in." He tried cautiously, wondering if Nico hadn't noticed that earlier.

But Nico still didn't remove his shirt, looking away firmly.

Had Will done something?

"Is everything ok?"

Nico made the mistake of looking at him.

He could see the guilt in his dark brown eyes instantly and Nico knew it, too.

Nico couldn't be serious.

"I…don't want you to see." He mumbled, looking down with a defeated expression.

Will thought his heart would stop.

He grabbed for Nico's shirt and tugged it upwards, exposing the skin beneath – and his heart dropped to his knees.

"Nico!"

"I didn't want you to feel bad!" Nico cried out in defense, not meeting Will's half furious, half worried-out-of-his-mind gaze, but he could still see the guilt in his eyes.

"And you let me drag you through Camp! I should have treated you right then and there, or at least, I don't know, carry you here or something! What were you thinking? Were you going to hide these from me and hope nobody would notice?"

"I thought you'd just give me ambrosia and be done with it!"

Yeah, sure.

Because he wanted those burns to scar.

"Why would I do that? I destroyed your skin, I'm going to fix it."

"You don't have to. It wasn't as if you did it on purpose."

"I don't care. Let me fix it. Lay down. And take your pants off, while you're at it."

"What?"

Will gave him a long, pointed glance.

"You heard me. Off with your pants. I'm not going to believe a word of you being alright or whatever without seeing it first."

With that, he turned away from Nico and marched towards the cupboard in the corner of the room, rummaging through the drawers for more of his cream.

Good thing he had been a bored kid when he had invented this stuff, making way too much for others to use up.

When he went back to Nico, Nico had obediently taken his shirt and pants off and was lying on the bed, though he looked anything but comfortable or relaxed.

As expected, there were burns along his thighs as well.

Will let out a long, pained sigh.

What had he done?

Had he really become that hot?

Seriously, that looked as if Will had temporarily turned into the sun or something.

He wouldn't be surprised if Nico had 'only' gotten away with nothing but second-degree burns because Clovis had been able to drag him back fast enough.

Damn, what had Nico been thinking, hurting himself like that?

Then again, he couldn't deny there was a fluttery feeling in his chest at the thought that Nico had really tied to get him back with all he had.

He wasn't angry at Nico for pushing him to go to Clovis - he had known that would be a bad idea, anyways.

And he would never blame him for what had happened, either

No, Will was more mad at himself.

The more he thought about it, the more certain he became that it had been his fault he had gotten 'lost', as they had called it.

And that meant it was his fault he had practically burnt up and turned Nico's skin into a red, puffy, blistery mess.

"Any wishes as to where I start?" He asked, but Nico only shook his head, turning his face away with an unhappy expression.

Will sighed.

"Nico, I didn't mean to shout. I'm sorry. I just…I'm upset. This is pretty much my fault."

"No. It's not. It's my fault. This is why I didn't want you to know. You always feel bad. You have nightmares you can't do anything against, but you feel bad for having them, anyways. You tell us we don't have to bother and try to run away, but you don't see that we don't 'bother' at all, we want to help you. I was the one to push you to go to Clovis, I was the one who decided to push my body onto yours when you were burning up. You didn't make me do that. You didn't make me do anything. And I didn't 'bother'. I did it because I wanted to and because I thought I could help you. I wanted to help you. I didn't want you to be hurting anymore." Nico whispered miserably, closing his eyes while Will began dabbing cream onto his collarbones and downwards, treating him as gently as he could.

"I don't blame you, Nico. I know you meant well. I know it did well, too. Even if we don't know it yet, I feel like I've already taken a small step towards the meaning of all of this. So you didn't do anything wrong. I do see it as my fault that you are injured, but I also know we are both too stubborn to admit defeat, so I'll let it drop for now, though that doesn't mean I don't stand by my word."

"Ok."

With that, they fell into a sort of comfortable silence, in which Will treated his upper body to his hip bones, then his thighs, pushing up Nico's boxer shorts for as far as they would go so he could check the skin beneath there as well.

"Did I burn anything else?" He asked cautiously as he noticed the burns connecting to the upper ones on Nico's left side.

Nico seemed to guess what direction his thoughts were taking, his eyes widening slightly.

"No. No, else I'm good. Trust me, I'd say something otherwise. Really, you don't have to check."

Will's lips twitched.

"Really? Shame. I'd have liked to check that out." He said with a wink, watching Nico's face turn a dark shade of red that spread down to his collarbones, mixing with the red of his burnt skin.

Right. Work to do.

As he touched Nico's right leg right beneath his underwear, the boy flinched.

Will frowned at that. "You do know I'd never do anything that makes you uncomfortable, right? At least not intentionally."

For a moment, he was back in the Big House, in that small room Percy and he had been in to get the cake, Percy's face inches away from his.

The words weren't the same, but they were similar enough to make Will shiver slightly as he remembered the intensity of Percy's gaze.

Nico shook his head. "I know. I just…you're hands are so warm."

"Is that bad?" Will asked uncertainly, glancing over towards the sink, wondering whether he should rinse them off with cold water to cool them down somewhat before continuing.

But Nico shook his head again. "No, it's good. It's nice. Just…unusual."

For a moment, Will wanted to remind him that they spent their nights snuggled up to each other, so Nico should be used to his warmth, but then he remembered that Nico had relatively sensitive inner thighs and decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Ok, then. I'll be careful."

"Thanks."

He felt Nico relax slightly and smiled to himself, putting some more cream onto his hand and cautiously applying it to the puffy skin.

"When I'm done, you'll only have to endure a hymn or two and should be good to go."

"A hymn or two?"

"Yeah, but I can also throw in a few haikus if you wish."  
"Please don't." Nico uttered weakly and Will chuckled, dabbing some more cream onto Nico's knee, which looked as if he had rammed it into a bowl full of acid or something.

He guessed Nico had used it to keep himself up somewhat and had placed it either on Will, or very close to his skin – he decided he didn't want to know.

"Ok, anywhere else? If Percy comes after me in a few days because he found another burn somewhere, I'm going to banish you to the infirmary for a week."

Nico send him a pointed look. "No, I think you've got it all covered."

"Sure? Want me to leave you alone for a moment to check?"

The splint moment of hesitation told Will enough and he rolled his eyes, pushing the small jar of cream towards Nico and getting up.

"You're the worst. Don't lie to me."

"I didn't. I do think you've got it all covered." Nico insisted instantly.

Will knew he meant it.

He was just still upset that Nico hadn't told him in the first place how severe his injuries actually were, not to mention how spread out.

He would have probably not said a word if Will hadn't noticed himself.

Great, that would have made for awesome conversation in the evening.

Percy and Jason would have skinned him alive.

One doctor he was.

"Good. I'll be right back. Always wanted to check out the bathroom in this room." He said cheerfully, striding across the room towards a door to the left, leading to the small bathroom.

Nico only sighed behind him, but Will could hear him sitting up.

For a moment, he was tempted to look back, but then he didn't, instead stepping into the small room and closing the door loudly behind him, locking it to show Nico he had absolute privacy.

Or to at least reassure him enough so he knew Will couldn't barge back into the room at any moment.

Yeah, maybe he shouldn't tease Nico so much, it might actually harm his trust in Will or something.

But how was Will supposed to resist?

Nico was simply too adorable.

Will already had trouble with not teasing Percy all the time (the actual reason why they kept bickering, actually – or had kept bickering. Ever since their talk on Nico's birthday, things were running rather smoothly between them, after all), so resisting Nico was like putting a sweet tooth in front of the world's biggest, tastiest and sweetest cake and forbidding them to eat it.

He glanced around the bathroom with a small sigh.

It looked the same way it always did.

Will was glad he was only working here, not actually having to stay in one of the rooms as wounded camper himself.

He didn't like closed spaces much as it was, but when they were as narrow as this bathroom, he despised them even more.

He enjoyed working in the infirmary, but he was always glad to be able to leave the place in the evening (or whenever he was done).

The thought of having to actually stay here, being locked up in here…no, Will didn't even want to think of that.

He leaned against the door with another sigh, one hand on the handle, telling himself he'd be able to leave any moment now.

"Will?"

He unlocked the room and opened the door slowly, giving Nico enough time to stop him in any way.

"You decent?" He called out when that didn't happen, just to make sure.

"Yeah. You covered everything, as I said. Thanks, though." Nico said with a small smile as Will stuck his head around the corner, noticing off-handedly how red Nico's ears were at the apparent embarrassment.

Will grinned at him, walking over swiftly to flop down at the side of his bed again.

"Alright, then. Ready to hear my breathtaking, awe-inspiring, one-of-a-kind voice?"

Nico's lips twitched, his eyes narrowing with an amused gleam.

"Sure. Bring it on, Doc."

Will blinked, taken aback by the Nico's sudden boldness, both of his words and the way he was looking at Will.

Oh, he sure did like that.

Grinning at him, he leaned forward, knowing he was looking at Nico as if he was going to devour him whole.

Oh, he would.

If Nico was still single, Will certainly would go for it.

"Think you can take it, sunshine?" He gave into temptation, teasing Nico as he put a hand flat on Nico's thigh, his voice close to a purr.

But Nico didn't flinch and didn't blush, meeting his gaze straight-on.

"Oh, you'd be surprised what I can handle. The question is whether you'll be as good as your word implies."

Was this the same Nico he knew?

Will's grin widened and he dared to move another inch closer.

"Is that a dare?"

"What if?"

Oh, this was good.

Nico was way too good at this.

Why was he so good at this?

Will had to remind himself this was nothing but a game, but it didn't help much.

He knew he was reacting to it, and there was nothing he could do against it.

There was simply something about Nico's voice, the change in his tone, the way he stared Will down so persistently, so headstrong.

So confident.

Gods, now he could completely understand what had captivated Percy so badly when Nico had started being so 'dominant'.

Will leaned in slightly, their faces inches apart now, his hand squeezing Nico's thigh next to the burns, making him shiver pleasantly and without pain.

He just wanted to see whether Nico would really not pull back or blush.

At least that's what he told himself.

Nico didn't, his eyes dark and clouded, expression determined, if not daring.

"Does Percy know how good you are at this?" He breathed against his lips, requiring all his willpower he could muster to refrain from crashing their lips together.

"I do hope not. Will you tell him?" Nico whispered back, lips twitching slightly.

"Only if you give me reason to." Will replied slowly, eyes hushing down to Nico's lips and locking onto them, his breath coming out too fast to be normal.

Oh gods, this was getting dangerous.

Way too dangerous.

He had to pull back.

But as he did, he felt Nico's hands on his shirt, keeping him there.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

He had to move back.

He HAD to move back.

Now, now, now, now, now.

Will forced his gaze back into Nico's eyes and his breath hitched.

Nico wasn't unaffected by this at all.

Will would have brushed the trembling of his hands off as nervousness or uncertainty, but Nico's breath was as irregular as Will's, his pulse fast and rapid.

But the biggest giveaway was his eyes.

They weren't just clouded anymore, they were straight-out dazed, his pupils dilated and the brown of his eyes darker than usual, seeming utterly bottomless.

Will swallowed. Hard.

He knew Nico was gazing at his lips now as well.

Will could kiss him.

Right here.

Right now.

He knew Nico wouldn't stop him.

Knew Nico would even kiss him back.

Oh, so dangerous.

So very, very dangerous.

This was like that one moment on Nico's birthday.

Will should not have come this close.

Why had he given in to temptation like that?

He could kiss Nico right now, could feel his lips against his own, could taste him, could maybe even finally get that French kiss he had been craving for ever since their first kiss, no, even before that.

But at the same time, he couldn't kiss Nico.

If he did, he could destroy everything.

No, he would destroy everything.

Nico loved Percy.

Nico would hate Will if he took advantage of him now.

Nico's hands were still on his shirt, keeping him where he was, and his face was close enough for Will to feel Nico's breath on his skin.

Oh, how badly he wanted to…

His fingers found the corner of Nico's lips, touching them ever so slightly and making Nico half-close his eyes, a small shiver running down his back.

Oh gods, he could completely understand why Percy could barely resist him.

And now he definitely knew what Percy had meant with Nico being 'sex on legs'.

Because - by all the gods - if Nico wasn't the most seductive being on this earth, Will was a stethoscope.

He let his finger brush along Nico's bottom lip.

"I wish…" He breathed, pressing his thumb against Nico's lips and imagining it to be his lips.

Then he forced his body to pull back, though it was hard, so very, very hard.

Nico only held onto him for another moment, then he let him go, though Will could feel the reluctance in his movement.

His other hand wrapped around Nico's wrist, meant as an apologetic, reassuring gesture, but it only intensified his yearning for Nico as he felt the boy's pulse, felt his heart rate, felt the rush of lust and want through his body and the dazed state of his mind.

Oh gods, if Percy knew, Will would be dead.

Wait, no.

If Percy knew, Percy would be dead.

Will doubted he could live with being cheated on.

He didn't deserve it, either.

It was the last push he needed to pull back completely, flashing Nico a small smile.

"Learned my lesson: Don't play with fire if you can't handle the heat. You win."

Nico looked confused for a moment, blinking and pulling back himself with a light frown, but Will knew it would take him a while to get a grip in himself, not to mention Will's words.

Putting his hands on Nico's uninjured shoulders, he motioned for him to lie down again, then went to hold out his hands over Nico's chest where the burns were.

"I'll start now, alright?"

Nico gave a small nod, swallowing and looking away quickly.

Ah, there we go.

His Nico was coming back.

He'd have to think of something to say to reassure him before things got awkward between them.

Well, at least he still had a few minutes for that.

Clearing his throat, he began humming the first hymn quietly, picking up in volume as he felt the necessary power come to him ever so slowly (damn his father for getting into some sort of mess and leaving them behind almost defenseless).

Then he slowly started singing.

He looked down at Nico, eyes fixed on his chest to watch the burns receding ever so slowly (and so he wouldn't have to look into Nico's eyes right now – seriously, he was still working hard on holding back).

Getting louder, he started on the second hymn, watching the skin turn back to its pale, unblemished state beneath his fingers.

Yes, perfect.

He kept singing, eyes travelling down Nico's exposed upper body to his boxer-shorts, though he skipped those neatly, instead checking his thighs for any left-over damage.

But he looked good as new, only his old battle scars visible.

Will risked a glance into Nico's face, only to find him with his eyes closed, seeming utterly relaxed.

A smile sneaked its way onto Will's lips.

At least Nico still trusted him.

Risky, but he was still more than glad and grateful.

It had been his fault for pushing it too far.

He should have never given in to temptation like that.

Will could only hope Nico wasn't going to blame himself for that, and even more so that he wouldn't interpret too much into it and feel guilty because of Percy.

It had all been Will's pushing, after all, and they hadn't done anything.

Though it did show him to really, really, not play with fire anymore.

He kept singing until he was certain there was not even the tiniest ever so slightest burn mark left on Nico's body, then he let his voice trail off and stopped, waiting for Nico to open his eyes again.

"Ok, that should fix you up. If you have any worries or anything hurts, don't hesitate to run to me, alright?" He gave his usual speech that he generally gave everybody he treated.

Nico only nodded slightly, looking…guilty.

"Alright, come on, let's go grab some food and get back to the other two. What have they been up to, anyways?" He tried to hurriedly get the conversation towards their friends, hoping to avoid any awkward conversation.

"Will…"

Ah. So much about his good luck.

"Yes?"

Nico hesitated, sitting up and chewing his bottom lip.

Will was tempted to flick him off for it, but then decided to let it pass for now.

"I'm sorry. That…that shouldn't have happened."

Had Will ever mentioned how much he hated it when Nico looked so troubled and guilty?

"What? Nothing happened, Neeks. You love Percy. I know that. You know that. Everybody knows that. I respect that. Of course, I can't resist teasing you every here and there, but I know not to cross the line. I meant what I said earlier, Nico. I would never want to make you uncomfortable."

"But…" Nico muttered, looking uncomfortable and disturbed, gesturing with his hands.

"I…I don't know what's wrong, Will. I love him, I really do. But I just…I…on my birthday, too. It's like…I just don't understand. How can I love him so much and want to do…want to do everything and anything with him, but I still…still…"

This was taking a bad turn.

Will knew Nico had been interested in him, had felt his heartbeat rising whenever they had accidentally (or not so accidentally…) touched.

When they had had their date, Will had known he could confess to Nico, had even intended on it after their kiss.

But then Nico had bolted and Will hadn't had the courage to follow.  
Because he also knew Nico liked Percy and Jason.

It was odd, but because it had always been that way, it had never truly bothered him much until those two had shown an interest in the Italian as well.

Assuming that Jason was the admirer, he had decided not to confess to Nico, instead giving 'Jason' a chance to do his thing.

Knowing Nico loved him had hurt, but he had wanted to give them a chance anyways, since they would deserve each other.

He had cursed himself over and over again for not getting the idea of an Advent calendar or any of the sort himself, but maybe he had hoped Nico would like him just a tiny bit more than Jason.

Of course, in the end, it had turned out to have been Percy to do all of that for Nico, but that had been a different story.

This was about Nico deciding to date Percy and not dating Jason or Will.

This was about Will only truly capable of coping with the fact they were dating and he couldn't touch Nico because Nico had decided to love Percy the most.

If Nico told him now he still liked him, he didn't know what he'd do with himself, how he'd be able to live with himself without trying to have Nico with him.

Before Will knew what he was doing, he had his fingers on Nico's lips.

"Shh. It's alright. It's my fault both of these moments have happened, Nico, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let it go there. Don't blame yourself for it and don't feel bad. Nothing happened. Seriously, I came closer to Percy than you. We shared a potato chip, after all." He chirped and nudged Nico playfully, though the boy still looked troubled and definitely seemed to wish to say more.

"Yeah, I'd say we almost kissed! Just curious, is he a good kisser?"

Nico frowned at him and for a moment Will wanted to bite his tongue off for working faster than his brain, but he might have wanted to define his command of 'say anything that gets him out of that train of thoughts of his' to something more along the lines of 'say something intelligent that gets him out of that train of thoughts of his and lets us have a fun and completely unrelated conversation'.

Yeah, too late.  
"I…he's good." Nico mumbled, playing with his skull ring nervously.

That certainly hadn't been Will's brightest idea.

"That's cool, then. Better than Jason?"

Oh great.

What was he even doing? If this was him trying to get the conversation into a different direction, it was not working.

Nico seemed to think the same thing, frowning slightly, his ears turning dark red.

"I…wouldn't know. They are…different. Too different to compare."

Aw, and he'd have liked to rub it in to one of them to be considered the worse kisser.

"Makes sense. Come on, let's get back to them before they start missing us. You still haven't told me what they are up to. I saw them leaving the cabin after us."

Nico got off the bed, hurriedly tugging on his clothes again and not meeting Will's eyes, but Will wanted to give him another moment to collect himself.

"They were going to Percy's cabin to look for a big sleeping bag. You know, for the journey."

Well, that killed the awkwardness inside Will instantly, replacing it with a sense of melancholy and pain.

True, those three would leave soon.

They were still so open about it, it tore him apart a little on the inside every time the topic was brought up.

They'd even share a sleeping bag.

How badly Will wished they had invited him along, how badly he just wanted to go with them.

But they seemed utterly oblivious to him, so he didn't mention it.

If they didn't think of it, then they probably didn't want him around, so there was no way he'd push them to do it out of nicety or some sort.

"Ah, that's nice."

"Yeah, they also said they'd ask Leo for a bigger tent. We assumed you didn't have one since you said you have never left camp. We were discussing it last night after-…while you were sleeping."

So they had talked about that after he had had his nightmare.

Well, at least they had managed to do something worth the time he must have cost them.

"You assumed right. I don't have anything like that. All I have is the equipment for some rubbish picnics." He hadn't meant to sound quite so bitter, but the thought of them all leaving him for indefinite time kind of did that to him.

Nico looked around at him with a frown. "Why would you say that? I think our picnics were perfect."

That was so sweet.

Will managed half a smile, but it was gone the moment Nico looked away again.

He nodded at his siblings in passing, noting once more how empty the infirmary was with close to nobody around, and they left shortly after, making their way to the dining pavilion to grab some food.

"Think Percy and Jason will be back by now, then?" Will asked to kill the silence, though he didn't exactly feel like talking.

"I don't know. If they are, they'd probably either be eating or back at the cabin, I guess."

Made sense.

Will was about to rack his brain for something else to say when he noticed Nico fidgeting again.

"Are you…are you going to tell them?"

About what? That almost kiss? Was he mental?

No, that couldn't be what he was talking about.

Nico must have noticed his lack of comprehension, because he looked around at him hurriedly, eyes panicked. "I mean the burns. Or what happened at the Hypnos cabin in general. I mean…they'll want to know how it went, but…"

Oh, thank the gods.

Just that.

"Yeah, I'm not too keen on telling them I was almost lost somewhere in space, either. How about we tell them what we found out for sure? That it's some sort of trouble with the gods and that we'll have to wait and see – and until then, I'll sleep in two ways until it gets better."

He felt bad at the trouble he was causing them, remembering Clovis telling him to stay with them so they could 'protect' him.

He knew they wouldn't accept an apology, and would much less appreciate it if he mentioned it in any way at any rate, but he still felt bad about it.

This was his issue, it was unfair to drag them into his mess.

Sadly, he knew they wouldn't agree, though he inwardly was glad for it all the same.

"Sounds good. They already worry so much, I don't think they'd let either of us go anywhere anymore if they knew."

Will inwardly agreed.

Percy and Jason would instantly lock Nico up in bed and protect him from anything and everyone – starting with Will.

Then again, maybe they wouldn't.

They never did what they should or what he'd expect, after all

So maybe they'd drag him into bed as well and force him to sleep it out.

He certainly wouldn't mind that option as much as the other one.

Realizing what he was thinking he stopped walking, frowning at himself.

When had he started thinking of what he wasn't expecting?

"Will?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing. I was just lost in thought." Will muttered, flashing Nico a quick smile and continuing on their path.

Suddenly, he was feeling rather cheerful again, though he wasn't sure why.

Well, he wasn't going to question it.

Time to eat.

After arguing at the Poseidon table about what god was the most likely to be behind all this (first choice had been Apollo, of course, but with him disappearing and everything, they figured if it was truly him, he would have probably contacted Will in a different way than terrorizing him in his dreams, which had let to the wildest speculations and no god had been spared from a thorough check-up with what they know about them and what their reasoning could be), they had gone to their favorite hideout (Will's clearing) and kept bickering back and forth there, lastly settling on 'requiring more evidence to have a clear suspect' (Nico had such a good way with words sometimes).

It still wasn't very surprising that they had managed to spend the rest of the day in that clearing, anyways, without giving a damn about the rest of the world, happy in their own little bubble.

Jason had caught Nico and Will exchanging some glances every now and then, mostly when Percy mentioned how glad he was everything had gone over smoothly at the Hypnos cabin, given that Jason had had so much trouble and such, so Jason had the distinct inclination that things hadn't gone over as smoothly as they had said.

But he didn't pry.

Will hated lies, so if they didn't wish to tell them something, they must have good reason for it.

They updated Nico and Will on the tent and sleeping bag, making plans for packing, which Will didn't comment on for whatever reason.

By now Jason was almost certain Will didn't want to come with, but it just didn't make any sense.

He decided to try mentioning it sometime when they were alone, not wanting to call him out and put him into an awkward situation in front of the other two.

Maybe if they were alone, he could figure out what exactly was wrong.

Who knew, maybe there was a way for him to fix whatever issue it was and they'd still go together.

And if not, then he'd have to get the others to see reason, though he was fairly certain both Nico and Percy would throw tantrums.

Yeah, hopefully he'd be able to solve whatever problem Will was having with the journey.

Maybe it was the Underworld.

Jason could imagine it to be horrible for a child of the sun god to go to the Underworld, where there was no sun whatsoever.

He wondered vaguely what effect that would have on Will's powers, but then brushed the thought aside for later, concentrating instead on whatever Percy was trying to do right now.

They were in the Poseidon cabin for 'a quick stop', because of something Percy had thought of.

Jason had wondered what that would be, his guess confirmed when Percy stood in front of his water fountain with a contemplating expression.

"Percy, you can't be serious. What do you think your dad will say if you try take the water fountain out of here?"

"Well, he'll know it's for the greater good, right? It'll be fine." Percy muttered, waving Jason off without looking at him, instead checking the back of the fountain.

And how was he expecting to get that thing to Nico?

"What greater good? What do you plan to do?" Will asked suspiciously, looking from Percy to Nico to Jason for an explanation.

Nico seemed to catch on a moment later, groaning.

"Percy, what about MY dad? I don't think he'll be too happy about that addition to the cabin, either. Why don't we just sleep here?" He asked with a pleading look that would have made Jason agree instantly, but it was lost on Percy because he wasn't looking around.

"Hm? Nah. Your cabin is bigger and all our stuff is already there. Think about it, this way we only have to move one thing."

"But that thing weighs like, what, 500 pounds?" Nico complained and Will's face fell.

"Wait, you want to move THAT? No way." He asked, pointing at the fountain in disbelief.

Percy shot him a small frown, then looked back at the object of his concentration.

"Why would you want to take that thing, anyways?" Will asked and all three of them looked around at him quietly.

True, he had no idea how hot he had gotten last night and how much effort it had taken them to calm him down.

Yeah, Jason dearly hoped the other two wanted to keep it that way, too.

They didn't say anything, but Will seemed to understand, his eyes widening slightly before he turned his head away, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Don't bother. I'm-…"

"No." Percy interrupted him, expression borderline angry.

Not as angry as he had been in the forest when Jason had hinted at being interested in Will (seriously, he had no idea what had gotten into him, but he wasn't sorry about it all the same, so he guessed it didn't really matter), but furious enough to make Will shut up instantly, scowling in defiance but at least keeping quiet.

Nico chewed his bottom lip again, fingers on his skull earring.

"Will, it's not a bother. Percy was just thinking of a way to quickly cool you down in the middle of the night."

Jason looked around at him quickly, wondering whether it was such a good idea to mention that to Will, but then he saw Will flinching back already, expression full of guilt.

"I thought we weren't going to tell them that." Will blurted, the moment Nico shook his head wildly in alarm.

"Tell us what?" Percy asked and both of them winced back as if burnt, sending each other long, pointed glances, Will's guilty and Nico's exasperated.

"Ah…erm…you know…" Nico then started, looking uncomfortable and glancing towards Jason, as if hoping he'd come to his aid.

For a moment, Jason wanted to, his body already preparing to move.

But then he forced himself to still, instead raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Did something happen when Clovis tried to access the nightmare?" He asked calmly, knowing he was right when both Will and Nico looked towards the ground.

"He…might have burnt up a little bit."  
"I…might have burnt Nico a little bit."

"Burnt? Nico? Where?" Percy asked, in front of Nico in an instant, cupping his face and looking worried.

So much about calling Jason a mother hen.

He frowned when he found himself standing in front of Will.  
Huh? He didn't remember moving?

Will blinked up at him, suspicion in his glance as he apparently tried to figure out whether Jason was going to strangle him or something.

"Are you ok?" He found himself asking instead.

Will nodded slowly. "Yeah, I…didn't notice anything. I don't remember what happened, but when I came back, Nico had second-grade burns and they both said I was lost for some time. Sorry guys. We didn't want to tell you as to not worry you."

"Lost?" Jason asked stupidly, remembering how Clovis and Annabeth had told him he had almost faded back when they had tried to help him with his memories.

What had happened to Will?

What would have happened if they hadn't 'found' him?

He didn't even want to think about it.

"Well, don't. I rather worry than don't know that. And I kept thinking it's odd how everything went so smoothly. It never does for us, does it now? Ok, this settles it. Jason, we are moving this fountain." Percy declared, giving Nico a quick peck on the forehead before turning his attention back to the water fountain that looked heavier the more Jason looked at it.

For a moment, Will looked like he was going to argue, but Jason put his finger on his lips, stopping him before Percy did throw a tantrum.

For some reason, this made Will blush, though he couldn't fathom why.

It wasn't as if he hadn't done this before, and Will had never acted so…flustered…about it.

Then Will pulled back, scowling at him as if he had personally offended him.

Jason blinked at him for a moment longer, then sighed and walked over to Percy, resigning himself to his fate.

"Alright. What am I to do?"

"Oh gods, please let my dad be ok with this." Nico mumbled defeated, coming over as well.

Jason watched Will out of the corner of his eyes, looking conflicted and guilty.

"Jason, you'll help me lift this thing. I'm gonna take the water out, so it shouldn't be all too heavy. Nico, I'll need you to find a place for this in your cabin. Maybe warn your dad, just to be safe."

"Ok." Both Jason and Nico said, Nico disappearing right away, while Will tentatively stepped closer.

"Can I…can I help somehow?" He asked hesitantly, and Jason's insides churned at the uncertainty in Will's voice.

Percy looked over to him, expression tense at first, but instantly softening.

"How about you help hold the doors open? That way we won't have to put this thing down and can move quicker."

Jason threw him an exasperated glance

Ha-ha. That sounded like the most idiotic job there was.

Will seemed to agree, looking down with a slight frown, but he turned around and walked towards the door anyways.

"Hey, have you heard Percy's newest great idea?" He asked in a conversational tone as Percy and he started pushing the fountain away from the wall, looking for the easiest way to hoist it up (as easy as this could get, at least).

Percy shot him a frown, but didn't say anything, instead squatting down and inspecting the lower side of it.

"What?" Will asked miserably from the doorway.

"He wants all of us to do something together on Valentine's Day."

For a long moment, there was silence.

Jason would have loved to turn around to see Will's expression, but Percy was throwing him a half-annoyed, half-exasperated glance and Jason didn't want to give him any reason to assume too much.

Then Percy apparently saw Will's face and scowled.

"You're kidding." Will asked in disbelief and Jason grinned to himself.

"Oh, come on, I thought it was a nice idea! I was just thinking that you'd probably like giving him something, too, but since neither of you want to come out to him, I was thinking this way we can all do something nice together and have a good time." Percy insisted with a huff, looking as if he felt utterly misunderstood and betrayed by them.

"Percy, that's…"

"Don't bother. Prior to that splendid idea, I tried explaining to him how a relationship works. As you see, it didn't stick."

"Jason! Well, fine then, if you don't want to, then I'll take Nico out on my own. Have fun being alone together for an entire day." Percy sulked, then his eyes lit up, looking between Jason and Will.

Oh no.

Maybe Jason shouldn't have said anything, after all.

He sent Percy a warning glare, but could already see him scheming something in that crazy brain of his.

"No, I think it's great. Any ideas as to where you want to go? I'm in for something outside camp." Will said from behind Jason and Jason wasn't sure whether he was relieved or upset.

He settled for relieved.

"Sure? I thought you guys don't want to tag around on our dates."

"Well, they aren't much of a date if you take us with you, but I don't mind coming with, either. How about a park or something? Nico did like that amusement park, after all." Jason suggested, hearing Will chuckle behind him.

"Yeah, he loved that. True, I never got around thanking you for that, Perce. That was a really nice idea. Didn't have that much fun ever since…ah…well, in a long time."

This time, Jason did glance over his shoulder at Will, watching him look outside the opened door at nothing in particular with a thoughtful expression.

As expected, Percy caught him looking, raising a quizzical eyebrow that either said 'So? In love with him yet?' or 'Don't you dare touch him I will tear you apart'.

Yeah, Jason had the impression it was a bit of both.

Smiling to himself, he rolled his eyes and motioned for Percy to start lifting this thing.

"No problem. The idea came to me when I read the advertisement for a new amusement park while looking for something small. The irony of it. Every time I looked for something for the Advent Sundays, I found small things like the earrings and the scarf or settled on the DVD's. Well, anyways, it took a while for me to actually settle on going through with it, and it was one piece of work to get another card last-minute for Jason. It was difficult, trying to plan it and all without knowing how to actually pull through with it. I kept panicking you'd say you can't go, Will. With Jason not there and you unable to go, it would have become obvious it was me. I'm so glad it all worked out, though. It was fun, wasn't it?"

Both Jason and Will looked at Percy for a long moment.

He had never thought of it that way.

Seriously, so much work had went into that calendar.

It had been worth it, though.

Without it, they wouldn't be like this now.

Nothing would be anything like this.

They'd probably still fight for Nico's attention, and Nico would still brush them off, uncomfortable and awkward with the obvious affection they showed for him but that he could neither understand nor accept.

"Yeah, it was. You did a really good job on that. It keeps amazing me every time I think about it." He admitted with a small smile, making Percy look rather proud and pleased.

"I know right? I'd have never expected it to be you, but the calendar was really, really cool. Are you going to do something like that this year, too?" Will asked curiously as Percy and Jason finally made to hoist the fountain up.

Holy Hades, this thing was heavy!

Not that he was surprised, but damn!

Percy groaned from the other side of the fountain, cursing under his breath.

"Will, keep that door open!" He said urgently and began moving, so Jason did his best to follow, trying to coordinate them somehow.

"How much exactly are we lifting?" Jason asked through clenched teeth, his legs struggling beneath him.

This had been a horrible idea.

They made their way out the door with loud huffs and pants, Will making sure they didn't get any body parts stuck anywhere or demolish either door or fountain.

"Shush and carry the thing, Sparky. We can weigh it later." Percy replied, accompanied by a frustrated groan.

Will popped up next to Jason, putting his hands under the fountain as well and helping lifting it up somewhat.

"Come on, Gorgeous, move it. The faster you get to Nico, the faster we can put it down. Jason, make space. I'm helping." He stated with a concentrated expression, but Jason only stared at him.

Gorgeous? Had he just called Percy 'Gorgeous'?

He glanced towards Percy, finding him grinning to himself rather contently, looking at Will with a fondness he usually only showed towards Nico.

Jason's insides churned and he cleared his throat, catching Percy's attention.

The glare he sent him might have been a bit intense, but at least it got his point across.

Sadly, Percy seemed unfazed, only grinning smugly and returning his attention back on the water fountain they were carrying, speeding up as much as he could – which wasn't much.

Therefore that the Campers were usually kind and helpful people, they seemed to have no interest whatsoever to help them with the water fountain, which Jason couldn't even blame them for.

If he saw three people trying to carry a massive water fountain across the place towards a different cabin, he'd speed up into a different direction as well.

Well, ok, he wouldn't, he'd offer help because he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't, but he would walk away if it wasn't for his social streak, for sure.

"Percy, watch out. Stone right behind your right foot."

"Thanks, sun-bug."

Jason made a face.

Those two.

"Your pet names for each other are truly adorable."

It took him a moment to realize it had been him to say that – and it took him another moment to realize he had said it with a rather sour tone.

Both guys looked around at him, Percy instantly raising his eyebrows and looking at Will a tad too obvious, but Will was busy giving Jason a disgruntled glance.

"Stop complaining and carry this damn fountain."

Jason opened his mouth to apologize, not knowing what had went into him, anyways, but Percy cut in before he could.

"Maybe he wants a pet name, too." He said to Will with a serious tone, though his eyes gleamed with glee.

"He's not getting one." Will snapped at him, looking even more annoyed.

That was harsh.

Jason had to admit he might be a tiny bit hurt by that dismissal, though he tried not to let it show.

Percy looked both smug and guilty at the same time, which gave him quite a conflicted, yet funny expression.

"Aw, why not? Jason, I bet if you call him sun-bug, he'll give you a nice pet name, too."

"Forget it. He said it doesn't sum me up." Will immediately cut in, not meeting Jason's gaze, his voice slightly bitter.

Oh. Wait…

Percy's eyebrows shot up and he all but glared at Jason.

"What do you have against sun-bug?"

Oh gods, was he protective of a dumb pet name?

Jason resisted the urge to roll his eyes and sighed.

"As Will said, I don't think it sums him up. He's neither bug nor is he buggy in any way. And while his dad is the god of the sun, it's not the most outstanding thing about him."

Suddenly, he had both their undivided attention.

Percy looked surprised, to say the least, but what really got to Jason was the way Will looked at him absolutely stunned, as if he had expected anything but that.

Then both guys managed to collect themselves and sported casual expressions once more.

"And…what would you say is the most outstanding thing about me, then?" Will asked, the curiosity ever so evident in his voice, though he had his eyes on the fountain he was helping holding up.

Jason pursed his lips, uncertainty flooding through him.

He had already said too much.

Pet names weren't exactly his specialty.

As a matter of fact, he sucked at them.

Percy raised an eyebrow at him, looking almost provoking, as if daring him to come up with something stupid so he could rub it in that his pet name was better, after all.

"Well, the most outstanding thing about you would obviously be your character, given that you are very versatile and have that way about you to make people around you happy. However, I don't think there would be a suitable term to sum that up into a nice pet name, so I'd concentrate on something else that is quite unique and outstanding about you." He explained cautiously, watching Will's expression for an indicator as to whether he understood what Jason was saying and didn't take it as a sort of insult or something.

But if anything, Will only looked confused, his eyes still trained on a spot straight in front of him on the fountain.

"Yeah? And that would be?"

Ok, he was screwed.

Will sounded so curious, almost expectant.

And all Jason had to offer was something so lame.

He wished for once to have some sort of flash of genius or something, but of course no such chance.

Jason swallowed, taking a deep breath.

"Well…Freckles."

Oh shit, it sounded so stupid, too.

Will's head shot up, fixing him with an incredulous expression on his pretty face and Jason had to concentrate hard on not blushing.

"Freckles?" Percy repeated, sounding surprised, then glancing at Will.

"Why? Because I have so many? Thanks for reminding me." Will muttered sourly and Jason's heart sank.

Yep, and that's why he didn't like pet names.

"I'm sorry. I simply find them interesting and they certainly make you unique."

"All they do is making me look stupid." Will said miserably and Jason inwardly cringed.

"That's not true." Both he and Percy said at the same time and Will shot them both exasperated, definitely disbelieving glances.

"Yeah, right."

"I think they suit you really well. Always wanted to count them, actually." Percy said with a small smile and Jason nodded.

"Yeah, they are something really special. You should be proud of them. I like how they seem to glow sometimes when you're genuinely happy."

Will looked between them, this time almost uncertainly, as if he was trying to decide whether they were making fun of him or actually meant it.

His ears were flaming red, a light pink adorning his cheeks, making said freckles stand out a tad more and he caught Percy's lips twitching the same way his own did.

"But there's so many of them. I'd love to see either of you try count them. I don't exactly mind having freckles, but I'd have preferred it greatly if it was only a few, like Nico has. I mean, I'm not even pale, why do I have freckles?"

Percy and Jason shared a telling glance and smiled.

"No idea, but I have to admit, Jason's pet name makes a tad more sense than mine. I'm still going to keep calling you sun-bug, though. The 'sun' isn't because you are son of Apollo, but because you are a lot like the sun, being all warm and bright. And 'bug' not because of any bugs or because I think you're buggy, but because you're cute and I like how it sounds." Percy explained, sending Jason a pointed look as if he was taking offense at Jason criticizing it in the first place.

"I am _not_ cute." Will instantly insisted with a snarl, glaring daggers at Percy again, but Percy only grinned and Jason had the feeling he had said that on purpose to get Will out of his brooding cloud.

Yep, that was Percy for you.

Oblivious as nothing else about his own feelings, but trust him to pick up on anything around him that didn't have to do with him.

"So, yeah, I guess now you know why I don't give people pet names." Jason stated with a sigh, wondering what had made him start this in the first place.

"Why? I think it's fitting." Percy said surprised.

"Well, Will obviously doesn't like it."

"Rubbish, Will loves it." Percy insisted.

"Excuse me? I did not say anything like that." Will instantly shot back, his blush deepening.

"You don't have to, I know you well enough by now to know you're living in denial again."

"I am not."

Living in denial?

"Sure you aren't."

What?

"I couldn't care less what Jason calls me, anyways." Will insisted coolly, not meeting either their gazes.

Percy chuckled.

"There you go, Jason. That's Will's way of saying 'Yes, I love the pet name, please use it'."

"Shut up, Percy." Will mumbled, now scarlet in the face.

Jason off-handedly noticed that Will was not denying it, though.

"Well, if you like the name, then I will use it. If you don't, then just tell me and I'll stop." He said cautiously, glad that they were almost at the Hades cabin, both because he wanted this conversation over and because his arms were starting to tremble with exhaustion.

"Whatever." Will grumbled, his eyes on that spot on the fountain again.

Nico poked his head out of the door as if on cue, pushing it open all the way when he saw them and hurrying over a moment later to help.

"Sorry it took so long, finding a place wasn't easy and I had to yell at my dad that it's for all our safety because he wouldn't open the door anymore. Yeah, he wasn't pleased, apparently."

"He locked you in?" Will asked in disbelief, eyeing the cabin with a tad of apprehension.

Jason could completely relate to that.

Nico only waved off, grabbing hold of the other side of the fountain and helping carrying it into the cabin.

"It's ok, I could have probably left through the window. His issue wasn't me, but the fountain, after all,"

"Well, as long as you're ok. So, where to?" Percy asked and Nico gestured with his shoulder towards the beds.

"Right over there next to the bed. That way it's close enough that we wouldn't have to go far in case something happens."

"Wasn't there a cupboard before?" Percy asked with a frown, trying to look over his shoulder but failing.

"I moved it to next to the wardrobe." Nico explained with a shrug and they maneuvered the water fountain into the corner next to the bed with lots of groaning, complaining, cursing and sweating.

What a way to finish the day.

"Ugh, I'm in for a bath in the lake." Percy groaned, flopping back onto the bed and putting his arm over his face in exhaustion.

"I'm so tired, I swear. I don't even know why, I just am." Nico exclaimed, then chuckled, flopping down on top of him and causing him to groan, though he didn't mind whatsoever, even with them both sweaty and gross.

He moved his arm slightly to look up at Nico gazing down at him fondly, a small smile on his face.

Grinning, he pushed his head up far enough to give him a quick peck on the lips.

"Hey."

Nico rolled his eyes amused, coming down for another peck that turned into a real kiss before long.

"Hey." He breathed against his lips, expression content.

Will and Jason plopped down on the bed to their left and right.

"Hi." "Sup?" Both guys said and Percy chuckled, watching Nico shaking his head amused as he looked around at their best friends.

"So, are we going to abuse my bathroom or are you guys running home for a shower?" Nico asked, pushing himself up slightly to sit on top of Percy instead, which might not be the smartest thing to do after just kissing him so wantonly.

He turned his head to check on the other two, but they didn't exactly seem to care, looking thoughtfully off into space.

"If it's ok I'd like to take a shower here. If my siblings see me, they'll only tease me about being with my lover boys again and I really can't be bothered correcting them right now." Will then grumbled, letting himself fall back onto the mattress as well, putting his arm over his face as Percy had done.

Percy grinned, reaching out to tickle the side of his neck, which made Will snort out a laugh before slapping his hand away.

"Percy!" Will exclaimed, though he looked more amused than angry.

"Sure, I don't mind. You can go first. Jason?" Nico stated with a shrug, pinching Percy's side slightly to get his attention, just to stick his tongue out at him.

Percy put on a scandalized expression, hands immediately reaching for Nico's sides to tickle him as punishment for such impudence.

"I'd prefer to stay here as well. It's already getting dark outside and I already got most of my clothes here. All I'll need is a towel, if that's ok." Jason said next to Percy, while Nico firmly pushed his hands away from his sides after snorting out a very adorable laugh, giving him the evil eye instead.

"Sure. They are in the wardrobe, right side, bottom shelf." He said to Jason, lifting his hands ever so slowly as if to show Percy he was unarmed, which he already knew he was.

Then he suddenly tackled him, tickling him instead.

"Wha- Nico! No!" He wailed indignantly, trying to keep his laughter down for as long as possible as Nico's hands attacked him mercilessly.

"Guys, help me!" He cried out, trying to get away, but Nico kept him pinned down effortlessly, showing off how strong he actually could be if he wanted to.

And damn it if Percy didn't love it.

"Nah, you brought it upon yourself." Will stated unimpressed from his right.

"Why? You seem to be having fun." Jason replied from his left.

Percy whined and tried to glare at them both, but glaring didn't work whatsoever while getting tickled.

"You traitors! I'll remember that!"

"Yeah, so?" "What are you going to do about it?" They both asked nonplussed and he huffed out indignantly, still trying to get away from Nico's way too fast hands.

"Please!"

"What will you give us for our support?" Will asked all business-like and Percy was tempted to throw a pillow at him – if only he had a pillow and the chance to throw it, that was.

Nico pinched his side again, cool fingers slipping beneath his shirt and tickling his bare skin, making him squirm and laugh even harder.

"No! Please! Anything!"

"Anything? Hmm, what do you think, Jason?"

"Guys, don't even think about it." Nico warned them, but Percy wailed again.

"What do you offer us for staying out of it?" Will asked and Percy felt a glimmer of hope inside him.

"What do you want?" Nico countered.

"Nah, that's too easy. Both of you, offer us something. Then we'll decide."

Damn that Apollo kid!

How was Percy supposed to think of anything with Nico sitting on top of him tickling the living hell out of him?

"I…aah…Jason…"

"You can't offer people, Percy. Also, what would I want with Jason? I don't bottom, you forgot?" Will chided amused and Percy groaned out both in frustration and agony, his sides aching from all the laughing already, but Nico only shifted, tickling his stomach instead, which made him gasp before flailing, trying to escape while laughing helplessly.

"Yeah, and what would I want with myself?"  
Smartass.

"N-Nico…"

"I just said you can't offer people! Though it would be a tempting offer…" Will muttered suggestively and Percy let go of Nico's arm long enough to smack his hand somewhere in Will's direction, hitting his side.

"Ouch! Hey, that's not getting me to help you, I'm just saying. Nico, what do you have to offer?"

"Oh, that's easy."

Damn, that sounded like he really had a good idea.

No, the guys couldn't leave Percy hanging like this!

"Yeah? What is it? Percy, I think you'll have to hurry if you want to win us over."

"A game of Truth or Dare, your game, your rules."

No way.

For a moment, there was silence.

"Alright, Percy, you lose. Sorry, but that's too good of an offer to let down." Will announced and moved next to him.

No!

"Sorry, Perce." Jason said from the other side.

NO!

"Noo~! Please, anything!"

Of course, nobody had mercy on him.

He felt Nico getting off him, much to his dismay (because he actually liked Nico on top of him, he just didn't like the tickling part) and then felt another set of hands on him, cool hands, which he identified as Jason's.

Wait, where was Will?

"Let's make it worth it." Will declared from somewhere to his…feet.

No way!

Nico laughed. "Sorry, Percy."

Then they attacked and Percy felt like he was going to die from laughter.

"Aw, come on, Percy, are you still upset we sided with Nico?" Will asked as they climbed into bed for the night, all of them finally done with their showers.

Will had ended up going first, then Jason, then Percy and Nico, who had unsurprisingly taken forever again, though this time they seemed to at least have behaved themselves.

Or they had finally learned how to keep their noises down.

Yeah, Will was fairly sure it was the former, though.

Percy hadn't talked to them ever since they had finally let off him, glaring at them while he just laid there, incapable of moving, his chest heaving and his breathing ragged, coming out in shallow, quick pants, his skin beaded with even more sweat than it had been before.

Well, it certainly had been an interesting sight.

Then Will had decided to better leave, since technically he had no reason to just stand there and ogle Percy, so instead, he had taken the quickest shower in existence, just to find Percy still sulking when he had come out.

Apparently, the shower with Nico hadn't changed that, either, though he had been talking to the Italian just fine when they had entered and exited the bathroom (gods knew what they had done in the shower, but based on their swollen lips and pleased faces they had at least kissed the hell out of each other, so everything was good – well, between those two, at least).

Percy pushed his bottom lip out further, nudging him over to Nico's other side and thus between Nico and Jason.

"Go to that other guy that rather wants to play a dumb game instead of saving his best friend in need." He said sulkily, not meeting his gaze.

Nico groaned and rolled his eyes, while Jason merely sighed, putting his arm over Will loosely from behind.

Will tried to ignore the way Jason's body felt behind his, so completely different from Percy and Nico.

He was much more muscled than Percy, yet so much cooler than Nico, it was astounding.

Will felt a pleasant shiver running down his back.

Jason stiffened slightly, pulling his arm back and putting some distance between himself and Will.

Huh? Well, that was a tad obvious.

Will knew he wasn't Nico or anything, but did Jason have to make it quite that plain that he didn't want to snuggle up to him?

"Hey, Percy, come on, I promise I'll go gentle on you whenever we play, alright?"

"Forget it."

"Oh? So you want me to go all out? I'll have to think of some mean questions, then. Dares I have quite a few left I've always wanted to try on somebody…"

"Are you trying to threaten me into forgiving you?" Percy asked with a frown, tugging Nico against his chest and glaring at Will.

"Yeah, pretty much. Everything else is too exhausting. I'm tired, you know? So, forgiveness or a cruel game, which one is it?"

Percy stuck out his tongue at him.

Wow, so mature.

"Bring it on, sun-bug."

"Well, you better keep those Truth's and Dares between the two of you. I'm not doing any too awkward things, I swear." Nico mumbled against Percy's chest and Jason chuckled.

"Me neither."

"Oh, come on, what did you do that was awkward?" Will asked Jason dubiously, thinking of their past games.

"I had to do a neck nibble on him, that must have been awkward for him as well." Nico reminded him, turning his face slightly.

Will could feel both Jason and Percy stiffen at that statement.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that." Percy muttered, nudging Nico's neck with his nose.

"I was ok with it, actually. You did a good job, after all." Jason said with a shrug and Will turned his head towards him.

"True, you did like that. See? You should be grateful I made him do that."

"You also made Percy imitate his favorite sex position and had hoped it would be me he'd have to do it with. I think that evens itself out." Jason retorted unimpressed and Will made a face.

"But it didn't turn out to be you."

"No, instead I had to do it. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was?" Nico said sulkily and Will looked back at him in time to see him glaring at him.

"Aw, I think it was much more embarrassing for Percy."

"Shush, sun-bug. We've talked about this before- oh…hey, I remember. I promised you next time we play it, I'd get Jason to hump you."

Will froze. So did Jason behind him.

"What? Why me?" The blonde asked hesitantly.

"I told you I don't bottom, Percy. Not. Ever." Will stated sourly, but Percy only gave a tired shrug.

"I don't care. You'll do it for the dare or we're going to have to think of something super mean as compensation if you pull back. And Jason, it's going to have to be you because I'm only going to hump Nico and nobody else. Nico, you'll only hump me, right?" He asked sleepily, face rubbing against Nico's neck.

Will watched him unimpressed.

"What..yeah, yeah…whatever…let's go to sleep…been a long day…" Nico mumbled, apparently half asleep already.

"Yeah…Will, come closer so I can put my arm around you." Percy demanded in a similar state.  
"Put your arm around yourself." Will sulked, suddenly not looking forward to that round of Truth or Dare whatsoever.

He. Did. Not. Bottom. Ever.

The only person he would ever consider bottoming for might be Nico, and that only because Nico was…special.

No use thinking of this, though.

He knew Percy had his mind made up about that.

Well, he guessed it was partly his own fault for bringing it up in the first place (given that the others were all way too innocent and shy for a real game of Truth or Dare the way he knew it).

Percy grumbled something incoherently, then started moving against Nico, moving him towards Will.

Could anybody believe this guy?

Nico made small noises of complaint, but seemed to have fallen into a light sleep already, so he didn't stop him, either, and all Will could do was moving backwards until he was suddenly pressed against Jason's front again.

Before he could react, however, Percy was already there, pushing Nico's back against his front and wrapping his arms around Will and Jason with a content sigh.

"There we go…Night, Sun-bug….Sparky…Angel…" At the last pet name, Percy placed a kiss to the side of Nico's neck.

Then he started snoring, his body going limp.

"Great. Uh, Jason, could you…move a bit? Just so there's some breathing space between you guys any me."

He didn't want to burn anybody accidentally again, after all.

Jason shifted, but didn't exactly move backwards any.

Will frowned, wondering for a moment if Jason was already asleep as well, but then he felt Jason's arm move past him, flicking Percy's forehead.

"Percy, you're squishing us. Move it."

Will turned his head and found out that Jason must have been moving out of his way when Percy had come closer, trying to avoid touching Will until he had been pressed against the wall.

Well, that was kind of…Will wasn't going to lie, it was kind of hurtful, really.

He wasn't THAT bad to snuggle up to, they had done that before, after all.

Plus, Jason had been the one to hold him in a death grip the other day, not the other way around, so he can't have been that bad.

Percy growled in his sleep, definitely unhappy, but at least he moved back a few inches, pulling Nico and Will with him automatically.

"Better?" Jason asked from behind him and Will nodded quietly.

"We can also switch spaces, if you rather wanted to be behind Nico." He offered after a moment, guessing it wouldn't make much difference whether he'd sleep in their middle or against the wall.

"What? No, I'm good."

Well, if he said so.

Percy grumbled some more in his sleep, hand beginning to move up and down Will's side.

Will rolled his eyes.

This guy.

He felt Jason stiffen behind him slightly, then the blonde came closer ever so slowly, cautiously, as if expecting Will to say something.

For a moment, Will was tempted to turn his head abruptly, just to see whether Jason would freeze/pull back.

But he didn't.

Instead, he acted asleep.

It was the best excuse for letting Percy stroke his side, after all.

Jason seemed to actually hold his breath as he came close enough to have his upper body brush against Will's back, only letting it out once his arm made its way around Will ever so carefully.

What was Jason doing?

First he was avoiding touching him, now he moved closer as if Will had been the one to forbid it and he had to wait for him to sleep or something.

It made no sense.

At least not to Will.

Jason shifted another inch closer and Will could feel his breath against the back of his neck.

A shiver ran down his spine, and he felt Jason stiffen behind him again.

What was his problem?

Nico moved slightly, pulling his head back so he could probably breathe normally again, given that Percy had kind of fallen asleep with his head lying on Nico's, and Will had to shift as to avoid a collision.

The moment he moved, however, Jason instantly recoiled.

Ok, that was it.

"Jason?" He asked as drowsily as he could manage.

"Yes?" Came the immediate reply.

"What are you doing?"

Jason stiffened, inching further away.

"Sorry. Too close?"

Why would he be too close?

Ok, Will had asked for some breathing space, but he had more meant a sort of loose hug sort of space, not the 'I'm sleeping on one side of the bed and you're on the other and don't you dare get any closer' type of space.

Still, he couldn't exactly say that.

What could he say?

What should he say?

"No. Come back here."

Hey, he was supposed to be almost asleep, right?

So he was allowed to say stuff like that.

Percy did it all the time.

No big deal.

Jason chuckled, a sound that made the hairs on Will's neck stand on end, but he ignored that, instead shifting slightly as Jason came closer again, putting his arm around him loosely.

"Better?"

"Yeah." Will mumbled before he could think.

He froze, but Jason only tugged him closer.

"Ok then."

Jason put his face against the back of Will's neck again, his breath tickling his skin.

And he realized that Jason only seemed to freeze whenever he shivered, since that's what happened a moment later.

Oh no, Jason was so not going to pull back again!

"You're so nice and cool." He mumbled, hoping his voice sounded super drowsy so this could never ever be used against him.

Jason took a deep breath.

"Oh. So you like it? I thought it made you uncomfortable. Sorry, I didn't know."

Will inwardly groaned.

THAT was what his problem had been?

Oh gods, somebody save this idiot from himself, please.

But he knew better than to reply, instead humming quietly and trying to actually really fall asleep.

The faster he fell asleep, the faster he'd get over his nightmare and the sooner he could get his actual rest done.

Jason tugged him closer, his arm wrapping around him in earnest now, instead of Nico and Percy as well, but Will didn't mind whatsoever.

He should probably think about that later.

Ew, that reminded him that he still had to sit down and think about all those things he had been pushing away until now.

Yeah, no. Not now.

Snuggling back against Jason's soothing cool body, he sighed contently, slowly drifting off into sleep.

The last thing he heard was a small, low chuckle coming from the blonde behind him, the sound way too close to his ear and reverberating through him, making him think of comfort, peace, and safety.

So nice.


	11. Chapter 11: Panic Attacks

**A/N:** Did I ever tell you guys how much I love and adore your comments?  
They always make my day :)

Thanks so much to you all and everybody who reads this story!  
-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 11: Panic Attacks, running away and nice bathroom talks**

"Alright, Nico. Are you ready?" Will asked and Nico took a deep breath, nodding.

They were standing in the arena, the place seeming a lot bigger without all the other campers around (Percy and Jason were keeping an eye on those – poor guys. The kids were rather demanding these days in what they wanted those two to show them).

It was time.

He was going to use his powers again.

Or at least, that was the plan.

Nico had been the one pushing it, asking over and over again and being annoyed with Will for prohibiting him from using his powers, but now…now he actually felt pretty uneasy.

It wasn't as if he was scared, but…ok, maybe he was a bit scared.

The last time he had used his powers, he had felt the darkness taking over, had felt himself becoming the darkness.

_Becoming_ nothing.

Of course, it was stupid to think of that now.

He had been utterly out-powered and at his limit back then - even past his limit.

Now, he was well-rested, better fed than ever and had no rush in the world.

Everything was going to be fine.

Will looked at him quizzically, standing a few feet away to give him some space to work with, just in case.

It shouldn't be a big deal, though.

"Remember to start with something small. Concentrate on your center and get a feel of your powers again. Then gently dip into them and just…take it slow…"

Nico nodded again, closing his eyes and trying to focus, his heart beating a hundred miles an hour.

For a long moment, he felt nothing whatsoever.

Then, all of a sudden, there was darkness.

Darkness _everywhere_.

Darkness around him, darkness inside him, darkness taking him over, pulling him in, working its way through his every pore and-…

Nico panicked, pulling out of his concentration and away, away from the pull, away from the darkness, stumbling backwards blindly and falling, which sent another jolt of fear through him, Tartarus jumping to the front of his mind until he hit the ground, solid ground.

"Nico!" Will's voice cut through him like a knife, making his head shoot up to look at the blonde wide-eyed and in terror as he was in front of him in a heartbeat, cupping his face and scanning over his face quickly.

"Nico, breathe! It's ok, you're safe, you're here, you're all here. Breathe, Nico. Breathe! Come on."

Nico didn't understand.

He was breathing.

He could feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest, could hear the shallow pants escaping his lips as his body turned numb.

He was hyperventilating.

That would explain the sudden dizziness that started settling over him.

"Nico, look at me. Oi! Oh, wait, wait."

For a moment, Will's hands disappeared from his face and he instantly missed the warmth, his vision becoming blurry, his mind disorientated and confused, suddenly a hundred times worse than a moment ago.

_No, come back! Don't leave me here alone!_

He couldn't be alone.

Not again.

He whimpered, trying to suck in a deep breath, but it didn't work, it only made him more dizzy and he could feel his chest beginning to ache horribly.

"Nico? Here, look at this. Do you see this?" Will's voice was back and Nico instantly searched for the blonde, finding him in front of him again as if he had never left.

Will would never leave him behind.

He tried concentrating on whatever Will was holding up.

It was…some kind of…watch?

A pocket watch?

Oh, true, Nico had given him a pocket watch for Christmas.

He hadn't known Will was actually carrying it around with him (probably in his Medic Pouch, thinking about it).

Nico tried to nod, but his body didn't listen, his breathing worsening.

"Blink twice if you can hear and see me and if you can see this watch."

Blinking seemed to work.

He blinked twice.

Will gave a small nod and held up the watch in front of Nico's face, so close he could see the second hand on it tick-tocking by in circles.

"Do you see the second hand?"

Nico blinked twice again.

"Concentrate on the second hand now. Every time it gets to a big line, you breathe in, and when it gets to the smaller big line, you breathe out. Can you do that?"

Nico's vision blurred, something dark tugging at the corner of his eyes, sending him into another panic attack all over again, his hands shooting out to grab the front of Will's shirt, trying desperately to hold onto something, to keep himself grounded.

He couldn't disappear now!

He couldn't fade!  
The shadows were a part of him, but he was meant to control them!

He had to be able to control them!

He couldn't let them control him, take him away from here, not now!

Please!

"Nico, focus!"

Nico felt a tingling sensation starting to spread from his now white knuckles up his arms, and only now noticed he couldn't feel his legs.

No!

He heard the blood rushing in his ears, drowning out any other sound as Will still hovered over him, and Nico tried to concentrate on him, he really did, but his vision was too blurry, black and white dots fighting for dominance, a small, panicked whimper escaping his lips.

Nico struggled with himself, trying to get a grip on himself, his mind a whirr of memories.

Memories of Gaea, of fading, of his time in the jar, all by himself and cold and alone, of Tartarus, of the pain, the darkness, the misery…

He should have listened to Will.

.

Will cursed under his breath, first himself, then all the gods in existence, because this was definitely all their fault!

Nico was a trembling mess, still hyperventilating, eyes unfocused and full of right-out terror, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his entire body shaking.

He was having a panic attack.

And a really bad one to boot.

Will wasn't sure what had caused it, whether it was the feel of the shadows that had triggered some bad memories inside Nico, or whether his power itself had scared him, but he didn't care, either.

What he did care about was that Nico had to snap out of it.

He tried to get to him, tried with soothing words to get his attention back, knowing better than to shout and shake him, though he certainly felt like it.

But Nico didn't seem to be able to hear him, his hands clutching Will's shirt so hard his knuckles were a ghostly white, almost blue.

Another scared whimper escaped Nico's lips, eyes wide and unseeing.

Ok, that settled it.

Still cradling Nico in his arms, he leaned forward, concentrating hard on his own center of power, somewhere in his gut.

Usually, he had to sing to access it for healing, but this was something he could do without that, and probably the only thing that would actually help, even though it demanded more of his own power than Apollo's healing magic.

It didn't matter, he had the whole day to recover.

Taking a deep breath, he bent over Nico and pressed his lips onto his, feeling Nico's breath hitching in shock.

Perfect, that way he might have to hiccup, which was a good way to get some real air into his lungs as well.

But first things first.

Channeling his powers, he felt the nasty tingling sensation in his gut, spreading through his body to his lips, warmth seeping into Nico's parted once, making him gasp, his hands pulling on Will's shirt, but where he was going with that, Will didn't know.

Maybe he was trying to push him away but confusion made him pull instead.

Will put a hand to the side of Nico's neck, keeping him there just in case he was going to bolt, resuming breathing his energy into Nico, trying to chase the darkness away that seemed to smother him.

Was it his imagination or was Nico calming slightly?

He moved his hand down towards his chest, placing it over his heart, measuring his heartbeat.

Still way too fast, but there was more confusion and disbelief in Nico now than fear and terror, so he guessed it was an improvement.

Will inwardly breathed out a sigh in relief.

He seemed to be coming back to himself, thank the gods.

When Nico's grip on his shirt started loosening hesitantly, Will decided it was time to pull back, no matter how nice Nico's lips felt beneath his (though he was more than tempted to give him a small peck at the very least – of course he didn't. He'd never take advantage of Nico like that, after all).

This couldn't exactly be considered a kiss, anyways.

He was breathing his energy into Nico, his light.

It was more along the lines of CPR if anything.

Still, he couldn't deny it felt nice.

And it would certainly make up for the drowsiness he was going to feel all day.

Opening his eyes, he found Nico staring up at him in a mixture of shock and confusion, breath still coming out in pants, but much more controlled.

The moment he pulled back more, Nico even managed to draw a deep breath, and Will could almost hear his lungs screaming their thanks.

"Better?"

Oh, he didn't like how weak his voice sounded. He really didn't like it.

He also didn't like the shaking of his hands and the dizziness that settled over him like a veil, numbing the edges of his mind, yet not strong enough to be of importance yet.

Will kind of wished he could train this sort of power, but then again, he had nobody to train with, no known way of training, and wouldn't know what to use it for, anyways.

So, yeah, there was that.

This was only the second time he had used it, so he was glad he was still standing.

Nico nodded slightly, still looking utterly confused, clenching and unclenching his hands on Will's shirt.

"Good. Yes, flex your fingers. Maybe stretch your legs a bit, too, to get the blood flowing again. Does it hurt anywhere? Chest, head, swallowing?"

Nico shook his head slowly, looking down at his hands and swallowing, looking almost guilty.

Will put his hand to the side of his face, tilting his head slightly to look into his eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He'd have to get him a glass of water or something. And some food.

Yeah, something sweet.

Chocolate, maybe.

Chocolate was always good.

Yeah, that would probably give him a bit of energy and get him back on his legs.

Will should probably have some, too.

Nico hesitated, his gaze locked on Will's shirt where he was still holding onto it.

He slowly let go, moving his hand to his heart and face, as if making sure he was still there.

"Did I…did I fade?" He asked hesitantly, a note of fear in his voice.

Will had the strongest urge to pull him into a hug.

"No." He replied calmly, watching Nico's shoulders relax slightly.

Then Nico bit his lip.

"I just…I felt…I thought I was. I remembered how it felt and then…I don't know…" His breath hitched and Will put his hand on his shoulder quickly, squeezing slightly to give him something to ground himself.

"You had a panic attack. But it's ok now, I've got you."

Nico was trembling again, so Will tugged him closer slowly, shifting until he was cradling the Italian in his arms again, keeping him close.

"Shh, it's ok, love. They can't get to you."

"I am the Ghost King…I'm supposed to control the shadows…" Nico whispered barely audibly, turning his face into Will's chest and clutching his shirt, soaking in the warmth and comfort Will gave him.

"And you will. You're strong, Nico. Just give your body and mind the time to heal."

"But what if I…what if I can't use them anymore? My powers, I mean?"

Will hesitated.

Nico was one of the strongest demigods he knew.

The chances that he truly wouldn't be able to get through this and control his powers again were already fairly slim, given Nico's persistence, willpower and inner strength.

But even if, he doubted Nico would have any problems whatsoever to stand his ground, neither against monsters nor cocky campers.

"You have gone through so, so much, through so many horrible things, Nico, so it's only understandable you'd have to recover from all of that at some point. Start over. This is not the end of the line, Nico. After all you've gone through…I don't know of even one other person who could have done what you've done and prevailed, the way you did. You are strong, Nico. I'm certain you'll get through this and master your powers once more when the time is right. Not having them now…that doesn't make you any less of the Ghost King you've been before. You're still the same fearsome, dark angel as ever."

Nico smiled at that.

It was a small and fleeting smile, but it was a start.

"Can we…can we stay here a little longer?"

Oh, Will could stay here all day.

"Sure. For however long you want, Nico."

He felt Nico relaxing against him some more and smiled, moving his hand to stroke through his hair gently.

"That…earlier…how did you do that?" Nico asked after a while, eyes closed, his breathing and heart rate back to a healthy speed.

"Hm?" What did he mean?

"I couldn't see anything, no matter how much I tried to focus and it felt like everything was going black. Like I was dying. But then you…I don't know what you did, but I felt warmth and…light…"

"Oh, that. I gave you some of my energy. See, I'm a healer, so I heavily rely on prayers and hymns to my dad, who will then channel his godly power and all that to help us, yeah? But we also have a sort of strength of our own. Like you or…I don't know…Percy. The difference is that my power is useless and I can't control it like you guys can, because it's more a sense of…gods, how do I explain that…" He gazed off into the distance, wondering how to explain this mess if he himself barely understood it.

"When Percy dips into his power, he can control water, yeah? So, his power is pretty much something outside himself. Me, I can only control myself and what's inside. I can't do fancy stuff like moving objects or…or changing the weather or something. The only thing I can do is channel my energy and pass it to somebody else, like…like a blood transfusion. Ok, wait, that's a bad example. But I can't really think of a better way to explain it right now."

"So…I have your energy now…? And that's what felt so warm?"

"Well, my energy is similar to…erm…light. I mean, it kind of makes sense, given my dad and all, I suppose. So I tried to pour as much of it into you to drive the shadows away."

"But doesn't that harm you? Don't you need it yourself?"

Ah. Typical of Nico to ask the bad questions.

"Nah, I'm good. Don't worry, I've done this before, so I know my limit."

"You've…given your energy to somebody before?" Nico asked taken aback, looking into space with an odd expression.

"Yeah. Once. In the battle against Kronos. She was a good friend of mine, and got wounded by one of the bad guys. I…" Swallowing the lump in his throat away, he lowered his head. "She didn't make it. I didn't have enough to keep her alive."

He stopped, wondering why he had even said this much.

It was one of the things he had never talked about, not even to Cecil or Lou Ellen.

Another person on his endless list of people he couldn't save because he had been too weak.

If he had just managed to give her a little more, just a tiny little bit…she might have lived…

Nico stiffened in his arms, moving to look up at him with those beautiful, warm, brown eyes, reminding him faintly of Hot Chocolate.

Oh, true, he did want to get Nico something to drink and some chocolate.

" I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Nico said softly, his expression rueful.

Will quickly shook his head, putting on a smile. "Don't worry, it's ok. It's not a secret or anything, anyways."

It might have been if he hadn't collapsed on top of her, passing out from using up too much of his power and waking up two hours later, having to be taken care of by his siblings as well, instead of healing the wounded campers like he should have.

Yes, his selfish way of thinking had not only harmed him and prolonged her death, it might have also cost other campers their lives.

Nobody ever openly blamed him for it, but they didn't have to.

He blamed himself enough for that.

Another reason he never talked about this.

"How about I get you something to drink?"

"Will…" Nico started, looking at him with a somber expression and Will knew he was going to say something else about her.

"What would you like? Water? Juice? Hot chocolate?" He asked loudly, pulling back from Nico and signaling him he was going to get up now.

Instead of staying on the ground, Nico stood up as well, still looking at him ruefully, pursing his lips.

"Let's go together. I don't think I should try this again anytime soon, so there's no point in making Percy and Jason wait. I guess you were right, after all."

Now it was Will's turn to purse his lips, noting the bitterness in Nico's voice.

He had known it was too soon, but he'd have rather been wrong a hundred times than have Nico go through this to agree with him.

"I'm sorry. I was thinking you weren't ready yet, but I didn't know you'd get a panic attack. If I had known, I probably wouldn't have let you try."

"No, it's ok. I think I wouldn't have believed you if you hadn't let me try. And then we would have kept arguing until I would have done it in secret, anyways, and then who knows what might have happened."

Well!

"Good to know how much you value my word if you can admit to doing stuff behind my back so easily." He said pointedly, ruffling through Nico's hair and making him squirm and laugh.

"Stop it. Well, I'm not saying I'd have done it right away, but at some point I'd have probably thought you're just scared of me and my powers and that's why you wouldn't let me try. So of course I'd try to manage on my own."

The impudence!

Could anybody believe this kid?

"Well, then let's be glad I'm not scared of you and that you didn't have to practice in secret."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Before I forget, I want you to eat some chocolate or something. Chocolate is always good. Remember Harry Potter? Even there they know chocolate is good."

Nico chuckled.

"Whatever you say, oh so great and almighty doctor that you are."

Will grinned triumphantly, puffing out his chest and wriggling his eyebrows.

"Damn right I'm a doctor. And a hot one, too. About time you realize that."

Nico rolled his eyes, sending him a pointed look.

"Of course. I'll tell Percy you're doing that eyebrow thing again."

Will stuck out his bottom lip.

Yesterday, Percy had finally said something about Will's quite obvious flirting attempts with Nico.

Of course – since this was Percy we were talking about – things hadn't gone as one might expect.

It had started normally enough with Percy scowling at him and telling him to knock it off, Nico was his boyfriend.

Will had winked at him and shrugged, not exactly surprised, but not caring, either, since hey, it wasn't as if they didn't know he was only joking.

But then, Percy had suddenly looked cocky and stated HE could flirt so much better, and that Will was doing it wrong, anyways.

Yeah. Because any boyfriend finding another guy hitting on his partner was so going to kick him in the side playfully and give him advice on how to improve.

Percy. Telling Will. How to improve.

Well, he had also tried making Will 'practice' on Jason, but Jason had sent Percy such a murderous look that Percy had instantly backtracked.

He had still talked for almost an entire hour about Will's apparent 'flirting behavior', pointing out he was _always_ wriggling his eyebrows suggestively at Nico, and that if he got a dollar for each time he did it, he'd be rich enough to buy them the pirate ship they wanted.

And that's why, ever since then, Nico was constantly teasing him about telling Percy he had done it again, so Percy could send Will a smug, knowing look and tease him relentlessly about it.

"You're so mean! Why would you sell out your friend like that, Neeks? Don't you love me anymore?"

Touchy topic, he forgot.

Nico sent him an alarmed glance and hurriedly looked away, putting on a quick smile to cover up for his paling skin.

"Oh shush. I was only joking. Come on, let's hurry up so we can free Jason and Percy."

"Free them? What are they, princesses in a tower? Hey, wait, that sounds like a fun idea, actually…" Will mused, trying to picture them as stereotypical damsels in distress.

Nico sent him an incredulous look. "You're impossible. I'll definitely tell Percy about _that_."

"Aw, but don't you think he'd look nice in a dress like that?" Will teased, only to find Nico blushing.

Oh? Interesting.

"I am not answering that." Nico retorted with burning ears as they left the arena.

"Oh? Do I need to tell a certain somebody to get a dress ready for Valentine's Day?" Will asked, wriggling his eyebrows, while Nico's eyes widened and his cheeks turned scarlet.

"W-What the…Will! Don't be stupid! Also, I highly doubt he would like that. At all."

"Oh, I don't know. I think he'd do anything for you, to be honest. But hey, now I'm curious, did you plan anything for Valentine's Day yet?"

Of course, he wasn't just asking because he was curious.

Valentine's Day was in three days, and Jason, Percy and Will had only finally settled on a destination last night.

Even though the original idea had been another theme park, like the one Percy had picked for the Advent Calendar, they had had to scratch that due to the booming prices and the distance, since they'd have to get there early in the morning and come back very late at night in order to have something of the day there.

And since Percy, Jason and Nico were going to leave the day after…yeah, it was understandable.

So, instead, they had settled on a fairly cheap indoor water park – Percy's idea, of course.

Last night, they had finally been able to decide on one of the way too many possibilities, and Will was not surprised in the slightest that their choice had the most water slides.

Percy was such a child sometimes.

But the price was affordable, the place was open, it wasn't too far away - it was pretty much perfect.

Well, they'd probably out-power themselves there the same way they'd have done in a theme park, and Will still wasn't sure whether he really wanted to go into any water with Percy close by, but other than that, it sounded like fun (he had never been in a water park before, so it was bound to be quite an experience).

Now the only problem was that none of them had the faintest clue if Nico had anything planned for Valentine's Day himself (and if so, what).

Nico glanced away, looking flustered.

"Not…not really. I'm not good with such things. I was just thinking of…oh, I don't know."

Nico was so adorable sometimes (scratch that, all the time!).

Will had no clue how Percy could resist ravishing him all day long.

He would so do it.

"Well, you can always give him your virginity." He offered with a noncommittal shrug, wondering how Percy would react if Nico indeed did make the first move.

"Will!" Nico exclaimed aghast, his only just receding blush turning darker again.

"What?" Will asked, looking around him as they finally reached the dining pavilion, but the place was pretty much deserted.

He wondered vaguely whether all the campers were seriously with Jason and Percy right now.

If so, he kind of did feel bad for those two.

Those kids could definitely be the substitute for the big, evil dragon that would guard the helpless princesses – but Will doubted anyone would save them in that case.

He knew he'd rather face a dragon than the crazy kids in this camp.

"You can't just…that's…" Nico stammered, then shook his head, going through his hair with his fingers.

It was odd seeing him without his ponytail, but lately he seemed to be too lazy to pull it back in the morning.

Lazy butt.

"You wouldn't want to?"

"That's…not the point…" Nico muttered, now looking _anywhere_ but at Will.

He was just as bad as Percy.

Yep, those two made a perfect couple, it was heart-wrenching.

He felt kind of bad for Jason for having to stick around with them with no way out or away once they went on their way, so he'd have to endure them even more than Will had had to up to now, given that he could have at least left for his cabin or something.

Will could almost feel the sexual tension between those two now, and that was when they still had some time in the shower together in the mornings/evenings.

He would hate to see how they were going to be once they were so close but couldn't even as much as touch.

There was no way those two could do anything with Jason right next to them, after all, since they had decided to share a tent and sleeping bag for whatever reason.

Yeah, it kind of sucked.

Will really kind of wished he had been invited, too.

He'd like to sleep in a sleeping bag with them.

Then again, with his nightmares, he'd probably knock them out or something, so maybe it was better that he was staying here.

"Well, I'd make the best of it, truth be told. Just think about it, it'll be the last day at Camp _and_ it will be Valentine's Day."

Now Nico looked conflicted, sitting down next to Will at their table and staring at the glass in front of him, which promptly filled with water, though he didn't take it.

"Do you…do you think I should- no. No, I can't do that." Nico insisted, shaking his head and grabbing his glass, still looking indecisive.

Will raised an eyebrow.

"Whyever not?"

Nico sipped on his water, either thinking of a reply or acting deaf.

Will was about to give up on the conversation when Nico let out a deep sigh.

"It's just…I don't think I could actually go and plan something like that. I'd die from nerves or something. Plus, when would I do that? I can't exactly grab him and drag him off to my cabin in the middle of the day."

Will eyed him from the side for a long moment.

"Alright, then don't plan to actually have sex. How about you just plan to kiss and make out a little bit? And as to when, you do know I am perfectly fine with sleeping on my own. If you want, I can talk to Jason and we'll disappear discreetly in the evening, so you have some quality time with him."

"I can't believe we're even discussing this." Nico muttered under his breath in disbelief, downing his glass of water and letting it fill up once more.

Yeah, Will neither.

"Well, it's not that big of a deal, really. As I said, you'll just kiss and make out, enjoy your little quality time, and if it leads to more, it does, if it doesn't, then it doesn't. I'll just tell Jason you'd like to spend the night alone with Percy since it's the last one at Camp for a while. He won't mind. In fact, I bet he's half expecting it already. Then again, who wouldn't want to spend a night alone with their boyfriend? I know I would." He wriggled his eyebrows again, then made a face because, damn, he was wriggling his eyebrows again.

And he wasn't even flirting, he was just being…well…suggestive.

Nico chuckled, his cheeks still a faint pink.  
"Well…ok, then. I guess that would be a nice idea."

"Then it's a deal." Will smirked, glad to be done with this.

Those two really were perfect for each other.

It was heart-wrenching.

But at the same time, Will felt kind of happy for them both, which was kind of disturbing, but pleasant all the same.

.

"Remember how I said I might want a kid one day?" Jason called over as Percy and he raced through the forest, glancing back over their shoulders in panic every now and then.

"Yeah?" Percy called back, stumbling over one of the tree roots and almost falling, cursing under his breath.

"Well, I just changed my mind!"

Percy laughed, but then had to stop because it interfered with breathing.

And breath was the last thing he had to spare right now.

What had they been thinking, offering to take care of the rest of Camp and be substitutes for the lack of an arena?

He could swear there were not this many people in the arena usually.

The entire Camp seemed to have assembled in front of them, daring them to keep them occupied.

Since they had had no idea whatsoever as to what to do with all of them, Jason had suggested coming up with ideas and voting on them as a group.

Yeah, big mistake.

Percy was never going to forgive him.

He guessed he should be happy Clarisse's idea hadn't fruited, but this one was just as bad.

The rules were simple: _Run and don't let anything get you_.

'Anything' being both monsters and the entire Camp, which was hot on their trail.

"Your own fault! Couldn't we have sat them down to draw or something?"

Jason snorted, pushing against his side as he tried to direct them towards the right.

They had already considered splitting up, but dismissed the idea, given that then they wouldn't know whether the other one was caught or not, plus they'd risk taking a wrong turn and running into each other, enabling the campers to surround them and pen them in.

So, yeah, no.

"Of course, because you can get an entire camp of demigods to sit down and draw. What world do you live in, Perce?"

"A better one than you, apparently."

"Oh, I bet you do."

They saw a dark shape moving next to them amongst the trees and threw each other a quick glance.

Nodding, both of them did a 90° turn away from whatever or whoever it was and sprinted on, hearing an indignant cry behind them.

"Hurry up, Sparky, or I'll leave you behind." Percy called over his shoulder as Jason lagged behind him, due to the narrowness of the path they were now taking/making.

"Nah, you'd come back for me."

Well, alright, fair enough, Percy probably would.

Jason caught up to him, grinning smugly before passing him up.

Show-off!

"Why would I? You sided with Nico over a game of Truth or Dare!"

"Oh gods, Percy, that was days ago!" Jason exclaimed exasperated, looking back at Percy, but Percy looked away pointedly.

He still did not forget that.

Seriously, he thought he was going to die, and they had not shown mercy for pretty much forever!

After all he had done for them, they had just all three teamed up on him.

How had he deserved that?

"If it's any condolence, I didn't even side with him because of the game. I sided with him because I didn't want to be on the receiving end. It's called self-preservation, Percy. You have to understand that."

"So you just abandoned me to save your own skin? Well, now I'll definitely leave you behind, you faithless potato!"

Jason laughed and Percy pushed his legs to speed up so he could catch up to Jason.

Sadly, Jason had always been the faster one of them.

The only thing Percy ever let him succeed in.

"There they are! Fast, give me ammo!" A voice called behind them and Jason glanced over his shoulder, making a face.

"Uh, you might want to-…"

Percy had no idea what Jason might have wanted to say, because next moment, Percy slipped on some leaves and stumbled forwards, nearly smacking into the ground.

Something whizzed past his head and he heard Jason skidding to a halt in front of him for some reason.

Percy got his body back upright, only to almost collide with him, but then Jason's hand grabbed his and pulled him off towards the left.

"This way."

"Do you even know where we are?" Percy asked dubiously as they started running once more, more outcries behind them, but he didn't look around, didn't want to see (and also didn't want to risk overlooking anything as to not stumble or trip again).

"Of course. We're in the forest."

"You're such a smartass."

"Thanks."

"That wasn't a compliment!"

Jason only chuckled, pulling him after him with a firm grip.

"How much longer will we have to do this?" He asked after a while, feeling his legs starting to ache.

"Until Nico and Will are done." Jason replied without looking back.

Well, yeah, but…

"But how are they supposed to let us know they're done?"

Jason huffed, but didn't immediately reply.

Then he looked back at Percy.

"Want to try make a dash for Camp? If they're done, we should be able to spot them, as the rest of the campers are all inside this forest."

Well, it was an idea, but Percy was fairly certain the others had thought of a way to prevent them from just getting back to Camp that easily.

"Or we could just let them capture us." Jason added as there was loud cracking behind them.

"No way! Do you have any idea what Clarisse is going to do to me if she gets her hands on me?"  
"Only a little bit of good-natured torture!" Came her voice unnervingly close behind them.

Oh shit.

"Dash for the camp?" Jason suggested.

"Dash for the camp!" Percy yelled back in reply.

And dash they did.

.

Nico had to admit there were a lot of things he had seen in his life that he thought he wouldn't.

That, of course, ranged from monsters and ghosts, to gods, gay parades, and weird guys carrying cats on top of their heads, to things like having a boyfriend and/or seeing Percy naked (something he could never get bored of, by the way).

However, he wasn't exactly sure where to place this specific sight.

Will and he had been searching the camp for those two, only to notice that it seemed awfully empty.

Noticing some movement at the edge of the forest, they had decided to go investigate, at the very least.

Now, Nico had seen a lot of things.

And the sight of what seemed to be at least half of the Camp assembled a few feet into the forest wasn't exactly _that_ surprising (it reminded him more of Capture the Flag, actually).

Finding out they had set the other half of the Camp on the loose after Percy and Jason, who apparently had to run for their lives in there, had been surprising, but at the same time hadn't been, since these were bored demigods, after all.

They could practically think of anything, and chances were you wouldn't like anything they'd come up with.

No, the thing that fascinated Nico beyond belief, was the sight of Jason shooting up into the sky like a rocket, a big, screaming lump of something in his arms, looking like the devil himself was hot on his trail.

Given that there was a wide variety of weapons flying after him as people on the ground seemed to either be capable of throwing them that far, or one of the Hecate kids was having one hell of a good time, Nico didn't think even the devil could to a better job than that.

Well, at least they knew where Jason was.

That left the question: _Where was his boyfriend?_

And _that_ was the moment he realized that the lump Jason was holding princess-style, the lump that was struggling and flailing and either trying to climb on top of Jason or inside him, the lump that was screaming bloody terror…that lump _was_ Nico's boyfriend.

Will seemed to realize a moment before he did, breaking into loud laughter and dropping to the ground, holding his stomach while rolling around.

Nico could only stare.

Will glanced up at him, barely keeping it together, just to start howling with laughter again.

"Oh gods, Nico, you should see your face right now. This is so freaking hilarious! You should have brought your camera! We need this. We need them and your face and put it up on a notice board, or better yet, put it online. This is the best." He pressed out between spurts of laughter, pounding on the ground and burying his face in his hands, trying to compose himself again.

Nico could still only stare at Jason and Percy, ever coming closer, Percy now for some reason halfway in Jason's shirt, arms flailing, with one sticking out of the collar, the other one somewhere behind Jason, pulling his shirt up and down as he writhed around in terror, still screaming bloody murder, his legs tightly wrapped around Jason's midriff.

It was a somewhat comical, yet disturbing sight.

Given Percy's position and thrashing, Jason was doing a pretty good job keeping them alive and in the air, only looking slightly irritated, if anything, his head tilted as far away from Percy's flailing hand as possible.

He needn't have bothered, for the next moment, Percy's head poked out through the collar, and Nico had the distinct feeling Jason was never going to wear that pullover again.

Good thing he had put on a baggy one, though.

He wasn't sure whether they would still be breathing if he had worn something somewhat tighter (bless Jason's horrid sense of clothing, really. He was like a dream dressed like a nightmare. Nico decided not to mention that bit, though).

Then again, maybe Percy wouldn't have had the macabre idea of trying to…co-wear it?

Nico had no idea what his boyfriend was even doing, but for a moment he could have sworn Percy looked as surprised about the development as they were.

But then he started screaming bloody murder again and Jason rolled his eyes almost exhausted, his arms still firmly around Percy, though he really didn't need to hold him, given that Percy was basically gluing himself to him.

And then Percy insisted he wasn't scared of heights.

Yeah, right.

Nico only now noticed that other than Will's laughing, it was awfully quiet around them, all the Campers around him staring into the sky in disbelief as well.

Well, it truly was a show, that much was for certain.

Nico could only shake his head.

Then he heard what sounded like a stampede of elephants - or maybe drakons - coming their way from the forest.

He thought he could hear voices, too, but with Percy's wailing he couldn't decipher anything, his focus too much on his boyfriend.

"Will, get up." He said quietly when he felt the ground tremble beneath his feet.

Will was still chuckling, but too exhausted to laugh anymore, looking up at him quizzically, but getting up nonetheless.

"What's that?" The blonde asked, now noticing the noise and movement as well.

"I'd say…" Nico started, looking up at Jason and Percy, who were now both waving one of their arms each and pointing down in apparent warning (still both inside Jason's sweater, which still looked way too weird).

Nico grabbed Will's arm and moved backwards.

"…that's the rest of the Camp coming back." He finished right when the first people broke out between the trees with war cries, eyes fixed up on the sky as he expected.

The campers that had been waiting around here jumped in surprise, but by then it was already too late.

"Holy…" Will mumbled next to him.

People collided, other people misinterpreted it as some sort of opposition or sneak attack, and suddenly everybody was battling everybody.

Nico didn't have the chance to decide whether or not he wanted to bolt or defend himself, because before he could even put his hand on his sword, a shadow fell over him and he looked up just in time to see Jason apparently trying for a landing.

And apparently on him, because all he could do was stumble backwards and hold out his arms before Jason and Percy crashed into him, knocking him with them to the ground and tearing Will along, since he seemed to have tried to pull him out of the way in time.

"What are you doing?!" He asked, not even because of the collision (that reminded him too much of how Will and Percy had once deliberately run into him for no apparent reason), but because those two just laughed and panted and Percy shifted so oddly on top of him, turning around while still wearing Jason's sweater…together with Jason.

Seriously, it looked even weirder up close.

"Sorry, Nico, I didn't-…" Jason started, but then Percy's head almost smacked into the side of his jaw as Percy seemed to be trying to turn around to face Nico.

"Hey." His now-finally-not-screaming-anymore boyfriend said with a coy smile, his body and hair sweaty and gross and utterly adorable, his breathing coming out in irregular pants.

Nico couldn't keep the smile off his face, even though he had intended to lecture him for his flailing (and ask again what the hell he thought they were doing).

"Hey." He replied instead, nuzzling their noses together with a small smile.

"You finally stopped screaming, I'm glad. I mean, it was interesting, to say the least, but I could have done without. Watching you crawl into Jason would have been utterly sufficient." Will teased next to them, shaking his head and ruffling through Percy's hair, just to then complain about his now wet hand.

Percy made a face and they started bickering, while Nico looked over Percy's shoulder at Jason, who was still squishing Percy down on Nico, but he didn't exactly mind.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah. Do I get an Eskimo kiss as well for saving your boyfriend's butt and putting up with him in the air?"

Nico chuckled. "You'll have to ask Percy about that. Thanks, though. For not dropping him."

"Nah, I was tempted, though. Especially when he started going beneath my shirt."

"It's called self-preservation, Jason! You have to understand that!" Percy insistent, pointedly looking around at him with his ears slightly red.

"Yeah, yeah. Throw my words right back at me. Nico said I can give him an Eskimo kiss if you're ok with it."

Wait, Nico hadn't said that.

Oh, well, maybe he had…in a way…damn.

Percy threw Nico a surprised, questioning glance, though it didn't seem upset per se, but Nico still only shrugged helplessly, not knowing exactly how to deal with the sudden situation in front of him.

Percy studied his face for a moment, then shrugged and turned back to Will, who was abusing the fact Percy didn't have either arm to defend himself with to flick a finger against his forehead and side of his face amused.

Nico blinked and looked back towards Jason, but Jason was already leaning down, rubbing their noses together with a triumphant smile.

"Ha! Alright, Percy, if you want to go flying for another round, I'm all for it." Jason declared as he pulled back, looking pretty pleased with himself and the world.

"No way! You just want to get closer to MY Nico."

"Yeah, of course he does. That's what we all want. Can I get an Eskimo kiss, too?"

"No." Percy stated flatly and tried to pull his arms together, but couldn't, since Jason was still on top of them.

"Unfair!" Will wailed and Jason chuckled, pulling himself up the moment Percy wanted to lean down to give Nico a quick peck.

Since they were still connected via the sweater, Percy couldn't, instead getting pulled after Jason, expression first stunned, then indignant.

"Oops, sorry, Percy. I forgot you were still inside _my_ sweater."

Somehow, Nico doubted that, sitting up as Jason pulled Percy and himself upwards.

"Well, at least he's not under your skin." Will remarked drily next to them, pushing himself up to watch them amused.

"You did that on purpose. Nico, come here, I have to kiss you. Purify your soul and all." Percy insisted, trying to lean forward to give Nico a kiss, but Jason was pulling too far back for him to reach him, definitely teasing him on purpose, now.

"Purify his soul from what exactly? Remember who just hauled your sorry butt through the sky and stopped you from trying to climb into my pants as well."

Percy opened his mouth as if to protest, then blushed and sputtered some incoherent lines, while Will snorted and had to clamp a hand over his mouth to stop from laughing out again, his other arm holding his stomach, showing he was most likely refraining from laughing not out of nicety towards Percy, but because his stomach still hurt from earlier.

"You tried to climb into his pants? Percy, why?" Nico asked confused, while Percy kept giving Jason the evil eye, who only gazed at him unimpressed and finally took things upon himself and got rid of the sweater.

Which was to say, he took it off.

So now, there was Jason, standing there with his muscled, bare chest and crossed arms, and there was Percy, who stumbled forwards clumsily as he suddenly didn't have anybody pulling backwards anymore, wearing a baggy, mint green sweater with one arm sticking out of the collar, the other one sticking out beneath, the sleeves left unused.

Will couldn't help it, howling with laughter once more.

"I didn't mean to!"

"Yes you did."

"Not like that! I was just trying to prevent falling to my death."

Nico could only shake his head.

"I was holding you, Percy." Jason insisted, rolling his eyes exasperatedly.

"Yeah, so? You could have dropped me. Zeus could have pulverized me." Percy wailed insistently.

"Percy, my dad knows better than to try pulverizing you while you're in my arms."

Will and Nico shared a glance, Will pursing his lips to reign in his laughter, Nico just sighing.

Then he realized with a jolt where they were and what was actually going on around them still, with the campers battling each other into the ground.

They had realized by now what was going on, but had apparently decided to just go along with it, war cries sounding from all sides, alliances forming and dissolving in the bat of an eye, utter chaos wherever he looked.

"Uh..." He started, but apparently his realization had notified the others of their presence (he had the strong assumption that this was exactly why monsters didn't bother mortals. Mortals were oblivious to them, their minds not even going into that direction, thus the monsters didn't notice them, either. Once there was a mortal that showed a sign of seeing them, the monsters would actually notice them as well. Remarkable), several of them pointing towards them and shouting something at each other.

"Let's go." He called, grabbing for Percy's and Will's hand and trusting Jason to follow as he turned around and ran for it (he was usually the one fastest on the uptake).

"Oi, where do you think you're going? Cowards!" A voice called after them, but they were already out of the forest, racing for the cabins.

.

"You know, I'm glad I don't have to work in the infirmary." Percy muttered relieved as they sat at dinner, watching another camper with a black eye walk past.

"Yeah, I'm just waiting for one of my siblings to come up to me and tell me to help out." Will said miserably, looking at two younger campers with limps that gave him the evil eye, either because they knew he was supposed to take care of the most likely overflowing infirmary or because he was looking at them, he didn't know.

"I thought you liked working there." Jason said, sounding a bit confused as he obediently ate his plate full of vegetables.

So far, Jason was the one that least complained, though he guessed it wasn't fair to compare when he had only just started out with the diet plan, while Percy and Nico were a few more weeks in already.

Then again, Jason was ironically the only one who hadn't promised Will not to complain.

"Oh, I do. I just don't like it when it's spontaneous and I know I'd have a lot more fun with you guys or something."

"Well, if they do come and get you, I'd go and help out, too. That way you'd be done faster and you wouldn't be completely alone- well, I mean, not 'alone' alone, because you'll have your siblings and the patients and all, but I mean…from us…alone…" Nico tried to explain, but then trailed off, stabbing his fruit with an annoyed expression.

Will smiled at him.

See? This was exactly why he loved him.

Nico was such a cutie, and he was always so considerate of others and all.  
"I'd help out as well, if I knew what to do." Jason shrugged and Will tried to picture him in scrubs.

Did they even have any for somebody built like Jason?

"Oh, if you went, I'd help out as well, of course. I more meant it as in I wouldn't want to work there right now, alone, treating all those injured, starving demigods that have brought their peril onto themselves." Percy explained hastily, playing around with his fish unenthusiastically.

Will could only sigh with a small smile, looking at the lot of them.

"Thanks guys, I knew you'd have my back. I can almost picture it, too. Nico and I would do all the treating and bandaging, while you'd run around in our pink help-out outfits, bringing us supplies and tripping over your feet."

"Pink help-out outfits?" Jason asked with raised eyebrows, the same moment Percy huffed indignantly. "Tripping over my feet? Unlikely."

Nico chuckled into his cup of green tea, while Will shook his head with a laugh.

He just loved their priorities.

Jason was like 'Oh, yeah, I'll probably trip over my feet, who cares, but wait, why pink help-out outfits?', while Percy was like 'Pfft, who cares about the outfit, I have perfect balance! No tripping for me!'.

Neither of them argued the point that they'd be bringing the supplies though, while Will and Nico would get the real work done.

"Everybody who works out in the infirmary has to wear scrubs, it's an unspoken rule. For any outsiders that don't have any, we have these super big, pink unisex t-shirts that say 'Here to help' on them. They're quite cute, actually. So, yeah, since I doubt we have any scrubs that would fit you, it would be the help-out outfits for you two." He explained amused, wondering if those two would actually be able to pull the look off.

Will had seen a lot of people try and fail, but with these two, he was almost certain they'd look good even in those.

"Really? Did you wear those, too, Nico?" Percy asked surprised, looking over at his boyfriend, absent-mindedly eating his fish (yes! Victory!).

"Nope. Will tried, but…" Nico started, but then only shrugged and returned to his dinner, so Will continued for him.

"He refused to. I actually managed to get him to put it on, but he wouldn't come out the changing room and by the time he did, he had already changed back, insisting that I get him something else to wear or he'll leave. So I lent him one of my scrubs."

"They were so big." Nico muttered under his breath, making Percy and Jason share an amused glance.

True, out of the four of them, Nico was technically the smallest.

"Aw, you looked so cute in them, though. It's almost sad that you have your own now."

"Really? You have your own scrubs? I knew you helped out every now and then, but I didn't know you actually had your own outfit." Percy said surprised, looking him up and down with a curious expression and Will just knew he was trying to picture him in scrubs.

Mmh, Nico in scrubs looked _nice_, he could tell him that much.

"I even have my own locker." Nico said with a definite hint of pride and Will grinned at him.

Hey, they still had three days, maybe he should really offer to help out in the infirmary and drag the guys along.

"Now you've made me curious. If I wasn't quite as clumsy as I was, I'd ask how many times I have to help out until I get my own outfit. Sadly, I don't think you'd want me around more than once." Jason said apologetically, flashing him a quick smile.

Will only raised an unbelieving eyebrow. "Yeah, of course. Trust me, there are quite a few people there that constantly drop things or trip over their own feet, you'd probably fit right in. Percy might be problematic, though."

"Hey! Why me?" Percy instantly complained, pouting.

"You're always so loud. The infirmary is for injured people that need healing. Your volume would do the opposite."

Percy huffed indignantly, looking personally offended. "That is so not true. I'd be great. People would love me."

"I didn't say they wouldn't, but they certainly wouldn't heal."

"Didn't we have this conversation about you trying to pick fights with me all the time and you saying you'd stop it?" Percy asked sulkily, taking apart his fish with his fork and trying to hide it in his mashed potatoes (what a child).

Will sighed loudly. "Yeah, I recall something like that. But you have to forgive me, it's just so tempting. You know I'm only joking, Gorgeous."

Seriously, when had he started calling him that, anyways?

He should really stop that.

Percy didn't even seem to notice, but Will still didn't want him to assume anything.

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, look, I'm done with my fish." He announced, gesturing at his plate while looking away sheepishly.

Will tried hard not to laugh.

Percy was one of the worst liars he had ever met, that much was for certain.

He saw Jason and Nico raise their eyebrows, utterly unconvinced as well.

"Oh really? What about your mashed potatoes?" Will asked innocently.

Percy made a face.

Will rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll look over your plan and take out the fish. But it would be healthy, Percy. It's going to be difficult to replace that. But I guess I rather go through that work than have you burying the fish under the mashed potatoes every time."

Percy blushed slightly and looked away in shame, while Nico and Jason chuckled quietly, patting his shoulder reassuringly for his failed attempt.

"I just really don't like fish."

"Cannibalism." Jason coughed into his cup and Percy sent him a death glare.

"I am not a fish!"

"Not? Could have fooled me, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth teased in passing, winking at them, closely followed by Piper, hands entwined.

"Oh, ha-ha. You want to pick a fight, Wise girl?" Percy called after her, looking disgruntled, while Nico only rolled his eyes in a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"If I had, I'd have joined that little hunt earlier. Clarisse told me you ran like cowards." Annabeth reminded him and Percy stiffened.

Will turned his head around to frown at her. "Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the whole point of the game was for Jason and Percy to run and not get caught. I'd say they did exactly what they were told to do."

Uh, wait, why was he defending them?

Annabeth chuckled, looking him over curiously and sharing a knowing glance with her girlfriend.

"True, true. But the game was over when you and Nico got there, so technically you could have joined in on the actual battle."

"Yeah, could have, but that implies it's optional. Thus, deciding against joining in would not be cowardice, but a person's free choice and can't be used against them at a later point - unless it was pre-defined that not joining in would be considered cowardice. After all, that could have changed the person's view of the matter. Since this is about a spontaneous event, though, no such rules or statements were made, and thus they were free to decide on their afternoon activities." Nico put in thoughtfully and Piper laughed.

"That's pretty well formulated. I bet you'd make a good lawyer, Nico."

"Yeah, I keep forgetting how smart you are. Percy, you sure are lucky." Annabeth said with a wink and Will rolled his eyes, glancing back at those two just to see Percy putting an arm around Nico and giving him a peck on the cheek.

"I know, right? He's great. Smart, good-looking, splendid personality…" Percy raved, making Nico go bright red in the face.

"Oh shush."

Annabeth and Piper just shared another glance and chuckled, shaking their heads.

"You guys be having a good time, yeah? See you around."

"Yup, see you. Have fun on the trip. Just in case we won't see each other around." Piper chirped and they left for the Athena table.

Will watched them go, then looked back at Percy and Nico, smiling at the sight.

Percy had his arms around Nico from the side, lips at his ear, whispering what probably were some more reasons why he was so lucky to have him, while Nico was bright red in the face, fidgeting and whispering for Percy to stop, though he looked happy all the same.

Glancing towards Jason, he found him watching Will with a curious expression, so Will instantly dropped his smile, putting on his poker face.

He didn't want Jason assuming anything, either.

Not that there was anything to assume.

Wait, hadn't he wanted to work on that little issue of his?

But living in denial was so much easier!

Later. He'd do it later.

Once those three were gone, he'd have all the time in the world to get himself together.

At least it would give him something to do.

.

"He had a panic attack and you didn't tell me?!" Percy exclaimed horrified as he sat on the closed toilet seat in the bathroom, while Jason was leaning against the wall and Will was standing at the sink, washing up a bit after tonight's nightmare.

"Well, you guys didn't ask. And that's not exactly something I want to really talk about. Panic attacks are already horrible enough on their own, he doesn't need your pity or worry. That would only upset him." He said with a shrug, grabbing the towel to rub his face dry.

The nightmare had been a mess as always.

All he knew was that whenever he was going through it, everything seemed to make so much sense, and it filled him with this sense of 'How did I not know this sooner? How did I not guess this?', but as soon as he awoke, it was all gone.

Sometimes snippets of conversations he couldn't understand or comprehend still fluttered through his mind, but nothing really stuck.

It was all so weird.

He was kind of glad he was done for the night, looking forward to catching some actual rest.

Seriously, even with all the drama at the Hypnos cabin, he was kind of glad he had gone there with Nico.

This was much easier to deal with, now.

He still felt bad for having the nightmares, and they still felt horrible, but they were a lot more bearable when one of the guys woke him right after, keeping him close and comforting him, allowing him to either wash up or have Percy do it for him quickly, depending on his sleepiness.

And then he could just drop into this rest-state and rest for the rest of the night in peace.

It wasn't perfect, but it was definitely better than before.

"I know that, but I'd have still liked to know."

"So controlling." Will snorted, flicking some water at Percy, who sent him a pointed look, raising his eyebrows.

"Sure. Whatever you say, sun-bug. Sure you want to start a water fight with me?"

"Hell no. I already don't have a clue how I'll survive the 14th. Oh yeah, Jason, I have to talk to you about that."

"Me?" "Hey, why Jason? what about me?"

"Nope. You have to go, Perce. Move it."

"Bossy." Percy sulked, but got up nevertheless, ruffling through Will's hair before exiting the bathroom, Jason taking his place on the toilet seat.

Will waited until he had closed the door and heard Percy trudging back towards Nico's bed to snuggle up with the sleeping Italian again.

Then he turned towards Jason.

"Nico asks whether it's possible for us to sleep in our own cabins on the 14th. Like, in the evening. I told him I don't see why not, but also ensured I'd ask you about it."

Jason's shoulders slumped slightly. "Oh. That. Alright then. Will you be alright?"

Will made a face. "I am perfectly capable of sleeping on my own, you know? It's nice of you guys to stick around, and I appreciate you waking me once it's over, not to mention that you take care of me during them, but it's not essential. So, yeah, I'll be ok."

Jason looked as if he wanted to say something for a moment, but then he nodded.

"If you say so. I wanted to talk to you as well about something."

"Yeah? What?" Will asked, somewhat surprised.

Jason hadn't given off the impression as if he had wanted to talk to him about pretty much anything, really.

They talked a lot less nowadays, to be honest.

It was quite a shame, really.

Will had really gotten along well with him back when Percy and Nico had started dating, but ever since he was back now, they rarely had a chance to actually…talk.

They sometimes joked around or shared a glance or two, but real conversations…not so much.

Though Will wasn't sure whether that was because of Jason or himself, or maybe because Percy suddenly seemed so eager to either make them talk to each other or constantly interrupting their few conversations (which was odd, even for Percy, but Will had never understood him, anyways).

"Yeah, I wanted to ask…about the trip…"

Oh. That.

Damn, Jason must have noticed something.

Will pursed his lips, trying to cover up his reaction with rubbing the towel in his face again, just to then wonder what towel this actually was.

Hopefully nobody had used this for anything nasty.

With 'nobody' he most definitely meant Percy and Nico after their bathroom fun.

"Yeah? What about it?"

"I was just wondering whether you were really ok with it."

So he had noticed.

"Yeah, I'm cool with it. Why wouldn't I be?" Will replied casually.

He was not going to be the awkward, unwanted person imposing himself onto anybody.

If they didn't want him around, then he wasn't going to force them to invite him along.

"I don't know, you just seemed a tad…distant. Whenever we talk about it, you become rather quiet, so I wanted to make sure everything is good." Jason explained hesitantly, watching his expression intently.

But Will was a splendid actor.

"Well, I didn't have anything productive to say, I guess. Sorry if I worried you. But I'm good. It's no big deal, really."

For a moment, he wanted to add a chuckled 'Just make sure you'll be back soon', but then refrained from it, not wanting to make them feel as if they had to rush anything.

It was nice for Nico to see that his godly part of the family wanted to see him, after all, and he should thoroughly enjoy that.

"Well, ok then. If you say so. But if there's anything that bothers you or if you change your mind, just tell me, yeah? I can talk to the others, it won't be a problem."

Considerate Jason as always.

But that was so not going to happen.

He was not going to force himself onto them. Ever.

"Yeah, thanks. Listen, let's get to bed, ok? Oh gods, I can't believe how normal this is by now. Is it sad that this is normal by now?" He asked, partly wanting a change of topic, partly genuinely wondering.

Jason chuckled, getting up.

"Well, I certainly think it's interesting and I wouldn't have thought we'd ever be at this point, but it only makes me wonder how things are going to turn out in the future."

Will chuckled.

"Well, let's see: Percy managed to get Nico, and he keeps us around. He practically moves into his cabin, and promptly lets us share their bed with them. It's Valentine's day, and he brings us along to their date. I would honestly not be surprised whatsoever if one day Percy came to us, crying about wanting to marry Nico, but finding out he can't have us as minor spouses or something, so we won't feel bad."

Jason gave out a small snort. "Oh gods, don't let him hear that, he'll get ideas. This is Percy we're talking about, after all. Seriously, I explained to him for like twenty minutes that he should just do his boyfriend-thing and push us out of the picture so he can be happy, and what is the first thing he says? 'Hey, Jason, how about we all do something together for Valentine's Day!'. I mean, can you believe it?"

"Yep, yep I can. I absolutely can. Again, this is Percy we're dealing with, Jason. The world's biggest dork. I've stopped trying to make sense of him ages ago."

They stood in front of the bathroom door, kind of enjoying the conversation and not wanting to let it drop, but at the same time knowing they were kind of finished in here and should get back to bed to sleep.

Jason smirked at him and Will noticed those damned extra inches the blonde had on him.

With Percy, it was already frustrating that he was a tiny tad taller than Will, even though it was barely noticeable.

But Jason…why was he so tall? Frustrating.

"Oh really? The last time we talked about him you still seemed fairly keen on trying to figure him out." Jason teased and Will made a face at him.

"Well, I was young and stupid back then, then. Now I've learned my lesson."

"What? Don't try to make sense of people that don't make sense?"

Will grinned.

"Yeah, pretty much."

Sadly, in that moment, he had to yawn, and Jason joined right in, looking tired.

"We should really get to bed."

"Yeah." Will agreed with a small nod and Jason held open the bathroom door for Will to go first.

Oh wow, what a gentleman.

Typical Jason.

"Thanks. It was nice talking to you for once, again. Been a while." He muttered as he trudged over to the bed, pinching Percy's side as he climbed over him to get to Nico's other side, making himself comfortable.

Jason chuckled quietly, following suite and then snuggling closer to him from behind, putting his arm around him as he usually did.

It was odd how they all always put their arms around everybody, but Jason would always put his arm solely around Will.

He wasn't sure whether it was intentional or not, or if he maybe was just doing it out of pity because of his nightmares, sleeping problems, Nico, or whatever, but Will kind of liked it, so he decided not to point it out until necessary.

Obliviousness was such a beautiful thing.

Who could have guessed Will would pick that trait up from Percy?

Percy was definitely bad influence.

"Yeah, I agree. We should talk more often. It's fun." Jason mumbled against the back of his ear and Will closed his eyes, trying to keep himself from shivering pleasantly.

Damn it, why were his ears always so sensitive?

"Definitely. Good night, Jace."

"Good night, Freckles." Jason uttered drowsily, apparently already half asleep.

Will bit his lip at the pet name.

Why 'Freckles'?

What was so special about his freckles, anyways?

Why had Will even permitted that pet name (well, he hadn't, but he hadn't said no and gave him indirect permission).

That didn't mean he liked it, though.

Will hesitated.

Hadn't he decided not to live in denial anymore?

Maybe this would be a good way to start.

Did he like the name?

Instantly, half of him wanted to scream 'Yes!', while the other half of him wanted to scream 'NO!' or 'Who cares!'.

He sighed to himself.

Alright, he might like it, but he didn't want Jason to know, so he wouldn't assume anything.

He didn't want Jason to assume anything, because there was nothing he could assume.

Wow, that was deep.

Will rolled his eyes at himself and snuggled back against Jason once he heard his breath evening out.

He'd just pick up on this inner monologue some other time.

Now, he should really just get to sleep.

Concentrating on what Clovis had taught him, he made himself comfortable, his arms around Nico and Percy, his back against Jason's nice, cool chest.

Then he willed himself into a dreamless sleep.


	12. Chapter 12: Cutting bandages

**A/N:** Moved my very long A/N to the end of the chapter. Love you all!

**Chapter 12: Cutting bandages, lazy Jason and neck nibbles**

"Percy, stop fidgeting around so much and go cut some more bandages." Will ordered and Percy huffed indignantly.

He hadn't even moved!

"Yes, Doctor Solace. Anything you wish." He grumbled, taking satisfaction in the way Will's ears turned red, his freckles glowing.

That guy really did like getting called 'Doctor'.

Kind of kinky.

Percy liked it.

"Good, then make sure to cut them all in the same size. Your last ones were terrible."

Ugh, he did not like the criticism, though.

"Can I help with something?" Jason asked quietly from next to Nico, currently just standing there watching, while Will and Nico buzzed from camper to camper, giving some ambrosia here, applying some bandages there.

As expected, after that little all-out war in the forest, campers had been pouring in the infirmary, and a day after, Will had been asked to come help out if possible, so the boys had tagged along.

What had started as a fun way to pass the time (and tease Will about the scrubs, just to get it back twice as bad in their pink help-out shirts) for one day, had stretched out over the next, and now, the one after that as well.

Tomorrow was Valentine's Day.

Percy wasn't sure how to feel about that.

He was really excited on one side, both about spending the day with the guys at the indoor water park, and about how Nico was going to react to the surprise (hopefully well. Percy knew swimming wasn't his all out favorite thing to do, but Nico had said a couple of times that he liked it. And it was bound to be tons of fun, especially with the other two around, as well).

Even though they still acted weird about it.

Was it really that bad that he wanted them along?

The thing was, he actually didn't want them along just so they could spend Valentine's Day with Nico, but because he wanted to spend time with them, too.

It just felt…right…to bring them along.

Maybe that meant he couldn't actually take Nico out on a real 'date', but he was certain it would still be tons of fun.

He could take Nico out on a date whenever he wanted.

Valentine's Day was only once a year.

Plus, this was a water park they were talking about! The more, the merrier!

"You could show Percy how to cut bandages evenly. Yours were nicely done."

Oh wow.

Percy glared over his shoulder towards Will, catching him grin at him mischievously, the mirth ever so evident in his bright blue eyes.

Percy's lips twitched, but he tried to keep his glare up.

This guy.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I can cut these just fine." He insisted, taking out another roll of white bandages, beginning his work on cutting them into somewhat even stripes, using one of his old one's as reference (Ok, it was one of Jason's, but MEH! At least HE wasn't tripping over his own two feet at least ten times a day in here!).

The others only chuckled and Percy glanced towards his boyfriend, working quietly on mixing a sort of grayish paste that he then applied to several oozing wounds on a camper's knee, looking utterly concentrated.

Jason sighed loudly and Percy looked towards him to see him walking over to him, wordlessly taking another roll of bandages as well and imitating Percy.

Hmpf. At least Percy looked better in the help-out shirt.

He grinned, eyeing Jason out of the corner of his eyes, only to see Jason giving him a pointed glance.

Percy's grin widened, knowing that Jason knew what he was thinking about.

Back when they had come here first to help out, they had maybe kind of hoped the thing with the pink shirts had been a joke, but as it turned out, it hadn't been.

And while Will's scrubs would have almost fit him (in Percy's opinion, they hadn't looked THAT bad on him. He had already seen worse running around here, though he preferred not to mention that, given that most of the helpers here were Will's siblings), there really hadn't been anything for Jason, so in the end they both had had to make do with the shirts, getting changed in the small 'staff room' together – which had earned them odd looks from Will and Nico, but neither Percy nor Jason had really minded.

Seriously, this was Jason, after all. They had done worse stuff together.

And they kind of snuggled up to each other at night while only wearing their boxer shorts, anyways, so it wasn't as if they could see anything they hadn't seen before.

Now, if it had been Nico in there with him, Percy might have been tempted to do more than just change clothes, but it hadn't been, so Percy hadn't exactly understood what the problem might have been.

Instead, they had joked around and teased each other relentlessly about the fit of the scrubs they had first tried on (Jason had looked utterly hilarious), then about the pink shirts, nudging and pushing each other around playfully, just to then show off proudly how well they looked in pink.

Actually, it wasn't that bad of a color, at least in Percy's opinion.

He had never really understood the whole 'pink is for girls, blue is for boys' issue in the first place, so he didn't mind running around in it, it was simply not one of his favorites, though he had to say he thought it suited him quite well.

Jason…well.

Jason didn't look _bad_ in pink, but the shirt was simply not Jason's style, making him look more comical than anything else, which had led to the first round of bickering, because Percy had almost rolled on the floor with laughter, while Jason had looked utterly offended (and rightfully so, of course).

Ever since then, they would keep trying to best each other and start bickering about their shirts over and over again (though all in good nature).

The first few times, Nico and Will had looked surprised and maybe even slightly worried, but by now, they ignored them whenever they started again.

"Don't even think about it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Percy retorted with a broad grin, but Jason wasn't fooled, eyeing him warily while continuing to cut his bandages without even looking, managing to cut them perfectly even and nice.

Show-off.

He mouthed the word at him, then looked down at his own handiwork, wondering faintly how he had ever managed to make anything for Nico's Advent Calendar whatsoever, given that this looked utterly horrid.

Will walked over to grab a few more to have them at the ready, so Percy hurriedly grabbed the silver tray with weird tools he didn't know and placed it on top of his sorry excuse for cut bandages, smiling innocently at Will, who only frowned slightly and took a bunch of Jason's before walking back to his place.

"You're pathetic." Jason muttered into his ear amused and Percy made a face at him.

"At least I fit my shirt." Percy grumbled back smugly, tugging on his shirt and puffing out his chest.

"I didn't hear you complaining about my clothes when you tried climbing into them." Jason deadpanned with a smug grin, cutting several bandages in one go, all of them perfect, of course.

Will and Nico both groaned. "Not again." "Guys…why…"

But they ignored them.

"That was different, those were just baggy. This is just straight out torture."

"At least pink suits me better than you."

"Does not. I look splendid in pink."

Jason snorted. "You wish. I look ten times better in pink."

"No, I do."

"I do."

"Of course. In your dreams, maybe!"

"Well, what do you do in your dreams, learning how to cut bandages?" Jason teased and Percy's mouth fell open.

That was a new low!

"My bandage cutting skills are awesome!"

"Sure, I'd almost believe that, if I didn't have to see the sorry results."

"You wanna go, Grace?"

"Percy, no!" Nico called over, half exasperated, half horrified.

"Bring it on, Jackson."

"Jason, don't." Will warned, but they weren't listening, instead glaring daggers at each other, their faces inches apart.

Then both hurried to get the table empty and grabbed three rolls of bandages each, putting them at the ready, standing on either side of the small table and sending each other provocative glances.

"Guys…" Nico tried once more, but then gave up when he realized they weren't paying attention.

"You'll go down, Grace."

"Yeah, after you're done I'll probably roll on the floor laughing."

They both growled at each other, then their hands snapped forward at the same time and they started.

Percy was so going to show him!

He could cut bandages perfectly fine, it was just a matter of concentration.

.

"Uh…where's Percy?" Will asked, looking around in question as the son of Poseidon was nowhere in sight.

He didn't exactly mind too much that he wasn't here, but the sudden silence was a tiny bit disturbing (also, Percy was like a little kid. When they were totally quiet, they were usually in the middle of doing something very _bad_).

"Sulking." Jason said, equally pleased as exasperated.

Will rolled his eyes. "Still? Man, did you have to run him into the ground like that?"

Jason had not only been more accurate with his cutting, he had also been at least twice as fast, which had annoyed Percy enough that he tried to rush it…yeah.

Will had still made a point of trying to take some of his…interestingly cut bandages…as well, but he also tried to keep them for the most minor things, and he knew Percy must have noticed.

Jason hesitated, looking over at him.

"I wouldn't have if he finally gave up on criticizing my looks in this shirt."

Will rolled his eyes as Jason turned his head away again.

Therefore that those two were ones of the oldest at camp, they really were horridly childish by times.

Giving Jason a once-over, he also couldn't see what Percy's problem was, anyways.

Jason actually looked pretty good in hot pink, it set a nice contrast to his skin and even though the cut might not have been optimal, it didn't make him look bad in any way.

It just didn't make him look as good as he could.

"You know, maybe he didn't mean it in the way of 'looking bad', but 'not looking as good as you could and it's the shirt's fault'." Will suggested after a moment of contemplation whether he really should.

Jason glanced around at him, raising an eyebrow.

"What?"

Will shrugged, sitting down next to him.

"Well, his main argument this entire time was the cut of the shirt, and we all know it's neither your size nor style. So maybe his problem isn't even your good looks, but the fact that he dislikes how the shirt doesn't bring out all your good features." He tried to explain, but then noticed it sounded like one big load of rubbish.

Jason only eyed him warily and didn't say anything for a moment.

"Yeah, I kind of doubt that. I think he's just trying to rub it in that he looks better."

Will just shrugged. "In my opinion, you two can't really compare to each other, because you both look good, but each in their own way. He can pull of things you can't and you can pull of things he can't. Just picture him in a baggy sweater, it just wouldn't suit him as well as it does you. Or mint green. Gods, that looked horrible on him." He mused, grinning to himself as he remembered Percy and Jason stuck in the same sweater.

That had been fun.

Will wondered if Nico would have done the same thing with him if he could fly.

"Oh? So you think I look good?" Jason asked suddenly, eyeing him curiously from the side and Will immediately scowled, opening his mouth to deny it.

But then he caught himself.

Hey, he had wanted to work on the denial issue!

Clearing his throat, he turned to give Jason a thorough once-over, schooling an indifferent expression as he started from the bottom and went up, ending with his face.

Jason was looking straight at him, one eyebrow raised, eyes full of surprise.

Ha! Bet he expected Will to straight out deny it and run for it or something!

Ok, how was Will going to reply now, then?

Alright, Jason looked hot, even in a deforming shirt, but that was something he didn't want to say out loud, and it had nothing to do with denial.

"Well, you could do worse, I suppose. So, where's Nico?"

There, he had said Jason didn't look bad.

He might have tried to switch the topic right after, but hey, he had done it.

Jason chuckled next to him, shoulders slumping slightly and Will noticed with a frown how they had tensed up when Jason had waited for his answer.

Hm, weird.

Maybe Percy's talk was getting to him and he had some sort of self-consciousness-issue?

In that case, maybe Will should nudge Percy a bit to get him to stop – or ask Nico to do it for him, that would probably be more effective.

"Comforting Percy, what else?"

Ah, he should have guessed.

He laughed, shaking his head to himself and leaning back against the wall.

"Must be nice to be young and in love. I hope Percy knows just how lucky he is. Better appreciate it."

Nico was not only an adorable sweetheart, he was also protective, considerate and caring beyond belief.

He hadn't laughed back when Percy had screamed bloody terror, flailing in Jason's arms and trying to crawl inside him or something (unlike Will, who couldn't have reigned himself in even if he had tried, sorry), and he never said anything negative about or to Percy, no matter how stupid or childish he was acting, same as he tried to never take anybody's side, letting them solve their play fights with each other by themselves, maybe asking an exasperated 'why' or 'can't you two just drop it', but never actually lecturing Percy (or them) and just waiting for them to finish.

Will knew of enough people who wouldn't be that open and accepting.

"Young and in love? And what are you? Old and lonely?" Jason asked with a raised eyebrow, leaning back against the wall behind them as well.

Will sneered. "Maybe? I can already feel the grey hairs coming, man. You guys are going to be the death of me."

They and their perfection.

Jason snorted and moved closer. "Oh really? I don't see anything like that." He said, emphasizing his statement with moving his fingers through Will's hair, apparently looking for gray hairs.

Will didn't like how that felt. It felt way too nice.

"Yeah, I'm lucky to have such light hair, you can't see them unless you know they're there. Percy is going to look funny when he gets old."

Jason chuckled, his hand still in Will's hair.

"If I were you, I wouldn't hope for it. This is Percy, after all, he'll probably make anything look good, even if it's gray hairs scattered across his head amidst his dark hair."

True that.

Will sighed. "Lucky bastard. So, what now? Are we going to wait for them here, go back to work and wait for them to show up there, or should we call it a day and go looking for them?"

Jason shrugged, tugging on one of Will's hairs. "Found one."

"What?" Will asked aghast, and tried to see.

He had gray hair?!

Jason chuckled. "Just joking. It's just straighter than the rest, that's all. No, it's not gray."

Will let out a long breath, falling back against the wall again.

Thank the gods.

"For a second, you had me, Jace. Ugh…" He closed his eyes, putting his hand where Jason had just had his, trying to feel out that 'straight' hair.

Must be the only straight thing about him.

"Nah, you still have a long way to go until then. Come on, Freckles, let's go." Jason said, getting up and holding out his hand to pull Will up.

Will grabbed it instinctively, a little jolt rushing through him at the touch, but he was used to that by now.

It happened sometimes when he touched Jason, probably because he was the child of Jupiter, he guessed.

"Alright, I guess the break is over. So, do we go or do we stay?" He asked, wondering faintly whether he could make a run for it now.

They had helped most of the day, after all, and this was the third day after their play war, so most of the campers were already taken care of, and the ones that still needed treatment came from the arena (that Ares kid was fast improving).

"Stay. I don't really want to know what those two are doing, so I definitely don't want to go looking for them."

"Knowing them, they're sitting together in a secluded place and Percy cries about why you're better than him and how life is so unfair, while Nico just sits next to him, patting his back and telling him he has enough other things he's great at, he doesn't need to master bandage-cutting as well, everybody has to have a weakness, yada yada." Will said dismissively as they made their way around the building.

Yeah, they could have taken the easy and much shorter way to the left and around the corner, but with neither of them in any hurry and Will still debating whether he really wanted to stay here all day, Jason followed him without a word as he walked right, to go around the entire building once before getting to the entrance.

They had just made their way around the second corner, when both of them stopped to stare at Nico and Percy, sitting next to each other on the ground, Nico's hand on Percy's back, patting him reassuringly.

"Come on, now, Percy, drop it. It's not like you can excel at everything. Everybody has to have something they aren't good at. Let's go back inside before they miss us." Nico said soothingly and Jason and Will shared a long glance, stepping back around the corner as quickly and quietly as possible before those two noticed them.

"You're good." Jason muttered, a hint of appreciation in his voice.

Will grinned smugly. "Just good? Man, I'm awesome!"

"Sure you are, Freckles."

They grinned at each other, then made their way back to the entrance and inside, five minutes earlier than Percy and Nico, though they acted as if they had been waiting for them for forever, teasing and laughing and joking.

Every now and then, Jason and Will would share a knowing and/or amused glance, and Will realized he was really, really glad Jason was back.

Of course, he had been happy before about his return.

But now, it just felt so right and he realized just how badly he had missed this, these glances, their private talks and jokes, the way they could pass each other's time whenever Nico and Percy got all lovey-dovey again.

And he was really, really happy that Jason and he were back to that, gone with the stupid silence and what had almost felt like awkwardness between them.

In his opinion, things could stay like this forever, he completely wouldn't mind.

It felt nice.

.

"Is there a reason why you assigned me for all the cleaning and duties nobody wants to do?" Jason asked sourly as he eyed the paper Percy had given him, the one where he had written down everything they had settled on for the pirate-ship the night they had thought of it.

Somehow, Jason had the feeling they either trusted him to keep the ship clean the most, or they hoped he'd be nice enough to do it for them, anyways.

He wasn't very fond of either option.

Percy looked over his shoulder at the paper sheepishly.

"Oops, well, I guess we were a bit tired. Here, how about I take over the look-out post?"

The look-out had been the only thing Jason actually liked.

"No way, Percy, I clearly remember you fighting for that spot and me telling you to at least give that to Jason. You're not taking that from him." Nico chided next to him, glancing down at the paper as well.

Will only huffed out an indignant breath, probably because he didn't have much variation, either, his main job being the treating of the wounded – which preferably wouldn't happen in the first place.

"How about you first get a ship and then we can divide the cleaning duty equally so that each of us has to do it at some point." He suggested amiably, but Percy only made a face.

"Or you do it for us. I am certain you'd at least get the ship spotless clean. Just look at your cabin. Mine…not so much."

"Percy, you can't have Jason do all the cleaning." Nico said pointedly from Percy's other side.

"Aw, alright. We'll divide cleaning duty. Anyone else have any complaints?"

Will opened his mouth, but Percy sent him a wry look. "Except you, sun-bug. You lost the right to complain when you threw my bandages away. They were _perfect_."

Will groaned, burying his face in his hands and rubbing his temples exasperated.

Poor guy.

He had almost managed to throw them away unnoticed, but right when they had fallen into the bin, Percy had just had to turn around once more.

"Come on, Perce, don't be so mean. You said yourself that they were your worst pile yet. Also, I wouldn't want to get on the bad side of the only medic on the ship, but that might just be me." Jason put in with a noncommittal shrug.

Will's lips twitched and he sent Jason an appreciative look, eyes gleaming.

Well, maybe Jason should side with him more often.

"Ah, well, alright, you have a point. Ok, let me try to work this over, yeah?" Percy gave in with a sigh, taking the paper from Jason and grabbing a pen out of Nico's bedside table, or at least trying to.

Said bedside table was so full of condoms, though, that Percy first had to rummage through it for a solid minute, while Nico just blushed furiously and excused himself to disappear in the bathroom.

Yeah, by now, Jason was fairly sure he knew exactly what Nico wanted to do tomorrow night, given that he had asked Will and Jason to stay at their own cabins.

He only hoped Percy knew as well.

Jason had considered mentioning something in passing, but he wouldn't be surprised if that just made things worse, with Percy panicking or something.

So he could only wait and see.

Unless Will had mercy on him, that was.

Glancing towards Will, they shared a mute glance that showed him Will was thinking about the same thing, sending Percy an assessing look.

Then he scratched the side of his neck distractedly, staring off into space with a contemplative expression.

It was interesting to watch Will.

He always had this wide variety of emotions plainly visible on his face, if one only knew where to look.

It was similar to Nico, yet completely different.

Nico was adorable, acting all brooding and quiet when he was an angel at heart, and his expression was usually schooled to be indifferent and cool – but all it took was a look into his eyes and one could tell exactly how Nico truly felt.

His eyes truly were a mirror to his soul.

Will however, was the same in the completely opposite way.

He had those joyous, happy vibes just bouncing off him, making him instantly likable to anybody and leading people to assume he was the happy go lucky kid and all sunshine and what not.

It was like a different sort of mask.

Just that with him, his eyes were also a part of that, always bright and full of life and joy, unless something really, really got him down, then even that faded, but Jason had only seen that a very few times so far, so there was that.

Will was a very good actor, too, making it even more difficult to tell how he truly felt.

The trick was to look closer.

If one knew Will, and knew his mask, then one could instantly tell what was real and what wasn't.

It was the small things.

A light twitch of his nose in disapproval, the narrowing of his eyes by the merest inch to show he accepted whatever challenge he had heard or show he had picked up on the meaning of what was being said, the lightest frown possible at something that made no sense whatsoever though he didn't want to admit it, a purse of his lips when the conversation turned to a touchy subject.

A contemplative finger to his lips when he had to think hard on how to respond do something, a hand scratching the side of his neck awkwardly when he was getting either flustered or nervous, the uncertain tugging on his own hair when he didn't know what to do or how to react.

The glowing of his freckles when he got complimented and wasn't expecting it, the light hint of pink on the corners of his ears when he tried to flirt, giving away just how much he really meant it.

The way he fidgeted, shifting in his seat and avoided eye contact when he tried to run from the conversation, the way his whole face would turn stern when he chided himself inwardly and pushed aside whatever had been at the front of his mind.

Will could hide all those things from people that didn't know him, that didn't take the time to get to know him.

But Jason knew – and he was glad about it.

Jason was glad he knew him, knew those signs - and he enjoyed watching Will, enjoyed putting all those little things together and feeling as if he understood Will at least a little bit better.

Feeling as if he knew the real Will under the carefree, joyous mask at least a little bit.

Jason smiled to himself, wondering why he was even thinking of this right now, then glanced towards Percy for comparison.

But yeah, Percy was Percy, and Jason didn't even try to see through him.

That was mainly because Percy was so oblivious to his own feelings most of the time that it was nearly impossible to make sense of his reasoning, unless one had the chance to know enough background information to guess.

Though it was fun to watch his face as well, given that Percy was absolutely open with his real emotions, unlike Will and Nico.

Will sighed and Jason's eyes hushed back to him, studying his expression to gauge what conclusion he had come to.

But Will only shook his head and smiled, patting Percy hard on the back.

"What?" Percy asked, looking confused, but Jason and Will merely chuckled.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking you're a real piece of work. Don't you think so, Jason?"

"Absolutely, Freckles."

"What? Did I miss something? What?" Percy asked perplexed, looking between them with genuine confusion.

They shared another glance and laughed.

"Nah, it's nothing. Just looking forward to tomorrow." Will chirped with a shrug, then they heard the bathroom door opening and Nico coming back, looking calmed down – and kind of tired.

Yeah, true, it was somewhat late already.

Percy only frowned at them, then shrugged it off and concentrated back on his re-do of their task allocation.

Will patted him once more, still smiling to himself, then got up to excuse himself to get changed first.

Jason wondered faintly what order they'd have tonight.

Will and Nico were usually the ones in the middle, so it was usually just a matter of whether Percy wanted to sleep next to his boyfriend and leave Will to Jason, or whether he was having some sort of possessive streak again and keep to Will instead, sending Jason warning glares as if Jason had done or tried to do something incredulous and he wasn't going to let him get away with it.

Jason had long stopped trying to make sense of his reasoning, though he did wonder faintly how things might be like right now if he hadn't told Percy of his interest in Will.

But at the same time, he didn't regret it.

Percy was close to Will, much closer than he used to be, and much closer than he should be, considering he was dating Nico.

And while Jason wasn't exactly jealous, he wanted Percy to understand that Will was still single, that somebody could actually be interested in him, that Will might even find himself somebody else he might like, and that Percy would have to sit by idly and watch, unable to change or prevent or do anything, since he had no right to interfere.

It was a double-edged sword, though, given that it could backfire.

But Jason put his trust in Percy's undying love for Nico, and there was that.

None of them would ever want to hurt Nico.

"You know what, forget it. I have decided: We are going to just get ourselves a ship and assign the duties as they come." Percy suddenly declared, crumpling his paper together and tossing it into the bin frustrated.

Jason chuckled, absolutely not surprised by that turn of events.

"I'm sure we'll be able to think of something until then, Perce. I think we should make a list of where we want to go, though. Just so we don't forget when the time comes."

"Venice." Percy said instantly, making Nico look around surprised as he sat down next to them.

"Why Venice?"

Percy looked around at him surprised.

"I promised I'd take you there. Remember? Well, I said I'd definitely take you there if it ever snows there, but I think I'd like to go there at any rate, no matter if there's snow or not."

True, Jason remembered Percy saying something like that back when Nico had received that snow globe with Venice in it.

"Did you buy that or did you make it yourself?" He found himself asking, glancing towards the window sill where the flower and the snow globe sat at all times.

Percy laughed, getting up to bring it over to them so they could take another look at it.

"Oh, that's mean, Jason, making me spill all my secrets. It was half bought, half made, actually. They wouldn't sell any snow globes of Venice, but they had some of those small models of Venice, so I got one of the nicest looking ones that even I could identify as Venice, then got myself a make-your-own-snow-globe kit. Needless to say, it looked horrible, so I took it to Leo, who exchanged a few parts and made it look a bit more…professional. It was one of the things I was most apprehensive about, since I knew it was a touchy subject, but I hoped the meaning behind it would be somewhat clear…" He let his voice trail off and Jason watched him glance towards Nico uncertainly, but the Italian only smiled up at him softly, taking the snow globe from him and giving it a good shake.

"I admit I wasn't too sure how to feel about it at first, but I understood what you meant to say, Percy. And then I really liked it. Thanks, Percy." He whispered, giving Percy a kiss on the cheek, that made Percy stick out his bottom lip and shift closer, hoping for a real kiss.

Jason rolled his eyes amused as Nico chuckled and leaned forward, claiming his lips.

Those two.

He watched as Percy took the snow globe from Nico, putting it down on the bed between himself and Jason so he had his hands free to put them on Nico's body, deepening their kiss as Nico let himself fall back onto the bed.

Seriously, those two!

Shaking his head to himself, he picked up the snow globe, studying it curiously.

He would have never had such an idea.

Then again, he wasn't exactly interested in snow globes and figures whatsoever, so it wasn't all that surprising that this would have never crossed his mind.

He shook is tentatively, then glanced back at Percy and Nico, who were muttering something against each other's lips and kissing some more.

Jason wasn't exactly worried.

The first time they had done this, he had worried they'd forget about Will and him being here, but Will had just shrugged at his alarmed gaze and a moment later, those two had stopped again, looking a bit flustered and disheveled, but other wisely fine.

They never took it further than kissing (and the occasional grope on Nico's butt), so at least Jason wasn't contemplating running from the cabin anymore to give them the privacy they obviously wanted/needed.

Instead, he leaned over to put the snow globe down on the bedside table and let himself fall back onto the mattress, putting an arm over his eyes and wondering when Will would finally be done in the bathroom.

Then again, once he was back, it was probably Jason's turn to get changed, and he had absolutely no ambition right now to get up.

Percy chuckled next to him and Jason felt the shift of bodies, indicating that they had stopped making out and Percy had rolled over, poking Jason in the side amused.

"You look tired. Did the cutting of the bandages really wear you out this much?"

That guy.

"At least _I_ can cut bandages."

"Hey!"

Nico groaned next to them and Jason grinned.

"Nah, just joking, Perce."

"Yeah, yeah."

He moved his arm to glance at Percy, who had his bottom lip pushed out in a pout and was looking down at his hands.

Such a kid.

"Aw, come on, Perce. Fine, your bandages weren't half bad. Let's just say they were _special_ bandages and humans simply aren't advanced enough yet to make use of them. Better?" He offered and held out a lazy hand in truce.

Percy glanced at him, then away again, not believing a word, but then glanced back at him again, looking at his hand with a suspicious expression.

Then he sighed and took it with a slight twitch of his lips.

"Alright. I suppose you don't look all that bad in pink, either." He grumbled and they grinned at each other.

"You're such dorks." Nico commented drily, looking over Percy's shoulder down at Jason, who only winked at him.

"Hey, don't you start flirting with my Nico, too, Jason! Will is already doing that way too much as it is."

"Percy, everybody flirts with Nico if they get the chance. He's too irresistible." Will stated as he exited the bathroom, grinning as Percy started complaining.

Jason chuckled and tried to force himself off the bed, though he was too reluctant to go.

It wasn't as if he was especially tired, he just couldn't be bothered getting up right now, really.

Percy seemed to notice, grinning down at him cockily.

"Somebody seems comfortable. And lazy."

"Hush, I'm allowed to be lazy." It had been so long since he had just laid back and done nothing, too.

Kind of nice.

He should do it more often.

Oh my, was his lazy streak coming back?

He thought he had conquered that ages ago, what with all the responsibilities that needed his attention.

Ugh, another reason not to get up.

Yeah, he was just going to keep lying here.

"Yeah, but not when you're holding everything up. We want to go to bed, can't do that if you're: 1. lying on it like this and 2. won't get ready for bed. So shoo with you." Percy chided, flicking Jason's cheek lightly, but he only groaned and put his arm over his face again.

"No." He stated flatly.

"What?"

"No. I can't be bothered getting up right now. Go get changed first or something. I'm not moving."

"This is Nico's bed!" Percy said incredulously.

Jason only gave a lazy half-shrug. "So?"

"Whoa, who'd have known _Jason_ could be like this? I'm astounded. Jason, you have just changed my entire view of you." Will said with a hint of awe and Jason moved his arm an inch or so to glance at him, seeing him standing at the foot of the bed and looking at him with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, you'd be surprised, Freckles." He said with a wink and found the tips of Will's ears turning red.

"Don't tell me you're going through another one of your 'lazy streaks' right now, Jason, I swear, this is not the time for that." Percy said in a warning tone and Jason minimally turned his head to look at him.

"Excuse you, but how would you know?"

"Man, I had to spend ages with you on that ship. Oh, and Piper might have mentioned something."

That guy.

Should Jason worry about why Percy had apparently chatted with Piper about him?

Nah, let him have his fun.

Oh damn, yes, his lazy streak was coming back…scratch that, it was already there.

He should move for as long as he still knew he was capable of doing so.

Yeah…now…oh...hmm...never mind.

Instead of getting up or doing anything other wisely indicating any form of action, he merely huffed and moved his arm back those few inches to cover his eyes once more.

"Okay then. Night."

"Jason!"

"Guess we're sleeping sideways tonight." Will stated drily, apparently unfazed.

"Will, don't encourage him. Get him to go get changed."

"Why me? Do it yourself."

"What? I wouldn't know how. Piper always failed. You are the one who always says he can do anything."

"Guys, leave him alone." Nico muttered quietly.

It was kind of amusing to listen to them.

He grinned to himself, knowing they could see it, but not caring all the same.

"Look at that smug grin. Are you really going to let that pass?" Percy asked, apparently trying to appeal to Will's self-honor or something.

Hm, how high were the chances of Will actually acting on it?

"It's not really any of my business what Jason grins about, really." Will replied drily and Jason could almost feel the frown on the blonde's face, though he didn't bother checking whether he was right.

"Well, I'm making it your business, then. Come on, we can't let this pass. How are we going to sleep?"

"You could always use one of the other bunks, Percy, I won't stop you." Will offered.

"Or do you think you can't do it? Is that why you won't even try?" Percy teased, ignoring Will's remark.

For a moment, there was silence.

"I could. But why should I? What's in it for me?" Will asked curiously.

Jason didn't like the sound of that.

"What do you mean with 'you could'? That you could try, or that you think you could make him get up?"

"I could get him up." Will replied calmly, and Jason could hear the certainty in his voice.

Oh really?

And how did he think he was going to accomplish that?

Part of him wanted to get up to stop this from escalating, but the other part of him (a considerably bigger part, sadly) didn't want to do anything at all, now more than ever.

His interest was piqued.

Just what was Will thinking he'd do?

"Oh really?" Percy asked, as doubting as Jason was, though Jason didn't say anything.

"Yeah. But you still haven't told me why I should."

"You seriously think you can do it? Piper told me she tried everything, from seducing him to threatening him, nothing would work. I really want to see how you think you'd do that."

Ok, what the hell had his ex-girlfriend told Percy?

Seducing was a bit much…oh, well, thinking back, that _might_ have been what she had been trying to do.

Oh well.

"If you think it's so impossible to do, why did you ask me to do it in the first place?" Will asked, sounding annoyed.

"I don't think it's impossible. I'm simply surprised by your apparent confidence. You know what, you got me curious. I really want to see whether you can pull it off."

"Guys, seriously…" Nico muttered quietly, sounding uncomfortable.

"It's ok, Nico. Let them fool around. In the end, it has to be me to move, and I won't move unless I can be bothered. They can talk and boast and do all they want." Jason said quietly, sighing to himself and relaxing into the mattress some more.

For a moment, there was silence.

"Will, if you get him out of that bed, you'll be my hero. I'll tell everybody you're awesome and the best doctor I ever met." Percy declared resolutely and Jason inwardly wondered whether that was really going to work.

"Deal." Will instantly replied, and Jason had the impression he hadn't even really listened to Percy at all.

"Don't you think you're overdoing it a bit, guys? I mean, everyone is allowed to be lazy sometimes. And Jason is always the one who puts everybody else before himself, always the one who puts himself last and takes care of everybody and everything. I think it's nice to see him so laid-back and relaxed for once." Nico said quietly, and Jason could hear the honesty in his words.

Of course Nico was going to say that.

Jason smiled to himself, realizing once more just how adorable Nico was.

"Yeah, same. It's nice to see he's actually human like the rest of us and capable of doing whatever he wants for once. Still, a deal is a deal, and he kind of made me curious. So, yeah, there's no going back now." Will stated flatly.

"Well, have fun trying." Jason mumbled unfazed, unable to think of anything Will could or would do that would motivate him to get up.

He guessed Will was going to lose this bet.

"Oh, I will." Will said, and it sounded more like a promise than a threat.

"Now, Percy, get lost. Take a shower with Nico or something."

"Huh? No way. I want to watch. Got to make sure you aren't cheating, after all."

"Cheating how?" Will asked incredulously, sounding offended at the mere idea he could cheat.

Seriously, Will might be a good actor and sometimes he won games with such crazy moves it seemed he cheated, but Jason had never actually caught him cheating, and the boy hated lying like nothing else, so he highly doubted that was going to be a problem.

Plus, Jason had no intention of helping him whatsoever, so there wasn't even a way for Will to cheat.

"I don't know. But I'm not leaving you alone with him."

Was that because he didn't trust Will not to cheat, or was that because he didn't trust Jason not to use the time to do…whatever Percy expected him to do.

He wasn't too sure what that was, after all.

Jason had told him he wasn't going to make a move on Will or anything, and he sure as hell wasn't going to ask him out.

Seriously, he had merely stated he was _interested_ in him.

That meant he saw Will as a possible partner at some point in the future and might or might not want to get to know him better to see whether they could actually be a thing or not.

It did _not_ mean he wanted to ravish Will on the spot and drag him off to his cabin or do anything of the sort.

"What are you worried about? That he'll succeed? I thought that's what you wanted, Percy. Anyways, get going. I am curious to see what Will comes up with."

Percy let out a long breath.

"Come on, Percy. Let's leave them alone for a bit. Will, be nice to him. Jason, I'm really sorry." Nico mumbled apologetically.

"Don't worry, Neeks. I'm good. Enjoy your shower."

"Fine. See you in a bit, guys. Behave while we're gone." Percy grumbled and Jason could feel them getting off the bed.

"It's not like I'll resort to Piper's dubious methods. I know better than to threaten Jason, and for the seducing part…yeah, no, thanks."

Hey, what was that supposed to mean?

He didn't bother asking, of course.

Jason knew Will had no interest in him whatsoever.

He couldn't blame him, either.

Will seemed to have a thing for dark-haired, oblivious dorks, after all.

Oh well, such was life.

Jason apparently only got romantically interested in people that could never be his.

Percy grumbled something under his breath that he couldn't understand, then Jason heard him leaving with Nico, hearing the bathroom door shut closed a moment later.

So, let's see what Will would come up wi – Jason groaned as something heavy dropped down on top of him unexpectedly.

"So, Percy wants you out of bed. Want to tell me how to achieve that or do I have to go about it the long way?" Will asked nonplussed, his voice right above him – and Jason realized with a jot that _Will_ was the something that had flopped onto him.

He moved his arm to look up at him surprised, feeling Will shift slightly to get more comfortable, his legs pushing Jason's apart slightly.

Alright, Jason knew they snuggled up to each other at night and all, and they got pretty close, but wasn't this a tiny bit too close?

Will, however, seemed utterly unfazed, staring down at him with his bright blue eyes.

Jason gazed back at him for a long moment.

Was he going to let this get to him?

He shrugged and put his arm back over his eyes, wrapping the other one loosely around Will.

No, no he wasn't.

"Well, I guess that means the long way, then." Will muttered unimpressed, but didn't move or anything, also not trying to move Jason's arm, so he just left it there.

Will's warmth started seeping through Jason's clothes slowly but surely, tingling his skin, and he became hyper aware of Will's body on top of his.

He knew how Will looked, knew how he felt with either front or back pressed against Jason from the side, but this was different.

This was much closer, because with him lying on top of him, there was not even an inch of space between them.

Jason could feel his whole weight, could feel the beat of his heart against his own chest, could feel every single rib (which was odd - Will should eat more), could feel his hip bones against his skin.

This was much, much closer than lying next to each other side by side.

And Jason's arm around him wasn't helping things, either.

Will hummed thoughtfully on top of him, something that Jason could actually _feel_, not just hear.

Jason pursed his lips.

"Piper tried it all, you know. I simply can't be bothered. She would have had to use her charm-speak, and she couldn't make herself do that, so in the end, she just left me to it. If she couldn't do it, what makes you think you can?" He asked quietly, more to have something else to concentrate on than Will on top of him, than to actually have a conversation with him.

"Everybody has something that motivates them. I just have to find out what it was. If she couldn't do it, she wasn't trying hard enough."

"What makes you think it'll be something you can give?" Jason asked with a raised eyebrow, moving his arm just enough to glance up at Will out of one eye.

Will had put his elbows on Jason's chest and had his chin in his hands, staring at the wall behind them thoughtfully.

He was lucky to be so light. If it had been Percy, it probably would have hurt, and then Jason would have thrown him off.

Since it didn't hurt, and wasn't even uncomfortable, he let it pass.

"It better be something I can give. You're going to have to get up, sorry."

"Nope." Jason replied nonplussed, letting out a sigh and closing his eyes again, shifting under Will to get more comfortable.

"Then I'll simply have to smother you with my heat." Will declared, but Jason merely shrugged.

"Sure, go ahead. I don't like being cool, anyways."

"I'll tickle you."

"That will just make me want to get up even less, so you'll have to keep doing it until I pass out or something, in which case I definitely won't get up anymore."

"You're impossible." Will snorted, and Jason thought it almost sounded like a compliment.

"Thanks for noticing." He chirped amused, grinning to himself, though he knew Will could see.

Will shifted, rubbing his chest against Jason's as he put his elbows to the left and right of him now.

Jason half wished he wasn't wearing his pullover anymore, he was kind of curious how Will's skin would feel against his own right now.

"There has to be something to persuade you. I'll figure it out, you just wait."

Jason smiled, patting Will's lower back.

"It's ok. I'm sure you will. One day. Eventually. Maybe. Ok, probably not."

"Blah. Are you seriously going to let Percy one-up me? What if I say pretty, pretty please?"

"You shouldn't have agreed to it, then."

"Alright, guilt doesn't work. How about this: If you get up, I'll…erm…I'll give you a massage."

Jason raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "No, thanks, I think I'm good."

"I give good massages, though. Nico can tell you."

Nico had. He had also told Jason that Will and Percy had made fun of some weird spot on his foot, though he hadn't elaborated why exactly they had made fun of it, nor what it had done.

Still, it sounded like something he didn't want Will to try on him, so that only strengthened his refusal.

"Yeah, no, thanks. Maybe some other time." He stated firmly and found Will pouting down at him.

"Meh, alright then, your loss. Hmm…if you get up, I'll…I'll…I'll get off you." He said it so smugly, too.

Kind of cute.

But nope, that wasn't going to work.

"Oh, you can stay there, I don't mind." Jason shrugged, tightening his hold on Will.

Will started rattling down various options, ranging from things like bringing him something to drink, to things like helping him undress (something Jason could only frown about), to things like helping him taking out the statue of his father out of the Zeus' cabin (which actually tempted Jason, but he was fairly certain it was a joke – and he highly doubted Zeus would approve).

"Ok, this is it. I'm going to bite you." Will exclaimed at last, and Jason raised his eyebrows at the blonde, noting how he looked both frustrated and desperate.

He really wanted to get to him, huh?

"If it makes you happy."

"You know what." Will said, not a question, but half a threat, his expression dark.

Then he leaned down and _actually bit the side of his neck_.

It didn't hurt, and he didn't bite down hard, but it still sent a jolt right through Jason, the sudden feeling of Will's teeth on his neck as nice as it was disturbing.

He could barely suppress a huff, though his grip on Will tightened for the fraction of a moment -he hoped he'd be able to play that off as surprise.

Schooling an indifferent expression, he tilted his head to the side, wordlessly offering him more skin to attack if he so wished.

Will had pulled back for a moment, making a frustrated noise and giving him the evil eye, then he bit him again, this time a tad harder, making his way down the side of his neck, trying to get some sort of reaction out of him.

Jason had to work hard to keep his expression indifferent.

Damn, why his neck, though?

It was kind of a weak spot for him.

But he definitely didn't need Will to know that.

He tried to stare off into space disinterested, but Will seemed to get annoyed with his lack of attention, biting down hard on the spot between his neck and shoulder.

Oh gods.

Jason shivered, eyes fluttering shut as the faintest huff left his lips in a moment of weakness.

Ah, well, oops.

Will stilled for a moment, his hand moving towards Jason's arm, wrapping around it cautiously as he bit down on the same spot again, this time swiping his tongue over it a second later.

Jason's jaw clenched as he tried to suppress another shiver, not to mention the groan that badly wanted to escape him.

Will pulled back, looking down at him partly surprised, partly dumbfounded.

"You LIKE that!" He exclaimed indignantly, sounding almost offended.

Jason blinked slowly at him.

Great. So much about 'not letting him now'.

Oh well, he guessed there wasn't exactly any point in denying it now, though.

Alright, he admitted it, he had a fairly sensitive neck.

That was part of the reason why Nico's neck-nibble dare had gotten to him so much, after all.

He was surprised Will hadn't actually figured that out before now, anyways.

"Yeah, so?"

Will stared down at him, apparently surprised and thrown off course by the unexpected honesty.

His hand was still on Jason's arm, gripping him as if he was trying to measure his pulse.

Maybe he was.

Will sat up straight, right on Jason's lap, gazing down at Jason with a thoughtful, contemplating expression on his face.

Then he smiled. "I didn't know you had a thing for that. Interesting."

Jason merely shrugged. "It's not exactly a secret, so I don't care."

"You don't care that I know, or you wouldn't care if I continued?"

Jason shrugged. "Both. If that's what you want, go ahead. I don't mind." He said calmly, though his heart was beating at least a hundred miles an hour, his insides churning and his mind spinning.

Will stared down at him for another long moment, then he shook his head.

"Can anybody believe this guy?" He muttered under his breath, barely audible, but given their proximity and the silence in the room, Jason could hear him just fine.

Then Will's face lit up with realization.

"Oh! That's why you reacted so nicely to Nico's neck-nibble dare!"

Well, that was out there, now.

Jason just shrugged, moving his arm back to cover his face, but Will grabbed it, moving it aside and holding it there, gazing down at him smugly.

"I'm surprised. I didn't think it would be that simple to get to you."

Jason's heart was beating even faster now, mainly because Will's face was very, very, very much too close.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You didn't get to me at all." He said quietly, hoping his voice sounded calm enough, though he wouldn't be surprised to find Will actually hearing his rapid and unnaturally loud heartbeat.

"Oh, I got to you, alright." Will said, utterly convinced.

And the next moment, the bucked his hips into Jason's groin and he flinched, gasping before he could stop himself.

Oh, _gods darn it_!

He hadn't even grown THAT hard!

Will shouldn't even have been able to tell through his thick jeans (plus, he hadn't been sitting on _that_ part of him, anyways, but slightly beneath. Whether that had been intentional or not Jason didn't know, but he had been glad for it up to this point).

Will chuckled, a low and raw sound, sounding almost dangerous and sending a shiver down Jason's spine.

He just _had_ to make a fool of himself right there.

Somebody please kill him now and throw his remains off the Grand Canyon or something so he could rest in peace.

"So, what was that, about me not getting to you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jason insisted, avoiding to meet Will's eyes.

He knew Will could clearly tell he was lying, of course, but he found that much easier to deal with than actually admitting to it.

But Will only chuckled again and looked down at him almost curiously.

"Is it the neck or the biting?"

Oh, he hadn't figured that out?

Shame on Will, Jason would have expected better.

Hm, maybe he could use that to his advantage, though.

It really wasn't a secret, after all.

If anybody asked Piper (or him himself, for that matter), that would be one of the first things they'd find out about him.

"What makes you think I'll tell you?" He asked, trying to calm his racing heart and insides.

"Humor me." Will just shrugged.

Jason contemplated that for a moment.

"How about you tell me something of yours? Then it's like a trade."

He doubted Will would go for it, but it was worth a shot at any rate.

Will's lips twitched. "Fair enough." He agreed instantly, causing Jason to raise an eyebrow.

Well, ok, that was a surprise.

Then again, Will seemed fairly straight forward and chilled when it came to anything sexual (given that he had given Percy advice on how to prepare Nico, where Nico's good spots were and taught him how to deep-throat – something Jason still couldn't believe had actually happened in real life).

Will leaned back slightly, crossing his arms and looking off into space thoughtfully, apparently thinking of what to tell Jason.

This was going to be interesting.

"I like it loud." He then said with a shrug, looking down at Jason expectantly, utterly unfazed by the piece of information he had just given out.

Jason blinked, finding himself wondering instantly whether that meant _Will_ was loud or whether he wanted _his partner_ to be loud.

But he couldn't exactly ask that, so he only nodded.

"Alright. Neck."

"Thought so. So, are you getting up by any chance? Or will I really have to live with Percy telling me I couldn't do it?"

Jason chuckled.

Actually, he had kind of forgotten this was just about him getting up or not getting up.

It was kind of funny to see how far Will had actually gone just for something small like that.

Not to mention what an unexpected turn this all had taken, given their little information trade just now.

Oh well, he guessed Will had given it his best shot.

"Fine, I'll get up."

Will grinned smugly, apparently pleased with himself for succeeding, no matter what it had cost to get there.

Jason decided to remember that for later.

As Will climbed off him and he sat up he sighed, stretching his back and fixing his clothes.

"You know, you could have always used up your free wish."

"No way. That neck-biting did the job just fine, after all. I'm going to use that wish for something really big."

"Yeah, like what?" Jason asked curiously, gallantly ignoring Will's other remark.

"You'll see. No questions asked, remember?"

Jason sighed, but let it slide.

It sounded as if Will didn't even know what he wanted yet, either, so there was no point in prying.

He guessed he'd find out soon enough.

Jason wondered for a moment what he'd do with his wish.

He had a few ideas, but none of them would really be worth wasting such a nice opportunity on.

Then again, he didn't exactly want to go too overboard with it, either.

Oh well, they had time.

They heard the bathroom door open right when Jason contemplated going over there to knock and ask how much longer they were going to take.

"So, how are things go- no way! How did you do it, Will? Come on, you cheated, you must have. What did you two agree on? I bet you made some sort of evil deal or something." Percy exclaimed, coming over from the bathroom in his dark blue boxer shorts with dripping wet hair, Nico right on his heel, rolling his eyes in exasperation, though everything else about him seemed pleased and relaxed, so they had had a good shower, at least.

"Nope, he fought hard and valiantly and has earned my surrender in a fair fight." Jason told him seriously and Will chuckled, puffing out his chest.

"See? Told you I'm awesome."

Percy looked unimpressed from one to the other, then sighed.

"Fine, good job, Will. So, how did you do it?"

"Secret." Both of them said instantly and glanced at each other with a smirk.

Good that Will apparently didn't want Percy to know, either.

Percy made a face. "Seriously? That's mean! How am I supposed to know what to do the next time he does that, then?"

They both shrugged exaggeratedly, putting on innocent expressions.

There was no way in hell Jason was going to let Percy anywhere close to his neck.

And if Will told him, Jason was going to kill him.

Well, maybe not kill him, but do something really mean at any rate.

Percy rolled his eyes and opened his mouth as if to say something else, but then shook his head and waved off.

"Alright, I guess you win, Will. I stand to my word. I take my hat off to you…now off to bed. Jason, hurry up changing." Percy declared, making a shooing motion and tugging Nico over to the bed, still looking upset that they didn't tell him how Will had won Jason's surrender.

Jason only grinned, sharing a last glance with Will, who was shaking his head with a small smile, letting Percy drag him over to the bed as well, muttering something under his breath that nobody could understand.

Then he left for the bathroom to get ready for bed as well.

Seriously, that had been unexpected.

But…kind of nice, all the same.

Kind of a pity that they didn't have a chance.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey Cupcakes!  
Yes, Blue (the baby bird) is doing great, sorry I didn't write that the last time, I was too tired to think straight, I fear.  
She's still living with us for now, because at first she didn't want to go outside at all (hopped back up my arm to my shoulder and bit my ear in a demand of food. Not nice. Never take in baby birds if you don't want to end up a badly harrassed and terrorized bird mother) and then she was bullied by other birds, so we are trying to get her to be a bit stronger and bigger and all.  
She's currently learning how to slaughter living crickets before I have to step on them so they don't try to hide anywhere in my apartment (don't think the landlord would appreciate it).

So, there's also a big (and bad) announcement to make: Yesterday, my laptop broke.  
Yes. It just...broke. It was completely fine before that point. And I was in the middle of writing, when suddenly SNAP - and the screen was black.  
I tried to start it up again - no chance (lights blink and theres the sound of it turning on, then it clicks and -dead-)  
So, I went through, like, 100 different things I could think of, including taking out the battery and all that stuff, ended up googling on my phone about possible solutions (at 3am in the morning, btw) and was close to tears because I HAVE NO BACKUP!

Like, I have backup of my programs and all, from two months ago.

But all my stories, all my drawings, everything I ever worked on is on that computer.  
Including this story.  
So you can imagine how I felt (I was ready to kill something)

I am SO happy I sent this chapter to myself via email a bit before the drama had started (I do that because of proofing reasons, I know it's weird, but right now i'm so glad I'm crazy)

But yeah, everything beyond this point is pretty much gone until my laptop is fixed.  
Also, I'm not going to be home the next two weeks, so that's another additional draw-back right now.

Since I was already kind of in the middle of the next chapter (which is long, I can tell you that already. Btw, did I tell you this story has close to 500 pages by now in my word doc? Or had. Omg. I'm gonna cry.), I do not really feel like writing all that again (sorry, but I loathe rewriting something I technically already wrote and if I force myself, I'll probably quit half-way and not touch the story for 6 months or something. Happened before.)

**So, yeah, I most likely won't be updating this story until two weeks from now (probly between the 1st-6th of September), unless I somehow get another brainwave as to how to get my document from a dead computer and manage to write on it somehow while I'm gone. But even then, I have no idea whether I'll have any connection there, so...yeah...**

I'm really sorry ;( I think I'll write on from where I left off, though, so once I have my baby back I'll make sure to hurry up with proof-reading and upping chapters again ._.

(And before anybody wonders, I'm currently doing this here on the laptop of my husband, who is mildly annoyed by my constant wailing about my stories. My Jasico story is gone! My Advent Calendar is gone! My Island Fever is gone! My Jercy ff is gone! All my drabbles are gone! My Demon!Nico+Human!Percy story is GONE AND I NEVER GOT TO FIX IT! (You don't want to know, trust me.) and and and everythign is gone and I'm just like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I've decided to dump everything into Dropbox or something once I have the chance and never do anything solely on any sort of device anymore. Seriously.)

So, yeah, hope you enjoyed the chapter and will enjoy the next one once I manage to upload it somehow.  
Who knows, maybe everything will end up great and next week I'll up the next chapter with a SORRY FOR WORRYING EVERYTHING IS GOOD I FOUND A WAY! In which case you are perfectly in your rights to hate me for panicking like this over nothing

If not, then at least you know I'm not dead and didn't abandon the story or anything but simply am lost to the world in a place with no Internet and my story practically non-existent.

Blue cookies and cake and treats and everything for everyone  
Wish me luck that I get a brainwave overnight.  
Oh, and some sleep, because Idk how I'm going to survive driving 12h straight without at least 2h of sleep beforehand.

Love you all  
Tári


	13. Chapter 13: Valentine's Day

**A/N:** Hello Cupcakes! ;D  
I'm baaaack! And my laptop, too.  
It's more or less running again, the guy tried to explain to me what was wrong, but all I know is that some part of it was fried and had to get exchanged.  
It's super slow now, but at least my stuff is back (gotta love my priorities)

Anyways, I'm back now, and updates will hopefully be weekly again.

Everybody, thanks for those super nice (and rele helpful!) messages, they meant a lot to me.

Hope you all enjoy this chapter, I ran a bit wild with it at some point (probably venting off the frustration or something).  
So, it's a bit long...hope you like it, though :)

Love you all!-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 13: Valentine's Day, First Times; and very invested siblings**

When Percy woke up, it was 4:30am in the morning, and Jason and Will were sitting on the floor next to the bed playing Mythomagic.

What?

"What are you guys doing?" He asked drowsily, making them both jump and look around.

Frowning, Percy looked back at Nico, who was snuggled into his chest tightly, still fast asleep.

"Morning. I woke Will up by accident when going to the bathroom, and then we couldn't fall asleep anymore. We were going to leave in thirty minutes." Jason explained in a quiet voice, playing a card that made Will huff indignantly, moving a figure off the board.

"Yeah, he fell on top of me, crushing my hand. Can you imagine it, Percy? My hand!"

"It was an accident! If Percy hadn't pushed me, I wouldn't have fallen forward and onto you, so you can blame him for it."

Percy blinked befuddled, watching them making faces at each other, while trying to comprehend their words.

It took him quite a long time until he thought he got it.

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah, in thirty minutes. You know, so you can have the morning with Nico alone." Jason explained, unperturbed and utterly concentrated on the game in front of him.

Percy merely frowned at him.

"We'll see you at breakfast. Now, go back to sleep, Percy. It's going to be a long day." Will reminded him, not that he needed to.

Percy knew exactly what day it was.

Hmm…what day was it again?

Man, his mind was still too much of a slur, it wasn't even funny.

Then again, this was a freaking ungodly hour.

The last time he had had to be up at this time was when he had been dropping off notes at Nico's cabin for the Christmas calendar…and stayed over to spend some quality time with the Italian (gods, that had been the best thing ever, feeling him so close, feeling him trust him so much, even though Nico had had no idea it had been him…Percy was never going to forget that. It had been a magical time).

Yet, that didn't explain these two guys in front of him, and his mind was not capable of working out the details, yet, either.

He frowned at them, watching Will play a card that made Jason wince and take several of his figurines off the board, making a face and looking at his own cards miserably.

Why were they awake already?

Oh wait, they had said something about that.

What had that been…?

"I didn't push you." He muttered with a frown, pushing himself up into a sitting position that promptly made Nico grumble in his sleep, snuggling closer and wrapping his arms around his leg, as if to keep him there.

"Yes, you did. I was just climbing over Nico and Will when you pushed me from behind, telling me to 'move it', Percy. I do think you were either completely or mostly asleep still, though, so I'll accept your apology."

Percy tried to remember such a thing.

For a long moment, nothing came to mind.

Then he thought he could remember Jason shifting in his embrace and telling him to let go of him.

He also remembered he hadn't wanted to, trying to ignore the blonde and continue sleeping with his arm wrapped tightly around him, enjoying his cool body temperature, but Jason hadn't stopped bugging him until he had finally let him go, just to find Jason actually wanting to _get out of bed_.

Percy felt the irritation grow inside him even now.

He vaguely remembered asking Jason where he was going and Jason mumbling something, and Percy might or might not have been so overly annoyed with him that he might or might not have shoved him forward…lightly.

Yeah, well.

Nobody had to know about that.

Plus, what had Jason been thinking? Couldn't he have just held it in or something?

Night time was cuddle time. No bathroom breaks.

He flopped back into the bed with a sigh and wrapped his arms tightly around Nico, nuzzling his face into his boyfriend's hair.

Mmh, he smelled so nice.

How had Percy ever survived not falling asleep next to him last night?

Oh, yeah, because Will had demanded to sleep on the outside for once.

Now that his nightmares were pretty much considered 'normal' by everyone (except Percy) and he had to get woken up afterwards anyways, he had decided that he wanted to sleep 1. outside, 2. next to Nico.

So that had left either Jason or Percy to take Nico's other side and the other one to spoon that person.

And since Percy hadn't wanted to be spooned by Jason…yeah.

Looking back on it, that might have been a bad idea.

At least he had his favorite Italian in his arms now.

Smirking to himself, he placed a soft kiss to the top of his head.

Then he heard bickering and opened his eyes again, looking at those two nerds playing Mythomagic.

"No, you can't play that card. I just played Hera, she doesn't allow infidelity."

"Who cares? Aphrodite and Athena aren't married to each other, so Hera can't do anything."

"They are still standing next to each other on the board, so you can't do that." Jason insisted.

Will gave him a long, pointed glance. "Watch me." He said, and wrote something down on a piece of paper, probably some sort of damage point sheet (usually Nico did all the calculating for them, though they had no idea how he could remember all those numbers).

Jason huffed indignantly and looked through his own cards.

"Ha." He then said and pulled out one of them triumphantly, laying it out for Will to take a look at.

"No way. Oh man, that is SO unfair!" Will wailed quietly, looking incredulously at Jason, then pushed out his bottom lip and took several figurines off the board, leaving him with only one lonely figure of some god/goddess Percy couldn't identify from here.

He rolled his eyes, kissing the side of Nico's neck gently, contemplating whether he should go back to sleep or stay awake now.

With the noise these two were making, everything indicated the later, but Will was right, it would be a very long day.

"How about you go back to sleep?" He asked them tiredly, and both of them looked around at him, apparently surprised he was still awake.

"No way, I don't want to be here when you two make out." Will declared with a frown.

"Then sleep over at Jason's or something." Percy dismissed with a lazy frown.

"Excuse me? Did you just invite Will into my cabin?" Jason asked stunned, staring at him in disbelief.

Percy let out an exasperated breath. "Then go over to my cabin. I don't really care. Will, my key is in my jeans pocket."

"Wait, you are giving Will your cabin key?" Jason asked, while Will only sighed quietly.

"No, of course not. I meant the other key." Percy said irritably.

Why would he give Will his cabin key?

Weird Jason.

"What?"

Will chuckled.

"Percy, go back to sleep. We'll be fine. Jason can sleep in his cabin, and I can rest some more in mine. I still have my own cabin, you know?"

He did? Oh wait, yeah, that was right.

Ugh, this was so confusing.

"Fine, sun-bug, if you must. Greet your siblings from me." He mumbled into Nico's hair, rubbing against him a bit and humming to himself, feeling incredibly drowsy.

Ungodly hour.

He heard Will chuckle and Jason ask something so quietly Percy couldn't hear.

"Alright, I will. See you at breakfast, Percy. Good night."

"Mhm, Merry Christmas to you, too…" Percy mumbled, already dozing off again.

.

Nico felt a warm body pressing against his and identified it as Percy's, snuggling back into it contently.

Then he wondered why it was Percy, since he clearly remembered falling asleep between Jason and Will.

He frowned, his hand beginning to search the space in front of him, but he couldn't find anything, so he gave up and opened his eyes.

Huh?

He shifted, turning his head to check behind Percy, but neither Will not Jason were there.

What?

Percy mumbled something in his sleep, shifting slightly and tightening his grip on him, and Nico found himself smiling slightly, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before looking around his cabin for an indicator where those two went.

Had they left?

Had something happened?

Were they just in the bathroom- wait, no, that couldn't be, then one of them would still be here. They didn't go in there together, after all.

So they had left?

Percy shifted behind him, apparently sensing something was amiss, because the next moment, he opened his eyes slightly, glancing at Nico with sleepy eyes.

Then his lips split into a small smile and Nico's heart warmed.

"Hey. Had a good sleep?"

Nico smiled back at him, nodding and turning in his arms so he could give him another peck, this time on the mouth.

"Yeah. Jason and Will?"

"They left earlier. Something about giving us some time alone or something." Percy said sleepily, suppressing a yawn and giving him another peck on the lips.

"Not that I'm complaining." He mumbled, doing it again.

And again.  
And again.

Nico chuckled, pulling back slightly, but Percy pursued him, now placing pecks on every inch of skin he could find and get to, his eyes still half-closed, though he seemed to be waking.

"Percy…" He wailed, letting Percy push him back into the pillow and climb on top of him, his pecks turning into kisses, until he caught Nico's bottom lip and started nibbling on it.

"Happy Valentine's Day, my Angel." Percy breathed against his lips once he let go and Nico smirked as their lips met again, his arms around Percy's neck, keeping him close.

"Happy Valentine's Day, my Sea-Prince." He returned with a coy smile and Percy's lips split into a wide smile.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"I want to kiss you all over."

Nico blushed. Then he pecked Percy's lips. "Do it."

Percy did.

Starting on his face, he began placing pecks and kisses at random on various spots, from his forehead over his eyes to his cheeks, all over his nose and on the corners of his mouth, licking over his lips as a tease (ew, wet!).

Then he moved down his neck on the left side, kissing and sucking, hard enough to make Nico gasp, but gentle enough not to leave marks, though he usually didn't care about that (Nico's hair could cover the hickeys up as long as he didn't bind it back, after all).

"Percy…" He huffed as Percy teased the front of his throat, moving down to his collarbones and ravishing them instead, gently nibbling on one enough to turn the skin pink, grinning up at him in satisfaction.

Continuing his way downwards, he trailed kisses and licks over his stomach and belly button, then teased the skin at his waistband, letting his tongue travel along it in a long, languid swipe.

Nico huffed and hoped faintly Percy was going to pay his growing member some attention, but wasn't surprised when Percy blatantly ignored the forming bulge with a small smirk, instead continuing with Nico's legs.

Oh gods, his legs.

No! _Yes!_

Percy started with his inner thighs, pushing the boxer shorts as far up as he could to tease as much of his skin as he could, making Nico close his eyes in bliss, groaning out and fisting the sheets, spreading his legs further, but Percy persistently stayed on his right side, smirking against his skin and moving downwards.

No, where was he going?

Nico made a small sound of complaint, causing Percy to halt and look up at him, but then he only smiled.

"I'll get to that in a moment, love. But first I got to finish kissing all of you." He promised, then started kissing him from his knee downwards towards his foot.

No way!

Percy grinned at him and placed a chaste kiss on his foot, then grabbed hold of it with his hands and tickled it, making Nico bite his lip as to not laugh out.

Then he felt Percy pressing down on that one spot Nico both loved and despised and he threw his head back, a jolt of pleasure rushing through him.

"S-Stop it!" He gasped at the intensity, then felt Percy playing around with his foot again, making him chuckle at the way it tickled.

Then he moved to the other foot and repeated his little game before moving back upwards, giving Nico's inner thighs some more attention, which Nico was more than grateful for, gasping and moaning and writhing beneath him.

Seriously, Percy could do pretty much anything to him right now, he would let him.

Truth be told, he was almost hoping for it.

He wanted Percy so badly, it was a miracle they really hadn't had sex yet.

Nico was more than willing, felt more than ready.

Though that was up to Percy to decide, since he was the top.

If Percy wasn't ready or decided against it, Nico wasn't going to say anything against it.

Percy let his fingers slip inside the leg of his boxer shorts, teasing his skin and getting dangerously close, but not close enough, that tease.

Smirking up at him, Percy bent down and placed a soft kiss on his bulge, making him shiver and crave for that skilled tongue wrapped around his dick.

Percy pulled back, instead continuing with his stomach, up to his right nipple, flicking his tongue across it teasingly and taking it between his teeth, sucking on it gently and making Nico groan, his hands in Percy's hair instantly to keep him there.

He always liked having his hands in his hair, and Percy didn't seem to mind the tugging and guiding whatsoever – as a matter of fact, he actually seemed to like it a bit.

Percy stayed obediently for a little while longer, teasing and pleasing him, then he moved up the rest of the way to claim Nico's lips once more, mashing their lips together as if there was no tomorrow.

Nico wrapped his legs around Percy, tugging his hips closer and grinding their groins together wantonly.

Yes!

He gasped into Percy's mouth, followed by a low groan, his hands moving over Percy's back to his butt, grabbing it firmly.

Hell, it was Valentine's Day, he was going to do this now and nothing and nobody would stop him.

Percy chuckled against his lips, a low and raw sound, tickling Nico's nerves even more and sending his insides in a frenzy.

"Closer." He panted, and Percy let himself drop onto him, his arms travelling down Nico's sides, tickling and caressing his skin, his tongue mercilessly challenging his.

"Percy…"

"I love you." Percy breathed against his lips as he pulled back, then he went for Nico's ear, nibbling and teasing gently, tugging on the sensitive skin with his teeth and whispering sweet words into it over and over again.

Nico moaned softly, shivering contently and closing his eyes in bliss.

Gods, he loved this guy so much.

Percy travelled downwards again, but that meant Nico would have to let go of his butt and pull his legs back a bit, and he was currently utterly unwilling to do such a thing.

His skin was already on fire from Percy's kisses, so he couldn't imagine anything that could change his mind right now, his hands massaging Percy's butt cheeks pointedly.

Percy chuckled against his neck and bucked his hips deliberately, drawing a low, wanting groan from Nico's lips at the jolt it sent through his groin, and then Nico did let go of Percy's butt, but only to move his hands to Percy's hair, tugging him back up for a messy, but more than satisfying kiss, his legs pressing Percy down against him as much as he could.

Humming against his lips, Percy pulled back way too soon, his green eyes dazed and wanting, their groins grinding against each other, making them gasp and pant in unison.

"This..." Percy started, circling his hips as he placed another kiss on the corner of Nico's mouth. "...is by far the best way to wake up."

Nico chuckled, utterly agreeing with that.

"We have to thank the guys later, then." He muttered, then tugged Percy down again.

Gods, how much he loved having his hands in Percy's hair.

But he needed more!

More closeness, more friction, more _Percy_!

Percy lifted himself up slightly, making Nico utter a small sound of complaint - but then Percy let his hand disappear between their bodies, teasing him through the fabric of his boxer shorts, and Nico's complaints turned into moans.

They started moving, trying to get into a better position, and Nico decided this was the perfect opportunity to take some action himself.

After all, he wanted to make Percy feel as good as he was making him feel (though he had to admit he kept getting carried away because Percy was simply too good at what he was doing).

Leaning forward, he captured his lips in a kiss once more, his hands moving down his front, fingernails gently scratching over his skin (something he had noticed Percy enjoyed quite a bit).

Percy's breath hitched, his hands instantly halting in their movement, his entire body stilling.

For some reason, he always did that whenever Nico took action.

He pushed Percy back slightly, climbing onto his lap as soon as they were in a somewhat sitting position, getting as close to Percy as he could get, kissing and touching him for all he was worth.

Percy huffed, his hands on Nico's hips, daring to move him an inch or so closer before stilling again, eyes closed in bliss as Nico started ravishing his neck.

He always made sure not to leave any hickeys, but this time the urge to mark Percy as his was a lot stronger, making it hard to resist.

Maybe it was because he bit a tad harder than usual or sucked a bit longer, but Percy seemed to try to present him as much neck as possible, his eyes opening slightly to fix Nico with a dazed, far-gone expression.

"Please…" He whispered, though Nico had no idea what he was asking for.

Percy tilted his head further, so Nico placed his lips back onto his neck, teeth seeking out the sensitive skin and tugging on it gently, making Percy shiver and nudge against him.

He grinned, teasing him some more before settling on a nice spot right in the middle of the side of his neck.

There, he tugged on the skin harder, sucking and nibbling on it, his tongue running over it soothingly every here and there, checking it a couple of times until he was finally satisfied, watching the dark red bruise with a sly smile.

Percy had obediently let him, huffing and panting and moaning ever so softly, now gazing at him with that affectionate, loving expression on his face again.

"I'm yours." He breathed, his hands flying up to Nico's to cup it, his fear of moving apparently forgotten, instead drawing him in for a hot kiss.

Nico smirked against his lips, returning the kiss and rocking his hips against Percy, loving everything about this.

But most of all, he loved Percy.

"All yours." Percy whispered, sounding so happy, so pleased, as if that was all he ever wanted to be, all he ever had to be.

Nico couldn't agree more.

.

Will was just sitting on his bed, wondering whether he should make his way to breakfast yet and wait for his siblings to fully wake, when it knocked on the door tentatively.

His head shot up, mind buzzing.

Jason?

Wait, why would he think that?

That was a pretty stupid thing to assume, given that his cabin had plenty of other kids with friends around the Camp, it could be anybody at the door.

It wasn't that early in the day, either, so it was utterly plausible for it to be anybody.

But somehow, it had just felt like...ah, well, probably just his imagination.

Why would Jason pick him up, anyways?

They were both old enough to be able to go to the dining pavilion by themselves, after all, and there really wasn't any reason whatsoever for him to drop by.

Will was just being stupid.

Of course it wouldn't be Jason.

Kayla walked over to the door, yawning into her hand as she unlocked it and pulled it open.

A few rays of sunlight streamed inside, warming Will's face.

And standing in the doorway was no other than Jason Grace.

"Ah, morning? Am I too early?" The blonde asked uncertainly as Kayla frowned at him in confusion, then back towards Will with a surprised expression, as if she didn't know what to make of this.

He couldn't blame her, staring at Jason incredulously himself.

It was Jason?

How had he known it would be Jason?

What was Jason doing here?  
Did something happen?  
Why would he come here?

"Erm, no, it's ok. I was about to get ready and leave for breakfast, anyways. What..." He couldn't exactly ask him 'What in Hades are you doing here?', could he now?

That would just be rude.

To make up for his pause, Will cleared his throat, gesturing about. "How come you're here?"

Oh well, he had tried.

Luckily, Jason didn't seem perturbed though, instead looking mildly amused, while Kayla merely looked warily between them and then shared a telling glance with Austin, (though Will had no clue what that was about), then motioned for Jason to come in and closed the door.

"I thought I'd come pick you up. Didn't really feel like going to breakfast by myself. Unless you don't want to, then I'll leave, of course."

Ugh, typically Jason.

Well, the part where he said he'd leave was typical of him, at least.

The part where Jason actually expressed a sort of selfish streak, telling him he simply didn't feel like being alone so he came over...that was new.

Though not bad.

Will had wondered for forever already whether Jason could actually think of himself for once, as it was.

There had been a few such encounters (the kiss-dare for Nico was one, for example), but they were very, very rare and usually only happened because Jason got ticked off.

So this was kind of interesting.

"Nah, it's ok. I'll go get ready. Just...I don't know, just sit there. Guys, behave." He told his cabin mates, who all still buzzed around getting ready, acting all busy and uncaring, though they all stole curious glances at them.

Nosy bunch.

Kayla shot him a last assessing look and he finally decided that he'd have a talk with her at some point, just to make sure nobody was thinking too much into this (or the fact he was sleeping over at another person's cabin with three other guys - wouldn't want any more rumors starting, no matter if as joke or serious. Definitely not serious ones, though).

Probably when Jason, Percy and Nico were gone on their great trip to the Underworld.

He grabbed his pile of clothes, noticing he was only wearing his light blue boxer shorts, but they saw each other in this attire pretty much every day, so it shouldn't have made him as self-conscious as it did.

Yet somehow, being in his underwear in Nico's cabin with the other three in the same getup, and being in his underwear in his own cabin with Jason giving him an ever so quick once-over suddenly felt like two different worlds.

He didn't like it, which was why he hurried off to the bathroom, unceremoniously kicking out whoever it was inside without even checking.

Will hurried up more than usual, though he told himself that was because he didn't want to hold up everything and make his siblings wait so long for the bathroom to be free.

Yeah, Will, so how did you say things were going, regarding the denial-issues?

He snorted at the mirror with a tinge of annoyance, halting as he was about to pull his pullover over his head and staring at his reflection, wondering whether he'd ever see the day his freckles weren't standing out like traffic lights.

Freckles.

Jason called him 'Freckles'.

For a moment, Will scowled at his reflection, then he halted, taking a step back.

Jason and Percy had said they were interesting. Special, even.

They had told him it was one of his most defining traits.

Will could see why it would be seen as something that defined him, given that they pretty much covered his entire body, but both of them had made it sound as if he was so lucky to have them.

As if they were something likable, not annoying.

For a moment, he tried to look at himself and see what they saw.

Then he scowled again and splashed water in his face, drying off with a towel quickly and putting on his pullover.

Whatever.

They probably hadn't meant it, anyways.

Annoyed with himself for wasting so much time, he hurried out of the bathroom, finding Jason sitting on his bed patiently, talking amiably with his siblings, who had either managed to keep themselves in check or hadn't been able to get under Jason's skin and had thus given up (in which case Jason would be his new hero, no kidding).

At any rate, he didn't hear any music, nobody rhymed badly or started sprouting haiku's and Jason still seemed in perfect health as well.

So, whatever it was, he was glad either way.

"Ready to go?" He asked, unceremoniously interrupting Austin as he animatedly told Jason about something with the Campfire.

Jason looked around at Austin questioningly, but the boy had shut up the moment he had seen Will, another reason to get Jason out of here (plus, now Will was quite certain it was some sort of embarrassing story about him. He had quite a few of those and had no intention whatsoever to let Jason know any of them).

"Sure. Are you guys coming, too?" Jason asked casually as he got up, and Will tried to tell whether Jason was hoping for a yes or no.

But his expression gave nothing away.

"Oh, no. You two go on ahead. We'll follow in a few. See you around." Austin chirped cheerily, starting to hum a happy tune that instantly made several others hum as well.

Ok, it was definitely time to go.

"Alright then, let's go." Will said hastily, grabbing Jason by the arm and immediately regretting it when he saw several of his siblings grin like Cheshire cats, winking suggestively.

Still, he held onto Jason's arm and pulled him after him out the door.

Seriously, what was Jason thinking, coming to his cabin like that, anyways?

Didn't he know how that would look to others?

How going to breakfast, just the two of them alone, would look to others?

He resisted the urge to look around at Jason, dragging him after him until the Apollo cabin was far enough away so he couldn't even sense his siblings anymore.

Only then did he start slowing.

"Are you alright?" Jason asked quietly, falling into step beside him and watching his expression intently, but Will just smiled.

"Yeah, why do you ask? I was just wondering what exactly Austin tried to tell you, that's all." Well, and he wanted to know what in Hades Jason was thinking, but that was a different matter.

Jason eyed him quietly for a moment longer, as if trying to read his face.

Yeah, good luck with that.

Will had a perfect poker face for a reason.

"Oh, he told me this and that. Didn't get to finish his last story, but I think you wouldn't have wanted him to, anyways. Hey, today seems like it's going to be a nice day. If we're lucky, all the other couples will do something more romantic than going to the water park and we'll have at least some peace. Not that I don't expect it to be utterly crowded anyways, of course."

Oh, true, they'd be leaving later for that water park place.

Yeah, it was going to be crowded, alright.

"I hope Percy and Nico are going to wake up soon. If they sleep until noon, we won't get there until early afternoon, and we can only stay so long."

"It's only 8am in the morning, Will. Give them a bit longer, I'm sure they'll be out and about soon enough. Much sooner than noon."

Will wasn't too sure.

He didn't doubt they'd _wake up_ before noon, he just wouldn't be surprised if they didn't _show up_ before noon.

"If you say so. Well, we're here. Want me to sit with you?"

"I can sit with you, as well. I just wasn't sure how your siblings would react to an outsider at the table, and you didn't seem to enjoy them telling me of the highlights of your past."

Will blinked at the fact that Jason actually really wanted to sit with him/have him sit with him instead of them sitting alone at their respective tables – he had kind of only asked as a sort of joke.

Not that he minded, since they did get along well and all, but did it have to be today?

Well, given that they'd leave tomorrow, today was the last day they _could_ be together like that, he supposed.

Will wasn't stupid.

Percy, Nico and Will had grown so close in less than a month without Jason around.

He knew that by the time they'd make it back, those three would be some sort of dream team and he'd be the odd one out.

Not that he was jealous or...ok, he was. A tiny little bit.

Then again, it wasn't that he was jealous of Jason, or Percy, or Nico, it was more that he was jealous of them as a whole, for having an excuse to go together, leaving him to be the odd one out, the one unwanted, unneeded, discarded.

He knew they cared about him (the fact that they took him in at night and woke him and were there for him all the time proved that over and over again, after all) and would never want to push him aside, but he guessed they simply didn't consider how leaving him behind might make him feel.

Maybe they thought he wouldn't want to come, but in that case they would have only needed to ask.

Ugh, why was he even thinking about this now?

Now wasn't the time.

If this was to show him anything, it was that he should make the most of today, since he had no idea when he'd see these dorks again.

"I think I rather sit at your table, to be honest."

"Sure." Jason said with a shrug and only then did Will realize that he was still clasping his arm.

Following realization was the rush of information he always got from touching people's arms/wrists/measuring somebody's pulse.

Jason's heart rate was slightly quicker than usual, but he had just moved, so there was that.

His temperature was soothingly cool as always, his blood pressure and values good.

He felt a faint feeling of contentment, but for a moment it was difficult to tell whether it was Jason's or Will's, and he quickly pulled his hand away.

This reminded him way too much of yesterday.

Gods, what had he done?

Why had he done that in the first place?

Which god had befuddled his brain so badly that he had suddenly packed up his common sense and just...done that.

And Jason had let him, too.

That idiot.

What was he doing, presenting his neck to him like that just to spite him when he clearly had a thing for that?

Oh well, at least they were above feeling awkward about it.

Not that that changed anything or made what had transpired something good.

Well, but he had definitely found out something interesting about Jason that way, he guessed.

He had no idea what to do with that sort of knowledge, but finding something new out about Jason was kind of special.

Jason was this considerate, caring person that put everyone before him, yeah.

He could make great conversation to make other people feel better, sometimes even talking about himself, yet Will knew close to nothing about him that felt as if it really mattered.

Will kind of wanted to know the things nobody else knew, wanted to have this whole new picture of Jason, figure him out in a way nobody else ever had.

That tidbit of information might be useless, but it was definitely something not everybody knew, Will knew that much. Even if Jason had insisted it wasn't a secret.

Ok, Will had had to give him something in return, but seriously, his information hadn't really been a secret.

Plus, he had the advantage of Jason not knowing what he had meant.

It could have been him liking his partner loud, or it could have meant him being the loud one, and Jason could only assume one or the other, but never actually know.  
While Will knew Jason's sweet spot. Or one of them, at least.

Thinking about it, he kind of wanted to give Jason a massage, figure out how many more good points he was hiding and whether he'd react so strongly to them as well.

Seriously, he had went from mildly concerned or confused (feelings were difficult to pick up on and Jason had this unreadable way about him to make things even more difficult) to aroused and wanting with just three or four bites to the neck.

Though Will had to admit he had been kind of mean, teasing him about it.

He hadn't intended to in the beginning, but when Jason had talked back and flat out denied being affected, he hadn't been able to resist showing him just how much he knew.

The powers of a medic.

While emotions were difficult to decipher, lust and arousal wasn't - and that was what he had felt when clasping Jason's arm.

Low, yeah, and mean, but he had just needed to check whether it was his body or Jason's.

It was difficult to tell when one laid on another person, after all, so connected yet not actually connecting.

Will needed his hands if he wanted to really feel somebody.

They made their way to Jason's table and Jason began to chat about his sister Thalia randomly, but Will didn't mind, glad for the distraction.

The past days, they had usually all eaten their meals together, so it was kind of weird not having Percy and Nico around, though it wasn't that bad.

Jason made for good company.

Even without talking, he was fun to watch.

Though, when he was talking, he had this way of always starting another sentence with his fork halfway to his mouth, lowering it again to talk, to then try again and start talking again.

It was kind of cute to watch.

Will found himself smiling stupidly, watching how Jason did it _again_.

Jason was looking down as he talked, but when he looked up and saw Will's face, he halted, looking uncertain. "What?"

But Will only shook his head with a grin, watching Jason taking another forkful of food.

"Nothing. Just noticed something, that's all."

Jason eyed him suspiciously, taking another bite and Will sighed, clearing his throat, wishing he could clear his mind along with it.

"Hey, you know what I always wanted to know? What's the story behind that scar on your lip?" He asked, his hand already halfway across the table to Jason's face, but he stopped himself just in time.

Pulling back his hand hastily, he instead nodded into the vague direction, shifting on the bench.

What in the name of Hades was he doing?

He knew Jason had noticed the original intent, but couldn't tell what Jason thought about it, his expression unreadable as he studied Will's face.

"I tried to eat a stapler when I was a kid."

For a long moment, there was silence, in which Will stared at Jason, making sense of the words.

Then he snorted out a laugh. "You're kidding me."

But Jason only shook his head, lips twitching slightly, as if he had expected this reaction, but was surprised he was right at the same time.

"Nope. I'm serious. When I was two years old, I had a sudden craving for stapler that Thalia sadly couldn't stop in time. I'm surprised you don't know, actually. Everybody else loves to make fun of it." Jason explained with a shrug and Will stared at him in disbelief.

Was he dead serious?

Wait…

"So that's where all the stapler references came from." He then remarked drily, remembering all the times Percy had told Jason to 'go eat some more staplers'.

How come he had never questioned that in the first place?

Well...then again...it had been _Percy_ who had said that, and he seldom made sense, so Will hadn't exactly thought much into the matter before.

Jason chuckled, concentrating back on his food when he realized Will was already done.

"Yeah, he loves to tease me about it. Then again, so do Piper and Thalia. I wouldn't be surprised to get a stapler for my birthday this year, really. I'm just waiting for it."

Will could picture that all too easily.

Grinning broadly, he leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table with his hands folded, resting his chin on them and giving Jason a teasing wink.

"Who knows, maybe I'll take you up on that."

Jason huffed amused, putting down his fork and shaking his head.

"You do that. I'd love to see their faces when they realize you beat them to it. Either that, or I'll receive nothing but staplers until the day I die."

"Well, at least you'll have something to eat." Will remarked and Jason shot him a wry smile.

"Thanks, but I think I'd prefer something that doesn't bite back."

"Really? And there I had the impression you liked a bit of bite." Will said jokingly, thinking of last night, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively at Jason.

Then he froze.

Shit, what had he just said? That could _so_ be misunderstood as flirting!

No, he hadn't meant it like that!

Will seriously didn't need Jason thinking Will was hitting on him or anything.

No, no, no, no, no.

Jason raised an eyebrow at him, his expression unreadable once more, though there was a certain gleam in his eyes that told Will he had definitely picked up on the innuendo.

Then the blonde leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table and giving Will a rather dangerous look.

"That depends entirely on where I'm bitten."

Will felt his face burning and knew he was blushing. Hard.

Damn it, what was this?

And what the hell was it with Jason's voice, suddenly being so seductive and raw and low and just _oh gods_.

And the way he smirked at Will, that smug expression on his face, looking as if he knew exactly what he was doing to Will and utterly enjoying it...it was maddening.

Will felt his entire body tingling and his mouth opening to say something else that was most likely going to get him even deeper into this mess.

But luckily, he heard noises behind him just in that moment, as his siblings entered the dining pavilion, arguing about the lyrics to one of the newer songs they had heard on the radio - it wasn't much, but it gave him a sort of distraction from his traitorous body and mind, waking him from his stupor and getting him back to his senses.

He closed his mouth, clearing his throat and pulling back somewhat, sitting back upright and looking around at his siblings passing the table, throwing him suggestive glances and winking at him knowingly (great that he was still blushing, really, really great. He was so going to have a chat with them…later…).

Will scowled at the lot, waiting until they were all seated at the Apollo table and he had no excuse to not look at Jason anymore.

When he finally tore his gaze back towards the blonde, he found him grinning smugly, looking off into space amused.

"Thought so. You always seemed to be somewhat masochistic, after all. Taking all the hard quests, making all the difficult decisions, taking all the responsibility, falling for a guy that loves another..."

Jason made a face, but didn't seem very surprised or upset, instead sighing deeply. "Yeah, I and be worth it."

"To you or the world?" Will asked, but he was fairly sure he knew the answer.

Jason smiled at him.  
Somehow, it looked kind of sad.

"Well, if it helps, my life isn't all that great, either. So, if anything, when it's all over and the world is reaping the fruit of our labor, we can still joke and run each other into the ground for what losers we are." He offered with a lopsided grin, though he was actually being half serious.

He wasn't much better off than Jason, only that Jason was the better person and the one who would truly make a difference for the world, whereas Will was just one of many.

Jason was also widely popular and wanted, which presented the reason for Will only being half serious.

Will was absolutely certain Jason would sooner or later find somebody, have that perfect life he dreamed about and be happy (and he deserved it, too!).

It might not be with Nico, but Will was sure Jason could have close to anybody else, should he ever get over the Italian.

Jason smiled at him. "Thanks. We could found a club or something. With badges and t-shirts and funny beanie hats. Bet people would like that. And it might actually help them find what they were looking for."

Will laughed. "We are talking about being considerate losers that don't get anything in life because we think of everybody else...and you want to found a club for all those other people out there. Jason, you're hopeless."

Jason only chuckled and they both stared off into space, lost in thought.

"I want to be co-founder. No vice or anything. We better be on equal grounds or you can forget about it." Will then insisted and Jason laughed.

A real, genuine laugh.

Will chuckled, grinning at him.

Laughing really suited Jason.

"Morning, guys. What are you two laughing about?" A voice asked behind him and he turned around to find Percy and Nico walking towards them, holding hands and practically glowing with joy and satisfaction.

Well, he guessed those two had had a splendid morning.

He also spotted several dark red bruises along the side of Percy's neck.

A very splendid morning, definitely.

"Will just said he'll be my partner in crime." Jason explained vaguely, winking at Will, who merely rolled his eyes.

Partner in crime?

Gods, he'd love to know how that sounded to people without any context about their conversation (glancing at his siblings, he decided he might not want to know, after all, though).

Percy's suspicious expression indicated he was assuming this had something to do with the water park later.

Hmm, actually, that wasn't such a bad idea…

He glanced back at Jason, wondering how he could ask his opinion on the matter without giving anything away in case Nico didn't know yet.

But Jason already returned his gaze, smirking and giving a small nod, and Will just knew they were both thinking the same thing.

Well, it appeared Will and Jason really were partners in crime.

He kind of liked it.

.

Jason and Will waited for Percy and Nico to finish breakfast, then they made their way back to Nico's cabin, chatting and joking about everything and nothing.

Nico still didn't know about the surprise trip of the day, but Jason could tell he was suspecting something.

Then again, it would have been weird if he hadn't, given Percy's and Will's constant teasing and hinting, saying things like 'true, we are going to do _that_ later' and 'oh, can't wait to see his expression when he finds out about _that_'.

Very subtle.

Jason smiled to himself, watching Nico glance suspiciously between the three of them as they entered his cabin with innocent expressions, not giving anything away.

Once more, Jason was struck with how much truly had changed ever since December.

Before December, he had rarely caught even as much as a glance of the interior of the Hades cabin, happy to even as much as glance Nico himself once a day.  
Now, he knew it better than the content of his backpack, not to mention his own cabin (but he had never really wanted to know his own cabin inside out, so his backpack was a better reference) and saw Nico and the other two every single day (which was the best thing ever, by the way).

Before December, Nico would have never let them walk this close next to him, never let them touch him this much, never just chat away this happily and carefree, holding Percy's hand as if it was the most natural thing in the world.  
No, he would have fled the scene, locking himself up in his cabin and wondering what in the name of Hades was wrong with them, and he would have never ever even let Percy put an arm around him, much less hold his hand (not to mention they probably wouldn't be dating...maybe...he guessed…).

It was truly remarkable, and Jason loved every bit of it.

Once inside, Percy let Nico show the guys another note that dork had written for the special occasion, though Jason wasn't sure whether he really wanted to see it - that was a lie, of course he wanted to see it, but he was fairly certain he'd come to regret it later.

Percy's light blush was cute though, so Jason didn't hesitate in taking the paper from a rather proud and giddy Nico, feeling Will pressing against his side to have a better view.

It took him a moment to stare at the note and realize that, yes, this was the exact same handwriting as on the notes from the Advent Calendar.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise, of course, but it was still...odd.

Also, it made him realize what an idiot he had been for not figuring it out sooner.

In his cabin, he still had the old notes from Percy from his past classes at Camp (Jason had tried to read through them every now and then before embarking on his first journey to the gods, to do some catching up on Greek Mythology in addition to his Roman knowledge).

How he had never connected the dots when confronted with the exact same handwriting during the Advent Calendar was beyond him now.  
Inwardly shaking his head at himself, he began focusing on the text rather than the handwriting itself.

_[Dear Nico, _  
Happy Valentine's Day!  
Yes, another note. I'm so cheesy, I know, but I think you like it ;)  
To celebrate the special occasion, I've learned to write another Italian sentence:  
Ti amo così tanto che ti darei la luna.  
(Leo said it means 'I love you so much I'd give you the moon' as an equivalent of 'I love you to the moon and back')  
I really do.

I hope we'll have a splendid day today.  
Won't tell you what we're going to do, but I hope you'll like it, anyways ;)

Ti amo (I love you),

_Your boyfriend Percy] _

Jason couldn't help but feel a tiny bit impressed.

Not only was Percy's handwriting here a lot more readable than his old notes, it was also really beautifully written (word-wise).

And Italian, too.

So that's what he had asked Leo when they had picked up the tent and Percy had told him he needed 'five minutes alone' with the Latino.

Figures.

He passed the note to Will and looked up to find Nico practically beaming at him.

It wasn't a secret that Nico had absolutely adored the notes from the Advent Calendar.

To still receive some every here and there was probably the best thing Percy could ever do for him.

Jason kind of wished he had had that idea and be the one to make Nico this happy.

Maybe leave Nico a note before he left for another signature from the gods.

Or one when he was back, saying he was back, instead of trying to catch the boy's attention around Camp to show him 'Hi, I still exist.'

Oh well, no use crying about it now.

As long as Nico was happy, all was well.

And he certainly looked utterly happy.

Jason smiled at him, then looked towards Percy. "I had no idea you were trying to learn Italian."

Percy was so wonderfully fidgety, it was beyond adorable.

"Yeah, well, I tried to. It's a bit too difficult for me. Maybe in a year or two. Until then, Nico will have to put up with my sorry excuses."

"That was superb Italian, stop wearing yourself down, Percy." Nico chided, taking back the note gingerly from Will, as if it could fall apart if touched too harshly.

"Yeah, that was pretty good, I gotta cut you that. Personally, I'd have gone with the 'Ti amo più di qualsiasi cosa al mondo', but yours is super sweet as well." Will chirped with a small shrug and they stared at him in surprise.

"You know Italian?" Nico and Percy asked at the same time, while Jason rather wanted to ask _when_ he had learned Italian, since it seemed kind of obvious to him that he knew it.

Will blinked, taken aback, apparently only now realizing he had given himself away.

But then he forced out a quick laugh, scratching the side of his neck awkwardly.

"Yeah, I do. Not much, but a fair bit, I suppose. Always wanted to learn it. Everybody else was always only obsessed with French, Latin or Spanish, so I figured I'd go out of my way to learn Italian."

Judging by the way he glanced at Nico, Jason knew it had to do with him as well, but he knew better than to pry, especially with Percy and Nico right there.

Nico looked flabbergasted, obviously not having expected anything like this whatsoever, whereas Percy seemed torn between surprise, awe and utter betrayal, as if Will had cheated him of something.

"Why didn't you say anything? You could have taught me! Wait, you can still teach me. Will, teach me."

"Percy, if you want to learn Italian, you know I can help you too, right?" Nico asked cautiously with a light frown, but Percy shook his head stubbornly.

"No, I want to be able to talk to you and say nice things to you without you being the one to tell me them in the first place. Will is going to teach me."

"Excuse me? I have never agreed to anything." Will said with a scowl, but Jason could see his ears turning pink and knew he wasn't scowling out of annoyance, but because he was flustered.

"I'd like to learn that as well. We could make a study group out of it and practice with Nico every now and then to show our progress." Jason suggested and Will threw him an exasperated look.

"What do _you_ need to learn Italian for?" Percy asked sourly, looking him up and down and seeming somewhat disgruntled, though Jason couldn't tell yet why.

Maybe because he didn't want Jason to talk to Nico in Italian? Maybe because he thought Jason would get the hang of it faster than he did? Or maybe he wanted to spend some time with

Will alone and didn't want Jason around?

Yeah, or maybe just because he was Percy.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Alright, alright, I'll teach you guys what I know - which isn't much, anyways. So, how about you take Nico to the bathroom, Percy? You wanted to show him that trick with the water you bragged about the other day." Will cut in before Percy could reply and Jason and Percy both glanced around at the time.

Oh, right.

"Yeah, Nico, I just have to show you this one thing." Percy instantly went with it and took Nico's hand, dragging him after him towards the bathroom.

Nico only frowned, looking over his shoulder towards Jason and Will, who might or might not have looked a tiny bit too innocent to not seem suspicious.

But then he only rolled his eyes and shook his head with a small smile, letting Percy lock them both in the bathroom.

"Alright, coast is clear. Let's get his stuff." Will said a moment later and Jason nodded, immediately making his way towards the wardrobe, while Will grabbed Nico's camera and looked for the black sports bag Percy had put somewhere around here.

Jason took out a towel and a change of clothes, then searched through the drawers for something Nico could wear_ in the water_.

This would have been a lot easier if they had just told Nico of their plan and let him pack himself.

"Good thing we all remembered to pack on time for the journey this time. Imagine we'd come home tonight and still need to pack." Jason tried for conversation and saw Will stiffen out of the corner of his eyes.

"Yeah, that would be problematic." Came as reply, and Jason stopped, looking around at Will in question.  
There it was again. That passive, detached voice, the stillness of his body, the way he didn't even look around when he talked.

What was wrong with him?

Why was he always like this whenever they mentioned the trip?

Jason had asked whether he was ok with it, and Will had insisted he was cool with it!

Had he lied, then? Or changed his mind? Maybe he was just uncertain.

"Well, I hope we have everything."

"I'm sure you do. No worries, you are all grown guys now."

Well, he guessed they were.

Somehow, something about the way Will said it bugged him, though.

He just couldn't tell what it was.

"Then again, I'm sure we'd be able to improvise in case anything really is missing. The most important things are the money, the people, the tent and the sleeping bag, and we got that covered, so we should be good."

"Yeah." Was all that came as reply and Jason frowned, but then decided to drop it for now.

"Does Percy really have a trick with water he can show Nico?" He asked instead, still searching for swim trunks or pretty much anything that indicated a bathing outfit.

"I wouldn't know, but I'm sure he'll be able to think of something." Will replied quietly, face still awfully indifferent as he came over with the bag and started putting the clothes in.

"What's still missing?"

"Anything for the water so he doesn't have to go naked, I guess."

"Oh? I'd be completely ok with that."

Jason sent him a wry look. "I bet you'd be - until you realize that everybody in that park would see him, too."

Will made a face, looking like Will again, and Jason found himself relaxing slightly.

"Touché. Alright, let me help look."

They searched for what felt like forever and were about to give up and get Percy and Nico to ask, when Will finally found a pair of black swimming trunks in the very back of the wardrobe, hidden under a bag with a pirate coat.

"Seems to me we really have to go on that sailing trip." Will remarked drily as they both took another peek at the coat, before placing it back in the wardrobe overly carefully (they had the funny feeling they'd die if the coat got harmed in any way).

Jason stuffed the swimming trunks into the black sports bag and eyed Will from the side.

How come he could talk with such a amused grin on his face about a trip that could take gods knew how long in the middle of nowhere far away from Camp and everything he knew, but he grew miserable the moment somebody mentioned the trip to the Underworld?

Was it because of the Underworld?

Was Will worried because of the lack of sunlight?

Was it because it was the exact opposite of him and his father and everything he stood for?

Jason had no idea.

He kind of wanted to ask, but right then there came a loud noise from the bathroom, followed by Nico laughing heartily.

"Maybe we should go get them, now that we have everything." Jason said instead and Will nodded, gazing into the direction of the bathroom with a contemplative expression.

"Yeah, I think I'll leave that to you, thanks. Who knows what those two are up to."

Jason sighed and passed the sports bag back to Will, who took it and left the cabin to get their things from where they had stashed them at the Apollo cabin, only turning around to close the door and wave at Jason, who was still looking after him even after the door was closed.

He really had to talk to him again because of the trip.

It would be very short notice, but if Will really had a problem with the Underworld, then they'd simply have to make adjustments.

Maybe there was the possibility of staying at a hotel or some other place close by to the Underworld, that way Will could stay there with Jason at the very least, if Percy and Nico really insisted on staying at Hades' place (though he doubted it. He was fairly certain they cared for Will a hundred times more than for wherever they were going to sleep).

Though he knew that if he suggested something like that, Will would throw a tantrum, and brush it all off as unnecessary worries.

Maybe if he voiced out his own concerns about the Underworld first...Will might lured out of his shell...maybe.

Or he might look right through it and be even more annoyed.

Meh.

Jason sighed again, making his way towards the bathroom reluctantly.

Regarding the loud noise and Nico's laughter, he was fairly certain they weren't doing anything intimate, but he still didn't exactly want to interrupt anything.

Then again, if he waited any longer, Percy might get too desperate at keeping Nico occupied and do something stupid again, so he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

.

"Oh, come on, it was funny! I dried you off, didn't I?" Percy tried to move Jason to do anything but scowl at him as they sat in the car, Nico in the middle, Jason to his left and Percy to his right, while Will was stuck in the front once more (though this time by choice).

He looked behind him with a mixture of compassion, amusement and annoyance.

"Percy, you utterly drenched him. He looked worse than a wet poodle. I'm fairly certain you're the only one that found it funny." He chided, trying to suppress a grin as to not earn himself another death glare from Jason.

Well, alright, he might have found it funny as well when he had come back to find Jason wet from head to toe, looking exasperated and fed up.

Right after he had left and Jason had went to fetch Nico and Percy, the son of Poseidon seemed to have thought it a splendid idea (most likely out of utter boredom from being in the bathroom for too long without being allowed to ravish Nico - Will could _almost_ relate) to let the water collect at the ceiling and surrounding walls, telling Jason to come on in.

Of course, good-natured Jason had went inside, already expecting something would be amiss, but that didn't stop him from being the nice guy and abiding Percy's wish – which led to Percy letting all the water fall down on him and flooding the entire bathroom (and cabin), the bathtub ironically the only dry place in the entire place (probably because Percy and Nico had been sitting in it).

Poor Jason.

Will was glad he hadn't been on the receiving end of that mess, that much was for certain.

Then again, he was fairly certain he wouldn't only glare daggers at Percy if he had done that to him.

"But I dried him off again. Come on, Jace, it can't have been that bad, right?" He tried again, nudging Jason's arm over and over again, while Nico only sighed loudly.

"Anyways, can somebody finally tell me where we're going? This is _my_ zombie chauffeur you're abusing, you could at least tell me our destination." Nico muttered, trying hard to sound frustrated and annoyed, but Will could clearly see the curiosity and excitement gleaming in his dark eyes and his fidgety behavior and voice gave him away as well.

Percy looked around at his boyfriend and Will could tell by his sly smile that he had picked up on it as well.

"Never. Then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore."

"What if I say I'll still act extra surprised once we get there?" Nico tried tentatively, drawing a small chuckle from Jason, though he immediately fell quiet again once he saw Percy batting his eyelashes at him - apparently to gain his forgiveness somehow (why he thought that would help was beyond Will, but it was kind of funny to watch, anyways).

"Or even better, we won't tell you, and you'll be genuinely surprised. Come on, you know you love our surprises." Will said with a wink and Nico huffed out a defeated sigh.

"You're all so mean. And no, I don't. I don't like surprises. Especially not when all three of you come up with them. Now, if it was just Jason-..."

"Hey! Why Jason? Nico, what are you trying to say? That my surprises aren't good? I baked you a birthday cake!" Percy instantly wailed, looking utterly devastated.

"We _both_ baked that cake, Percy, don't even try. But Nico, I have to agree with him. Why Jason? What surprises has he ever planned for you?"

Jason merely looked amused, and maybe a tiny bit surprised, though it was hard to tell when he wasn't looking directly at Will and the car was moving.

"None, and that's how I like it. You two only come up with crazy stuff that could either get us killed or turn me into a flustered fool." Nico remarked with a stern expression and Percy and Will exchanged amused, knowing glances.

"Aw, but we like you all flustered. It's cute." Both of them said at the same time with a wink, then looked back at each other surprised.

Hey, and that without planning!

Awesome.

Nico huffed indignantly, though his lips twitched traitorously, while Jason merely smiled, looking back out of the window.

"Still, our surprises are good, right? And this time, Jason actually contributed his part to the whole thing as well, so it can only be great, right? Jason, tell him it will be awesome." Percy insisted, nudging Jason slightly.

Jason turned his head ever so slowly into Percy's direction, his expression still stony.

Percy groaned. "Fine, I'm really, really sorry. Please forgive me, oh mighty Jason Grace. I shall never drown you in the bathroom again. I regret my actions and know now you're a stuck-up little shi-..._wonderful _guy with all the right in the world to be a spoilsport- I mean, to be mad at me, to be mad at me. Oh, blast it." He cursed as Jason made to turn away again, then took a deep breath.

"Aye, thoust ev'ry right to bestow thy wrath upon me, but I wilt begeth of thou thy mercy, oh mighty sky priest, or I shall wasteth aroint in the hollows of mine soul and the sorrow in mine heart, mine honor fordid." Percy lamented and Will turned around in his seat with a partly stunned, partly disturbed expression, watching Percy gesturing dramatically along with his speech.

He wasn't alone in his surprise, though - Nico stared at his boyfriend as if he had grown a second head or something.

Seriously, Percy, what the hell?

Jason, however, seemed fairly unmoved, eyeing him quietly, his expression contemplative.

Then he sighed and raised his chin, giving him a surprisingly aristocratic flair. "Alright. I shall forgive thou this timeth, lowly commoner that ye are. But be warned, peasant, mine mercy shall not be upon thou another timeth."

Will snorted. "You two are such nerds. Where did you learn that mess?"

Nico looked from Jason to Percy with an incredulous expression, apparently at a loss as well.

Percy, however, utterly ignored them. "I shall be gaged to thou forevermore, to grant me such favor, oh mighty sky priest, is beyond all I couldst ever fathom. But must I noteth I am nay lowly commoner, as thou so nameth me, but the son of the sea."

"I am ackown ye are of royal blood, yet I seeth naught but a child whence a princeling shouldst be. Cometh back when thou are of age, ackown of thy lineage and honor, and we shall discuss thy title and ranketh."

Will gaped at them.

Nico still stared in disbelief

Percy and Jason eyed each other warily for another long moment.

Then they both started laughing, grinning stupidly at each other and giving each other a loud and chaotic high-five with some additional odd handshake-moves Will had never witnessed them exchange before.

"Bro." Both said at the same time at the very end and winked at each other.

Nico and Will exchanged a long, dumb-founded glance.

What. The. Hell?

"You're such dorks." Nico mumbled, leaning back in his seat further and looking from one to the other in what could almost be considered wonder.

Will on the other hand eyed Percy warily. "You said you suck at acting."

Percy merely shrugged, still grinning from ear to ear. "I do, but this isn't really acting. Jace and I came up with this ages ago to pass the time while waiting for Nico to get out of his cabin."

Nico blinked. "What?"

Will raised an eyebrow.

That was the first time he had heard of something like that.

Also, he had never noticed them doing anything of the sort before.

Where had he been when that had happened?

Oh…wait…

"You know, back when you helped Will out in the infirmary sometimes and then stayed at your cabin for the rest of the time, or slept in really late, or just couldn't be bothered leaving. We would always wait for you somewhere close by, to catch you to chat or do something with you. And to pass the time, we once started talking about…who was that guy…" Percy explained and looked around at Jason with a small frown.

"Shakespeare. You were telling me of all those horrid essays and how you had to read one of his works. Then you started complaining about the Shakespearian English and…"

"Yeah, and then you just randomly started talking like that and made a sort of thing out of it, so I went with it." Percy picked up from where Jason had began trailing off, grinning widely at the memory.

Will found his lip twitching as he watched those two dorks looking at each other, both apparently reminiscing about those 'old times'.

Nico only looked at them with both eyebrows raised.

"You're such dorks."

Both of them just shrugged and winked at him, and Will found they both had way too adorable smirks.

While Percy looked mischievous and playful, Jason looked more wolfish and had that certain gleam in his eyes again that Will sometimes glimpsed, but still had trouble identifying.

He couldn't do anything but grin at them both.

"Yeah, seriously, don't you have anything better to do? But, hey, Neeks, remember when we talked about putting them in dresses and having them be the damsels in distress in some tower? Now they have the language to go with it, too."

"Wait, what?" Both guys asked, looking between Will and Nico as a smile spread on the Italian's face.

Oh, this was going to be fun to explain to the guys.

.

When they finally arrived at the indoor water park, they were all glad to finally get out of the car, all eyes fixed on Nico's, while Nico took in the place in front of him with a nearly perfect poker face.

Percy felt nervousness and dread surging through him and he had a tough time not grabbing for anybody's hand in his worry he had messed up.

Maybe Nico wouldn't like it.

Maybe all of this had been a stupid idea.

Maybe…

Jason's hand closed around his lower arm and squeezed gently, causing Percy to glance around at him quickly.

The blonde wasn't looking at him, but the calm expression on his face spoke for itself, calming Percy's nerves almost immediately.

No, the other two had agreed with him on this, so it couldn't be too bad.

Even if it wasn't Nico's first choice of place, he was certain they could make it funny enough to turn it into his favorite place (or at least have him thoroughly enjoy himself).

Nico looked around at him, a smile spreading on his face, shaking his head at the three of them.

"You're such dorks. Really, an indoor water park? You're hopeless. I hope you packed me something to swim in, or I'm going to have to disappoint you, guys." He said, his voice making Percy let out a sigh of relief.

He liked it.

"Aw, and I thought we were going to go into the nudist area. You know, to make things interesting." Will remarked drily with a small wink in Nico's direction as he opened the trunk, ignoring the grunt Jules-Albert let out next to him.

Nico only looked concerned for one fleeting moment, then he shook his head.

"No way. Percy would never let that happen."

"Damn right I wouldn't. Nobody gets to see you naked but me, babe." Percy declared with a smug smile, moving forward to help Will with their bags, feeling Jason follow as he let go of his arm.

Will threw him a partly amused, partly exasperated glance and rolled his eyes, passing on the bags.  
"Yeah, yeah, don't I know it. Come on, let's hurry and get inside."

"That eager to get wet?" Percy teased and immediately earned a scowl from the blonde, while Nico threw him a scandalized look.

Jason merely sighed behind him.

Percy grinned smugly, giving Nico a quick peck on the lips before letting him take his black bag from him.

He had no idea how close he was going to be allowed to be to his boyfriend once they were inside that place, after all.

It looked like the place was utterly packed, so he was fairly certain there wouldn't be any kisses (nor any making out…kind of a shame, really…), but maybe Nico would at least hold hands with him.

Though he couldn't be all too sure.

It had taken up to his birthday for him to come out to the Camp alone, so he wouldn't be surprised if it took him another month (or a year) to be openly gay in public.

Not that Percy minded.

He really didn't care either way.

He knew Nico was his and he was Nico's and that settled the matter for him.

They would only be here for one day, anyways.

And Jason and Will were here as well, so he wouldn't be able to get too close to Nico at any rate.

"Come on, then, guys." He called as he started moving towards the entrance, putting an arm loosely around Nico to test the waters, but Nico instantly leaned against him slightly, sending him a small smile and looking pretty pleased so far.

Then again, they did have a splendid morning.

Oh yeah, he so had to thank the other two for that bit of privacy in the morning.

Gods, at this rate he was so going to ravish Nico, after all.

Today would be such a nice day, too.

Valentine's Day.

Then again, maybe it wasn't.

It was related to Cupid, after all, and Nico made it obvious he didn't like that guy.

And wasn't it kind of…well…paint by numbers?

How many couples would have their first time today?

He was fairly certain that a lot of people would figure today was the perfect opportunity as well.

No, he shouldn't even think about it.

But they had gotten so close today in the morning.

Not to mention Will and Jason speaking up as well, how Nico was the one waiting for Percy to come around.

Was that true?

Those two had tried so hard to cockblock Percy and Nico before, and now, suddenly, they seemed to practically wish for him to take it all the way.

But he had given up trying to understand them, anyways.

The only thing he really cared about right now was whether Nico really wanted to take things further or not.

He couldn't very well ask him whether he'd like to have sex.

Well, technically, he could, but that might pressure Nico into saying yes out of worry Percy would be disappointed otherwise, or something.

There had been so many occasions where they had gotten so damn close and hadn't even really cared whether it would lead there or not.

They had just let it flow, going as far as was comfortable with them and simply enjoying pleasuring each other.

That was how Percy wanted their first time to be, as well.

Then again, the boys would be sleeping over, so today wasn't such a great opportunity after all.

Plus, Percy was fairly sure as soon as Nico and he would cross that line, there'd be no going back.  
And tomorrow, they were going to embark on their journey with Jason, Will and Jason's people, off to the Underworld to visit Nico's dad.

Not exactly the best choice to have sex the very night before that, huh?

Percy sighed.

Why was he even thinking about this?

Now wasn't the time to think about sex, now was the time to get annoyed about all the people in front of them as they got in line, Jason fishing out the tickets they had already acquired.

It had been Jason's idea, and it prove to be pretty useful, given that they were permitted to skip most of the line until they got to a different ticket booth with only a handful of people (all of them couples, so he guessed this _was_ a nice idea for Valentine's Day, after all) in front of them.

"So many couples..." Nico mumbled next to him and Percy glanced at him out of the corners of his eyes, watching him fidgeting slightly, eyes on their joined hands, before looking around at the people around them once more.

Maybe he expected somebody to call them out or make a scene. Or people glaring at them or the like. Something negative, that much was for sure.

Yet he didn't pull his hand back, nor did he step away from Percy, something that really made Percy realize just how much Nico had changed ever since the Advent Calendar (or better said, how much more confident he had become. 'Changed' indicated Nico hadn't been perfect before, and that was a straight out lie. He had been perfect all along, but now he was slowly becoming more and more confident in himself, and that was beautiful).

He squeezed his hand gently in reassurance, and found Nico squeezing back slightly, a small smile playing on his lips.

Yeah, this was nice.

Better than nice.

Perfect.

Percy grinned to himself, looking around at the other two, who were busy sharing knowing glances and smirks, standing way too close to each other for Percy's liking.

Jason caught his glance, and his smile turned into a teasing smirk as he stepped another deliberate step closer to Will so their shoulders were brushing together - obviously masking it as casual move to stay in line properly.

Percy scowled at him, but before he could say anything, Nico tugged on his arm to get him to follow as the last couple in front of them finished.

"Come on. Our turn." He mumbled, too nervous to look around at Percy, so Percy sent a last glare in Jason's direction before following suite.

That guy.

What was he doing?

He had said he wasn't going to make a move on Will!

Not that it mattered to Percy if he was...but he still wasn't ok with that.

Jason loved Nico. Everybody could see that.

Just because he might _eventually _start taking a liking to Will didn't mean he _deserved_ him.

And just because Will _might_ think he liked him back didn't mean those two were fit for dating!

Will also loved Nico, after all.

Those two wouldn't even fit together, really.

Percy halted in his thoughts, guilt flooding through his system.

What was he even thinking?

Of course they'd fit together.  
Of course they'd deserve each other.

They deserved to be happy, after all.

Of course they did.  
He wanted them to be happy.

Wasn't that what he had hoped for in the beginning, anyways?

That they'd fall in love with each other and start dating and the four of them could hang out with each other without problems?

No drama, no holding back, no fear of hurting either of those considerate, adorable, self-destructive fools.

They'd be happy.  
It would be perfect.  
It should be perfect.

Percy was feeling unusually down all of a sudden, feeling a lump build in the back of his throat, his chest aching, his heart heavy.

What was his problem?

It wasn't as if they'd stop hanging out with them or anything.

And they could date whoever they wanted, it was nothing of Percy's business.

He should support them.  
He should probably even play Cupid and hook them up.

Resentment and white, hot, inexplicable anger washed over him at that thought and he knew he was never ever going to do that.

He was not going to set anybody up with anybody.

Especially not Jason with Will.

Nor Will with Jason.

Jason passed the papers to the lady in the booth with a wry smile in Percy's direction, as if he knew exactly what he was thinking about.

Percy decided to tug Nico closer and act as if Jason didn't exist.

Today was meant to be a fun day, he wasn't going to ruin it with brooding over things that shouldn't concern him in the first place.

"Four people…let's see…" The lady said quietly, checking something on her screen.

Then her eyes hushed over them for a moment and halted on Percy and Nico so close together.

Her eyebrows knitted together, glancing from them towards Jason and Will.

"Are you…are you two a couple?" She asked hesitantly after a moment, gesturing towards Percy and Nico.

He could instantly feel Nico stiffen to a board next to him.

The lady seemed to notice, too, for she immediately put her hands up.

"I'm just asking, because today is Valentine's Day, and couples get a discount. I can see in the system that you ordered four normal cards, but couples get 10% off."

"Yeah, they're dating." Will supplied when Percy took a moment too long to reply.

Jason sent him another funny look and put an arm around Will. "We're on what could be considered a double date."

Whoa!

Percy's jaw clenched and it took all his willpower not to tear Jason away from Will in an instant, nor to call him out on his obvious and blatant lie.

That guy!

He vaguely hoped for Will to act shocked or something, but the blonde only smiled brightly at the lady, leaning against Jason and putting an arm around him as well as she looked over them a moment longer, then gave a short nod and focused back on her screen.

Glancing around at Nico, he saw him staring at the two blondes utterly speechless and gaping.

He couldn't blame him.

Seriously?

He knew they were only acting, but damn!

The lady said something about the price and Will and Percy stepped forward, pulling out their wallets.

There was _no way_ he was going to let Nico pay for anything, after all, though the exasperated huff behind him told him that Nico wouldn't have minded whatsoever.

Jason wanted to step forward, too, but Will held his hand up.

"My treat, Handsome. You can pay next time." He said with a sly smile and a wink, and Percy felt his insides clenching and churning and jealousy ripping through him like a rusty dagger.

He checked the price, then the money in his wallet (his mother had sent him some more pocket money after Will had let it drop that Percy had wasted it all on Nico. Percy wasn't sure whether to be grateful or annoyed of the blonde for that) and came to a quick decision.

"Actually, don't worry. This was my idea, after all, so I might as well invite you all out. Therefore, you can pay for the food we'll need." He announced, nudging Will aside to pay before either he nor the other two could say anything.

But Will merely rolled his eyes and put his wallet back into his pants pocket, while Jason let out a low chuckle behind him, making Percy's skin crawl.

He just knew Jason knew how he was feeling about all of this.

Which was entirely unfair, because Percy didn't understand it himself.

The lady looked them over once more with a small, confused smile and took the money, giving them each a pass that Nico instantly snatched and pocketed.

Yeah, he was fairly certain Nico was going to put his in one of his photo albums.

Percy could barely wait.

He had such nice photo albums.

Percy loved looking through them.

He hoped they'd be able to take some decent pictures today, because he for one wanted a lot of pictures, too.

They bid their goodbye's to the lady and made their way down the long hallway to the changing rooms.

"Well, here goes." Nico mumbled, sounding nervous and excited.

Percy smiled, catching Will and Jason looking at the Italian as well with soft expressions.

They were so pathetic, weren't they?

Loving Nico so, so much.

But it felt so good, Percy never wanted it to stop.

.

After a long and unnecessarily heated argument about who shared a changing room with whom (luckily, they managed to get three free cubicles, so Percy and Nico were sharing one and the other two had one for themselves each, something Percy had insisted on for some weird reason Will didn't understand), they met outside the showers, all changed and ready for action (and oh my gods, why did Nico have to choose today to leave so many hickeys all over Percy's neck? Not that Percy minded whatsoever, but still. Kind of mean. Will wanted to leave hickeys on somebody too).

The place was packed, of course, but that wasn't very surprising.

Everywhere they looked, they could see and hear people, mostly couples of all ages, from barely teenagers to a few elderly couples even (all of them straight to the bone, obviously. Hopefully nobody was going to give Nico a tough time).

But as they stood there, taking in their surroundings with a hint of awe, Will could completely understand why this place was so packed.

It was huge, much bigger than he had expected, and so warm he had to resist the temptation of jumping headfirst into the pool no ten feet away from them.

The slides were everywhere, but he could detect a smaller pool for little kids, as well as a pool solely for swimming (he was fairly certain Percy would end up in there at least once today, and he had every intention of joining him – he actually really liked swimming, though he doubted anyone knew).

All in all, it looked like the best place to have fun.

He looked around at Jason, finding him grinning at him, an amused twinkle in his eyes.

"Ready to go, Freckles?"

Gods, that pet name again.

"You two seem to take your dating very seriously." Percy grumbled next to Will and they both rolled their eyes.

What was his problem?

"I don't know what you're talking about. 10% off, I wasn't going to let that chance pass. Even if you ended up paying for us – which was entirely unnecessary, I'll have you know. I'm going to have a talk with your mother, because you apparently can't hold onto your money for longer than three days." Will remarked and watched Percy's ears turn red with gratification.

"Oh, come on, Will, be nice. I think it's nice of him to invite us all here. But seriously, next time, I'm going to pay. Out of all of us, I'm the one with most money and least money problems, yet I'm never the one paying." Nico said somewhat sulkily and started walking forward, the other three automatically following.

Nico looked perfect as usual, same as Jason and Percy, and Will didn't have to look around him much to know every person, male and female alike, was staring at the three utterly handsome and perfectly muscled guys as they approached the water, oblivious to the attention.

Bless them.

They had the bodies of gods and the attitudes of pure, sweet, innocent angels.

It was as maddening as it was adorable.

Will felt a few eyes on him as well and inwardly cringed, wondering faintly what people had to think of him, in the middle of all these hot guys.

How much he wished he wasn't the odd one out (again).

But meh, at least he was here with them and there was no way he'd let anybody else make him feel self-conscious now.

He was here to have fun, so that's exactly what he was going to do.

Jason looked around, frowning at a few girls giggling and waving at him, even though their (Boy?)-friends were right next to them.

Will had to suppress a snicker.

Of course they'd have their eyes on the hot, muscled blond with the perfect body and adorable expression.

And of course Jason seemed utterly surprised, apparently oblivious to his own good looks or maybe he simply didn't care.

He only ever had eyes for Nico, after all (when he wasn't bromancing with Percy, that was, but that hardly counted).

The blonde looked around at him, smiling slightly and holding out his hand.

Ugh, really?

"We're supposed to be a couple." Jason said when Will sent him an unimpressed look, and Will rolled his eyes, making a face and grabbing his hand.

"Fine, whatever. Don't get in over your head, though. I don't bottom. Ever."  
"I love how that's your only concern." Jason muttered and Will frowned, wondering faintly what that meant.

Percy and Nico reached the edge of the water and looked down into the clear blue, apparently debating whether to jump right in or to go the long way around to the actual stairs leading into the pool.

Will was for jumping in.

Percy seemed to think the same, already starting forward, but Nico held him back, trying to tug him towards the stairs.

Right when Will grinned, Percy looked around at them, his gaze instantly on their joined hands, a scowl spreading on his face.

"Aren't you taking it a bit too serious? Or did I miss something?" He asked sourly and Will frowned, wondering once more what was wrong with him.

Nico looked at their joined hands as well, a small frown on his face, but he seemed more confused and contemplative than upset or anything, eyes hushing between Jason and Will as if trying to discern whether there really was something between them.

Oh, hell no.

"Forget it, Gorgeous. The only person I'd date is already taken. Plus, Jace and I would never work out. Would we now?"

It was the sad truth, given their characters.

Not to mention the fact that two tops generally didn't make a good couple.

With Percy and Jason, that issue would have been a promising aspect – in the way that they'd keep bickering and trying to trump each other to get to be the top, which would have been fun to watch – but for Will and Jason, that wouldn't be possible.

There was no bickering or arguing about it, Will wasn't ever going to bottom.

He had his reasons, none of them for anybody's ears, but luckily nobody had asked him yet, either.

But, yeah, Jason and he would never work out.

Nor Percy and Will.

Ugh, no.

Percy had some bottom tendencies every here and there, given his constant cooing about Nico's dominant streak he had every here and there, but he also had a hang for rule-breaking and crossing borders that weren't meant to be crossed.

So, yeah, no matter how Will felt for any of them, it wouldn't work out, anyways.

Nico was the only exception, but that had been like this from the beginning.

Plus, Will was fairly certain that for _Nico_, he'd do anything and let him do anything, even if it meant going out of his comfort zone – though that was JUST for Nico.

Because he knew Nico enough to trust him unconditionally.

"Whatever you say, Freckles." Jason said with a shrug, his expression indifferent.

Percy looked between them a moment longer, then huffed and looked back at the water.

"So, how about we finally jump in? It's making me crazy looking at all this water and not being able to be IN it."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll get you wet in a moment." Jason teased, walking up to them with Will on his heel, given their joined hands.

"Don't you dare push me in. If I go, I go on my own terms." Percy instantly scowled, but Jason merely rolled his eyes. "Wasn't going to. I think it would be a lot better and less troublesome to take the actual way in to the pool instead of jumping off the sides, which, as you can see clearly, is forbidden." He said pointedly, gesturing towards the ground and the wall with signs all over it, stating that it was prohibited to jump in.

Blah, party poopers.

"Blah, party poopers." Percy grumbled, looking wistfully at the water once more.

Will raised an eyebrow, glad he hadn't talked aloud, stepping up to the water himself now, right between Percy and Nico.

If Percy talked about Jason and Will acting like a couple and was being a bitch about it, Will saw no reason why he should support them standing so close to each other, either.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I kind of just want to finally go in. The longer we wait, the more time we waste. You coming, Neeks? Time to get wet." He stated, smirking at Nico and reaching out to urge him into the direction of the stairs, knowing full well Percy was going to have a problem with that.

"No way, only I make him wet. Hands off, sun-bug." Percy exclaimed, nudging his hand away and shooting him a glare. "Don't make me regret taking you with me."

Will rolled his eyes. "Of course not. So, are we going in now or what?"

Percy sent him another disapproving look, then nodded.

"Yeah, let's finally get in. I'm going first!"

"No way!" Will cried, though there was a wide grin on his face as he said it, and they heard Jason chuckle behind Will.

"You're such kids. Both of you."

With that, they started making their way towards the stairs.

Only, they didn't get far, because right then, a couple rushed past them, in too much of a heated argument to pay them any attention, bumping into Percy – who in turn bumped hard into Will.

Who slipped on the wet tiles, grabbed Nico in terror and flopped sideways into the pool, Nico's surprised curse the last thing he heard before cold, wet water engulfed his body and head, promptly swallowing what felt like at least five liters.

He hoped he managed to throw Nico far enough in so he didn't hurt himself at the side or anything.

Coming up a moment later and spitting out water, he immediately flinched at the volume of the place and looked around for Nico, who had come up next to him, looking like a wet poodle and glowering at him.

"Will!" Nico called indignantly.

"It wasn't my fault!" Will cried.

"Will!" Percy growled.

"It wasn't my fault!" Will repeated devastated.

"Shut it, Jackson, it was your fault to begin with." Jason stated unimpressed and shoved Percy in.

Will and Nico barely had enough time to scramble away before he hit the water, shortly followed by Jason, who hopped in now as well (probably to avoid Percy from pulling him in afterwards. We wouldn't want any freak water-controlling accidents happening here, after all).

Will laughed, waiting for them to come back up, just to splash them with water.

"You idiots. So much for not jumping in." He chided, still chuckling.

They both grinned at him, Percy looking back around towards Nico to check that he was ok.

"I didn't jump in, I was pushed in. There's a difference. Jace, therefore that you were the one utterly opposed to jumping in, you are the only one who did it. What do you have to say to your defense?" Percy asked, a malicious gleam in his eyes as if he had every intention of punishing Jason.

But Jason only looked at him unimpressed, splashing water in his face.

"That you're an idiot and still completely dry?"

Oh shit.

Will looked at Percy's hair, all dry and fluffy as usual, standing off in all directions.

Nico gasped and glanced around quickly, checking whether anyone had seen.

Yeah, well, they certainly had all eyes on them right now, though Will blatantly hoped that was because these three were so damn hot.

Maybe they were lucky and nobody had noticed the unnatural state of Percy's hair.

Unable to think of anything better, Will surged forward, grabbing Percy's head and shoving him underwater.

"Drown, you idiot, you're making it worse." He hissed and Jason put his hand to his face, looking exasperated.

"Will, you can't drown him, that will only make things even more suspicious…" He started, but then Will felt hands at his sides and squeaked.

Next moment, he was dragged under water mercilessly by Percy, who apparently didn't want to get drowned.

He barely had enough time to suck in a quick breath, then he was pushed to the bottom of the pool, Percy over him, glowering at him.

Yeah, well, Will usually preferred to keep his eyes shut in chlorine water, but right now he definitely wanted to see what was going on around him.

Maybe it hadn't been that great of an idea to risk Percy's wrath in his very territory.

Oh well, too late now.

Percy poked his forehead, then both his cheeks, making him lose his precious air in a flow of bubbles.

Then he grinned maliciously at him and dragged him back up to the surface before he started drowning or something.

How nice of him.

They broke the surface and the first thing Will did after taking a deep breath was checking whether Percy's hair was wet now (it was, thank the gods. And damn, Percy actually looked kind of cute with wet hair…not that he ever didn't look cute though…wait…ugh) and kick his leg 'by accident'.

"Idiot, I was only helping out."

"Sure. If I couldn't breathe underwater, you would have drowned me, you know."

"Percy, people are watching, keep your voice down." Nico urged, coming up beside him, closely followed by Jason, who seemed to look Will over for a moment, trying to detect any damage.

Percy looked around himself with an absolute lack of interest in any other person around them, even though plenty of girls were quite obvious in their attempts to catch his eye.

Will almost felt bad for them, if it wasn't for the fact that their partners were sitting next to them looking rather sulky.

How harsh must it be for a guy to have their girl-/boyfriend ogling somebody else with heart eyes, even though they were sitting right there with them?

"Let's check out the slides. They look like fun." Percy exclaimed when his gaze fixed on one of the biggest slides in the place.

"Hell yes." Will said before he could stop himself, eyes already eagerly following the people shooting out at the bottom, dropping into the water at top speed and mostly laughing or screaming.

While Percy looked around at him surprised, Jason and Nico snorted out a laugh simultaneously.

"I knew you liked it." Nico stated smugly, the same time Jason muttered "Thought so.", a small smile on his lips.

Will frowned at them. "What?"

"Nothing." Both said innocently, sharing a knowing glance, so Will made a face and looked back towards Percy, who was looking at him oddly.

Rolling his eyes, he glanced back to the slide.

Oh gods, it looked like so much fun, too.

Couldn't they finally go already?

"Alright, that settles it: Time to check out the slides. We don't want Will staring off into space so wistfully, or people will think I'm a bad boyfriend." Jason announced, moving towards the stairs to get out.

"Pah, as if you're anything but." Percy teased, simply swimming up to the edge of the pool and hoisting himself out, resulting in several people gesturing and chatting animatedly in hushed voices, a few even gasping loudly (seriously, mortals were so weird sometimes).

Will rolled his eyes and caught Nico doing the same, both of them following Jason out of the water the inconspicuous way…or, well, more inconspicuous than Percy, at any rate, people still stared at Jason and Nico (mostly Jason, which Will could partly understand completely, and partly not at all. Who could resist Nico? Then again, Jason WAS built rather nicely).

Then they made their way towards the slides and Will's entire body tingled with anticipation.

Not that anybody knew, but he had never been to an indoor water park before.

When would he have been?

He had come to Camp when he was a mere kid, his mother dead, his father unknown until he had been claimed.

Of course, he had had a more or less nice childhood, living with his single mother that worked in a hospital more than she was at home, but always trying to be there for him all the same (though she did sometimes bring boyfriends or girlfriends home, and he hadn't been allowed to stick around too long then, but by now that made much more sense than back then and he could kind of understand and respect that now).

But they hadn't exactly had the time, money or opportunities to do stuff like this.

And once he had been at Camp, he hadn't left it except for the war(s).

It had kind of been difficult to get permission to leave the Camp, after all, what with no place to go to and nobody to look after him but himself.

Back then, there had still been daily monster attacks on demigods outside Camp, after all (though it might still happen anytime. It was a miracle Chiron let them out this much nowadays, anyways. Then again, maybe he figured he couldn't have stopped them at any rate, even if he tried).

So, yeah, his sorry life consisted of all the things one could do at Camp to not die from boredom, but aside from that, everything was new, foreign and something he wanted to try out.

He liked water, loved swimming and surfing and easily got hooked on anything that was fast and gave him an adrenaline rush (which was probably why he liked roller coasters and the like so much).

Needless to say, he was more than ready to try those slides.

Plus, with Percy around, he was absolutely certain things were going to be even more fun, what with his water powers.

Oh, this was going to be good.

.

The slides were awesome.

Percy had no idea when he had last had this much fun.

Of course, he might or might not have been enhancing the speed of the water once they were in the slides, but even without that, they were pretty decent.

Not wild or fast or intense enough to get under his skin, but good enough to make them laugh out loud and splash around in the water without a care in the world.

Seriously, this had been a splendid idea.

After a small moment of reluctance with the first few slides, Jason and Will had started completely trusting Percy not to get them drowned, which he found kind of sweet, given that he had been tempted more than once (due to them trusting him blindly, though, he had decided to let the chances pass).

Nico seemed to enjoy it greatly as well, if his by now permanent grin stood for anything.

They had stopped holding hands the moment they had been done changing into their bathing outfits, but Nico had stayed close to Percy, doing the majority of the slides with Percy alone first and even letting Percy be as affectionate as he wanted (though Percy tried to make sure not to cross the line).

Will also seemed to love the water park, his eyes gleaming with excitement and joy and warmth, while his body seemed to permanently vibrate, something Percy only picked up on due to them being in the water most of the time (he had to admit he found it pretty amusing).

It was kind of adorable, really. As if Will had never been to a water park before or something.

The thought struck him as odd, and he quickly discarded it again, since Will hadn't said anything and, well, every person went to a water park at some point, obviously.

Percy knew his mother had taken him to a few.

And Nico had used the pools in the Lotus Casino.

Jason, he didn't exactly know, but the blonde seemed fairly collected and unconcerned/unimpressed by the place, so he doubted this was his first time, either.

Still, the three of them were adorable, and nothing could convince Percy otherwise.

But sadly, after playing around for nearly four hours, all four of them were more than just a little starved, so they admitted defeat and left the water to dry off for a bit and grab something to eat (which Will already claimed he'd pay for. Percy still wondered where Will of all people had money from, but found it inappropriate to ask).

He heard some girls giggle somewhere to their right (this time at least single ladies, or without their respective partners anywhere in sight, at the very least) and had to suppress the strong urge to roll his eyes, looking towards his guys instead – just to catch Will rolling his eyes so blatantly it was impossible to mistake it for anything else but right out annoyance at the females.

Seriously, Will.

Percy found himself grinning, catching up with him to squeeze himself between Will and Nico as they made their way to the food stands.

"So, what's the plan for after we're done eating?" He asked, already eager to get back into the water again.

Though he kind of wanted to insta-dry them all, not liking the feeling of damp skin and wet hair in this stuffy, warm atmosphere, especially not when they had to move about and eat.

Will and Nico chuckled, while Jason settled for an amused look.

"So impatient. I'd say we first settle on what we're going to eat, Gorgeous. Then we take a nice hour break in which we can make a plan on what slides to manhandle next, or maybe check out that lap pool and do a little race." Will suggested as they got in line at one of the biggest booths, though Percy honestly had no idea what they were even selling.

The people coming from there usually held up fries or ice cream, though, so at least it was something he could deal with.

If it had been some sort of salad bar, he probably would have screamed.

Though he had to admit Will's diet plan for him wasn't half bad.

Of course, it mostly consisted of vegetables and other (-shudder-) _healthy_ things, but he knew Will had really done his best to make it as bearable as possible.

As a matter of fact, Percy was surprised by how good some meals actually tasted, not to mention he was really feeling a lot better than before, though he hadn't noticed feeling bad before.

It was a bit like getting rid of a pain he hadn't known he had been feeling all along.

He was a lot fitter and more energized, and…well, let's just say Will had kept his end of the deal with improving certain tastes.

So, yeah, he wasn't really complaining.

Though he was also glad Will didn't insist on them keeping to their plans 24/7 (they still ate some snacks and chocolate and brownies every here and there, and while Will might have glanced at them sternly in the beginning, he was now happily participating as well, that dork).

"A whole hour, though? Can't we shorten that a tiny little bit?" He pleaded, putting on his best puppy face, but Will seemed unfazed.

Jason and Nico shared an amused look, but Percy poured all his concentration into changing Will's mind.

It was already 3pm, so if they ate now and had to take an entire hour break, it would be something past 4pm, and they still had an hour drive home.

He wasn't sure about the others, but he certainly wanted to get into bed before 10pm tonight.

Though he'd prefer it if they got back sooner than that, so he could maybe sneak some more quality moments with Nico.

Gods, how he wanted to ask the guys to give them some space tonight so he could ravish Nico.

He had so wanted to today in the morning already, it was torture.

And seeing him so scarcely dressed the entire time wasn't improving things, either.

Of course, there was nothing sexual about being in swimming trunks in a water park, and his brain completely understood that, but his body still reacted all too obvious whenever there was way too much skin contact in the slides or when they were dumped into the water and Percy could push Nico down onto the bottom of the pool and give him a feverish, sneaky kiss that nobody but them knew about.

He didn't dare kiss Nico where everybody else could see, knowing this would be way out of Nico's comfort zone (though that didn't stop his insides screaming with want – Nico was HIS and he wanted them all to know, especially those girls that kept trying to get their attention or something. Why did they have to live in a heteronormative world again? Four guys, not even looking at any of the girls, completely ignoring anything around them but their partners and being utterly affectionate with them – yet nobody got the hint that they were dating/gay/NOT INTERESTED).

Damn, he really shouldn't be thinking of kissing Nico when trying to convince Will to let them swim more.

Will eyed him a moment longer, so Percy pushed his bottom lip out, trying his best to keep his puppy face on even with his thoughts straying to Nico and water and luscious skin under his hands, soft lips against his own.

"Pretty please?"

"Gods, fine! We'll settle for half an hour, but take it slow." Will then groaned annoyed, shaking his head and turning his back to him once more, exposing his bare and still wet back.

Percy beamed, noticing off-handedly how Will's innumerous freckles seemed to stand out even more now than usual.

Or maybe that was just his imagination (usually he only saw this much skin in the evening/morning, when it was still darker/getting darker, after all).

When there were only two more people in the line in front of them, Will looked around at them once more.

"Hey, order enough to fill you up, but have mercy on my wallet, yeah? I'm not as rich as you might think." He stated with a wink and Percy snorted.

He was surprised enough Will had any money to begin with.

Nico and Jason merely raised their eyebrows.

"You know I can pay, too, right? Again, I'm the one with the most money here?" Nico said with an amused expression, but Will firmly shook his head.

"Nah, if Percy paid for all the tickets, I can pay for the food. Promised my boyfriend, after all." He retorted, wriggling his eyebrows exaggeratedly at Jason, and Percy could swear Jason's smile looked a lot softer and affectionate now than a moment ago.

His insides churned and he could barely suppress the urge to growl.

Why were they still keeping that dumb pretend-date stuff up, anyways?

It wasn't as if anybody was going to walk up to them and ask them whether they had paid the full price or the discounted one, nor was anybody going to ask them whether they were dating, anyways (what with everybody apparently assuming they just enjoyed running around together and getting touchy-feely with each other for no reason other than to catch taken girls' attention or something).

He was about to say something, when he caught sight of a few girls staring at Will and Jason in shock.

Maybe that was why Will had said that out loud.

Not to piss off Percy (not that it did. It had nothing to do with him what those two did, anyways. Hmpf), but to finally get rid of all the people staring at them.

At that thought, he glanced towards Nico, catching the Italian staring at him with a contemplative expression.

"Hm? What?" He asked, taken aback.

But Nico merely shook his head and looked away again, a light blush adorning his cheeks.

Percy was about to open his mouth to imitate Will with his clear giveaway, but then it was their turn to order and the words died in his throat as he was suddenly confronted with deciding what he even wanted.

Yeah, as to be expected, the other three had managed to spot the board next to the counter a while ago already and had pretty much already decided what they wanted, whereas Percy had been too busy making puppy eyes at Will and thinking of a naked, hot and bothered Nico.

.

After they waited for Percy to stop making a fool of himself while ordering what he wanted to eat, they searched for some place to sit, which might have been smarter to do beforehand (especially since they were four people. Why none of them had gotten that idea was beyond them now), but it didn't really matter.

They flopped down on their towels where they had dumped them on some deck chairs that were all over the place and devoured their food there, starting up another round of swapping and trying each other's food as they often did these days.

Nico's meal won, which was pretty sad, given that it was just a large portion of fries.

Not that their other food was bad, but Jason had to admit the fries had a pretty good seasoning to them, unlike the regular just-dump-them-in-oil-and-salt-them fries from other places.

"What a shame that all the hot guys just have to be gay." A girl pouted in passing, gazing wistfully at Percy while her female friend ogled Will wantonly.

He instinctively moved, nudging his knee against Will's to draw his attention.

It wasn't to get him to look at the girls, but more to keep his gaze away from them and fixed on Jason, instead.

Yeah, sad but true, Jason could get a tad possessive by times.

This might just be a show, but even so, he was not going to do half-assed work in their pretend-play of being boyfriends (because he kind of liked the fact Will kept it up even now though it didn't matter anymore whatsoever).

"Can I have another bite?" He asked innocently enough, nodding towards Will's wrap that was already half gone, thanks to all four of them taking giant bites out of it.

Will blinked, then shrugged and held it out to him so he could take it.

But he didn't, instead leaning forward and placing one hand on Will's thigh (for possessiveness reasons) as he took a small bite - he didn't want to eat all of it, after all (it was the only thing Will had ordered and he was the one who had moved around the most, next to Percy, so he was bound to be hungry).

Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw several more girls appearing utterly frustrated, gesturing and pointing and making annoyed and devastated noises.

Maybe now they'd have some peace.

"That's really good. Want some of my…food?" He asked, holding up his own hot dog, deciding for obvious reasons to rather go with the term 'food' for now.

Will raised his eyebrows as he took another bite of his wrap, looking utterly amused, eyes twinkling with glee.

"Oh? So you want me to give your hot dog a try, huh?" He said with a suggestive smirk.

That guy.

"It's not like you didn't already try it, Will." He stated unimpressed, indicating the side that had been violated by the three guys when they had taken their share, though he knew this could be misunderstood as well (the girls closest to them started fanning their faces, so, yeah, he was utterly convinced _they_ misunderstood their conversation perfectly).

Will wriggled his eyebrows and opened his mouth, obviously about to say something suggestive again, but Percy was faster.

"My pizza is tons better than any hot dog."

Jason and Will looked around at him slowly, wondering whether he had really not understood what they had just referred to or whether he was just being a dick and trying to get the topic back into innocent fields.

Seriously, Jason suspected the second.

Percy was way too sensitive about anything that could somehow be interpreted as flirting, after all.

Jealous fool.

He already had Nico, why was he trying to keep Will all to himself as well?

Jason sighed inwardly.

One way or another, it wasn't as if Will would choose Jason at any point, anyways.

He was just teasing/joking (though Jason still kind of liked it, at any rate).

"Then you certainly never had the pleasure of Jason's hotdog." Will deadpanned nonchalantly and Jason almost choked on his bite, glancing up to see Will's smug and triumphant expression, so utterly opposite from Percy's absolutely shocked one as he looked between them hurriedly, apparently trying to discern whether they were being serious.

Then he looked around at Nico helplessly, who merely stared at the lot with a raised eyebrow, eating his fries relatively unimpressed.

"Why is it that whenever you two are on a roll together, you manage to turn my boyfriend into a flabbergasted fool? What do you have to say for yourself?" He asked, holding up a fry at them accusingly, a fake stern expression on his face.

Will and Jason grinned at each other, while Percy merely rolled his eyes.

"Well, it's not our fault. Maybe your boyfriend simply wants a taste of Jason's hotdog." Will then stated with a shrug and Percy promptly choked on the pizza he'd been eating.

"I- I do NOT!" He sputtered, face going beet-red, while Nico seemed to contemplate patting his back or not, his hand hovering over his back to wait and see whether he'd manage without help.

Will was too busy laughing to check whether he was ok, holding his stomach and stomping on the ground with one foot, tears building at the corners of his eyes.

Jason could only shake his head, one half of him wanting to laugh, the other one worried about Percy still coughing and choking.

Then Percy's head snapped up, glowering at him as if all of this was his fault.

Hey, it had been Will to say that, not him.

"Well, I wouldn't let you at my hotdog, anyways, so there's that." Jason retorted drily and Will did that cute little snort-laugh-thing he sometimes did, falling back in his deck chair and flailing with his legs somewhat as he tried to stop himself from laughing, arms wrapped around his stomach as if it was hurting.

Percy gaped at him, finally getting his bearings again and exchanging his troubled and horrified expression for an insulted one.

"Oh wow. You guys are so perverted. Seriously…but hey, your loss, Jace. He's pretty good with hotdogs, after all." Nico of all people stated with a nonchalant shrug.

"Nico!" Percy exclaimed incredulously, looking around at his boyfriend in disbelief.

Jason buried his face in his hands while Will seemed to die from laughing so much, still rolling from side to side on the deck chair and clasping his stomach.

Jason could only shake his head.

Yes, these were his three best friends.

All crazy with horribly dirty minds.

Not that he was any better, but at least he hadn't started it.

Will had.

He looked around at the mess that was Will Solace on the deck chair next to him, smiling to himself as he took in every detail of his face and body he could make out with the boy moving so much.

Today was a good day.

The water park certainly had been a success.

Tonight, he'd have to sleep alone in his cabin for once (something he didn't like thinking about, given that he hadn't even been able to sleep whatsoever today in the morning, no matter how hard he had tried), but that was ok, given their departure tomorrow.

Seriously, it was a good thing they had all packed already.

He only hoped Will had everything as well, given that he was the only one who hadn't said a thing about what he had packed at all, nor had he participated in any way whenever they had talked about what they thought important.

Oh well, he was certain Will was capable enough to pack on his own.

He certainly knew how to pack for picnics, after all, so there was that.

Jason smiled to himself and was distracted long enough not to notice Percy moving forward until that personification of the devil wrapped his mouth around Jason's hotdog (the food, mind you), tugging it out of his grip and chewing it with a smug and self-satisfied expression.

"Your hotdog sucks." He then stated while Jason was too busy looking at him utterly offended, Nico slapping his hand against his forehead with a groan.

"You are impossible. Give me your pizza." Jason retorted and moved forward just as Percy grabbed his last piece of pizza with a very manly squeal and tried to run for it.

"Oh no, you don't!" Jason called after him as Percy dashed off, following instantly.

"Guys, watch out! The ground is slippery!" He heard Nico yell after them as Will snort-laughed all over again.

Percy sped off in front of him, doing narrow turns at the pools that Jason barely managed, but managed anyways.

At least for the first three pools.

At the fourth pool, Jason had caught up to Percy enough to reach out and grab his arm, resulting in Percy losing the fraction of a second he would have needed to make the turn.

They both slipped, Percy squeaking and Jason letting out an exasperated, frustrated, done-with-the-world sigh, then they collided with each other, chest to chest, Percy's pizza-holding hand right between them and in front of Jason's face – and they fell down into the water.

He should have thought of a lot of things, like, how this was technically forbidden, or how they could get in trouble for dropping food in the water, or how Percy's body was way too close to his own, their legs entangling as they hit the water and went down and down until they reached the bottom of the pool.

Or maybe he should think of how childish they were being, or how Will had told them they'd have to wait half an hour before hitting the water again and that he didn't want to be the one getting in trouble for this.

Or how Percy was way too close to him, his sea-green eyes boring into him as if all of this was his fault.

Instead, however, all Jason could think about, was that Percy better freaking protected that slice of pizza from the chlorine water.

A hand wrapped around his shoulder and he felt the weirdest sensation rush through him as a bubble of air built around them out of nowhere, supplying him with all the oxygen he could possibly need.

Percy looked rather smugly at him, as if expecting praise for this little trick, but all Jason did was lunge forward and devour half of his pizza piece in one go.

"Hey!" Percy wailed, trying to pull away, but Jason only grinned triumphantly, chewing on his food.

"Your pizza sucks." He then stated, earning himself a glare from Percy.

"Don't make me drown you."

"You wouldn't. But we should probably get back up there or people will think we did drown."

Percy seemed to consider that for a moment, leading the remnants of his pizza to his lips absent-mindedly.

But Jason was faster, taking it from him and eating it quickly, before pushing off the ground with his feet to get back up.

He could hear Percy's indignant outcry beneath him, but only grinned to himself before breaking the surface, utterly wet once more.

Nico and Will stood at the edge of the pool, shaking their heads at him with amused expressions, but at least they weren't scolding him.

Then Percy broke the surface, much closer to the boys than Jason, and he knew a moment before Nico what was going to happen next, rolling his eyes to himself.

Acting as if he was hoisting himself out of the water again, Percy reached out to grab Nico's wrists and dragged him back into the water like some sort of siren/mermaid/shark/predator.

All Nico could do was let out a surprised squeak, then he was gone, while Will shook his head with an exasperated, but amused expression, looking towards Jason with a lopsided grin as he swam over.

The moment he hoisted himself out of the pool and sat at the edge, Percy and Nico broke the surface of the water, Nico's sharp intake of breath indicating Percy hadn't done the little bubble thing with him for some reason.

"Percy, you-…" Nico started, turning around to apparently cuss his boyfriend out, but Percy was still in utter predator-mode, moving forward and capturing Nico's parted lips in a passionate kiss Jason could almost feel himself.

Nico looked stunned at first, then returned the kiss, arms and legs wrapping around Percy, who grinned into the kiss and pulled him closer, supporting them both in the water with ease.

Jason huffed amused and shook his head, looking around at the people around them to see how they took this little scene.

Well, this definitely destroyed any hope any of those girls had had left.

Will snorted next to him, sitting down at the edge as well and letting his legs dangle in the water like Jason.

"So much about waiting half an hour. You guys are the worst. If you're feeling sick anytime soon and your body tries to rid itself from your lunch, just know I've warned you." The blonde stated drily, splashing the water around a bit.

Jason chuckled, watching Percy's hands wandering from Nico's shoulder blades downwards.

Very subtle.

"Think we should stop them before they get in trouble?" He asked as Nico's hands anchored themselves in Percy's hair, keeping them close together, their lips mashing against each other, both of them completely lost in their own little world.

"Nah, I saw a few couples snogging three times harder than that and nobody said a thing. As long as they don't let their hands wander too much they should be good."

They shared an amused glance, then Jason got up.

"Alright, so what do you want to do?"

He didn't know about Will, but he certainly didn't want to keep watching those two kissing the hell out of each other.

If they were kissing the hell out of him, he wouldn't have minded staying and watching (more or less) though, but that was an entirely different matter.

Will looked up at him amused, then his expression changed to a mixture of surprise and realization.

"Hang on a moment." He said, then he raced past Jason and was gone.

Huh?

Jason looked after him, wondering whether he was feeling alright and just beginning to worry, when the blonde came hurrying back, Nico's camera in his hands.

Jason chuckled. Really?

"Hey, don't judge me. They'd be so upset not to have some super cheesy pictures for their photo albums." He said sourly, holding up the camera to snap some pictures of those two, who were still all over each other, oblivious to anything around them.

By now, Percy was nipping on Nico's bottom lip and the way the water moved around them indicated that there was at least some sort of humping involved there.

Good thing there were no kids around.

Though Jason could see more than a few people looking disgruntled and reproachful, but not even he could make himself care about them, so he doubted Nico and Percy would really be bothered.

"Hey, take a step to the left, alright? Let's have some shots with you right there to show they're wasting valuable playing time to play with each other instead of us."

Jason bit the inside of his mouth to stop himself from giving Will a suggestive retort at his wording and did as he was told.

Will ordered him around happily, making him look stern, exasperated, annoyed – even holding up his hands dramatically as if asking the gods just how they had deserved this.

Then he changed tactics and made Jason look like he was cheering for them, holding up his thumbs or winking at the camera.

Jason found the entire ordeal both embarrassing and amusing.

He wasn't very fond of being the center of attention, neither Will's for the pictures, nor everybody else's as he felt way too many gazes on him, people muttering in hushed voices all around him, asking each other whether he was some sort of model or whether they were actors or whatever and why there was a hot guy taking pictures.

But at the same time, Will looked kind of adorable, concentrating on his job as a cameraman, and there was nothing better to do when both Percy and Nico were busy eating each other's faces off, anyways, so he let it happen.

"Alright, let's switch. I want you in some pictures as well." He announced after Will seemed to run out of ideas for posturing him.

Will threw him a funny face, but passed over the camera nevertheless.

Percy and Nico were still kissing, though it was now a bit more gentle instead of passionate, sharing pecks and grinning at each other stupidly, absolutely in love and blind to the rest of the world.

Will didn't even need to be told what to do, he was a natural in front of the camera, posing perfectly and putting on the best expressions.

Seriously, he didn't doubt Will's heritage for a second.

It was as if he was born to be in the spotlight, in front of a camera, on a stage, surrounded by fans.

Jason could see it all.

But he knew Will wouldn't like that much.

Instead of fame and glory, Will preferred to do everything in his power to save and heal other people.

Even though he always acted like a bossy little Chihuahua, he was adorable, and caring, and considerate.

Just like Nico.

While Nico tried to act like a gloomy, evil kid full of angst and darkness, Will tried to be the overly cheerful kid with no worry in the world that was born to make other people happy and turn into some sort of celebrity, worshipped by his fans and loved by everyone.

In truth, both of them couldn't care less about themselves and just wanted to be there for other people.

The lot of them.

Percy included.

Percy was carefree and naïve, but he was more loyal than a dog and would gladly throw himself in any harm's way for any person, animal or being in general.

Jason smiled to himself, shooting another picture of Will grinning from ear to ear as Percy and Nico finally broke apart completely, looking around themselves and spotting them just as he pressed the button.

"Finally. Thought you'd never stop." Will teased as he noticed Jason lowering the camera slowly and caught sight of the two that now started swimming over with red faces.

"You could have stopped us, you know? Instead, you go and take pictures. Traitors." Percy complained and Will and Jason chuckled, sharing an amused glance.

"Nah, you two seemed good. Come on, Handsome, let's get them their towels so they don't embarrass themselves." Will declared and tugged on Jason's arm, the one thing that made Jason realize he was actually talking to him.

Handsome?

So, wait, Will thought he was handsome?

Was that his pet name for him now or something?

Like how he called Percy 'Gorgeous'?

"Oh, shush! I have no idea what you're talking about, Solace!" Percy called after them, but neither Will nor Jason bought it.

After such intense kissing, Jason highly doubted those two were as unaffected as they'd like the world to believe, so he was with Will about getting the towels.

Jason grinned to himself stupidly.

Apparently, he had finally earned himself a pet name from Will.

And even if it wasn't as nice as 'Gorgeous', it still sounded pretty good to Jason.

To be considered handsome by Will Solace was a lot more than he could have hoped for, after all.

.

After their little make-out session in the pool, Nico had trouble concentrating on anything around him that wasn't part of Percy's body.

Damn, he could barely wait to have him to himself later.

This was it, he was so going to seduce him tonight.

Caution and insecurities be damned, he wanted Percy so freaking bad.

Wanted to kiss him, tease him, bite, lick, suck him, feel him, feel their bodies rubbing against each other, his hands in Percy's hair or running over his body, feel Percy's hands exploring his own body, he wanted to feel Percy writhe and tremble beneath him in want and lust and wanted Percy to push him down and ravish him in all possible ways.

"Guys, has somebody seen my glasses?" Jason asked after they emerged from one of the bigger pools where they had just come out of one of the biggest slides the park had to offer, tearing Nico out of his thoughts as he looked around at the blonde.

He hadn't exactly paid attention to anything but Percy's butt ever since getting out of the water, actually, which might not be the best thing to do in a public bath.

Great, he was so pathetic.

"Don't tell me you lost them." Will muttered next to them, drying off with his orange towel and glancing back towards the pool unhappily.

They had intended to leave now, actually.

The plan had been for this to be their last ride and then they'd dry off a bit and make their way to the changing rooms to have Percy dry them off completely in the car.

"Well, I can't see anything, and I can't say I'm holding them or put them down somewhere, either, so, yeah, I think I lost them." Jason grumbled, his ears turning red with embarrassment.

"When did you have them last? Why didn't you say anything when you lost them?" Percy chided, scrounging his face up slightly as if concentrating on something.

"I thought I just got some water in my eyes. I don't know. Guess I must have lost them after the last slide…"

"True, I thought I saw something flying past my face there. And you had your glasses when we were up there waiting for it to be our turn because I remember thinking you can't possibly see anything with all the water drops on them." Will supplied thoughtfully and Nico sighed.

"Well, they aren't in the water…" Percy mumbled after another moment and Nico realized he must have tried to sense them or something.

He wished he had such powers.

Instead, he couldn't even use the powers he did have, thanks to- he shouldn't think of that right now.

"Well, let's go check the Lost-and-Found-place. If they aren't in the water, maybe somebody picked them up and brought them there." He suggested, wrapping the towel around him and marching off into the direction he had seen the stand earlier.

"Huh? There was such a place?" Will and Percy asked at the same time and Nico suppressed a laugh.

Jason fell in step next to him, scratching the side of his neck awkwardly and looking uncomfortable, probably because he hadn't wanted to cause any sort of trouble for them.

Nico sent him a reassuring smile.

"Hey, this way we'll at least get a last good look at everything once more before we're leaving." He said after realizing Jason might not even be able to tell a smile from a grimace, given that he did have rather poor eyesight.

"I suppose so…"

"Yeah, we should probably take some last pictures. I'll do that." Percy instantly piped up, taking the camera from around Nico's neck, giving him a small kiss to the shoulder as he did so and sending Nico's insides in a frenzy all over again.

If only Percy knew how badly Nico wanted – needed! – him.

"Do you have any spares just in case?" Will asked, eyes scanning the grounds around them as if he expected to see the glasses lying around.

"No. I got them from Asclepius, so I don't even know my values." Jason admitted with a rather depressed undertone and Nico made a face, hoping they really were at the Lost-and-Found-place.

Of course, they weren't.

Jason looked miserable as they told the lady sitting there they'd come back later once more if they didn't find them themselves, and Nico couldn't blame him, either.

So much for leaving early to get back to Camp before 8pm.

"So, what's the plan? Split up and look around? I mean, I might be able to figure out your values, but it would require a couple of tests and then we'd still have to get you new glasses, so that would take a while. Not good for leaving tomorrow." Will muttered as they made their way back to the pool they had last been in.

Very reassuring, Will.

"I can't sense them in the water, so there's no use checking the pools. Maybe around them, though. Where did you see them flying off to, Will?" Percy asked quickly and Will pointed to somewhere next to the slide they had come out of earlier.

"There. But I don't think they flew far enough to land outside the pool, Percy. So my best guess is that somebody picked them up and either kept them or lost them again."

"Great." Nico mumbled.

"Sorry…" Jason muttered, looking like a kicked puppy (though this could also be because he couldn't see anything and seeing him without glasses was so unusual nowadays).

Instantly, all three of them had their hands on his shoulders.

"Hey, no worries."

"No big deal."

"Don't look like that, Jace, it's ok."

They all cooed at the same time, causing him to send them a funny look as he looked between them.

But they merely grinned back, hoping he could at least see that much.

"Hey, let's make a game out of this. The person that finds his glasses…erm…gets a free wish that Jason has to fulfill." Percy suddenly piped up as they walked around the pool, and Nico sent him a doubtful look.

"How about they get a free wish from you?" Jason grumbled under his breath, earning him a glare from Percy.

"Don't you want your glasses back? I'm in for the free wish."

"Dude, I already have a free wish I have no clue on how to use, what would I want with a second one? How about the one who finds them gets a free kiss with Nico, instead?" Will suggested with a suggestive wink and Nico sputtered in surprise, his face burning.

What?

"No way. Also, what if Nico finds them?"

"Then he can kiss me, of course." Will deadpanned and wriggled his eyebrows at Nico, who merely stared at him in a mixture of surprise and confusion.

Was he serious?

"Guys, please, can we just find my glasses and be done with this?" Jason asked quietly.

"Yeah, listen to your boyfriend, Will. Though I'm still in for that wish." Percy remarked and Nico shook his head to himself.

These guys.

"Yeah, what would you wish for, then? A taste of his hotdog?"

Oh gods.

"Will! I would never…" Percy exclaimed horrified, his face turning scarlet, while Jason buried his face in his hands with a groan.

Nico stared at Will, who burst into laughter and winked at Nico.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. But seriously, what do you need a wish for? It's not like Jason isn't already doing whatever _you_ tell him to."

"Excuse you, you do know I'm still here, right? It's my eyesight that's faulty, not my ears. And what do you mean, I do whatever he tells me to?" Jason asked sourly, while Nico rolled his eyes and started looking around on the ground for his glasses, given that the other three were too busy bickering to look.

"That you and Percy have such a hardcore bromance going on that you basically do whatever the other tells you to, no matter what it is." Will replied, making both boys snort derisively.

"That's not true." Both of them stated, throwing each other assessing looks.

Nico hesitated, thinking back to various occasions where they in fact had done just that, stopping something or doing whatever the other said in an instant, without question or anything.

Thinking about it some more, it was kind of true.

Jason and Percy sometimes acted like rivals, and more often than not sent each other rather disdaining glances lately, but they were still as tight as ever, trusting each other blindly and more in sync than Percy and Nico, even.

He wasn't sure what was wrong with them lately, anyways.

In the beginning, he had thought it might be because of Will, since Percy always seemed so upset nowadays whenever Will and Jason seemed to get closer, but that hadn't made any sense, so he had discarded the idea again.

Whatever it was, he hoped it would get solved during their journey.

Gods, the journey.

Nico wanted to get back to Camp and get Percy in bed so they could ravish each other and go to sleep.

He so did not want to get up early tomorrow, the mere thought already more exhausting than it should be, especially since he wasn't even 'tired' yet or anything.

They seriously had to find those glasses.

.

In the end, Nico kind of found them, big surprise.

As it turned out, a rather shy girl had found them in the water not too far from the slide and picked them up, recognizing them as Jason's (how she had known was beyond all of them, but they were glad for it, anyways) and of course went looking for them to give them back.

Same as Percy and Will, she hadn't noticed there was a Lost-and-Found-place, instead searching the entire water park for Jason, just to then watch them walking away from the Lost-and-Found-place and regretting not going there before – because now she had apparently been too shy to actually step forward.

Instead, she had followed them at some distance, fidgeting and nervous as she had watched them searching for the glasses she was holding.

She even admitted she had contemplated throwing them back into the water out of fear they'd think she had stolen them or something and be mad at her (bless her innocent soul).

Nico had been the one noticing her odd behavior, which was surprising, given that he hadn't looked at anybody around them in particular for quite a while now, but Percy was still glad he had, for else they might have still been looking around the next some hours.

He had also been the one to notice she was holding something, and he had been the one to approach her cautiously, while the other three had been too busy bickering about where the glasses could possibly be, instead of actually looking for them.

After successfully retrieving the glasses from the girl who had at first only talked in one-word-replies with a bright red face, then suddenly almost told her entire life story out of nervousness, they had decided to call it a day and had made their way to the changing rooms, stopping by the showers to quickly rinse off, which had gotten under Percy's skin so much more than he had wanted to admit.

They had been in the water most of the day, yes.

He had been able to feel Nico (and the other two, but he refused to think too much of that) most of the day thanks to the water, yes.

It shouldn't have made any difference - Nico standing under the spray of water here should have been the same thing, if not even less tantalizing than him being engulfed in the chlorine water - yet somehow, it had felt completely different.

Especially since he had had his head tipped back so nicely, eyes closed, face and body relaxed, the water flowing down his skin in a way too luscious way, making Percy's mouth water and filling him with the urge to step up to him and kiss and lick him all over.

Not a good idea.

Especially with the other two right there.

"You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you right now." He heard himself saying when they were about to turn off the water - and wanted to bang his head against the wall a second later.

What…why…how…ugh.

Nico looked around with big eyes, his ears turning scarlet, while Will and Jason only sent him an amused look.

"Behave yourself, Percy. We're in a public place here." Will chided with a teasing wink, while Jason just gave him that knowing expression, telling him he knew that Percy wanted to do a lot more than just kiss.

Good thing they at least had the shower room to themselves right now (the other guys who had been in here had kind of stormed out of the room the instant they had gotten in, giving off the impression they were scared of being ogled by the gay guys or something. Idiots. Nothing worth seeing on them, anyways, no matter if they were naked or not – though he was glad Jason and Will hadn't breached the topic of whether or not to take their swimming clothes off for the shower. Gods, he did not want anybody to see HIS Nico naked other than himself).

"I said I want to, I didn't say I would." He retorted, just to hear Nico let out a small, almost disappointed "Oh…" that made his insides churn with even more want and the urge to grab him right then and there, press him against the shower wall and kiss him senseless.

"Unless you want me to, of course." He quickly added, unable to suppress the hint of desperate hope in his voice.

He could see Will and Jason exchange telling glances and wanted to scowl at them, but Nico was still looking at him with those astonishing eyes of his and Percy had to exert all of his self-control to really not step forward and push him against that wall.

Why was he so overly horny today, anyways?

They had gotten each other off today in the morning, so he should have been good, but somehow, probably because of them being in the water all day where he could feel every inch of their bodies as if they were pressed against his own, he simply wanted Nico so freaking bad.

How was he going to survive without his touch tonight?

Not to mention that they most likely wouldn't be able to get intimate tomorrow morning before leaving for their journey.

And then there wouldn't be any chance to ravish Nico until they reached Camp Jupiter for the small stop to drop off most of the people (if not even all, they still hadn't decided on whether they'd take some with them to the Underworld or rather left them at the Roman Camp, given that Hades was usually a tad picky with his visitors).

Unless they would leave the very same day, then there wouldn't be any chance for Percy and Nico to get intimate there, either.

Which meant he'd have to wait until they got to the Underworld, and he wasn't sure Hades would let them have their way there, either.

Just great.

The water park had been a splendid idea, but at the same time, it was horrible.

He would have much rather spent the entire day rolling around in bed ravishing Nico, truth be told.

"Oh my, just look at his face, Jason. He's so far gone right now. Ten bucks he's thinking of rolling around in bed with Nico right now." He heard Will mutter and sent them a scowl, torn out of his thoughts brutally.

"No way I'm betting on that. But I bet twenty bucks that Nico would have been more than fine with that."

"What kind of bet is that?"

"Guys, you do know we can hear you, right?" Nico asked with a beet-red face, looking around at those two dorks as he shut off the water.

"Yeah, you're horribly subtle as usual." Percy remarked unimpressed, turning off his own water with a flick of his wrist and stepping back.

"Well, it's not our fault you two are obvious as hell." Will stated with a shrug and Percy rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on, Nico, let's go." He said, taking Nico's hand and making his way out of the shower room.

Will instantly whistled. "Remember we're in a public place, Jackson. Don't take it too far."

Percy sent him the best death-glare he could muster, feeling his face burning.

It wasn't as if he had actually intended to DO anything in the changing room!

"Will, really, keep it down a bit, or we'll be kicked out of here in no time. He's right though, Percy. You two better behave, we don't have much time if we want to make it home before 9pm at least." Jason reasoned and Percy sent him another death-glare as well for good measure.

"I love how you two are lecturing him on holding back, but neither of you tell me not to ravish him. Come on, Percy, let's get changed." Nico declared and started dragging Percy after him before he could even look around at him surprised.

Jason and Will both chuckled behind them, but didn't say a word, and Percy could sense them remaining under the water, probably to give them some more time.

Seriously, did anybody understand these two?

There they were, lecturing him and telling him to not overdo it and that they didn't have much time, yet they stayed behind on purpose to give them a chance to at least get rid of some of the sexual tension between them.

Considerate fools.

It was as if they couldn't decide between cock-blocking them and trying to support them in every way to get it going.

They probably were.

Troublesome, self-destructive, considerate fools.

Oh, how he loved them.

Nico grabbed their bags from the locker with one hand, the other one still holding onto Percy's determinedly, then they disappeared into the first free changing cubicle they could find.

Percy barely managed to open his mouth to ask Nico whether he wanted him to dry off before getting dressed, when the Italian suddenly spun around and shoved him against the locked door behind him, hands cupping his face and his lips colliding with Percy's.

Holy Hera.

He was returning the kiss before he even realized what was going on, his heart beating so hard and fast he thought it would jump out of his chest.

His hands darted forwards, grabbing hold of Nico's hips and pressing him against him, grinding their bodies together with a low gasp.

Nico groaned, his hands moving from Percy's face to the back of his head, anchoring themselves in his hair and tugging him forward slightly.

Percy let his hands travel from Nico's hips to his butt, cupping his cheeks through the wet fabric and grinding their groins together, pleased to feel Nico's hard-on against his own.

"Gods, I've wanted to do this all day." Nico panted against his lips as he pulled back slightly, attacking his neck a moment later.

Percy's heart did a double-take.

Really?

Nico had wanted to do this all day? Like Percy?

Oh gods, if he had known, he'd have come up with some sort of excuse much earlier to get Nico somewhere alone.

"Me too." He breathed, barely able to suppress the groan wanting to escape him as he felt Nico's teeth at his neck, nibbling and sucking and teasing his sensitive skin, definitely leaving more marks.

Percy completely didn't care.

If anything, he wanted Nico to mark him.

Hell yes, in fact, he couldn't think of anything he'd rather want than for Nico to show the world Percy was his.

They were still grinding against each other, their breathing ragged and their skin flushed with arousal.

Percy couldn't think.

He knew they were in a public place, he knew they had to keep it down, he knew this was a bad idea, but he couldn't give a damn all the same.

When Nico reached his collarbone and bit down on it, he let out another gasp, then he spun them around, pressing Nico against the wall and pressing their bodies flat together, hands moving over his sides up to his face to capture him in another searing kiss, their lips mashing against each other as if it was all that kept them alive.

He heard familiar voices coming closer, entering the changing room area, and knew that Jason and Will were being as loud as possible to draw his attention.

Sadly, he couldn't make himself care, instead nibbling on Nico's lip wantonly, his hips thrusting against Nico's tentatively.

His boyfriend immediately replied with rolling his own hips, a small gasp escaping his lips as he let his head fall back slightly, hitting the wall behind him with a thud, though he didn't seem to notice nor care.

"So, then, they had this whole idea stuck in their head to get back at him for telling on them, and that's how they cursed him to only speak in rhymes for a week. Well, that, and that he could only say the truth. It was really funny, actually. We never saw him that flustered and mortified. He even tried hiding out in his cabin, but of course, we wouldn't let him. I mean, he had gotten us into trouble without reason nor justification, so of course we weren't going to let him off easy, right?" Will babbled away in the changing cubicle right next to him, making Percy groan out in frustration and pull back.

"Percy?" Both guys asked from their left and right, while Nico stepped out of Percy's hold, looking as frustrated a Percy felt.

"Seriously, did you have to pick the spots right next to us? Talk somewhere else, Solace." Percy complained and instantly earned himself amused snickers from both sides.

"Aw, did we interrupt something? Told you to be quick about it, man. Anyways, we're still in a public place, Perce. You should thank us." Will chirped and Percy had the strong urge to strangle him.

He looked back at Nico, considering for a moment to just shove him back against the wall and continue their make-out session, but then he heard several more voices coming closer, belonging to what seemed to be a whole bunch of people.

He stroked a strand of damp hair out of Nico's face, gazing at him longingly for another moment.

Then he sighed frustrated and pulled back completely.

"I hate you, sun-bug." He muttered darkly, but Will merely chuckled.

"Yeah, I know."

Something inside Percy churned and he felt guilt flooding him.

Will didn't sound upset or anything, rather cheerful and annoying as usual, to be honest, but there was something somewhat detached about his voice, as if he actually believed that.

And Percy didn't want him to believe that.

He hadn't meant it, after all.

It wasn't Will's fault that they were in a water park while Percy was horny as hell and wanted nothing more than to ravish Nico over and over again.

Percy let out an exasperated sigh.

"Sorry. That was uncalled for. Anyways, let's get changed and leave this place. Did you guys enjoy it?" He asked, trying to sound upbeat while he tried to rid himself off his hard-on.

The fact that Nico chose that very moment to drop his swimming trunks wasn't helping whatsoever, though.

Gods, he was so glad they hadn't had sex yet, or else he'd probably try bend Nico over right here and now, risks and people be damned.

At the same time, he cursed himself for waiting so long with sex, because, gods be damned, he could be having sex with Nico right now.

Nico turned his head to look at him, and promptly caught him staring, which led to a dark blush spreading on the boy's face and ears.

Percy was in front of him in an instant, placing a soft kiss on his lips as his hands cupped Nico's butt cheeks once more, giving them a tentative squeeze.

Nico shuddered under his touch, rubbing his body against his readily.

Gods, how badly he wished he could just…

"Yeah, it was fun. I loved that blue slide. Seriously, we should do stuff like this more often. Maybe you should get a job, Percy. Then we could go out on the weekends much more." Will chirped and Percy felt an initial surge of irritation at the renewed interruption, but then it passed, and he just kept massaging Nico's cheeks, feeling his hands moving to Percy's waistband to rid him off his only piece of clothing.

"Why am I the one who needs to get a job? How about you get one and pay for us, if you want to take us out so badly." He stated, then leaned forward and captured Nico's lips in another kiss, helping him pulling his swimwear down.

"Nah, I have to help out in the infirmary, after all, so there's no way I can get a job. Jason will have to leave every some weeks for his heroic quest, so he's out of the question as well, and Nico…Nico is my absolutely necessary assistant. Plus, somebody will have to train the kids while you go and earn money for us to waste, and who'd be better suited for that than the world's greatest fighter?"

Percy was only half listening, placing gentle pecks on Nico's lips, their naked bodies rubbing against each other teasingly.

"I can pay." Nico breathed and for a moment Percy had no clue what he was talking about.

Then he stopped caring as his hands travelled over damp, luscious skin, his vision dark with lust and want.

"Are you guys still making out? Oh gods, you're so still making out. Jason, do something, they're going to get us kicked out of the place. I shouldn't have let them take a cubicle together." Will complained next to them, but Percy kept ignoring him, kissing Nico again, this time agonizingly slow.

"I told you. But you decided to be considerate of them or something and said they're old enough to know the line."

"Well, I was wrong. They definitely don't know the line if they go all quiet like that."

For a moment, there was silence, and Percy realized they were probably waiting for either Nico or him to say something.

Instead, Percy bit down on Nico's lip to suck on it, luring a throaty groan out of Nico.

"Guys, seriously! Jason, this is it. We have to go with Plan B."

"We don't HAVE a plan B. We don't even have a plan A."

"Ugh, then think of something."

Percy pushed Nico against the wall again, nipping on his bottom lip some more, his hands travelling down Nico's front, teasing him wantonly.

There was nothing in the world that could make him stop right now.

"Hm, ok. Freckles, how far are you?"

"Excuse me?"

"How far are you with changing. Because if you're not done yet, get over here. We're sharing a cubicle." Jason declared and Percy froze, ears straining.

"What?" Will asked, and Percy could hear him halting in his movement – but only because Nico and Percy now completely halted as well looking at each other with small frowns and trying to see what the hell those two were planning.

"You heard me. So? How far are you?"

"Erm…I'm…well…"

"Naked? Perfect. Get over here."

Percy's head shot up. "What the hell, guys? What do you think you're doing?" He asked loudly, annoyance flaring up inside him at those two.

"What's it to you? Go back to making out with Nico, Perce. Will and I will be just fine." Jason said nonchalantly to their left and Percy felt white hot anger bubbling up inside him.

He was about to retort that Will would never actually do that, when he heard said blonde slipping back into wet swimming trunks and grabbing his stuff, exiting the cubicle on the wrong side to be leaving.

They couldn't be serious.

"Will, don't you dare." He said darkly, Nico tensing in his arms, looking around at the door behind him with big eyes, apparently tracing Will's movement as well.

But Will didn't say a thing, passing their cubicle and halting in front of the one to their left, which unlocked a moment later.

"Yo." "Sup." Those two greeted each other, then the cubicle door closed again and Percy heard the lock turn.

"What do you think you're doing?" Percy repeated, pulling back and wondering who he should strangle first.

What were those two THINKING?!

What the hell?

They didn't even really LIKE each other!

Plus, didn't Jason tell him he wasn't going to make a move on Will?

And why in the name of Hades was Will going along with it?

What were those two doing in there?

How far would they take it?

Instead of a reply, he heard what sound a lot like a body being pushed against a wall, which he'd know all too well, since he had pushed Nico against it twice.

What the hell?!

"Guys, really…" Nico muttered now, looking uncomfortable and moving around Percy to slip into his clothes.

Percy imitated him, but more to have an excuse to get closer to the wall that separated them.

"Seriously, what are you two doing? I swear, Jason, if you dare…" He all but growled, knowing he was behaving unreasonable, but not caring all the same.

"Hey, hey, calm down, Gorgeous. I don't need your protection, mind you. If anything, it's Jason you should protect. Right, Handsome?"

Will's voice was slightly off, sounding lower and more sensual than usual, and Percy's blood had a tough time deciding whether it wanted to boil or freeze in his veins.

Those two!

There was NO way he was going to let ANYTHING happen between them in a CHANGING CUBICLE!

He was about to say something, anything, to get them to STOP, when he heard Jason's sharp intake of breath, nothing more than a wanting hiss.

"Oh, you like that?" Will teased and everything inside Percy clenched.

Nico tensed next to him as well, frowning at the wall and hurrying up with his clothes.

"Guys…" He mumbled warningly, though his gaze remained uncertain, while Percy scowled so hard he wouldn't be surprised if his face permanently became like that.

_What were they doing over there?!_

"Do that again…please…" Jason breathed shamelessly and Percy could feel his heartbeat in his throat, his fists clenching as he slipped into his pants hurriedly and practically jumped into his sneakers.

"You two, stop it! I swear, if you two don't stop this instant, I'm going to come over there."

All he got in reply was a chuckle from Will and a huff from Jason.

"Hold still, I'll make you feel good." Will chirped and Percy had to exert all his self-control not to pull out Riptide and take apart that wall.

"Guys!"

"Percy, calm down! Guys, we're ready to leave, you better hurry up." Nico quickly called over, putting his hands on Percy's arm as if to hold him back.

Gods, he was going to slaughter them.

Both of them.

How dare they?

"Go on ahead, will you? We'll be there in a bit."

"Yes, there…" Jason huffed and Percy kicked the wall in frustration, hearing a faucet explode somewhere to their right.

"Did you just make something explode?" Will asked in amazement and Percy growled in reply, Nico's hands the only thing that kept him from lunging at that wall.

There was no way he was ok with those two getting together.

No way whatsoever.

Truth be told, he wasn't even sure what exactly his problem was, since it had nothing to do with him what those two were doing, and he could be happy it didn't have anything to do with Nico, but everything inside him was hurting and stinging and painful and horrible and he wanted them to STOP.

Right. Now.

"By the gods, fine! Hypocrite. What makes you think you can have all the fun and we can't?" Will asked sourly and Percy could hear the cubicle opening, this time on the right side for the exit.

He was out in a flash, grabbing hold of Will as he stepped out completely dressed, and promptly shoved him against the piece of wall between the cubicles, eyes hushing over him, taking in every little detail, from the surprised expression on his face to the way his shoe-laces were tied the same way as always (not to mention the kind of adorable way his mop of blond hair stood off in all directions as he had apparently tried to get them somewhat dry with a towel).

"What do you think you were doing in there?" He snapped angrily, noticing absent-mindedly how different it felt holding Will captive like this from holding Nico.

He didn't like how he liked it.

"Chill, Percy. We weren't actually doing anything. I massaged a kink out of Jason's back, that's all." Will said with raised eyebrows, while Jason stepped out the cubicle completely dressed as well and without any visible marks, either.

Percy eyed them both warily, trying to discern whether they were serious.

He glowered at Jason, but the idiot had the indecency to take one look at him and grin in that smug, knowing way, as if he knew exactly how Percy felt right now.

It was maddening.

"Seriously? Was that really necessary, though?" Nico asked with a frown, eyes hushing between them with a calculating expression, as if he was thinking about what to do in case things escalated.

That look was what made Percy let go of Will, instead stepping back two steps.

"I am SO done with you two. Nico, let's go." He spat, grabbing hold of Nico's arm, spinning around and storming off.

"Somebody is pissed." Jason stated drily behind him, utterly unimpressed, which made Percy even more annoyed.

"Percy, what the hell? Nothing even happened!" Will called after him, but he didn't stop, didn't even slow down.

These two!  
He was MORE THAN DONE with them!

Seriously, what had they been thinking?!  
Fine, he shouldn't have tried to keep making out with Nico, fine, they had probably only meant well in trying to stop them and all, but SERIOUSLY?

Couldn't they have just kept telling each other gruesome stories that were bound to turn them off?

Why did they have to do THAT?

And what the hell was 'that'?!

What had they done?

What did it matter to Percy?

He didn't know.

But it annoyed him all the same.

.

Jason sighed as Percy kept giving him and Will the cold shoulder in the car, not even insta-drying them off, which was the reason for his still damp hair.

He was better off than Will, though, given that Will's hair was still pretty much dripping wet, due to those two suddenly rushing them so much.

Seriously, Percy was so obvious about everything.

How Nico hadn't said anything yet was beyond him.

Then again, maybe he didn't say anything because he was scared of what was going to happen once he did.

But to Jason it was more than obvious.

Percy was having a bit of a thing for Will.

And by the looks of it, that 'thing' came with quite the possessive streak.

Gods, how his voice had changed almost instantly from mild arousal to absolute terror, then to flat-out annoyance, and lastly to an intensity of anger Jason hadn't heard in him ever since Gaea.

Seriously?

Could they all just appreciate for a moment how Percy could let them snuggle up to his boyfriend, but had issues with Jason being alone in the same room as a guy he had claimed to hate two mere months ago?

He looked towards Will, wondering how HE hadn't picked up on it yet, either.

But Will seemed utterly oblivious to it all, which was usually something Percy was on a daily basis.

"You do know we only meant well, right? They could sue you for stuff like that, you know?" Will tried for the hundredth time.

This time, Percy's shoulders slumped slightly, but otherwise he made no indication he had heard him.

Nico's hand found his thigh and squeezed it gently, and Jason watched them exchanging a small glance.

Nico had been somewhat disturbed by their little show, but Jason assumed he must have looked through it at some point.

Then again, Nico was a tad more rational and - sorry to say this - smarter than Percy in this regard.

Jason sighed once more, watching Will fidget in his seat.

Apparently, the blonde didn't like being ignored.

Jason could only relate all too well.

He was fairly certain he wouldn't feel half as bad if Percy was simply mad at them or bitched at them or something, but completely ignoring them was kind of harsh - and uncalled for, since they seriously had meant well.

But Percy had always been a bit of a drama queen, so there was that.

"Come on, Will is right. Today is Valentine's Day, do you really want to end it being angry at us?" He tried tentatively and felt Percy stiffen next to him.

"Yeah, and tomorrow you'll all be leaving. Wouldn't make a good start to be fighting then, right?" Will supplied and Jason frowned.

Something about that sentence seemed...weird.  
But he couldn't put his finger on it, so he shrugged it off.

"That's right. We only meant well. Let's stop moping and play a game, alright? Freckles, think of a game for me, will you? I'm not good with such stuff."

Will sent him a funny look, but then looked off into the distance with a thoughtful expression.

Percy next to him shifted, apparently fighting between ignoring them some morem, and calling it an end and trying for that game.

Good thing Percy had a rather playful nature and couldn't stay mad at people for long (maybe it was his ADHD, or maybe he was simply a dork, Jason was never quite sure).

"Ugh, right when I need ideas, I don't have any. Sorry, Jace. I'm such a disappointment. Unless you want to play 'I spy with my little eye', I have nothing productive to supply." Will said miserably after another minute and Jason sighed.

Yeah, no.

Not a good idea.

"Or you could discuss your trip a bit more? Think of what you're going to do...?" Will offered tentatively, and again, Jason had the feeling something sounded wrong, but he just couldn't figure out what it was.

"No way, don't remind me. I already don't feel like getting up." Nico complained with a woeful expression that made Jason and Will raise their eyebrows at him.

"Hey, I got an idea. How about we do a sort of question-answer game? It's like, I ask Nico something, anything, and Nico gives four answers, because we're four people. Then, the next person answers the same question, also with four answers, but he has to pick one of the four Nico gave, if they were accurate." Will suddenly piped up, turning in his seat completely, eyes gleaming.

Jason and Nico frowned at him, while Percy still remained quiet, though Jason could feel and see him shifting slightly, his eyes hushing over to Will every time Will wasn't looking at him.

"That...sounds weird. What kind of game is that?" Nico asked confused, but Will merely shrugged.

"No clue, I just came up with it. Thought it would be interesting to see what you'd ask, since there would be no Yes/No-questions and you'd have to ask something everybody can answer. But if it's no good-..."

"No, it's good. Let's try it." Jason interrupted him, leaning forward slightly.

It was worth a try, he guessed.

He had no idea what the sense behind it was, but anything was better than silence in the car for an entire hour.

"Ok, I'll start. Will, what would your favorite places at Camp be?" He asked, figuring this was the safest way to start and ensure there were enough answers.

Will still looked rather surprised, apparently taken aback that they were actually doing this.

He could look so adorable.

Though he could also look damn hot.

Jason couldn't help but swallow as he remembered Will in the cubicle with him, shoving him against the wall to make it thud loudly, getting way too close for Jason's liking – just to then spin him around and signal him to stay like that so he could get changed (party pooper).

Jason wished he could say he hadn't peeked.

He had, though. Not exactly intentionally (it had been kind of an accident, with Will replying to something Percy had said, so of course Jason had glanced around at him…), but he had definitely seen more than he should have – and than Will would have liked him to have seen, that much was for certain.

Good thing the blonde hadn't noticed.

Jason grinned to himself stupidly.

Well, at least he now knew there really wasn't an inch on Will's body that wasn't covered in freckles.

"Erm...I...the clearing. The clearing, and...and Nico's cabin. Oh, and around the Camp Fire. And...what else..." Will started, frowning at the leather of the seats with a thoughtful, uncertain expression, tearing Jason out of his thoughts and back into reality (which he was actually pretty grateful for).

He had half a mind to offer the infirmary, but the fact that Will wasn't bringing that up yet indicated it was not on the list.

Which was weird. More than weird.

But he didn't question it.

"Oh, and the la-..." Will started rather enthusiastically, then halted, eyes on Percy, a blush spreading on his cheeks and ears, making his freckles glow slightly.

"The lake...a bit. I mean, it's ok. I guess. Somewhat." He mumbled, turning his back to them again and hiding away in his seat.

Jason rolled his eyes amused.

What an adorable dork.

He glanced towards Percy, who was now gazing at Will curiously, a surprised, but pleased gleam in his eyes.

"Alright. The clearing, Nico's cabin, the Camp Fire and the lake. Nico? Do you want to go next or should I?"

"I will. Mine are the clearing, my cabin, your rooftop and all your cabins in general." Nico replied, looking sheepish at the last one, knowing that technically it shouldn't count because 'all your cabins' was definitely more than one place.

But nobody called him out on it.

"Ok. Percy? You next?" He tried tentatively.

Percy shifted, taking a deep breath and transforming it into a big sigh. "Fine. But this is stupid. My favorite places are the clearing, Nico's cabin, my cabin and the arena." He finally gave in with a detached, fake-annoyed voice and Jason smirked to himself.

"Good, then my turn. The clearing, Nico's cabin, the arena and my rooftop."

"I want to go up there sometime, too. Sounds like an interesting place." Will muttered from the front seat, and Jason could feel his heartbeat quickening slightly.

"Oh, it is. You'd love it." Nico instantly put in, grinning at the memory and glancing towards Jason.

Jason grinned back at him, remembering their night up there, watching the stars (not to mention their kiss – Jason was still proud that he was the only one where Nico hadn't ran off in terror afterwards).

"Yeah, it's pretty nice. We could all go up there sometime when we get back from the Underworld." He suggested with a smile, though wondering whether Percy would be up for it.

Will's face suddenly fell and he turned his back to them again hurriedly, his eyes full of pain for the fraction of a second.

What?  
What was it?

Confusion filled him to the core.

Why? Why was Will like this whenever it was about the trip?

This was it, he was going to have a talk with him later.

There was no way they could leave with Will acting like that.

Something was bothering him and Jason was determined to find out just what it was, so they could solve it and everything could be alright again.

"Well, alright. You asked me first, so I'm just going to make it my turn to ask next. Nico..." Will announced from the front seat after taking a big breath, turning around again and fixing his blue eyes on Nico, apparently thinking hard on a good question.

Jason looked him over slowly, trying to discern what it could be, what his problem with the trip could be, what could possibly cause him so much discomfort and actual pain.

Was it really because of the Underworld? Because of the darkness?

It was the only thing he could think of.

Hopefully, he'd be able to figure it out and solve the issue somehow before tomorrow.

A sly smile spread on Will's lips, and Jason had a feeling this was going to go into not-so-innocent topics.

Great, Percy was going to kill him.

"What are your favorite sensitive spots?" Will asked and Jason closed his eyes with a sigh.

Why wasn't he surprised?

"Will." Percy said warningly almost instantly, as if he had guessed something like this was going to happen (he probably had. It was kind of obvious Will would get Nico flustered, after all. He liked doing that).

"Seriously?" Nico asked, sounding uncomfortable.

"How about you ask him what he likes, instead? Then he can answer with less intimate things like kissing." Jason offered quickly, hoping that was enough to please both parties and prevent them from fighting.

Will made a face, same as Percy, but it was Nico who nodded quickly, sending Jason a grateful look. "Yeah, ok, I can do that."

Why did it feel as if he was only agreeing to that so readily to prevent the same thing Jason was trying to prevent?

What were they, peace-makers?

Percy and Will looked at Nico surprised for another moment, then Will grinned victoriously. "Alright. Let's hear that, then."

Percy had his eyes fixed on Nico, searching his face for something Jason didn't know, but he was too busy gazing at Nico as well to be wondering about Percy's weird ways of thinking, anyways.

He did want to know the answer to that as well, after all.

"Kissing, touching, hickeys and...biting..." At the last one, Nico was busily looking out of the window, avoiding all of their gazes, his ears turning a dark shade of red.

What an adorable dork.

Percy's expression changed into a somewhat predatory one again, same as it had done in the pool, and Jason was quick to nudge him before he tried to make any advances on him here right now.

Damn, those two REALLY needed some more private time.

If Nico hadn't already settled it with them that they'd sleep in their own cabins tonight, this was the moment he'd have decided to do it, anyways.

"Your turn, Perce."

"Oh, right. Erm, let's see...kissing, stroking, grinding, sucking." Percy replied hurriedly, eyes still on Nico with a hungry expression, as if he could barely wait to 'kiss, stroke, grind and suck' with Nico.

Why wasn't he surprised?

Nico made a flustered sound in the back of his throat, his blush deepening, though he was still busily staring out the window, while Percy merely grinned smugly, his hand on Nico's thigh stroking him in what might have been assuring, or could have been suggestive, Jason couldn't decide.

"Alright. For me, that'd be...hmm..." He started, then trailed off with a frown, thinking.

Damn. What did he like?

Truth be told, he kind of liked anything as long as there was enough feeling involved, but that hardly made for a satisfying answer.

He sighed, shrugging half-heartedly. "I suppose the same. Kissing, stroking...nipping and biting, I guess." He finally stated, catching Will's knowing smirk, but ignoring it for now.

"You're all adorable. Though, Percy, I think I'll want to play this game in some months again and see whether your answer changed by then." Will teased with a wink, but Percy stared him down unimpressed.

"Sure you will, sun-bug. So, tell us what you're into. I'm dying of curiosity here."

Will's face fell. "Ah...erm...well..." He started fidgeting, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

Jason raised an eyebrow.

Apparently, somebody had forgotten they'd have to answer the question as well.

Will fidgeted in the front seat, then chuckled, more to himself than anything else.

"Well, alright. Kissing, stroking..." He trailed off, not turning around.

Somehow, it sounded as if Will actually couldn't think of anything else, which was weird, given that he usually bragged around about being so experienced in bed and knowing so much – he was the one bound to have the most knowledge on what he liked and not out of the four of them, really.

Yet he seemed unable to think of anything, even with their various answers.

Jason shifted, trying to catch a glimpse of his face, but in vain. His bright blond hair was in the way, obscuring any view he might have gotten otherwise.

Then Will took a deep breath and continued cheerily. "Oh, and massages. I love massages. If you think massages can't be sexual, then, damn, you haven't been massaged right."

Jason raised an eyebrow.

Why wasn't he surprised?

Still...

"Those are only three things, sun-bug." Percy informed him mercilessly and Will scowled back at them.

"Fine, and topping. That makes four." He snapped, looking smugly ad Percy, who scowled right back at him, apparently feeling as if that had been an insult to his lack of sexual intercourse with Nico (Jason wouldn't put it behind Will to actually saying that just for that reason, either, though).

Jason rolled his eyes. "Alright, don't fight, you two. Nico, your turn for a question?" He asked as Percy opened his mouth to probably retort something that would start a round of bickering, if not even a full-fledged argument.

"My turn. Hmm...ok, I got something. What do you think is most important in a relationship?" Nico asked curiously and Jason looked around.

That was a pretty good question, actually.

And it would certainly have more variation in it than the two they had already asked.

Percy blinked, taken aback, and apparently forgetting all about snapping back at Will (which was awesome, Nico was a genius).

"Erm...hmm...that's a tough one..." He muttered thoughtfully, scratching his chin and staring off into space - which just so happened to be Will, who was gazing back at him, seemingly lost in thought as well.

"Well, most of all, I'd say Love. And humor or fun or something, I mean, that you can have fun together. I picture it pretty difficult to be in a relationship with somebody that can't laugh with you. Other than that, I think loyalty is important. And equality. Definitely." Percy said at last, nodding to himself curtly, as if satisfied with his reply.

Nico smiled at him, looking somewhat relieved.

Jason could only imagine how Nico must have just checked whether he was meeting all those requirements in their relationship.

Cute. Though Nico shouldn't have to doubt himself.

Jason had to admit Percy's points were good, too.

He wouldn't have expected him to be quite so...deep.

Not that Percy was shallow, but to give a question asked in a simple game like this so much thought was new.

Not that Jason was complaining.

"That's surprisingly deep, Jackson. But yeah, I agree. Love would be high on my list, too. Love, comfort, communication...and I'd want a sort of special connection with my partner. Maybe not necessarily soul mates, but I'd want to know them more, have a sort of bond with them that others don't necessarily have." He explained, knowing his last point was more due to his demisexuality, but he did believe in that.

He just didn't do casual stuff and he wouldn't even think of starting a relationship if he wasn't certain there was more between them and they could have that sort of bond.

Percy sent him a knowing look, then looked towards Will way too obviously, but Jason refrained from rolling his eyes, instead meeting Nico's affectionate smile with a small smirk of his own.

"Consent." Will blurted from the front seat, and they looked around with a frown.

Will turned around to look at them (though Jason hadn't even noticed he had turned away). "Consent. Even in a relationship, I think consent should be important. That, and equality, like Percy said. That both are on equal grounds. Comfort and trust are important in my opinion, too. All the other stuff, like humor and the like, I think that's important too, but consent, trust, comfort and equality...I think those are the most important aspects for a healthy relationship." He explained, narrowing his eyes and scanning over their faces as if he expected them to argue and was just trying to guess who'd go first.

But nobody argued.

"I agree." Jason said instead, and found Percy and Nico nodding appearing stunned.

"Yeah, consent is important. I wasn't even thinking about that..." Percy muttered with a frown, looking confused at himself.

"Actually, that didn't even cross my mind…I just kind of...expected that to be there. But yeah you're absolutely right, consent is important. My list without consent would have been: Trust, communication, love and tolerance. Though I don't know whether tolerance is the right word. I mean it as in accepting the partner the way they are. And to agree to disagree. You know, such things? I mean, things can't always be rosy and perfect and lovey-dovey, and I'd want the relationship to be steady and strong enough that both can kind of...just...accept each other, even with their flaws. Especially with their flaws."

They all smiled at him. Of course Nico would say something like that.

Would worry about something like that.

Percy put an arm around him, tugging him closer and placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. "That's really sweet. I completely agree, that's important."

"Come on, Perce, you know he wants to know whether you can accept him with all his flaws. Reassure him." Will urged from the front seat with an exasperated voice, though he looked more amused than annoyed.

"But Freckles, you know he's oblivious as hell. If anything, Nico should be the one assuring Percy he'll love him even with Percy's flaws." Jason retorted with a wink and they both smirked.

"Of course I do!" Both Percy and Nico exclaimed hurriedly, blushes spreading across their faces.

Seriously, was there anything more adorable than those two? (Other than Will, of course, who was just as adorable as those two.)

"Happy Valentine's Day, you two." Will chirped from the front, winking at them.

Jason saw the outline of Thalia's pine in the distance, signaling they were almost back already.

Time surely could fly.

"Yeah, Happy Valentine's Day, guys."

.

Once they were out of the car and had their bags, watching Jules-Albert race into the distance at top speed (why he could do that now and not when they had so desperately wanted to get home was beyond Jason), Percy was his usual chatty self again, talking about getting back to Nico's cabin as soon as possible and into bed, so they'd be ready for tomorrow.

His words clashed strongly with the fact he had his arms wrapped tightly around Nico, hands in his back pockets, his lips pressing against Nico's in irregular intervals, simple pecks so far, though Jason could swear they were getting longer and deeper each time.

He could only roll his eyes at that.

"Yeah, you're absolutely right. It's time for you to get to bed. So, guys, have a good night. Don't stay up too long." Will chirped, winking at them knowingly and lifting a hand in goodbye.

Percy's head shot around, stunned surprise in his gaze. "What? What do you mean? Aren't you coming with?" He asked and Jason chuckled at his almost shocked voice.

"Yeah, no. Nico asked us whether he could have you to himself tonight, Perce. We'll be sleeping in our own cabins for once – grand sacrifice, I know. Better make it worth it, will you?" He teased, while Will nodded and wriggled his eyebrows at them.

Nico was chewing on his bottom lip worriedly, searching Percy's expression for a sign whether this had been a good idea or not, but Percy was too busy gazing down at him with a surprised, almost disbelieving expression, that quickly turned dark, hungry and predatory.

"Is that so?" He asked with a raw, lusty voice and Jason looked away, disturbed by the surge of emotions rushing through him.

This was so not meant for him to hear nor see, seriously.

"Yep, he has big plans for you, Gorgeous. Now, get going. You're wasting valuable time." Will chided, nudging both of them nonchalantly, apparently not bothered in the slightest.

Jason could only roll his eyes.

He wished he could act like that.

"Oh, I can't wait. But will you two be alright?" Percy asked, turning back around when he had just finally begun to leave.

Both Will and Jason sent him more than exasperated looks.  
"Get. Going." Will ordered darkly.

"But what about your-…"

"I have an entire cabin full of people that can wake me after my nightmare so I can get my rest. Go." Will interrupted him, waving off his question.

Instead, Percy turned towards Jason.

"Then what about the statue of your-…"

"I am perfectly capable of sleeping in my own cabin, you worrywart. Now, seriously, get going."

Percy only sent them another uncertain gaze, but then Nico grabbed his hand and dragged him off.

"Good night, guys. See you tomorrow." The Italian called over his shoulder, his face dark red, showing he was more than embarrassed right now, most likely because he knew they knew what he wanted to do.

Such an adorable dork.

In a way, Jason couldn't believe it himself how Will and he were practically supporting this.

How they were utterly ok with it was beyond him, but somehow…it was ok.

He didn't mind.

It wasn't like in the beginning where he had to force himself to be ok with Nico being Percy's boyfriend now, with Nico being off limits, with Percy being allowed to get closer to Nico than either Will or Jason.

Now, this was normal.

It was good.

Nico was happy, and he wanted this, so it was good.

And it didn't matter it was Percy.

It only mattered that Nico was happy.

"Good night, you two. Remember to catch some sleep." Will called after them, chuckling quietly until they were gone.

Then he rolled his eyes with a big sigh, turning towards Jason with a slightly rueful expression.

"Well, that leaves us sorry sods. I so don't feel like facing my cabin right now, I can tell you that much."

Jason instantly jumped at that.

"If you want, you can come along to my cabin for a little while longer. I have video games."

Erm…why did that sound like something a pedophile might say to a little kid to lure it into their van?

He had just wanted to get Will somewhere alone so they could discuss this whole Underworld-issue!

Will raised an eyebrow at him, halting in his movements.

"I don't know, it's pretty late already. Don't you need to be up and running first thing in the morning?"

Wow, was Will rubbing it in that he, as an Apollo's kid, could always wake up early and be relatively fit?

That was harsh.

"Well, yeah, but it's merely 9pm, Will. I've slept less before and have been fine."

Will rolled his eyes. "Oh really? Well, I'll let you know it's not healthy to keep irregular sleeping hours, not to mention that the human body needs at least six or seven hours of sleep to function properly."

Jason gave him a long, unimpressed stare.

Was he lecturing him or making fun of him?

"Yeah? Then what about you?"

Will sent him a funny look. "What about me? I'll be completely fine."

Of course.

Oh well, Jason guessed it still meant Will wouldn't come to his cabin with him.

"Of course you'll be. Anyways, I wanted to talk with you about the trip." He blurted, unwilling to put the conversation off any longer.

As expected, Will instantly stiffened, jaw tightening and eyes becoming guarded, his face turning stony.

"What's there to talk about? Didn't you guys already discuss everything in the greatest detail?"

Was it his imagination, or did Will sound somewhat bitter?

Maybe they should have urged him into their conversations more.

Maybe he had wanted to offer something or had had something against the stuff they had talked about but hadn't dared to speak up…?

That was stupid, Will always managed to speak up about everything else, why not about that?

"Yeah, but I wanted your input on something." He tried tentatively, but Will remained stiff and distant.

"And what would that be?" The blonde asked coolly.

Damn, what was wrong?!

Jason wanted to grab him, shake him, ask him what the bloody hell was wrong with him so he could do something, anything, to fix this, to make Will less like this stony, cold something, to get that joyful gleam back into his eyes and get him to smile again and laugh and look forward to the trip instead of acting as if it was some sort of punishment!

There just had to be a way to fix this.

"Well, I was thinking, the Underworld ought to be pretty dark and gloomy and all, right? I don't know about you, but I was wondering whether there might not be a chance to sleep…somewhere else. In a hotel nearby, maybe. I haven't mentioned it to Nico and Percy yet, though. No idea how they'd take it, after all." He tried cautiously, weighing each word in his mind and watching Will's expression intensely.

But his face remained impassive.

"Well, I wouldn't know how it is there, but I'm sure the guys will be fine either way. Percy would probably kiss you for getting them out of immediate reach of Nico's dad, so there's that."

That…wasn't the answer he had hoped for.

"Yeah? But what do you think?"

Will frowned at him. "What am I supposed to think? I don't really care where you sleep, as long as you sleep and are comfortable, I guess."

Gods, what the hell, Solace?!

"Gee, thanks, but I meant more as in 'us', not just me sleeping somewhere else. So I hoped for your thoughts on the matter."

Will shifted from foot to foot, now seeming annoyed.

Apparently, it hadn't been the Underworld that had been bothering him.

But then what?!

What was it?!

"I don't really care, Jason. I suppose I'd be fine either way, so there's that. I'm sure the Underworld will be a nice place. Now, I think I'll be off to my cabin, after all. Just remembered I have something to talk about with a few of my sibs." Will said at last, voice somewhat strained, his gaze on a spot far away from Jason.

Jason's insides clenched.

Damn it! He had screwed up, hadn't he?

Damn, damn, damn, damn, DAMN!

Why? How?

"Are you sure you're ok with the trip, Will?" He blurted out, and Will all but scowled at him.

That was…well…direct.

"How many times are you going to ask me that? Of course I'm ok with it, Grace." Will snapped, now really sounding annoyed, and Jason didn't want to admit how badly 'Grace' stung him.

Will hadn't called him that with this much venom in his voice in a long time.

And…it kind of hurt.

"Well, you simply don't act like it, Will. You always seem so distant and positively hurt whenever somebody brings it up, so I just can't help but worry, that-…"

"I'm fine, Jason. Really, I am. I told you before I was just…lost in thought. But I'm good. Now, get off to bed. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow. You, and those two other dorks - that are most likely all over each other by now and are so not going to sleep much. Have fun putting up with them tomorrow." Will tried to change the topic, and Jason sighed depressed.

One way or another, he was going to find out what the problem was.

Maybe it wasn't the trip at all.

Maybe Will was merely nervous.

If Jason understood it correctly, Will had never left the Camp except for the wars, so this had to be a pretty big thing for him.

It was probably going to solve itself soon enough.

Yeah…no reason to bother Will any longer about it.

That would only stress him out more and in worst-case scenario lead to some sort of fight Jason didn't want to have.

"Well, ok. If you say so. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

Will merely shrugged, which was stupid, because of course they were going to see each other tomorrow.

Then again, it had been stupid of Jason to ask in the first place.

"Suppose so. Man, it surely will be quiet here once you're going to be gone, I can tell you that much." Will said thoughtfully, shrugging noncommittally and turning around to march of to his cabin.

For a moment, Jason wanted to roll his eyes, because that was definitely not a nice thing to say.

Turning towards his own cabin, however, an entirely different thought struck him.

Wait a moment.

Why would Will say something like that?

In that very way?

He wouldn't...no, that was stupid.

Jason froze, turning around again and looking at the back of Will's head as he slowly started trudging away, his posture yelling defeat and hurt.

What if…

The next moment, Jason took off after Will, grabbing him by the arm.

"Will! You DO know you're coming with us, right?!"

It was stupid. Entirely stupid.

Of course Will knew he was coming with.

They had talked countless times about all going together, Will couldn't have possibly missed that.

Plus, they would never leave him behind.

Of course he knew it.

He was probably going to send Jason one of his absolutely annoyed glances, scowl at him and call him an idiot, or even cuss him out.

Or maybe he'd just look up at him disturbed or confused, asking whether he was still right in the head.

Yes, Jason was expecting that sort of reaction.

What he was not expecting, however, was Will turning his face and staring at Jason in disbelief, eyes wide and definitely…_hopeful_.

"What?"

Jason's heart was beating so loud and fast he could feel it in the back of his throat, and for a moment he thought it would jump out along with his words.

"You do know you're coming with us, right? On the trip." He repeated painfully slowly.

Will stared at him, his expression indescribable.

Of course he knew, of course he knew, of course he knew.

"I…I am…?" Will asked instead, looking taken aback, shocked, confused – yet somehow positively so.

As if he had just had target practice and thought he had scored zero points just to find out he had hit the mark every single time.

But for Jason, his entire world seemed to crumble around him.

"Of course! Oh gods, Will, please tell me you're acting right now or something. Please tell me you haven't thought all this time we weren't going to drag you with us. Tell me you packed and are ready to go…" He all but pleaded and watched Will's eyes widen even more.

Oh. My. Gods.

"Ah…well…if you put it that way…I might still need to do a little bit of packing…"

Will wasn't even completely done with his sentence when Jason was already running, pulling Will along behind him by the arm, hurrying off towards the Apollo cabin.

How in the world had he never picked up on this?!

Now EVERYTHING made sense!

The way Will became all noncommittal and distant – of course, HE wouldn't have liked it very much if the three of them had been discussing leaving for indefinite time while he was meant to be stuck here alone.

The way Will became all but frustrated and upset – well duh!

The way Will had always _talked about them leaving_ and whatever without ever including _himself_!

Now Jason knew what had been bothering him all along with Will's weird statements!

He had kept talking about it as if he were unaffected by it all, and Jason had mistaken it as Will's usual cocky attitude of being above things that could get to the rest of them.

Instead, Will had been freaking upset and bitter about them shoving it in his face they'd be leaving with him here alone – as if they didn't give a damn about him.

Oh gods, how blind had Jason been?

And he called himself Will's friend!

Even with all the turmoil and guilt inside him, Jason started laughing.

This was ridiculous.

The most ridiculous thing in the world.

Leaving Will behind – where had Will gotten that idea from?

Rubbish!

He'd love to hear what the guys had to say about that.

But first, he had to get Will packed and ready.

This was going to be a long night.

.

The moment the door fell shut behind them and he heard Percy turning the lock, they were all over each other.

But to hell with it, this was going to be a long night.

Percy shoved him against the closed door, his body flat against his, his kisses searing hot and wanting, tongue and teeth working as united force to entice him, tease him, make him go crazy.

"Percy…" Nico huffed weakly as Percy's hands started moving under his pullover.

Yes!

"Gods, I've been wanting to do this all day, Nico." Percy breathed against his lips, practically purring his name, sending shivers down Nico's back as he leaned into Percy's touch on his abdomen, trying to get him to touch more of him.

Percy only too happily obliged, stroking over his skin and kissing him senseless once more.

"I love you." He whispered and Nico found himself grinning against his lips, the reaction automatic.

"I love you too."

"I love to touch you." Percy continued between kisses, letting his hand travel up to Nico's nipples as if to emphasize his words.

"I love to kiss you." He whispered, licking over Nico's bottom lip and dragging it into his mouth, sucking and nibbling on it gently before drawing Nico into another French kiss, his tongue so sinfully skilled as usual, teasing him out of his mind.

Nico pushed against him further, wanting to get closer, closer, closer.

There was so much he wanted to do.

So much he wanted Percy to do.

So much he just needed right now.

"Percy…" He breathed with a light gasp as Percy started teasing his nipples in earnest now, bringing up his second hand as well to help.

"I love the sounds you make." Percy mumbled as he captured his lips again, and again, and again.

Nico was trembling, hands uselessly clawing Percy's sweater, holding onto him for dear life, as if he could step back and disappear all of a sudden.

The thought was more than unbearable and he tightened his grip on Percy even more, making him chuckle when he noticed.

"I'm not going anywhere, love. Except in your pants, maybe." He purred and Nico couldn't help but grin again, thrusting his hips forward slightly.

Oh, he wouldn't mind that whatsoever.

"Yes, please." He gasped as he felt Percy's body pressing against his own, their groins rubbing against each other, creating the torturous, yet so sweet friction he so badly craved.

Percy's chuckle was raw and lusty, and he started rolling his hips against Nico's, creating more friction as his mouth made its way along Nico's jaw line to his neck, nibbling and tugging on his skin gently, the slight stinging signaling Nico he was leaving marks this time, unlike this morning.

Yes!

Nico let his head fall back to present him more of his skin, moaning quietly at the sensation.

"Yes, mark me…" He breathed unintentionally and wanted to smack himself for saying something like that out loud, but Percy's sharp intake of breath and the way he could feel his teeth against his neck much more determined a moment later showed him, that, maybe, saying things like this out loud might not be too bad after all.

His hands moved on their own accord, making their way up to Percy's hair to thread his fingers through the dark, wavy strands, holding onto him to ground himself as well as to keep Percy right there.

Nico could feel him grinning against the side of his neck, but he was too far gone already to feel embarrassed right now, tugging Percy even closer to him instead.

Percy bit down on the spot between his neck and shoulder, sucking on his sensitive skin and Nico groaned, fisting Percy's hair, his body trembling all over, partly due to Percy's mouth, partly due to his hands on Nico's nipples, still teasing mercilessly, and partly due to his hips, still thrusting against Nico's in a slow, steady rhythm.

"Yes..." He breathed between small gasps and felt Percy pulling back slightly, much to his dismay.

He tried to hold him back, but instead got a small peck on the lips from Percy as he smirked down at him, sea-green eyes dazed with want and lust, his pupils blown wide with arousal.

Gods, he looked so hot.

How did Nico ever deserve someone this great and awesome and perfect?

Before he knew what he was doing, he was lunging forward, tackling Percy, cupping his face and crashing their lips back together, pushing against his boyfriend wantonly.

More. He wanted more.

Percy made a surprised noise, but returned the kisses instantly, hands on Nico's side, tugging his pullover upwards.

Nico was reluctant to let go of Percy's face, but lifted his arms nevertheless, allowing Percy to pull back for the second it took to get rid of the fabric.

Then he was back, hands running over Nico's bare skin, their kisses searing hot once more, lips already swollen, but neither of them cared.

He lost him once more when Percy pulled back to rip off his own sweater, and this time he let out the needy whimper at the loss, desperate to get them back together, closer together, as close as possible.

He wanted - needed - to feel him, smell him, taste him, hear his ragged breathing close to his skin, feel the heat rolling off him in waves, see his flushed face, his stunning eyes, the affectionate gleam in them, wanted to hear his raw, husky voice whispering adoring 'I love you'-s…he wanted it all.

He wanted to drown in Percy, if possible.

Percy reacted instantly, throwing the sweater aside and surging forward again, cupping Nico's face and dragging him into another open-mouthed kiss, maneuvering them both towards Nico's bed.

Yes.

Hands moved from his cheeks down his neck over his shoulders and downwards still, halting on his butt, cupping and massaging his cheeks through his skinny jeans, while turning them around and letting Nico move backwards until he felt the edge of the bed against the back of his thighs.

Yes, yes, yes.

He let himself fall backwards, trusting Percy to keep him from harm, but pulling him down with him for good measure, arms tightly wrapped around his neck.

Percy followed all too willingly, pulling them further onto their bed so their legs weren't dangling off it at an awkward angle, then he lowered himself onto Nico ever so cautiously, as if scared of breaking him.

Nico could only roll his eyes inwardly at that, wrapping arms and legs tightly around him and pulling him down.

They both groaned as their bodies rubbed against each other once more, their jeans only adding additional friction to their groins, though Nico had to admit he was getting desperate.

Skinny jeans only gave that much space, and his dick was definitely complaining about the restraint by now.

Their kisses were messy, their moaning chaotic, their hands all over every inch of skin they could get to.

This was so different from their usual making out.

More chaotic. More needy. More desperate.

Percy was kneeling between his legs now, bent over Nico's chest, raking tongue and teeth over his skin, even though Nico had no recollection of letting Percy far enough out of his reach to stop their kisses.

Scandalous.

Nico was about to wail, needing those lips back on his own, but then he felt Percy's teeth tugging on his nipple and all complaints were forgotten, replaced by a needy groan and his hands flying to Percy's head, grabbing his hair to keep him there, because, by the gods, Nico was going to die if he stopped right now.

Percy's right hand went to play with his other nipple, while his left hand stroked over Nico's hard-on through his pants, making him whimper with need and want and despair.

Percy smirked up at him, looking pleased with Nico's reaction, which made Nico glare at him and thrust his hips upwards, wordlessly telling him to continue without teasing him so much.

Percy grinned, licking over his nipple once more before beginning to move downwards, trailing his tongue over Nico's ribcage and abs, down, down, down.

Nico closed his eyes and let his head fall back, a small smile spreading on his lips.

Yes~.

Trembling, impatient fingers started working on his button and zipper, and he lifted his butt off the bed automatically to help Percy getting rid of his jeans for him, his hard-on more than grateful to spring free as Percy pulled jeans and underpants down to his ankles hurriedly, already working on maneuvering himself between Nico's legs again.

"I love you." Nico gasped, needing to say it so, so badly, needing Percy to understand just how much he felt for him, needing to get this overwhelming warm feeling off his chest, make himself understood somehow.

Percy kissed his inner thigh in reply, beginning to trail gentle, wet kisses along his skin there, and nuzzling his face against various places, which would usually make Nico feel mortified if anything.

But right now, it felt good.

He felt good.

Percy made him feel so loved, his actions so affectionate and gentle, so contrary to how passionate and wild he was only moments ago.

Nico smiled, looking down at his boyfriend, whose eyes were solely fixed on Nico's face, his sea-green eyes full of love, devotion, affection and lust.

"I love you." Nico repeated, his voice a mere whisper.

Percy smiled. "I love you, too. Happy Valentine's Day, my Ghost King."

Nico grinned down at this wonderful, perfect being that was his boyfriend. "Happy Valentine's Day to you too, my Sea Prince."

Then Percy turned his attention to Nico's already leaking dick and Nico let himself get swept away by a very skilful tongue.

_Yes~!_

.

Percy was drunk on love.

He had never taken drugs, nor drunk alcohol (his mother would have skinned him alive for either), but based on what one read and heard, this was how it must feel like to be high.

After getting Nico so very close to climaxing, the Italian had suddenly squirmed beneath him and stopped him; instead taking the lead and pushing him back into the bed, straddling his lap and kissing the living hell out of him, as if rewarding him for doing such a good job, though Percy hadn't even gotten him off yet.

His hands were down at Percy's pants, fumbling with the zipper, dragging it down hurriedly and pulling his jeans down, urging Percy to lift his hips slightly to help.

Percy only too willingly complied, helping with pushing them off, and noting off-handedly how Nico had finally lost his pants completely, as well.

By the time his jeans hit the floor, he was sitting up again, keen on getting back between Nico's legs and finish what he had started, but his boyfriend had other plans, straddling his lap once more and pushing their bodies together needily.

Oh gods, that felt so good.

Percy's arms wrapped around the Italian, pulling him close, feeling Nico's hand on their joined dicks, pumping more to tease than to please right now, which confused Percy for a moment.

"Percy..." Nico whispered, voice husky, needy…yet somewhat questioning, so Percy looked up into his warm, chocolate-brown, affectionate eyes, promptly getting lost in them.

Nico gave him a small peck, pressing his body even more against Percy, as if he tried to merge with him.

Percy completely wouldn't mind.

He returned the gentle pecks Nico started showering him in, enjoying the feeling of his boyfriend on his lap, especially so wonderfully naked.

His hands tentatively moved over Nico's back down to his butt once more, trying to discern how far he was allowed to go – only to find Nico nudging against his hands wantonly, squeezing their dicks in what could almost be taken as encouragement for Percy to go on.

The next time Nico leaned down to give him another peck, he went for Nico's bottom lip, tugging on it and keeping him there, urging him into another French kiss, while his hands began kneading Nico's butt cheeks, deliberately moving towards delicate territory.

But Nico didn't squirm, didn't even slow down in his kissing, moving from Percy's lips towards his neck, sucking on Percy's favorite spot and leaving another mark.

The thought made him grin as he rolled his hips, hoping Nico would have mercy on him and tighten his grip on their dicks, so he could get the much wanted – no, _needed_, even – friction.

But Nico merely grinned against his skin.

"Not yet, Percy. I have other plans for your dick tonight." He breathed as he pulled back, his dark eyes almost seeming pitch black with arousal and lust and want, his voice a seductive purr that did things to Percy he had never felt before.

Oh gods.

Oh gods, that voice.

Oh gods, that-, wait, what?

Plans? For his dick?

Wait, wait, wait, did that mean…did Nico want…

"Are you sure?" He asked, shifting slightly and gabbing firmer hold of Nico's butt as he gazed up into his boyfriend's face, searching it for any indicator whether he had even understood correctly.

Nico blushed slightly, something that was barely noticeable, given their arousal-flushed skin, but he nodded firmly, leaning forward once more to kiss Percy.

"I am. Absolutely. I want you." He stated determinedly, his voice still an awfully husky purr, making Percy shiver all over with want.

Then he started feeling giddy as the meaning of Nico's words sank in.

Nico wanted him.

Nico wanted him _like that._

His heart was beating wildly in his chest, anticipation, nervousness and love threatening to overflow inside him like an overfilled barrel.

Yes!

Nico leaned forward again, resuming his journey down Percy's neck to his collarbones, licking and nibbling at various spots while his hand started up a lazy pumping-rhythm, enough to keep Percy huffing, but not enough to actually get him off (unless he kept nibbling and teasing him so nicely, though he was also fairly certain he might be able to cum just from listening to Nico using that husky, wanting voice on him some more).

"Are you ok with that?" Nico asked against his chest and Percy needed a moment to understand he was referring to sex, not whether he wanted Nico to continue ravishing his skin (which he was more than ok with. Damn, it felt so good).

"Yes! Oh gods, yes." He groaned the last part as Nico's lips found his right nipple, sucking on it teasingly and looking up at him with mischief and want in his gaze, the light blush a tad darker now.

Were they seriously going to do it?

Today?

Now?

Oh gods, Percy wasn't sure whether he was going to die from nerves or exhilaration at the prospect of having sex with Nico.

What if he messed up?

What if Nico didn't like it?

What if-…shouldn't he be more active?

Shouldn't he push Nico back into the bed the way Nico liked it and seduce him and give him the best first time ever?

Right when he thought that, Nico shifted, though, moving off his lap and downwards, kissing and sucking on his skin every here and there as he made his way to Percy's dick.

Oh gods, yes.

Half of him wanted to fall back and die right then and there when Nico's tongue swiped across the tip of his dick.

The other half wanted to tell Nico to stop because else he was so going to blow.

Instead, he closed his eyes and groaned loudly.

"Nico…"

Nico shivered at the sound of his name, continuously teasing Percy's tip for another moment, before beginning to move down the side of his dick, peppering it with open-mouthed kisses and little sucks that had Percy's hands fisting the sheets.

Torture! Sweet torture, but torture all the same!

He groaned again, not bothering with holding back his noises, since he knew Nico liked hearing him and there was nobody else close by that could possibly overhear.

Plus, seriously, it felt too freaking good to even try to hold back.

Nico began licking the length of his dick in even, slow strokes, from the base to the tip, adding a little flick at the top just to make Percy gasp each time.

Nico seriously was a master tease.

The Italian glanced up at him, eyes dark and face utterly flushed by now, his breathing only minimally less ragged than Percy's right now.

"C-Could you…" Nico started, but then broke off, his ears turning dark red, almost purple, seemingly utterly embarrassed by what he had been about to ask.

His hand had already started gesturing towards his butt, but now he tried to cover up for it with waving off exaggeratedly, though it was already too late.

Percy already knew what Nico had wanted to ask, and the fact that he had even went this far was already remarkable and amazing, much more than Percy could have ever asked for.

A smile spread on his lips that instantly disappeared again as he gasped at Nico's lips around the tip of his dick, but his hands were already moving along Nico's sides towards his butt.

Oh gods, he had never tried to prep Nico in this position.

Good thing Percy was sitting, not to mention that Nico was a good few inches shorter than him, so at least he wouldn't have to lean over too much to reach him correctly.

Nico had halted in his movement for a long moment, apparently trying to discern what exactly Percy was going to do, but then he resumed as if nothing had happened, pushing his butt higher into the air, as if he was mutely screaming for Percy to take him.

Oh, he would.

He so would.

Oh gods, this was really happening.

Percy started rubbing circles onto Nico's lower back, moving closer to his cheeks with each stroke, eyes hushing over to the bedside table where the lube and condoms were.

He'd need the lube first to play with Nico, not to mention stretch him.

And then, he'd actually use their first condom.

Oh gods, he could barely wait.

He groaned out in surprise and pleasure as Nico sucked on his tip determinedly, apparently trying to get his attention back on the blowjob.

That wasn't a good idea, given that Percy was one step away from blowing, Nico's tongue and the prospect of sex too good to manage to hold himself back properly.

But Nico didn't seem to care, continuing to tease him until Percy rubbed against his hole, making Nico gasp and push back against him slightly.

Percy's heart seemed to be beating in his throat, his dick twitching ominously.

Nico was always fairly responsive, but usually it took a bit of time for him to get comfortable with Percy playing with his butt like this.

For him to practically invite Percy like this...it was the hottest thing Percy had ever witnessed up to now.

Gods, he could barely wait for Nico to get more confident with himself, with this.

He was going to be the death of Percy, that was for sure.

But that was ok.

Percy wouldn't want it any other way.

He prodded against his entrance slightly, feeling Nico tremble in anticipation, his lips sloppily wrapping around Percy's tip again to resume his blowjob somewhat, his gaze sweeping upwards to Percy.

Gods, his expression!

Percy groaned and moved, pulling back before he really did climax.

Nico made a small sound of complaint, looking up at him almost scornfully, though with a hint of mischief in his eyes, showing he knew full well how close Percy had been.

Percy dragged him in for a kiss and wondered how fast he could get to that bedside table and back.

They should put the pack of lube under the pillow or something, that would make everything a lot easier.

Oh, wait, no, bad idea, what with the other two around.

He was about to let go of Nico and make a dive for the bedside table, when he felt Nico moving slightly, hands patting the space next to them as if looking for something.

Pulling back slightly, he frowned at him, finding Nico with the most adorable blush yet, eyes cast sideways as his hands slipped under the pillow and pulled out the already opened pack of lube that Will had given him as a Christmas gift, the one that double functioned as massage oil.

Percy's insides went on a rollercoaster ride.

Nico had…had actually planned this?

He might have believed that Nico would have been up for a massage or something, if he hadn't pulled out a condom along with the lube as well.

Oh gods.

And there Percy had been worried he'd be rushing things if he indicated sex tonight.

Oh gods, Will and Jason had been right, Nico was more than ready to take things further – and Percy loved it.

Nico's face was still flushed, eyes hushing over Percy's face as if looking for an indicator as to how he took Nico's straightforwardness, so Percy did the first thing that came to mind, leaning forward and capturing his lips in another searing hot kiss, his hands taking the lube from Nico, letting him hold onto the condom for now.

"May I?" He asked, popping open the lid and watching Nico for an indicator that he had changed his mind or was doubtful or the like, but Nico was already nodding wildly before Percy was even done asking.

"Please."

Percy couldn't help but lean forward to kiss him once more, feeling Nico pushing against him and climbing back onto his lap, showing Percy how Nico wanted to proceed with this.

Oh gods.

They were going to do it.

It was official, this was the best day of his life.

Nico mashed their lips together eagerly, threading his fingers through Percy's hair once more, tugging him closer as his hips thrust against Percy slightly, as if demanding him to get going.

He couldn't help but grin against his boyfriend's lips, working with the tube of lube behind Nico's back, coating his finger with it and dropping it behind Nico, still in reach for more later, but without being in the way.

Percy wondered faintly if Nico would be comfortable this way, with them facing each other like this.

In the past (mostly in the shower, really), Nico had always had his back towards him whenever he had gone this far, hiding his face against the wall or his arm.

But Nico didn't seem to wish to move in any way, sealing their lips over and over again, hands tugging him ever closer by his hair, legs firmly wrapped around him.

Percy started to move his unlubed hand towards Nico's butt first, to show him what he was going to do, massaging his butt cheeks and teasing his hole for a bit, feeling Nico move closer to him, shivering in anticipation, their lips still mashing together hungrily.

Then Percy switched hands, rubbing his lubed finger against his entrance and slowly pushing the first digit in, feeling Nico tense slightly as he huffed against his lips, hips thrusting back against his finger lightly.

Percy grinned against his lips, trailing kisses towards his neck when Nico started moaning, hands clutching Percy's hair for dear life as Percy began pushing his finger in and out of Nico, looking for his good spot while trying to discern whether this was enough lube for now.

Based on Nico's moans, he guessed it was.

Nipping on his neck a bit more, he noticed the marks he had left there earlier, encouraged by Nico's almost-begging.

Hopefully, he hadn't overdone it.

He placed butterfly-kisses on them and moved downwards to Nico's shoulder, licking at the dark red blotch there, making Nico shiver again, while his finger kept thrusting in and out of Nico.

Then he hit Nico's good spot and the boy tensed, a low groan escaping his lips as his hips bucking slightly, sending a jolt of triumph through Percy.

"P-Percy…!" Nico gasped and Percy continued hitting that same spot over and over again at a steady rhythm, feeling Nico shiver and shift in his arms, chaotic moans escaping his lips as he arched his back, hands dragging his head back up to crash their lips back together.

Percy caught a glance of his face, dazed and full of bliss, and couldn't help the grin spreading on his face as he kept kissing Nico, feeling him tremble beneath him.

He pulled his finger back, heart leaping as he heard Nico's small whimper of complaint.

Then he pushed it back in, accompanied by a second one.

Oh gods, why was Nico this tight?

Was it normal to be this tight?

He'd have to ask Will about that at some point.

Wait, no, better not.

But, damn, how was Percy's dick supposed to fit inside Nico when he already felt this tight around two fingers?

Nico groaned and thrust against him, head dropping like a log onto Percy's shoulder.

Percy smiled to himself.

This was just like when he had first given Nico that handjob, back at Camp Jupiter, with the other two sleeping next to them.

He loved it.

Percy sped up slightly, repeatedly hitting Nico's good spot while trying to stretch Nico somewhat, relishing in the moans and gasps he managed to lure out of his boyfriend.

"I love you." He whispered into Nico's ear, making Nico shiver again as he thrust back against Percy's hand wantonly, hands dropping from Percy's hair to around his neck, holding onto him for dear life.

"L-Love you too…" He stuttered meekly, groaning again as Percy started speeding up some more.

His sounds were like aphrodisiac to Percy, reverberating inside him and making him feel even more light-headed than he already was, his dick leaking pre-cum.

He was more than tempted to wrap his free hand around their dicks and send Nico clean over the edge he could feel him treading, but the temptation of taking this much further than hands was too big for him to resist.

Plus, everything inside him craved to see Nico completely gone with bliss, as he had done when Percy had surprise-deep-throated him on his birthday.

He would never forget the expression of pure bliss on Nico's face, much less the way he had been rendered utterly speechless.

Percy had at first worried whether he had done something wrong and Nico didn't like it, but once he had realized how far gone Nico had been at that moment, everything inside him had filled with a sort of euphoria one didn't experience anywhere else.

It had been one of the best moments in his life.

And he craved to make Nico feel even better than that.

He continued thrusting into Nico like that, adding a third finger after some time and feeling Nico tense up slightly almost immediately.

He was just considering pulling out again and reapplying more lube, when Nico started writhing in his arms, pushing against him helplessly, his moans messy and chaotic, his hands clawing into Percy's back.

"P-Percy, p-please…" He all but begged, though Percy couldn't tell whether he was begging for him to stop, to keep going or to take this further.

He got his answer when Nico moved, head shooting up to let their lips collide once more as his hand pressing the condom pack flat against Percy's chest, his body trembling, breathing ragged and face so adoringly flushed.

"Please…" Nico repeated, gazing at him with that dazed expression that reminded Percy vaguely of his puppy expression, just more wanting and pleading and – oh my gods - in that moment, Percy would have done anything for Nico.

He pressed his lips to Nico's once more, pulling his fingers out of Nico, which made him gasp and whimper at the loss, eyes pleading, same as his voice.

Percy had trouble catching his breath, shifting and pushing Nico back into the bed.

Nico let himself fall, spreading his legs and wrapping them around Percy almost instantly, while Percy tried to open the condom pack somehow…which wasn't easy with his trembling, not to mention lubed fingers.

Nico's fingers closed around his hand, stopping him after a moment of futile trying, and taking the condom pack from him once more, only to open it with utter ease.

Percy grinned at him apologetically, but Nico merely dragged him down for another kiss with his free arm, the condom disappearing along with Nico's hand from Percy's view, moving down towards his groin.

Percy closed his eyes with a small gasp as he felt Nico's fingers on his dick, pumping him a view times before putting the condom over the tip, rolling it down for him with surprising efficiency.

Oh gods.

They were seriously going to do this.

Percy still couldn't believe it.

He had hoped they were going to do this, but hadn't actually expected it to happen.

"Are you sure?" He asked once more, hand already moving towards the lube bottle that was no next to them instead of behind Nico.

Nico only sent him an almost exasperated glance, nodding vigorously.

"Perseus Jackson, I love you and I want you and if you don't do it right now, I swear I'm going to forget myself." He threatened, but his voice was a weak and not very convincing huff.

"Anything for you, my love." Percy breathed against his lips before giving him a small peck, closely followed by another peck to Nico's nose.

Nico's lips twitched, but then he seemed to get impatient, his hand on Percy's dick once more, taking over the job of applying more lube and guiding him to Nico's entrance.

Oh gods, oh gods, _oh gods_!

He could feel Nico shifting beneath him, pulling his legs up slightly to make it easier on both of them, and Percy couldn't keep himself from gazing down at Nico in wonder and amazement.

This was his boyfriend.

His wonderful, perfect boyfriend.

And they were going to have sex.

Ok, he had imagined it a whole lot different in his head, with him completely swooning Nico and being the one leading and all sorts of stuff, but this – THIS – was so, so much better, showing him just how much Nico wanted him, wanted _this_.

He grabbed hold of Nico's legs, moving them for him and pushing them up further, while correcting his own position on top of Nico, bucking his hips into Nico's hold teasingly.

Nico smirked up at him slightly, face flushed, ears bright red, eyes dark and full of love and anticipation and lust.

There was no trace of fear or worry in there, no discomfort or second-guessing.

Percy felt the tip of his dick rubbing against Nico's hole and had to exert all of his self-control not to blindly thrust into him, instead allowing Nico to guide him in ever so slowly, his body tensing slightly beneath Percy.

He groaned loudly, feeling his own body tremble as his tip slid into Nico, the hot tightness threatening to make him blow right then and there, but there was no way his first time with Nico was going to end without Nico utterly and thoroughly enjoying it.

"D-Does it…hurt…?" He managed to press out between clenched teeth, and found Nico shaking his head, eyes closed tightly, face seeming forcefully blank.

Of course it hurt.

Percy bit his lip, leaning down and giving Nico another kiss, letting one hand move over his hot and smooth skin, finding his nipple, while his other arm kept holding him up so he wouldn't squish Nico beneath him.

Nico made a surprised sound as Percy started pinching and teasing his nipple, and Percy felt himself sliding further into Nico, the tightness making him feel even more light-headed than he already was, but he kept playing with his nipple, kissing him over and over again.

"I love you, Nico." He whispered, seeing the small smile spreading on Nico's face as it always did when he said those three little words that held so much meaning.

"I love you too, you dork. I'm ok, Percy. Just…move…"

Percy wasn't having any of it, instead pinching his nipple once more before letting his hand move downwards to Nico's neglected dick.

.

Nico groaned when he felt Percy's fingers around his dick, beginning to pump slowly, as if to take his mind off Percy's dick slowly sliding into him.

Well, ok, it worked.

He let his head fall back, panting loudly as he felt both the unusual intrusion at his backside and the skilled hands on his dick, which combined to the weirdest sensation between pleasure and pain.

It wasn't as if it hurt unbelievably bad, nothing in comparison to what Nico had had to endure in the past.

But it still stung, and it was foreign and weird, like Percy's fingers had been the first time they had entered him during one of their shower make-out-sessions.

Percy's hand on his dick, however, felt awesome, amazing and familiar, which took the tension out of Nico's body and gave him something else to focus on.

Before long, he could feel Percy sliding further in, though he could feel him trying to make it as slow and careful as possible.

That guy.

Trust him to be this considerate.

Nico was fine!

He wrapped his legs around him firmly and dragged him down, hissing at the stinging sensation, but Percy's loud and blissful groan more than made up for it.

As long as Percy enjoyed this, he was willing to put up with close to anything.

"N-Nico…" Percy gasped, his head dropping down, right next to Nico's face, his breath against the side of his neck.

"Y-You're so…tight…" He breathed, his voice a mixture of lust, restraint and awe, and Nico felt him trying to pull back.

He bit his lip, trying to keep him there. "K-Keep going…" He mumbled, worried Percy would break this off now.

No matter if it hurt, this was still what Nico wanted, and Percy seemed to definitely enjoy this, so there was no way he'd let him stop now!

Percy's lips found the side of his neck, kissing him gently and pulling back, his dick sliding out of Nico – and suddenly Nico felt horribly empty.

His worry of messing up and ruining their first time suddenly changed to outright despair to feel Percy inside him again, which was odd, given that it really had hurt.

Before even knowing what he was doing, he let out a clearly audible whimper, hands grabbing for Percy to somehow convince him to do it again, to push back inside him, to fill him up again, even if it hadn't been by much.

Percy looked down at him with definite surprise in his gaze, then a reassuring smile appeared on his lips and he nuzzled his nose against Nico's as Nico heard the click of the bottle of lube in Percy's hands.

Percy hadn't even intended to break this off.

Relief washed over him and he let himself fall back into the pillow again, looking up at his boyfriend with a dazed expression, watching him coat his condom-covered dick with lube once more.

Maybe Nico shouldn't have picked the blue condom out of all of them.

Then again, it did look kind of funny, which took even more tension out of him and the situation, so he guessed it had been the right decision after all.

He should thank Will for giving them such a variety to choose from (though he certainly had felt like cursing him when looking through them hastily today in the morning. So many different kinds!).

Then Percy was back on top of him, kissing his swollen lips again and Nico instantly pulled his legs up again, feeling Percy's hand guiding his dick into him once more.

And by the gods, this time it went in a lot easier – and without pain.

He groaned as he felt Percy slide into him, up to the point where he had stopped earlier, though it felt a lot easier and bearable now.

It still felt weird, but not as bad as before, though Nico still wondered how people could possibly enjoy this so much.

Up to now, he still preferred hand- and blowjobs, to be honest.

Not to mention Percy's skilled fingers inside him.

But hey, he had felt the same way about said fingers at first, so maybe this would turn out just as good.

Percy gasped and groaned on top of him, his expression full of bliss and pleasure, biting on his own bottom lip as if trying to keep himself grounded somewhat.

Nico couldn't help but smirk slightly, letting his hands glide over Percy's back and pulling him down to connect their bodies more.

He wasn't sure why, but he craved the closeness right now.

Percy complied, dropping down on him cautiously as his hips bucked helplessly, his dick pushing further and further inside of Nico, the stinging back, but a lot weaker than before.

Before long, Percy started up a sort of rhythm, slightly in, almost completely out.

And for some reason, the more he did that, and the more Nico got used to this new and unfamiliar feeling - the better it felt.

He started moaning, by now more because of Percy's repeated thrusting than his hand on Nico's dick – though his stroking surely did do its part in that – and found himself moving to meet Percy with his thrusts, feeling him push all the way inside him over and over again.

Percy's breathing was shallow and ragged, his face hidden at the side of Nico's neck once more, the gasps and groans showing Nico just how much Percy enjoyed this, and how close he was getting.

Smiling to himself, he rolled his hips, more for Percy's sake than his own, though he had to admit it felt kind of good.

Percy instantly rewarded him with a low groan and a bucking of his hips, nudging a part inside Nico that suddenly did make him gasp and groan, pleasure ripping through him in a way that usually only pain did, his fingers clawing into Percy's back.

"Percy!" He all but yelled, trying to get Percy to do that again – because, by the gods, that had felt _amazing_!

It was the same spot he usually hit with his fingers, the one that made Nico all mushy and weird and put him in that blissful state that kept him from having any coherent thoughts whatsoever.

Just that it had felt _much_ better when it had been Percy's dick hitting that spot instead of his fingers.

Percy all but froze, panting hard against the side of his neck and readjusting his position on top of Nico, thrusting his hips cautiously, as if probing the angle.

Nico groaned when he hit his sweet spot again, pushing himself against Percy to get him to do it again, to feel him there again, desperate need surging through every fiber in his body.

Percy's breath hitched and he started thrusting, slowly at first, but speeding up as Nico all but cried out beneath him, fingernails digging into Percy's shoulder blades, his body writhing and shifting and moving, everything inside him yearning for more of this, more of this amazing sensation, more of Percy inside him.

Percy's hand let go of his dick (which suited Nico just fine since he never wanted this to stop) and he wrapped his arms around Nico instead, panting and thrusting inside him in earnest now, while Nico met his thrusts best as he could, rolling his hips slightly each time to make sure Percy did hit his sweet spot, though by now, it all felt amazing and awesome and right.

"Oh gods…Nico…" Percy panted into his ear, his voice husky and raw and full of pleasure, just like the pleasure that was ripping through Nico with each and every thrust.

"Percy…" He gasped needily, his face against the side of Percy's neck same as Percy's was against his, biting the spot between shoulder and neck out of desperation as he felt himself nearing his orgasm.

No, not yet!

"I can't…much longer…please tell me you like this, babe…" Percy's words didn't make sense to Nico whatsoever.

Like?

Like?!

He loved this!

If he had known _this_ was how sex was going to feel like, he'd have let Percy ravish him that very first night they had spent cuddled together in bed!

The pain was all but forgotten, a minor issue that had obviously been taken care off easily, the bliss now far outweighing it.

Before he even knew it, he was babbling.

He wasn't even sure what he was saying, but he caught pieces of 'amazing' and 'love this' and 'please don't ever stop', so he guessed it was an embarrassing, yet accurate summary of just how much he was 'liking' this.

Percy groaned loudly, thrusting so hard into Nico by now his hips started smacking against Nico, which caused way too much friction on Nico's dick to let him hold back much longer.

"Percy, I'm going to…" He tried to announce his oncoming climax, and found Percy nodding vigorously, only picking up more speed, a hand moving down to meet Nico's leaking dick.

Nico groaned and hissed and whined, the intensity of Percy's thrusts and the sensation of his fingers on his rock hard dick simply too much for him, and he found himself kicking at the air and clawing into Percy's back so hard he could swear he was drawing blood, throwing his head back into the pillow as he all but cried out his orgasm, feeling the absolute bliss rush through him like a tidal wave.

He could feel cum hitting his stomach and felt himself tighten around Percy, which made Percy sputter and groan loudly, thrusting all the way into Nico a couple more times before stilling, and Nico knew he was experiencing his own mind-blowing orgasm right now.

He was still wheezing, panting way too hard for not having done anything, his fingers only slowly managing to let go of Percy's shoulders, a satisfied and utterly pleased hum reverberating through his entire body as he felt Percy's racing heartbeat against his own, hearing those wonderful words from Percy once more.

"I love you."

It was weak, not even a whisper, but Nico heard him just fine, the smile spreading on his lips automatically, though the effort almost hurt.

Their sweaty bodies rubbing against each other, they stayed like this for another long moment, faces hidden against each other's necks, trying to get a hold of themselves and their breathing again.

Nico could feel Percy's now limp dick sliding out and noticed the sudden emptiness he felt in its wake, already missing the sensation of being filled like that, of being one with Percy.

Percy started to move on top of him, which made Nico instinctively tighten his hold of him, unwilling to let him go just yet.

Percy chuckled, his voice hoarse and low, and he placed a gentle kiss to the side of Nico's face.

"Just want to get us cleaned up, love."

Nico couldn't care less about 'getting cleaned up' right now, though, and he emphasized this by dragging Percy back down and giving him a sloppy, rather lazy kiss.

"No."

Now Percy chuckled in earnest, hand coming up to stroke a strand of hair out of Nico's face, gazing down at him lovingly.

"If I promise I'll be fast?"

"No." Nico insisted, wrapping his arms back around Percy's neck and keeping his hips there with his legs, though he felt the cum on his stomach starting to dry and itch and knew it would be better to get cleaned up.

"How about if I promise to make up for every second I'm gone with a kiss?"

Nico considered the option for a moment, weighing their already swollen lips against the fact that his stomach really was getting itchy now.

The stomach and the prospect of kissing some more won.

"Alright."

Percy grinned down at him, placing a gentle kiss to the tip of his nose, then he unwound himself from Nico's embrace and got up, moving quickly, yet somewhat sluggishly, leading to him tripping over several times on his way to the bathroom.

Nico merely smiled to himself contently, closing his eyes and enjoying this feeling of utter satisfaction inside him.

So this was what sex was like.

They seriously should have done this sooner.

He heard Percy coming back and felt a warm, wet cloth on his skin a moment later, cleaning him up gently and thoroughly as always.

Nico merely grinned to himself.

Then he heard the cloth hitting the floor next to the bed and felt Percy's lips against his skin instead, warm and smooth and loving.

"I love you, my Ghost King."

Nico's grin widened and he opened his eyes to look up at Percy, who started peppering his skin with soft kisses.

"I love you too, my Sea Prince."

Percy grinned down at him, moving to meet his lips with his own, their chests rubbing against each other.

Nico always loved this the most, the intimacy after getting off together, the closeness and the gentleness that followed along with the afterglow.

In his opinion, this was the best part of sex, unless one counted the sex itself.

Damn, that had been more than awesome.

Percy smiled down at him, then his expression changed to something almost rueful and he dropped his head next to Nico's again, burying his face against the side of his neck with a small whine.

"Oh gods, maybe we shouldn't have done that."

Eh?

Nico's heart all but froze.

"W-Why?" He asked, unable to keep the slight shock out of his voice.

"Cause now I'm definitely addicted! And we're about to leave tomorrow, too!" Percy wailed, his hold around Nico tightening desperately.

Nico groaned and felt himself relax again, relief washing over him.

"Percy, seriously, you had me worried there!" He chided with a lopsided grin and Percy pulled back, making a face at him.

"But I'm serious! I'm not going to be able to ravish you like that for gods know how long! Have some compassion, will you?"

Nico didn't, instead beginning to laugh, which made Percy put on his pouting face – but that only made Nico laugh even more.

"Aw, come on, stop laughing!" He complained and started trying to make Nico stop, which obviously didn't work.

Then Percy rolled his hips against Nico's and Nico's breath hitched with a gasp, his sensitive dick giving a light twitch.

Percy's eyes widened slightly and the smile spreading on his lips seemed more predatory than anything else.

He leaned down and kissed Nico, soft and gentle and loving, rolling his hips once more.

"But you enjoyed it, right?"

Nico could clearly hear the worry underlining that question, even though Percy tried to sound as casual as possible.

He rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"Are you kidding? I loved it. Shame we won't be able to do that for a while, I'd be more than willing…" He retorted with a wriggle of his eyebrows (alright, he might have copied Will here a little, but he had no clue how else to appear more confident than he was feeling right now).

Percy's eyes widened slightly and Nico could definitely detect a glimmer of hope, as well as mild arousal.

Then the predatory smile was back.

"Oh really? You know, the night's still young, so…"

Nico was all ears in an instant. "Yeah? Think you can handle another time?" He teased, tightening his hold on his boyfriend and rubbing their bodies together.

"One or two…" Percy all but purred, placing a gently kiss on Nico's lips. "Or three…" Another kiss. "Or ten…"

Nico chuckled, pulling back and sending Percy an amused, but unbelieving glance.

"Now you're exaggerating."

Percy grinned sheepishly. "I might. Or maybe I'm telling the truth. How would you know?"

Nico was up in an instant, pulling open his bedside table and grabbing a handful of condoms.

"Oh, I think I know just how I'm going to find out." He retorted, dropping them into Percy's lap.

This was crazy.

What was he even doing?

Percy looked surprised for a moment, then a sly grin spread on his lips and he moved forward, looking hungry and more than ready for another round.

"You think you can take it? My dick filling you up all the way over and over again, making you cry out my name in agony and bliss?"

Oh damn, Percy had learned a thing or two about dirty talking.

Nico felt his dick twitch and instinctively moved to cover himself up somewhat.

"Bring it on, Jackson." He stated with more confidence than he felt, and felt Percy closing in.

"Oh, I will, babe. But be warned, this is going to be a long night." He purred and Nico couldn't suppress a wanting shiver as he pushed against Percy a second later, connecting their lips and letting his hands fly over Percy's body.

Damn right, this was going to be a long night.

And Nico had a feeling he'd love every second of it.

.

"I still can't believe you seriously thought we'd leave you behind." Jason repeated for the hundredth time and Will groaned loudly, burying his face in his hands as he just finished closing his overfilled backpack.

They had spent the past hours hurriedly packing, unpacking and repacking his things, Jason shaking his head most of the time, sometimes looking at Will with amusement, sometimes with guilt, but all the while utterly disbelieving of the fact Will could have seriously thought they would do this to him.

Will's siblings found this whole scenario wildly amusing.

When Will had shown up earlier, they had been surprised to see him, already making snide remarks about his lover boys and whether they had had a fight and excluded him of their orgy as punishment tonight – just to stop dead when Jason had been right there along with Will, both of them out of breath and Jason shaking his head, wishing them a good evening and storming in unasked to rip Will's wardrobe open, while Will had collected his backpack and another travel bag (which was also overfilled by now, by the way).

The stunned silence that had followed had almost been comical if Will hadn't been so mortified by the entire situation already.

Seriously, he was meant to come along?

But they had never said anything!

Then again, they had apparently assumed him to come along from the very beginning, which would explain why they had asked him for his opinion countless times and discussed all this trip-stuff right in front of him – with him.

It hadn't been out of lack of consideration or care for his part, but because they had expected him to come along with them, and had thus wanted his input on everything.

Oh gods, how had he not realized this?

"How could you possibly think we'd do this to you? I can't even decide whether to feel bad for making you think that or whether to feel right out insulted that you'd think I'd let them leave you behind like that." Jason muttered darkly, scanning the left-over content in Will's wardrobe.

He heard a few of his siblings snicker, all of them already in their beds, though none of them were sleeping, watching them with amused expressions and winking at Will whenever they caught his eye.

After the initial shock, they had of course asked what was going on, and Jason had taken over explaining with a lot of unnecessary sarcasm.

Yes, Will knew he had messed up.

No reason to rub it in like that.

His siblings had found the story utterly hilarious, of course, informing Jason of Will's recent mood-swings and how he'd be all down whenever they'd get to talk to him and all that sort of stuff – basically everything Will hadn't wanted Jason (or anybody) to know.

It had been mortifying.

"I don't know. I was thinking you might simply not think it would bother me to stay behind or something." He mumbled defiantly, looking around his cabin and under his bed for anything he might have missed.

Since they didn't know how long they'd be gone, they had packed quite a bit, which meant they'd have to travel much slower though, since they'd have to carry more.

Good thing Will only had this backpack and the travel bag to begin with, else he might have been tempted to bring more, though.

"You're hopeless, you know that? I think you even caught up to Percy's level of obliviousness by now, actually. I don't think even he would have managed to misunderstand something this badly."

Will made a face, scowling at Jason as he sent him a wry look over his shoulder.

Jason's expression was first indifferent, then softened suddenly and his shoulders sagged slightly.

"Then again, I think Percy would have cracked after a day or two and told us kindly to get lost if we tried talking about a trip he wasn't invited on. You just remained silent. Why? Why didn't you just say anything?"

Will was so not having this conversation in front of his siblings.

Looking around uncomfortably, he started playing with his IM-ing device, shrugging impassively.

"I figured that if you didn't ask me to come along, you didn't want me around, so I wasn't going to force myself onto you or urge you to invite me along against your will, I guess."

Jason merely gazed at him for the longest time, his expression inscrutable.

Then he shook his head with an exasperated sigh and let the wardrobe door fall shut.

"Idiot. As if we ever didn't want you around. If Percy has to drag us along for Valentine's Day, I don't think he'd survive a trip to the Underworld without your company."

When he turned around, he grinned at Will, but Will only raised a doubtful eyebrow.

It wasn't as if Percy would really have any problems, he had Nico and Jason along with him, after all.

They didn't exactly need him, really.

Jason seemed to practically read his mind, expression changing into something almost reassuring as he walked over and flopped down next to him on his bed.

"He'd be screwed without you. I might be able to push him into the right direction, and Nico might be able to keep him in check, but you're the only one who can dare him to do the right things at the right time with simply being there. Plus, you completely forgot about me, Will. Did you really think I would be ok with travelling with those two love-sick fools all by myself? Ugh, the horrors. They barely behave themselves in bed, I don't want to know how many times they'll be all over each other in that sleeping bag. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to have to go through that alone."

Will sent him a funny look, his lips quirking up.

"Oh, so you only want me along so you don't have to endure them by yourself? How considerate of you."

Jason smirked at him and winked, something that did a weird thing to Will's stomach, but he pushed it down.

"Yeah, pretty much. That, and it wouldn't be half as fun without you around. Not to mention I'd miss you. I only just got back to you guys. Don't want to be away from one of you again so soon."

Will's heart was hammering in his chest, his ears burning all of a sudden.

What was Jason saying?!

He heard Austin's sharp intake of breath and Kayla hissing something and looked around, finding all his sibling's eyes on him, each and every one of them grinning broadly and wriggling their eyebrows knowingly.

Ugh!

"Guys, what the hell?! Get to sleep, you nosy bastards!" He cried and was tempted to throw his pillow, but sadly he only had one pillow and way too many siblings (seriously, couldn't his dad cut back a bit? Ugh, such impudence, not to mention irresponsibility. Why would he keep making babies if he couldn't even take care of one kid properly, much less himself? Will was never going to understand).

Jason only looked around mildly amused, apparently uncaring how his statement might have sounded to Will's way too interpretive and perverted siblings.

"Yeah, it's late already. I should probably get going, too. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, after all." The blonde said quietly, getting up and eyeing the backpack and travel bag once more with a thoughtful expression, as if going through the content again in his mind's eye.

Will's eyes hushed over to the window of the cabin, gazing at the darkness outside.

He had no idea what time it was, but he'd guess sometime around midnight.

The harpies were bound to be out and about.

Then again, this was Jason, so he should be just fine.

Still…

"Aw, you're not staying over? We don't mind if you share a bed with Will, really." He heard Austin chirp and sent him a death-glare instantly, but Jason merely chuckled.

"Oh, no, it's alright. I don't think Will would approve of that. Thank you, though."

Will sent him a wry look, then looked back out of the window.

Why did Jason make it sound like Will was the only one having a problem with this?

He highly doubted the blonde would like sharing his bed with him here in his cabin much, either.

Jason was probably just trying to be considerate of his siblings (he really shouldn't be. It spoiled them).

"Really? Shame. It would have probably helped with his nightmares, too…" Kayla put in with a small, almost sad shake of her head, sighing theatrically.

Will scowled at her.

That little…

"Kayla, I am perfectly capable of sleeping on my own, thank you very much!"

There were several chuckles from the bunks around them and Will felt his insides churn with annoyance at the quite obvious plan of his ever so loving siblings.

No way.

Jason glanced around at Will, looking uncertain for a moment, and Will glared at him.

"I don't need your pity, Grace. Don't even think about it."

Jason immediately raised his arms in defense.

"I know, I know. Wasn't going to pity you, Freckles. I know you can sleep on your own. That doesn't mean you have to, of course, but that is your decision. No, I just wanted to wish you all a good night and tell you I'll come pick you up with the other two at 8am – that is, if they manage to get up."

Will still had his mouth opened to snap back at Jason in case he was going to say something stupid, but now he shut it, feeling guilty for rowing at him in the first place, and somewhat…well, somewhat disappointed, really.

Not that he expected Jason to offer staying over or picking a fight with him to do the 'sensible' thing of letting him stay over.

Of course not.

He had already known Jason wouldn't want to, after all.

Stupid Will.

"Oh…ok, then. Let me bring you to the door, then." He mumbled, while his siblings all glanced at each other with almost disappointed faces, a few of them opening their mouths to probably complain and try to find a way to get Jason to stay for their own perverse fantasies.

Seriously, no!

"Guys, go to sleep! I don't want to hear another word from any of you! I am still head counselor of the cabin, so you better listen to me." He warned and the three that had just started on their wailing shut up, looking disgruntled.

"You're never even here!" Alec called over from his bunk at the opposite wall and Will sent him a smug glance as he made his way over to the door.

"Yeah? Well, I never read anywhere head counselors had to stick around in their cabins all the time. Plus, if you're so unsatisfied, feel free to appoint somebody else to the job. If I recall correctly, I told you all several times I didn't want to do it, anyways."

That shut them up.

After Lee and Michael, nobody wanted to be head counselor anymore, nobody wanted the responsibility and risk that came with the job.

Will should probably wonder why they had appointed him as head counselor, then, and whether that meant they trusted him or would miss him least should he snuff it, too, but he decided to brush that thought aside for now instead opening the door for Jason, who looked both curious and amused.

He was eyeing Will as if he wanted to ask him about this, but knew it wasn't the right time.

It was quite amusing, actually, watching Jason play with the thought of asking, anyways.

"Well, alright then, Handsome. See you tomorrow…or later today, that-…"

"DID YOU JUST CALL HIM HANDSOME?" Kayla all but screeched and Will flinched so hard he slammed the door shut by instinct, Jason looking around with a stunned, surprised expression.

"I heard it, too! He called him handsome! And earlier, Jason called Will 'Freckles'! THEY HAVE PET NAMES FOR EACH OTHER!" Austin yelled, and suddenly, the entire cabin erupted in way too loud chattering for this time of night, especially with the Harpies on the loose outside.  
"Guys, tone it down, will you?!" Will hissed urgently, but instead of getting quieter, they only seemed to get louder, Alec grabbing hold of his guitar for reasons that were utterly lost to Will.

"This is it, guys! They're SO a thing!" He called over the noise, staring up a love song that the others instantly chimed in.

"Guys! Please!" Will all but cried, at an utter loss of what the hell was going on.

Jason stood next to him, looking as perplexed as he was, blinking at the commotion in a mixture of shocked speechlessness and awe.

"_This_ is exactly why I envy you guys for having your cabins to yourself!" Will remarked sourly to Jason, glaring at the lot.

Jason gazed at him quietly for a moment, the surprise still evident on his face.

Then he looked back at Will's siblings, who were now dancing and singing and yelling incomprehensible things about 'knowing it all along' and passing money around.

Understanding crossed his features.

And then, Jason laughed.

"I bet. Though I have to admit, I think it's quite nice. Your siblings definitely care about you if they bet on your love life like this, Freckles."

"HE DID IT AGAIN!"

"GUYS! We ALL have pet names for each other! Calm the hell down! Jason and I are NOT a thing!" Will yelled, finally catching up to the meaning behind the commotion, his face turning bright red.

But his siblings paid him no mind.

Annoyed and frustrated and utterly mortified, Will did the only thing he knew would get them all to shut up: He whistled.

Not his normal, innocent whistle, but the shrill whistle that could put out monsters and made demigods clutch their ears in terror – especially Apollo kids with excellent hearing.

Jason must have expected it, covering his ears before Will had even gotten his fingers to his mouth, but he still saw him flinching when the loud and shrill sound reverberated through the echo-loving cabin.

Immediately, there was a lout wailing from all of his siblings, followed by the dropping of several musical instruments as they all clutched their ears in terror.

Then, there was the much desired silence as they all scowled at Will, hands still over their ears.

"Jason and I are NOT a thing! We all have pet names for each other, it's not that big of a deal, guys! Stop making such a commotion, damn it, don't you have any hobbies?"

There was loud screeching behind him at the door and he could hear a couple of harpies conversing in their scratchy voices.

"Demigods out of bed? I heard the whistle-whistle."

"I heard it, too! From here! Tasty, tasty demigods!"

Oh no.

He glared at his siblings, but to his utter horror, they all exchanged triumphant, smug glances, some of them even high-fiving.

And suddenly, all of this made utter sense.

Will looked around at Jason finding him standing there with pursed lips, staring at a spot far away with intense interest, his expression and posture alone telling Will he had figured this out all along.

Will had been played.

Utterly, cruelly played.

Betrayed by his own siblings.

"You. Are. The. Worst! All of you! I am _so_ done with you. No, don't even try to say anything, I don't want to hear another word. You did this on utter purpose. You cruel, traitorous, mean-…"

"Now, now, Will, I can still leave if you don't want me around." Jason interrupted him quietly, already turning around as if to leave.

Will held him back by the arm.

"Are you crazy? I am not going to have you go out there with the harpies right outside the door!"

"I can still make it." Jason stated with a raise of his eyebrows, but Will's grip on him tightened.

"No. I don't care. I am not going to have you risk your neck just because my dear, loving, ever so caring siblings have nothing better to do than force you into a situation where you HAVE to stay, no matter if you want or not." At the last part, he glared at the others again, who all made innocent faces, not even bothering to look sorry.

"Oh, I don't mind staying over." Jason replied with a hint of surprise in his voice and Will's shoulders sagged.

Why was he betraying him like this?

Never mind him actually saying he wouldn't mind spending the night here, but why did he have to say it so loudly for everybody else in this cabin to hear, resulting in all of his siblings putting on Cheshire cat grins and wriggling their eyebrows at each other knowingly.

Will pursed his lips.

"Though I am a bit surprised. I thought you'd all stick together a lot better to respect each other's decisions, and especially, each other's privacy. I would have expected you to understand that Will doesn't want me to stay over and would instead prefer to enjoy his last night alone in his bed with his siblings surrounding him, before embarking on a journey that we all don't know when he'll return from. But I guess I was wrong." Jason continued calmly, and Will watched surprised how their expressions changed to guilt, all of them suddenly awfully quiet, their eyes downcast, shoulders hunched.

Apparently, they hadn't thought of that.

Then again, neither had Will, truth be told.

He loved his siblings, of course, but it wasn't as if he wasn't going to come back or anything, so he really didn't care where he spent his last night at Camp, as long as it was in a warm and comfortable place.

But he wasn't going to tell that to them, especially not when they were finally looking sorry for their utter betrayal.

Will looked towards Jason with gratitude and found him smiling back at him, eyes twinkling.

Jason obviously knew full well he was only bluffing, and Will just found it really sweet of him to actually stand up for him like this.

Not that he couldn't have done that himself.

"Thank you, Jason. You managed to say it much better than I could have ever done. Oh well, let's get to bed then, it's already way too late. At this rate, Percy and Nico will be up and running long before us."

The thought of having Percy and Nico find them sleeping together in Will's cabin was disturbing and horrifying, so he decided he definitely had to wake up early tomorrow/later.

There was no way he was going to explain this whole mess to either of the other two.

And he was definitely more than done with people assuming about his relationship with pretty much anybody right now.

Seriously, if he wasn't still head over heels with Nico, he'd probably look for a boyfriend/girlfriend so everybody would leave him the hell alone.  
At that thought, his mind travelled off to Percy, while his eyes hushed to Jason.

Ah, well, maybe he wouldn't.

It didn't make a difference.

He wouldn't want to date anybody right now, anyways.

Way too much work.

Plus, they'd never last, given that Will was never going to stop hanging out with these three dorks until they didn't want him around anymore.

So he wouldn't have any time for anybody else, anyways.

Still, he hoped this would teach his siblings a lesson not to bet on his love life anymore (seriously, he had seen them exchange way too much money – which made him wonder what the 'losing' party had bet on, really).

Jason and him.

As if.

Jason probably wouldn't even date him if Will was the last available person in the world.

Ugh, that wasn't a very nice thing to dwell on…and Will just loved how this was the first and for a while only problem that came to mind.

Double 'Ugh'.

"We're sorry. If you really don't want to, we can also put Jason in Michael's old bed. It's…still free, after all." Austin mumbled uncertainly from where he sat in his bed, and Will started almost feeling bad for them.

They hadn't meant any harm, after all.

Of course, they were nosy, and they really shouldn't have done this, but it wasn't as if he REALLY minded Jason staying over.

"Nah, it's ok. Just don't do this, like, ever again. And stop betting on me, seriously, that's just creepy! Jason, you want to use the bathroom first?"

"Hm? Oh, no, you can go first."

Well, actually Will would have preferred to have a private chat with his siblings first before leaving them alone with Jason, but he couldn't very well say that now.

So, instead, he just shrugged and made his way to the way too small bathroom (seriously, it was great that each cabin had its own bathroom now, but couldn't they have made them at least a tiny bit more spacious?) and closed the door behind him, hoping his siblings would still feel guilty enough not to bother Jason – or tell him anymore of Will's embarrassing stories of the past.

Then again, he didn't want them to tell anybody anything about his past in general, no matter if embarrassing or not.

But he doubted they'd tell Jason anything like that, anyways.

And he hoped Jason wouldn't let them tell much, either, though he couldn't be too sure about that.

Jason was this odd sort of person that kind of wanted to know everything about you, but not exactly in a nosy type of way.

It was more a kind of 'the more I know about this person, the more I can help and support this person, not to mention understand them' type of way.

But in this case, Will would very much prefer if Jason didn't know everything about him, especially not his past.

It was nothing he wanted to discuss with anybody.

Especially not the guys.

Shaking his head to himself sternly, he began going about his getting-ready-for-bed-routine in a hurry, unwilling to leave Jason alone with his siblings for too long.

.

When he got back out the bathroom, he felt oddly self-conscious in his light blue boxer shorts, walking over to his bunk where Jason just got up and looked at him with a small smile, eyes hushing over him ever so quickly.

It was so weird, they saw each other like this all the time, but somehow, in his cabin, with Jason and him alone (his siblings didn't count right now), it just felt so…different.

Like today in the morning.

It simply had an entirely different feel to it.

Though it really shouldn't.

There was nothing different about it, and nothing Will should really have to feel self-conscious about.

He managed a half-smile back at Jason and they switched, Jason moving to the bathroom, while he flopped down on his bed, wondering faintly whether he should pull the covers over him or leave them at the foot of the bed.

With Nico and Percy, there rarely was any need for a blanket.

The Apollo cabin was somewhat warm, too, and even though Jason was generally rather cool, Will was quite certain he'd be able to supply enough heat for the both of them to be ok.

Then again, they'd be on their trip from tomorrow onwards, and he was so not going to risk a cold right before.

Not to mention a blanket kept too curious eyes at bay.

At this thought, he glanced around at his siblings once more, but they were all acting asleep.

He knew there were acting, because he knew exactly how they slept, and their fake regular breathing - not to mention the few fake-snorers - certainly didn't fool him.

But he let it pass, wondering instead why they'd do that and whether they had said something to Jason/or whether Jason might have said something to them.

Will definitely didn't like not knowing.

He pulled the blanket up and over him, snuggling into it slightly and eyeing his siblings some more, his heart beating unusually wildly in his chest.

Seriously, was he nervous now because Jason was going to share his bed with him?

This was stupid.

Alright, it really did feel weird, sharing HIS bed with somebody else, but he guessed that merely made him a sort of hypocrite, given that Nico was sharing his bed with them all the time, and even Percy had shared his bed with Will and Nico before (not that Will needed reminding).

But other than that, there shouldn't be anything weird about this whatsoever.

Again, they had slept together plenty of times before.

Nothing was going to change just because they did it alone this time, and not because they were in Will's cabin, in his bed.

Nope, he was simply being stupid, that was all.

He sighed, waiting rather impatiently for Jason to get back so he could finally call it a day and go to sleep.

They really did have a long journey ahead of them, after all.

He felt a sort of happy giddiness rush through him at the thought of actually coming along with them.

They had meant for him to come with them all along.

Wasn't that the best thing ever?

It certainly was the best Valentine's gift he had ever received, that much was for certain (not that he had ever actually gotten anything for Valentine's Day).

And there he had wondered what he was going to do with all of his free time and been all depressed.

Seriously, he could have stopped moping ages ago and plan and pack and do all sorts of stuff and actually make plans with the guys all this time!

It was maddening, yet he was too relieved to truly be annoyed for too long.

They had wanted him along.

They still wanted him along.

They weren't going to leave him behind, hadn't even planned on it for one single moment.

He smiled to himself, pushing his face further into the pillow to avoid any of his siblings to see by chance and interpret too much into it, nor wanting Jason to ask him about why he was grinning like an idiot.

Before long, he heard the bathroom door open and wondered whether he should sit up or stay like this, lift the blanket or leave it like this, look at Jason or act asleep.

The easiest would probably be to act asleep or something, but he lost his chance of closing his eyes and acting like a dead log when Jason walked over to the bed and Will was staring at him, blanket still pulled up to his nose, heart hammering away in his chest.

Jason was wearing light blue, too.

Just great.

Now they even had a partner look going on, or what?

But Will had to admit he looked kind of…hot…

Of course, Will knew this, had noticed it before, how could he not, what with them sleeping together so often and everything, not to mention they had been in a water park together today, where Jason had been in a similar attire all day long.

But, again, this was different.

This wasn't a half-naked Jason walking up to Nico's bed to snuggle up to Percy, Nico and Will, all of them in their underwear.

This was a half-naked Jason walking up to Will's bed to sleep with him.

Well, not _with_ him, but _with him in the same bed_ – his bed.

And it shouldn't feel different, but it did.

When Jason got to his bunk, Will felt his body moving on its own accord, holding up the blanket and gazing up at Jason stupidly, eyes fixed on the blonde's face, who was looking down at him with an odd gleam in his eyes that Will utterly and completely couldn't place whatsoever.

In fact, he had no clue what Jason was thinking right now.

It shouldn't be that surprising, since Jason was the one least easy to see through and rather unpredictable thoughts-wise, but usually Will could at least guess in what direction his thoughts were heading.

Maybe it was the lack of physical contact.

Or the fact that Will's brain was oddly empty right now, everything inside him just kind of held up by Jason for some reason.

A smile hushed over Jason's face, and Will could feel his heart leaping in his chest, then the blonde actually leaned down and started climbing into bed – which was actually more of a 'climbing over Will', really.

Great, Jason could have told him he was going to sleep against the wall, then Will would have gotten up.

This was so much messier and weird and close, since he hadn't exactly held up the blanket very far, which wasn't stopping Jason from moving extra close to Will to sneak through under his arm, so dangerously, dangerously close, his breath ghosting over Will's face to the fraction of a second - just to plop down behind him, one leg still over Will's, making a somewhat pleased sound.

"Jason~." Will complained a bit belatedly, but Jason merely chuckled, shifting around behind him to get into a comfortable position and lastly wrapping an arm around him from behind, the other one propping his head up slightly.

"There we go. All comfortable?"

"You do know I would have moved if you had told me you're sleeping against the wall." Will mumbled quietly, eyes hushing over to the other bunks to see whether anybody was watching.

But if they were, they were good at hiding it.

"Yeah, I know." Jason simply stated against the back of his head and Will blinked, somewhat surprised by the reply.

This guy.

He felt the soothing coolness of his chest against his back and resisted the urge to turn around and snuggle against him.

Instead, he shifted around a bit himself, which might or might not have gotten him a tiny bit closer to Jason, so their bodies were actually connecting.

If Jason noticed, he didn't let it show.

"Alright, good night, Freckles. I'll wake you from your nightmare."

How kind. Sadly, Will actually meant that.

"Thanks. Good night, Ha-…" For a second, he faltered, realizing he was going to call him 'Handsome' again and not wanting his siblings to tease him about it.

But then he frowned at himself, defiance rising inside him.

He could call Jason whatever the hell he wanted to.

"Good night, Handsome." He repeated firmly, and snuggled back into Jason's embrace determinedly for good measure.

Jason's hand twitched, but he didn't pull back, instead rubbing against Will's back lightly with his chest, his arm wrapping tighter around him, pulling him close.

Will couldn't suppress the small, content smile from spreading on his lips that came quite a lot when he was cuddling with his guys – but especially when Jason held him like this.

Jason's heartbeat was surprisingly fast, his pulse quickened and a sort of fluttery feeling surging through him that Will didn't understand, but he didn't try to.

Instead, he simply enjoyed the feeling of Jason holding him like this.

It felt so nice.

Kind of like a lover might hold him.

He felt Jason's face nuzzling against his hair and his smile turned into a small grin.

This really was nice.

He liked this.

He liked this a lot.

And tomorrow (or later, depending on how you wanted to look at it), they were all going to leave for that trip to the Underworld.

He could barely wait.


	14. Chapter 14: Train Rides and Pocky Games

**A/N: **Hello there, Cupcakes ;D  
Gods, it's already September D; Anybody else feeling like time is passing way too quickly?  
I swear it feels like it was January just a few weeks ago.  
Now, it's practically almost Christmas again!

Anyways, thank you all for the awesome comments on the last chapter (and all the others, of course. You're the best!)

Hope you'll enjoy this chapter, too :)

Also, if you find any mistakes in this story, any words I messed up (like 'BE'mused and 'A'mused - I'm an idiot), please let me know, and I'll try fix them asap!  
I know my grammar is far from perfect, and no matter how many times I'll reread the chapters, of course I won't find all the mistakes, so I'm always glad if somebody points out anything so I can fix it.

Thanks for being so awesome!  
-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 14: Good morning kisses, train rides and messy Pocky games**

Nico woke up to Percy placing gentle kisses along his shoulder and neck, something that made him smile to himself stupidly as last night's activities rushed through his mind.

Oh gods, what had they done?

It had been great, yes, more than great, even, but...utter madness.

He shifted and turned around in Percy's loose embrace to look up at him, watching him gaze back with an equally stupid smile, the bags under his eyes ever so evident, making Nico wonder how bad he must look in comparison (since he always looked as if he had missed out on hours of sleep on a daily basis).

"Hey." He breathed, not trusting his voice to function properly just yet.

He would probably say 'Good Morning', but they had kind of groaned that into each other's mouths not too long ago as it was.

"Hey." Percy whispered back and kissed him on the nose gently.

Nico chuckled.

"You do know you look awful, right?" He asked, snuggling closer to his boyfriend and burying his face at his chest, placing a gentle kiss on his warm skin.

Percy merely huffed indignantly. "That's not very nice. May I remind you I look like this because a certain someone only warranted me two hours of sleep? Not everybody can be born with such stunning beauty like you that not even lack of sleep can mar."

Nico grinned against his chest, moving his head up to give Percy a quick peck. "Aw, you know I don't mean it. You look wonderful. As dashing as always. You practically rock the disheveled and sleep-deprived look."

Percy chuckled at that, giving him a soft kiss.

"And you look utterly ravished - just how I like it. Especially since I'm the one who had the pleasure of ravishing."

Oh, and it had been an utter pleasure to get ravished by Percy.

Yeah, it was official: Sex with Percy was the best thing in the world.

Alright, he admitted he had had his doubts during their first time, but by now he couldn't even remember why that had been.

In his mind, the entire night had been a dream come true, with Percy and him rolling around in the sheets, spending hours and hours filled with pleasure and bliss and panted 'I love you'-s.

If he had known this was how amazing it would feel, he would have thrown himself at Percy ages ago already.

Grinning happily, he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and dragged him in for a long, languid kiss, their bodies rubbing against each other lazily.

After spending most of the night using up eight more condoms, he highly doubted Percy was up for any more action anytime soon, though that was just fine by Nico.

He himself was more than spent, so he wouldn't want it any other way.

This was more than fine.

"How are you feeling, sexy?" Percy asked him after a while, almost cautiously.

Nico had already expected him to ask.

Sore. The first thing that came to mind as he moved his tired limbs was definitely that he felt sore.

But it was nothing compared to the pleasure and bliss still fresh on his mind, so he merely kissed Percy's chest again.

"Splendid. How about you?"

"Really? So, you're ok? I'm glad. Oh, I'm good. Gotta say thanks to Will later, though. I seriously don't think I could have kept this up all night if it wasn't for his nutrition plan."

Nico chuckled.

"You know, I think he can do without that knowledge. In fact, I don't think either he or Jason would be too happy to find out we spent the entire night…'not-sleeping', you know?"

Percy sighed. "Yeah, I have a feeling I'll get slaughtered today. Are you sure you're ok? Not sore or anything?"

Nico rolled his eyes amused. "What, scared Will will have your head?"

"Oh, he will. Just want to make sure my sexy, utterly perfect boyfriend is feeling as amazing as I feel right now." Percy said softly, placing a small kiss to the top of Nico's head.

He grinned against his chest, nuzzling his face against the warm skin and inhaling the sea-like scent that he knew was all over him as well.

Hours of sex and cuddling could do that to a person, after all.

"I do. You were great."

Percy seemed to practically vibrate, which made Nico frown and pull back slightly so he could look at his face.

Percy was looking utterly adorable with his skin flushed pink and his eyes full of affection, biting his lip to apparently stop himself from grinning broadly, trying to suppress the giddiness that undoubtedly filled him same as it did Nico.

"You were even better, Nico. I love you. I love you so much." His boyfriend cooed, gazing at him with those wonderful, beautiful, stunning sea-green eyes.

Nico gave him another kiss. "I love you too, Percy. So, ready to get up and start the day?"

Percy didn't immediately reply, instead dragging him into another lazy kiss, his tongue exploring Nico's mouth teasingly slowly.

"No way. Let's bolt the doors and act like we're not home. The trip can wait until tomorrow." He breathed against Nico's lips at last; eyes closed, expression relaxed, and placing some more pecks on him for good measure.

Nico chuckled and squirmed out of his grip, sitting up in bed and stretching his tired limbs.

"No way, we're not staying here all day. I'm starving."

Percy snorted, sitting up as well, though making it seem like much more effort than it was, which Nico found rather ironic, given that he was the one with a sore backside.

Then again, Percy had done most of the work, so he guessed he was allowed to be lazy.

But, gods, Percy had been great.

Nico knew he was being sappy and everything, but he didn't care.

Percy had been so careful and gentle the first few times, until Nico's body had somewhat adjusted to his dick, then he had started experimenting, driving Nico mercilessly over the edge way too many times, making him forget pretty much everything – including his volume.

Damn was he glad the Hades cabin was somewhat soundproof, not to mention there were no occupied cabins close by.

He didn't want to know how loud he had gotten in the middle.

The later it had gotten, the lazier they had become, their last time before sleep consisting of Nico on Percy's lap, both of them moving rhythmically in a sort of slow rocking motion, more to enjoy the closeness and intimacy than to bring each other to another mind-blowing orgasm.

It had felt amazing in an entirely different way, and Nico could barely wait to explore even more, find out just how many other things there were he didn't know about, things that could make him feel so damn good.

"Alright, we grab some food, then we lock ourselves up in here and act like we're not home." Percy mumbled, dropping back into the pillow.

Nico chuckled and nudged his side.

"Come on, let's get up, it's already 7am. You can sleep some more once we're on the train."

Since Percy had been tramping to the Underworld before with Grover and Annabeth, he had been the one to plan the best route with Jason and a Hermes kid, and they had decided to take more trains than busses, with Nico offering to cover the expenses, rather than them all taking busses and/or separating at any point for taxis and the like.

Even with no monsters active right now, they didn't want to take the risk of running into an ambush in too small groups.

But with close to twenty people on the move (at least until they got to Camp Jupiter), there was no way they could get a truck driver or taxi to take them with, so trains and busses for the win.

At least they wouldn't have to hike the entire distance (then they'd probably still be on the move next year, to be honest).

Percy grumbled something, turning sideways, but only to wrap his arms around Nico's middle as if to keep him there.

"It's not the sleep I'm reluctant to give up, Neeks. It's you. Once I step out of this cabin, I won't be able to ravish you until we come back. How am I ever going to survive this torture?" He wailed and Nico rolled his eyes amused.

"Really? Well, if you wanted to keep me to yourself so badly, why didn't you just say we'd stay in a separate tent and sleeping bag? I don't think Jason and Will would have minded."

Percy made a pouty face for a moment, then buried his face somewhere around Nico's hip, nuzzling against his skin.

"Nah, I couldn't do something like that. And…it's not like I dislike it or anything. Spending the nights with them. It's simply difficult to behave, that's all."

Nico smiled down at him, putting his hand in his hair and stroking him absent-mindedly.

"Yeah, it just kind of feels so natural, doesn't it? That they're around. I mean…it's not like I forget they're there, I simply forget that they'd probably mind."

He had wanted to kiss Percy senseless more mornings than he could count, and every single time the only thing stopping him had been the realization that Jason and Will would probably complain about that later.

It was difficult, holding back like that and 'behaving' oneself all the time, but at the same time, he kind of didn't want to change anything or send them away or anything, because he really enjoyed having them around.

The four of them kind of…he wasn't sure how to describe it, really.

It wasn't exactly that they 'belonged' together, but…they somehow…fit.

When all four of them were together, it just kind of felt right, same as it felt right whenever he kissed Percy and felt his hands on him and heard that raw and husky 'I love you' falling from his lips.

And he didn't want to miss that.

Or at least enjoy it for however long as the guys saw fit.

Nico wasn't that delusional that he didn't know things wouldn't always be like this, though he certainly wished they would.

Percy turned his head, looking up at him and scanning his face thoughtfully for a moment.

"Yeah…that's exactly how I feel, actually. I know they're there, but I simply…don't mind them being there. And that makes me forget that I can't actually ravish you right then and there. I mean, in a not creepy way, if that's possible. I don't actually want to ravish you right in front of Jason and Will, mind you – though I have to admit I've come close to not giving a damn anymore a few times too many." He said it with a rather sullen, almost guilty kind of voice and Nico started massaging his head with soothing strokes, the same way Will had massaged his head long time ago.

"It's ok, I think I understand. In a way, at least. I don't know. But I know that they don't really hold it against you. Or us, for that matter." He tried after a moment and Percy sighed.

"Yeah, I know. But it still sucks. I just…sometimes I'm just thinking that…"

Percy hesitated for a moment, gazing right through Nico with an almost reluctant expression.

Then he buried his face against Nico's body again.

"I just kind of want all of us happy. Like, really happy."

Nico kept stroking and massaging his head, unsure what to say to that.

Percy had a point, he guessed.

He was happy.  
Percy seemed happy.

Were Jason and Will happy?

If anything, he'd say they were…content. For the time being.

But truly happy…he wasn't sure.

Then again, he wouldn't know what would really make them happy, so he wasn't sure how they could possibly change anything about the situation.

Percy leaned into his touch slightly, but other wisely remained silent, eyes staring at Nico's hip bone, which his fingers traced now, as well.

"Maybe, one day, that will happen. I don't know. I wouldn't know what would make them happy, so I really can't say." He tried tentatively, causing Percy to look up at him again, giving him a long and almost contemplative glance.

Then he huffed and wrapped his arms around him again, pulling him closer.

"You're mine."

Nico chuckled, patting his head and wondering where that had suddenly come from.

"Of course I am. Now, ready to get up?"

Percy merely grumbled against his skin.

"Pretty please?" Nico tried again, pushing out his bottom lip and nudging the side of his face gently to catch his eye.

His boyfriend looked up at him and his eyes instantly downright glued themselves to Nico's lips, his expression morphing, fingers coming up to touch him.

Yeah, Nico knew his lips were still slightly swollen from all the kissing they had done last night, he didn't need to get reminded, really.

"Alright, if you insist. I suppose some food wouldn't hurt. Also, we wouldn't want those two to worry, right? Hey, if we hurry, we can pick up Jason from his cabin. Then we can stop by Will's cabin to collect him, too, and have breakfast together. Good?" Percy suggested, rolling onto his back to gaze up at Nico with an almost eager smile, everything that had seemed to drag him down somewhat apparently forgotten already.

Nico's lips twitched and he leaned down, giving him a slow, tentative kiss.

"Sounds great."

He really loved Percy.

.

When Will woke up, it wasn't because the sun was coming up or him simply awakening like any other person probably would, but because of an unbearable noise around him, the result of his entire cabin humming and muttering and whispering _way too loudly_.

Couldn't they let him sleep in one single time?

Disgruntled, he snuggled further into the comforting coolness in front of him, rubbing his face against smooth skin, listening to the even, kind of calming heartbeat and feeling a sense of peace settle over him, even with his siblings making such a horrid ruckus.

Smiling slightly to himself, he felt the body next to him pull him closer, arms tightly wrapped around him as if to protect him, a small, rather content sigh coming from somewhere near his hair.

This was so nice.

The whispering got even more louder and somehow more urgent, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth slightly.

Seriously, what were they up to this time?

Couldn't they leave him be for five more minutes?

He was enjoying himself here!

He heard what sounded like an awful lot of clicks and frowned, burying his face further into the chest of the person next to him, trying to escape the horrors that were his siblings on a roll.

Then he heard somebody starting up a love song and all but scowled.

"Shh, he's waking up if you don't keep it down, Alec!" He heard Kayla hiss.

"If he was waking, he'd have done that one and a half hours ago, Kayla. He's dead to the world. And just look how happy and content he looks. He can say whatever he wants, but they are definitely a thing. Give me back my money." Alec retorted smugly.

"Rubbish. I still say they are a giant foursome and just don't know it yet. And if not, then it's Will and Percy who are a thing. May I remind you they locked themselves in the bathroom alone together a couple of weeks ago? Supposedly, they were making nutrition plans. Fat chance. I still want to know what those two did in there…" Kayla trailed off thoughtfully and Will's insides filled with dread as he realized what his siblings were actually discussing.

What?!

And what in the name of Hades- Percy and Will were most definitely NOT a thing!

HE WAS DATING NICO!

Wait, why was nobody voting for Will and Nico being a thing?

How unfair was that?

He clutched the body in front of him, feeling utterly betrayed and unloved – yet he was still immensely unwilling to wake up just yet, soaking in the comfort the embrace gave him.

"Hey, let's not forget about Will and Nico. We all know how much he adores that kid. And you can't deny Death Boy makes starry eyes at Will whenever he's not utterly wooed by Percy. " Austin put in and Will instantly brightened.

Then he frowned to himself, wondering what the hell was even going on here, and why his siblings were actually discussing such matters – and this close to Will, too.

The arms tugged him even closer, a voice mumbling something that sounded a lot like 'Shut up, Percy, you're too damn loud in the morning', which made him smile softly.

Rather content, he rubbed against him, trying to absorb that wonderful coolness that was so typical for the son of Zeus.

Then he froze, realizing just what he was doing.

_Oh gods._

Wait, why was Jason here?

Oh, that's right, his siblings prevented Jason from leaving, forcing him to stay the night.

Oh gods, _his siblings_.

No wonder they were all weird and even more hyperactive than usual!

Ugh!

UGH!

_UGH!_

He wanted to pull out of Jason's hold, wanted to sit up and turn around and glare at the lot of them, maybe even yell for good measure to give him some privacy (this was exactly why he would have loved to have a cabin for himself sometimes) and lock himself inside the bathroom for hours on end or something.

Sadly, the moment he shifted to move away from Jason, the blonde downright growled, tugging him closer against his chest and wrapping his leg firmly around Will, letting him feel a part of Jason he rather hadn't felt.

He could feel his face burning as he opened his eyes to gaze at sun-kissed, rather alluring looking skin, his hands touching Jason's chest (his skin was wonderful and a tad cooler than Will and so, so smooth – not that he cared, of course) to push him away, but without success.

Then the doors suddenly banged open.

"WILL! JASON IS GO-…what…are you…" Percy's voice sounded through the cabin, loud and obnoxious and alarmed at first, but trailing off as he apparently took in the scene, which probably consisted of all his siblings standing around the bed with cameras and musical instruments or something.

Will was frozen in shock, his mind whirling with possible escape routes and things he could say or do to get out of this somehow.

There had to be a way.

"Percy, shut the fuck up." Jason grumbled into the silence that had fallen over the cabin, then grabbed hold of Will and rolled him over with him before he could even as much as blink.

He made a small squeaking sound in surprise, but then he was already in the space between wall and Jason, the blonde keeping him in a tight embrace, burying his face back at the top of his head once more.

"…m trying to sleep here." Jason continued grumbling, then his breathing started evening out again as he apparently went straight back to sleep.

Will blinked, utterly baffled for a moment, his body rigid, his hands clutching Jason's chest.

The entire cabin was so silent, he could hear some kids trudging towards the dining pavilion outside.

Then, everything erupted into _chaos_.

.

"Oh come on, Percy, stop your moping." Will muttered exasperated, his face still so adorably flushed.

Percy merely huffed. "I'm not moping."

Jason raised an eyebrow at him, chewing on his scrambled eggs.

Of course not.

The fact that he barely ate and instead sat sideways on the bench with his arms thrown around Nico and his face buried in his shoulder, glaring daggers at Jason, so meant he was as happy and cheerful as always.

What a jealous fool.

Percy could claim whatever he wanted about 'being worried' and how Jason 'could have told them' or even 'notified them via Iris-Message', Jason still knew he was pissed for an entirely different reason.

Though he did know Percy and Nico had been genuinely concerned to not find him in his cabin (though they had yet to explain to him exactly how they had gotten inside).

Still, that was no reason for tearing them out of bed the way they had.

Jason was still somewhat frustrated about how the morning had went.

After the more or less messy ending last night, what with him finding out Will had thought he wasn't going to come along on the trip, them packing, Will's siblings playing matchmakers (bless their innocent souls, seriously) and Will finally abiding and letting him into his bed (what a great sacrifice that must have been. But really, Jason seriously hoped he had read Will's behavior correctly and hadn't actually forced himself onto him or anything, though Will had relaxed awfully quickly back into his arms to really mind…at least that's what he kept telling himself), Jason had kind of hoped for a calmer start into the day.

Yes, something calm and slow and nice, with Will waking up with him in peace and quiet, without any awkwardness, because, hell, they should be used to cuddling together by now.

Of course, Jason wasn't, and last night had felt entirely different from their usual sleepovers at Nico's, but that was probably just him.

Still, he would have even preferred an awkward, flustered and/or scowling Will to the chaos that had awaited him once he had opened his eyes (plus, he had kind of hoped to be able to watch Will sleep for a while longer in the morning. He had a nice sleeping face).

Seriously, sometimes he wondered why people couldn't just mind their own business for once.

It all started with the gods, of course.

The gods, who couldn't mind their own business and had to run around on earth, causing havoc and making tons of illegitimate kids that they didn't want to take care of.

Then again, all of them were such kids, and Jason was immensely grateful Nico, Will and Percy existed, so maybe he shouldn't be such a hypocrite.

So…what had his point been, exactly?

Oh, yeah, right, people and their businesses.

Well, whatever.

He guessed Will's siblings had a sort of excuse for being this invested in his life, given that he was their brother and head counselor of the cabin and they all loved him dearly (even if they tended not to let it show – seriously, maybe this was where Will got his 'I-have-to-push-down-all-my-feelings'-issue from. With Nico, he could be so affectionate, practically letting his emotions pour out of him, but as soon as it wasn't about Nico, he acted indifferent as can be).

But still, that didn't give them permission to make such a ruckus in the early morning, apparently taking pictures and doing other comparably stupid things.

Then there were Nico and Percy, who of course had to barge in as well, ruining the last chance of what had been a promising opportunity for a calm, nice morning with Will alone.

Yeah, he guessed it wasn't meant to be.

This must be how Percy and Nico must have felt whenever Jason and Will had barged into their room back in New Rome right after they had gotten together (good old times…).

Just that Will and Jason weren't dating.

A fact he had had to keep reminding Will's siblings of once the blonde had stormed off to the bathroom in a rush, just to take an awfully long shower, of course leaving Jason to do all the explaining alone (coward).

Still, he guessed the morning could have gone worse…maybe…somehow…well…

He sighed, taking another bite of his scrambled eggs and watching Will roll his eyes exasperatedly, pushing the two glasses in front of Percy and Nico closer to them.

"Alright then, stay sulky. But drink your water. Both of you."

Nico blinked, frowning confused and stopping with his waffles in favor of actually taking the drink and taking a couple of sips, while Percy just made a face at the glass and turned his face away again.

"Percy. Water. I know you're the son of the god of the sea and all that, but I can still feel your body dehydrating after the exercise you got last night, as well as the effort it takes your body to cope with the lack of sleep. So be a responsible grown-up and-…"

"Fine!" Percy interrupted him with a slightly pink face, grabbing his drink and downing it in one go, turning towards Will and mutely asking him 'Are you happy now?'.

Will, however, looked unimpressed, looking at the glass and waiting for it to fill up again before pushing it towards Percy once more, who grumbled, but drank it all the same.

Jason smiled to himself.

Seriously, how could Will ever think they'd leave him behind?

It was more than obvious they _needed_ him along. Especially Percy.

Nico had blushed slightly at the mention of last night's activities, but he wasn't acting particularly flustered – actually, he looked rather pleased if anything, smiling slightly and leaning against Percy, tugging on his scarf absent-mindedly.

Jason had already caught a glimpse of the bruised skin underneath the fabric, so he knew it was there more to hide the countless hickeys than to warm Nico.

Seriously, those two dorks.

Well, at least Will wasn't helplessly embarrassing them with saying a toast to them finally having their first time.

The thought was weird.

Not the toast (though that probably should have been weird, but he wouldn't put it behind Will whatsoever), but the fact that he was so calm about it.

It was scary to think of how much could change within such a short amount of time.

Some months ago, he would have been devastated and heartbroken if somebody had told him Nico was going to start dating Percy and have sex with him.

Now, he was maybe slightly jealous, but other wisely more happy for Nico than anything else.

Percy was good for him.

And he knew Percy would never want to hurt him, so he was quite confident their first time(s?) had turned out just fine.

Though that didn't mean he wanted to dwell on this for too long.

He wasn't over Nico, and he doubted he'd ever be, so he certainly didn't want to picture Percy doing anything indecent to his Nico.

Jason eyed Will thoughtfully, wondering how he felt about this.

He had been the one to supply condoms and lube, the one giving Percy advice, the one talking to Nico and boosting his confidence enough to go through with yesterday (the blonde could try to fool him all he wanted, Jason knew Nico would have never ever walked up to him and asked him and Jason to leave for the night so he could ravish Percy. No. Way. In. Hell.), so Jason was fairly certain he must be feeling similar to Jason.

Happy for Nico, happy for Percy, somewhat envious of both and maybe minimally depressed that they didn't get anything like that.

But the glow Nico was emitting was more than worth the downsides of it all.

He watched as Will pushed another glass of water towards Percy and grinned to himself as Percy's shoulders slumped and he looked at Will with an indignant expression – which quickly transformed into puppy eyes at Nico when Will gave him the evil eye and nudged the drink.

Nico merely raised an eyebrow, drinking his water without complaint and hiding a small smile behind his glass that Percy might or might not have seen.

Anyways, the boy got the hint and sighed exasperated, this time taking a lot longer in downing his glass.

"Good boy. Now, eat your breakfast so we can finally get going. Can't wait to finally get started on this trip." Will said, an excited gleam in his eyes as he rubbed his hands together and glanced at Jason for the fraction of a moment, before turning around and watching the rest of their little group coming together with their respective belongings.

Jason finished his scrambled eggs and followed the blonde's eyes, doing a quiet headcount.

Two people were still missing, but it was the same two that always were a bit late, so he wasn't worried.

The whole sleeping-in-at-Will's-thing had pushed their set time of departure back by half an hour (and if Percy kept being such a slow eater, it might actually end up being an entire hour), but it was still way within what was possible, given the bus and train schedules they'd have to follow.

No, so far, everything was going to go right as planned. Well, mostly, at least.

Jason gazed at Will again.

Thank the gods that they had figured this all out last night.

He didn't even want to imagine what would have happened if Percy, Nico and he had knocked on Will's door all confused and waiting, while Will would have been dumbstruck and confused on the other end, probably still in his light blue boxer shorts (which suited him damn well, by the way) and without a single item packed.

Yeah, that would have been one messed up morning.

Compared to that, he really did prefer how their morning went.

Though he wished he could have seen Percy's and Nico's faces once they found out Will had seriously thought (he knew he was repeating himself and couldn't let this drop, but he simply couldn't wrap his head around this!) they'd leave him behind like this.

It kind of made him want to wrap his arms around the blonde and hold him tight and talk some confidence into him.

But that would only lead to a scalpel in his chest, so he refrained from doing so, instead refocusing his attention on Percy, who at least seemed back to himself enough to shovel food into his face, eyes set on his plate except for when he stole glances at either Will or Nico.

When he caught Jason watching, however, he started glaring again, making Jason roll his eyes in a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

Maybe he should have a talk with Percy.

Clean the air between them somewhat.

They used to get along so great – and still kind of did whenever Percy forgot he wanted to be mad at Jason.

Seriously, though, this couldn't go on like this.

How were they supposed to survive that trip if Percy kept being overly protective of both Will and Nico all the while and barely talk to him?

Seriously, so much had changed while he had been gone.

Nico was still somewhat the same, but a lot more confident, and a lot happier and content with himself and the world.

Percy was constantly going from hogging Nico to pushing him towards Jason and Will out of apparent guilt, wanting to spend all his free time with them for reasons Jason had no clue about - and seemed to develop some sort of crush on Will (Jason had a feeling he'd have to talk to Percy about this in the future, too, because Percy would have to realize sooner or later and he was bound to feel horrible about it. Jason wasn't looking forward to it).

Will had probably changed the most, though.

But Will seemed to always be changing.

Before Christmas, Will was that loud, obnoxious, pushy kid that kind of wanted Nico's attention no matter what and tried to outdo Percy and Jason at everything and anything he could.

After Christmas, and a short, yet wondrously effective conversation, he had become more quiet, more collected, still overly cheerful like before, but without the pushy and forceful nature.

By now, though, he was becoming more and more quiet, withdrawing into himself, not laughing as loud nor as much anymore as he used to, and apparently denying himself any sort of happiness whatsoever.

Seriously, Percy's 'living in denial' was hitting the nail on the head with Will right now, and Jason couldn't deny it worried him a little bit.

With Nico, Jason knew he would only have to keep telling him how much he liked this or that for Nico to get more comfortable.

With Percy, challenging him into it or actually taking the first step and saying he liked it would do the trick.

But with Will, he didn't know.

He knew that Will wouldn't make fun of him like Percy might try if Jason came up to him and said 'Hey, I like to cuddle with you'.

But he also wouldn't admit he liked it.

It would help temporarily, but more because Will would use it as an excuse to 'be ok' with it, and that wasn't the intended long-term goal.

So, yeah, Jason was going to have to wait and see how things developed.

Because, if there was one good thing about a long trip like this, it was that they'd all get to know each other all over again in unfamiliar surroundings.

Hopefully, it would get them closer together.

Jason could barely wait.

.

"I mean, I get that Nico would fall asleep as soon as we get on the train, but Will as well? What did you guys do?" Percy asked with a skeptical frown, glancing sideways at Will, who had fallen asleep ten minutes after Nico had as they sat in their second vehicle for the day (first Augur had driven the lot to Deer Park in a giant party bus, so now they were seated in the train to New York Penn Station).

Jason, who was standing in front of them instead of sitting (since he didn't want to sit where he couldn't see all three of them and the opposite row was taken by the other campers), had to admit the sight was pretty adorable.

There was Nico, utterly knocked out, leaning against Percy's left side, his bangs hiding his face, for once not put back in a ponytail, while Will was to Percy's right, also dropping against him slightly and with his head against Percy's shoulder, mouth slightly agape, breathing even and relaxed, and the corner of his mouth tugging upwards slightly, giving him a rather content look.

And Percy, in the middle, widely awake and rather flustered, holding Nico's hand with both of his own, while Will's hand was on his thigh, though Percy seemed to have no intention of moving it (Jason had the funny feeling Percy really wanted to grab hold of that hand, too, given that he kept glancing down at it and then looking away with a light blush, his grip on Nico's hand tightening. How obvious).

"Nothing much." Jason said with a light shrug, wondering if he could get away with snapping a picture of those three like this.

Will would kill him, but he had a feeling it would be worth it.

Percy snorted derisively.

"Yeah, right. So, what was this whole thing with 'I'm not going to make a move on him'? I don't know, it kind of didn't give off that vibe today in the morning, what with you two practically all over each other."

Jason just gave him an unimpressed stare.

All over each other? Please.

Alright, he might have tried to hog Will to himself for a while longer, but that had been because he had been so nice and warm and comfortable.

So not Jason's fault.

"Jealous much? Percy, I only stayed the night because his siblings messed up and the harpies were pretty much right outside the door."

"Likely story. So, how come you stayed that long in the first place? If I remember correctly, didn't you say you two were going to go straight to bed? Alone?"

Jason just loved how Percy completely ignored the 'Jealous'-part, just to continue acting like an _overprotective lover_.

"Yeah, that was the original plan. Sadly, there was a slight problem that none of us had considered up to that point, so I took it upon myself to help him out." He said vaguely, unsure whether he actually wanted to tell Percy about this whole mess.

But maybe he should have just come out and said it, because suddenly Percy was sitting up straighter, looking alarmed.

"What? What happened? What kind of problem? Is he alright? Was it the nightmares?"

Sea-green eyes pierced through him, filled with worry and uncertainty and guilt.

_Gods, Percy, tone it down, will you!_

"No, not the nightmares. It's just…erm…well, did you notice how Will would always turn all quiet and distant when we talked about the trip?" He asked tentatively and Percy's face instantly darkened.

"He didn't want to come, did he?" He asked, voice bitter as he glanced sideways at Will's blond locks with a troubled and contemplative expression on his face, as if wondering whether he could still send Will back.

"Oh no, he wanted to come. He really did. The thing is…" He hesitated for a moment, making a face. This wasn't going to go well, was it?

"What?" Percy asked, his voice urgent, almost desperate, as if he was going to die if Jason wasn't going to tell him right now.

"He thought he wasn't invited." Jason admitted quietly, watching Percy gaze at him incomprehensively for a long moment, his brain taking a bit to catch up.

Then his face fell.

"WHAT?!" He exclaimed loudly, almost jumping out of his seat if it wasn't for both Will and Nico flinching at the noise and tightening their grips on his hands/thigh, rubbing their faces against the fabric of his Camp Half-Blood jacket.

"Shh! They are sleeping, Percy. Damn." Jason hissed, though he had kind of expected this, really.

Percy stared at him in shock.

"What do you _mean_, he thought he wasn't invited? Why wouldn't he have been? What was he…oh gods, that's why he got all quiet and miserable and…_oh gods_…" Shock turned to guilt, and Percy looked utterly miserable as he pulled one hand back from Nico's to go through his hair, looking completely done with the world.

Jason sighed. "Yeah…I know right. Kind of makes you wonder how he must have felt about this for all this time."

"How could he even think that? What kind of friend am I to not even…to not even pick up on that? I knew he was somewhat miserable, yeah, but I didn't think…gods, I'm such a prick. I could have talked to him or something."

"I tried to. I thought he had a problem with the trip, too, so I offered to talk to you guys about it. But thinking back, it must have come across completely wrong, as if I was asking whether he really wants to come along as if it's a bother and we didn't want that, but I'd try talk you guys into it or something. Trust me, I had the entire night to think it all through over and over again." Jason muttered, feeling as miserable as Percy looked.

Yeah, because Jason hadn't gotten much sleep last night, either.

On the bright side, Will had slept quite well, his nightmare not even that bad.

Percy scanned his face for another moment, then shook his head.

"We're idiots."

"Horrible idiots." Jason agreed with a small nod.

"But _two weeks_, Jason. He could have said something! Seriously, what the hell? Why would we leave him behind? Why would he think that?"

"I asked him that as well. Do you want to know what he said?" Jason asked bitterly, watching as Percy studied what he could make out of Will's face, expression softening slightly, though the guilt remained.

"What?"

"He said there was no reason for us to take him with us. Because you would tag along as Nico's boyfriend, and I'd tag along because of business. He however had neither excuse nor any other to present, so apparently he thought he wasn't welcome. And we idiots didn't ever say anything like 'Hey, by the way, you know you're coming with us, right?'. Gods, you should have seen his face when I told him. He looked so…so…"

Surprised.

Confused.

Stunned.

But the surprise was what had gotten to Jason the most.

It was that sort of shocked surprise that came from not having expected anything of the sort whatsoever.

Will hadn't even doubted being left out for one second.

He had utterly, completely believed they'd just…not care.

And it hurt.

It hurt Jason to think of how much it must have hurt Will, and it hurt him to think Will really thought so lowly of them.

And by the shocked expression on Percy's face, he knew it hurt him, too.

"Why would he need a reason? Who cares about a reason? He could have just…I don't get it. He would have just…stayed behind?"

Jason shrugged. "Apparently. Seriously, I'm so glad we figured this out yesterday and not today in the morning, standing in front of his door and waiting for him to come out, packed and all. Just imagine Nico's reaction."

Percy shook his head, glancing sideways at his sleeping boyfriend, placing a quick peck on the top of his head and lowering his voice as to not wake him whatsoever now.

"He'd have been devastated. You know how much he cares about Will." Percy muttered quietly.

Of course he did. Everybody knew.

Percy merely shook his head. "So, you two packed last night, did I get that right?"

"Yeah, I dragged him back to his cabin and helped him pack at lightning speed. His siblings weren't exactly very helpful, unless you're talking about entertainment. When we finally got done, it was pretty late already, so I admit I was hoping he'd let me stay over. Of course, you know how he is, so I was ready to leave, but then his sibs started making drama and causing the harpies to notice kids out of bed. After that…yeah…Will kind of let me stay." He explained quietly, watching Percy glance up at him for a moment before looking away again, still looking miserable.

"Oh. Well…sorry, then."

Jason frowned. "What?"

"I'm sorry. For being…you know…for saying all that stuff to you about making a move on him and such. I guess I was being a bit of a dick."

Not just a bit, but Jason guessed Percy being Percy meant being a dick to like…20%.

Maybe even 30%.

40% on bad days.

But Percy was Percy and he guessed he didn't mind him being a dick if it was only to 40%.

"It's ok. Though I wouldn't mind if you stopped, you know? I'm not going to make a move on anybody anytime soon. I only even told you about it because I thought I could trust you."

"But you _can_ trust me." Percy instantly put in, and Jason chuckled bitterly.

At least, with Percy, he could be brutally honest.

"Percy, ever since I told you, you've been acting like I'm going to sexually assault anything that isn't on a Thalia's pine on the count of three. It's actually kind of hurtful, you know? The lack of trust you put into me? And you can't seriously tell me you haven't noticed how you've been acting."

Percy shifted uncomfortably, glancing sideway at his boys, but other wisely remaining quiet, seemingly thinking about Jason's words.

Then he sighed.

It was a low, depressed sort of sigh.

"Alright, you got a point. I'm sorry. You know I love you, mate. It's just…I don't know. Things are a bit confusing right now, ok? And I don't want you to rush into anything…or the like…but I guess I get where you're coming from. Yeah, I've been a dick. Sorry."

Jason felt himself relax, though he couldn't remember tensing up, and inwardly smiled relieved at Percy's apology.

Talking really could solve any problem, huh?

"Apology accepted. And you know I love you too, Perce. So, enjoyed last night?" He asked with a smug grin, deciding that he'd rather put up with this switch of topic than have Percy feel down when Nico and Will woke up.

Percy started blushing almost instantly, sputtering and shooting Jason an alarmed glance.

Then he bit his lip, trying to stop the broad smile from spreading.

"Yeah…" Percy admitted after another moment, looking giddy and kind of proud, glancing around at his boyfriend with a soft, pleased expression on his face.

Jason smiled, ignoring the painful tugging at his heart.

"That's good then. Finally those condoms Will gave you two got put to use."

"Jason!" Percy looked past Jason at the other kids, but they didn't pay them any mind, chatting animatedly and huddling together, gazing at something a kid of Vulcan was holding.

Jason was glad.

He knew that, soon enough, they'd start bothering the guys (here obviously mostly Percy) about telling them of their great adventures, since that's what they had demanded of Jason every single trip, even though he didn't have that much to tell and they should already know the stories he could tell.

Not that they cared.

"Yeah, yeah. You know, usually it's Nico who gets flustered and doesn't want other people to overhear, not you. Interesting. You're already rubbing off on each other. Cute."

Percy made a face at him, straightening his posture somewhat and putting his free hand down on his thigh, which made him grab Will's hand apparently unconsciously.

Jason watched as Will flinched slightly before shifting, his hand turning and grabbing a better hold of Percy's, who seemed oblivious to it all, his eyes set on Jason in what seemed to be a contemplative glare – which looked utterly ridiculous and had Jason frowning.

"Alright, I'll stop. Anyways, if you want to catch up on your sleep, feel free to do so. I know it must have been a long night for you if _Nico_ needs sleep." He said pointedly and watched Percy's cheeks turning red all over again.

"I'm good."

"Sure you are. You look the part, too."

"Oh wow, thanks a lot." Percy remarked sourly and Jason chuckled.

"No, I mean it. You utterly _rock_ the disheveled and sleep-deprived look."

For a moment, Percy looked at him with a surprised, taken aback expression.

Then he laughed, shaking his head and placing another kiss to the top of Nico's head.

"Funny, that's the same thing he told me when we woke up. I guess you're rubbing off on each other too, huh?"

"Or maybe you simply need more sleep." Jason replied drily, though Percy's statement made his heart flutter slightly.

Oh, how he wished.

"Nah, two hours are good enough." Percy shrugged noncommittally, then suddenly froze, guilt flashing across his features once more.

Jason tried to stop himself from thinking just what they had done to keep themselves occupied the entire night like that.

Given the state of Nico's neck, the way he seemed to glow with giddiness, pleasure and pride, and the fact that those two acted all lovey-dovey with each other as if they only just got together, Jason was fairly certain he knew, anyways.

But instead of burying his face in his hands and cursing Percy for spilling too much information and letting it drag him down, he put on a scandalized expression.

"Really, Percy? Get to sleep, you dork. I'll watch over you and make sure you don't drool on anybody or fall off your seat, alright?"

Percy raised a doubtful eyebrow, but Jason raised his own, staring him down.

Of course, Jason won (Percy was probably the only one he could win against, though. Nico he would never try to stare down and Will could be pretty persistent, but Percy was kind of easy to beat).

"Fine. Mother hen." Percy sulked, making a pouty face, but Jason merely grinned back at him.

"You love it."

"Don't I know it." Percy grumbled, shifting in his position to turn slightly towards Nico, but that made Will move and utter a small sound of complaint, causing Percy to freeze and glance around at him almost worriedly.

Jason watched the spectacle amused, not in the least surprised when Percy let himself fall back into his seat once more, both of the other two snuggling closer to his sides and rubbing their faces against his shoulders.

Percy really had it all, huh?

He watched as Percy looked from one to the other, a small, rather happy smile on his face.

Yeah, he did.

But that was ok.

Percy deserved it, after all.

.

When Will woke up from his accidental nap, he found himself snuggled against Percy's side with his head on his shoulder, Percy's head leaning against his, their hands linked together on Percy's lap.

What…?

"Don't move too quickly, or you'll wake them up." Jason's voice sounded from somewhere in front of him and everything inside him tensed, realizing with a jolt where he was and how this must look to others.

Oh gods, how had this happened?

What was he doing?

Why was Percy holding his hand?

Why was he still holding onto Percy's?

He turned his head and met Jason's gaze, surprised to see how calm Jason appeared, holding onto the handle above him and studying the three quietly, as if there was nothing wrong with the picture whatsoever.

Will tried to pull back from Percy, feeling his face going beet red, but Percy instantly tensed and shifted, rubbing the side of his face into Will's hair with a small sigh and tightening his grip on his hand.

What…oh wow. Just great.

Will couldn't stop the flutter in his chest and the way his heartbeat quickened considerably, everything inside him yearning to get closer to Percy, to just lean back against him completely, let himself fall, relish in the warmth and comfort of Percy's closeness.

But there was no way that was _ever_ going to happen.

So, instead, Will tried to pull back again, using his free hand to move Percy's head over to his other side, where Nico was snuggling up to him the same way Will had.

Percy let out a small sound of complaint, but then turned towards his boyfriend, anyways, and Will managed to free his hand out of the death grip, instantly missing the feeling of his palm, but ignoring it all the same.

"How…how long was I out?" He asked, trying to sound casual and looking at a point past Jason's shoulder, trying to control his heartbeat, as well as the heat in his face.

Jason shrugged, eyeing him almost amused, yet with a hint of pity in his gaze that Will did not like whatsoever.

"Roughly an hour, I'd say. Percy only fell asleep half an hour ago, though. So you weren't holding hands for that long."

Will's first reaction was to look up alarmed, horrified to know Jason had actually just stood there and watched them holding hands (somehow, he didn't like that thought whatsoever. Why would Jason be so cool with that, anyways? It was really kind of unfair. He kind of wished Jason would at least mind a tiny little bit, though he didn't want to ponder why that was) and was seriously telling him this as if he knew that this was exactly what was troubling Will – which was correct, and that worried him even more.

But then he realized with a jolt and a tiny leap of his heart that this implied Percy must have taken his hand – or Will had been trying to grab it and Percy had prevented it for as long as he had been awake.

Gods, it was most likely the later.

Will started worrying all over again.

Since his nightmares had gotten worse, there hadn't been any more incidents with any of the guys telling him he was trying to get into their pants, but what if he was starting to be a creep trying to hold other people's hands while sleeping?

Not knowing what else to do, he got up, acting as if he needed to stretch his legs instead of running away (again).

Jason didn't look surprised.

Actually, he looked almost as if he had expected as much, which kind of annoyed Will, but he ignored that, too.

"I think I'll take a look around for a bit. How much longer are we going to be on here?" He asked innocently, glad his face felt fairly normal again, same as his voice seemed ok.

"Not that long. I was going to wake you in five to ten minutes. Usually, the train is faster than this, but there have been some complications, apparently. So we'll still be going for maybe twenty, thirty minutes." Jason explained with another shrug, looking around to the other people that were coming along.

Seriously, if it wasn't for all of them wearing purple shirts, Will wouldn't have known who belonged with them and who didn't, given that there were quite a few kids on the train for inexplicable reasons.

"Oh." Was all he could manage, wondering whether walking around was a good idea then.

"If you want, we can grab those two something to drink. There was one of those carts coming by not too long ago, but I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I didn't get anything." Jason offered and Will looked around at Percy and Nico once more, utterly knocked out against each other, Percy even beginning to drool slightly.

Automatically, he stepped up to them and put his hand to Percy's chin, urging his mouth closed and changing the positioning of his head to prevent neck cramps and further drooling on an innocent Nico.

"That's better. Yeah, let's get something to drink. What comes after this train? Bus already?" He asked as he pulled his hand back hurriedly, not wanting to give off the wrong impression or anything, but Jason didn't comment on it, instead flashing him a small smile and turning around to tell a tall and sturdy girl to watch over the group for a moment.

Then he led Will towards the end of the cart.

"Well, preferably we'll get the train to Chicago, which will take roughly 21 hours. But that only goes once daily and I have no clue whether we missed it by now. I heard they changed the departure time, but sadly I forgot to check it. So, if that doesn't work out, we'll go by train for a few more stations, then switch to busses."

Ew, that sounded like a lot of stress.

Not something Will really wanted to go through with all their luggage.

And he was still lucky with his two bags.

The thought made him glance back at Percy and Nico with a small smile.

When they had grabbed their bags, it hadn't escaped anybody's notice that Percy was carrying four bags, even though he had claimed to have packed light, while Nico had carried two, looking sheepish and guilty and not saying a word.

So, yeah, even if three of Percy's bags hadn't been black instead of blue like the first, he would have known them to be Nico's things.

Nico really was the cutest.

"Then I hope it's the train. 21 hours sounds long, but somehow, I get the feeling the trains and busses mix would take even longer." He tried for small conversation, and found Jason going with it lightly.

"Oh yeah, it would be. Plus, if I remember correctly, Percy despises busses for some reason. I think it has something to do with a fury and something exploding, but he'll have to tell you the details on that one. Or you wait for the others to ask. They're bound to get bored and push you all to tell them interesting stories, you know?"

Will could picture that only too well.

"I'm safe, then. There's nothing interesting I could tell anybody, since I've never left the Camp."

Jason halted for a moment at that, glancing around at him with a contemplative expression.

Then he continued walking.

"I'm sure you'd have plenty of good stories to tell. Camp is interesting as well, after all."

Will snorted.

"Yeah, right. They want to hear of adventures and fights and drama, not the pranks the Stoll brothers pulled on everybody or how I set my guitar on fire by accident." He retorted derisively and found Jason looking back at him with an odd expression.

"You have a guitar?"

Will laughed at the stunned surprise in Jason's voice.

Was he trying to indicate he hadn't expected Will to be able to play a musical instrument?

He was the son of Apollo!

"I had one, yeah. As I said, it caught fire. Never bothered getting a new one after that."

Why was that, anyways? He had actually enjoyed playing a lot.

A memory pushed itself to the front of his mind and he tensed, momentarily making him halt in his movements.

Oh. That was why.

"I'm sorry to hear that. If you don't mind me asking, how exactly did it catch fire by accident?" Jason's voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he pushed the memory firmly out of his mind, instead focusing on Jason, who was now standing beside him for some reason.

Hadn't he been walking in front of him?

Well, he guessed Jason didn't like having to turn his head all the time to look at him (Jason was one of those people who always had to look at the person they were talking to. Kind of adorable, really).

"Oh, it's a funny story, actually. I was trying to cheer up a friend of mine with playing some random songs on it. Kind of backfired – quite literally – because I stepped too close to the Camp Fire. Sad thing is that I didn't even notice at first, which led to me holding onto a burning guitar. On the bright side, she laughed her butt off when I screamed and flung the burning thing away in terror. On the not so bright side, I might have set off the entire hidden stash of fireworks the Stoll brothers had put in some old boxes nearby." Will still remembered that moment all too vividly.

There he had been, trying to be nice, and suddenly, he had almost caught fire himself, throwing the guitar as far away as possible, just to suddenly have hundreds of fireworks going off in the middle of the Camp.

Chiron hadn't been amused.

Neither had the Stoll's, since they had hidden their stash there to use after the sing-along to freak out the Aphrodite kids because of some sort of argument.

And the rest of the Camp hadn't been very happy either, having to scram and run for cover as there were explosions everywhere.

He also still remembered the kids he had had to patch up over the course of the next few days due to all the burns and other injuries they had gotten.

But at least he had been able to make her smile.

Will smiled bitterly to himself.

How ironic he'd think of her again, when he had only just told Nico about her a few days ago, about the girl he couldn't save during the war.

At least he had made her smile, huh?

Yeah, and he had killed her, too.

"That sounds like quite the accident. I hope nobody got injured." Jason pulled him out of his thoughts again and Will had to smile at his typical consideration of every being ever.

"Only minor burns and the like."

"And you?"

"What about me?" Will asked with a small frown.

"Were you injured? You were holding a burning guitar, after all."

"Oh. Nah, I was fine. But that was the last time I ever saw that guitar, I'm just saying. Never wanted a new one after that."

He didn't tell Jason he had played once more after that. It wasn't important.

He hadn't wanted to play, and he had never played again after that time.

Some things were better left unsaid, he guessed.

Jason smiled slightly.

"I bet. Wish I could have heard you play once, though."

The statement threw Will off slightly, making him blink and look around at Jason in surprise, but the blonde was smiling to himself now, looking straight ahead and leading them straight to a lady with one of those food trolleys.

Said lady almost tripped all over herself at the sight of Jason, her cheeks turning a bright pink and her hands fumbling to brush a single stray strand of hair behind her ear, glancing up at him with big, hopeful eyes.

Ah, another one lost to Jason's charms.

"Ah, so you're friends woke up?" She chirped in a nervous, high-pitched voice and Will wondered faintly whether she had seen him holding hands with Percy, but she wasn't even paying him any mind.

Jason came to a stop in front of her, glancing over the drinks on the trolley thoughtfully for a moment, before looking up at her with one of his dazzling smiles.

Gods, Jason, don't tease her, even if it's unconsciously!

"More or less, yes. Will, what do you think they'd like?" He asked, turning towards Will while the lady was making heart-eyes at Jason, apparently more than happy to have gotten a reply at all.

Sometimes, some people were weird.

Will shrugged, eyeing the things they had to offer.

"Well, I guess we can just get them a bottle of water each for now and then…wait, actually, is that cherry coke? Percy loves that stuff. Ok, he prefers it blue, but I think it tastes the same, anyways. Can we have two of those and one of the big water bottles, please? Jason, what do you want?"

When he looked around, he found Jason watching him surprised with his eyebrows raised.

What?

Everybody knew Percy loved cherry coke…at least Will thought so.

Oh gods, had he just made an utter idiot of himself?

The lady grabbed the items requested, eyes fixed solely on Jason, apparently waiting to soak up each and every word he was going to utter.

"I think I'll try a cherry coke as well, thank you."

Oh wow.

"And there I thought you'd get a grown-up drink like coffee or something." Will teased, sending him a sly smile and found Jason return it.

"I was thinking about it. But then I figured I might actually be able to catch some sleep if we catch the next train. With a 21 hour drive I don't fancy being on caffeine."

"21 hours? That's pretty long. I mean…I don't mean to pry, but may I ask where you are going? I couldn't help but notice you seem to be a rather big group, yet I couldn't see any sort of…erm…supervisor…" The lady started and fidgeted awkwardly, looking at Jason with big eyes, as if she was hoping to charm him like that.

Jason however didn't seem particularly interested in her, taking their drinks and passing over some money (courtesy of Nico before they had gotten onto the train. Apparently, he had been dead serious when he had told them he'd pay for everything. He had certainly paid for all their tickets, for one, and given each of them some 'pocket money', which had instantly made the other kids love him).

"Oh, we're going to meet some friends and families of ours in San Francisco. Is there any chance you know when the daily train to Chicago departs?" He asked curiously and Will could practically watch the gears turn in the woman's head as she seemed to go through the plans of all the trains she knew.

"The Chicago train…let me think…you might actually be in luck, though I'd have to check. W-Want me to go and-…"

"Oh no, there's no need. We're almost at the station anyways. Thank you, though. Have a nice day." Jason waved off and turned away, still hogging all four drinks to himself.

Will threw the lady an apologetic look, trying not to seem too amused by all of this.

He guessed he did feel slightly sorry for her. Maybe.

Hurrying after Jason, he still couldn't manage to push down a small snort.

"What?" Jason asked, looking sideways at him as they walked next to each other once more, Will taking his water from him at least.

"Oh, nothing. Just feeling sorry for her, that's all."

"Huh? Why? Was something wrong?" Jason asked, looking over his shoulder confused.

That dork. And then they called Percy oblivious.

Will couldn't help but chuckle.

"You do know she was flirting with you, right?"

Jason raised an eyebrow at him, glancing over his shoulder again as they left the cart.

"No, she wasn't."

"Oh yes, she was. Making heart-eyes at you and trying to get your attention and make conversation, even asking where you're going? She was trying so hard and you just…didn't care…"

Jason made a face. "But she doesn't even know me? Like, why would she…?" He seemed seriously confused by this, which struck Will both as hilarious and weird.

"Well, she would have loved to get to know you."

"Why? We didn't even talk or anything. For all she knows, I could be some weird stalker or something."

Will frowned at him. "Well, you're hot, so I don't think she would have minded whatsoever to be stalked by you. You must be the best-looking guy she has seen all day, so it's only obvious she'd try to hit you up and get your number and 'get to know you more'. Seriously, and there you call Percy oblivious."

Jason blushed.

Seriously. Blushed.

"I…I don't know. I don't really…well…wait, you think I'm hot?"

Now it was Will's turn to blush.

Shit, had he said that?

No way!

Damn, damn, damn!

"Well, you're not bad looking, I suppose. Tall, muscled, handsome…" He mumbled, hoping his words were drowned out by the noise around them.

"You really think I'm handsome?"

Who didn't?

Will looked anywhere but at Jason, clutching his bottle of water tightly.

Half of him wanted to scream 'Yes! Don't you?', while the other half wanted to deny it all over again.

Hadn't he wanted to work on his denial-issue?

But did that have to start now? Like, right now? Maybe he could do that later…oh wait, hadn't he been pushing this back over and over again the past week already?

Also, Jason had asked him this before, jus yesterday, so it wasn't as if his reply would be anything new.

"I…I suppose so, yeah." He mumbled awkwardly, feeling his face burn.

Jason didn't say anything for a long moment, and Will was about to believe he hadn't heard him, but when he glanced around, Jason was grinning rather self-satisfied and pleased, making Will wonder what he was thinking about.

Maybe he had low self-esteem or something and needed a boost of confidence?

If so, damn, hadn't Jason ever looked into a mirror?

Of course he was handsome.

"Well, let's get back to the others before the train gets into the station, Handsome. Think Percy will be drooling again by now?"

"Oh, I hope not. I promised I'd make sure he wouldn't drool on anybody or fall out of his seat. He'll kill me."

Will laughed at Jason's urgent tone.

"Really? Well, that would be unfortunate, Mr. Supervisor. I'd say we should hurry, then, because my trick only works for as long as he doesn't move. And you know just as much as I know how much he likes to move around in his sleep."

Jason made a face and Will could swear he actually sped up.

They made it through the last doors separating them from the group and were hit by a wall of noise, the other kids moving about and arguing with a very awake (and very annoyed looking) Percy and an awkward Nico, apparently trying to calm his boyfriend and stop him from running off.

Will raised an eyebrow, while Jason let out a small, despairing groan that made Will pat his back sympathetically.

"Any last words, Handsome?"

"I'm going to die."

The sturdy girl saw them first, nudging a still ranting Percy and nodding over towards them.

Traitorous woman.

Will might have to rethink this whole matter of being bisexual.

Maybe he should go for men only.

Then again, he was kind of too busy crushing on his friends- NICO! AND NICO ALONE!- so there was no way he'd find himself man or woman alike any time soon, anyways.

Percy looked around at them, and Will realized with a jolt that he didn't only look furious, he also looked mortified.

Oh gods, he wouldn't have…would he?

Percy stomped over to them, and Will couldn't help but notice a few of the other kids snickering quietly behind his back, earning them instant death-glares from Nico.

"Jason! I trusted you! How could you just- do you have any idea- gods, I'm SO done with you! This is the last time I ever fu- wait, is that cherry coke?" He stopped in the middle of his rant, looking surprised at the drinks in Jason's hand.

Will seized his chance, grabbing one bottle from him and shoving it into Percy's hands.

"Yeah, Jason got it for you. He was worried you wouldn't get enough liquid, so I convinced him to go pick up some drinks with me and he remembered you loved cherry coke. Sweet, isn't it? Personally, I completely forgot." He chirped pleasantly, inwardly hating the fact he was lying, but meh, he was a splendid actor, so he doubted it showed, and this was to save a life.

Percy glanced at them suspiciously for the fraction of a second, then looked down at the coke in his hands again, seeming to calm down somewhat.

Even his shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Yeah? Well, thanks. I love that stuff."

"Though you usually prefer it blue." Jason muttered, apparently remembering what Will had told him.

He shot him a small smile and found Jason looking at him rather gratefully, which wasn't that great, because it was kind of obvious.

"Yeah, I do. But they don't really sell that, do they? Well…thanks. I appreciate it…but that doesn't mean I forgive you!" He added with a last glare, then grabbed another bottle from Jason and passed it to Nico, turning around and stomping off.

Nico was chewing on his lip, looking after his boyfriend and glancing back at the guys.

"Sorry. He just kind of…well…"

"He fell off his seat, didn't he?" Will asked, though he already knew the answer.

Nico sighed, playing with his skull earring with his free hand.

"Well…yeah. Apparently, he was expecting you to still sit next to him, so he shifted and wanted to…well, to lean against you. But you weren't there, so he kind of just…"

"He just fell! You should have seen it, guys! Well, for all it was worth, I tried to catch him, I really did, Jason. You told me to watch over them and I did, but it all happened so fast, all I could do was sit there and watch it happen. One moment they're sleeping all snuggled up to each other, the next moment, Percy is face-planting into the ground."

"Shut up! I don't want to hear anything about this! It never happened!" Percy called over from where he flopped back into a seat, looking thoroughly upset again, though he sipped on his cherry coke in relative silence, next to some more grumbling.

Will pushed down another one of his dumb snort-laughs and glanced around at Jason, who had a scrunched up face and looked more than a little bit guilty.

Will nudged him in the side and shot him a reassuring grin.

"Hey, Jason, what train do we need next? Maybe we should go over that with the others so we know what to look for once we're there." He suggested as they heard a voice announcing they'd be arriving at the train station in a few minutes.

"Yeah, we should. Come on, guys, let's get our stuff ready. We need to catch the train that goes to Chicago, or it's either spending the rest of the day here; or taking a lot and most likely very uncomfortable busses." Jason announced, sounding and looking a bit more like Jason already.

Percy instantly shot up. "No busses!"

This time, Will couldn't hold back a small snort-laugh.

.

"Ugh, I wish we didn't have to rush to the train quite like this. Why does it only leave once a day, anyways? Why not, like, every ten minutes? I'm starving." Percy whined and Nico rolled his eyes amused, snuggling against his side, enjoying the comfort of the bigger seats on this train immensely.

Not to mention that they had one of those awesome group-seat-thingies with two pairs of seats facing each other, meaning they could see each other without having to constantly turn around – one of Nico's biggest worries, since his back kind of ached a bit.

Not to mention his backside.

Sitting wasn't that comfortable, and he had to admit he still felt rather sore, but there was no way he was going to tell Percy that.

Nor either of the other two for that matter, though he had the funny feeling Will had picked up on it at some point.

At least the blonde kept shooting him odd glances and seemed to contemplate something with a light frown on his face.

Will was sitting opposite to Percy, next to the aisle, while Jason sat in front of Nico, gazing out of the window with a thoughtful expression and a small smile on his lips.

Originally, Jason had wanted to sit at the aisle, but Will had taken one look out of the window and switched places with him, saying he didn't like how fast everything passed by.

Funny, since he had no problem whatsoever with driving or anything else, and it wasn't as if he didn't feel the train moving.

But they didn't question it and Nico was glad none of them were mean enough to ever make fun of anybody for something like that.

The other kids had split up into smaller groups around them, most of them sleeping, others playing little games or ordering a Venus child to change her appearance to their liking, while a Vulcan boy kept crafting what looked like small radios.

Nico snuggled closer against Percy, wondering what they'd be doing for the next twenty-something hours in here.

They had already explored the rest of the train and found the 'store' with food, but it had been closed back then (which wasn't much of a surprise, really, given that they had pretty much found it right after boarding the train).

So, now, they'd pretty much have to wait for a while longer before getting the much desired food.

Seriously, Nico had had decent breakfast and he was starving.

He didn't even want to know how hungry Percy must be, given that he had barely eaten anything for breakfast, had all that exercise last night, and was generally an always-hungry person.

"Hey, Nico, can I have a sip of your cherry coke?" Will asked all of a sudden and Nico looked around at him questioningly, then shrugged and leaned over the small table between them to pass him his coke.

His lower back practically ached at the motion.

He could only pray his flinch wasn't all too visible – never mind.

Will's eyes narrowed and Nico just knew he knew.

Just great.

Now all he could do was hope Will wasn't going to-…

"Hey, Percy, switch places with me for a bit, will you?" Will demanded in a voice that didn't allow a no (though Nico was certain Percy would still object).

Percy and Jason looked up surprised, looking between the two with confusion on their faces.

"What? Why?" Percy asked dubiously, though to Nico's surprise, he was already moving to get up.

His boyfriend really never ceased to amaze him.

"I want to give Nico a quick back massage. Bet you two were like overly horny, young teenagers last night, utterly overdoing it, so I want to make sure he's not going to be in any pain – because of all the _sitting_, Percy. I'm not questioning any skills or lack thereof whatsoever." Will added almost exasperated as Percy opened his mouth to complain, a scowl on his face, though he was already in the process of switching places with Will, flopping down next to Jason with an uncertain glance at Nico.

Nico merely frowned. "I love how you guys still just decide for me that I'm getting massaged, no matter if I want to or not."

Not that he didn't want to, but they seriously kept doing this, not even asking him or giving him an actual choice.

"Aw, I'm sorry, sweetheart, you're absolutely right. Do you want me to massage the kinks out of your back so you aren't in any more pain? My hands work magic, you know?"

Of course he knew, he had gotten a massage from the medic before, after all.

Nico sent him a skeptical look for another moment, then sighed.

"Sure, I guess. Not that I really need it, but…" He added with a quick glance at Percy, then looked back at Will, catching him rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, of course. Now then, turn around. I'm just going to massage you through your clothes for now. If you feel any pain coming back at a later point, tell me, and I'll get massage oil and do you more thoroughly."

"That sounds wrong on so many levels." Percy muttered darkly, but kept quiet other wisely, instead occupying himself with trying to move his hand towards Jason's cherry coke, apparently trying to steal it sneakily or something.

Nico turned his back towards Will and took off his jacket, watching how Jason frowned slightly, glancing at Percy's hand out of the corner of his eyes and rolling his eyes to himself, before turning more towards the window and acting oblivious to it all.

Yeah, it wasn't a secret Jason hadn't liked the cherry coke much, so Nico guessed he was ok with Percy having it, anyways.

"Ok, starting now." Will announced behind him a moment before his hands touched Nico's shoulders to the left and right of his neck, making him shudder slightly at the sudden warmth.

Will was always so warm, it was weird.

Sometimes Nico liked to imagine there was a miniature sun inside the blonde, working on solar energy from outside.

Seriously, it would make so much sense, too.

At night, with no sunlight around, of course Will would cool down a bit and not have much energy, while during the day he'd be lively and cheerful and his glowing self as usual.

Nico smiled slightly at the thought and leaned into the touch slightly as Will began massaging his shoulders slowly.

"Percy, I'm disappointed. You should really massage him more often. How can you spend every morning and most nights in the shower together and not feel how tense he is?" Will chided and Nico tried to turn his head to look at them, but Will put his finger to the side of his chin and turned it back to look straight ahead.

"Really, it's not that bad." He said defensively, but Will only huffed.

"Will, you're just trying to get Percy to permit you to massage Nico more often." Jason stated quietly, turning his face to send the guys a knowing look, which made Nico make a face.

Seriously?

"Aw, man! Why would you sell me out like this?"

"Ha-ha. As if that was ever going to happen, anyways. I can give superb massages, so if Nico wants something, he just has to tell me and I'll make sure to give it to him." Percy retorted and Nico felt his face heating.

"Now who's saying suggestive stuff that sounds completely wrong, huh? Talk about the pot calling the kettle back." Will teased and Percy huffed indignantly.

Jason however seemed more amused than anything.

"Who knows, maybe you two are rubbing off on each other."

Nico frowned at that statement and dared to glance at him and Percy out of the corners of his eyes, turning his head minimally as Will's hands moved downwards over his shoulder blades.

Based on the warning look Percy flashed Jason, he guessed it was some sort of inside thing of theirs.

They had a lot of those.

Risking a glance at Will, he found him frowning slightly, looking between the guys for a moment as well, so he guessed Will wasn't in on it either.

Well, at least he wasn't the only one left out for once.

"Oi, head straight ahead, Neeks. We don't want you to get any kinks in your neck, either." Will chided as he noticed him looking and Nico turned his head again to gaze out of the window with a small sigh.

But he couldn't deny it kind of felt nice, being massaged by Will again.

It had something slightly familiar about it, maybe still from the last time, though that had been a good month ago (it was so surprising how fast time went by sometimes).

Still, he found himself leaning into Will's touch more and more, closing his eyes and starting to thoroughly enjoy it, though he kind of wished to feel Will's hands on his actual skin, not through the fabric of his Camp Half-Blood shirt.

But this was still pretty nice.

"You enjoying it so far?" Will asked after a while and Nico nodded quietly, feeling Will moving lower towards his lower back and the actual trouble zone.

He managed to stay relaxed and quiet until Will stroked across a sore spot or something, sending a stinging sensation through his body as he felt himself tense up involuntarily.

"Hm? There?" Will asked, copying the motion and Nico bit his lip, tensing up again.

"What?" Percy asked worriedly from across the small table.

"Nothing, Gorgeous." Will said exasperated, but the next moment, his fingers slid under Nico's shirt, brushing against his bare skin and moving to the spot he had just tried to massage.

Nico's breath hitched and he shuddered at the sensation the warmth of his touch, as well as the touch itself, sent through him, so much warmer and gentler than he had expected.

Luckily, nobody commented on it.

"Can you lean forward slightly?" Will asked gently, and Nico automatically complied, leaning forward and resting his arms on the small space in front of the window.

"This ok?"

"Perfect." Will said softly, beginning to massage the area around where it hurt carefully.

Gods, this felt so nice, actually.

It seemed he was a sucker for massages, because he seriously just wanted to lie down right now and close his eyes and relax and let Will's hands to their thing.

He sighed rather contently, and Will kept spoiling him for a little while before actually beginning to work on his sore spots again, making him tense slightly, though it didn't hurt for long.

Will's fingers kneaded his skin, loosening his muscles and massaging away any sort of pain Nico had felt mere moments ago, making him relax and practically sink into Will's touch once more, pleasure and contentment surging through him.

So nice~.

"Well, fine. I suppose you could massage him every now and then. If you insist." Percy muttered from his seat, shifting slightly, but when Nico wanted to turn his head in question, Will applied more pressure to his back and he got the hint.

"What?" He asked, wondering what he had missed and looking at Jason, but the blonde just grinned.

"Percy says I have his permission to massage you whenever you need or want me to." Will said cheerfully, and Nico could practically hear the grin on his face.

"Well, you seem to know what you're doing, and it's good for Nico, so if he's fine with it, so am I." Percy stated determinedly and Will chuckled.

"How kind of you. Just you wait until I give you that massage I promised you. Then you'll know just how good they are for Nico." The blonde promised with a light purr in his voice that made Nico shiver.

Will's hands were now at the waistband of his pants, his fingertips sliding past it slightly, teasing his skin more now than actually massaging, and Nico found himself shifting nervously, his heartbeat speeding up even more in his chest.

The hands halted for a moment, as if Will only now noticed what he was doing.

Then they moved back upwards slowly, massaging his back up to his neck once more, this time completely beneath the fabric of his shirt.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot you promised Percy a massage as well." Jason muttered and Nico could swear he almost looked a bit disappointed.

"Yeah, he did. How come you haven't massaged me yet, anyways? We had plenty of time, after all." Percy said thoughtfully and Nico had to agree.

"Hell if I know. I guess the timing was never right and you kind of never reminded me, you know? But I can give you a quick back massage now as well, if you want that." Will offered, the purr in his voice still ever so evident, sending another series of shivers down Nico's spine.

He kind of…really liked how Will's voice sounded right now.

Will always had such a nice voice, but right now it sounded so…seductive.

Guilt flashed through him at the turn his thoughts were taking and he tensed up again, causing Will to halt in his movement and place his palms flat on Nico's skin, as if listening to his heartbeat or something.

"Nah, I'm good. I rather have you give me a real massage before I miss my chance. Seriously, I still think you're just bragging and are actually just average." Percy teased and Will snorted.

"Whoa, you're going to eat those words, Gorgeous. I'm superb. Nico can tell you. Nico, tell him. Also, I think we're done. Feeling better?"

Nico knew Will was only stopping because he had tensed like that, and couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed as Will's hands left his skin, pulling back from beneath his shirt with a last stroke down his spine.

"Percy, you shouldn't underestimate him. Yes, I do, thanks a lot." He admitted quietly, surprised by how easy the words came to him and how he wasn't even blushing or feeling awkward.

He knew some months ago he wouldn't even have let Will touch him like that, much less admit he had liked it.

He kind of liked this new side of him, actually.

Being around the guys felt so good, so natural, and he started feeling so much at ease he felt like speaking his mind way more than usual, though he still preferred to stay out of some things or keep quiet about others.

Still, he felt like this was already a pretty big improvement, and something he could be proud of, somewhat.

"Meh, alright. We'll see how good you are, sun-bug. Hope you won't disappoint." Percy relented eventually and Will laughed, switching places with him again, while Nico turned around in his seat again to sit properly once more, testing out his back as he went.

It really felt a lot better.

Next time, he should really go to Will first.

Though, hopefully, the next times Percy and he had sex wouldn't make him this sore.

"Oh, give me an hour, a bottle of massage oil, and your body all laid out in front of me and I'll show you just what I can do."

"Wow, Percy, sounds like you're in for one hell of an experience there." Jason teased with a small smile, though he still seemed somewhat down.

Will shot him an odd look, then grinned wickedly.

"Hey, Handsome, how about I give you one of those massages as well?"

"Why? So you can tell people you did all three of us?" Percy asked with a raised eyebrow and Nico buried his face in his hands as the others chuckled.

Sometimes he felt like he was friends with three overly horny and desperate teenagers.

But he loved them all the same, including their perverted minds and weird sense of humor, so there was that.

"Nah, the only one I want to do is Nico, duh. But I want to hear you two beg for forgiveness and telling me I'm the best massager you're ever going to get. Would serve you right for doubting me."

"I never said anything like that, though." Jason put in quietly with a small frown.

Will sent him a scrutinizing glance.

"Bet you're thinking it, though."

Jason merely smiled. "Freckles, I'm thinking of a lot of things, but I can ensure you that's not one of them. But if you want to give me a massage, I'm all for it. Been a while since I last had one, though, so you'll probably get a heart attack, anyways." He said calmly, though Nico noticed there was that self-satisfied gleam in his eyes, showing he was pleased with the outcome.

"Rubbish. Maybe I'll throw a tantrum or two, but there's been no back – or any other body part, for that matter – that I couldn't fix yet. Want a test run?"

Will seemed to be in a rather giving mood today.

All in all, he seemed pretty cheerful for somebody who had never left Camp before for a trip like this and wouldn't be back forever.

Percy leaned against him slightly, rubbing the side of his face against the top of Nico's head.

"Mmh, Nico, you're so comfortable."

Instantly, memories of last night flooded his mind and he smiled to himself, snuggling against Percy and kissing his chest through the fabric of his sweater.

"I'm glad you think so. Want to sleep some more?"

"Yeah, but first I need food. Seriously, I'm starving." Percy mumbled as they watched Jason looking contemplative for a moment, but lastly turning around and letting Will put his hands to his shoulders to start his 'quickie' as he called it (seriously, Nico could only hope nobody overheard them talking like this out of context. These dorks really had nothing else in mind, apparently).

"Well, we can check out that store again. It's only two carts away." Nico offered quietly, watching Jason's eyes glaze over slightly as Will started massaging his shoulders, instantly ranting about how poorly Jason seemed to be taking care of himself and whether he wanted to get into the Guinness book of records with the most messed up back in the century or something.

"In a bit. Let's first wait for those two to finish their lovemaking." Percy mumbled into his hair, and if Nico didn't know better, he'd say his boyfriend was dozing off.

"I heard that, Percy. You just wait until I do some serious lovemaking with Nico later."

"I did not just hear that." Percy grumbled, but Nico merely rolled his eyes.

Seriously, these guys.

"You are all way too dirty-minded for your own good, you know that? I don't even want to think about what other people must think whenever they hear you talk." Nico muttered darkly, though he refused to look around to check whether there were any good examples close by that could testify his worry.

"Who cares? It's fun and I like getting under Percy's skin. Just like Percy likes to get under Jason's sweater." Will teased with a sly grin, still stuck at Jason's shoulders, which made his expression go grim again.

Then he heaved a sigh and let his hands slip under Jason's sweater without as much as a warning, making Jason flinch and jump.

"Like your hands?" He asked, apparently trying to save his slip-up, but Will merely cackled.

"Nah, I'm just doing this because you need it, Handsome. Usually, I stay strictly above clothes for quick massages like this. But in this case, I'm willing to make an exception, because, by the gods, what _have_ you done to your back? I'm surprised you can even still move around without too much pain."

"I got used to it after the last trip, I guess. It doesn't hurt, but I know it should." Jason shrugged, and Nico could see Will pinching him as punishment for moving.

"No moving. Seriously, why didn't you say anything, though? There you guys have the perfect massager in your midst and you never get the idea to ask me."

"Well, you kind of made it clear you'd massage Nico, but you haven't exactly announced you'd be up for business for anybody." Percy mumbled, which Nico found odd, since this meant he was actually defending Jason – and that was something he hadn't done in a while.

Who knew, maybe those two had sorted their issues out?

That would be awesome.

Nico wanted them all to get along, after all.

"I'm not open for business for _anybody_, mind you. But you guys…yeah, I think I can live with that." Will announced and Nico smiled to himself.

Was it just him, or was this the first time in a long while that Will admitted all three of them had a sort of special standing in his life?

He didn't know about the other two, but he certainly liked that.

Nico closed his eyes, humming contently and snuggling against Percy's side again.

"I love you guys."

Slowly, they were coming closer together again.

This trip seemed pretty promising so far.

He kind of really liked that.

.

Percy watched his boyfriend sleep with a small smile, stroking through his hair as Nico's head rested on his lap, nose buried near his hipbone.

He was so adorable.

After Jason and Will had (finally) finished their massage-stuff, they had (finally) managed to get themselves some food from that 'store' that had (finally) opened.

Gods, he had been starving.

Of course, the food was nothing compared to what they usually had at Camp, but at least he had been allowed to order pizza without Will telling him off because of the nutrition plan.

With their tickets, they were technically entitled to three meals a day, meaning lunch, dinner and breakfast, since they'd be going overnight.

Jason and Nico had tried their best to explain the concept to him and all, but he had to admit he had kind of just wolfed down his pizza and wanted to go to sleep.

No such chance, of course, because Will had wanted to explore the rest of the train some more and check where the toilets were and the possible sleeping accommodations.

Nico had offered paying for that, so they'd have a sort of cubicle to themselves with seats that could be turned into 'beds', but since they were over twenty people, he hadn't been sure how they'd split up properly.

It was obvious nobody would let Percy and Nico in one of those rooms alone because they didn't want to get kicked out, and there was no way Percy would let Will and Jason share one of those by themselves (even though he decided to keep that to himself for now), so he knew they'd have ended up in one of those for four people, but that still didn't explain what to do with the other kids, so they hadn't bothered so far.

The plan was to stick together for as long as possible and once it was night and everybody had enough from the dumb train and wanted to sleep, they'd either complain so much Nico would get them in one of those rooms – or they'd simply fall asleep in their seats here.

It was all the same to Percy, to be honest.

He could sleep wherever he wanted, thanks to the quests he had taken in the past and, well, Tartarus.

If you managed to sleep in Tartarus, you could manage to sleep in a freaking train, really (or anywhere else, for that matter).

Nico nuzzled his face against his hip, sighing contently, and Percy's smile widened slightly.

He was so adorable.

Percy so wouldn't mind sharing one of those rooms with him and snuggle up to him in one of those small beds.

Mmh, that reminded him of last night.

Gods, it had been so…there weren't even any words to explain.

Nico had been so wonderful.

If he had known sex with him would feel this amazing, gods, he'd have probably ravished him so much sooner.

He knew the first time(s) must have hurt, even with his desperate tries to get Nico as ready as possible (he was still fairly certain Will could have done a much better job, which made him feel horrible and annoyed with himself).

But Nico had also made it obvious he had enjoyed it.

And while the first time had been more of an experimental 'What can I do to make us feel best?'-thing, the second time had proven to be much more messy and demanding and desperate, as both of them had wanted to be that close again as soon as possible.

From there, the third, fourth and fifth time had went similarly, which had tired out both of them immensely; and Percy had to admit he had almost thought the night would be over after that.

But after lots of cuddling and gentle kisses and basking in the afterglow for a while, they had settled for a sixth time, this time slow and sensual and oh-my-goods-so-amazing!

After the seventh time, they had temporarily fallen asleep, snuggled up to each other and the mess on the sheets utterly disregarded, with Percy deciding to get a bin closer to Nico's bed for the used up condoms.

But an hour later they had woken up again and kind of just…resumed.

He had no idea how that had happened, to be honest.

One moment he was sleeping, dreaming of Nico and them and, well, ok, sex…and the next moment he was awake, gazing into Nico's dark brown eyes illuminated by the jar of fire behind them, and they were kissing so gently and sensually and wonderfully and then…well, one had led to the next, and so they had had their eight time that night, making Percy fairly certain he wasn't going to have sex again anytime soon, because he felt sluggish and spent and utterly blissed out.

Of course, he had been proven wrong at 5am when they had had another extremely slow and utterly wonderful ninth time, making use of the glow-in-the-dark-condom that had made Nico laugh at first, stunned by what the hell people came up with nowadays.

Percy had loved his laugh, had loved the ease that had been between them all of a sudden, the awkwardness and embarrassment utterly vanished.

Nico had been so, so wonderful.

He had responded to Percy's touches like a starved man to food, had moved and writhed beneath Percy in the most beautiful ways, pulling them closer together, changing an angle here, dragging him into lustful kisses there, his noises the most wonderful and enticing sounds he had ever heard.

And, by the gods, his face.

Nico had looked as blissful and far gone as Percy had felt, and it had been worth all the exhaustion and effort and absolutely everything.

Percy loved him so, so much.

After their last time for the night, when they had snuggled together utterly content and happy – and tired and exhausted as hell – he had thought to himself he could die happily right now.

It was a bit like Elysium with Nico in his arms like that, still naked, still hot and sweaty from their making out.

Just a hundred times more real and more amazing and Percy wanted to spend the rest of his life just like that.

Nico smiled in his sleep and nuzzled against him some more, making Percy want to lean down and kiss him, though that wasn't possible with this angle without waking him.

Shame, really.

He looked up at Jason and Will, who were currently trying to solve some sort of crossword puzzle they had picked up at that store, after the four of them had had a heated discussion about whether they'd be able to solve it or not.

Percy had tried for two minutes, then given up.

He guessed crosswords simply weren't for him.

Will and Jason seemed to like them, though.

Well, Jason liked them, and seemed to actually be fairly good at them, while Will seemed more bored with everything else, so he tried to help out, though he seemed to prefer making fun of the things asked by now and offered the most horrid and perverted solutions that didn't even have anything to do with what was asked, the only similarity being the number of brackets to fill.

Still, they seemed to enjoy it all the same, so Percy wasn't going to interrupt that.

He preferred to stay out of that any-…

"Hey, Percy, what's a four-letter word with 'D'?" Will asked, then grinned and turned to Jason. "Wait, try 'dick'."

"I'm fairly sure that is not the answer." Jason mumbled with a raised eyebrow, while Percy had to admit that had been the first word to come to his mind as well.

Kind of pathetic.

"I think it's 'Disc'." Jason muttered after another moment, tapping the pen to the sheet in front of him.

"But that's boring. Oh, then that word with 'S' could be 'Sex', though. Alright, roll with it." Will said with a lopsided grin and Percy rolled his eyes amused.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two are desperate, horny virgins trying to act like you know everything there is to know about sex." He teased and instantly earned himself two death-glares.

"What, talking from experience?" Jason retorted drily, making Will grin rather dangerously.

Percy made a face, sticking his tongue out at them, which made them both chuckle and bend back over their crossword puzzle, still trying to solve it.

"Hmm…four-letter word with 'A'?" Jason asked after another moment.

"Anal." Both Percy and Will replied, looking up at each other surprised, slow smiles spreading on their faces.

Jason dropped the pen on the table and leaned back, going through his hair with his hands in a sign of utter defeat.

"You two are the worst."

Will and Percy merely cackled.

They were such kids.

But Percy would lie if he said he didn't love it.

.

The day passed slowly, but at least they weren't all too uncomfortable.

The train had rather big and cushioned seats, the food was alright, they had enough space and managed to fight boredom with more crossword riddles, riddles, I-spy-with-my-little-eye-games (never again), jokes and games of Yahtzee!, as well as various card games that even the others joined in, blocking any sort of path that had been between the rows before in order to get them all at the same table.

All in all, Jason would say they were all having a rather good time – which was a lot better than the past trips he had taken alone with his group.

Maybe he should really consider asking the guys to travel with him permanently.

With them around, it certainly didn't get boring and it was actually quite nice, even as the day wore on and people started complaining.

Percy surprised him with not whining along with the others, even though he looked more tired by the minute (why he didn't just go back to sleep was beyond Jason, anyways).

Nico had woken up after sometime as well, but the sleep didn't seem to have helped much, leaving him sluggish and in an odd, quiet mood that had only improved once Will had urged him to drink lots of water and given him a quick head massage.

Seriously. Will's massages.

Jason's back felt heavenly.

If he had known this was how Will's massages felt, he'd have insisted on a bit more than the mere minute Will had touched his neck and shoulders in that changing cubicle in the water park (then again, Will had kind of tried to get dressed as soon as possible, so it was understandable he hadn't really massaged him much. Though, seriously, now he understood why the other two had bought his over-exaggerated reactions instantly).

Just the thought of those warm hands on his skin had him shivering pleasantly again, his back feeling better than he could remember it ever feeling before.

It kind of made him want to return the favor, but he was fairly certain he'd embarrass himself with his minimal knowledge on massages.

He'd probably more offend Will with the notion than anything else.

"Jason, your turn." Percy reminded him with a nudge to the side as they sat next to each other, Nico on Percy's lap with the crossword Will and Percy had both worked on the past hours.

Yeah, he was fairly certain Nico was never ever going to figure it out, given that those two perverted dorks had only used words like 'dick', 'buttsmex', 'condoms' and all possible variations of those.

Poor Nico. He looked so concentrated too, frustrated that he hadn't even figured out one word yet.

It was extremely unfair though to have the only available word be 'blueberry', since that was the only innocent word in the entire crossword puzzle and of course didn't tip Nico off whatsoever.

Percy, Will and Jason were playing jackstraws with a few packs of Pocky they had gotten at the store, along with some other snacks the others were devouring right now.

Jason could think of a lot of better things to do with the Pocky sticks, but preferred to keep shut about that, instead leaning forward and tugging one out of the mess without moving any of the others.

"You're way too good at this game." Will grumbled as he continued freeing the sticks effortlessly.

Yeah, well, he had to be good at some sort of game.

When only three sticks remained, he deliberately messed up, leaving them for Will to take apart.

"Oh wow." Percy chuckled, while Will made a face and collected his share, though it was already obvious Jason had won – again.

"So, in for another round or am I supposed to eat these now?" Jason asked with a small grin, while Will seemed to start pouting and Percy started munching on his already.

"I'm good. Let's play something else. Hey, Nico, want to play the Pocky game thing with me?" He asked, wriggling his eyebrows at his boyfriend, who turned his head with a frown, eyeing the chocolate-covered stick sticking out of his mouth.

"What's that?"

Will gaped at him, staring as if he had grown a second head, and Jason was quick to nudge him with his leg.

"It's a game with those biscuit sticks. One puts one end in his mouth and holds it up, and a second person takes the other end, then they both try to get the most of the stick, usually meeting in the middle. The first to pull away is the loser." Jason explained quickly, while Will made a face at him, and Percy was busy trying to eat the stick fast enough to reply himself.

Nico gave a short nod, watching Percy hold up another one, raising an eyebrow in question as he still chewed.

"Erm…sure, I guess. So, all I have to do is try get most of that…stick?" He asked, turning sideways on Percy's lap, who nodded quickly.

"Yep, it's pretty simple, you'll see."

"You just want to play with him so you can have an excuse to kiss him, Percy. That's boring. Now, if he'd play with us, that'd be fun. I'd love to see who'd pull back first if it's you against Jason, though." Will put in with a sly grin and Jason rolled his eyes, thinking to himself it would definitely be Percy.

"Jason, of course. As if I'd ever pull away first. And no, you're not invited to play."

"Boring." Will commented with a shrug, nibbling on one of the Pocky himself and winking at Jason, which Jason decided to ignore.

"So…you usually play this game with your partner? Is it meant to end in kissing? I don't get it." Nico mumbled confused, still not taking his end of Percy's Pocky.

"You play this with all sorts of people, really. And most people pull back before it ends in a kiss or anything, but I'm quite certain neither you or Percy would pull back at all, so the end is kind of obvious, you know. Since Percy obviously doesn't want you to play the same way everybody else plays." Will explained drily, nibbling on another stick and eyeing Jason's stash contemplatively.

Nico nodded slowly.

Percy let his stick move up and down, trying to get his attention, and Jason had a hard time not to laugh.

"Look, this is how you do it." Will suddenly said and moved forward, across the table, leaning past Nico and towards Percy before any of them even had the chance to comprehend his words.

Will's lips closed around the end of the Pocky, moving forward quickly, while Percy still blinked surprised, too stunned to move.

Will bit off the last bit right in front of Percy's lips, not quite touching them, and pulled back with a satisfied smile, chewing exaggeratedly.

Nico and Percy stared at him, Nico flabbergasted, Percy incredulous.

Jason couldn't help but laugh.

"That's not fair! I wasn't ready! Plus, it wasn't meant to be YOU, anyways!" Percy cried, looking upset and grabbing for another Pocky, shoving it into his mouth and holding it up into Will's face with an offended, yet determined expression.

Will chuckled amused. "Yeah? You want to go another round to secure my win?"

Percy merely grumbled, while Nico eyed them both with a hint of unease and confusion in his features.

Jason only shook his head, taking one of his still untouched Pocky and wondering faintly whether he'd get away with trying to get Nico to play with him.

Probably not.

He wished he was a bit more straight-forward like Will, then he'd at least try.

"Alright, get ready to be beaten." Will stated smugly and leaned forward again, taking up the other end of the stick.

The two stared each other down with utter determination in their gazes, and Jason had a tough time guessing who'd win.

Theoretically speaking, Percy would be the one pulling back, given that he wouldn't want to make Nico uncomfortable or worry him – and kissing another guy would definitely fall under both categories. Then again, he was also pissed off and determined to win, and that might make him temporarily forget the consequences of his actions (this was Percy, after all).

Will didn't have anything to lose and probably wouldn't care whether it ended with their lips touching or not, but he was also crushing on Percy and tried so badly to cover up for it, so there might also be the chance of him pulling back first to prevent anyone from interpreting anything wrong, instead playing it off cool like he didn't want to kiss Percy because whatever.

Which would mean Will would lose, but the blonde was fairly determined, too, so, honestly, Jason couldn't tell.

He only hoped one of them would pull back, because if they crossed that line and actually kissed, there was no way either of them would want to back down first, and Jason could imagine an entire war starting because of that.

Before he could make up his mind who he'd even want to win, they stared moving, making their way to the middle quickly.

Right before their lips met, they both halted in their movement simultaneously, maybe the fraction of an inch left between them.

They both glared daggers at each other, but neither moved, the moment stretching on.

"Well, one of you will have to move." Jason pointed out quietly after noticing other people looking now, as well.

Neither reacted, still staring each other down.

"So…what happens if this happens? Is there a sort of draw?" Nico asked with a small frown, looking more confused than worried, to be honest.

Either Nico didn't have much of a jealous streak, or he really didn't think this was enough to be jealous about.

Well, that was at least something, he guessed.

Jason knew he wouldn't want anybody this close to _his_ boyfriend.

Then again, Percy let Will and Jason snuggle up to Nico, too, so those two generally didn't make much sense in this regard, anyways.

"I have no idea, but I guess so. Last time a stand-off like this happened, Dakota just kind of shoved one into the other and that was the end to the matter." He said with a shrug, remembering his last Pocky game with the guys of his old cohort.

Well, it hadn't exactly been _his_ last Pocky game, since he had never actually participated in one.

He had preferred to watch, mainly because everybody had tried to persuade him to try it out with them and he hadn't had a single doubt they'd have tried to get way too close.

Nico nodded quietly in understanding.

They watched as Percy and Will resumed to glare daggers at each other, both utterly unwilling to give up, but neither willing to take the necessary step.

"Guys, want to call it a draw?" Jason offered after another moment, but both their glares now turned on him, signaling a very definite 'No'.

Nico took one of the Pocky on the table, looking contemplative.

"Hey, Jason, do it with me." He suddenly said, sticking one end into his mouth and holding it up over Percy's and Will's heads, facing Jason, who blinked surprised.

Wait, what?

Instantly, Percy pulled back.

"What? Nico!"

"Yes! Victory!" Will exclaimed triumphantly, while Percy's look of surprise changed to annoyance as he looked towards Will.

"No way! Rematch!"

"What, so you can flirt with me for the next hours? No chance, Gorgeous. Nico, do me, do me."

"I was NOT flirting!" Percy cried with a hint of despair and Jason put his hand to his face, only too aware of everybody else turning their heads towards them now.

These guys.

"Jason? You want to try or not?" Nico asked and Jason looked up surprised, finding Nico still holding up the Pocky with raised eyebrows.

Somehow, he had kind of thought Nico had just done that to get Percy's attention.

Apparently, Percy had thought the same thing, looking up alarmed.

"Really? You want to do it with Jason?" He didn't sound opposed, but he also didn't sound happy about it, either.

Nico merely shrugged, taking the stick out of his mouth again to reply.

"Well, I admit it sounds and looks like a weird game, but if people nowadays play this sort of thing, then why not? Unless you don't want me to…"

"Oh, no, you can do whatever you like, Nico, it's no problem. I was just…ah…it's nothing. Will, this means rematch." Percy started off rather fidgety, then turned towards Will again with a new sense of determination.

Jason could only raise his eyebrows, but found himself shrugging.

"Sure, but let me change seats so we're not in each other's way." He said, switching to his seat next to Will at the aisle, since Will hadn't had any problem with the window seat anymore ever since falling asleep with his cheeks pressed against the glass (which had looked utterly adorable, by the way).

They had only changed their seating in the first place because of their earlier card games with the other kids, trying to make as much space as possible.

Nico slid off Percy's lap, giving him a last quick peck on the lips before sticking the Pocky in his mouth again, leaning over the table.

Jason still wasn't sure whether this was a good idea.

But Nico was going to pull back, right?

Of course he was going to pull back.

Jason took the end of the stick into his mouth, locking eyes with Nico as he heard Will and Percy arguing about going for a third round or not.

Then they started moving.

Of course Nico was going to pull back.

There was no way he wouldn't-…oh shit, he wasn't pulling back.

Oh no, oh no, oh no.

He was getting closer and closer to Nico, almost at the middle already, his eye hushing down to Nico's nearing lips now rather than the determined gleam in his eyes.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

Abort, abort, abort!

He could feel Percy's death glare at the side of his face, prickling his skin like needles, and scrunched his eyes shut, pulling back at the last possible moment.

"No way!" Will cried incredulously, while Percy merely breathed out what seemed to be a sigh of relief.

Nico fell back into his seat with an almost smug expression, chewing on his Pocky and grinning at Jason.

"You know, I think I get why people like this game." He said, but his pink ears showed Jason he wasn't completely cool with the game at all.

Still, he was trying to act confident and unbothered, and Jason had the weird feeling he was trying to act normal about it to justify Percy being so close to Will for no real reason.

"Sweet, then you'll try me next, right?" Will asked hopefully, already putting a stick in his mouth and batting his eyelashes at Nico, but Percy grabbed the stick from him and pulled it out of his mouth.

"No way. You're going to try something funny, Solace, I know you."

Will flinched slightly and sent Percy a hurt look that made Jason's skin tingle and his insides churn with the urge to whack Percy across the head and wrap his arms around Will.

He wasn't even sure what part of Percy's retort had been hurtful, but it didn't really matter to him, either.

"Hey, he just hovered in front of your face for what felt like forever, instead of crossing the line and taking that dumb stick, and you're saying you don't trust him with Nico? That's low, Jackson. Really low." He heard himself saying with a low, accusing tone that he hadn't heard himself use in a long time, surprising himself as well as the others as they glanced around at him.

So, to defuse the situation somewhat, he found himself sticking a Pocky into his mouth, holding it up to Will in invitation.

The blonde blinked once, twice, thrice.

Then he grinned, his body relaxing as he leaned forward with a light chuckle, his hand on Jason's thigh as he took hold of the other end of the biscuit.

They gazed at each other, mutely signaling they were ready.

Then Will started moving and Jason found himself copying him, coming closer, closer, closer.

He could see Will's eyes widen slightly, hushing down to Jason's lips ever so quickly before snapping back to his eyes, but Jason neither stopped nor slowed, their lips mere inches apart now.

Now, let's see whether Will was going to pull back.

Jason had no intention of kissing him, of course.

He wasn't sure he was ready for that sort of intimacy yet, and there was no way he'd want to test it out now.

Will started slowing, beginning to hover as he had done with Percy, so Jason imitated him, halting as he felt their noses brushing against each other, their heads tilted slightly to avoid rubbing them against each other too much, same as Percy and Will had done.

Bright blue eyes bore into Jason, closer than he had ever seen, making him notice the countless different shades of blue for the first time.

Not to mention the way his freckles seemed lighter and darker in various places, or the way his curly blond hair fell into his face stubbornly, as if practically asking for Jason to brush the strands aside.

Or the way Will's breath felt rather nice on his skin.

"Oh great, now we're going to have another stand-off, huh?" He heard Percy say next to him and rolled his eyes.

In one fluid motion, he pushed forward, watching Will's eyes widen surprised as their lips brushed against each other for the fraction of a second – then Will pulled back so fast and hard as if he had been burnt, looking utterly stunned.

"Jason!" He exclaimed, his face turning scarlet, while Percy practically gaped at him in surprise (which quickly changed to accusation as his eyes darted from Jason to Will and back very obviously).

Jason merely shrugged, swallowing the biscuit and feeling rather giddy, yet a tiny bit hurt at Will's reaction.

This _was_ just a game, no need to reject him quite that harshly.

Then again, it simply showed him once more there was no way Will would ever actually be interested in him, which meant Jason was dooming himself all over again with falling for somebody who didn't feel the same way.

He leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms in front of his chest and fixing his gaze on Percy, staring him down resolutely, his point just validated.

Will hadn't pushed himself onto him and hadn't crossed the line.

If he didn't do that with Percy and Jason, where he most likely couldn't care less about their comfort zones, then he sure as hell wouldn't do it with Nico.

Percy got the message loud and clear, judging by the scowl on his face.

"Fine, I'm sorry, sun-bug. I didn't mean what I said."

Now, that was better.

Will looked up surprised, then smiled, waving off.

"It's cool. Does that mean Nico and I can…"

"No." Percy stated flatly, sticking a Pocky in his mouth and turning towards Nico.

Nico huffed and rolled his eyes, but leaned forward anyways to accommodate Percy's more than evident wish to show off.

But as they started, Jason was once again taught never to underestimate Nico.

Because, instead of moving forward and letting Percy's lips meet his and have them ravish each other like all of them expected, he only fixed his hold on the stick - and tugged it clean out of Percy's mouth, wolfing it down as fast as possible.

"Nico!" Percy wailed when he realized what had happened, looking upset and devastated and utterly disappointed, sticking out his bottom lip in a pout, while Nico practically glowed with pride at having beaten him that easily.

"Ha! I think I do like this game, after all! I'd say let's play this some more, but Jason kind of crushed the rest when he went in for the kill with Will, so maybe some other time." He stated smugly and Jason blinked, glancing down at the table where his Pocky were buried under his arm he must have put there during his turn against Will.

He glanced around at Will apologetically, since that had just kind of ruined his chances of playing against Nico, but found the blonde eyeing his last Pocky in his hand thoughtfully for a moment.

Then he looked at Percy and Nico, expression contemplative.

"Here. Have it. You know, so you can have a rematch with Nico and get your kiss you want so badly." He suddenly said, holding out his Pocky to Percy with an indifferent expression, as if he wasn't just giving away his last chance at having an excuse to get closer to Nico.

Percy stared at him, taken aback, hand automatically moving to take it.

But then he stopped, glancing around and at Nico.

"Nah, you two do it. I can get all the kisses I want, don't need any games for that. Right, love?"

Nico shot him a small smile and leaned forward to kiss him. "Of course. Plus, I'd only beat you again, anyways."

"Smartass." Percy mumbled against his lips, though it sounded more loving than accusing, making Jason roll his eyes amused and shake his head.

Nico grinned for a moment, eyes half-closed and it was ever so evident he was contemplating whether to kiss Percy again or not.

He seemed to settle for not, because he pulled back a moment later, snatching the Pocky from Will where he still held it out, too distracted watching them with a half smile and half frown to react fast enough.

"Alright, let me beat you as well." Nico stated, sticking the Pocky in his mouth and moving forward, leaning over the table.

Jason raised an eyebrow at the cocky attitude, but with the way his cheeks glowed and his pupils were still slightly dilated, he was fairly sure Nico was still high on love from Percy's kiss.

Will chuckled, his eyebrows raised as well and Jason could practically feel the temptation Will was facing right now.

It was so obvious Will wouldn't be the one to pull back willingly, and Nico made it quite clear he wasn't going to pull back, either, so the outcome would be an obvious one – if it wasn't for the fact Percy had made it quite clear he'd see anything that wasn't 'Will pulling back' as a try to make a move on Nico, which would be bad since Percy had only just given Will enough trust to try.

So, yeah, it was either going to be Will pulling back and wasting his chance, or Will not pulling back and living with Percy tearing him apart.

In other words, Jason was curious to see how things would turn out, but kept his body ready to interfere should thing take the wrong direction.

He watched as Will's lips closed around the Pocky ever so slowly, wondering faintly whether he had done it quite so seductively with him as well, though he knew he certainly hadn't had such a cocky smile on his face, not to mention that suggestive gleam in his eyes.

Nico gazed back at him apparently unperturbed and utterly unimpressed, then they started forward at the same time.

Jason could feel himself holding his breath and caught Percy doing the same as those two got closer and closer to each other, tilting their heads as to prevent their noses from touching.

Will seemed to slow slightly, seeming hesitant as his hands gripped the table so hard his knuckles turned white, their faces moving closer and closer together, as if they were going in for a slow kiss or something.

Nico's eyes started glazing over slightly and he slowed down as well, his hands twitching slightly as if he wanted to move them somehow, somewhere, though Jason didn't know where or why.

Then they got to that point where Will and Percy had halted, apparently working towards another stand-off.

And suddenly, there was a loud crash behind Jason as one of the kids tugged out a bag from above them and had another one crushing down, startling the living hell out of all four of them – and Will and Nico's lips collided.

Given the angle, the proximity and the way those two had been positioned, they moved together perfectly, as if their bodies had been prepared to kiss all along.

Jason wasn't exactly sure what he had expected them to do next, but it certainly wasn't Will's hands darting up and cupping Nico's face, keeping him there as his lips moved against his and a small gasp escaped his lips.

It also wasn't Nico pushing forward against the blonde determinedly.

And it certainly wasn't both of them glaring defiantly at each other, which completely baffled Jason, because…what were those two doing?

It didn't make any sense!

When Jason glanced to Percy, he thought he'd see him in shocked stupor or maybe even furious, or at the very least looking betrayed (Will HAD promised not to cross the line, after all).  
But instead, Percy only seemed surprised for a moment, then a look of resignation hushed over his face, quickly replaced by a sort of acceptance, his shoulders slumping slightly.

He made no move to interfere, instead looking quietly from Will to Nico and back, his mouth a thin line.

Then, his lips twitched into an almost sarcastic smile and he shook his head, looking away from them, instead fixing his gaze out of the window.

Jason couldn't believe what he was seeing.

He was about to move forward, though unsure whether he should actually part those two, since it technically wasn't any of his business, but then Nico pulled back, tugging the last piece of Pocky out of Will's mouth.

"HA!" He uttered triumphantly, taking it out of his own mouth and holding it up in Will's face with a smug expression on his face.

"Told you I'd beat you!"

Will groaned, falling back into his seat and crossing his arms in front of his chest, his face scarlet, but the pouty expression on his face not seeming flustered whatsoever.

"Fine. You win. I swear, I'm going to get my revenge for that one. By the way, who dropped the freaking bag? I want to kill something. I had such a great plan!" Will exclaimed and looked around, but both Percy and Jason could only stare at them in confusion.

What?

What…?

Hadn't they just…but…they had…then why were they like this…what…

It took him a moment, but then he finally managed to put the pieces together.

_The stupid Pocky game_.

Of course.

When they had collided, Will must have tried to grab the Pocky and run for it, but Nico had probably held onto it and tried to take it from Will instead, which had obviously led to Will grabbing hold of his face to keep him from winning.

And then they must have had a whole entire game of tug-o-war with their lips pressed together.

Gods, they were such idiots, Jason wouldn't put it behind them to prioritize the game like that, whatsoever.

Nico was faithful like nothing else, after all, and Will wouldn't abuse anybody's trust like that.

Now, take a game and make everybody talk it down like it's no big deal (maybe they should stop doing that), and you'd have Nico playing along with it, because he wouldn't want them to hold back just because of him being born in a different time, and he hated feeling as if he had missed out on something.

Then add both their competitive streaks and let them play against each other.

Of course, it could only lead to a disaster.

Relief washed over him and he tried to signal Percy everything was ok, but he seemed too baffled to understand anything right now, staring at Nico in surprise.

"You…weren't kissing…?"

Jason inwardly cringed at the odd tone of Percy's voice, with that smallest hint of hopefulness in it, as if Percy could barely make himself even hope for things to not mean what they had appeared to mean.

It was kind of heart-wrenching, really.

Nico's head snapped around and he looked at his boyfriend alarmed, but before he could say anything, Will laughed.

"What? Of course not. If anything, I'd say we were trying and failing to mouth wrestle. Trust me, if I was to kiss Nico, it wouldn't be in the middle of a train, and we wouldn't be trying to steal a Pocky from each other. No, if I were to kiss Nico, I'd do a thorough job of convincing him just how well I can French Kiss and-…"

"Hey guys, I was just thinking, it's kind of getting late, don't you think? So, I know you've been dozing off throughout the day, but what do you think of actually checking out those sleeping accommodations once more? If they have enough free spots, we could get everybody settled in a few of those rooms and have some hours of rest before we need to worry about the next part of the journey. It's a long way to San Francisco, after all." Jason interrupted him, talking about the first thing that came to mind in order to prevent Will from destroying the relieved, hopeful look on Percy's face with talking way too much.

The blonde seemed to pick up on it, sending him an exasperated look, but going along with it nevertheless, nodding his agreement.

"Sure, sounds good. Maybe they still have one of those 4-people-rooms free, then we could stay together. I don't really want to be in one by myself or share it with somebody I don't know or something."

"Well, that's a pretty direct way of saying you wouldn't want to share one with me." Jason muttered sulkily, trying not to let it get to him too much, glancing over at Percy and Nico, just to sigh at the sight.

Nico was back on Percy's lap, facing him and kissing the living hell out of him, arms wrapped rightly around his neck, while Percy's were on his side, gripping him for all he was worth and seeming utterly lost to the world.

Jason saw way too much tongue involved, therefore that they were in the middle of a public train with tons of people around them.

"Well, that turns your 'maybe' into a definite 'definite', Handsome. There's no way this will not get us in trouble if they get out of hand – and we're definitely sharing a compartment with them, I'm just saying." Will muttered next to him and jumped up, tactlessly tapping Nico on the shoulder.

"Let's look at the sleeping accommodations, guys. Nico, we need your money."

Jason just loved how chilled Will was acting about all of this.

Though he couldn't fool Jason.

He knew him well enough to tell he was feeling as riled up as Jason, just that there was a flash of guilt in his features, as well, though very well hidden.

Jason got up as well, turning towards the other kids and announcing where they'd be going, telling them to start dividing into groups for the rooms.

Then he glanced back to the three guys behind him, with Nico whispering small things to Percy and Percy continuously pecking his lips, looking…odd.

He didn't look upset.  
He didn't look angry.  
He didn't look sad.

He looked…weird.

There was a light frown on his face, not as if something irritated him, but as if he was contemplating something.

And when he glanced towards Will, there was no anger or betrayal or disappointment in his gaze, but more of a thoughtful, confused and uncertain look.

For some reason, that scared Jason.

Though he couldn't say why.

* * *

**Mini A/N:**

I actually did a Fanart for this chapter (but on FFnet it wont let me add the link haha sorry XD)

I have the link on AO3 though. Or you look on my Tumblr, which is (surprise surprise) mel-chan366 (there should be a drop-down menu with 'My Suckish Art', then you'll find it ;3)

But only look at it if you want to have a good laugh ;)

Free cookies for everyone, I love you all!  
-Tári


	15. Chapter 15: Morning Conversations

**A/N:** Hello Cupcakes! ;D  
Gods, has anybody looked at the Calendar? There's only sooo few weeks left then the year is over D;

Hope you enjoy the next chapter ;3

Currently negotiating with my husband whether or not he'll proofread my chapters in the future, let's all hope for the best! (◠︿◠✿)  
(He's American, so he'd be of great help, but he is being a lazy butt saying he'll only do it if I shorten my chapters, because:  
No way I'll proof-read _thirty to eighty_ freaking pages of angst and fluff of your gay ships - not to mention the smut you most likely put in there, too, I know you  
Hmpf. Meanie. There's no smut in THIS chapter _ But hey, hope dies last, maybe he'll do it anyways ;3)

Thanks for reading, and an even bigger thanks if you leave a comment ;3

Love you all!  
-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 15: Morning conversations, panicking Nico's and Percy is being a jealous fool all over again**

The compartment was nice.

Nico had managed to ensure them all enough rooms to get everybody safely tucked into a small bed, the rooms in close proximity to each other to avoid having to search through the entire train by the morning.

Luckily, there had been one last one of those 4-bed-rooms left, so Will didn't have to explain to Jason why sharing a compartment with him alone was a bad idea, since he had already had enough of the talking of his siblings and didn't need anybody else assuming any more, either.

And he hadn't fancied sleeping by himself, either, especially since he couldn't ensure he wouldn't get any nightmares.

During his dozing off he hadn't exactly dreamed much, but that had been with his face pressed against the window and noise and light all around him, so he had been surprised he had managed to doze off at all in the first place.

But yeah, the compartment was nice.

Small, yet surprisingly roomy, and the beds weren't that uncomfortable either, though Will refused to think about how many other people must have laid in these and what they might have done in here.

Ew.  
Yeah, no. Not a good thing to dwell on.

Percy and Nico had of course squeezed into one bed together, and Will had caught the questioning glance from Jason, but he had ignored it, taking the top bunk on the opposite side of Percy and Nico without another word.

He knew the three had looked at him, probably thinking it was a bad idea to sleep in the top bunk with his nightmares, especially alone, but none of them had said anything, though he was fairly certain Jason had put all the bags right in front of his bunk beneath Will's just so he would have a soft landing in case he fell out.

The four hadn't talked much after settling into their respective beds, other than Jason telling them they'd have to see at what time the train to Richmond Station would leave, since that was the one they were supposed to take next.

Will had acted asleep already by then, but when Jason had told them that the duration of that train ride would be _over two days_, none of them had managed to suppress a pained groan.  
It wasn't as if it wasn't nice, going by train, and it was probably a lot better than driving the bus (especially with Percy's constant wailing whenever that option was mentioned), but sitting around all day on a 21-hour drive was already bad enough, how were they going to survive two entire days?

Plus, the games they were playing now were bound to get boring by then (maybe they should have asked Leo to build them phones or something...).

Except the Pocky game. Will would love to play that a couple more times.  
With Nico.  
Alone.

Gods, that had been...there were no words for it.

That had been a kiss, and nobody could tell him otherwise.

He hadn't planned on it, of course. Might have fantasized about it a bit, but he'd never actually have done anything of the sort, hadn't it been for that bag crashing to the ground and both of them jumping forward surprised.

Nico's lips had been so soft, so nice, so perfect against his.

Just thinking about it now caused his heart to leap happily again.

Of course, he hadn't let himself get carried away, instead trying to snatch the Pocky from Nico and pull back hurriedly - but by then, Nico had gotten over his initial shock, unfreezing and grabbing tighter hold of the Pocky, tugging it away instead, intending to win.

Will had been dumbfounded.

Seriously, he had kind of thought Nico would pull away, blushing and flustered and disturbed, but instead, Nico had stared him down in mute challenge, trying to steal the Pocky from him, trying to win, no matter if their lips were sealed or not.

Could anybody believe this guy?!

Will had even had to resort to grabbing hold of his face so he wouldn't get away too quickly (though he had to admit he had partly done it to press their lips more against each other, trying to memorize every little detail, from the taste to the texture to the temperature, to the sweet temptation of letting his tongue slide past his parted lips - no, of course he had refrained).

Seriously, Will was proud of himself for being able to hold back like that, especially in such an alluring situation.

And he had almost had Nico, when Nico had suddenly cheated really, really badly.

That tease.

Will should have guessed, really.

Nico had been out for the kill against all three of them, most likely because he was still having a headache as far as Will could tell, and he had seemed slightly annoyed at not knowing about the Pocky game in the first place, not to mention at them talking as if he had really missed out on something (though unintentional).

He hadn't pulled back against Jason, and he had tricked Percy with tugging the stick right out of his mouth, knowing full well what Percy had wanted to do and using it to his advantage, same as using it to his advantage that Jason wasn't going to push past his comfort zone (at least not with Nico. Apparently, he didn't care about Will's comfort zone, but that was a different matter that Will didn't wish to elaborate right now).

It was only to be expected he'd take advantage of Will as well.

Which, in this case, was changing the angle minimally and letting his tongue trace over Will's bottom lip as if trying to BLOODY SEDUCE HIM (as if holding back hadn't been close to impossible before that moment already)!

Will couldn't help it, he had let go of the stupid stick, too stunned to act, everything inside him screaming to throw all caution to the wind and ravish Nico.  
Needless to say, the moment he had let go, Nico had pulled back triumphantly, looking smug and satisfied with himself, though his face had been pink and his breathing had been ragged.

Seriously, though.

Will had had the toughest time not dragging him back into a real kiss.

The fact that Percy hadn't interfered hadn't helped much at first, either, until he had taken a closer look at the guy.

Then he had quickly sobered up again, feeling slightly guilty.

Percy hadn't reacted _badly_, but compared to that look of fake indifference and the underlying notion of defeat, Will would have preferred him ranting and threatening to kill him, any day.

And how absolutely desperate his voice had sounded.

Gods, it had been heart-breaking, making Will want to wrap his arms around him and tell him everything was going to be alright and reassure him that nothing had happened.

It was disturbing, really.  
And confusing.

On one side, he wanted nothing more than to ravish Nico, but on the other side, he couldn't make himself make the most of all the opportunities that kept presenting themselves to him, because he didn't want to hurt Percy.

The fact that he had had a tough time refraining from pressing his lips against Percy's during their little Pocky games as well was another complicating factor, too.

Will sighed, turning around in his bed and staring at the wall, wondering what he should do.

Not about Nico and kisses, of course, that was pointless to think about - he'd do nothing, since there was nothing to be done about that.

He loved Nico, and he'd probably always love him and want him and crave for all those things he couldn't have, but he wouldn't act on it because their friendship meant way too much to him to risk it.

No, he was thinking about his whole denial-issue.

Will had promised Clovis, Nico and himself he'd get rid of this mess, and he had told himself he'd do it when the guys were gone.

But since he was coming along now, though, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon, was it now?

So, should he try now? Go through all his issues one by one and sort himself out?

It didn't sound like a good idea at all, given that they were on the move, travelling first to Camp Jupiter, then to the Underworld, which meant they were all forced to stay close together and get along, with no way out, nowhere to hide.

And maybe Will was a bit scared.

What if he had some sort of massive revelation, like back when he had found out he was bisexual and liked guys the same way he liked girls?

It had changed his entire view of the world (and guys).

He liked what he had with Percy, Jason and Nico right now.

They were friends, best friends, and he loved how comfortable and at ease he could be around them, how much he could be himself when he was with them.

Of course, sometimes things weren't all rosy and he had wanted to detach himself from the group plenty enough times before, but that wasn't because of them, but because of the way he was feeling, and sometimes it had simply become too much.

So, technically, him sorting out his issues should be a good thing.

It would get him back in order and he could enjoy his time with the guys much more than if he kept this up any longer.

But at the same time, what if it backfired?

He knew he was starting to feel...something...for Percy, but what if he allowed himself to think about it further and found out he really, actually, started to fall for him (yeah, sounded unlikely, but hypothetically speaking, now)?

It wouldn't exactly change anything for Percy (Will would never tell him), but it would certainly freak Will out, and what would he do then?

Try to avoid him?

On a trip like this, there was no chance to do that.

But he wasn't falling for Percy, no, no, no.

He was just...confused...by the proximity; and Percy's character was simply a lot sweeter than Will had expected.

Yeah, that was it.

The fact that Percy was kind of his type with his dark hair and vivid eyes, lean body (and rather alluring bone structure in general) probably only added to that confusion as well, but shouldn't be anything to worry about.

Will rolled his eyes to himself.

Great, wasn't he thinking about this to stop himself from living in denial, instead of making up even more excuses?

Alright, maybe he should start with something simpler.

So...what was simpler?

"Will? Are you awake?" He heard Jason whisper beneath him.

Damn it, he must have moved around too much!

For a moment, he considered acting asleep again.

He was fairly certain it was only, like, 4am in the morning, and if Jason knew he was awake, he'd probably wonder why, and Will had no intention whatsoever of admitting the train was moving too much for him to actually rest much.

Dozing was fine, and the bit of sleep he had gotten until his nightmare had struck had been ok as well, but ever since then he had kind of kept waking up over and over again, unable to let go as he usually did.

Ugh, yeah, he should totally act asleep.

Will froze.

Wait, why would he do that?

This was _perfect_! He had said he was done living in denial and that he'd do something about it, well, this was a perfect way to start, right?

"Yeah. How come you're awake already?" He whispered back, rolling over to stick his head out and look down at Jason, who had shifted to look up at him as well, squinting slightly.

True, he probably couldn't even see him properly without his glasses on.

Kind of cute.

"I can't really sleep on trains. What about you?"

True, Jason had been the only one that hadn't really dozed off during the day.

Will wondered why he hadn't noticed that before.

Maybe they should change their plans a bit. He pictured it to be fairly difficult for Jason to be well-rested if he couldn't sleep on trains and they'd be stuck on train after train after train the whole while.

Then again, busses weren't exactly an option because of Percy, and they couldn't very well hike there, could they now?

"Same, I guess. I don't know. It's moving around too much for me to really be able to rest. Since when are you awake?" He asked, surprised at himself at how easy it was to admit to this like this.

Jason sighed, moving his hand over his face tiredly.

"No idea. I think I slept a bit after you had your nightmare, but not for too long..."

That didn't sound too well.

Will watched as Jason shifted some more and started searching for his glasses.

"That's not good. What did you do all this time, then?" He couldn't help but ask, while he watched amused how Jason started patting down the area on the bag closest to him, while his glasses were right next to his pillow, exactly where he had placed them when settling into his bunk last night.

He probably should tell him, put him out of his misery - especially as the blonde started frowning and squinting at the bags, but somehow it felt a bit...easier...to talk to Jason when he wasn't wearing his glasses, when he couldn't see Will.

That didn't make any sense, did it?

Well, Will was probably only making up excuses again, anyways.

"Nothing, really. Thinking about the trip and such. I hope we'll be able to catch the next train, because otherwise we'll have to take quite a few busses and lose at least another day or two, plus we'd have to camp outside most likely." Jason explained, huffing frustrated and moving to sit up.

"Sounds like a lot of depressive thinking, if you ask me. You should have thought of something more pleasant instead. Oh, your glasses are right next to your pillow, by the way." Will put in with a small grin, chuckling when Jason turned his head and grabbed for his glasses with a groan, flopping back into the bed and looking up at him scornfully.

"Why didn't you tell me that before I started patting down the bags? Meanie."

Will merely winked, momentarily distracted by Percy and Nico shifting in their bunk at the opposite wall, apparently disturbed by the noise they were making.

"Nah, it seemed like you were having fun, I wouldn't interrupt that now, would I?"

"Of course. Want to come down here? Then we can talk some more without interrupting the guys."

Will hesitated, surprised once more by how openly and casually Jason could talk about things like that.

No wonder Nico wasn't having half as many problems with physical contact and the like anymore since hanging out with them for so long, what with Jason and Percy acting like it wasn't a big deal whatsoever (ok, Will did his part there as well, and he had been the first to try prod Nico's borders a bit, but by now he had pulled back quite a bit…mostly because he'd have to get closer to Percy and Jason in order to do so and he didn't want anyone assuming he liked them more than he should. He was pathetic).

But still…

"No way. If you want to talk, you better come up here."

No matter how much he'd like to feel Jason's cool body temperature right now, there was no way he'd take the risk of somebody barging in (or Percy and Nico waking up) and him being in Jason's bed with him.

How would he explain that?

Nope, not going to happen.

And he highly doubted Jason was really going to-...

"Oh well, fair enough. Make space, then." Jason said with a sigh, climbing over the bags and moving to get up into Will's bunk, who couldn't do anything but stare at Jason in disbelief for a moment.

Seriously?

Jason raised a quizzical eyebrow and Will was pulled out of his stupor, moving back against the wall in an attempt to make space for Jason, who immediately slid under his blanket.

It was a _very _tight fit.

"You're cold." Will mumbled, not knowing what else to say and surprised at how cool Jason felt, much cooler than usual.

Was he always this cold? He usually felt...well...warmer? While still being cool? Well, he usually didn't feel this cold, alright?

"And you're warm." Jason retorted amused, and Will wasn't sure whether he intentionally snuggled closer, or whether that was just wishful thinking.

A part of him wanted to wrap his arms around Jason and drag him closer, while saying something cocky and stupid like 'Hell yes, now get here and let me get you hot and bothered'.

Of course, he didn't give in to that part.

"So, how come you can't sleep on trains?" He asked instead, shifting slightly and adjusting the blanket over them, hoping the bunk would actually hold their weight, now that he thought more about it.

Maybe it would have been better for him to join Jason's bed instead, after all.

Much less of a fall.

"Same as you, I guess. The movement and noise is too distracting for me to really relax. Whenever I feel close to falling asleep, I can't help but worry I'd miss signs of a monster attack or the like. Who knows what I can't hear over all the noise from the train, after all. And the others are depending on me to keep them safe. Can't let them down like that." Jason explained quietly, shuffling closer and using one arm as a pillow (probably so he wouldn't have it dangling between them awkwardly, Will guessed), eyes hushing over Will's face as if trying to memorize it, which made him slightly nervous.

In order to do something that wasn't stupid, he nodded quietly, somehow finding this very Jason-like.

Worrying about monster-attacks and missing signs of an attack, as well as caring for others too much to find some sleep.

Yep, that was Jason.

"Well, I'll most likely stay awake now, so, if it helps, I could watch out for trouble while you sleep. I have perfect hearing, so I'm sure I'll be able to pick up on anything unusual." He found himself saying before he could even think it through correctly.

Gods, this sounded so much like that clichéd 'I'll watch over you, sweetheart'-rubbish.

Jason blinked at him, genuine surprise in his sky-blue eyes.

Hey, Will could be nice, too! No need to act quite so stunned!

"I mean, it'd probably be bad if you don't get enough sleep, since you're kind of the brains behind this whole trip, you know? So...yeah...you can sleep. I'll watch ov-...I'll watch out. For you. Yeah. Sleep."

He was making an idiot of himself, wasn't he?

Jason remained quiet for another long moment, studying his face (which Will didn't like, because it made him horribly self-conscious and hyper aware of how horrid he must look, with bed head and all his dumb freckles and _ugh_) and seeming uncertain.

But then he smiled and snuggled into the pillow - and against Will - some more.

"Alright then. Thanks."

Will was glad Jason wasn't making a big deal about this.

He knew he was grateful, but he was acting as if it wasn't that unusual, as if it was normal - and that was exactly what Will needed in order to stop his hammering heart and cool his nerves.

Yeah, everything was cool.

He'd offer Nico and Percy a space in his bed and some peace of mind as well, after all.  
Or his siblings.  
Or Lou Ellen and Cecil.  
Maybe some other campers, too.

Yep, because there wasn't anything weird about it whatsoever.

Well, actually, thinking about it some more, Will was fairly sure he WOULD do that for pretty much anybody, should he get the impression that the person truly needed it.

And Jason kind of needed it, right?

He bit his lip, sneaking his hand closer to Jason's chest and feeling his heartbeat (which was slightly faster than usual, but nothing to worry about) and values, noting how exhausted he actually was.

Not to mention _so freaking cold_!

Jason shivered under his not-quite-touch and Will's jaw set.

The next moment, he worked his arms around Jason and pulled him closer.

"You're still so cold. That can't be healthy." Was his awesome excuse as Jason stiffened, mumbling a surprised 'Will?' against his chest as Will urged him down slightly, unwilling to be the one snuggling against anybody's chest right now.

Jason let him, adjusting his position slightly and burying his face in Will's shirt, which Will decided to pointedly ignore right now, this already being awkward enough.

"Thanks." He heard Jason mutter against the fabric of his shirt quietly.

"Don't mention it." Will meant it. If Jason dared mentioning this at any given point in the future, it was going to be _bye-bye superman_.

Will might have said he was going to work on his denial-issues (though Jason didn't know about that, anyways), but he wasn't doing it right now, so, officially, Nico was the only person he'd ever let this close and do this much for.

End of story.

.

When Jason woke up again, he was still in Will's arms, stuffed into the small bed.

For a moment, he was utterly certain Will must have fallen asleep, because else there was no way he'd still have his arms wrapped around him like that, right?

Or at least in some sort of half-sleep, because he could feel Will's wonderfully warm hand stroking up and down his back slowly, lazily, oh so nicely.

But then Will spoke, apparently replying to something Jason hadn't caught.

"Oh, shut it, Percy. I swear, one more word and I'll get down there and-…"

"Yeah, right. Didn't you just claim you weren't going to move until Jason wakes up again? It's already 8am, we'll have to get going soon." Percy's voice sounded from somewhere behind Jason, sounding unusually brisk.

Will let out the exasperated sigh Jason was tempted to let out right now.

"Gods, let him sleep, would you? You can wake me up at ungodly hours in the morning and drag me through the Camp all you want, but just let him sleep, alright? You're not the only one deserving rest." Will sounded unusually tense, too.

"I'm not saying he doesn't deserve any rest. I'm just saying it's peculiar how you two seem to make a thing out of sharing a bed together. Is there something you want to tell me? Are you two a thing now or something?"

Jason felt Will stiffen to a board next to him and tried his hardest to keep acting asleep.

He did NOT want to take part in this conversation anytime soon.

"We are not a thing. Stop assuming rubbish, Percy. He simply couldn't sleep and was freezing cold. Seriously, we sleep with you guys and you don't ask me whether we're dating you two. Now, leave Jason alone and molest Nico some more or something, like you've been doing ever since you woke up half an hour ago."

"I have no clue what you're talking about. But hey, that's your thing. And what you do with Jason is your thing, too, I'm not going to butt in. I mean, if he had trouble sleeping, he _could_ have woken us up and we'd have tried to find a solution, maybe get him another blanket or squeeze him in here with Nico and me or something, but hey, that's your thing. And you are so totally not 'a thing', because you just stroke his back up and down like that for the hell of it, right?" Percy's voice sounded bitter and sarcastic, and Jason realized with a start that those two were actually – seriously – _arguing_.

Because of him.

Because he was in Will's bed and Will let him and had his arms around him and wasn't pulling back or claiming it had happened against his will or whatever else he usually came up with.

Because Jason hadn't woken Percy or Nico and just spent his sleepless hours pondering the different busses they could take and where they could possibly hike as to ensure Percy wasn't going to drop dead from all the bus rides against his will.

That just sounded wrong.

There was something else there, a tension between them that he was fairly certain still came from the Pocky game kiss.

Oh, by all the gods in Olympus, this was going to be some drama to sort out.

In Will's defense, it hadn't been on purpose.

In Percy's defense, it must have hurt.

Oh my.

"I'm doing no such thing." Will retorted, but Jason could still feel his hand going up and down his back.

As soon as he thought that, the hand stilled.

"Oh. Guess I am. Well, he's still cold, alright? Touch him if you don't believe me. I think he's coming down with a cold or something." Will then said and Jason could clearly detect a hint of concern in his voice, which immediately caused a little flutter in his chest.

"Yeah, sure. I think Nico is, too. Should I wrap myself around him and stroke over his back like a lover now, too?"

Jason felt the hand tremble slightly on his back, but then it started resuming its up and down movement.

"Shut up. I'm dead serious. Let him sleep and leave me alone. If you're still mad about yesterday's Pocky game, then be mad, but don't take it out on Jason and stop hinting at us dating. It's neither funny nor true. You know damn well I'm never going to love anybody but Nico, and I would never date anybody else with half-assed feelings. So get your head out of your backside and behave like the Percy I actually enjoy talking to."

Will's words had already been hardcore, but Jason was much more concerned about the absolutely deadly-calm, yet utterly livid tone of voice he had used.

For a long moment, there was complete silence in the room.

Then Will shifted and seemed to adjust, lying back down completely and tugging Jason closer, though Jason was fairly certain now it was just for show, to rub it into Percy's face Will could do whatever he pleased.

Percy remained quiet for so long, Jason almost thought he had gone back to sleep.

"You're right. I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. All of this. I'm not feeling too well, and I guess I'm taking it out on you. Sorry." His voice was quiet, low and rueful, almost depressed.

Will didn't reply, though Jason could feel him shifting slightly, the pressure of his hand on his back increasing slightly.

"And I'm not mad about the Pocky thing. What happened simply happened. Nothing to be mad about. It was just a game."

It sounded kind of forced, but Jason was surprised to find Percy even going this far.

He wouldn't even have thought Percy would actually apologize (at least not so soon).

Will's touch softened again.

"Yeah, it was. Don't worry about it, there really wasn't anything between us. He's faithful to the bone, just like you."

Jason smiled against Will's chest, glad they were making up so easily.

Percy chuckled quietly, sounding almost sarcastic.

"Right. Well, I'm glad I-…"

"So keep him safe during that Truth or Dare he promised us. My rules, remember? And I'm sure as hell going to get kissing in there somewhere." Will interrupted with a cocky voice and Jason wanted to groan.

"No way!" Percy exclaimed instantly.

"Oh, yes way! I'll start off slow with innocent questions and a few nice dares, and then, in an unguarded moment, Nico will look up at me and say 'Dare', and I'm so going to go all Jason-style, looking him deep in the eyes and demanding in a low, wanting voice 'Kiss me'."

Jason wanted to bury his face in his hands.

Wait, had he really said it like that?

Why was this called 'Jason-style' now? He had only done it _once_!

Out of desperation!

It had just been so unfair, after all, what with those two being able to talk about kissing Nico and all, while Jason had been the only one he hadn't kissed.

It had felt unfair.

By now, Jason felt more like he had been the unfair one, demanding from Nico to kiss him right then and there in front of the guys for a dare, instead of actually getting him somewhere nice and private, having a good time and kissing because it just felt right, not because he had to.

Stupid Jason.

"I am not going to let you do that. No way in hell. Go kiss Jason or something."

"Nah, why don't YOU kiss Jason. You know what, I think I'll add that to my list of dares. Just you wait."

"You pick 'Dare' with me once, you'll see who you're going to kiss, Sunny D." Percy hissed, but it sounded more like their normal bickering, so Jason wasn't worried whatsoever anymore, more fed up with the conversation those two were having.

"Pah, I am not kissing anybody but Nico."

"Want to bet?"

"We can bet on your sorry ass kissing Jason, then I'll be rich in no time."

"I won't kiss anybody other than Nico. I'm dating him, there's no way I'll have him worry because of some dumb dare." Percy insisted.

"Oh, sure. Because Nico is so going to hold it against you if you are dared to kiss another guy you have no feelings for whatsoever. Especially when it was Nico who had to kiss Jason in the first place, who had to do a neck-nibble and who had to let you hump him into the ground. Yeah, he's so going to mind." Will retorted with a sarcastic snort and Jason buried his head in his chest as substitute for his own hands.

"You know what, fine. Have it your way. How about this: If you pick dare with me first, I'll dare you to kiss the one who loses at a round of Rock Paper Scissors. If I pick dare with you first, you can do the same. That way, if I have to kiss Jason, Nico will at least know I had no damn control over it and was pining for it to be him." Percy explained and Jason could hear as well as feel Will laugh quietly.

"Deal. This is going to be so much fun. Just out of curiosity, how far is a kiss allowed to go? Tongue, too? Jason got to tongue him. I'm the only one who didn't have the pleasure."

"You horny bastard. You know what, I don't really care. You won't get to my Nico, anyways. Plus, it's his decision how far he'd let it go, anyways."

"Oh, I know it's his decision. I'm just asking how far I'm allowed to go if he lets me go all the way. Wouldn't want you to get uncomfortable." Will teased and Jason could almost feel the sardonic grin on his face.

What exactly was this now?

Was this fighting?

Was this their usual bickering?

Was this…an abstract form of flirting?

"Oh wow, how considerate of you. Don't be too disappointed that I'm not impressed, but you kind of ruined the whole 'I'm so great and considerate of you'-thing with talking about kissing my boyfriend."

"Alright, I can live with that. Now I want to play Truth or Dare, seriously. I do have some pretty good questions, too."

And just like that, those two switched topics again.

How was this even possible?

How could they hiss and throw fits at each other in one minute, and chat about something completely different mere moments later?

How could they argue, then make up a few minutes later and continue on as if nothing had happened?

And how - by the love of all the gods - could they talk about making money with _over-sexualized crossword-puzzles_ (where had that topic suddenly come from, anyways? Jason didn't understand?)?

No, seriously, how could they talk about that, that was just weird.

Then again, both of these guys were utterly and completely weird, so it was sad that this disturbed Jason much more than the fact those two had just not only plotted against each other, but Nico and Jason as well.

And for some reason, Jason was meant to be the kissing partner on both parts.

Was that meant to be a compliment or an insult?

He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

Instead, he snuggled further against Will, relishing in his warmth and trying to fall asleep again for a little bit.

He remembered Will's words – that he might be catching a cold or something.

It was true he was feeling a tad sluggish and weird (and unusually cold), but he had kind of just thought that was because of the lack of sleep.

The thought that Will cared about him enough to genuinely worry about his health like that was cute, though.

Jason liked that.

He also really liked that hand on his back, soothingly stroking up and down and in circles.

It felt so nice.

.

Nico breathed a sigh of relief when they finally got off the train, half an hour later than the plan said, but at least they were finally...well, wherever they were.

Nico didn't really care, as long as it wasn't some place in China or something (he'd know, since he had landed there after some unsuccessful shadow travelling trips plenty enough times).

All he cared about was the solid ground beneath his feet and the fresh air smacking him in the face as they filed out of the train station, glad to get their stiff limbs moving again.

The beds had been comfortable enough, but with Percy and him sharing one, it had been a fairly tight fit, and he hadn't moved even an inch the entire night, so he was more than happy he could move his arms about freely now, without hitting anybody or anything.

He watched Will do the same, winking at him when he caught his glance, and Nico hurriedly looked away again.

What had he been thinking yesterday?

He must have stopped thinking, because other wisely there was no way he would have done that, ever.

Nico glanced sideways at Percy, reaching for his hand tentatively.

Seriously, what had gotten into him yesterday? Why had he played that dumb game in the first place?

Ok, he had to admit, it had been somewhat fun and definitely interesting, and he kind of maybe somewhat understood what people might like about it, but that was no excuse for him crossing the line like that.

Well, it hadn't just been him; Will had done his part as well.

Gods, it had felt so good, though.

Why had it felt so good? It should have felt horrible.

Nico should have felt horrible.

But if he was being honest with himself...he had felt unnervingly great.

Staring Will down had been one thing, and he _had _intended to go all the way until their lips would have brushed together, that was true, but he knew Will would have pulled back instantly, especially after promising Percy to watch it.

Then that dumb crash had happened and suddenly…suddenly, he had felt those wonderfully warm lips pressed against his own and common sense had waved goodbye.

For a moment, he hadn't been in that train anymore, but back at Camp, back in December, sitting in that clearing with Will, between his legs, with Will's face getting closer and their lips touching for the first time.

There had been a sort of warmth spreading throughout his entire body that he hadn't felt in so long, the feeling entirely different from when Percy kissed him.

And for one sweet moment, he had wanted to push forward, push against Will, wrap his arms around him and pull him closer and kiss him more, feel that feeling more, memorize it, engrave it all into his memory so he would never forget it.

Then he had realized what the hell he was even doing there, and Will had tried to snatch that stupid biscuit away (Nico had forgotten what it was called. Something with P or S or something).

He had felt so utterly betrayed.

While his insides were a jumbled mess, Will had apparently been utterly unmoved by all of this, just thinking of that stupid game.

That had kind of hurt, and he had acted on impulse, not wanting to let the blonde get away with it.

Which, of course, meant he had held on to that stick for dear life, trying to tug it away from Will, who had met his glare with a matching one of his own, grabbing hold of his face and pressing their lips further together.

Gods, it had felt so good.

Nico would have given anything to have that be a real kiss, to have Will moving against him, his tongue tracing over his bottom lip, demanding more...but Will hadn't, instead wanting_ that stupid biscuit_!

So Nico had decided to end his own misery, licking over Will's lip which had had the desired (yet hurtful) effect of Will letting go of the stick in shock immediately, so Nico had pulled back and dropped back into his seat, acting triumphant and smug about winning that dumb game he had stopped caring for ages ago.

To his satisfaction, he hadn't been the only one with a burning face and ragged breathing, but the moment hadn't lasted very long.

No minute later, he had felt nothing but guilt flood through him, especially when looking at Percy.

Percy. His boyfriend. Percy. The man he loved.  
Percy, whom he loved to the moon and back, whom he wanted and whom he was so damn glad he had.  
Percy was his everything, and Nico was more than happy with him in their relationship.

Now that they had actually had sex and all, he could even say that they really fit together in all aspects, and everything about Percy was pretty much perfect.

Why would Nico ever feel this way about kissing Will, then?

Shouldn't he have been...disturbed? Shocked? Put off?

Will's kisses were too good to feel disgusted by them, but at the very least he should have felt irritated and ended the whole thing immediately, right? Who cared about a dumb game, after all?

He should have realized that only Percy gave him those butterflies and made him feel so gods damn good with kisses alone.

But Will had made him feel _so much_.

He had _wanted_ Will to continue, had wanted...had wanted gods knew what!

How? Why?

He should be over him already!

He should only want Percy!

What was _wrong_ with him?

Percy squeezed his hand gently, tearing him out of his thoughts, back into the coffee shop they had apparently just entered, though he couldn't remember doing so.

He should seriously stop drifting off like that.

"Hey, you ok?" Percy asked him quietly, sea-green eyes ablaze with concern as he tilted his head to look Nico over worriedly.

Nico didn't know what to say.

Next to that one weak 'You didn't kiss?', Percy hadn't said a single word about the game - nor the 'mouth-wrestling', as Will so helpfully had called it.

Nico still felt it was a lie, but that was probably just him, since Will had made it more than obvious he hadn't seen it as any more than part of the game.

He wished he could have had such a perfect switch, too.

He would have loved to reassure Percy, tell him he loved him (AS HE DID!) and make him forget everything he had just been forced to witness, guilt taking over every inch of his body.

But all he could have made himself do was hoist himself into Percy's lap and kiss him, as if he had been trying to purify himself off the effect Will had had on him.

It hadn't helped all too much, the fact that he kept thinking of the difference between Will's and Percy's lips only making him feel even worse, but Percy had kept him on his lap, kissing back with an intensity he hadn't used in a long time, and Nico knew he had needed this as much as he did.

He had kept whispering weak 'I love you'-s against his lips, trying to forget what had happened, and reassure them both - but without success, of course.

Will had interrupted way too soon, of course, but the fact Percy had dragged him into bed instantly and kept him closely pressed against him (partly by choice, partly because there was no space left in the bed) had made up for that in no time.

Still, it had taken Nico quite a while to fall asleep, though he was fairly certain nobody had noticed.

Will had already seemed to have fallen asleep, and Jason had been quiet the entire time, while Percy had at first seemed to act asleep just like Nico, then kissed the side of his neck with a last 'I love you so much, Nico', before his breathing had evened out and he had seemed to have drifted off into his dreams.

Nico would have loved to turn around and watch his sleeping face for a while, but had instead settled on snuggling back against him, wishing they'd be back at Camp in their bed in his cabin; or at least already in the Underworld, in his room there, alone together.

When he had finally fallen asleep, though, he hadn't dreamed of Percy and himself in a nice secluded place.

No, he had dreamed of Will and Percy and Jason, lots of kisses, and a lot of unspeakable things he _never ever_ wanted _anybody_ to find out.

In other words: Nico was disgusting and horrible and the worst person in the world, not to mention boyfriend.

Percy really did deserve better.

The thought made him feel sick, his insides lurching in a surge of panic.

He didn't want to lose Percy.  
He _couldn't_ lose Percy.

Percy was his everything.

He loved him so, so much.

All of this...it didn't have to mean anything, right?

He could just...pretend that everything was just fine.

But...but what if Percy asked? What if he asked Nico whether he still had feelings for Will? Or Jason?

He loved Percy, he really, really did.

But he definitely still had feelings for the other two, though he tried so very hard to get rid of said feelings, to just see them as what they were: friends.

He tried and tried, but it just...it just wouldn't work.

What was he going to do?

"Nico? Hey, are you alright? You look like you're going to be sick." Percy asked worriedly and Nico could see Jason and Will turn around to look at him from where they stood in line in front of him.

"I...I'm fine..." He mumbled, but his voice cracked slightly.

What was he going to do?

He couldn't even talk about this to anybody, especially not Percy.

What if he left him because of this?

Percy might seem fine right now, but what if he was just trying to force himself to be ok with it, and in a few days he'd break up with Nico because he simply couldn't take it?

"Nico? Do you want to go outside? Catch some fresh air?" Will asked, putting his hand on Nico's forehead to probably measure his temperature.

Nico shivered under the touch, his hold on Percy's hand tightening.

Percy stilled next to him, halting in his movements to scan his face with an odd expression.

Oh no, what if he thought Nico liked Will more than him?

What if this was all going to end really, really horribly?

Nico wished he had never played that dumb game in the first place.

"Jason, can you take Nico outside? I'll get whatever you wanted, yeah?" Will asked, but it sounded more like an order, his expression tense, his voice unnaturally cool.

Nico's heart hammered in his chest, suddenly feeling dizzy with panic.

Had he noticed something?  
What was going on?  
Why was he looking at him like that?  
Had he realized what Nico was feeling for him and was going to tell on him?  
No, Will wouldn't do that, right?

Everything was going to be fine.

Percy squeezed his hand reassuringly one more time, then he let go, and Nico felt as if he had just been pushed off a cliff into Tartarus or something, his body starting to tremble.

But before he could really say anything or look around at his boyfriend, there was Jason, blocking his view of anything else around him, expression gentle and assuring and familiar - and Nico let him take him away, out of the coffee shop, back into the cool morning air and the buzzing of the all-time busy streets.

He felt an arm around him, steadying him, though Nico hadn't noticed until then that he had been staggering and tripping as he tried to walk.

Nico had no clue where Jason was taking him, but he numbly followed him, his mind still a whirl of fear and dread and panic.

Jason led him to what seemed like a park, only slowing down when he found an unoccupied bench.

"Is this ok?" He asked with that hint of typical Jason-uncertainty that made Nico's shoulders relax slightly, and he managed a short nod, his mouth feeling like sandpaper.

Jason gently ushered him onto the cool wood, sitting down beside him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked cautiously, and Nico instantly stiffened again, alarm bells going off inside him.

Jason knew, didn't he? Everybody knew.  
They must be so disgusted by Nico.

He was horrible.

Why was he like this?

Not only was he child of Hades, unwanted and feared by everyone on sight, not only was he gay, which made things even worse and pushed him farther away than ever.  
No, he also just had to be this disgusting person that had a crush on another guy - no, TWO other guys - while having such a wonderful and perfect boyfriend already.

A boyfriend.

He had a boyfriend. Percy was his boyfriend.  
Percy, the one guy he had always wanted, had loved so much from the very beginning on.  
And Percy _loved _him. Percy loved _him_.

And Nico was so happy with him. He really was!

A tear ran down his cheek, burning hot against his cool skin.

Jason was there before Nico even knew what was happening, wiping his tear away gently and pulling him close.

"Shh, don't cry. There's no reason to cry. What's wrong? Is it because of yesterday?"

Nico started sobbing like a little kid, ashamed and mortified by himself for this utterly horrid breakdown right now, but Jason merely pulled him closer, trying to soothe and calm him somehow.

"I'm a horrible person, Jason. I don't deserve him." He heard himself utter between sobs, barely intelligible.

But Jason froze next to him, so he guessed he had heard him.

"That's not true. Why would you think that? Come on, is that why you're crying? Nico, sweetheart..." Jason's voice was so gentle and caring, just like everything else about him, from his expression to his posture to his hands, soothingly stroking over Nico's sides as he held him in a tight embrace from the side, allowing him to weep at his shoulder.

"You don't understand...I love him..." He tried to make himself understood, but he couldn't even understand himself.

"We know, Nico, and that's..."

"No! I...I..." Nico insisted, shoving Jason away rather harshly, putting his face into his hands instantly to hide it from view.

He wanted to yell at Jason, tell him he loved him, tell him he loved Will, tell him exactly what sort of horrible person he was, with all his abnormal and disgusting thoughts and wants and dreams.

But at the same time, he couldn't make himself do it, couldn't bear the thought of watching Jason's expression change, couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

"Nico, it's ok. Everything is ok. If this is about that dumb kiss with Will, they already talked it out. Nobody is holding anything against you, sweetheart."

"Well, they should!" Nico snapped back, but then allowed Jason to pull him back into a hug, wrapping his arms around the blonde helplessly.

"It wasn't anybody's fault, especially not yours, Nico."

"But I _wanted _it, Jason! I wanted to...to..."

He couldn't say it.

He didn't have to say it, either, judging by Jason's minimal tensing.

"Shh, it's ok."

"Nothing is ok!" Nico insisted, clinging to him as if he was all that kept him from falling - he was.

For a long moment, Jason remained silent, Nico's sobs being the only thing disturbing the silence around him.

He didn't even know whether there were people close by.

How pathetic was he? Crying in public like a baby, because he was busy pitying himself.

"Percy loves you, Nico. A lot. And I know you love him just as much. Or did that change since yesterday?" Jason then asked quietly, but firmly, and Nico shook his head against his shoulder.

Of course not. He was fairly sure he'd always love Percy.

"See? Listen, Nico. Sometimes, things simply happen that we have no control over. That thing yesterday is such an example. It wasn't your fault, and it wasn't Will's fault. Or did you push up against him on purpose?"

Nico shook his head again.

"See? The only one I ever saw you kissing out of your accord is Percy, Nico, and that's what counts, isn't it? Imagine it had been Percy in your position. Remember when they had their stand-off, inches away from each other? What if the bag had crashed down then; and they would have 'kissed' like that? Would you hold it against Percy?"

The thought was laughable.

"Of course not." He retorted, his voice cracking slightly at the end, but his sobbing was slowly subsiding.

"See? But this is the same thing, isn't it?"

No. No, it wasn't.

"Jason, I wanted to...I wanted it to be a kiss. I remembered...I remembered when he kissed me in that clearing, Jason. And I kind of...wanted to feel that again. I just...I love Percy, and I'm so happy with him. Why would I feel this way? I just don't understand. What's wrong with me?" He asked, noticing how desperate and broken his voice sounded.

Jason tugged him closer.

"Nothing is wrong with you, sweetheart. We can't choose how we feel. And sometimes, our feelings can be the most confusing thing in the world. But that doesn't mean anything is wrong with you. Look, you might have wanted to kiss Will, but you didn't, did you now? So don't beat yourself up about it."

"But what if he leaves me?" Nico whispered, hands clutching Jason's back tightly.

"Why would he do that? Nico, Percy loves you, adores you, almost worships you. He'd never leave you over something stupid like that. Did he give you the impression he wanted to break things off?"

Maybe not now, but given some time...

"What if...what if my feelings won't change? What if I'll always want to...kiss Will?" He asked hesitantly, and the words tasted bitter, evil, forbidden.

"That depends on you. Feelings don't always change, and if they do, then not always for the better, Nico. But you're still the master of your actions. And it's all up to you what happens and what doesn't, and how you'll deal with it." Jason explained quietly, still holding him tightly, rubbing circles over his back now as Nico buried his face further in the fabric of his jacket.

Nico thought about his words for a long moment, trying to calm down and control his breathing (and stop his pathetic crying).

"Percy knows." He whispered feebly, thinking of those cursed answers he had shown Percy.

And Percy had started dating Nico even though he had known Nico had feelings for the other two as well.

He must have expected him to get over those two.

And now, Nico was disappointing him.  
He was disappointing everyone.  
Maybe Nico simply was a major disappointment.

"Yeah? And has he said something bad about it? That he has a problem with how you feel?"

Nico shook his head slightly.

"Then maybe he doesn't mind." Jason suggested, as if things ever were that simple.

"How could he?" Nico asked bitterly, wondering how anybody could possibly want to put up with somebody like him for long.

"Hm, I wouldn't know, maybe because he loves you to bits? Come on, Nico, stop looking down on yourself like that. You're an amazing guy and we love you so much. You're funny, adorable, responsible, so mature for your age, but still able to be the biggest dork ever. You are strong and determined and loyal, the best friend anybody could wish for and the worst nightmare to your enemies. You have both the looks and the personality, and I know Percy is the luckiest guy in the world to be able to call you his boyfriend."

Jason's words were so sweet.

Like balm for his soul, trying to mend his torn down self-esteem.

Of course, he didn't let that happen.

"I'm not that great. I just told you I-…"

"Would you ever cheat on Percy, Nico? Because I don't think you would. What if you dreamed tonight, and let's just say there was no Percy there, but instead, you were dreaming of a nameless guy. Nothing about that guy matters right now, just the fact that it's not Percy. So, in your dream, it's you and that guy, and you're all happy and lovey-dovey, and let's say you two kiss. You feel great, it feels right, everything is cool – then you wake up. So, you just had a dream of kissing somebody who wasn't Percy. Did you cheat on him now? Does this mean you're sexually frustrated or unhappy with Percy in any way? Would this justify him breaking up with you?" Jason interrupted him resolutely, his voice still so very patient and calm and soothing, and Nico wondered faintly whether he could ever show this much patience to anybody else like this, especially given this bizarre topic.

But then he started pondering his words.

"No…I suppose not…"

"Exactly, because you can't control what you dream about, can you now? So, let's say it's not a nameless guy, let's say it's Will. Or any other of your friends. Or just somebody you saw one time on the street or at Camp or whatever. Same dream, but this time with a person you actually know, but still not Percy. Is this cheating? Does this mean you want to dump Percy and date that other person? Does this mean you love that other person to bits and are making a mistake in being with Percy?"

"No." Nico muttered, though this dream description did sound slightly like cheating in his opinion already.

"Ok, now, what if you were with friends, us for example, or at Camp Half-Blood with a lot of other kids and they played a game. Spin the bottle. Percy and you are participating because you lost a bet, or maybe simply out of fun, ok? So, the bottle spins, and as luck – or lack thereof – will have it, you end up having to kiss a random camper, or Will, or me, or whoever, but not Percy. Is that cheating? Does that justify Percy breaking up with you? Does that justify you beating yourself up about it?"

Nico had an inkling to where Jason was going with this.

But it just wasn't the same!

"That's different, Jason." He mumbled, shifting in Jason's embrace to put his chin on Jason's shoulder, snuggling into his hold slightly as he felt the cold seep through his clothes.

"How so?" Jason asked, his grip on him tightening.

Nico was fairly sure this must look so weird to outsiders.

He wouldn't even be surprised if they looked like a couple.

The right thing to do would be to pull back, so Nico wouldn't get himself into even more of a mess, nor make people assume wrongly about Jason.

But Jason didn't let him out of his hold when he tried to pull back, instead tugging him back against his chest and putting his head resolutely on Nico's shoulder, nose close to his neck, making it quite obvious he had no intention whatsoever to let him go right now.

"How is it different? It's a game that has the possibility of leading to more physical contact than you're comfortable with. You are upset because you ended up closer to Will than you originally wanted, and more so, you're devastated to have enjoyed how close you got to him. Fact is, though, that you two didn't come that close out of your own free will's, but because of an accident, which means it's even less of an issue compared to a game of Spin the bottle. And we all know Will is a good kisser, so of course you're going to enjoy it, you dork. If anybody should feel bad about anything, it's me, because I'm the only unlucky fool who got no kisses yesterday." Jason's voice changed at the end, loudly lamenting about the apparent unfairness of not being part of this whole mess.

Nico couldn't help but chuckle quietly, which promptly caused hick-ups.

How embarrassing.

"Hey, no laughing, there. I feel SO unloved right now."

Though Jason wasn't exactly being funny, the fake offense in his voice kind of made Nico laugh, anyways.

Which was horrible when one had hick-ups, really.

Of course, Jason just had to pull back right then, gazing at him affectionately, while Nico probably looked like a total mess, with puffy, red eyes, half-dried tears on his cheeks, a small grin on his face and constant hick-ups between some last few sobs.

Still, Jason's gaze didn't waver and didn't change, staying affectionate and honest and gentle, making Nico feel warm and safe and calm.

A finger brushed against his cheeks, wiping away the last traces of his crying gently.

"There we go. Are you feeling better now? We can talk some more, if you want. About anything or nothing. All up to you."

Jason was always so kind.

Nico smiled up at him, feeling the urge to wrap his arms around him and pull him close again.

Let him know how grateful he was that Jason was his friend (which was slightly ironic, since Nico felt much more for him than friendship, but that was nothing he wanted to discuss right now – or ever, for that matter).

Instead, he settled for a small nod.

"Yeah, thanks. I feel a lot better now. I mean, I still believe what I said. But…but talking about it…I think it helped. Then again, talking to you always helps. It's like your secret weapon or something. Jason Grace, the hero who can talk gods out of bringing forth a war and who can solve your messed up views of life and self-pitying sessions within an hour. You could probably make money with that, I'm just saying. Isn't there something like that? Counseling or something?"

Jason chuckled, shaking his head with a slight roll of his eyes, ruffling through Nico's hair.

"Nah, my counseling is reserved for friends and family, only."

Nico laughed, pushing his hand away.

"Oh really? You do know that's, like, most of the world, given that the gods aren't exactly the most faithful bunch. So, in a way, your family and friends would include all of Camp Half-Blood and Jupiter, as well as their families and all."

Jason raised an eyebrow.

Then he grinned rather evilly.

Leaning forward, he moved his lips to right next to Nico's ear, who instantly stilled.

"Following that logic, you do know you're technically having sex with your cousin, right?"

Oh shit.

Nico pulled back.

"JASON! NO!" He wailed, trying to unhear what he had just heard.

Oh GODS!

_NO!_

Jason cackled very un-Jason-like, but maybe that's what made it so Jason-like after all.

And Nico still tried to unhear what he had just heard.

On the bright side, he wasn't thinking about forbidden kisses anymore.

.

"Shower him in affection." Will suddenly blurted, as soon as they were somewhat seated at a high table, right next to the door, with perfect view of the buzzing street outside.

"What?" Percy asked taken aback, sorting out their drinks.

Will had been too absent-minded to order, so Percy had done it for him, though he could barely keep calm as it was.

Nico had looked so utterly horrified all of a sudden, pale and worried, with big, scared eyes.

What had happened? He had been odd ever since waking up, but Percy had hoped that was because of the train, since that had left them all a bit worse for the wear.

Now, however, it seemed he had misinterpreted what must have been sure signs something was wrong.

He had the sinking feeling he knew exactly what that was, too.

"Nico. I don't know what happened, whether you said something without thinking, or whether it was something else that triggered it, but he's scared. Like, really scared. On a scale from 1-10, he'd be a 12. He was _so_ close to a freaking breakdown, Percy. A _real_ breakdown. I'm guessing it's because of yesterday, so I'm assuming either you two tried to talk about it and failed, or you have avoided the topic altogether, which I find more plausible. He's super insecure right now, as if he expects something horrible bad to happen. Right now, I'd say that would be equal to something along the lines of you leaving him." Will explained, not meeting his gaze, instead frowning as that dumb guy at the counter winked at him again.

"What? Why would I ever want to leave him? Why would he think that?" Percy asked aghast, scowling at the dark-haired guy at the counter, trying to signal him to leave Will alone.

Seriously, that guy had been flirting hardcore with the blonde (not that Will had noticed. Again, he had been too absent-minded to even order, so Percy doubted he even as much as noticed the guy up until now).

Wait, that wasn't important right now.

Nico was important.

Why would he think that? Why would he be scared of Percy leaving? Why would Percy want to do that?

Because of that kiss yesterday (he knew that was a kiss. Everybody knew. It was nice of them to act the part, though, he guessed)?

That had been horrible.

He had watched as they had collided, both of them looking surprised, but their expressions quickly changing as Will's hands came up to cup Nico's face, and Nico pressed against him more urgently.

Percy hadn't thought it'd feel quite as it had.

That was, he had expected it to feel horrible, painful, tearing him apart from the inside.

He had expected to feel angry and betrayed, to lunge forward and rip them apart and beat Will to a pulp (or at least threaten to, he was fairly sure he'd never actually hurt him, but nobody had to know that) and wrap himself around Nico, hissing and spitting and protecting what's his.

He had not expected to feel like...this.

It had surprised him, shocked him, and there was no denying that it had hurt...at first.

But after the initial shock and pain had passed, and he had taken in the scene in front of him, something inside him had simply...shifted.

And instead of being outraged, he had felt almost happy for them.

Happy for Will because Will had been craving to kiss Nico for so long but would never make a move on him.

Happy for Nico because Percy knew how much he liked Will, even though they never talked about it.

The feeling had been unfamiliar, not to mention unwelcome, alien to his jealous mind, but he hadn't fought it, instead admitting defeat and just leaving them be.

And he remembered how he had thought to himself this was it.

In his mind, Nico and Will kissing had been something like a sign he had been waiting for, a line that he had known would get crossed.

But instead of thinking this would be the end of the line, the end of them, their relationship; his whole being had just blindly accepted the fact that he was - not going to _lose_ Nico, but _share_ him.

He had just..._accepted _that.

It hadn't been asked, nothing else had indicated that, but as he had watched them kiss, it had been so obvious how much they wanted it, how much they wanted each other.

They could fake-glare at each other all they want, Percy knew them both well enough by now.

And it had been so utterly obvious that the solution to the problem would be adding Will to their relationship, to let Nico date him as well, to have them somehow date each other.

Percy hadn't even questioned it in his head, not one drop of doubt in his being.

The only question he had had was whether that meant Jason would be a part of it as well.

Could anybody believe this?

Percy had just sat there, watching his boyfriend kissing another guy, and all he had done was pondering whether they'd be a threesome or a foursome.

What the hell?  
Did that mean he was actually OK with this?!  
Did that mean he was actually ok with sharing his Nico?!

With Will? With Jason? With both of them? In a relationship?

To watch them kiss and make out right in front of him like Percy and Nico did all the time?  
To watch them making heart-eyes at each other and whisper gentle I-love-you's in each other's ears while he was right there as well?

The most horrible thing was that Percy's answer had been _yes_.

And he hadn't even felt bad about it, hadn't even felt disturbed by this.

All he had felt was sadness that it was happening so soon, that he hadn't gotten to be with Nico alone for a while longer.

That he'd lose that special privilege of being Nico's one and only so quickly.

As if he had always known this was how it was going to play out.

And now, that thought scared him.

Why was that ok? Why had he not even questioned it?  
And what did that say about his feelings towards Will and Jason?

Once he had realized they _weren't _going to make more out of it, had realized they hadn't thought of this like a kiss at all, hadn't gotten carried away at all, instead continuing that dumb game, he had felt hopeful and guilty at the same time.

Hopeful, because it meant he could be with Nico alone for a bit longer.  
Guilty, because somewhere inside him he knew he had to get this out, had to let the guys know how he felt about this, had to tell them it was ok - while he knew he SHOULDN'T be ok with it!

He shouldn't think like this!  
He shouldn't even want to let Nico go like that!  
He should fight for him, push the other two away, should make sure everybody knew Nico was his and solely his.

Instead, he had sat there, gazing into Nico's eyes and trying to read what he was thinking, feeling, wanting.  
Now, he couldn't understand why he had thought the way he had.

He didn't even know what Nico would say if he ever as much as hinted to a sort of open relationship, or threesomes (not to mention foursomes) that were or weren't mainly sex-based.

Would they even be able to actually 'date' each other?

Will had said for something like that to work out, they'd have to love each other.

Percy found himself gazing at Will in front of him, taking in his complexion.

No, this was stupid.

He shouldn't even think of this.

Percy had no idea where all these thoughts had come from, but they had to get the hell out of his head. As soon as possible.

With a jolt, he realized Will had been talking all this time.  
Oh gods, he had completely tuned him out to follow his absurd line of thoughts.

"Sorry, what? You lost me." He said and Will halted mid-sentence, blinking confused and frowning at him.

Then his eyes hushed past him towards the counter again.

Percy didn't have to look to know it was that guy again.

For some reason, the thought immensely annoyed him and he looked down at the drinks between them to not snap at Will about continuously looking in that guy's direction.

He had bought Nico a hot chocolate, unsure whether he drank coffee, and if so, how.

For Jason he got the deal of the day, a Brownie Latte Macchiato - he'd either love or hate it, 50/50 chance.

For Will and himself, he had gotten a Latte Macchiato as well, his own with a shot of blueberry syrup, turning it slightly blue; and Will's with caramel, because he had no clue what else to get the blonde, who hadn't made any move to say a thing, staring off into space with a detached expression, right through the guy at the counter who had so badly tried to draw his attention.

Percy grabbed his drink and took a sip, still utterly annoyed, and found Will shifting in his seat uncomfortably, raising his own cup to drink.

That's when Percy saw what definitely was a scribbled mobile phone number and name on the cup.

"Oh, hell no!" He spat, lunging forwards and snatching the drink from Will, who stared at him utterly stunned, his lips still open as he had been in the middle of repeating himself - and Percy had again not paid attention.

But that didn't matter right now.

What mattered was...

"We're switching drinks. Have mine. This is it. We're leaving." He said curtly, shoving his cup into Will's hands and grabbing his jacket, as well as Nico's drink, turning to send a ferocious death-glare towards the guy at the counter, who merely eyed them with a small frown, eyes hushing from Will to Percy and back.

"Percy, what..."

"Now." Percy all but growled, making his way to the door quickly, glad they were seated so close to it in the first place.

He held it open for Will, who still looked confused and disturbed, but followed him all the same, and Percy sent a last glare towards the guy, who was now looking rather amused, even daring to wink at him.

Percy was more than tempted to pull out Riptide, though he knew it wouldn't harm the guy.

Not that he wouldn't at least like to scare him.

Percy snarled at him, the message loud and clear:_ Hands off! Mine!_

Then he stepped outside, where Will stared at him wide-eyed.

"What was that about? What's going on? Did something happen?" He asked, holding Jason's and his own drink and looking stupefied.

Percy merely shook his head and took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, his heart hammering in his chest.

Wait, what the hell was he even doing?

He shouldn't give a damn who was flirting with Will.

He knew this, yet he couldn't brush off the urge to turn around and walk back inside that store to tear that guy to pieces.

It was so unlike him, so foreign, this sudden rush of jealousy and violence, reminding him way too much of when he had been in Tartarus.

It was a part of him he usually liked to push down and ignore.

Why was it flaring up now?

Why with Will?

Damn it, Will hadn't even expressed any interest in that guy, if he even noticed that he had been trying to flirt with him.

With Nico panicking like that, Percy could completely understand if Will started zoning out just like Percy was.

Nico was the one Percy should be thinking about.

Nico was the one who should make it this impossible to control himself from harming normal (idiotic) citizens (not to mention he had much more reason to be jealous when it came to Nico, given that Jason and Will were always around him and Percy knew for a fact that Nico _was _interested in them the same way they were in him!).

This was crazy.

What _was _this?

"Nothing. I just didn't want to sit around in there anymore, that's all. Let's go looking for Nico and Jason." He said dismissively, looking around him at the buzzing streets.

Where would he take Nico if it had been him to take him outside?

Somewhere more private, away from others.

A bit more quiet.

"I think they went to the park. Remember, when we took a left at the first intersection after the station, Jason pointed out there was a park close by. The one he said we'd meet up at later with the others." Will said next to him, scratching the side of his head awkwardly, still eyeing Percy oddly.

The park. Right.

He nodded slowly, and they both started making their way through the streets.

"You're probably right. Listen, I'm sorry about the thing with the coffee shop. And I'm sorry for not exactly listening. I was just..."

Confused? Beside himself? Contemplating things that should not be contemplated, like, ever?

"It's ok, I understand you're worried. Don't worry, Jason will calm him down and everything is going to go great. As I said, the most important thing you have to do is show him everything is alright. Shower him in affection. Kiss him, hold his hand, give him heart-eyes even more than usual and reassure him you still love him way too much to even think he could possibly think you'd ever want to spend a minute without him by your side." Will babbled easily, smiling and looking upbeat as usual as they walked on, waving at a couple of kids from their group that were wolfing down pizza on the opposite side of the road.

Percy rubbed the side of his neck, nodding quickly.

Shower him in affection. He could do that.

In fact, he wanted to do that all day, every day, all the time, forever and ever more.

The only reason he hadn't done it lately was because he hadn't wanted to pressure or bother Nico, especially today, when Nico had seemed so distracted and distant.

Maybe that should have been even more of a reason for him to smother Nico with love, though.

"Ok, thanks. I'll give it my best shot, I guess." He said, trying for a small smile, and found Will nudging his arm with his own in reassurance.

"No worries, he'll love it. You're both such dorks, after all. And I have to admit this drink isn't even half-bad. Then again I kind of like blueberry." Will admitted with a shrug, holding up his drink to Percy with a lopsided grin, taking another big sip.

Percy grinned back at him, feeling a flutter in his chest at the thought of Will drinking from a drink he had drank from - which was utterly stupid, of course, since they had done that plenty of times before, even sharing forks and such (or that one potato chip...).

He pushed the feeling down.

It wasn't important right now.

They made it to the park shortly later, Will discussing different berries and how they didn't even belong to the berry-family, while other vegetables or fruit supposedly did, and Percy found himself listening, drinking his caramel-coffee quietly, always ensuring that dumb phone-number stayed well-hidden under his hand.

He still didn't like that guy.

And while he knew Will wouldn't be interested and probably hadn't even thought of the guy that way, he still didn't want him to know somebody had made such an obvious move on him.

He used the petty excuse that he didn't want Will to start acting even more cocky.

Even though he knew that was far from the real reason.

But that was too complicated now, and he could already detect Jason and Nico sitting on a bench some feet ahead of them, joking and laughing, and - gods - Nico looked so utterly beautiful with that adorable smile on his face.

Percy wasn't even thinking, already moving forward, watching Nico's face as he turned his head and spotted him, eyes lighting up, smile diminishing slightly, but not disappearing, as he got up and walked towards Percy, meeting him half-way.

Percy wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close, and pressed his lips onto Nico's.

Mmh, his lips always fit so perfectly against Percy's, it was wonderful.

Nico smiled against his lips, returning the kiss instantly, his arms around Percy's neck.

This felt so nice.

So perfect.

Percy could hear Will chuckling quietly somewhere next to them, and heard what appeared to be Jason's footsteps as he moved towards them, too.

"They are as subtle as always, I'd say." Will said and Percy inwardly rolled his eyes at the clear amusement in his voice, though he knew they must be so fed up with seeing Percy and Nico like this.

He knew he shouldn't do this, too, but who could possibly resist Nico?

Percy just wished they could feel as happy and great and splendid as he was feeling.

Especially with Nico's lips pressed so nicely against his, his tongue licking over his bottom lip, demanding entrance that Percy granted only too willingly .

He felt himself wanting to pull him closer, but with holding up the Hot Chocolate for Nico, he couldn't really tighten his hold anymore.

Oh. The drink.

Reluctantly, he pulled back slightly, tugging on Nico's bottom lip as he went, wishing he could spend the entire day like this (especially since they'd be on another train in no time, and this time for _so damn long_!), and pulling his arm back to show Nico the drink he had gotten him.

"Hey Love. Hope you like Hot Chocolate." He tried to say, but it came out as a low purr that had both Jason and Will raise their eyebrows at him, while Nico just smiled one of his utterly dazzling smiles.

"Love it. Just like I love you. Though I love you much more."

Percy felt that wonderful warmth spread through him that always came over him whenever Nico said those beautiful words, and he leaned forward to give him another peck, threading their fingers together around the cup, instead of just passing it to Nico.

"And I love you even more."

"Impossible." Nico retorted, connecting their lips again.

"No way."

"Yes way. I love you tons more." Even more pecks.

"And we both love you tons, too. Mind if we go somewhere a bit more warm? And let's grab something decent to eat, I'm starving, and there's no way I'm having train food before tonight." Will interrupted their private moment, but they both found themselves smiling, letting go of each other in favor of sending Will a playfully exasperated look.

"Oh really, Freckles, now you interrupted them. Say sorry and let's go grab them something to eat while they kiss and make up a bit more." Jason chided, putting his hands on Will's shoulders and turning him around, leading him away from them with a knowing smirk towards Percy and Nico, who could only chuckle quietly.

For a moment, Percy wanted to stop them, call them back and tell them he didn't mind.

But he didn't.

It wasn't the right time for that yet, nor for the conversation that would follow.

No, right now was Nico-ravishing time.

His Nico.

So he turned back towards his boyfriend, finding him already leaning in to kiss him again, in the middle of the park, with a few people passing by who didn't pay them any mind.

He loved this place.

And even more so, he loved Nico.

.

"So, you're not going to ask?" Jason asked behind him and Will turned around, raising an eyebrow at the blonde.

"Oh, I'd love to know, but at the same time, I know it's nothing of my business. I can already guess what the problem was, and by the looks of it, you managed to take care of it, so that's all that matters to me right now." He waved off, studying the signs in front of the stores around them, looking for something they could have for breakfast/early lunch.

Oh, he wanted to know, alright.

Wanted to know whether Nico had nearly broken down like this because of yesterday, wanted to know what had bothered him so much, wanted to know what Jason had done to make him talk about it, wanted to know how Jason had managed to get him back to his happy self.

Wanted to know what that meant for everybody now.

He also wanted to know what the hell had been wrong with Percy.

Seriously, the way he had just suddenly zoned out hadn't been very surprising or unexpected, but the way he had jumped up and all but rushed Will out of that coffee shop had been highly unusual.

Not to mention the way he had glared around him with murder in his eyes, as if he was ready to kill.

What or who had ticked him off like that?

Will hadn't even noticed anybody talking to Percy in the first place, and nobody had paid them much mind, unless one counted that weird guy at the counter, who had kept staring at Will for some odd reason he hadn't understood.

It didn't matter, anyways.

"Still, I would have thought you'd at least try to ask me about it. For your information, it was about yesterday, but not what you might have expected. Everything is fine now, though. At least more or less. I think Percy should really have a talk with Nico about what's ok and what isn't, but other than that, they'll be fine. How did things go on Percy's end? I am assuming he was worried?" Jason asked, walking next to Will at a leisured pace, hands in his pockets, looking around at him with his sky-blue eyes.

Will shrugged, his brain stuck on the 'but not what you might have expected'-part, though he couldn't make sense of it.

Sadly, he knew Jason wouldn't say any more about it, else he would have already done so.

"He was. In the beginning, at least. Then he kind of got distracted. I told him to shower Nico in affection, that should reassure him until they've had their talk. So, how did you like your drink? Percy picked it for you."

"Pretty good. Not my usual choice, but good. What was the story behind your drink, by the way? I mean, I know you two are close, but I'm fairly certain you don't just switch drinks for fun. And that blue drink you had was most definitely Percy's." Jason said with an expression that said he knew he was right.

Will sighed.

He'd like to know the answer to that, too, to be honest.

"I have no idea. We ordered, he picked that drink and a different one for me, then we sat down to drink and wait for you guys, when he suddenly threw this whole tantrum, demanding to switch drinks and all. Then he ushered me out the store as if it had personally offended him. Seriously, I have no clue what happened, but it must have been horrible." He explained with a small shrug, eyeing a Subway restaurant in passing, slowing down a bit.

Sandwiches would probably be a good breakfast/lunch.

Better than pizza, like those other kids were eating.

Seriously, who could eat pizza in the morning, especially if they had to get on a train again in a bit?

People nowadays.

Jason slowed as well, looking him up and down with a thoughtful expression.

"Yeah? That's weird, even for Percy. Were you talking about something unusual at the time? Or anybody around you?"

Will shrugged again. "No clue. I don't think he was listening, anyways. He was kind of busy staring at the cups of coffee and being lost in thought. And I have no idea whether there was anybody around us, to be honest. Was kind of busy trying to explain to Percy how upset Nico was, though I honestly don't think he heard me."

He had almost been annoyed with Percy, but given how worried Percy must have been because of Nico, he had let it drop, simply deciding to repeat himself all over again.

Oh well.  
The things one did for friends.

He thought of this morning with Percy all but bitching at him for no apparent reason.

Will knew Jason had started waking up during their argument, but the blonde had been smart enough not to let it show, so Will had pretended not to notice, either.

He was still worried about his health, though.

Jason looked kind of pale, and even though he tried to act alert and unfazed as usual, he did seem a bit more sluggish than usual.

Will didn't like it.

But hey, they'd be on the train soon enough again, so it should be fine.

He'd get Jason to sleep for a while, maybe even convince Nico to lend a shoulder, and while he was out, Will could try pray to his father a bit, get the blonde back to his usual health.

While he was at it, he could also check whether Jason had something going on with his heart, since it was kind of weird how it was a lot faster lately than it used to be at the usual checkups.

"Hm, ok. Well, he seemed fine now, so maybe it was nothing. You want to get something here?" Jason asked, pulling Will out of his thoughts and he looked over the Subway once more.

Well, it was food, and they were bound to be able to find something Nico and Percy would like, too.

"If you don't mind."

"Nah, Subway sounds good. Quick, cheap and there's something for everybody. Perfect." Jason chirped and they both grinned at each other, making their way inside.

It was quite a challenge, deciding on what to pick for Nico and Percy (Percy was the tougher decision, here, since he was so picky about his food, while Nico only had something against fairly few things), but they managed alright – at least the two people behind the counter had plenty to grin and laugh about, especially when they asked for what Will and Jason wanted for themselves.

Neither of them had really thought on that, of course, making utter fools of themselves.

But it had all worked out in the end, so once they were out the store, they came to the mutual agreement of never speaking of this again.

Making their way back to the guys, Jason started talking about his past trips for a bit, telling him how they had missed plenty of busses and trains and others had been down because of maintenance work, strikes or other sudden changes in the schedules, and where they had camped and what they had eaten.

It was actually quite interesting, and Will was more than glad they hadn't had to use their tent yet.

Actually, by the looks of it, they might not even have to use it more than once or twice, if things went well.

It was a bit of a shame, though, since that meant Will and Jason wouldn't get to share that sleeping bag with Percy and Nico.

Though, at the same time, that was great, since then they'd all have a bit more space and all and things wouldn't be able to get too awkward.

The aspect of spending so much time on trains wasn't all too great, but by far better than the thought of spending all that time (and even more) outside in the cold, running around and camping in parks and/or wherever there was enough space.

They walked side by side into the park, Will spotting Percy and Nico first, sitting on the bench together with stupid grins on their faces, leaning against each other and holding hands.

Cute dorks.  
But dorks all the same.

One could practically see the happy vibes rolling off them.

He had to admit, he was a tiny bit envious.

But at the same time, they deserved it, so they didn't comment on it, instead passing them their food and sitting down to either side of them, Jason taking the space next to Nico, while Will settled for Percy.

They ate in relative silence, though Will would have liked Jason to continue talking about his trips, but he didn't want to keep him from eating, all the same.

And it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, either.

"Who the hell put tuna in the second half of my sandwich?" Percy suddenly exclaimed incredulously, still chewing on the bite he had just taken, frowning at his sandwich with an utterly offended expression on his face.

Will choked on his second half of his sandwich.

Oops. He had thought there was something wrong with his sandwich, what with it tasting like ham instead of fish.

"By the looks of it, nobody. Looks like you're eating Will's sandwich. First you switch coffees, now your sandwiches. Is there something you want to tell us?" Jason teased with a sly smile in Percy's direction that made Percy's ears redden for whatever reason.

"Oh, don't be stupid. Will, give me my sandwich." Percy ordered, nudging him with the tuna sandwich.

Will made a face. "But I already ate half of it!"

"I don't care, it's mine. Eat your tuna yourself. Who eats fish, anyways?"

"Hey, I'm having fish too, you know." Nico complained, but since he was grinning, his eyes twinkling with amusement, Will was sure he wasn't really offended.

"Well, that's because they picked it out for you. Jason, what did you have? Couldn't you have messed up our orders instead? Yours looks much nicer than mine…"

Will rolled his eyes.

Ungrateful drama queen.

Percy's comment didn't sting one bit, nope.

"Oh, trust me, Percy, you would have hated mine. It's a shame, though. Will took such extra care with yours and Nico's, making sure it would be exactly what you liked. So much consideration and effort, and you are nagging about him having tuna." Jason chided, while Will merely pursed his lips and passed the half-eaten sandwich over to Percy, who gave him the tuna one instead, almost acting as if it was poison, though he halted in his movement at Jason's words.

"Really?"

"Yep. But hey, if you rather have mine, sure. It's not like Will stood at that counter contemplating and re-contemplating a hundred times whether you'd rather eat this one sort of bread or that other one, just so you're happy. Not to mention the sauces."

Will threw Jason an exasperated glance.

Seriously, he hadn't made THAT big of a deal out of it.

Well…at least he had tried not to.

He might have gotten a bit carried away.

Percy stared down at his sandwich, the one Will had put together just for him, then looked over to the one Jason was holding up.

Then he glanced around at Will with an odd expression.

"It's not like you didn't help, Jason." Will muttered, not knowing what else to say, though he realized a moment later he should have probably denied it at least a tiny little bit.

"Only because you held up the entire line."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Yes, you-…"

"Alright, alright! I'm eating it. Sorry for saying anything. It looks great, really. I would never want to eat Jason's food, anyways. His hotdog already sucked, I don't want to know what his sandwich would taste like." Percy interrupted, taking a big bite out of his sandwich to emphasize his words, while Jason leaned back against the bench with a contented smile.

Will merely rolled his eyes, looking around at Nico, who had a small smile on his lips and was gazing down at his own sandwich, though he caught Will's glance.

"Thanks. It's really-…"

"This is _really good!_" Percy interrupted with an astounded expression, staring from his sandwich to Will and back.

Jason's grin widened and he stared off into space, the unspoken 'I told you so' plainly visible on his face, while Nico shook his head with an amused expression on his face, smiling at Will.

Will felt his ears burning, but ignored it in favor of taking a big bite out of his own sandwich to have something to do.

"Of course it is, drama queen." He mumbled with full mouth, knowing full well Percy could still understand him perfectly fine.

"Shush, I didn't mean it. But this is _really_ good. Can you, like, write me down what this is, so I can order it again next time? We should stop by Subway before we get on the train, stock up on some food for the drive. Seriously, this is…"

"Foodgasm." Jason muttered and Nico choked on his bite, while Will couldn't suppress a small snort.

"Jason! Be quiet, I'm only telling you guys this is the best freaking sandwich I've ever had! Seriously, did you try this?" Percy asked, a light blush on his face, but he held out his sandwich in front of Jason's face, waving around a bit (as if Jason couldn't notice it dangling in front of his face perfectly fine already).

Nico chuckled, rolling his eyes and looking over to Will, who had his eyebrows raised, wondering what the hell he had even had them put on that sandwich.

It hadn't really tasted all that great, to be honest.

Then again, Percy had a very peculiar taste, so there was that.

If he liked these combinations, though, Will could use that for his diet plan.

Jason sighed, muttering something under his breath and lowering his own sandwich in favor of taking a small bite out of Percy's.

"Hey, don't eat all of it!" Percy instantly wailed and Will bit his lip to not laugh out loud.

"Yeah, that's quite nice. Told you he put a lot of effort into it." Jason commented as he swallowed his bite, offering his own sandwich to Percy, who hesitated a moment before taking a (much bigger) bite.

He seemed to instantly regret it, coughing and making a face.

"What is _that_? I like spicy food, yes, but this is just…" He shook his head, apparently at a loss for words, taking a quick bite out of his own sandwich as if to neutralize the taste.

Will tried to remember faintly what Jason had picked, but he had been too busy worrying about Nico and Percy's food to really pay that much attention.

Jason shrugged. "Whenever I feel like I'm getting sick, I generally get more spicy food than usual. I don't know whether it really makes a difference in the end, but at least I feel better for a little while."

Will looked up.

Actually, that wasn't too stupid.

But Jason was right, it wouldn't make much difference.

Still, that was pretty good thinking.

"Oh, you're really coming down with something? And there I thought Will was making things up." Percy remarked with a surprised expression, offering his sandwich to Nico to try, and the Italian took a tentative bite, looking impressed, too, holding up his own tuna sandwich for Percy to try, and Will was surprised to find Percy actually leaning forward to take a bite, even with it being fish and all.

"Hey, why would I do that?" He still asked disgruntled, watching Percy cringing slightly at the taste, but nodding appreciatively at Nico anyways, showing it was edible even in his opinion.

For some reason, that made Will feel kind of proud, though he made sure not to let it show.

"Yeah, I think I might have caught something, though I can't say for sure. It shouldn't be a problem, though, since we'll be on a train and thus inside for the next some days, so I'm sure I'll be good." Jason replied, drawing Percy's attention away from Will as he turned to retort something that would have most likely started another round of bickering, because Will had a hunch on what he had been about to say.

No, his denial-issues had nothing to do with this.

And he would never use health as an excuse for any of his actions (well...not like this, at least).

Also, he was absolutely certain Jason would be fine.

Especially after Will was done with his healing, once Jason would sleep safe and sound on the train to Richmond (or wherever Jason said they'd be going next. Seriously, they'd be dead without him).

Percy merely raised an eyebrow at Jason, then nudged Will with a lopsided grin.

"Hey, with Will along, we at least have a splendid doctor among us. I'm sure you'll be just fine."

Will choked, coughing wildly as his face turned scarlet, his insides going for more than just a rollercoaster ride.

Of course, Percy was just saying that, but seriously?

Will had to admit he felt more than a tiny bit flattered.

.

"What do you _mean_, the train isn't going?" Will asked astounded behind Jason, who let out a pained sigh, studying the board with the arrivals and departures once more, while Percy and Nico talked to one of the staff members from the train station, their expressions grim.

Of course, something like this just had to happen.

Would have been a miracle if anything ever went the way it should, right?

"It was shown as running just earlier, but it's definitely been canceled now. Just great." Jason muttered, watching as Nico shook his head and came walking over, looking as frustrated as Jason felt right now.

"Guys, apparently, there's been a storm or something, and the tracks are partially buried under debris and the like. They say it should be fine in a day or two, but for today, the departure has been cancelled. The guy said they only just received the notification, so that's why it was up earlier. There are no replacement trains, but he said the busses are still running." Nico explained with a pained expression.

"So it's either waiting a day or two for the trains to work again, or taking the busses." Percy grumbled, stepping up next to Nico and putting an arm around the Italian loosely.

Jason sighed again.

Then he noticed all eyes were on him.

Oh. Right.

They were expecting him to make the decision on how to proceed.

"Well, let's see…" He started, trying to buy himself more time as he started weighing their options.

The train ride would have taken a bit over two days, and would have led from here straight to Richmond.

The bus routes he had looked up would be useless, since none of them would have led through Chicago, but if he remembered correctly, they could technically take the bus to Des Moines, and from there, they'd be able to either get on a train, or take further busses to Denver, then Salt Lake City, then Reno, and then San Francisco.

It would take a whole lot longer, since most bus lines only went once a day (like the trains, just that they were usually timed a lot better), but at least they'd have some sort of progress.

Though, with Percy, the less busses they took, the better.

But did he really want to waste two days here in Chicago, to then spend two days in a train to cover the same distance they might be able to cover in the next two to three days with busses?

In the end, there might even be another storm or maintenance works or whatever on the tracks, and they'd waste valuable time lounging around.

Jason gazed at Will thoughtfully, who was staring off into space, scratching the side of his neck – the only one who wasn't staring holes into Jason, as all the others did.

Sometimes, he really wanted to know what was going on in the blonde's head.

Wait, that wasn't what he should be thinking of right now.

"How about we check out the bus lines? There should be one leaving for Des Moines, but I don't know if it left already. If it did, we'll just have to spend the night here and see whether the tracks will be up for business again tomorrow. If not, we can take that and check the trains there. Percy, will that be ok with you?" He asked, trying to sound as authoritative as possible, hoping Percy wouldn't whine.

Surprisingly enough, he didn't.

"Sure. I just don't like busses much, that's all. Let's check the schedules." Percy tried to sound upbeat, marching off towards the exit, where several bus stations were just waiting for their little group to study their plans.

But Jason knew it wasn't all that simple, though he was glad Percy was acting the part.

"Alright. Guys, come on." He said, turning towards the rest of the group, who were looking both excited and doubtful, half of them already starting to bet on whether they'd have to camp here or not.

Nico and Will hurried after Percy, while Jason and the others followed a tad slower, mostly because they tried to exchange as much money as possible before exiting the train station, so none of them could cheat (though Jason had the funny feeling a few of them had studied the plans beforehand, because there were some kids that had a rather smug, knowing grin on their faces) and Jason stayed close to them to keep them all somewhat together.

Nico was the first to find the bus in question, and Will deciphered the departure time as sometime this afternoon, which meant they could still catch it and go all the way to Des Moines, which should take almost 7 hours according to the schedule.

Money exchanged hands, the kids with the knowing smirks unsurprisingly a lot richer now than before, but Jason left them to themselves, instead taking in Percy's forcefully indifferent expression.

But when Percy caught his glance, he merely smiled.

"So, off to Iowa it is, huh?"

Jason shrugged. "Appears so. Until departure, we still have some time to kill, though, so either we try to look up what trains run from there, or we go for a shopping spree."

"Shopping!" Several (and thus the majority) kids of their group exclaimed instantly, settling that matter.

Not that Jason had expected anything else.

"I'll look over the plans with you, if you want." Will offered, and Nico and Percy nodded as well, though a tad reluctantly.

"You don't have to. I'm used to doing it alone, anyways."

"Rubbish. We are helping you." Percy instantly retorted, looking around for a place to sit and plan.

"Percy is right. The times where you have to do stuff like this alone are over. How about we go to Subway? We can order some more sandwiches and such and there is enough space to look over different plans without problems." Nico offered, and Percy and Will instantly nodded.

Jason couldn't help but smile at them, something inside him warming.

They really were the best friends ever.

Though Jason wouldn't have minded doing the planning alone.

But this was bound to be more fun.

They discussed a new meeting spot for all of them, the meeting time being half an hour before planned departure, just to make sure they were all accounted for when the time came.

Then the groups dispersed, everybody utterly grateful all over again that Nico had given them some pocket money to waste, though there were some unfortunate souls who had lost most of their cash on the bets.

Their own fault, Jason guessed, though he still sympathized with them all the same.

Oh well.

He let his guys drag him off through the streets, though they did a wrong turn at one point, resulting in them passing by the coffee shop again, which led to such a harsh round of bickering between Will and Percy that both Nico and Jason had to drag them away.

Jason had no idea what had happened in that coffee shop, but he was fairly certain Percy would slaughter the next person to suggest setting foot in there.

Seriously, Will had only mentioned he had really liked the coffee and they should probably get another drink there before leaving with the bus, but based on the way Percy had reacted, one might have assumed Will had declared he was going to marry the owner or something.

Jason really wondered what had happened.

Will seemed to have no clue, and according to him, there hadn't been anything unusual or provocative in there.

They had merely ordered their drinks (or Percy had ordered for them, if Jason had understood correctly), and Percy had been utterly fine, though a bit distracted, while they had been sitting in there to chat.

Then he had suddenly had a change of heart and they had bolted from the store.

It really made zero sense, even to Jason.

But then he noticed the outright glare Percy sent over his shoulder at the shop, his expression tense and displeased, the same way it usually was when he was jealous, and an idea started forming in Jason's mind.

Percy wouldn't be…would he?

He heard Percy grumble something under his breath, wrapping an arm around Nico as he sent Will another small glare, looking more worried than disgruntled in Jason's opinion.

"What did I do?" Will asked aghast, his voice merely loud enough for Jason to hear, though he did scowl back at Percy automatically.

"I don't know, flirting with the staff, maybe?" He asked, making it sound as a joke.

Instantly, he found Percy's head shooting up, eyes wide, expression shocked.

Oh gods.

He was right, wasn't he?

"Flirting with who? Why would I do that? Man, I told you I'm not looking for anybody. Seriously. And what would I want with a normal mortal? Coming to think of it though, there was this one guy at the counter who kept looking towards me in this really weird way…" Will's voice trailed off, his expression thoughtful, while Jason saw Percy relax out of the corners of his eyes.

He couldn't resist sending him an exasperated look, raising a quizzical eyebrow that hopefully carried along the 'Really, Percy, was all of this necessary?'.

Based on the way Percy pursed his lips, looking away resolutely with his ears turning scarlet, he assumed his message was well received.

Jealous dork.

"Oh well, he wouldn't have been my type, anyways. Though he did make good coffee." Will shrugged the matter off, moving his arms about at his side in a rather adorable way that made Jason have to resist the urge to grab for his hand.

Percy made a face next to them.

"Well, if you really want to, I suppose we could stop there before getting on the bus…I guess…" He finally conceded and Jason had the distinct feeling he only said that because Will had made it so obvious he wasn't interested in whoever it had been that had taken a liking to him.

Seriously, Percy, pull yourself together.

It wasn't as if Will couldn't make his own decisions, and he was single, so he was allowed to flirt with whoever he wanted.

Though Jason guessed he wouldn't have liked it much either if he had noticed anybody making heart eyes at Will, either.

Still, Percy didn't seem to have any issues with them making heart eyes at Nico, so he seriously shouldn't be such a hypocrite.

Not that Jason would talk to him about this.

Nah, if Percy wanted to talk about his sudden change of heart when it came to Will, Jason would sit and listen, but he would not seek out that conversation for the life of him.

Much too difficult and complicated.

So, instead, they made their way to Subway, Will starting up a conversation about their diet plans and how he had a few new ideas that would enable them to keep up with them even while they were travelling, something that was received with more apprehension than anything else from Percy, while Nico and Jason instantly went with it, knowing how much effort Will put into them as it was.

Jason had to admit he was feeling a lot better ever since getting that plan, even though he hadn't exactly eaten unhealthy before (unlike Percy and Nico, who still enjoyed eating as greasy and unhealthy as possible every here and there).

But Will had a good eye for what vitamins they were lacking, or maybe it was just a healer thing of his.

Fact was that Jason didn't feel like he was missing out on anything, while knowing what to eat next took at least one decision off his back each time, making him much more relaxed than anything else, and his body thanked him for it, too.

So he was cool with going with Will's plans.

And once Will mentioned he would change Percy's salads to taste like that sandwich from Subway, he had convinced him to be ok with it as well .

Jason smiled at his best friends, thinking to himself that this was rather nice, walking through the city together, talking about trivial things like nutrition plans and Subway sandwiches.

It kind of made him wish they'd always tag along whenever he had to go find a god/goddess.

But who knew, maybe things were going to go so great that they'd want to come with him in the future.

He kind of doubted it, especially since fate just had to be a bitch and they saw how perfect planning could go down the drain with something as simple as debris on the tracks because of a storm, but one could always hope.

He wouldn't ask them to, of course, since he knew they'd jump the moment he mentioned he'd like them along, but if they still liked the trip, he might get lucky and they'd offer tagging along.

He'd really like that.  
A lot.

But until then, this would be more than good enough.

Jason smiled, then had to cough, instantly drawing the attention of all three of them, three pairs of eyes zeroing in on him no second later, their gazes full of worry and concern.

"Hey, you ok?"

"So you really did catch something, huh?"

"Want me to…you know…"

He chuckled, shaking his head and waving off hurriedly, though he had to cough again a moment later, his throat feeling oddly dry and scratchy.

"Nah, I'm good. Just…erm…choked on something…" He tried to talk himself out of it, not liking to be the center of attention, and definitely not liking to bother others because of something so trivial like a cold.

By the looks of it, he wasn't fooling anybody, though.

He definitely caught the glances between Percy and Will, and most definitely saw the minor nod Will gave, which showed they were so having a mute conversation about whether or not Will would meddle with Jason's health first chance he had.

Jason wasn't sure whether to protest or be grateful for it.

Nico, however, was the sweetest of them all, unwrapping the scarf from around his neck and wrapping it around Jason instead with a shy smile.

"Once we're on the bus, you should try and sleep for a bit. Maybe that will help. Until then, this has to be enough." He said softly, adjusting the scarf a bit and fixing the collar of Jason's jacket, while Will and Percy exchanged small smiles, their expressions unusually gentle.

Jason gazed at Nico, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around him and pull him close to place a kiss to the top of his head.

He knew it would be inappropriate.

Didn't mean he wouldn't still like to do it.

Instead, he put his hand on Nico's shoulder, squeezing gently.

"Thanks, I'll do that. Now, let's get to Subway, yeah? Else the three of you are bound to catch something, too."

"Rubbish. I can't get sick…much…well, ok, maybe we should get going…" Will started boasting, then turned hesitant and sheepish, shooing Percy and Nico along, who both raised their eyebrows at the blonde, apparently pondering the same question Jason was currently thinking about.

Could Will actually get sick?

He decided he didn't want to find out, instead hurrying the lot to the Subway restaurant.

Hopefully, the bus would at least work out, departing and arriving on time.

From there, they might get lucky and catch the next bus/train instantly, so they wouldn't have to set camp anytime soon.

Though, with a whole bunch of demigods, 'luck' was a very rare thing.

But hope always died last, right?


	16. Chapter 16: Travel Issues

**A/N:** Hello Cupcakes! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

This is the longest fanfiction I have ever written, and it feels like it's not even half done.  
I am amazed and slightly horrified.

Hope you enjoy the next chapter!  
(It's slightly shorter than usual since I had to make a cut due to a little time jump, else they'll never reach Camp Jupiter..therefore next chapter will be upped faster, promise)

-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 16: Nightmares, Travel issues, and some more deep conversations**

Why were demigods never lucky?

Nico pondered that as they set camp in the first park in Iowa they could find, hoping no mortals would bother them about it.

They had managed to catch the bus, Nico taking care of the fee for all the tickets they needed, and the ride had been more or less smooth, even though each and every one of them now regretted ever uttering a bad word about the train.

On the train, they had been able to move much more freely, not to mention the food carts and/or the supply store had been awesome in comparison to stopping at gas stations along the way and storing up on snacks, dinner and drinks that all came out to be much more expensive than necessary as well, though Nico hadn't really minded.

Jason had managed to sleep for a little while, and Percy and Nico had acted the part once they noticed how fidgety and distracted Will had become, though it had taken them a bit to figure out he wanted to heal Jason without them knowing he did.

Once they had, however, and had acted asleep, Will had immediately started humming next to Jason in his seat behind them, warmth radiating off him in waves that even now made Nico feel all fuzzy and nice inside (he also had the distinct feeling Will had extended his care to all of them, not just Jason, but it might also just be his imagination).

Needless to say, Jason was feeling a lot better already and looked the part, too.

Nico had a hunch Jason knew about Will's little help, especially since he had thrown Will a half-amused, half exasperated glance once he had awoken and stretched, probably noticing how much better he was feeling and instantly making the connection.

Though he hadn't said anything, which was probably all for the better.

Nico wasn't sure why, but Will seemed to dislike them knowing he cared for them for whatever reason.

But that was Will's thing, and Nico wasn't going to question it nor bother him about it.

It simply made it all the more special when Will actually said or did anything that indicated otherwise.

Nico hadn't enjoyed the bus ride much, the movement and difference in traffic not helping his headache whatsoever, but he would have preferred catching the next bus by far, compared to them all missing it by _ten minute_s, forcing them to camp out here in this park.

Who'd have guessed they'd have to use their tents and sleeping bags this soon?

Nico certainly hadn't.

In fact, he had hoped they wouldn't have to use it at all, though that was more because he knew what the others were thinking and talking about behind their backs without the four of them in one tent, already; not because he didn't want to snuggle up to Percy and the other two (but mainly Percy, of course…) in their spacious (but still much too small) sleeping bag, in a spacious (but still much too small) tent.

"Alright, all set. What do you think, love?" Percy asked, looking at him with a gentle expression again, still unusually touchy-feely and affectionate with him, though it might only be Nico's imagination.

The two of them still hadn't really talked about the thing with Will, though Percy really didn't seem like he had any problem whatsoever in the first place.

Nico knew he wanted to talk about what had been wrong today in the morning, but at the same time, he seemed unwilling to push the matter, rather letting Nico decide whether he wanted to talk about it or not, for which Nico was partly grateful for and partly cursed Percy's consideration.

Grateful, because it meant he could wait until he felt a bit more like himself again, instead of being forced into that sort of conversation; and cursing Percy's consideration, because he knew himself well enough to know he'd try push that conversation off for as long as possible – even for forever, if he knew he could get away with it.

"Looks great. I had no idea you guys were such professionals when it comes to setting up tents. Jason, I kind of guessed, yeah, but you two?"

Since Jason had been too busy getting everybody else to work and lending a hand every here and there, Percy and Will had mainly done the setting up by themselves, not letting Nico do more than passing them stakes or offering moral support, telling him that was because he had to 'watch their bags' (yeah, sure. They just wanted to impress him with managing on their own. Nico wasn't THAT stupid. Still, it was kind of cute, and he was tired and exhausted as hell, so he had let them do their thing, watching them amused instead).

But it resembled a tent now, and they had even already rolled out the sleeping bag and everything, letting him dump their bags inside.

Both of them puffed out their chests with pride slightly, looking smug and satisfied with their praise, and Nico couldn't help but find them utterly adorable.

He kind of wanted to pull them both close and kiss them and hold them tight, but for obvious reasons refrained from doing so, cursing himself inwardly for even thinking about something like that.

Instead, he wrapped an arm around Percy and tugged him closer, rubbing his head against his shoulder.

"No, seriously, you did a great job there. Jason is going to be so proud."

"Hey, you are already done? Good job, looks perfect. I knew I could depend on you guys." Jason said right on cue, coming up behind them and admiring their work, beaming at them, though he looked rather exhausted as well.

Nobody could blame him.

It had been a very long day, and he had been the one with the least sleep in total, not to mention everybody kind of depended on him to know where to go next, even though Percy, Will and Nico had done their best to help him with the possible routes.

To nobody's surprise, it had been Percy who had turned out to be of most help, since he knew quite well how to both read the different schedules, and plan decent routes.

Nico had at first assumed that might have come from the different quests, but as it turned out, it was simply because he was from the city and liked to be able to get around, not to mention back to his mom from wherever he had been sent off to school.

Nico kind of wanted to visit Sally – he knew Percy would love to see his mother again, too – but they had kind of already passed that opportunity now, not to mention standing in front of her door unannounced with tons of other demigods in tow might not have been the best thing to do, anyways.

Though Nico decided to keep it in the back of his head for the travel back.

Jason had been able to separate from the group for his birthday, maybe they could kind of split up on the way back and make a detour to Percy's home.

He should mention that to the other two by times, maybe make a surprise out of it if they were up for it.

Seriously, they always worked together to surprise Nico, it was about time he started returning the favor.

Plus, he'd like to be as close to them as Percy was when it came to such things, share some inside jokes with them too and the like.

It was usually him being left out, though he knew they didn't mean it bad, and he didn't really mind that much.

He was just a bit of a selfish idiot and wanted something special with them, too (not to mention he really didn't like being left out for so long…).

Percy and Will looked so pleased, though, both grinning stupidly to themselves, Percy's ears scarlet, while Will's freckles seemed to practically glow as his face was so adorably flushed.

Jason and Nico shared an amused glance, then they checked out the inside of the tent, trying to figure out how they'd go about sleeping, what with the narrow space, the possible toilet-issues and the fact they had no idea how Will's nightmares might affect the lot.

In the end, they settled on having Percy and Jason to the left and right, with Nico and Will in the middle once more, though Nico wasn't sure whatsoever whether he'd be ok being so close to Will right now.

It wasn't Will's fault, of course, and Nico loved getting close to him, but yeah, that was kind of the issue here.

He should be indifferent to it.

Should feel the same way about it that Percy, Will and Jason felt about snuggling up to each other.

But he didn't, and it worried him.

He loved cuddling with the guys, and he really didn't want to stop doing that, feeling as if he practically needed to do this, but he was just so scared it would make him do something he'd regret.

The guys were fine with him being this close now, but what if, one day, he'd do something stupid, get too close, get too comfortable around them, and they'd scram?

What if Percy would wake up one day and decide he couldn't stand how Nico seemed to need the other two as well to feel…whole?

He didn't want to know.

But at the same time, it felt as if there was nothing he could possibly do against it.

Percy took the space behind Nico, snuggling close to him and nudging his groin against Nico's backside a tad too vigorously to be unintentional – and Nico cursed his body for instantly reacting to it.

Oh, how he wished they could make out for a little bit right about now.

It felt like so long ago that they had spent the entire night making love.

Well, maybe right now was a bad time to reminisce about that, especially with Will climbing into the sleeping bag, settling into the space right in front of Nico and making space for Jason - which meant getting closer and closer to Nico.

Uh, bad timing, to be brutally honest.

He could feel Will's leg brushing against his building hard-on, and tried his hardest to pull back as much as possible, the mortification making his face burn – but if Will noticed, he didn't mention anything, instead looking over his shoulder at Jason, clicking his tongue impatiently as the blonde apparently took too long to get in.

Nico tried moving back some more, but he was already pressed against Percy's body, so there simply wasn't any room he could escape to, and his breath hitched when Will's thigh brushed against his groin once more.

Luckily enough, Will seemed utterly oblivious to his dismay, getting comfortable and permitting Jason to wrap his arms around him and Nico when the blonde was finally settled in the sleeping bag as well.

Percy behind him was pretty unhelpful as well, merely chuckling into his ear in a low, dangerous way and nudging against his backside once more, before wrapping his arms tightly around him and burying his face at the side of his neck, his warm lips finding Nico's already bruised and overly sensitive skin.

"Hey, you better not try anything with Nico, Gorgeous. We're here too, don't you forget that in the middle of the night or something." Will grumbled warningly and Nico bit the inside of his lip not to chuckle at the sensation Percy's gentle kisses sent through him, especially since he was facing Will, and he didn't need to give him even more of a reason to complain.

Oh, how he wished Percy's actions weren't affecting him quite as badly as they did, though.

Especially with Will right in front of him, his leg still dangerously close to his – ok, never mind, he DEFINITELY must have noticed now.

Will halted in his movement for a splint second, and everything inside Nico froze as his face burned with mortification and embarrassment, trying to scoot backwards a bit more, anyways, even though he knew it was both no use and too late, anyways.

He half expected Will to say something, to look at him weird or to tease him about it in the very least.

But instead, Will glanced at him only for the fraction of a second, then past him at Percy, his expression indecipherable.

And then, he grabbed hold of Nico and turned him around in one fluid motion.

"This isn't working. Turn around so I have more spooning space. Jason is too freaking close as usual." Will complained loudly, while all Nico could utter was a small surprised noise, looking up at Percy with big eyes, and feeling Will and Jason coming closer from behind.

Percy didn't seem perturbed whatsoever, tugging him closer instantly and wrapping one leg around him, most definitely feeling Nico's hard-on, but apparently not minding one bit.

Therefore, Nico could feel him being half-hard as well, which for some reason calmed his nerves a tiny little bit.

Well, at least he wasn't the only overly horny one.

Not that that made things any easier or less embarrassing, considering Will must have definitely noticed, no matter his excuses.

"Well, excuse you, I warned you it would be a tight fit." Jason grumbled behind Will, but Will merely chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah. It's ok, Handsome, I'll forgive you this time. It's not your fault I'm so irresistible."

"Of course." Jason replied, and Nico almost couldn't tell whether it was meant to be sarcastic or honest.

The thought made him frown, but then Percy's lips found the side of his neck again and he smiled, forgetting all about the weird thoughts going through his mind, instead snuggling into his boyfriend's embrace.

Will's hand tentatively moved across his hip bone a moment later, the touch timid and probing, and Nico instinctively wanted to stiffen up, but then didn't, the warmth on his skin feeling kind of good, and Will didn't seem like he was going to mention anything, so he just let him, concentrating on inhaling Percy's scent instead.

After spending the entire day on their feet, with all of them barely catching any sleep on the bus except for Jason (though even that hadn't been nearly enough) and the day yesterday spent on the train, the sudden proximity with all four of them this close once more was odd, but not badly so.

He kind of liked it.

It felt comfortable and familiar and nice.

And warm.

None of them had packed a blanket, and now that really wasn't a bad thing at all, even if Nico hoped it really wouldn't get any colder than this outside.

With Will around, they were bound to stay warm (especially with his nightmares where he seemed to still practically burn up each time), but they didn't have to push it, after all.

He really liked this, though.

"I love you, Nico." Percy whispered into his ear, so quietly Nico wasn't even sure the others heard, but it didn't matter either way.

He hummed contently, closing his eyes and enjoying the sensation of Percy's breath on his skin, their bodies so close to each other, with Will warming him from behind and Jason's hand stroking over his side soothingly (Jason rarely did that anymore nowadays. Usually, he had his arms solely wrapped around Will if they were spooning. Nico had no idea why, but it didn't matter as long as they liked it).

It was so much better than that compartment on the train, or the uncomfortable seats in the busses.

Plus, now there was no weird movement, everything was quiet and calm and steady, just how Nico liked it.

"Good night, guys." He said quietly, and felt/heard Will chuckle behind him with a small, rather content sounding sigh, his face nuzzling against the back of Nico's neck, forcing him to bite his lip as to not chuckle at the sensation.

"Night, Neeks. And you other guys."

Will always did that.

Usually, the others complained about it. But now, they seemed to be used to it, already.

"Yeah, good night. Sleep well, everyone. Going be a long day tomorrow." Jason mumbled from somewhere behind Will.

"Oh yes, it will be. Good night and sweet dreams to you, yeah?" Percy added with a small yawn, tugging Nico closer once more.

He smiled to himself, hands clutching Percy's shirt.

Yeah, he was sure he'd have sweet dreams.

Hopefully, they'd be of Percy alone, though.

Will snorted behind him, making it all too apparent he was certain he wouldn't have any 'sweet dreams', but he left it at that, knowing Percy hadn't meant it like that.

Nico turned his head minimally to look behind him, finding Will snuggling into Jason's hold on him, and had to grin to himself at the amused, yet gentle expression on Jason's face.

So much about 'Jason getting too close'.

In his opinion, it looked a lot more like Will enjoyed getting 'too close' to Jason, to be honest.

Not that he minded.

As long as they were happy, he'd be happy, too.

He looked back at Percy, finding him gazing down at him with that soft, affectionate expression again.

Guilt flashed through him for a moment, but then he leaned up and captured his lips in a quick and soft kiss, feeling Percy smirk against his lips as he instantly returned it.

"I love you." Nico breathed against his lips as he pulled back, but Percy followed and pressed them together again, and again and again, giving him peck after peck, both of them smirking at each other happily, but oh so stupidly.

Nico could feel his heart fluttering in his chest as it always did whenever they did something like this, whenever he realized all over again how lucky he was to have Percy, to have _this_.

He felt Will's arms around him tightening their hold a bit, felt the warmth of his body seeping through the fabric of his shirt, making him feel warm and fuzzy and protected, same as Jason's hand on his back, soothingly stroking, made him feel loved and cared for in a way he had never felt before knowing these three utterly amazing guys.

Oh, how he loved them.

How he loved this.

He never wanted this to stop.

Even though he felt guilty about feeling this way all the same.

.

Fear, dread and guilt flashed through Will and he shot up, his body covered in cold sweat, his breath coming out in irregular pants, his mind and insides in utter turmoil, a giant whirl of confusion and panic and more confusion.

Where was he?

What had happened?

_It was all his fault!_  
_He had to let the guys know!_

Wait, let them know what?

Will tried to grasp the images, the sounds, the sensations flashing through his mind, but the instant he thought he could make something out, it escaped him, leaving him even more confused than before.

"Will, it's ok. It's over. Drink something and calm down." Percy's voice sounded somewhere to his right and he turned his head blindly in the direction, still panting heavily, his eyes apparantly trying to adjust to the darkness.

Somebody must have covered Nico's jar of fire.

Maybe something had fallen over it.

Or maybe he was blind?

Panic surged through him again, but then he felt a soothingly cool touch right to the left and right of his neck, steadying him and giving him something to ground himself on, while somebody else (it felt like Percy, though he couldn't say for sure) held what appeared to be a glass to his lips.

He swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth, his hands shaking too much to take over the hold on the glass, but he tried nevertheless.

Percy didn't argue, letting him take over, though it resulted in more water over him than in his mouth.

He couldn't even feel it, though.

His body seemed unnaturally hot, but he was drenched in ice cold sweat, making him shiver more than anything else.

Then he felt smaller, warm hands and something wet touch his face, identifying that as Nico and a wet cloth.

Slowly, his vision was returning and he blinked at his best friends, all three of them eyeing him worriedly, Nico still cleaning him up ever so gently, while Jason was giving him some sort of mini-massage around his neck/shoulder-area, which actually felt quite good.

Percy disappeared from his view, and he could hear their tent opening.

They were in the middle of their travel.

That explained the sleeping bag, too.

Stupid Will, what had he been thinking where they were?

He found he hadn't even thought that far.

What had he thought of, then?

He couldn't tell.

But Nico's eyes were kind of pretty.

Not that it mattered, but he guessed it was something to think about that wasn't confusing.

Wait, why was Percy leaving the tent?

Where was he going?

"Will? Come on, talk to us. Do you remember anything? Did anything happen? You…you were screaming…" Nico said, his beautiful, beautiful eyes full of worry and concern, making Will's heart overflow with emotions as he so badly craved to wrap his arms around the Italian, pull him closer and reassure him, even though he had no idea whether he was capable of assuring anybody right now.

Why wasn't he allowed to wrap his arms around him, anyways?

Oh, right, Nico loved Percy, Percy loved Nico - where was Percy, anyways?

Jason, where was Jason?

He looked around him, a new wave of panic surging through him, and the hands on his shoulders tightened their hold slightly.

"Will, calm down. It's ok. We're all here. We're all alright. Let it go, all of it." Jason's voice was soft and gentle, breaking through something inside Will and he felt his shoulders sagging, the rest of his body following a moment later.

Jason caught him, gently tugging him closer and positioning him between his legs, while Nico followed, moistening the cloth anew in a small bowl Will had no clue where it had come from.

Then he gently dabbed at Will's face again as he gazed at them through tired, exhausted eyes, his breath finally evening out slightly.

"S-Sorry…I…I don't know what…" He tried, his voice sounding hoarse and weak, making him cringe inwardly as he began feeling more like himself again, his senses slowly returning to him, same as all of his memories – everything except the nightmare, except what had made him like this in the first place.

"Shh, it's ok, Freckles. Just calm down." Jason said gently, now rubbing circles across his back as Will managed to sit up somewhat again, and Nico nodded, dabbing the cloth down his neck to the collar of his shirt; and Will welcomed the wet coolness, feeling a lot better already.

"Where did Percy go?" He asked meekly as he let his eyes travel over the sparse interior of the tent, clenching and unclenching his fists to check his body was functioning properly again.

"I think he left to make sure the others know everything is fine – more or less, at least. How are you feeling? You never had it quite this bad before." Nico replied worriedly, moistening the cloth again and tugging Will's shirt up, though he hadn't asked for it and wasn't sure how to deal with Nico's quite directness right now, but Jason stopped him from moving much, anyways.

"I'm fine, really. I can't remember a thing, though. What exactly happened?" He asked, glad his voice was slowly beginning to work properly again, and he only now noticed the stinging of his eyes, as if he had cried – or was about to do it again.

Jason stiffened behind him slightly, and Nico halted in his movements for a moment.

They never wanted to tell him what he was doing while going through his nightmares.

He guessed it was because they didn't want to worry him, but this kind of always made him worry even more.

What if he talked in his sleep?

What if he told them more than he wanted them to know?

What if he told them of his confusing and utterly misinterpreted feelings right now?

Or what if he told them of those things he never wanted anybody to know?

"You were thrashing around and groaning and burning up as usual at first, but then you suddenly started crying and screaming and wailing. It took all three of us to keep you from bolting and keeping you down somewhat, though you didn't seem to appreciate that very much. You cursed somebody, I think, and you kept yelling it's 'your fault' and 'they' are going to hate you for it. Then you broke down sobbing and curled into a ball, whimpering and wailing and seeming utterly frantic with fear. We tried to wake you, but you didn't budge until you suddenly shot up and seemed wide awake, though panic-stricken. Are you sure you're ok?" Jason explained, the question in the end more rhetorical than anything else, because it was quite obvious Will wasn't ok.

Gods, had he really done all this?

He couldn't remember a thing.

Why would he do that?

What could scare him so much?

_His fault._

What was his fault?

He had thought that once he had woken up, too.

Something was his fault, and he had to tell the guys.

_The guys. They._

Percy, Nico and Jason.

They were going to hate him.

Why was that?

He didn't want them to hate him.

His breath hitched and he felt the fear trying to overtake him once more, but Jason and Nico reacted simultaneously, both wrapping their arms around him and pressing their bodies against him from front and back, holding him tight.

"We're here. It's ok." Nico muttered gently, while Jason made more soothing sounds - and Will felt oddly protected and safe.

He heard noises outside, and Percy hissing something at somebody else, then steps neared the tent and the boy came back inside, looking tired and exhausted and utterly worried.

"Hey, how are you feeling? Do you remember anything? What was all that about?" He instantly asked once their gazes met, grabbing the glass Nico had put down and filling it up with water from one of their water bottles once more, holding it up for Will to drink, though he really didn't feel like drinking right now.

"I'm good. Confused and tired and utterly fed up with the gods and the world, but all my reflexes are working, my memories seem to be intact except for the nightmare, and I can't sense any change in my physical abilities, so everything is as usual." He found himself babbling, too lost in Percy's sea-green eyes to think about what the hell he was even saying, which resulted in him feeling three sets of stern eyes on him.

"Is that what you think about when we ask about whether you're ok or not? Who cares about your reflexes, we want to know how you're feeling. Here, drink." Percy chided, nudging the glass against his lips and Will conceded, sipping carefully on the water – now more so he wouldn't have to answer than to actually drink, though he could tell his body needed the liquid.

"Well, he did say he feels confused, tired and fed up. I would probably be the same. What I'd rather like to know is whether you'll be good for the rest of the night. Will you be able to rest after all of this?" Jason asked, but Will was too busy mourning the fact Nico was pulling back to resume his cleaning, tugging his shirt up again, which made him feel oddly self-conscious (he so wished he was as well trained and muscled as they were).

Percy snapped his finger in front of his face when he didn't reply, and he found him taking over Nico's work a moment later, instead motioning for Nico to get back closer to Will, which he highly appreciated, relishing in the gentle warmth he gave off, so contrary to the heat still rolling off him, though he felt his body slowly beginning to regulate his temperature again.

"I should be ok. Thank you, though. For…you know…and I hope I didn't wake everybody up with my nonsense…"

"Rubbish, they are fine, and so are we. Don't you worry or feel bad about it, sun-bug." Percy instantly retorted, dabbing the cloth against his skin and cleaning him off gently, but quickly; and Jason and Nico nodded.

"He's right, Will, don't worry about anything or anyone right now and let us take care of you." Nico said resolutely, and Will found himself smiling at him, resisting the urge to lean forward and kiss him.

Though he might have already started moving slightly, because next moment, he lost his balance and started falling backwards again, back against Jason, who held him gently but firmly, his face at the side of his neck, breathing oh so nicely against his ear.

Will really had way too sensitive ears.

"Careful. Want to lay back down? Get up? Catch some fresh air?" Jason asked, his voice against Will's ear causing him to shiver slightly and close his eyes for a moment, trying to regain his composure.

Hands cupped his face, and he forced his eyes open again to gaze at Percy in surprise, who was much closer than a moment ago, studying his face intently.

"You're still so pale." He muttered quietly, more to himself than to Will directly, and Will had no idea what to say or do, too caught up in the way Percy's thumb stroked across his cheek, so gently, so…affectionately.

He swallowed, disliking just how much he enjoyed the simple touch.

Nico was right next to Percy, holding up another glass of water tentatively, and Will took it automatically, unable to refuse Nico anything as always, even though he really didn't want anything more to drink.

Jason was still right behind him, his legs wrapped around him as he only now noticed, arms over his chest.

When he had wrapped them around him, Will had no idea.

But it was oddly comfortable, if it wasn't for Jason's breath still against his ear.

"Will?" Jason asked, his voice quiet, a mere huff against the shell of his ear, and Will shivered involuntarily again.

"Erm…I think I'd like to go outside for a bit." He mumbled, blinking to himself as he tried to remember the other option Jason had named.

"Are you sure?" Percy asked doubtfully, still stroking over his cheek gently, and Will started pulling back reluctantly, deciding that he definitely shouldn't relish in things like this, especially since they were only acting this way because they were worried sick for him.

"Yeah, I am. I'm fine. Sorry for worrying you." He said firmly, proud his voice came out strong and without cracking or croaking, though his throat still burnt and ached.

He really hoped he hadn't been too loud.

Why had he been screaming?

And what sort of screaming?

He knew the others already talked about the four of them behind their backs, but he didn't need them thinking he was some sort of nutcase on top of everything else, too.

Will fought his way onto his feet, swaying dangerously as a wave of dizziness hit him, but he was rather proud to find he could catch his balance by himself, though he saw Jason, Percy and Nico reaching out to steady him.

"I'm fine." He repeated, then coughed and felt his body trembling dangerously under the strain, but ignored it all the same, making his way to the exit of the tent.

Somebody held it open for him, and he found himself more toppling out than anything else, though nobody mentioned it, and nobody stopped him.

He really had the best friends ever, huh?

Thinking about his past actions, he decided he should probably treat them a bit better.

"Thank you…I mean…" He started, but wasn't sure how to put it into words what he meant.

Nico, who took to his right side, sent him a wry smile.

"Don't worry about it. Where would you like to go? I think I saw some benches over there if you want to sit down or something. Or we could go towards the water…?"

"Benches sound good." Will mumbled, waving off slightly. "You three don't have to come with, you know. I'll be fine…" He added when he noticed Jason and Percy trailing behind him as well.

But Percy and Jason both acted deaf, looking off into the distance with unbelievably interested expressions, as if they couldn't think of anything more exciting than staring at the dark trees and plants around them.

Nico ignored his statement as well, instead taking him by the arm and making his way towards the small wooden benches to their right, a bit further away from all the tents.

They had deliberately set camp a bit aside from the actual paths through the park, hoping to avoid detection altogether, though they knew it was only a matter of time until they were found.

In that case, Jason was supposed to try control the Mist to convince them they were allowed to camp here, and until that would come out, they'd hopefully already be packed up and gone.

The plan was to take the bus to Denver, which would take a bit less than 14 hours (if traffic so allowed it, of course); and take the train from there to get to Richmond.

Will only hoped they'd manage to catch the train on time, so they wouldn't have to camp outside more than truly necessary.

If he really screamed during his nightmares now, he really didn't want to do it in the middle of a park in the middle of nowhere.

In the end, the police would come to check nobody was getting murdered or something.

Even with Jason being more or less capable of controlling the Mist, he didn't want to be forced to explain the police why exactly there was a whole bunch of teenage kids without adult supervision camping in the middle of a park and making their way through the USA unguided, unsupervised, and with no destination they could really name.

Then again, he didn't want to have such nightmares in a bus/train, either.

He didn't want any nightmares at all, truth be told.

"How much longer will this continue, though? I mean, I can't even imagine how hard this must be on you. All I can do is compare it to the time when Hera took my memories, and that was pretty much hell. I couldn't understand what was going on, though I knew I should, and it was driving me crazy." Percy muttered as Nico and Will sat down on the bench, and Will could feel the cold seeping through the thin fabric of his boxer shorts.

Yeah, maybe he should have put on some clothes before leaving the tent.

"Well, it certainly doesn't feel good, I can tell you that much. It's just…I know I should know it, and when I wake up, I keep seeing flashes and remember bits and I just _know_ it's important. But then, when I try to grasp it, it's just…gone." He admitted weakly, rubbing his temples as he tried to remember…something…anything, but without success.

"Don't worry. Clovis said it will all make sense eventually." Nico said soothingly, placing his hand on Will's back gently, rubbing circles like Jason had done just earlier.

"Right. He also said I'll have to sort myself out before anything else, and everyone knows how well that's going…" Will grumbled to himself, once more wondering and worrying what exactly Clovis had seen and how much he knew.

Not that it really made a difference.

"What was that?" Percy asked, tilting his head slightly, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Nothing." Will mumbled, gazing off into space with a light pout.

"Is there anything we can do to help you?" Jason asked, his face moving into Will's line of sight.

Will just loved how his eyes seemed to gleam so beautifully in the weak light of the street lamp behind their bench.

He sighed, low and depressed, and went to bury his face in his hands, his elbows on his bare thighs.

"No. No, I'm good. I'll figure it out at some point, no worries. Sorry, though."

"Stop apologizing." Percy snapped at him, then his expression softened and he crouched down in front of Will, placing his hands on Will's knees with a small sigh.

"Listen, we don't mind this, Will. I don't, at least. I don't mind waking up in the middle of the night, and I certainly don't mind helping you after your nightmares. I like being able to help you, and I like being able to be there for you - especially since you generally push everybody but Nico away at any other hour of the day. Ok, this is not speaking in my favor and makes me sound like a creep, doesn't it?" Percy trailed off, frowning at his own words and looking around at Nico as if waiting for him to scold him.

But Nico merely smiled and nodded at him reassuringly.

"Nah, you're doing good. Go on." Jason said, nudging him with a small smile himself.

Percy bit his lip, something that made him look even more adorable as usual.

Why was he even doing this?

And why was Will enjoying it way too much?

"Well, yeah, but really, it's not that it bothers us. No, what bothers us is that you seem in so much pain, that you suffer so much from these nightmares. And that's not your fault, and you shouldn't apologize for it, nor should you feel compelled to be grateful for us to be there for you. We want to be there for you. We want those nightmares to stop because they hurt you so much, not because we don't want to be there for you anymore or anything. Seriously, once this whole mess is over, I'll probably still want to wake up in the middle of the night to check on you just to make sure, maybe bring you a water or two, too. Ok, now I definitely crossed into creeper-territory, didn't I?" He sounded so dry and stern about it, Will couldn't suppress a small chuckle, reaching forward to stroke the side of Percy's face gently.

"No, but getting there. Thank you, Percy. I think I know what you mean. But I really am grateful you're there. All of you. And I'm sorry if I'm a bit of a dick the rest of the time, I don't mean it bad. It just gets…a bit confusing by times. You know, living in denial isn't as easy as it sounds." He said with a little wink, and watched with a fluttering heart how Percy's expression changed, a wide smile spreading on his face, leaning into Will's touch the tiniest bit (it could have also merely been Will's imagination, though).

His hands squeezed Will's knees gently, then he glanced sideways at Jason, who was smiling at both of them as well, though he raised an eyebrow at Percy, having some sort of mute (and, by the looks of it, _exhausted_) conversation.

Will looked around at Nico, who was still stroking circles across his back, gazing at him with an odd, soft expression Will hadn't seen in a while – at least not directed towards him.

It was weird, this moment between them – all four of them.

'Weird' as in it made Will's heart flutter as he blocked out everything around them, his entire being solely concentrating on these wonderful guys that were his friends; on this very moment, with Nico so close next to him, gazing at him so affectionately; with Percy right in front of him, squatting down in his black shirt and blue boxer shorts, his hands still on Will's knees, his thumbs stroking gently over them; with Jason standing right next to Percy, looking around in case there was any source of trouble, watching over their group like an eagle or hawk, protective and strong, loving in his own, very Jason-like way.

And Will loved it.

He so, so loved it.

.

"Ok, Percy, please, just one hint! Please!" Nico pleaded with his boyfriend and Jason shook his head to himself, looking out of the window as the landscape passed by mostly unnoticed by everyone else.

Therefore, most of them had rather sour moods.

Jason was glad they'd be in Denver soon, though the drive had been anything but short and nice.

Gods, their driver was the worst, apparently enjoying driving the worst roads ever and hitting every bump on the road he could find, making the bus rock and jump even more than it already did, much to all of their dismay.

The sleep in the tents had only marginally been better than on the train, the rocking and the noise having been replaced by the biting cold and the hard, uncomfortable ground (at least that's what the other kids said. Jason had slept like a stone and Will had certainly warmed them more than enough, to be honest. But even he felt rather sluggish and tired and would so go to sleep again if only the bus was a tiny bit less…bus-like).

But hey, rather some sleep than no sleep, right?

Jason glanced over the rows of demigod heads he could make out, smiling despite himself as he saw most of them dozing off apparently against their wills, if the jolting and the disgruntled grunts stood for anything.

Then he looked at Will, who was sitting next to him dozing as well – well, he had his eyes closed and his head tipped back, but the smile on his face showed he was still awake and listening to Percy's and Nico's hushed conversation about that crossword puzzle Percy and Will had made.

Nico still hadn't figured out even one word, and it was driving him crazy.

Well, it wasn't as if he hadn't tried, but Percy had been kind enough to point out all the words he was coming up with were wrong, though maybe Percy should have just kept quiet and let Nico do his thing.

Who knew, maybe he would have been able to solve it somehow with different words.

Poor guy.

Jason vaguely wondered whether Nico would still even want to solve it once he found out what the words were all about.

Seriously, what had Will and Percy been thinking when they had given this to Nico?

Not even Jason would be able to solve this without feeling somewhat embarrassed, and he would have certainly second and triple guessed his choices, not to mention he'd be unwilling to show this to anybody in case he was wrong.

Then again, he was fairly certain he wouldn't even have thought of some of those words.

"Just…leave it, really. It wasn't even that great. How about I make you a different one?" Percy tried amiably, and Jason inwardly cringed.

Oh no, that was the worst way to go about this, Nico was never going to…

"No, I really want to solve it. All I'm asking for is one more word."

Ah, to be expected.

He watched Will grinning to himself wickedly, apparently intending to act asleep so he could stay out of this conversation altogether.

Jason wondered faintly whether he should be a traitor and sell him out.

He looked over his shoulder at the two, watching Percy fidgeting nervously, his expression doubtful, as if he really regretted making that crosswords puzzle by now.

Served him right.

Served both of them right.

"Nico, trust me, I was there when they made this, and I can tell you now you'll be so disappointed once you find out what this entire thing is about."

"Jason, don't say that! We poured a lot of work into this, ok? I kind of regret our word choice by now, but it isn't THAT bad." Percy said defensively, giving him a pouty look.

But Jason was immune to them by now (at least that's what he liked to think).

"Sure. Why don't you give him one more word, then? I suggest a whole word, not just a few letters, that way he'll finally know in what direction he'll have to think to solve this." Jason told him with a shrug, watching Percy making a face.

"But…"

"Come on, one word, please? Jason, can't you tell me?" Nico pleaded, turning his beautiful dark brown eyes to Jason, who felt his insides fluttering at the sudden attention and was already opening his mouth to reply, to spill all his secrets, tell him everything he wanted to know.

But then, he found he couldn't.

There was no way he could say any of those words out loud to Nico, not like this, not with a straight face, not in the middle of this bus, just, no.

Instead, he pulled back, nudging Will's side.

"Will, how about _you_ tell him one of the words?" He suggested, preferring Will to be the one flustered, especially since he was one of the makers of that horrid crosswords puzzle, not to mention he had been the one to start it all with his perverted word suggestions for the other puzzles.

Will threw him an alarmed glance, then winced as he realized the other two had leaned forward and could full well see he was awake.

"Erm…well…ugh, sure." He conceded after a moment of apparently searching for any sort of excuse.

Nico eyed the three of them suspiciously, most likely knowing by now there was something wrong if even Jason didn't want to give him any hints, but Jason would be surprised if it didn't make Nico even more curious.

Jason turned to look at Will, concentrating on keeping his eyes on the boy's face rather than on his backside as he turned and climbed onto his seat with his knees, leaning over the back of his seat to move more freely and take the crossword puzzle from Nico.

"Well, one word would be…erm…" He started of determinedly, then started trailing off, pursing his lips and looking conflicted for a moment.

Then his ears turned red and he wordlessly turned around in his seat again, taking puzzle and pen with him and bending forward, shielding both items from view from Jason and everyone else.

Jason rolled his eyes.

Oh wow.

So much about that.

He could have _written_ a word down, as well.

But it was good to know Will wasn't as immune to this sort of thing as he always claimed.

"There you go." Will stated quickly, holding out the puzzle and pen over his head without turning to look at them.

Jason however watched intently as Nico took both items back and looked down at whatever Will had written down, seeing Percy doing the same out of the corners of his eyes.

For a long moment, Nico's expression didn't change.

Then he looked up with an utterly exasperated, done-with-the-world sort of expression on his face.

"Really? Don't tell me all of the words are like this, guys." He said with a low sigh, looking around at his boyfriend, but Percy instantly turned away, studying the brown curtains with an unbelievable intensity, while Will made no move to turn around, acting as if he couldn't hear a thing.

Nico raised an eyebrow at Jason, who merely shrugged.

"It was their idea, I had nothing to do with it. But yes, all of them are like that. I think. I don't know what Will wrote down, but it's all basically the same topic, so yeah." He said uncertainly and found Will shuffling uncomfortably.

Served both of them right.

"I only know a few of the words they used, though, and I have no idea where they put them. Want me to help you? If you're still up for solving it, that is." He found himself offering against his better judgment as he saw Nico rolling his eyes in a mixture of amusement and what appeared to be embarrassment, picking up his pen once more to apparently continue.

"Really? That would be cool. Percy, would it be ok if I switched seats with-…"

"Sure. You don't have to ask, Nico." Percy instantly hurried to reply, looking more alarmed at the notion than anything else.

Nico looked uncertain for a moment, but then Will was already getting up, eyeing Jason with a mixture of suspicion and uncertainty, as if he couldn't tell why Jason was offering help in the first place.

Jason merely smiled at him, and then he was gone, flopping down in Nico's seat, while Nico came to sit with Jason, coming closer so their sides more than just brushed against each other, the crossword puzzle held out in front of them.

And there, right along the word 'Blueberry', which had been the first word they had left as clue (apparently, there was either blueberry-flavored lube or condoms, something that had made both of those dorks giggle like little kids sharing a perverted joke), was the word 'blowjob'.

Yeah, that surely pointed Nico into the right direction.

"Nice to know what you guys are discussing when I'm not there." Nico remarked drily as he filled in a couple of other brackets, now capable of guessing the words much easier than before, making sense of 'oral', and thus 'anal' and several others that were pretty much along the same lines as well.

Perverted dorks.

"I believe that one is 'condoms'." Jason pointed out quietly and Nico shook his head to himself as he filled the brackets, the game going a lot more fluidly than Jason would have expected.

"We don't! No, Nico, it's not like that!" Percy instantly wailed behind them, leaning over the seat to get his boyfriend's attention, but Nico merely raised his eyebrows at him doubtfully.

"Really, we rarely talk about anything like that, I have to agree with Percy on that. Of course, I help him out when he starts having tons of questions again, but that's…"

"Will, shush! Don't make it sound like I'm actually discussing such things with you!"

"Well, excuse you, but you kind of are when you storm into my cabin and start demanding my help for bl-…"

"Shh! That was _one time_, Will! And I made sure nobody else was around!"

"Percy, you walked into my cabin yelling 'Teach me how to deep throat' and I know for a fact you were _not_ checking whether the other bunks were empty! Also, Jason was there!"

Oh well, that was out there now.

Jason and Nico had stopped their crossword-solving to watch their little dispute, Nico with a raised eyebrow and an utterly blank expression, Jason with an exasperated sigh and a small shake of his head.

Yes, this was the perfect time and location for this sort of conversation.

In a bus in the middle of nowhere, stuck for another few hours, with tons of other tired, but not deaf demigods around them.

Percy threw his hands up in horror and disbelief, his face scarlet.

"Will!"

Will just sat there, eyes wide, mouth open in a small, surprised 'Oh', as if he only now realized what he had just said and given away, glancing over at Nico with guilt and uncertainty flashing across his features.

Jason looked around as well, trying to discern how Nico would take the news, but Nico still looked pretty much indifferent, looking between them.

"What? Why are you all looking at me? It certainly wasn't me asking for any sort of…help…in any sexual aspect. Though it would have been nice to know you're offering. Well, I guess this would explain one or two things." He said with a shrug and a telling glance in Percy's direction, who was worrying his bottom lip and looked equally conflicted and mortified.

"It's not like that, sweetheart. I just wanted to…well…"

"It's ok. I don't really mind. Just for clarification reasons, though, what did you 'practice' on?" Nico asked with an odd expression on his face, looking between Will and Percy again, who both instantly turned beet red and surged forward, their sides colliding with each other as they tried to get to Nico first, both of them sputtering and exclaiming non-coherent things.

Jason could barely hold back a small chuckle, though ironically, he didn't feel like laughing at all.

"Bananas. Nico, don't get the wrong idea about them. Will was against it for the longest time, and Percy could only convince him because he wanted to know for your birthday. If he hadn't been in such a rush to be the perfect boyfriend possible for you, he'd have of course chosen to go by the trial-and-error as he most likely does for anything else. He doesn't talk about anything private like that and we certainly don't pry. It was a one-time-thing, really." Jason explained, putting a hand on Nico's back, while Will and Percy quickly nodded, still stumbling over their own words.

Nico, however, merely shrugged.

"Ok."

Jason scanned his face, trying to discern how he felt, what he thought of this, what was going to happen now, but was at an utter loss.

Why was it that Nico showed so much emotions when it was him doing something 'unusual', but when anybody else did it, Nico had this air of indifference about him? How could he do that?

Percy and Will shared an uncertain glance as well, and he saw Will's hand sneaking around the seat to touch Nico's shoulder tentatively, but Nico pulled back at the last moment before he could make any sort of skin contact.

"Are you mad now? I'm sorry, babe…" Percy started, looking guilty and conflicted, but Nico flopped back into his seat, glancing over his shoulder towards his boyfriend.

"What? No, I'm not. As I said, I don't really care. I'm not going to tell you how to live your life or what to do and not do, Percy. Those are your decisions. Will, if it's not too much trouble, can you teach me whatever you taught him as well, though?"

"Huh? Ah…erm…eh…I mean…ah, sure, I guess." Will stuttered taken aback, his face turning dark red now, his freckles glowing brightly, and Jason wasn't sure whether to wince in sympathy or laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

Percy gaped at his boyfriend, his expression still alarmed and worried, but Nico only nodded quietly, then turned around once more and bent over the crossword puzzle.

"Come on, Jason, let's finish this, yeah?"

Nico didn't sound annoyed or upset, didn't even look the part.

But he looked so oddly indifferent that there was no way he wasn't bothered by this.

"Uh…sure." Jason muttered, glancing back at the two guys behind them, both still leaning over the backs of the seats, both worrying their bottom lips with their teeth, sharing an uncertain glance.

Then Will reached out once more to touch Nico.

This time, Nico permitted the touch, and Jason watched Will's eyes widen after a moment, confusion flashing across his face as he pulled his hand back like stung.

Nico turned his head slightly, his expression questioning, and Jason quickly leaned forward to help with the crossword puzzle, pointing out 'buttsmex' and 'rimming' absent-mindedly, disturbed by himself for actually pointing them out at all, but Nico didn't seem to think much of it, happily working away.

The next time Jason looked around, Will was whispering something into Percy's ear, shaking his head slightly and frowning to himself, while Percy was listening intently, still looking guilty and conflicted, though it slowly eased with whatever Will was telling him.

"Hey, what's this one? Any ideas?" Nico asked quietly, his voice even less than a whisper, and he tapped his pen to the paper.

Jason blinked and looked down, trying to fill in the missing letters somehow, but failing.

The muttering behind him wasn't making things much easier either, because he really wanted to know what they were talking about.

"Erm, actually, I'm not sure…let me think…" He muttered, trying to concentrate hard.

"Oh, it's ok. We'll find out eventually." Nico shrugged, then suddenly looked rather bitter.

Jason pursed his lips.

"You know, your boyfriend is a bit of a coward. I mean, I don't mean it bad, but he kind of always worries he's not good enough for you. That you're missing out on something if he isn't, like, the best of the best. He wants to know everything, do everything, be experienced when he's not. He really doesn't talk about anything private, or anything else, really. Thinking about it, I have no clue what we even talk about when you aren't around. It's never anything important, I can tell you that much." He tried quietly, but Nico only looked around at him with a wry smile.

"Jason, I'm really not upset. As I said, I don't really care. I know Percy would never really talk about stuff like that, and I trust him, same as I trust you. I admit, if Percy had gone to somebody else for help, I'd probably feel kind of queasy and weird about it, but Will…I don't know. It's still weird, but I guess it makes sense, and it certainly explains how those two suddenly got so comfortable with each other." His lips twitched at that and Jason saw him glancing back at the two for the smallest fraction of a second, before turning his focus back on Jason.

"The only thing that's bothering me a bit is that I always find out last about…about everything, actually. You guys plan all those surprises, and I never know anything until we're already there, until it's already happening. You guys make plans, and I'm last to know. Percy gets help, and I don't even know until Will blurts it out by accident. That's the only thing that bothers me, but give me a bit more time and I'll get over that, too."

"Don't. It's completely ok to be bothered by that, Nico. I'd be, too. Don't try to keep it in, though, and don't make up excuses for it. Talk it out with him. Do it. Do it now. Let him know how you feel, how you really feel, and talk it out. Conversations like that are important in a relationship, even if they're awkward and unusual. Especially if they're awkward and unusual." Jason exclaimed, nudging Nico's side encouragingly, but Nico still looked rather doubtful.

"I don't really…I'm ok, really. It's not like it's an actual problem, it just makes me feel a bit left out, but that's kind of a selfish thing to-…"

"What's making you feel left out?" Will asked, having stopped his hushed conversation with Percy when they noticed Jason and Nico talking.

"Nothing…" Nico immediately recoiled, looking back at his crossword puzzle with fake curiosity.

Jason nudged his knee against Nico's leg.

"I don't think it's selfish at all. Actually, I think you're absolutely right. I bet that would bother me, too. You know what made me feel left out? When I came back to Camp and you three were so tight and everything. I thought you'd surely not want me around anymore, and-…"  
"_What?!_" Percy exclaimed, sounding as taken aback as Will looked, while Nico's head spun around fast and hard, staring at Jason in shock.

Jason scolded himself for talking so loud, not to mention his wording.

For a moment, he wanted to shrug the whole matter off and change the topic, keep this to himself and – and act exactly like Nico, as if everything was ok and nothing bothered/had bothered him whatsoever.

But hadn't he started this to show Nico it was better to talk things like this out?

What better way to do that than to listen to his own advice?

"Well, I'm not saying I still feel this way. It's just that it felt odd, seeing you bond so much while I was gone, and coming back to you three so comfortable and at ease around each other. And I admit it felt a bit like I was intruding, especially in the beginning, as if I was some sort of third/fifth wheel trying to force my way into your group." He admitted with a shrug, though he didn't meet any of their gazes.

"Jason! Why didn't you say anything? That's not…how…why…" Percy exclaimed, looking dumbstruck.

"We missed you so much while you were gone, even if those two would never admit it. We never meant or wanted to exclude you from the group, Jason. I'm so sorry…" Nico muttered, his hands finding Jason's thigh, his expression full of guilt and worry.

"Are you mental? Do you know how much those two missed you? I swear _I_ was more left out than you could ever be, Jason. You're already, like, utterly manifested in this…whatever we are. I'm the odd one out, the one that is imposing on the rest of you, really. My nightmares are the best example for that. Just look how I keep-…" Will started, but had to shut up when Percy rounded at him.

"_Sun-bug_! Not you, too! Nobody is the odd one out here. Why would you _think_ that? And don't you _dare_ to start with your nightmares again."

Nico looked around at them with a stunned, disturbed expression, intently scanning each of their faces, as if thinking this had to be some sort of joke.

Jason gazed at Will, watching him purse his lips and looking down for a moment, and he knew Will definitely wasn't joking.

"You're not imposing on anyone, Will." It took him a moment to realize that he was the one uttering these words softly.

Will looked up, his gaze uncertain and doubtful, but he nodded quietly nevertheless.

"Yeah, well, neither are you." He mumbled, looking away again quickly, and Jason had the strong urge to wrap his arms around him and hold him tight and reassure him – or to tell Percy to do it for him, since he was closer.

"Why…why didn't you say anything? That you were feeling left out, I mean." Nico asked quietly after silence settled over them for a long moment, all of them looking away into different directions awkwardly, uncomfortably.

Both Jason and Will shrugged.

"Didn't want to bother you guys. I knew you didn't mean to, so I just kind of waited to figure out whether or not you'd keep wanting me around, really." Jason muttered, feeling oddly stupid as he said it, as if he had been an utter idiot this entire time.

Well, fun fact, he had been.

He could have sworn it had sounded and felt a lot more logical and sensible in his head before.

Will didn't say a thing, though all three of them were gazing at him expectantly.

Instead, he merely shrugged again.

Percy sighed, looking concentrated for a long moment, as if trying to collect his thoughts.

"Guys, I have no idea where this even came from, but I for one want to say I'm sorry for making you feel that way. To me, this…this group…it always consisted of all four of us. Ever since December, maybe even before that. No matter if you were gone or not, Jason, we missed you and you were still part of our group – most definitely, man. And Will, why…no, I'm not even going to ask why. Just…just promise you'll tell us next time, yeah? I don't know, just…just…blurt it out. Whenever you feel left out, just…just tell us, ok? All of you, do that." He tried to make it sound like an order, tried to sound composed and collected and above it all, but his expression was worried, confused and exhausted.

Will only shrugged, still not looking up.

"That's why you thought we didn't want you along, isn't it? Because you think of yourself as the odd one out." Jason deduced, the pieces suddenly fitting together a lot better.

Will had always been the one thinking of himself as the least of all.

The least attractive, the least interesting, the least wanted (oh, _if only he knew_).

He had made a show of boasting and trying to get to Nico with being the loudest and most obnoxious of them all, though showing his true self whenever he was with Nico alone, whenever he didn't have to fight for Nico's attention.

The fact he was the 'weakest' fight-wise and didn't have a variety of special skills from his godly parent, and the fact that his father was 'just' Apollo, instead of one of the Big Three, wasn't helping much, either.

He acted as if he was so experienced and great, but in truth he had a self-esteem a lot like Percy's, which was to say nearly non-existent and generally based on how obvious others were about their attraction to him, or how much they showered him in compliments and affection – which would usually make him too full of himself for his own good, but even then mostly for show.

Great, it seemed like Percy and Will were more alike in quite a few ways than Jason would have thought.

And, obviously, it couldn't have been positive things, but things that tore them both down.

Poor guys.

Percy flinched back at Jason's words, looking around at Will with big eyes, while Nico frowned at them.

"What?"

Oh damn, Nico still didn't know, did he?

Damn, damn, damn.

And this was exactly what Nico said bothered him, too.

Jason was an idiot.

Will pursed his lips, looking utterly uncomfortable in his skin right now.

"It's just…oh, forget it. I don't know. Forget I said anything." Will mumbled, falling back into the seat and crossing his arms in front of his chest, closing his eyes resolutely, as if it would make them stop looking at him.

Jason felt utterly horrible for pushing all of this onto Will, even though it had happened by accident.

Now he kind of wished he had kept his mouth shut.

But he hadn't meant for all of this to take this sort of turn!

All he had wanted to do was get Nico to tell Percy how he felt, so they could both work on the issue together and realize more about themselves and each other, binding them closer together.

Then again, it wasn't as if this was bad.

It was simply bad for Will right now because he obviously didn't want to discuss the matter.

What he needed right now was somebody to convince him it was ok to open up, to show how he truly felt and that the guys were good listening partners if they really wanted to be.

Percy opened his mouth to undoubtedly say something that showed how much he wanted to let this conversation drop (which was to say: not at all), but Jason shook his head.

"Percy, don't. Will, is it ok if I tell Nico what happened?" He asked cautiously, knowing this told Will he had talked to Percy about it already.

And since Nico was right there, it wasn't as if Will had that much choice.

Jason hated himself for not being able to offer him more options, for forcing him out like this.

He really did.

Will shrugged, his face forcefully impassive, his eyes still shut stubbornly.

Nico, however, looked partly frustrated all over again, and Jason pursed his lips, glancing over at Percy, who was still too busy staring at Will.

"Alright, I'll take that as a yes. Nico, I'm sure you noticed that Will would always be sort of…distant during our talks about the trip, right?" He started tentatively, and found Nico stiffening to a board next to him.

"Yes?" He replied hesitantly, eyes hushing over to Will, as if trying to read in his impassive face where this was going.

"Well, the thing is…he…" Great, how to tell Nico, of all people?

With Percy, he had been able to fairly straight forward, because it was Percy, and anything less would have only confused him.

Nico was different, though.

He'd be devastated no matter how they said it, of course, but he definitely did not want to say 'he thought we all didn't want him along and just enjoyed tearing him down over and over again, making him feel like a worthless piece of trash nobody could possibly like to hang around with'.

Just, no.

"I thought I wasn't invited." Will suddenly said from his seat, his voice quiet and empty, making Jason cringe – and Percy apparently too, judging by the way his face scrunched up and his entire posture first stiffened, then slumped.

Jason couldn't blame him.

Having Will say something like that to them, even after having heard it before, still stung him, after all, so of course it would get to Percy, too.

Nico stared at the blonde stunned, apparently trying to make sense of the words.

Then he frowned. "What? What do you mean…?"

Will made a face and pushed himself forward slightly, his hands on his thighs, his knuckles oddly white.

"I thought I wasn't invited. On the trip. It just…I don't know. When you said your dad asked Jason to come over, and you all talked about 'going together', it just sounded like you just meant…meant the three of you. I didn't say anything, because I thought it would be inappropriate, and didn't want to make a big deal of it. I know I'm the odd one out, and I didn't want to push myself onto you guys. I mean, it seemed kind of…obvious to me, that you wouldn't actually…well…want me around. Not in a bad way, of course. I'm not that stupid that I really think you guys don't want me around at all, trust me, else you'd definitely see a lot less of me. No, I just thought you'd…well, there was no real reason for me to come along, was there now?"

Percy opened his mouth to say something, but Jason shut him up with a quick shake of his head, and Percy actually obeyed, though he looked disgruntled about it all the same.

Nico's shoulders had slumped, his entire demeanor fitting that of a person who had just had his heart ripped out of its chest and was watching it getting torn apart.

In other words, he looked utterly devastated, his brown eyes full of disbelief, pain, sorrow and guilt.

Gods, Nico.

Jason wanted to wrap his arms around him so badly, around all of them.

Pull them close and reassure and comfort them, take the pain away and make them feel happy and whole again.

But this was important.

Nico had to know, and Will had to talk it all out of his system.

They had to talk.

It was more than time for an actual, dead serious talk.

Though Jason would have greatly preferred it if this had happened somewhere at least a bit more private.

Luckily enough, the demigods closest to them seemed to really be asleep, and the others apparently had lost interest, telling each other stories or playing cards a few rows behind them.

Will sighed.

"I'm not trying to get your pity or anything, and I'm not looking down on myself or anything. But it's just that Jason…well, you have a job there, you have a reason to be there. Otherwise, there would have been no way you'd have taken him along now, right? Percy and you, you two would have left to visit the Underworld and there's that. But Jason has a job to do there, so you two were like 'sure, let's go together, it's the same way, after all'. But I don't have such a job, I am just…me. And since I'm neither dating you, nor have any other sort of relation to either Jason or the whole peace-contract-business, I just assumed all that excluded me. So, when you kept talking about the trip with me around, I admit it stung and…well, I guess it hurt quite a bit, but I didn't question it. I mean, I know you would have never rubbed it in that you were going while leaving me behind like that, but I kind of just thought you guessed I wouldn't have wanted to come anyways, or that I wouldn't care or mind. It never crossed my mind that you kind of just…expected me to be there with you. I know it sounds horrible and as if I really thought you guys were horrible or something, but really, I'm not. You guys are great. I just…I don't know. But it wasn't you." Will muttered, his voice becoming quieter and quieter, his expression guilty, but at least he wasn't trying to hide his feelings anymore.

Percy looked like he had quite a bit to say, but he looked around at Jason for permission first, and when Jason didn't give it, he remained silent, though he kept shifting in his seat uncomfortably.

Not yet, Percy.

Let Nico speak first.

Once Nico got his voice back, that was.

But Nico kept staring at Will as if he had grown a second head.

Then, he suddenly toppled out of his seat, and Jason was about to lunge forward to catch him in case he was actually falling, but by then, Nico was already one row further, throwing his arms around Will and pulling him close, burying his face at the side of his neck.

"You…you idiot…" He heard Nico utter weakly and watched taken aback as Will looked utterly shocked, his eyes wide, his mouth open, his hands halfway in the air as if he had also thought Nico was falling and had readied himself to catch him, too.

Then his expression softened and he wrapped his arms around Nico as well, tugging him close and turning his face, hiding it from view in Nico's hair.

They stayed like that for quite a while, sharing a hushed conversation with each other neither Percy nor Jason could hear, but neither of them tried, instead smiling at each other and watching them quietly.

Once Nico did let go, his eyes were a tad red, though nobody mentioned it, and all Percy said to Will was 'Endure it.', which didn't make any sense - until he pulled him into another hug as well, much to Will's apparent dislike as he wailed and complained, though Jason caught the hint of a smile on his face as he held onto Percy and had his face suspiciously close to Percy's neck to really give off the impression he wasn't enjoying it.

Nico was standing in the aisle, smiling at both of them with an odd expression, then looking towards Jason almost expectantly, which made Jason grin and sigh, getting up himself.

Fine, he knew what was coming next.

And it wasn't as if he hadn't felt like it all day already, anyways.

"Not you too, Jason." Will complained when Percy more than reluctantly let go of him again, slightly pink in the face, though it was nothing compared to the blush on Will's face.

So much for not liking it.

Yeah, right.

"Sorry, but there's no way I'll let you get away without, Freckles." He said, finding Will wrap his arms around him first and tugging him down.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Get it over with, Handsome."

Jason chuckled, wrapping Will into a bear hug and lifting him clean out of his seat.

He really had to eat more.

"Jason! What…" Will exclaimed in surprise, but Jason merely chuckled, turning his face towards his ear.

"We all love you very much, Will. And I for one am more than glad you're here. You're part of this group, Will, and it's a very important part. Don't you forget that, ok?" He said quietly, winking at Percy who stared at them rather dumbfounded, as surprised about Jason's actions as the rest of the bus appeared to be.

Will stiffened in his arms, his arms tightly around his neck as his feet tried to regain their footing on the ground again.

"Y-Yeah, alright. Just…let me down again, would you?" Will asked meekly, his voice a tad higher than usual, his heart beating wildly against Jason's chest.

Jason grinned, nuzzling his face against the side of his neck.

"Never. Time to carry you through the entire bus and embarrass you in front of everybody. Punishment for keeping stuff like that to yourself all the time."

"What? Jason!" Will exclaimed, though, funnily enough, he didn't struggle one bit, even when Jason took a step back with him.

"Nah, just joking. But really, you can talk to us about anything, ok?" He conceded, letting him down carefully.

Will pulled back slightly, looking at him with a bright red face, his eyes hushing between Jason's, his expression indecipherable.

"Alright, but you should, too. Same rules for everybody."

Jason laughed at that. "Ok, deal."

"What are you making deals on?" Percy instantly asked, the curiosity barely concealed.

"You two better not be making bets on something stupid again, I swear." Nico muttered darkly, standing next to them and giving them stern glances, though his eyes gleamed with amusement.

"No, we just agreed we'd talk more about things that bother us. Just you wait, we'll be really bad crybabies in no time." Will exclaimed with a lopsided grin, but Percy instantly made a face.

"Oh yeah? If you're hoping we'll get sick of you, fat chance. You're stuck with us forever." It sounded kind of like a threat, but Jason and Will merely exchanged telling glances.

For some reason, this reminded him a lot of their talk that one time about…

"You know, I'm starting to believe your theory more and more. Remember, when you said he'd try propose to Nico and be upset cause we couldn't be side grooms or something?" Will muttered darkly as he leaned against him to whisper in his ear.

Jason's grin widened.

"Shh, don't speak too loudly, we don't want to give him ideas, you forgot?"

They both chuckled to themselves, eyeing Percy with mischief, who looked at them both warily, knowing full well they were talking about him.

But then he shrugged the matter off.

"Alright, enough drama. I'm starving. Who's harboring the snacks?" He exclaimed instead, looking around for the culprit, while Nico chuckled and squeezed Jason's hand as he finally let go completely of Will, who was still grinning at him with more joy than he had seen in quite a while.

"You know, I think I get what you mean about talking things out. But by now, my problem isn't really a problem anymore, does that make sense?"

Jason smiled down at him. "Of course. Do you still want to talk about it to the others so they know for the future?"

"Not really. That would be a bit much right now, wouldn't it? And I mean, I get why you wouldn't tell me about the surprises and all, and I know why you didn't tell me before about Will. So I kind of figured out you're not doing it to leave me out of things, but because you don't want to hurt or upset me. I'm glad I know about it, but I also understand your way of thinking."

"So, you want us to continue, or stop and tell you right away?" Jason asked directly, knowing Will was listening as he flopped back down in his chair, head slightly tilted towards them to eavesdrop more or less.

"I…I want to be there when you talk about such things, but for the times that's not possible, I'd still like to know, but I'll leave it to you to determine when you'll tell me. So, I do want to know at one point, but you can decide when you want me to know. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah. Ok, I'll let them know, then. And Nico?"

"Yeah?"

"We'd never want to leave you out of the group, either. This is it, we're making badges. Freckles, you take care of the design, I'll…erm…bring them to Leo to get them done."

"What? No way!" Will instantly exclaimed, then realized with a taken aback expression that he had just given himself away completely, though they both merely chuckled, while Percy was off getting them all snacks.

Apparently, he really was hungry.

"Badges? And you think Percy will wear that?" Nico asked dubiously, but Jason waved off.

"Hey, he's still wearing his probatio-sign, so I'm utterly certain he will wear a badge saying 'I'm part of the dork-group' or whatever else Will can come up with."

"Ipod!" Will immediately exclaimed, and both of them looked around at him.

"What?" Nico asked, looking amused.

"Well, '_I_'m _P_art _O_f the _D_ork-group'. Ipod." Will explained and Jason buried his face in his hands.

How did they even get here?

If he remembered correctly, twenty minutes ago they were still talking about Percy getting blowjob-help and Nico trying to solve crosswords, now they were discussing group names for their…group.

Yeah, what were they, anyways?

They all loved Nico, and originally, they had all arranged themselves with each other to make Nico happy.

Now, they were more of a bundle of four guys crushing on each other, with two of them dating, and the rest standing next to them, looking pretty (more or less), but still essential parts of the group.

They were still this sort of Nico-Protection-Squad, though.

A Making-Nico-Happy-group, that had miraculously transformed into a Making-every-member-of-the-group-happy-group.

But that couldn't really be turned into something as nice and fancy as 'Ipod'.

Kind of unfair.

Hey, wait…

"Hey, would that make Percy a U-pod or a Y-pod? Or maybe PI-pod?" He asked as the dark-haired boy came back towards them from the back of the bus, loaded with their food.

"Huh?" Percy asked confused, but Nico and Will started laughing, Will doing that adorable snort-laugh again.

Jason so loved it when he did that.

"What?" Percy tried again, but Jason decided to leave it to Will to explain, instead winking at Percy suggestively once more (he loved the incredulous expression Percy always adapted when seeing him wink) and flopping back into his seat.

They might not have talked about everything, but this had certainly cleared up a lot.

This trip surely was interesting so far.

He only hoped they would finally get there soon, because he definitely hated bus rides almost as much as Percy did (at least there didn't seem to be any Furies on board, though. Percy had told them the story again. Scary. Good thing Nico was with them now).


	17. Chapter 17: Sleep Deprivation

**A/N:** Here the next chapter ;D Enjoy~

* * *

**Chapter 17: Sleep deprivation, jumping lakes, and horrible pick-up lines**

When they finally arrived in Salt Lake City more than an entire day later, they were more than just tired, they were utterly exhausted.

The past days had been horrible.

After arriving in Denver, they had found that the train to Richmond had been cancelled for no apparent reason, forcing them to check the busses once more and deciding on the one going to Salt Lake City, but that hadn't left for another 5 hours, and it had been almost midnight by the time they would have been able to set camp.

So, needless to say, they hadn't set camp, instead lounging near the station and forcing a McDonalds restaurant to supply the entire group with enough coffee and food to keep them awake until they were finally seated in the damn bus.

The 'damn bus' had proven to be as bad as the last one, this time with an older driver who apparently couldn't find the gas pedal, turning their 12 hour drive into a 15 hour drive, though Percy guessed they had the traffic to blame for that as well, not just their driver.

But hey, it was official, the entire group preferred train rides to bus rides, it wasn't just Percy.

On the bright side, they had all checked the schedule and the train to Richmond was still planned to run as usual from here.

On the not so bright side, obviously it wouldn't leave in the middle of the night/morning, so, once again, they were forced to set camp in the first park they could find, hoping to avoid detection.

This time, Jason didn't have to make sure everybody stayed quiet and went about their work quickly, because all of them were too tired to speak much and already had half their tents set up before Jason had even looked up from the notes he had taken at the train station earlier.

None of them had managed to catch any sort of sleep whatsoever, the music in the bus too loud and obnoxious, the driver unwilling to abide, the other passengers as rude as could be.

Jason had been the only one keeping a calm head the entire day and stopping the other demigods from doing things they'd all regret later, instead keeping them all in check, as he did now, more or less.

Percy could tell Jason was as sluggish as the rest of them, though he tried to act the part of an alert leader all the same. Percy kind of admired that, actually.

He certainly couldn't do it.

Neither could Will or Nico, for that matter.

He watched amused how Nico took the stakes from Will, who seemed to have fallen asleep sitting in the dirt, while Percy was trying to set up the tent mostly by himself.

Somehow, this had all been a lot easier last time.

Now, it felt to him as if this tent had somewhat…shrunk.

Maybe there was a part missing…?

"Percy, what are you doing?" Nico asked groggily as Percy started turning the tent around over and over again, instead of moving those upholding sticks through it to actually set it up.

One could only function so well after two days in horrible, stuffy and uncomfortable busses and pretty much no sleep at all.

"I can't find where it goes in." He whined with a frown, not understanding why it wasn't working.

Then he heard Will chuckle from the ground, now lying sprawled out in the dirt as he seemed in some sort of too-tired-to-care, knocked-out state that made him look a tiny bit crazy.

"Oh, oh, oh. It goes in the butt. Percy, you suck. And I'm outta luck. He goes like 'What'? And I say, 'I ain't no slut', but he just tells me to take it up the-...hey look, a nut." Will rhymed in a sing-song voice with one finger raised in the air and a drunk-sounding chuckle, holding up what looked like a small acorn with his other hand.

Jason toppled over to them, looking groggy and tired as well, but he had enough sense left in him to frown at them and look disturbed into Will's direction.

"Do I even want to know? Don't answer that. I don't want to know. Percy, stop making love to the tent, Nico, stop ogling the stakes like that. Will, what are you doing on the ground? Come on, get up, you can sleep in a moment." He ordered, though his voice slurred slightly, making Nico squint up at him with an odd expression, while Will chuckled again.

"Wasn't there a song like that? Yeah, there be plenty songs like that. _Take me on the floor, da-da-da-da-…_"

"Will! Not now! Not here!" Jason interrupted Will's sudden singing with a bright red face, dumping the tent back into Percy's hands as he scrambled over to collect the blonde off the ground, where Will had turned face-down, beginning to rap quietly to an entirely different, but oddly similarly suggestive song.

Percy couldn't help but chuckle.

Well, he guessed Will was utterly out of it.

"We're all going crazy." He informed Nico with a small laugh, who was still eyeing his stakes with an odd expression.

"Don't you think this one is longer than this one?" His boyfriend then asked, holding up two stakes that looked utterly identical to Percy.

Yep, they were so going crazy.

That was sleep deprivation for you.

"You're absolutely right. That one really is longer." He said seriously, though, pointing at one of them, but then instantly earned himself a frown from Nico.

"You're the worst liar ever, you dork. That one is the shorter one. Get down here so I can kiss you."

Percy only too willingly complied, though when he leaned down, he felt his balance shifting way more than expected, and he fell forward instead, the two of them colliding, though Nico didn't complain whatsoever, letting himself fall back into the dirt and wrapping his arms around Percy with a small chuckle instead.

"You're such an idiot sometimes."

"Aw, Nico, I love you, too." Percy cooed exaggeratedly, starting to attack his boyfriend with killer-kisses that made him giggle and laugh, writhing beneath him as wonderfully as usual.

"Percy! Stop molesting Nico. Is anybody still working on setting up the tent? Hello, are you two even listening? Alright, don't listen to me, then, but at least get off the supplies so I can build up the tent. Will, that's a…you know what, I don't care. You're all acting like drunk little kids, I'm just saying. I am never going to give you alcohol. None of you." Jason grumbled, grabbing hold of Percy's shoulders and pushing him sideways, which resulted in Nico and him rolling over once and Nico being on top of him, looking down with a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

"_Love is in the air._" Will sang gently somewhere to Percy's right, and he heard him tapping the ground in rhythm.

Will actually had a quite nice singing voice.

Then again, he was the son of Apollo, so Percy guessed he shouldn't be so surprised about it.

Nico's mouth found his, and he practically purred against his lips, returning the kiss maybe a tiny bit too vigorously, but he had been craving this sort of closeness all day long already.

Nico hummed contently, kissing back with equal enthusiasm and grinding his body against Percy, making it more than obvious what he had been wanting for quite a while now.

Oh, how Percy wished he could give him what he wanted.

Right here, right now.

Who cared if anybody else was there…

"Before you two get any funny ideas, forget it. We're all still here, and even if most of the others are already knocked out, they're bound to wake up if you make too much noise- no, that was not an encouragement to keep your voices down, guys. Come on, the tent is almost done, somebody could get the sleeping bag, at least." Jason was still slurring his words so nicely.

Percy still kind of wanted to wrap his arms around him and make him shut up with a kiss, though.

"Aw, sleeping bag, cleaning rag, don't look at me, I'm just a fag…." Will chirped and Percy and Nico let go of each other to look around at the blonde, who was sitting once more, but with his legs pulled up, his arms wrapped around them and his face hidden at his knees, chuckling to himself and starting up another few songs.

"Didn't you say you're bisexual?" Jason asked dubiously as he walked over to the blonde, apparently trying once more to get him up, but Will merely gazed up at him tiredly for a long, long moment.

"Babe, for you, I'd be _anything_." He then said with a seductive purr in his voice and a dangerous smile on his face.

Percy raised an eyebrow, looking up at Nico, who was frowning at the blonde and glanced towards Percy.

"Think we should go and help?"

Percy first wanted to say no and drag him back into a kiss, but his eyes hushed back to Will and Jason, and something inside him shifted.

Ugh, fine.

He sighed and shrugged, feeling Nico getting off him way too quickly in his opinion.

Jason blinked down at Will, apparently not having expected a reply quite like this.

"Alright. But first, let's get you up and into the tent, yeah?" He said at last, and even Percy had to admit that sounded pretty lame.

Couldn't he have replied with some sort of pick-up line, too?

Percy would have tried, at least.

Hey, that kind of sounded like fun, too.

Will stuck out his bottom lip at him, then glanced around at Percy, which promptly made him grin again.

"Hey there, Gorgeous. How's it going? Found your way in yet?" He asked with a new round of giggles and a wriggle of his eyebrows, and Percy raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, I'm pro at finding my way in, excuse you. But hey, at least I'm not trying to hit up Jason."

"That's what you say, but _everybody_ is trying to hit up Jason. You, Nico, that girl on that one train…" Will started with a stern expression, starting to count of several more random people on his fingers, while Jason buried his face in his hands.

"I am not trying to hit anybody up. Especially not Jason. Sorry, Jason, nothing against you, but…"

"Oh, don't even go there, Percy. Just. Don't." Jason said warningly, though Percy still found the slurring of his words utterly adorable.

"You're just not hitting anybody up because you have no good lines. Look, I'll teach you…" Will suddenly exclaimed, and got to his feet, looking dead serious as he toppled forward, needing Percy and Nico to catch and support him.

Seriously, he was useless at night.

And why were they all so utterly exhausted?

Alright, the day had been tiring and long and even more tiring, and the bus ride had been horrible, and last night's sleep had been non-existent, but they were bound to have gone through worse before, right?

Why were they all so sluggish and tired?

"Ugh, I feel like I'm going to regret all this in the morning." Will grumbled between Nico and him and Percy chuckled.

"Oh yes, you will. But hey, out of curiosity, what other pick-up lines do you have?"

"Percy! Don't you take advantage of him." Nico chided, but Percy merely shrugged.

"Asking for pick-up lines isn't taking advantage of him. I'm sure he'd do that in his sane moments, too."

"Oh, you have no idea what I'd do for you, Gorgeous." Will all but purred, and Percy nearly stopped in his tracks as he felt his chest fluttering and his insides churning with curiosity and want at the sound of Will's voice, so different from usual, low and sweet and seductive.

Then Will turned his face to look at Percy, his blue eye boring into Percy's.

"And your eyes are so beautiful, man. Like the ocean...and _damn_, am I lost at sea." Will now definitely purred, and Percy could feel himself shivering, his hold on Will tightening.

"The sleeping bag is all up and ready for taking. You better get in there or I'll leave you out here in the cold." Jason called them over from where he had his head sticking out of the entrance to the now set up tent, and Percy and Nico exchanged a quick glance, then made their way towards it hurriedly, Will safely in their middle.

Percy hadn't even noticed Jason moving, to be honest.

Kind of weird.

"Oh, oh, I have another one: Nico, babe, I'm feeling a bit off today, but you definitely turned me on...alright, that makes all three of you, I'm out of here. Anyone mention this later is in for cruel, cruel death. I feel so damn tired, why am I so tired?" Will asked almost as sluggishly as Jason, who helped getting him inside the tent and started undressing him somewhat, especially since all three of them were covered in dirt (oops).

"Hey, hey, Jason, watch it. I ain't bottoming for anybody, and I don't do casual, not even for you, babe. But I can nibble on your neck a bit if it makes you happy." Will chirped and Percy looked around at them with an alarmed frown, taking off his jeans as he watched Jason blush slightly, letting Will work down his pants by himself, though his outstretched arms showed he had been about to do that.

Ha! _'Eventually interested' my ass!_ Jason so had a thing for Will.

Jealousy ripped through Percy and he wanted to do something, say something, anything, to make it stop, make them stop, make his feelings stop, either was fine.

But then he didn't, because it had nothing to do with him, and he wasn't allowed to interfere.

"I'll pass, but thank you. I shall keep it in mind." Jason muttered, still pink in the face, while Will stepped out of his pants, looking more amused than anything.

"Yeah, ok, if you say so. Just tell me if you need me, yeah? I'll make you feel good…but nothing else! I don't do casual. Wait, didn't I already say that?" Will mused thoughtfully and Percy saw Jason smile slightly.

"I'll let you know. And yes, I know you don't. Me neither. Ready for bed now?"

"Oh, I wish there was a bed, Handsome. But the sleeping bag gotta do. Can I take off my shirt? It gets so hot. Hot, too hot, my heart's in a knot, with you whole lot, and I'm left to rot, it's like I'm shot, and you just nod, and here's..." Will trailed off, starting to rhyme some more with various words.

Nico frowned at him. "What? Say, do you just rhyme randomly or do you mean what you say?" He asked confused, but Will merely shrugged, letting Jason tug his shirt off without complaint, just to then drop down onto the sleeping bag face down an instant later.

"It's cause of my dear daddy. Fun fact, I can't lie when I'm rhyming. Sad, ain't it? I hate my dad." He grumbled, and Percy halted for a moment as they were about to join Will on top of the sleeping bag, knowing it would be too warm to get inside it.

This was the first time Percy could think of that Will actually talked about Apollo.

And it was quite a big statement, too.

He kind of wanted to ask, but at the same time didn't want to pry, nor did he want to push Will to tell more than he was comfortable with telling.

It seemed a delicate topic, after all.

"No, really, I hate my dad. Did I ever tell you? I hate that guy. Irresponsible, spoiled, utterly uncaring for his offspring. He just…makes kids and doesn't take care of them. He was never there for me. Not when mom died, no. Not when I had to figure out a way to get to Camp with my satyr friend without being able to fight. Not when I asked him for help so I finally find out whether there's anything I'll ever be good at. Not when I asked him to save me from-…ah, can't tell you that, sweethearts. Sorry, but I don't want you to think I'm a disgusting little sl- something, you know? Maybe another time, probably never though. Preferably never. Not the time, not the rhyme, not a dime. Now's cuddle time. Where's Nico? Ah, there's Nico. Can I touch you? I love touching you. You're this perfect mix between Percy and Jason, warm, but not too warm, and your bone structure is so _nice_." His voice changed from an amiable chatter to an even more amiable chatter, then to a low purr as he held up his hands a bit, really waiting for Nico's permission.

"Erm…what?" Nico asked, taken aback.

"And my bone structure isn't nice?" Percy heard himself asking sulkily and wanted to smack himself.

That was _not_ the issue.

He should probably say something along the lines of 'stop hitting on my boyfriend', or at the very least 'don't touch my boyfriend'.

But he only got those ideas after he had spoken, so it was too late for that, he guessed.

Plus, what he really wanted to ask about was whatever Will seemed so apprehensive to talk about.

It seemed important and bad and like something that must be bothering Will quite a bit, which meant he'd probably feel a lot better if he talked it out.

Or maybe Percy was just making up excuses because he was curious as hell.

"Aw, no, Gorgeous, your bone structure is splendid, too. Want me to give you a massage? I know how tense you guys are, I should probably give you some massages. Remind me later to give you massages, yeah? I wanted to give you guys massages all day long already, but I didn't want you to think I just want to get my hands on you. Oh, how I want to get my hands on you. Oh, oh, oh. I love you guys, oh gods, I love you so, so much." Will mumbled, then suddenly, his breathing evened out and he seemed to have fallen asleep.

Nico chuckled quietly. "Alright, Percy, you're right. We're all going crazy. And I've never heard Will talk this much before."

"He has such a nice singing voice." Jason muttered, and Percy found himself nodding along with both of them.

"Kind of makes you wonder why he doesn't sing at the sing-along's at the camp fire, doesn't it?"

"He sang a bit when we had that picnic in the clearing." Nico mused in his arms, and Percy smiled down at him gently.

"Yeah? That must have been nice."

He wished Will would have sung around him, too.

It was probably something really special.

Percy kind of really wished he was special enough to Will, though he knew he wasn't.

The realization stung more than it should.

"It was. I wonder if he can play an instrument, too. All the other Apollo kids can." Nico said thoughtfully.

Percy thought about that for a moment.

True, the other Apollo kids all had their own instruments, all but Will.

He had never given it that much thought, actually.

"He used to have a guitar." Jason told them with a light shrug, wrapping his arms around the blonde tightly and tugging him close, as if protecting Will from the world.

Percy had the strong urge to get closer and wrap his arms around him as well, but let it pass this time, instead burying his face in Nico's hair and gazing at Jason quizzically.

"How do you know that?"

"He told me. Apparently, it caught fire and he never bothered getting a new one. It's a shame, I'd have liked to hear him play."

"Me too." Both Percy and Nico uttered with a sigh, then snuggled closer together.

It had been such a long, long day – two long, long, way too long days.

"Tomorrow we're going to Richmond." Percy reminded them and Jason and Nico groaned.

"Shush, you downer. Will said it's cuddle time, so keep those horrible things to yourself. You can remind me of our cruel fate tomorrow." Nico complained in his arms and Percy chuckled, placing a kiss to his still bruised skin.

Damn, he had definitely bitten too hard if it was still this badly bruised.

He should stop getting so carried away just because Nico was begging and seemed to enjoy it way too much.

Then again, if Nico liked it, who was he to deny him the pleasure?

Nico shivered under his kiss, so he placed a few more, only stopping when he felt like he was going to fall asleep squishing Nico like that.

Nico smiled at him, his eyes full of affection, though he also looked so, so exhausted.

"Don't look at me like that, Percy, I'm disgusting. I so need a shower." Nico grumbled with a light blush on his face as he pulled his hands up to hide from view, but Percy made a small whimpering sound and stopped him.

"No, you look so adorable, Nico. And don't you talk about showers, I stink ten times worse than you do. This is Salt Lake City and we didn't get to jump in the lake. Kind of unfair, thinking about it." He mused, but then Jason grumbled and sent them a stern look, tightening his hold on Will.

"Shush, both of you. Get to bed. You can jump into lakes later. Take me with you. And Will too, he got his hair full of dirt when he laid down in the mud." And with that, Jason buried his face back in Will's hair.

Percy smirked at that, though he wasn't sure why.

Then he snuggled closer to Nico, pushing him against Will some more, who mumbled something in his sleep and wrapped his arms tighter around the Italian, sighing contently.

Percy caught a glimpse of Nico smiling softly and grinned to himself, though he knew he shouldn't be happy about that.

But he didn't care.

Seriously, there was little he actually cared about right now.

He was just too freaking tired.

On the bright side, once they were in Richmond, they were practically almost at Camp Jupiter, which meant they could drop off those other kids and then…well…ugh, they hadn't yet discussed how they were going to get to the entrance to the Underworld.

Go by train? Bus? Hike?

He hoped Nico would just call Jules-Albert and get them directly there somehow.

Then again, the sooner they were there, the sooner he'd meet Hades again.

And this time, it would be as boyfriend of his son.

Hades hadn't seemed particularly bothered, and all he had written in the card was 'Did it have to be the Jackson kid', which meant he wasn't entirely ok with it, but wasn't completely opposed to them, either (or so he hoped).

But still, Percy was kind of apprehensive of meeting the god of the Underworld again.

Though, he had to admit Hades was a lot easier to deal with than some of the other gods.

And he did let them all sleep in the Hades cabin without problems (if one ignored the fact he had tried to keep them from moving the water fountain, but Percy could kind of understand his reasoning behind that, too), so he guessed all in all, Hades seemed to be a fairly cool dad.

He most definitely preferred him over Athena any day (hopefully she couldn't read his thoughts right now, though).

Ugh, he should not be contemplating that right now.

Sighing quietly, he snuggled closer to his boys, sneaking his arm around Jason, who shifted slightly and more than reluctantly opened his hold on Will in order to put his arm around Percy as well.

His hand felt so nice and cool.

Kind of a shame he usually kept solely to Will nowadays.

Then again, Percy couldn't blame him.

He liked to do that, too, whenever it was his turn spooning Will.

Then again, he also liked doing that with Nico, though for different reasons.

Scolding himself for letting his thoughts drift off again, he turned to gaze down into Nico's sleeping face, only noticing now that he was already fast asleep.

Nico surely had the most adorable sleeping face.

Satisfied, he gave him a last kiss on the forehead, then closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off into sleep.

It had been a way too long day today.

And by the looks of it, tomorrow was going to be the same.

But hey, at least they were almost there.

Kind of weird to imagine this was what Jason had to go through each time they were trying to work on the peace contract.

Percy really had to talk to Nico about that.

Because there was no way they'd let Jason go through that alone ever again.

He only hoped neither Nico nor Will would be opposed to it.

But he was fairly confident they felt the same way.

Even with this being horrible and uncomfortable and turning them all into crazy lunatics, it was still much better to be around Jason than to stay back at Camp and wait for him to go through all of this by himself and return to them still the same as always.

No, he wouldn't let him do that.

.

When Will woke up in the morning, he was safely tucked away between Percy and Nico, with Jason right behind Percy for some reason.

This was not how they had gone to bed last night…right?

For a moment, he had no recollection at all of even going to bed.

But as he shifted and moved his aching limbs, slowly everything came back to him.

Oh no.

No, no, no, no,_ no_.

He hadn't…oh gods, he so had.

_Oh gods, why had he done that?_

He should have kept his mouth shut and fallen asleep face down in the mud or something.

Oh no, what were the others thinking of him now?

He definitely remembered singing loud and wrong, and he most definitely remembered hitting on all three of them rather obviously, though he might still be able to save his skin because of that obviousness.

Maybe he could play it off as a joke.

He also remembered offering Jason to nibble on his neck.

Way to go.

Oh gods, Jason had been trying to help him out of his clothes and he had told him off, telling him he didn't do casual.

How embarrassing.

_Will, you're an idiot._

How could he have done that?

What had gotten into him?

And why had he babbled away about his dad, almost telling them about…that.

Gods, somebody kill him right now, _please._

Will groaned, moving his hand over his face in exhaustion and disbelief; and promptly noticed just how dirty he was, feeling some dried mud falling out of his hair and off his skin.

Damn, he really needed a shower.

Percy and Nico reacted to his groan, shifting closer and tightening their hold on him, Percy muttering something incoherent under his breath that Nico seemed to reply to a moment later, though Will couldn't make out any of the words of their bizarre conversation.

Jason grumbled behind Percy, moving closer as well and frowning in his sleep, hands beginning to apparently search, patting down Percy's side, then the narrow space between Percy's and Will's groin, then he reached the front of Will's boxer shorts and Will slapped his hand away instinctively, his face beginning to burn.

Jason pulled his hand back for a moment, then let out a low growl and started patting again, this time continuing around Will's navel and making his way up his side, squeezing gently and keeping his hand there for whatever reason.

Will swallowed, feeling Nico snuggling closer from behind with a small, rather content sounding sigh, his hands flying up Will's back to come to a halt at his shoulder blades, as if he was trying to hold onto him.

Kind of cute.

Percy muttered something again and his hands moved across Will's chest, making his insides feel all jittery and weird.

That kind of tickled.

He closed his eyes with a small smile, relishing in the closeness and especially the touches, though he knew he shouldn't.

Plus, spoiling himself like this wasn't a good idea whatsoever, he'd only be upset once he wouldn't be able to get this anymore, which was as soon as the boys would wake up.

Still, that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy it while it lasted…right?

He grinned mischievously to himself and snuggled against them slightly, feeling them instantly tighten their holds, Percy now sighing rather contently as well.

Mmh, but this felt so nice.

Couldn't they always be this close?

Couldn't the world just make it ok for friends to be this close so they could just call this normal and always do it?

Then again, this wasn't normal, was it now?

And Will wouldn't want it to be, either.

It was something special, and he loved it so damn much.

He never wanted it to not be special, and he never wanted them to think of it as normal or non-special, either.

If only they thought of this the same way he did.

He sighed, a low and depressed sound, and found Jason shifting almost instantly, grumbling and tightening his hold on Will's side.

Will looked up, gazing at the bit of the blonde's sleeping face he could make out behind Percy, but then Jason was already lifting his head, squinting at him through barely open eyes.

"Will? You awake already?" He asked groggily, slurring his words slightly still, the same way he had done last night, the way that had made Will want to hug him and kiss him and pull him into bed with him (to sleep, of course...).

Much too adorable for somebody like Jason.

Then again, Jason could be the biggest dork ever, which clashed so strongly with his height and muscles and strength that it seemed almost fitting.

"Yeah, sorry for waking you. Go back to sleep." Will replied quietly, hoping against all hope that Jason would indeed go back to sleep, so he could enjoy this a tiny little bit longer.

"'S no problem. How are you feeling?" Jason mumbled, rubbing his face and brushing his hair out of his face.

True, Will only now really noticed how long it had gotten.

Well, it wasn't even Percy's length yet, but for Jason's standards, it was long.

And it was so utterly straight.

Will was pulled out of his thoughts when his still tired brain comprehended Jason had asked him something.

How was he feeling?

Confused, tired, sluggish, weird, comfortable…yeah, pretty much all that.

Wait, why would Jason ask that? Did it have to do with last night?

Had Will said something else he couldn't remember?

Or what about his nightmare? Had he even had one?

He couldn't remember.

"Erm…good, I guess? How about you?" He asked back tentatively, and found Jason frown for a moment, looking at him oddly for a moment, before shrugging and turning around to grab his glasses, which resulted in Percy grumbling and nudging back against him, more than obviously demanding him to resume spooning him.

Will found himself smiling at that.

The guys were so adorable when they were asleep.

Jason smiled as well, putting on his glasses and moving back against Percy, putting his arm back around him with a small sigh, grinning at Will.

"You remember last night, right?"

Ew, there it was.

Will made a face. "I swear, I have no idea what got into me there. Really, how could you just let me lie in the dirt and sing 'Love is in the Air'?"

Jason huffed indignantly, though he was still smiling.

"Hey, don't blame me for that, I tried to stop you, you know I did. And don't forget your very enticing way of singing 'Take me on the floor'."

Will felt his face heating and found himself hiding at Percy's chest, who immediately tugged him closer with a small, protective growl.

"Shut up. Don't you ever mention that again. As I said, I have no clue what got into me there. I wasn't myself. I certainly am never ever going to sing again. Especially not those songs, anyways."

Jason merely chuckled, shifting and putting his chin on Percy's shoulder, raising an eyebrow at Will.

"Oh really? Shame. We all agreed we like your singing voice quite a bit."

Now, Will's face truly felt like it was burning.

They had talked about him? About his singing?

Oh gods, what else had they talked about?

"D-Do you now…" He mumbled awkwardly, unsure what else to say to that.

"Oh yes. Nico and Percy both wondered whether you play any instrument, so I told them you used to play the guitar. They were quite surprised, mind you. I'm just letting you know now, because they both made it clear they would love to hear you play, so they're bound to ask."

Oh great.

Wait, they wanted to hear him play?

No way.

Even if Will still had his guitar, there was no way he'd actually play it again.

He had stopped playing for good.

So, yeah, there was no way he'd play for them, no matter how much they wanted him to.

Plus, he had always sucked at it, anyways.

And now, without practice in years, there was no way he'd be any better.

So yeah, no.

"Well, sorry to disappoint, but I stopped playing after that incident altogether. Sorry." He muttered evasively, feeling Nico shuffle closer and hold onto him tightly, one hand stroking over his back soothingly.

That felt so nice, though.

Kind of…comforting.

Not that he needed to be comforted.

"Really? That's a shame. I bet you were really good at it." Jason said, watching Will's face way too intently for his liking.

"Not really. It was enough for a couple of songs at the Camp Fire, but that's about it."

"I don't believe that. You also said your healing is mediocre, and I've never laid eyes on a better healer, so I'm sure your playing was at least as good as your singing last night, slurring or not." Jason stated confidently and Will felt his face burn again.

What?

"I…oh, shush…" He muttered quietly, hiding in Percy's and Nico's embrace again, and Jason let him, pulling back to lay down behind Percy again.

"By the way…" Jason started after a long moment of silence, and Will turned his head slightly, wondering faintly whether he wasn't actually supposed to somehow act like he didn't like this whatsoever.

But he did like it, and he had decided to not live in denial anymore, not to mention it was a lot easier to be himself with only Jason awake.

So he just stayed like that.

"Hm?"

"Did you mean it? What you said, I mean."

Will frowned. Ok, he had talked about a lot last night, what exactly was Jason referring to?

"Yeah, I don't do casual. Ever. Sorry to disappoint you." He muttered drily, hearing Jason snort and shift and get up again to throw him an almost exasperated glance.

"Really? Oh wow, Will."

"What, wasn't that what you wanted to know?" Will asked with a mischievous grin, wriggling his eyebrows at Jason, who very obviously rolled his eyes at him.

"No, I already knew that. As I said last night, I don't do casual, either. Nice talking to you about that, yeah. So, what I actually wanted to know: Did you really mean what you said about your dad?"

Oh. That.

Of course.

"Well, yeah. But don't worry, I'm not going to pull another Luke on you guys. I don't have anything against the other gods, and I've never been directly involved in any prophecy of any kind, either, so I'm not going to betray anybody or anything." He tried to shrug the matter off, but Jason merely threw him a stern glance.

"That's not what I meant. No, I'm not worried about that. I more wanted to know…well.." He trailed off, looking conflicted for a moment, as if he couldn't decide how to phrase his query correctly.

But Will had a fairly good idea what he wanted to know, anyways.

"You want to know why I feel that way? I already told you last night. He was never there for me. And don't even try to persuade me he did things in the background or whatever, because he didn't. It's all about the big stars with him, Jason. I'm a nobody, so there was no reason for him to help me. Still isn't."

"You aren't a nobody." Jason said sternly, but Will only snorted derisively.

"Please, Jason. I'd be a nobody to you, too, if it wasn't for the fact I'm friends with you guys. There's nothing special about me, and I'm quite sure we all know that. He knows it for sure."

"I don't think so." Jason replied firmly, his eyes boring into Will, daring him to disagree.

Will did.

"Yeah, right." He said sarcastically, sneering slightly and wishing to himself he could hide in Percy's and Nico's embrace somehow, evade this conversation.

"I don't. In my opinion, you're plenty special, Will. I wasn't lying when I said you're the best healer I've ever met. Think about it, you just think you're not special because you think there are other healers, while there's only one Percy or one Nico. But if they had any other siblings that could do the same things they could do, would that make them any less special? Any less themselves? No, it wouldn't."

"That's different." Will grumbled, but Jason put his fingers to Will's lips - which made him shut up instantly, the memory of Jason kissing his fingers flashing through his mind for whatever absurd reason.

"No, it's not. If I asked you what made me special, what would you say?"

_Your eyes. Your smile. Your stapler scar. Your sleeping face. _

_The way you slur your words when you're tired. _

_The way your hair is just so utterly straight, not even the slightest twirl in it. _

_The way you're such a buff guy, but such a dork at the same time. _

_The way you're this considerate fool, always looking out for everybody else. _

_The way you take care of everybody, the way you lead us all. _

_The way you watch out for us and over us, protecting us even though you don't have to. _

_The way you wrap your arms around me at night, making me feel comforted and safe. _

_The way you love Nico so much but are still so very selfless that you don't care who he's dating as long as he's happy. _

_Your selflessness, your considerate behavior, your gentleness even though you know how horrid this world is, or maybe especially because of that._

Will swallowed. Hard.

There was no way he could say anything of that.

No way whatsoever.

"Erm…" He started, shifting uncomfortably and trying to think of anything he could actually say.

Jason's expression changed for a moment, looking almost hurt.

"I mean, we can take Percy or Nico as an example too, of course." He said hurriedly, and Will's eyes widened in shock.

"No! No, that's not it. Gods, Jason, no. I'm just…well…where to start, right?" He hurried to babble, chuckling awkwardly at the end, but Jason looked more doubtful than anything else.

Oh, screw it all.

"I'm serious. You're special because you're you, Jason. So, it's kind of hard to really…well…put it into words, I guess. Plus, you're kind of asking me to tell you how you're special in the 'out of a god's point of view'-kind of way, so please, I know I'm divine and all, but give me another moment to collect all these godly thoughts in my head, yeah?"

Jason's lips twitched and Will felt oddly giddy, especially when Jason just adjusted his position slightly and apparently waited patiently for Will to 'collect his godly thoughts'.

Will cleared his throat to buy himself another moment to collect his thoughts.

"Well, out of a god's point of view, I suppose your powers would definitely make you special, not to mention your leadership qualities. You would be valuable to them because you have the necessary skills to convince people to follow you, and your kindness would make them loyal like nothing else, so of course the gods would want you on their side. Then there's the fact that you have a strong sense of justice and, well, you're child of Jupiter/Zeus, though you decided for the Greek side, which also is something that makes you somewhat…well…special. I guess. Hypothetically speaking. Yeah." Will stuttered, feeling kind of uncomfortable talking about this to Jason, about Jason, with Jason, this way.

He wasn't sure what his problem was, but he didn't like it.

Plus, that was definitely not even close to what was truly special about Jason, but there was no way he'd ever let Jason know any of the things that had gone through his mind right then.

Just, no.

"And now, if I had, let's say, ten other siblings, would that make me any less special?" Jason asked, and Will immediately shook his head.

Of course not.

No matter how good those other kids would be, they'd never be as great as Jason.

Jason was one of a kind.

And gods, how Will lo-…ugh, no. Just. No.

"I have a sister who has pretty much the same powers I have. She has leadership qualities, too, and tons of skills, even more than I do, and the hunters under her are loyal like nothing else. She also has a strong sense of justice, and she's a lot more special than me, having been a tree for several years, as well as having given up on her heritage in order to join the Hunters of Artemis." Jason summed up with a small smile and Will scowled at him.

"I know what you're playing at, but you're still wrong. Of course you think it's the same thing, but it isn't. Fact is, I'm still a nobody. I could be the only son of Apollo, he still wouldn't give a damn about me, Jason. I can't fight, I can't even hold a sword straight for the life of me - and yes, I've tried. I can't run very fast nor very far, and at night I'm more useless than an unused, uncharged solar panel would be."

"But therefore you have other great qualities, Freckles. Life isn't all about fighting, you know? And you're a healer, your skills and abilities are far more complex than any fighting could ever be." Jason insisted, but Will waved off, feeling Percy and Nico shift and move as they started getting louder now.

This was not a conversation he wanted to have in the early morning, especially not with Jason.

"Yeah, right. I sing a couple of lines to my dad and he'll lend me some of his dumb powers to heal if he can be bothered. Very complex and special, right."

"Well, if I sang to my dad, he certainly wouldn't help me win any fights. But I'm not just talking about that, anyways. Do you even know what you're doing in the infirmary? Like, are you aware of how many people you are helping? All I can do is fight and kill monsters, but you're the one patching up the wounded ones, actually saving lives and mending bones; and I know for a fact you don't just sit there and sing to your dad and hope he'll do the work for you. You inspect wounds and determine how much ambrosia or nectar people are allowed to get without burning up, you apply creams and give other medication to kids depending on how bad it is - and I know you're making a lot of those yourself. My job is done once the monsters are all beaten and gone, but your job isn't over until you know for yourself that every single one of your patients has had everything possible done for them that could be done, in order to make sure they're ok. Do you have any idea how much other kids would love to switch with you? How much some people would love to be able to just dump the dumb fighting onto somebody else and be of more use in the infirmary, helping instead of hurting? Healing instead of killing?"

Will stared at him, for once utterly, completely speechless.

Jason, however, didn't seem to care, happily continuing his rant.

"But you know what, they can't. None of them can. I know I'd switch with you in an instant, rather healing my friends than having to stand by and watch them die, any day. But I know I could never do what you're doing, Will. And not because I don't want to, or because of my dad, but because I could never be around all those wounded people, day after day after day, healing and healing and healing, fixing what can be fixed and having to live with the fact that some things simply couldn't be fixed. I could never be the person telling others their friends or siblings hadn't made it, and I couldn't live with all the hurt and pain I'd be seeing there every day. I couldn't. It would tear me apart and drive me crazy, and I can promise you now I'd lose all my faith in humanity and the goodness in people one week into the job. So don't you ever look at me and tell me you aren't special, Will, because you can do all those things and even more, yet you smile brighter than the sun and joke like nothing else. You might not be a fighter, but therefore, you're a lot more of a fighter than Percy or me. And that makes you damn special in my eyes." Jason finished with an emphasizing nod, looking rather satisfied with himself.

Will still stared at him, transfixed, speechless, and strangely…touched.

In fact, he could probably so break down and cry right now.

This had to be the nicest thing anybody had ever said to him.

"I…" He started, but had no idea how to continue.

What did one say in such a situation?

'Thank you'? 'It's not like that'?

It really wasn't.

The work in the infirmary was exhausting and yeah, maybe he did make a couple of creams and such himself, but Jason made it sound like such a big deal, like nobody else could do it.

During the war(s), Will had felt like breaking down from both the strain and the pain more than just a few times, but he had known he was needed, and that meant pushing his own needs and pains and issues down until every last patient was taken care of.

That was simply how things went.

"He's right." Percy mumbled, eyes still closed, but his breathing had changed, telling Will much too late that he must have woken up at some point.

Why he wasn't moving away from Will, now that he knew he wasn't Nico, was beyond him, though.

But all Percy did was tug him closer with a sigh.

"Jason's absolutely right. You're special in your own way, which makes you even more special, cause we're only special in the normal special way." He muttered and Will frowned, the words not making any sense whatsoever, but he guessed Percy was still a tad too sleepy, so he had an excuse.

"Yeah, I absolutely agree. Now, would you stop having these sorts of conversations when we're sleeping? I have quite a few things I want to say to that. Jason, you traitor, I'll remember that." Nico grumbled behind Will, snuggling closer and complaining about something under his breath Will couldn't quite catch.

Jason sighed.

"Sorry, I didn't know it would escalate quite like this. I just thought I'd try talk to him alone before you bombard him with your questions." He stated with a shrug, and Will found himself glaring at him.

Seriously?

What was that supposed to mean, that they had talked about this and planned on bothering him about it until he talked?

What would have happened if he hadn't said a thing and changed the topic?

Thinking about it, he probably should have.

Should have talked about his awesomely embarrassing pick-up lines, for example.

"Yeah, yeah. Lies. All lies. You just want to try get closer to him and make a move on him and push us out of the picture, you selfish prick." Percy complained quietly, opening one eye a tiny little bit to glare at Jason, too, who very blatantly rolled his eyes, pulling his face back from Percy's shoulder, and nudging it with his arm instead.

"Oh, shut up. Didn't I tell you just a few days ago I'm not making a move on anybody?"

"What are you guys even talking about? Is this something else I need to know about?" Nico asked groggily, and Will inwardly relished in the fact that they were all still so wonderfully close to him, none of them making any move to push him away, nor push away from him.

Other than that, he felt absolutely, utterly confused.

He completely agreed with Nico.

What were they even talking about?

"No." Both guys replied simultaneously, then Percy's hand shot up and ruffled through Will's hair without warning.

"You are such a dork. 'Not special', my ass. Build some self-esteem, man. I'll teach you how to do it."

"Oh, please don't. That would be as bad as Will trying to teach you good pickup-lines." Jason snorted and Will huffed indignantly as he pushed Percy's hand away, realizing how greasy and dirty his hair was.

Sadly, that was the only reason he had slapped it away so quickly.

He seriously had to work on his priorities and all.

"Excuse you, but my pickup-lines are awesome- and I told you not to mention anything from last night ever again! I wasn't myself! As if I'd ever hit on you guys, anyways! I was just…erm…"

"It's ok. We all were beside ourselves, Will. I mean, Percy said he doesn't know where it goes in, and I was utterly convinced the stakes had different sizes. So, yeah, it was a crazy night." Nico supplied behind him like the amazing guy he was, and Will smirked at Percy.

"Oh, I remember that. Well, as long as you know now where it goes-…"

"Shush, don't even start, sun-bug, or I'll have to remind you of your horrid rhyming." Percy interrupted him with a slightly pink face and Will acted utterly offended.

"Hey, what do you mean? My rhyming was awesome! Don't make me curse you to only speak in rhymes. You'd probably not say another word until we're back at Camp Half-Blood – or whenever the curse would wear off. Bet you suck at rhyming." He teased, and found Percy making a face at him.

"That's so not true. I'm awesome at rhyming! You're just trying to distract from your bad pickup-lines!"

"Oh, Percy, shut up. You loved it when he complimented your eyes, I saw you smile stupidly to yourself." Jason uttered drily from behind Percy, now actually sitting up, much to Will's dismay, because this absolutely meant they were getting up and that meant the end to his wonderfully comfortable position between Percy and Nico.

Wait, what?

Percy had liked him complimenting his eyes?

That was…kind of cute.

But Will could do a lot better than that!

Last night truly had been lame, but he actually did know quite a few good pickup-lines!

Though he had gotten them from stupid games with other crazy kids at camp, so maybe they weren't that great (he had never actually intended to use them, either. Who did, anyways?).

But he could still compliment Percy's eyes a lot better.

Wait, what was he even thinking about?

"I…I did not! That was lame as hell, who would even fall for something like that?" Percy muttered defensively, his blush deepening slightly, and both Jason and Nico chuckled.

"I do think you have beautiful eyes, though." Nico mumbled, and Will bit his lip to stop himself from saying 'Me too'.

Percy smiled softly at the words of his boyfriend, and for a moment, Will wished he'd smile at him like that.

He knew he'd kiss him instantly.

Oh, wait, that was probably what Nico and Percy wanted to do, but he was kind of in the way, wasn't he?

Reluctantly, he made to get up, but the two tightened their grip on him.

"Hey, no moving just yet. What the…Jason, you can't seriously be getting up right now. Get back here. It's not that late, right?" Percy complained, turning over to look at the time, and Will saw Jason grinning amused to himself as he sighed and came back over from where he had bent over their bags, apparently looking for some clothes.

"No, not that late, but I thought we wanted to get washed up a bit, guys. Percy, you said you wanted to jump into the lake, but I think we could also just look for a public bathroom and-…"

"No way. We're going into that lake. Suck it up, superman, but I'm not going to be satisfied with anything less but all three of you at the bottom of that lake with me. There's no way I'll let any of you wash up in a _public bathroom_." Percy snorted derisively, tugging Will and Nico closer and sighing quietly, more than apparently trying to fall back asleep.

Jason chuckled quietly. "Alright, if you say so. But shouldn't we get going, then?"

"No. Five more minutes." Nico grumbled, burying his face at the back of Will's neck, and Will felt goose bumps appearing all over his body.

Oh wow.

This felt nice.

Even better than them sleeping.

Because they could have easily moved, or moved him, or let him move away and snuggle up to each other or something.

But they hadn't.

Instead, they had kept him there, as if he belonged there.

Will smiled to himself stupidly, a wave of giddiness and joy washing over him.

He never wanted this moment to end.

Jason gazed at him quietly for a moment, and Will realized with a jolt he could definitely see his expression, but Jason didn't call him out on it or make fun or anything.

Instead, a soft smile spread on his face and he laid down behind Percy once more, putting his arm loosely around him and over Will, stroking over his side gently.

Will shivered pleasantly, closing his eyes.

Oh gods, he never ever wanted this moment to end.

.

Five minutes turned out to be another hour and thirty-five minutes, but that was so not Nico's fault (ok, maybe a tiny little bit, but it had simply been _so comfortable_!).

"I am not even sure this is even allowed." Nico mumbled under his breath as their entire group of demigods stacked their bags together and were more than eager for a dive into the lake.

Seriously, was that even allowed?

By the looks of it, this lake was some sort of attraction or something, with a history and tons of flyers full of information about it – not that anybody but Jason had bothered actually reading those (in Nico's defense, the letters had been so small and he still had that headache ever since a couple of days ago, so he really hadn't felt like reading anything – especially not after that horrid crosswords puzzle. Where had those two gotten those words from, anyways? No, wait, he didn't want to know).

"Oh, it will be fine. Nobody is up at 7am in the morning, anyways, especially not to check whether a bunch of teenagers is planning to go for a swim in the lake." Percy reassured him with a mischievous smile, and Nico couldn't help but grin.

Percy was such a troublemaker.

But an adorable one.

He glanced around at Jason and Will, who had their heads stuck together and were studying the train schedule once more, muttering to each other in low voices, though it seemed serious.

"Everything ok?" He asked uncertainly, hoping that there was nothing wrong with the train.

Please, they were all so happy to get into a train again instead of a bus, it would kill them all if their hopes were crushed now.

"Jason is an idiot." "I am an idiot." Both said at the same time, making Nico frown and look around at Percy, but Percy was too busy herding everybody else towards the water.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me the train isn't going." He all but pleaded, but both guys instantly shook their heads, lifting their arms hurriedly and making 'Shh!'-ing noises, eyes hushing past him towards the rest of the group.

"No! No, the train is going, no worries. It's just…well…" Will started, then threw Jason a dirty look.

The blonde sighed. "I read it wrong. It's not leaving at 11am, but at 11pm. I must have been too tired last night to read it correctly, and apparently nobody else rechecked it, either."

Oh damn.

Oh no.

_Oh gods._

"Wait…that means…"

Jason looked guilty, turning his face away resolutely.

"That means we could have caught it last night and already be on our way to Richmond." Will supplied ever so helpfully and Jason groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry~." He wailed, rubbing his face and setting his glasses completely askew, and Nico couldn't help but chuckle, though he certainly didn't feel like it.

Gods, the others would be livid once they found out.

He reached out automatically, taking Jason's glasses and tugging on his hands gently.

"Now, now. It's no big deal. At least the train is running. And hey, it's not all your fault. We could have checked ourselves instead of leaving it all up to you. Come on, I'd say we enjoy our illegal bath, then I'll take Percy aside and we'll figure out a way to let the others know, yeah?" He suggested with a hopefully comforting smile and Jason looked at him with his beautiful sky-blue eyes and a light pout, allowing him to place the glasses back on his nose gently.

Then he sighed. "Ok. Thanks. I don't know, this trip I'm really beside myself for some reason. Usually, things go a lot better."

"What, this is you being beside yourself? Damn, now I'm scared. Are you sure you are human? Seriously, Jason, you're the one keeping us all together and making sure we arrive there in one piece, nobody is expecting you to be perfect 24/7. I mean, I know _you_ could pull that off, too, but that doesn't mean you have to. Come, let's take a dip into the lake. Nico's right, everything will work out great." Will babbled cheerily, grabbing both Jason's and Nico's arms and dragging them after Percy and the others with a smirk.

Nico let him, eyes still on Jason, who was still looking guilty, but had a small smile playing on his lips, eyes on the back of Will's head.

"Wait, he doesn't want us to go skinny-dipping, right? I am so not doing that." Will suddenly said, turning his head around and looking at Nico positively alarmed.

For a moment, Nico wondered where he had gotten that idea from, but then he spotted all the demigods in front of them shedding some of their clothes and started feeling uncertain, too.

Percy wouldn't, right?

"I…don't think so…?" He mumbled awkwardly, searching for his boyfriend, but Percy was already standing knee-deep in the water, luckily wearing clothes, though he had taken off his jacket and pullover, standing in the still rather cold morning air in nothing but jeans and t-shirt.

Nico could only hope he wouldn't get sick.

Then again, they had Will, and even if the medic would complain and tell Percy it was his own fault, Nico was certain he'd still help him out.

So there was that.

"Isn't it a bit too cold for that sort of getup? Oh, wait, we're all about to jump into a probably icy lake, so I guess it doesn't matter what we're wearing, does it now?" Jason muttered to himself, making a face, and Nico sent him a wry smile.

"I suppose not. Good thing he knows how to dry us off afterwards. Wish I had such an ability, too."

"Same. Would certainly be better than-…" Will started, but both Jason and Nico instantly shot around.

"No." They both said sternly and Will scrunched up his face and pouted.

Seriously, Nico was still hung up on the conversation they had had this morning.

Well, technically speaking, it had been the conversation Will and Jason had had.

He had only woke up sometime in the middle, when Jason had asked Will to tell him what would make him special in his eyes.

No idea what they had talked about before then, but it had been more than evident it hadn't been something like breeding hippocampi.

It had come as quite a shock, actually.

Not that they were talking, not what they were talking about, that was all kind of to be expected, or understandable, at least.

No, but the way Will had talked about himself, showing just how little self-esteem he actually had.

Nico had never heard him talk like that before.

Will had always been boasting, the loudest of their group, and whenever he had been alone with Nico, he had concentrated solely on him, never really talking much about himself.

Nico had never noticed anything like this.

And he felt horrible for it.

What kind of friend was he?

But he knew there was no point in self-pitying himself about that, so there was that.

Instead, he dragged the two further towards Percy, only letting go of them when they pulled back shortly before the water could touch their feet.

Nico looked behind him as he stepped into the ice water, trying to act like it didn't bother him one bit, and grinning at the two broadly, inwardly amused at their uncertain and reluctant expressions.

"Hey." Percy greeted him and Nico turned his head around again, finding Percy maybe a foot or two away from him, beaming at him.

"Hey. Water to your liking?" Nico asked, shivering but moving over to his boyfriend nevertheless, letting him put an arm around him.

"Oh yes. A bit cold, but we're only going to be wet for a short amount of time, so it should be good. We can probably spend the rest of the time in one of the coffee shops around this place until the train comes, anyways."

Oh. Right.

Nico wondered faintly whether the coffee shops would mind harboring them for the entire day.

Then he wondered what the hell they'd be doing all those hours.

Oh gods, this was going to be a _very_ long day.

But the alternative would be bus, and he was fairly certain nobody wanted that.

"Holy sh- this isn't just 'a bit cold', this is freaking _freezing_!" Will yelped behind them and Nico turned around, catching sight of Jason and Will stepping into the water, followed – well, not followed anymore – by the rest of the group (now, however, they were stepping back again, apparently too apprehensive to get in after Will's outcry).

While Nico smiled in sympathy, Percy straight out laughed.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you're one of _those_ people." He teased with a wriggle of his eyebrows, and Will scowled at him, taking another tentative step into the water, though it seemed to cost him a lot.

Jason had blatantly stopped moving after being ankle-deep in the water, and Nico seriously couldn't blame him.

Though he had to admit he had kind of stopped feeling the cold.

Therefore, his legs felt numb.

"And what do you mean by that?" Will asked sourly and Percy's grin widened.

"Well, one of those people always taking warm showers, of course."

Nico rolled his eyes.

"Excuse you, but first of all, how would you know? And second of all, even if I did, there's nothing wrong with warm showers, double excuse you." Will retorted and walked up to them, wincing at the stinging coldness of the water, but not stopping, either.

Jason merely watched, his face a stony mask that made Nico wonder what he was thinking about right now.

"Everybody knows cold showers are tons better. You as a 'doctor' should know that. It increases alertness, stimulates the immune system, and…erm…" Percy trailed off with a thoughtful expression on his face, scratching the side of his neck.

Apparently, whatever other advantages cold water had, he had forgotten them.

"Yeah, yeah. It also prevents colds, accelerates your metabolism, tightens the skin and can reduce hair loss, yada yada. Of course I know that. But did you know that warm water has its benefits, too? It relaxes muscles and lowers body tensions, helps with migraines and swellings, reduces anxiety and removes toxins from the skin. So, yeah, warm showers rock." Will stated with a sharp nod, now standing right in front of Percy and poking his chest through his t-shirt, daring him to disagree.

Percy, however, merely had an eyebrow raised and stared him down, apparently progressing what he had just said.

Then he made a face.

"Fine, I guess you can keep taking your warm showers, then. Still, cold water is tons better." And with that Percy turned around and dived into the water.

Just like that.

"You still didn't say how you think you know I even take warm showers, you little…" Will exclaimed with an upset expression, hurrying after Percy with a scowl, past Nico and into deeper waters, ignoring the biting cold.

Nico raised an eyebrow and looked after them – or in the general direction they had disappeared to, at any rate.

"Well, they seem to be enjoying themselves." He mused, looking around at Jason, who was still standing where he was, looking rigid and rooted to the spot.

Then he looked past him at the rest of the group, who were still standing there looking undecided.

"It's really not that bad once you're inside. I can't even feel the cold anymore, really. And as you can see, Will seems to have no problems anymore, either." He told both the group as well as Jason, hearing Will break the surface some few feet away, cussing Percy out for swimming out of his reach.

Yeah, those two were having fun, that much was certain.

Will seemed to get them all moving, the first demigods setting foot in the water and shuddering, the others following close behind.

Nico sighed.

Oh, this was going to be one experience.

.

"Damn it, I should have never agreed to the whole thing." Jason grumbled and Will rolled his eyes amused, snuggling back against the heater behind him in the first coffee shop that had opened.

That dip into the lake had been fun.

In his opinion, at least.

True, it had been freezing cold at first, and the first dive into the water had cost Will more than he wanted to admit, but after that, it had been pretty cool.

Percy was a superb swimmer. Not that he hadn't expected it, but it was still quite a sight to watch Percy swim with so much ease and…well…actually…grace.

Will blamed Apollo, but he had kind of thought it looked a bit like art, Percy swimming and diving, completely in his element.

If anybody had ever doubted him to be son of Poseidon for whatever absurd reasons, there would have been their proof (if the whole water controlling ability hadn't tipped them off already).

And then Percy had ruined the whole picture with being the utter dork he was, creating waves and half drowning Jason, who seemed to loathe cold water even more than Will, and who definitely hadn't taken well to it.

Not that Percy had actually meant any harm.

He was just a tad more giddy, playful and hyperactive than usual, something Will liked to compare to a seal or dolphin finally getting back into open waters and being able to play with its friends.

Given the baby seal face Percy pulled on Nico no ten minutes later when he tried to lure him out into deeper waters, Will definitely settled for seal.

Cute seal.

Ugh, this was not something he should ponder.

But hey, it had been one hell of an experience.

Especially when Percy had grabbed hold of him and pulled him underwater, taking Jason, Nico and him to the very bottom of the lake (though not very far in as to not get too far out of reach from the group), where they had joked around and even played a round of hide and seek, protected by Percy's presence and air bubbles around them (seriously, Will wished he had cool abilities like that).

Of course, Percy hadn't missed out on the chance to give Nico one hell of an underwater kiss, hands travelling into dangerous areas even with Jason and Will pretty much right next to them, but Will had made sure to remind them of their presence.

Not that it had made any difference.

Seriously, Percy was so getting way too comfortable with them around.

Will could so picture him simply ravishing Nico one day, right next to them, telling them to look away if they didn't want to see and continuing unperturbed.

Yeah, sadly, Will wasn't sure whether he'd even look away, which was more than a little disturbing.

He wasn't one to watch.

By the looks of it, neither was Jason, because he had instantly started talking to Will and dragging him off into a different direction, away from the two smooching demigods – which had resulted in those two stopping in no time and following, apparently rather spending time with them than sucking each other's faces off.

Not that Will minded.

He loved it.

Though he knew that was just plain mean.

Nico had also ended up telling Percy about the fiasco with the train schedule, but surprisingly, Percy hadn't reacted bad at all, instead laughing at Jason's anew apology, patting his shoulder and telling him 'Nobody is perfect', which had resulted in quite a lot of Odysseus-puns for some reason, those two bromancing again as usual.

It was nice to see them getting along like that again, though, so Will really hadn't minded, and neither had Nico.

Then again, he wondered if there was anything Nico really would mind.

He was just this sort of person who accepted others the way they were without question, not out of ignorance or because he didn't care, but because he cared so much for them he rather wanted them that way than no way at all, giving them a chance to decide for themselves whether they wanted to talk to him about it or not.

Will had always found that trait wonderful.

That was definitely one of the things he loved most about Nico.

It was the one thing that had shown Will that Nico and him could have actually been a couple at some point, in a different life, in a different world.

But he had missed his chance, and now Nico was dating Percy, and those two fit so beautifully together, Will knew he'd support them with all he had.

Yeah, he knew he hadn't thought that way, hadn't thought he could ever think that way, but that's what happened when one met Percy Jackson.

There was nothing impossible when it came to him.

"Aw, Jason, stop crying. I dried you off, didn't I? And you liked it down at the bottom. Ok, maybe we shouldn't have played sea monster and scared the hell out of the others, but they forgave us, didn't they?" Percy retorted cheerily, nodding over to the giant bundle of demigods all huddled together on the very opposite side of the coffee shops, all glaring over at them.

Yeah, well, that might have been a stupid idea, Will had to agree with Jason on that.

Not that he had done a very good job at stopping Percy.

Now that he thought about it, it had kind of been Will to encourage Percy the most, while Jason had been flat out against it and Nico had been somewhat apprehensive about it.

Oh well.

They'd survive.

They had only tugged down a few people, after all.

And it wasn't as if the ones tugged down had been in any discomfort, what with Percy building air bubbles around them and all.

But Will guessed it had kind of been a shocking and scary experience for the ones still in the water, watching their friends disappear and not come up again.

"Well, say what you want, they still kind of look upset if you ask me." Jason grumbled.

They shouldn't make such a big deal about it.

He'd make sure to hum a song or two once they were on the train, something to calm their nerves and take the edge off the experience, that should do the trick.

Will knew none of them were seriously harmed or traumatized or the like.

He had to know, he was a healer after all.

No, they were just upset about Percy playing that prank on them instead of other mortals who had come not too long afterwards, but they had already been dried off and dressed again then, ready to go, so it was kind of obvious Percy wouldn't rush back into the water to scare mortals.

Though Will probably wouldn't have stopped him then, either.

But this was lots better.

The coffee here was good, even though he usually didn't even drink coffee, but this one was quite good, he guessed, and the staff was fairly nice (at least for now. He wouldn't blame them for getting fed up with them once they realized these bunch of kids wouldn't leave for another some hours).

He looked at the demigods, all sipping their drinks and snuggling against each other for warmth, and wished he could snuggle against Nico a bit, too, but Percy had his arm wrapped around him so obviously and in that 'Hey, this is mine, watch it'-way, that Will didn't dare.

They were all getting along so well right now, he wouldn't want another round of bickering to erupt between them.

Well, more bickering than there already was between Jason and Percy right now.

"That's because they're mad that they have to spend the entire day around here." Percy retorted with a sly grin and Jason made a face, instantly looking guilty again.

Man, Percy, that was low.

Jason had told them earlier about the schedule and that the train would leave late tonight instead of 11am, which had obviously only upset them further, but in Will's opinion, they should be happy about their progress so far.

Plus, this was a nice city.

Alright, he had no idea what they would do to kill the time until tonight, but hey, it was still quite nice here.

Jason had offered checking out the sights, even finding a flyer on what appeared to be an aquarium, but Percy had instantly refused that, saying that he'd only want to free them all once he saw fish outside their natural habitats.

Understandable, Will guessed.

He knew such places had strict regulations nowadays about size, space, stress levels and water quality and all sorts of things, but he also knew it would never even come close to how fish would live if they were free.

So, yeah, there was that.

Of course, there had been plenty of other attractions, but most of the really interesting ones hadn't been in walking distance, and none of them had wanted to take another bus anywhere, nor force Nico to pay for taxis.

"Well, that's their problem. I don't mind hanging out here for the day." Will said, partly to reassure Jason that his mistake wasn't a big deal, and partly because he really meant it.

They could play games, drink more coffee, chat and maybe make some more crossword puzzles – this time with decent words, though (seriously, what had gotten into them to actually give that to _Nico_ to solve? But hey, Nico had managed to solve the entire thing, so maybe they should make some more to figure out just how much Nico could actually work out. That would probably be quite interesting…wait, no, bad idea).

"I don't mind, either. Though we'll probably have to switch coffee shops a couple of times if we aren't going to look at anything." Nico mused thoughtfully, sipping on his coffee (something that had surprised all three of them. Nico drank coffee? Will guessed he shouldn't have been too surprised. Apparently, the Italian used to drink quite a bit of that stuff when he had been by himself, training how to control his powers and making his way through the maze. Now, he didn't drink it much, only when he felt like it).

Jason relaxed visibly and Will found himself wishing he'd have taken Will's word for it, too.

But apparently, whatever reassurance he had to utter didn't matter whatsoever, especially not compared to whatever Nico had to say.

Kind of mean.

Though Will guessed he shouldn't be surprised about that, either.

"Of course we don't mind. Come on, Jason, we already told you it's our own fault for not reading the schedule ourselves. Who cares what those kids think, we're dumping them at Camp Jupiter, anyways. They should be happy we go through all this trouble as it is. After all, we could have also let them make the trip by themselves and simply use Nico's zombie chauffeur to get us directly to the Underworld." Percy put in, which was ironic, since he was the one reminding Jason of his mistake in the first place, but meh.

He also talked loud enough for the others to hear, which earned them a moment of extra intense glares before they all turned their heads away from them rather obviously, muttering to each other and keeping to themselves.

Oh well.

"I just wished we actually had some sort of idea on what to do the entire day." Jason muttered with a sigh and Will found himself grinning at the blonde.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll be able to think of something, don't you worry." He promised, and found Percy's eyes sparkling with mischief as he put on a wicked grin as well, while Nico merely looked between them apprehensively, most likely already wondering what the hell they were up to this time.

Oh, with Percy around, they were bound to find something fun to do.

.

"This was so not what I meant when I said 'I wish we knew what to do', you know…" Jason muttered quietly to himself, his head on his arms on the table, watching Percy and Will unimpressed, who were…pretty much their usual crazy selves, he guessed.

"No, no, I have a better one: 'Life without you would be like a broken pencil…pointless.'" Percy said with fake sincerity, playing with the pencil they had gotten from their third coffee shop (they were now in their fifth, and Jason could swear his right hand that too much coffee had the same effect as alcohol on these guys).

Will giggled, downing the rest of his water (Jason had made him order it), and smacking his hand on the table over and over again as he tried to actually swallow it instead of spitting it back out to laugh.

Oh gods, these two.

He looked around at Nico, but Nico had his head buried in his hands, his face a bright pink, since the last (which had felt like a hundred already…or at the very least fifty…) pick-up lines had been directed solely towards him, the boys having some sort of competition going on with who had the best lines.

Seriously, those two.

Not a good mix.

Jason decided he was utterly grateful to everybody in existence that Percy was dating Nico, who usually managed to ground him somewhat, instead of Will, who seemed as crazy and playful as he was, only spurning him on further in times like these.

And then they both wanted to be treated like grown-ups.

Jason's lips twitched.

They were too adorable for their own good.

"That one's bad, Percy. So, so bad. You know what's a good one? Wait…oh, I know: _I am no photographer, but I can picture you and me together._ Yeah? What do you say to that?" Will asked with a wriggle of his eyebrows and a very suggestive 'Rawr' in Percy's direction, which made Percy's ears turn scarlet and caused him to choke on his water (Jason had urged him to drink water for the rest of the day, too).

"Ha-ha. That doesn't work for you, you take great pictures. Jason could say that, though. Remember how he used to put his thumb on the lens al the time?"

Jason made a face.

Really?

"Hey, I'm right here, you know?" He grumbled sulkily, but was blatantly ignored as both guys laughed and started talking about Jason's photographing-skills.

Very nice.

Then Will turned to look at him and stopped, something mischievous sparkling in his bright blue eyes.

"Oh gods, I have THE one!" He suddenly exclaimed and Percy instantly shut up, leaning forward slightly and looking so utterly eager to find out whatever Will was going to say next, that Jason wondered faintly whether those two had any hobbies in life.

"What?" He asked apprehensively, wondering what Will was even referring to, but Will was grinning like a Cheshire Cat, and Jason had a feeling he didn't want to know.

"Jason, no wonder the sky is so grey today." He purred, making Jason frown and Nico look up confused, while Percy waited, eyes gleaming and a smile spreading on his face, as if he knew exactly where this was going.

Jason didn't.

"Why?" He asked with a small sigh, resigning himself to his fate.

"Because all the blue is in your eyes." Will purred softly, an odd gleam in his eyes and a gentle smile on his face, making it seem almost as if he was serious.

Yeah, right.

"Ok." Jason muttered evasively with a shrug and look away, instantly hearing Percy laugh.

"Aw, what the hell, man? Will, I'm so sorry, I think you just got rejected."

"Really, Jason? 'Ok'?! What kind of reply is that?" Will wailed utterly upset, looking positively hurt, crossing his arms in front of his chest and looking away with a pout.

Erm…what had Jason been supposed to say to that?

He looked around at Nico for help, but Nico seemed to have lost all faith in humanity, staring at his boyfriend with his eyebrows raised and a blank expression on his face, apparently as much at a loss as Jason.

Well, at least he wasn't alone in this cruel world full of crazy people like Will and Percy.

Ok, but what to say?

Will really did look kind of hurt.

Was Jason supposed to reply with an equally bad pick-up line? How? He had never bothered learnign any or anythign of the sort!

All he knew was the mess the other people in his old cohort used to come up with!

Will still looked away rather upset, almost looking as if he was waiting for Jason to say something, so Jason did the only thing that came to mind.

Clearing his throat, he leaned forward, gently brushing against Will's arm with his hand.

All or nothing.

"Will, I'm sorry. It's just…you're so beautiful you made me forget what I could possibly say to you to gain your affection."

Percy shut up, nearly toppling off his chair as he stared at Jason in stunned surprise, while Will's head shot around so fast Jason was momentarily worried he'd break his neck or something.

Nico however snorted and dropped his head on his arms on the table, apparently utterly done with the world for sure now.

"Dude! So you CAN flirt!" Percy exclaimed, looking as if Jason had betrayed him in some way, while Will still stared at him, his lips parte slightly as if to say something, but more than apparently at a loss for words.

Hey, that looked kind of cute.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" He asked belatedly, glaring at Percy, but he was already busy downing his glass of water and nudging Nico curiously.

Will finally caught himself again, a smirk spreading on his face.

"Oh, this is how you want to play? Alright then. Babe, I'm no organ donor, but I'd be happy to give you my heart." He cooed and Jason found his insides going for a rollercoaster ride as Will grabbed his hand, a teasing expression on his face.

But this time, Jason had expected it, clearing his throat and leaning forward slightly, putting on a fake confident smile.

"Babe, your smile makes the morning sun look like the dull glimmer of the moon." He purred back at Will, making his eyes widen and his cheeks flush slightly, while Percy gaped at them both.

"No way! Jason, you _traitor_! You were keeping quiet all this time, just to lash out at us with such lines? Damn!" He cursed, shaking his head in disbelief and throwing his arms in the air.

Will squeezed his hand, redirecting his focus on him, then he placed his free hand on Jason's cheek, leaning further over the table.

"You look cold. Want to use me as a blanket? I'll make sure to get you hot and bothered." Will all but whispered, expression seductive and sensual in a way Jason had never seen before.

Jason kind of pitied as well as admired the person who'd be in favor of Will's affection, because it was more than obvious Will could be pure sex.

Jason cleared his throat again, gazing off at nothing in particular for a moment, wondering how he could reply.

"Not necessary. You're so hot, you make me melt like hot fudge on a sundae already." He said at last, slow and hopefully sensually-ish.

This time, Percy did fall over with his chair, momentarily disappearing from view (that's what he got for rocking the chair all the time).

Will stared at Jason as if he had grown a second head, most definitely not having expected a reply quite like this, though Jason couldn't see whether that was because it was surprisingly good or exceptionally bad.

"You…ok, fine. I admit defeat. That was…Percy! You do Jason. I think I'll stick to Nico, he just blushes so wonderfully and lets me woo him." Will finally said, pulling his hand back with a definite blush on his cheeks, looking beneath the table surprised when he noticed Percy wasn't there anymore.

"Hey, wait, what? Ugh, fine." Percy sighed as he came back up and gave Jason a quick once-over, leaning onto the table without sitting down and apparently contemplating what awful pick-up line to use on him.

Really?

"Jason, I hope you know CPR, because you take my breath away." Percy finally said with fake dramatic in his voice, almost lying down on the table as he leaned over – which was most likely because Jason started leaning back as soon as Percy was getting closer.

"Uh, no. Sorry, man. Have fun dying." He blatantly rejected him, making Will snort out his water he was just drinking, coughing and wheezing and trying to catch his breath while Percy looked utterly upset, wailing and complaining and cursing Jason, making the two ladies at the counter look around at them with wide eyes.

Jason groaned.

"Alright, alright. Percy, I didn't mean it like that." He finally conceded as he got up to pat Will's back in support, as he still seemed to have problems catching his breath again.

Percy merely eyed him suspiciously, but at least stopped his commotion, instead waiting patiently for whatever retort Jason could think of.

Ok, what was quick and painless?

He walked over to Percy, dropping down next to him and putting his hand on his thigh.

"Percy…I just can't take it if you talk to me like this. It starts this conflict inside me, because…should I smile because we're friends? Or should I cry because I know that's all we're ever going to be?" He said as softly as he could manage, looking past him at Will instead, who's expression had suddenly turned somber, eyes hushing towards Nico.

Percy gazed at Jason in surprise, his hand falling onto Jason's either coincidentally or subconsciously.

Then he shook his head with a huff.

"Alright, Will is right. You're too good. I kind of just had this urge to pull you into a hug, man. Don't do that, like, ever again. I think you just broke my heart." Percy muttered, nudging Jason's hand off his thigh unceremoniously and turning away, his ears pink as he looked anywhere but at Jason, still shaking his head.

Jason grinned.

"Aw, how sweet. I'll remember that."

"Shut up. Get lost. I swear, you're cheating somehow. I had such awesome lines ready, but nothing I could reply to that with. So mean." Percy grumbled upset, but Jason knew he was ok, so he got up again and walked past Nico, who had his arms over his head now, apparently trying to block them all out.

Poor guy.

Well, at least he hadn't had to use pick-up lines on any of the guys.

They always gave Nico special treatment, Jason sometimes wished it was the same for him.

"Babe, what would you say?" Percy asked hopefully, but Nico seemed to ignore him.

At least, he wasn't reacting.

Then again, Percy had said tons of stuff with 'babe', so maybe Nico didn't know he meant him.

Or maybe he hadn't even heard him.

Jason nudged the Italian as he sat down again, surprised to find Nico actually lifting his head and looking around at him in question.

"Percy asked what pick-up line you'd use on him. He's desperate for something sweet after I just broke his heart." He informed him with a small smile, and found Percy instantly complaining, throwing his arms up and exclaiming he hadn't actually meant it.

Nico merely sighed, looking like he would say something evasive, but then Will leaned over and whispered something in his ears.

"Hey, what are you two whispering? Will, are you hitting on Nico again? Hey! Jason, what are they doing? Stop them." Percy instantly ordered, pointing at the two instead of separating them himself, which made Jason merely raise an eyebrow at him.

When Will pulled back, Nico was slightly pink in the face, but gave a small nod nevertheless, looking conflicted and unusually flustered.

"What did you two talk about?" Percy asked skeptically, but Will instantly huffed.

"Percy, shut up! I just gave him a really good line, let him decide how to say it to you."

"Is this going to be something dirty?" Was Percy's immediate question, a dubious eyebrow raised, and Will instantly shot him a death-glare.

"What? Excuse you, but are you trying to imply I only have dirty pick-up lines? Have you listened to your own?"

"Well, it certainly wasn't me who asked Jason whether he wanted to use me as blanket to get him _hot and bothered_."

"No, but it was you who said the one with the 'hip stirring', so I really don't think you're one to talk."

"Guys, don't argue." Jason stopped Percy from retorting with a sigh, then looked around as Nico cleared his throat.

"Alright, I'll do it. But this is the one and only time I'll ever utter anything like this. And I want you guys to get along from now on, too. No more arguing over small things." The Italian announced, and it might have only been Jason's imagination, but he could swear both Will and Percy were sitting up straighter now, their entire focus on Nico.

Sometimes, they were so utterly obvious.

Then again, he guessed he wasn't any better.

"Ok." "Alright." "Deal." All three of them replied like good kids, and Nico nodded curtly, biting his lip nervously as he turned to Percy, his face beginning to flush even though he didn't even say anything yet.

"If…If a thousand painters worked for a thousand years, they could never create a work of art as beautiful as you." He then said softly, his voice becoming more confident as he went on, and Jason watched with a smile how Percy's eyes widened surprised, his lips parting for a small 'Oh', and the faintest glance into Will's direction, as if silently saying sorry for ever uttering a bad word about his pick-up lines.

Then Percy was out of his chair and had Nico in his arms, their lips sealed faster than Jason could even let out a sigh and glance around the store.

Not that he really cared what anybody thought, but he wanted to make sure nobody was going to kick them out with Nico so close by, since he had only just started being ok with showing his relationship with Percy in public, and Jason certainly didn't want that ruined by some dumb homophobic coffee shop.

But luckily, there wasn't much business right now and the few customers they had were all busy reading and looking into their phones, while the staff was happily chatting away.

Jason looked back at Percy and Nico, just to find that Percy had dipped Nico slightly, making it look a bit as if they were on a photo-shoot, though Nico clearly didn't seem to mind whatsoever.

He was about to ask Will to take a picture, but found Will already getting in position, camera at the ready, smirking softly at those two dorks.

Jason gazed at him, now rather watching him take photos than watching those two kiss.

Will looked so concentrated, his tongue sticking out the tiniest bit, his eyes hushing between Percy and Nico, the rest of the coffee shop and the display on the camera, as if trying to decide how to best move to capture them perfectly.

He seemed so utterly unperturbed, though.

Same as Jason felt.

It was so strange.

He could still remember it hurting so much to merely see those two holding hands.

Now their lips were glued to each other as Percy's hands held Nico tightly, and Nico only had his own hands fisted into Percy's shirt, so obviously trusting him, small sounds escaping both of them – and Jason merely felt happy for them.

Of course, it still stung slightly; and he'd lie if he said he didn't want to switch with Percy instantly.

But wasn't it strange how he could just smile at them now and be happy for them, willingly, instead of having to force it?

Will clicked a couple of more times, then moved over to where Jason was sitting, positioning himself behind him to take two more.

"Aren't they adorable?" Will asked drily and Jason turned his head to look at him with a wry smile.

"Oh, come on, Freckles, you know you're rooting for them by now."

"Don't I know it." Will grumbled with a sigh and shot some more pictures.

Jason blinked surprised at the lack of a fight, at the fact Will simply agreed to it instead of first arguing the point forever even though Jason knew better.

Then he smiled at him.

Apparently, Will was getting better at accepting his feelings.

That was great.

Will caught his gaze, apparently, for he looked at him a moment later with a doubtful expression.

"What?"

Jason just continued smiling, unable to stop himself. "Nothing. Just thinking."

Will merely raised an eyebrow, and next moment, Jason heard the distinct click of the camera, though it pointed to him now, not Percy and Nico.

"Did you just take a picture of me?" He asked confused, and found Will smirking at him.

"I just took five pictures of you, Handsome. I'm so going to show Percy how you smile at me. He's going to be so jealous."

Uh, what?

"Who'll be jealous of what?" Percy asked as he and Nico finally let go of each other, both with swollen lips and pink faces, practically glowing with joy.

"You. Of me. You know, I now know why Jason broke your heart. It's more than obvious he wants _me_ more than you." Will stated smugly, and Jason was so glad he had only just grabbed hold of his glass instead of already being in the middle of drinking, because he would have probably very subtly spit it across the table.

What?

Had Will guessed?

Did he know?

How?

"What? Jason, that can't be true! You are MY bro, not his. This is it. Nico, we have to take drastic measures. Jason, you're coming with me. We've got to do some bro-bonding. Will, you take Nico and-…wait a moment…" Percy instantly ranted, but then halted and glowered at Will, wrapping his arms tightly around Nico, who could only shake his head in amusement.

"This is your plan, isn't it? You just want to get Nico to yourself. Nope, sorry, not going to happen. Here's what we'll do: I take Nico and Jason and you, and we all go for another dip in the lake." Percy said with a victorious expression, as if he had just told them the secret to world peace or something.

"No way." All three of them instantly replied, making his face fall right away again.

"Oh…" He let out a small, sad sounding huff, his expression turning to seal-mode again.

Oh no.

No, no, no, no, NO! They were NOT going into that lake again!

Jason grabbed hold of Nico's shoulders, turning him around and moving towards the exit (because Nico was bound to get swooned by Percy's puppy face, 100%), utterly grateful they had already paid for their drinks.

It was definitely time for the next coffee shop.

"How about I take Nico to the next coffee shop, while Will and you have some bonding time, yeah? Have fun in the lake." He called over his shoulders at the dumbfounded demigods, staring after him with open mouths.

"Hey, wait, what?!" Will asked aghast, his expression more alarmed than expected, while Percy scowled.

"No way, I'm not leaving Nico alone with you, either!"

"Actually, I thought we could get some food now. I was thinking that might be why we're all so hyper. We've had a sparse breakfast, and then we had nothing but coffee and water up until now, after all." Nico muttered and the three exchanged quick glances.

Well…there could be something true about that, actually.

"Alright, food it is. What would tickle your fancy, love?" Percy asked and came over, pushing Jason aside rather brutally, though he had already expected it and knew Percy meant it more playful than anything else (he still let out an exasperated sigh, though).

"Hey, don't you dorks forget those awesome nutrition plans I made you." Will instantly piped up, also coming over, taking to Nico's other side and sticking his tongue out at Jason, but all that did was making Jason want to ruffle through his hair.

"How about Subway? There ought to be one close to the station." Nico mused, and Percy was instantly all ears.

Seriously, ever since that sandwich, Percy could probably eat at that place every day, all day long, always the same thing.

He glanced around at Will, finding him grin to himself rather adorably, for a splint moment being so utterly obvious with his crush on Percy it broke Jason's heart.

_Should he smile because they were friends?  
Or should he cry because he knew that was all they were ever going to be?_

When Will looked around at him, Jason put on a quick smile and made to usher the lot out of the coffee shop into the cool air of the day.

"Wait, what do you mean, we're all more hyper than usual?" Percy asked belatedly, and they all laughed, even Jason managing a small chuckle.

Sadly, he could completely understand Will and Nico.

Percy was an absolute dork, one just had to love him.

.

"Yes! There!" Percy moaned and Will chuckled behind him, low and dangerous.

"Oh? Here?" He all but purred, and Percy rolled his eyes inwardly, but then groaned again as Will moved.

"Yes!"

"Hmm? So, who's the best? Come on, tell us, Percy." Will demanded, pulling back.

Oh, that was so mean!

Will so knew he wouldn't be able to deny anything right here, right now.

"Fine, you're the best. Now, _please_…"

"Oh gods, guys, keep it down, will you? I swear, people passing this compartment will think you're having sex or something! Percy, pull yourself together, it's just a massage." Jason ordered from the door, his face a light pink, while Nico laid in Percy's and his bunk already, still looking utterly satisfied from the massage Will had given him earlier.

Percy made to glare at Jason as he closed the door behind him, but then closed his eyes again with a small moan as Will massaged over that spot again, the one that had been bothering him ever since that first bus ride.

Gods, that felt so nice.

"I don't care what others think. I just want him to continue doing that." He stated with a huff and a small gasp, and Will behind him chuckled, low and dangerous and oh so nicely.

"Jason, you just wait until it's your turn. I'll make you moan just like I made Percy and Nico moan. None of you are safe from my hands." It sounded more like a threat than anything else, but if one knew just how terrific Will's massages felt, one would know to look forward to them, definitely.

Gods, Percy regretted ever saying something bad about Will's massages.

He was lying down in the bunk they wouldn't use, with Will sitting on top of him, somewhere beneath his butt.

At first, Percy had thought he'd only get a massage through his clothes, daring to at least dress down to his t-shirt, but then Will had merely glanced around at him and said 'Off with all clothes', so Percy had undressed to his boxer shorts with a surprise, though he couldn't deny he had felt rather happy and giddy all the same.

He had kind of expected Nico to be the only one who would get 'real' massages from Will, with massage oil and all.

But apparently, Will made an exception today, spreading more of the coconut massage oil on Percy's back right now as it was.

Gods, his hands felt so good.

Warm and soft and nice…and the way they kneaded his muscles, apparently knowing full well just what he needed and how he needed it…it was quite the experience.

And this was Will 'not even trying', if one could believe his words.

Percy wouldn't have believed it, but then Will had told Nico to verify and Nico had indeed said Will's massages could get _a lot_ better.

So, yeah, basically, Percy was praying to all the gods up there that the massage Will had promised him was still going to take place some other day and be as good as Nico and Will ensured it would be.

Though he had to admit this would do just fine, too.

Will moved up his spine again, returning to his problem zone around his shoulder blades, starting from his neck and moving to the side, making Percy shiver slightly, relishing in the touch and the warmth and everything, the scent of coconut fogging up his brain (or, at least, that was his excuse for feeling so light-headed).

"Seriously, what are you guys doing with your backs?" Will asked on top of him, shifting forward slightly and applying more pressure, which suited Percy more than fine, letting out a small moan again.

He didn't give a damn what other people might think.

This felt way too terrific to act indifferent to it.

"Apparently, nothing good. I know mine felt great after your massage the other day, but by now it feels…well…not so great anymore, I guess." Jason trailed off, and Percy could feel Will slowing slightly, which didn't suit him whatsoever.

"What, is it hurting? Well, after those bus rides, I shouldn't be surprised. Still, maybe we should take a look at your standing and sitting positions. Who knows, maybe there's something we can do to keep it from going haywire like it was before. Seriously, Jason, I never again want your back to feel like it did when I gave you that quickie." Will chided, and Percy moved his head slightly so send him a pouty look.

"Hey, I thought it's my turn with the massage? Can't you two chat when it's his turn?"

"Jealous, much? Gods, you'd be such a whiny bottom. Good thing Nico doesn't want to share you. You'd be easy enough to please and sure as hell are responsive enough, but as soon as somebody wouldn't pay you a hundred percent attention, you'd start crying about it." Will remarked drily, resuming his heavenly kneading on Percy's back, making him close his eyes and moan again, momentarily ignoring Will's words.

Then he turned his head again to scowl at him.

"That's not true."

Oh, wait, he probably should have said something along the lines of 'I wouldn't want anybody but Nico to touch me, anyways' or something.

Oh well.

"Yeah, I agree. He wouldn't start crying about it, he'd start complaining." Jason corrected like the smartass he was, and Percy wished he could glare at him, too, but Will clicked his tongue in warning, so he hurriedly turned his head around again.

"Would not. Not that you guys would ever know." He grumbled to himself.

"What are you guys even talking about?" Nico asked from his bunk, and Percy wished he could at least look around at him, but Will seemed to read his mind, putting one finger right on that one spot at the back of his neck that made him cringe inwardly (how Will had found out about that, he had no idea. Seriously, that guy must have some sort of sensors in his hands that let him track down such spots on any body he touched or something).

"Stay. Nothing, Neeks. Just what would happen if you ever shared your boyfriend."

"Share?"

Oh gods, Nico was so adorably clueless sometimes.

Now, Percy was glad he wasn't allowed to turn around, because he certainly didn't want to be the one explaining that to Nico.

"Yeah. Either in a relationship or sex-wise. You know, threesomes and such." Will explained in a casual voice, and Percy inwardly admired how easily Will could talk about things like this, especially with Nico.

"Oh. _Oh_." Was all Nico said to that, the second 'Oh' sounding like he really grasped the meaning behind it.

Then there was silence.

Well, he guessed that settled that matter.

Not that Percy had thought of anything like that at any point...much.

"Yep, and Percy would be a whiny, complaining bottom, begging for attention from all his lovers. Ain't that right, Gorgeous?" Will asked, and was evil enough to press down on his sweet spot right then, making him groan blissfully right on cue.

"So not true." He muttered weakly, but Will merely chuckled again.

"That's what all the whiny, complaining bottoms say."

"But…Percy's a top." Nico put in hesitantly, and Percy inwardly cried at the fact that Nico still thought that, even though he had made it more than obvious Nico could take the lead anytime.

He so wouldn't care, nor mind.

But yeah, that wasn't exactly the kind of conversation he wanted to have with Nico right here with their friends around (especially not when Will was talking about whiny bottoms and he was about to whine about wanting to be a bottom).

Maybe Will would mention something like 'Oh, he likes both. Don't you, Percy?' and then he'd go like 'Yeah, I don't mind', or something.

But Will merely chuckled.

"Sure he is. Hope he's not a whiny top, then. So, Perce, I think I got all the kinks out of your back now. Want me to do your butt, too, or is it Jason's turn?"

Percy had his mouth already open to argue about the 'whiny top' part, but then all that came out was a small whine.

"What? Already done? No way, there must be some left somewhere." He tried to haggle for a bit longer, because, damn, it felt like this had only taken five minutes or something.

He wanted more!

No butt massage, though.

He was fairly certain Will was joking, anyways, but even if he wasn't, Percy wouldn't want Nico to start thinking weird things.

"Yeah, well, I don't know about 'somewhere', but they surely aren't in your back, so my job here is done. But I'll take it that you enjoyed it. As I said, bow down to my awesomeness, I am the best masseur you'll ever get and the only one you'll ever need." Will boasted and patted Percy's butt as he got up, something that oddly enough didn't feel bad at all, though he knew better than to say that out loud.

"Yeah, alright, your massages are good. Seriously, though, I can't imagine how they could be any better than this."

"Aren't you lucky you got a whole body massage coupon with me, then, hm? Jason, come on, get undressed, it's your turn to get pleasured." Will exclaimed, rubbing his hands together with a sly smile, watching Jason sigh and undress, while Percy reluctantly moved over to Nico, thinking to himself that his back felt so, so good right now.

"Hey there." Nico greeted him with a soft smile, and Percy grinned back, slipping under the blankets and snuggling closer to him, the scent of coconut only getting stronger.

"Hey, love." He breathed against Nico's lips before giving him a gentle peck, then he buried his face at the side of Nico's neck.

Percy decided he loved coconut.

"So, now lay down, so I can get on top of you."

"Do you always have to make everything sound so sexual?" Jason asked drily and Percy sighed, pulling back slightly so Nico and he could watch those two.

"What, am I making poor top Jason uncomfortable?" Will asked with a roll of his eyes as he climbed on top of Jason, positioning himself the same way he had done on Nico and Percy.

Well, at least he really didn't take advantage of Nico.

Kind of surprising, though not at all surprising at the same time.

Will surely was a complex person.

Jason merely sighed. "Not really. I was just thinking that there's a mother with two kids in the compartment right next to us, so I thought it would be nice to be a tad more considerate."

Oh shit, really?

"Really? Why didn't you say that before, then? Then I wouldn't have made Percy moan quite so loudly." Will stated with more amusement than anything else, and Percy made a face.

Hey, he hadn't been that loud.

Plus, it wasn't as if Will had controlled how loud he had been, he had merely controlled when Percy had made a sound with teasing him in the right places.

Again, Will seemed to have sensors in his hands or something.

Percy kind of wished he had the same abilities, then he could turn Nico into a moaning mess with such innocent touches, too.

Jason didn't answer, and it took Percy a moment to realize that wasn't because he didn't feel like it or was thinking of an answer, but because Will had started his massage, and Jason appeared to enjoy it as much as Percy was, if his glazed over eyes stood for anything.

How he managed to remain completely silent was beyond Percy, though.

He watched Will smirk smugly to himself as he started working his way up and down Jason's back, halting at various places and making him shiver more than once, but Jason remained utterly quiet, though his eyes were no closed and his expression one of bliss.

Will was so not going to put up with that for long.

"If you don't stop holding back, I'm going to nibble on your neck, just so you know." Will threatened after another few minutes and Percy frowned.

Nibble on Jason's neck?

Why?

"Whatever makes you happy." Jason replied nonchalantly and Percy watched Will make a face at him, pushing down on one spot deliberately hard to make Jason wince (and Percy in sympathy).

"Show me I'm doing a good job and I'm happy." He stated stubbornly and Percy grinned.

"Who's the whiny bottom now?" He teased with a sly grin in Will's direction, who immediately scowled at him.

"Hey, it certainly isn't me. Percy, if you don't stop your suggestions, that was the last massage you'll ever get from me."

Oh-oh.

"Ok, ok, I'm quiet. Still, whiny top, then." He mumbled, pulling back slightly and hiding most of his face behind the thin blanket, making Will's lips twitch (why he enjoyed doing stupid stuff like this just so he could see Will grin was beyond him, but he had stopped questioning it).

"That feels nice." Jason said quietly, making Percy and Will look around at him in surprise.

Oh wow, was that how he was going to tell Will what he liked?

Will seemed as disappointed as Percy, slathering his fingers in coconut oil again and gliding up and down Jason's back, and this time Percy could practically see him scanning the blonde, looking for his good spots, his eyes seeming to look right through Jason.

Very interesting.

Let's see what he could find.

Percy had to admit he was craning his neck the tiniest bit, much to Nico's apparent amusement, as the Italian watched him with a small smile.

Percy put on an innocent expression and gave him a quick peck on the lips, then he tried to see where Will was touching now.

He was just moving over the area just beneath Jason's shoulder blade when he halted, pushing down gently and beginning to massage just there.

At first, Percy thought it was just another kink or something, but then he noticed Jason was starting to shift – slightly at first, but more and more the longer Will continued.

"S-Stop…" Jason huffed weakly at last, a low groan escaping him a moment later when Will pushed down on the spot again, this time rather harshly.

Oh, so Jason could moan like that, huh?

Percy found himself grinning to himself broadly.

Who'd have guessed?

"That's what you get. This is what happens if you try act all indifferent and collected all the time."

All Jason let out was a weak 'Nngh'-sound that got straight under Percy's skin and to his groin, which was more than a little disturbing.

"That's right. Now, let me make you feel good." Will purred, something that also got to Percy more than it should, and he watched with dazed concentration how Will kept working up and down Jason's back, this time a lot more slower, more sensually, focusing on a specific spot every here and there, but nothing Percy would really be able to remember.

Jason was huffing and panting, moaning softly every here and there, but one noticed he was trying to remain quiet as much as possible.

Nico shifted in Percy's arms, and Percy looked down to see him gazing at the two as well, his eyes glazed over slightly, his expression far gone.

Oh? Somebody was enjoying this, it seemed.

Percy grinned, snuggling closer and pressing his lips to Nico's forehead, drawing his attention.

Nico looked a tad surprised, then Percy saw a definite hint of guilt that certainly did not belong there, so he moved down and pressed their lips together hurriedly, pushing their bodies together.

"Hey, no making out over there. Didn't you guys insist we share a bunk tonight? Don't you think I'll get in there after you two did unspeakable things in there." They heard Will complaining loudly and Percy found himself grinning against Nico's lips.

"Unspeakable things? Really?" Jason asked weakly, his voice a mere huff still.

"Shush, I've heard there are kids nearby. Fact is, you two behave. Am I clear?"

"Yes." Both Percy and Nico exclaimed simultaneously with a sigh, letting go of each other again, though with more than just a bit reluctance.

Now, Percy wished he really had taken Nico into the lake alone once more for some quality time.

But then he had decided to not leave Jason and Will alone behind, instead staying with them and spending the entire day going from various stores and coffee shops and food places to other various stores, even more coffee shops and plenty more food places, until it was finally time to meet up with the others and get on the train.

Kind of difficult these days, to decide between spending time alone with Nico, or spending their time together with the others.

But it was always fun with them around, and they got along so well nowadays.

It just felt right.

Plus, he could get Nico somewhere private if they really wanted to, he was certain.

Just maybe not in the Underworld, but he'd figure something out.

For now, he was content just holding Nico in his arms and watching Will continuing his massage on Jason, who was rendered to weak huffs again.

Percy smiled to himself, wondering how well this night was going to turn out, what with all of them intending to squeeze into one bunk (he didn't want to wake up finding Will and Jason snuggling again. Never. Ever. Again.) and what they'd do the rest of the time until they'd get to Richmond.

Kissing the top of Nico's head, he found he didn't care.

Anything was fine, as long as Nico and the other two were with him.

This trip surely was awesome.


	18. Chapter 18: Camp Jupiter

**A/N:** Hello Cupcakes ;D  
Thank you for all the awesome reviews! Always love getting those (sometimes it almost feels like I'm living solely for those, to be honest).

Here the next chapter ;3  
Enjoy~

-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 18: Camp Jupiter, scared Will's; and ****_finally_**** on the way to the Underworld**

"Oh gods, _finally_!" Will groaned as they finally set foot in Camp Jupiter, Jason at the very back to herd everybody through the tunnel.

Yes, finally.

Gods, the last bit had seemed the most tedious, travelling through San Francisco by train, subway, bus and on foot to finally get here, just to stop short a few miles away and needing to camp one more night.

There had been no helping it, they had all been way too exhausted and tired.

Plus, it had been shortly before midnight when they had set up their tents, so they wouldn't have made it here for another few hours, meaning they'd probably have woken half the Camp, not to mention Reyna, and causing way too much of a commotion.

So, yeah, Jason had insisted on spending one more night in their tents, which had first resulted in a lot of complaining from all but Percy, Will and Nico – but once the tents had been set up, everybody had been fast asleep the moment they had gotten into their sleeping bags.

So, needless to say, Jason was more than certain he had made the right decision (Will and Nico had helped, pointing out the technical difficulties with arriving in the middle of the night, what with all the stress and unnecessary rush to get them all some sort of sleeping accommodation and the like).

But now, finally, they had arrived.

The Camp looked the same as it had done the last time they had been here, just without the snow.

The moment their group was spotted, they saw demigods running to them to greet them and friends and siblings coming to help with the luggage of the other demigods, who instantly rushed to tell them all about their travels, especially the horrid bus rides.

Jason smiled, joining his best friends at the front, who were currently hugging an overly happy Hazel.

"It's so good to see you guys again. Been way too long. Gods, Nico, wait until Reyna sees you. We've been waiting for you guys to show up and already started worrying you got ambushed or got lost or something…" She babbled, grinning from one ear to the next as she even wrapped a rather baffled Will into her arms.

Yeah, that was Hazel for you.

"Hi Hazel. It's great to see you again, too. We've had a few complications, but nothing we couldn't handle, of course." Jason said quietly as Nico seemed too excited to speak much and Percy laughed at Will's stunned expression.

Hazel let go off the blonde to step up to Jason and pull him into a hug as well.

"Oh, I bet. You guys always attract complications, after all. You'll have to tell me everything. Annabeth and Piper called a couple of days ago to check whether you arrived safe and sound, so you might want to give them a call by times. They also mentioned you guys shared a tent? Is that true? Did I miss something? Is it time to congratulate you?"

Yep, this was Ha- wait, what?

"NO!" Will and Jason instantly exclaimed horrified, while Percy seemed to have choked on something, coughing wildly and turning away with a bright red face and an alarmed expression.

Will rushed to explain their reasoning to Hazel hurriedly, and Jason had never heard him admitting to the severity of his nightmares that quickly before (though he felt the strong urge to add in that that was certainly not the only reason for their cuddling at night. But for simplicity reasons he refrained from starting that conversation now. He just had to remember mentioning it to Will sometimes, since it was more than obvious Will really believed what he said, which was kind of sad).

He glanced around at Nico, but merely found him frowning, probably wondering what Hazel had meant.

Should Jason be relieved he was so oblivious and didn't even think into that direction, or should he be disappointed?

Well, who knew where Will and Jason would be if Nico wasn't that oblivious?

So, yeah, Jason decided to be glad about it.

Percy was interesting to watch, though.

He had stopped coughing, but still looked flustered and uncomfortable…and somewhat conflicted, fidgeting nervously and glancing from Nico to Will and Jason and back, biting his lip.

What was he thinking about?

Jason had no idea, but he felt his heart fluttering with the possibilities, even though now certainly wasn't the time.

Percy wouldn't, anyways.

"So, come on, then. The others will be good from here on, so let me show you the room Frank got you. Reyna wanted to get you all into separate rooms in that other place again where you've stayed before, but they didn't have any rooms left on such short notice. Frank managed to ensure two rooms in a different place, but then Piper and Annabeth said you'd hate having to split up and one room would be more than sufficient, which suited the owner a lot more, too. I hope you guys don't mind." Hazel explained with a last quizzical look over all of them, as if she tried to figure out what they were to each other.

Yeah, good luck with that.

"That's fine. Yeah, splitting up would have been difficult. You know, Percy and Nico would be all over each other all the time if they had a room to themselves, and Jason and I aren't really…we're not…erm…" Will tried to explain what they were and Jason raised an eyebrow.

"What he means to say is that he'd hate to make me sleep on the floor right after getting my back somewhat working again." He put in and Will sent him a stern look.

"You are not sleeping on the floor. Do you have any idea how much that would ruin your back again? I only just fixed it."

"See? Exactly as I said." Jason pointed out to Hazel, who was looking between the two of them curiously now, her amber eyes gleaming with something he couldn't decipher.

No, Hazel, don't even think about it.

"Sharing one room will be more than alright, thanks, Hazel. We prefer sleeping together, anyways, especially with Will's nightmares." Nico put in with a small voice, but he didn't look disturbed or embarrassed, maybe a tad hesitant, but that was it.

Well, that was new.

Kind of cool, though.

It meant he was confident enough to stand by his decisions and the guys' decisions, rather risking Hazel's frown than denying anything.

"Well, if you say so. We did put another mattress in there just in case, because Frank and Reyna weren't too sure about the whole matter. Come on, I'll show you." Hazel urged, accepting the matter as it was with a simple shrug.

In a way, it was surprising how different Hazel and Nico were, even though they both came from different times.

While Hazel was open-minded and couldn't care less what other people might think, Nico was hesitant and apprehensive, scared of other people's reactions and scorn, always expecting something bad to happen – yet he was also one of those people who didn't even blink if you told them some horrid secret of your past or something.

Both of them accepted everybody as they were, Hazel with open curiosity, Nico with an air of indifference, as if it didn't matter to him what you did or who you are, as long as you remained the same person he felt comfortable with before.

It was simply that Hazel was more confident than Nico in some ways.

But hey, he had improved so much in the past months, Jason was fairly certain he'd reach that level of not-giving-a-damn soon enough.

They followed Hazel, leaving it to Nico and Percy to talk about their travel, which was quite amusing to listen to.

It was always astounding how different people cared about entirely different things.

While Nico told her of all the places they had passed through and the games they had played (funnily enough leaving out the Pocky game and crosswords entirely), Percy told her of all the food they had eaten, especially those damned sandwiches from Subway, and about the parks where they had camped, as well as the outing into the lake (which was unsurprisingly a big deal to Percy. He had apparently loved that bit about their travel the most).

Hazel listened with a curious expression, only interrupting with questions every here and there when they jumped from one thing to the next too quickly, but other wisely listening rather amused, making Jason think she'd one day be a good mother - if she so wished to have children.

When they got to the entrance to New Rome, they were of course intercepted by Terminus, something that started another small round of bickering between the god and Percy, which funnily enough was broken up by Will, who somehow managed to distract Percy long enough to lose track of the argument, instead bickering with Will about shoelaces (?) and Halloween costumes – and completely ignoring Terminus, who sent them off so he could sulk.

That had definitely been weird.

Especially since Jason couldn't tell what exactly Will had said or done to get Percy away from the god, nor whether he had done it on purpose or not.

Those two really were something, though.

And, seriously, Halloween costumes?

By the time they finally made it to the hotel where they'd be staying, Nico's face was beet red and Hazel was fanning her face with a forcefully neutral expression, while Jason merely rubbed his face with his hands, wondering how he could break up their conversation about maid-costumes versus nurse-costumes.

What. The. Hell.

Well, at least they all knew now what Will would put Percy and Nico in if they ever went to him for Halloween outfits.

Jason decided for himself he didn't want to know what Will would put him in.

Not that he thought Will would even have anything in mind for him.

For all they knew, Jason would probably not even be at Camp around Halloween, what, with his luck.

It sucked, really.

He'd love to celebrate Halloween with the guys, walk around the blocks in one of the cities around Camp, collecting candy…especially since Nico had mentioned he had never celebrated it before.

But he knew better than to mourn the opportunity.

After all, he had decided on working for a better future, and that future was especially for Nico, Will and Percy, so there was no way he'd stop that now just because of his selfish desires.

No, it was simply one of the sacrifices he'd have to make.

And compared to all the good his work would do for the future, it was a small sacrifice.

They would be fine.

"So, here we are…" Hazel muttered as she put the key into the lock and opened a small, but rather nice room with big bed and a small sofa, an additional mattress leaning against the side of the wall next to the wardrobe, and a TV on the other side, standing on a small cupboard.

Will and Percy were still busy bickering, now about the different possibilities with superhero themes for Halloween (why Halloween, anyways? It was mid-February, for gods' sake!), but Nico and Jason both instantly moved inside the room to look around.

"This looks really nice." Nico said with a smile, while Jason put their bags into one corner and flopped down on the bed.

Oh gods, so nice and soft.

He kind of just wanted to fall back onto it and sleep…for forever.

Will came over, sitting down beside him on the bed and apparently testing out the mattress, hopping up and down slightly.

"Oh, this is nice. Great after all the discomfort on the train, bus and tent." He chirped, falling back onto it and letting his shirt slide up slightly to reveal a patch of sun-kissed skin.

Jason found himself staring at it, resisting the urge to touch, just to find _Percy_ of all people moving forward, poking at it.

"Hey, no sleeping now. We have to go meet Reyna and discuss how long we're going to stay and all. Plus, I'm starving, so we have to go eat." He said sternly, while Will squeaked and rolled to the side, half hiding behind Jason and glaring around his side at Percy, clutching his stomach.

"Never. Ever. Touch. Me. There. Again." He said with venom, but Jason could swear he could hear the rather rapid beating of his heart against his back…though it might also just have been his own heart at the sudden proximity.

(Seriously, he had to work on that.)

Percy raised an eyebrow at him, scanning over his face…then Jason watched an evil smile spread on his lips.

"Oh? How come? Sensitive spot?" He teased and Jason found himself looking sideways at Will the fraction of a second Will's expression changed to shock, before it became impassive and defiant again.

What? Really?

There?

Well, wasn't that interesting to know?

"No. I don't know what you're talking about. I just don't like it. Especially not by you. Go touch Nico, you touchy-feely pervert."

"Hey, I am not a pervert!" Percy instantly argued, but Will was already up and out the door, tugging Nico and Hazel along, who both merely rolled their eyes as they probably expected another round of bickering, while Jason sighed and made sure to lock the door behind them.

Time to meet Reyna.

.

Reyna was the same as last time Will had seen her.

Majestic, royal – and utterly scary.

He had yet to find another person in the world whom he respected quite as much as her.

The two of them hadn't exactly talked much the last time he had been here, and by the looks she was giving him now, it seemed to remain that way.

Yeah, well, he guessed it was his own fault, in a way.

He had probably been a tiny bit too pushy with Nico's borders back then to gain her acceptance.

Seriously, he still remembered when she had taken him aside for that 'talk', with her two dogs whose names he had never found out, nor what exactly they were or what they were for, but he had known they were important, so he hadn't dared questioning it, instead replying honestly that, yes, he did love Nico, but no, he wasn't the admirer – though he did wish he had been.

She hadn't seemed very surprised, and since it had been Jason's turn first, he had kind of taken it as another hint it was Jason.

But apparently, she must have guessed it was Percy.

Or she was very good at hiding her surprise.

He had no idea.

Again, he didn't know her and couldn't judge her whatsoever.

She was strong, he could tell, and she cared for Nico like the big sister he didn't have anymore, another thing that made him respect her even more, and wish for her acceptance.

But it was more than obvious she was unwilling to give that, so while everybody exchanged greetings and small talk and hugs, he pulled back slightly and watched from safe distance, instead of engaging in the whole mess.

Nico beamed so wonderfully, though.

His entire being seemed to practically glow as he sat on Percy's lap with Percy's arms around his midriff loosely, Hazel to his left with Frank, and Reyna to his right, Jason standing in front of them (tugging Will back towards the group every time Will pulled back further – considerate and cute in a way, but utterly mean given the situation).

He was so happy.

Will had to smile just because of that, though a moment later his eyes hushed back to Reyna, who raised her eyebrow at him with a stern expression, and he instantly sobered up again, stepping half a step behind Jason for safety reasons.

He did not want her to throw anything at him again, like, ever.

That had been way too close the last time.

Who knew, that might have actually killed him or something!

Also, it hadn't seemed like she had missed intentionally, so he really didn't want to try his luck another time.

He wasn't sure how much she liked Jason, and by the looks she gave the blonde every here and there he had the impression there might have been more between them at some point, but he simply hoped they were on such good terms she wouldn't risk hitting him instead of Will by accident.

"Come on, she's just protective of her people, and Nico is like a brother to her. Just be like you usually are. If you hide like this, she'll feel like you're hiding something and mistrust you even more." Jason muttered amused, quietly enough to not be overheard by the others, but Will still glanced around uncomfortably.

Easy for Jason to say.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm completely fine." He snapped back, and for whatever reason ever, the two dogs that were lying to Reyna's feet instantly looked around at him and let out a low, dangerous growl.

While Will winced and took a step back, Jason now stepped right in front of him, shielding him from the dogs' view and patting their heads.

"What happened?" Reyna, Nico and Hazel asked surprised, while Percy looked right at Will with a knowing expression, and Frank cleared his throat, oddly enough drawing the dogs' attention almost instantly, and they settled down again with a last scolding look at Will, who merely managed to gulp.

He was usually quite good with dogs (or animals, in general. Back in the mortal world, he had thought of becoming a vet once he grew up – that had been before he knew he was a demigod, funnily enough), but these two, he just couldn't understand.

Were they even real dogs?

They looked at him challengingly, as if daring him to ask that out loud, and he quickly looked away.

"Oh, nothing much. Will is just worried, but doesn't want to let it show. He's a dork like that." Jason said calmly, and the dogs didn't growl at him at all, which Will found kind of unfair.

He had half a mind to disagree with him, but then decided not to, fairly certain that those dogs liked him as much as Reyna did – which was to say, not at all – and he didn't want to feel neither their, nor her wrath.

"Oh, yeah, Will loves living in denial right now. We don't know why. But hey, Will, you might not want to do that around these dogs. They're Argentum and Aurum, and, well, they can kind of detect lies. Even if it's only small stuff." Percy explained and Will's heart dropped to somewhere around his feet.

Wait, what?

_Oh no._

Suddenly, he felt sick.

Alright, he did not want to be around these dogs.

At all.

"Ah…erm…good to know. I guess that makes sense. Explains a lot. Yeah. Listen, I think I'll just…didn't you want to pick up lunch, Percy? I can go and get you all something." He tried hurriedly, and wanted to bang his head against a wall an instant later.

Of course, he just had to react so stupidly, so obviously, so damn suspiciously.

Jason sent him a quizzical look, taking in his complexion with a light frown, while all other eyes were set on him as well.

Nico and Percy seemed taken aback, exchanging a questioning glance, while Reyna's eyes instantly narrowed.

Frank and Hazel exchanged a glance as well and then Hazel smiled at him, warm and comfortingly.

"That's a great idea. There's a really good pizza place close by. Jason, I think you know which one I'm talking about. Why don't you two go and get some pizza?" She suggested and Will had half a mind on hugging her in gratitude.

He nodded quickly, about to say he could do it alone, but Jason was already moving, taking his arm as if to stop him from running away (as if he'd ever do such a thing…wait…oh well, fair point), and smiling at them all one more time.

"Alright, we'll see you in a bit, then. Anything in particular any of you want?"

They all shook their heads, Percy and Nico still looking at Will with concern in their gazes, making him feel even more uncomfortable than usual.

Jason tugged on his arm gently, as if in question, and Will followed him with a last nod at the group, then they disappeared out the door and down the stairs, and Will had to admit he was walking a tad quicker than necessary, his heart beating a hundred miles an hour, his insides still in turmoil.

It wasn't as if he was a liar – he was the kind of person that didn't lie unless utterly necessary.

But one wrong question from an oblivious person, just one mindless pry from somebody too curious…no, he couldn't risk it.

He had a lot of things nobody knew, and he didn't want to change that.

He especially didn't want his three best friends to know.

Will wasn't stupid. He knew they wouldn't necessarily hate him, or judge him, or blame him, or anything of the kind.

But he knew they'd think differently of him.

And he didn't want that.

He didn't want their pity. Didn't want to hear what they had to say.

Didn't want to feel the difference in their touches, the way they'd change how they talked about things, or what they talked about.

He wasn't broken.

He was _fine_.

More than fine.

All that stuff in the past? That was in the past. He had left it behind him and had moved on, and everything was good now.

It didn't bother him one bit anymore.

He just didn't want anybody to know.

"Will? Hello? Hey…" Jason said loudly next to him, apparently trying to get his attention, and Will stopped surprised when he saw a hand waving in front of his face, looking around in shock at the blonde next to him, who was eyeing him worriedly, concern written all over his face.

"Hey, are you alright? I mean, I can tell you're not, but…what's wrong? The dogs won't attack you or anything, if you're worried about that. Reyna might have struck you as violent and overly protective, but she'd never let anybody here get hurt, especially not Nico's best friend." Jason explained, but Will quickly shook his head.

"No, no, it's not that. I was just…erm…I'm just hungry. Sorry for zoning out, there. I was just thinking about…about the nutrition plans. I've decided that there's no way to make pizza less unhealthy as it is, so we'll just ignore the plans for tonight and have them stuff their faces with the greasiest, unhealthiest stuff we can find. That ought to be the right way to celebrate finally arriving here, right?" He babbled hurriedly, knowing full well Jason didn't buy one word of it.

He swallowed and looked away, feeling Jason's eyes scanning over him again.

But Will just let him, knowing how he must look, but unable to change it right now.

He was so, so stupid.

Maybe he should have stayed home, after all.

"Well, alright, if you say so. But if there's something bothering you, you'll talk to us, right? Or, at the very least, with me, ok? I can be a good listener. And I'd never tell anybody anything if you so wished."

Will couldn't help it, he chuckled.

It was a dry, bitter sound.

"Thanks, but no thanks. Trust me, you wouldn't want to know the things I could tell you."

_Shit, why had he even said that?_

That just yelled 'I have secrets I don't want you to know! Please ask me about them!'.

"Well, since those things seem to bother you and make you lose your composure in a matter of seconds, I do think I'd want to know, if only it meant I could help you somehow." Jason replied softly, but Will merely shook his head.

Nobody could help him.

The past was in the past.

Jason couldn't change that, no matter whether he knew or not.

And Will didn't want him to know.

He didn't want anybody to know.

He had tried confiding into somebody before, and where had that gotten him?

"I'm good. Thanks, though. I appreciate the offer. Now, let's get pizza. You know, we should probably give Percy and Nico some privacy later, so originally I had planned on getting back to the room and then picking up food with you, but I guess that's out the window now….curse my empty stomach." He tried faintly to laugh, but it sounded fake.

Why were his acting skills failing him right now? How unfair was that?

Jason looked almost sad, his shoulders slumping slightly, but he went with the change of the conversation like Will knew he would.

Jason was too considerate to pry.

And Will trusted him, really, really trusted him, with his life, with everything he had…but if Will had to stay inside a room with those two dogs and one other person, he'd be the most scared of Jason.

Jason just knew what questions to ask, could determine what the issue was in a matter of seconds, from tidbits of older conversations nobody else would pay any mind to, and Will just knew if anybody could figure out his mess of a past, it was Jason.

And Will didn't, couldn't, wouldn't let him find out.

Swallowing hard once more, he let Jason hold open the door for him to a small kind of restaurant, and he forced his mind to go through all the different sorts of pizza they had, trying to guess what the guys would like.

Anything to get his mind off those dogs, off the danger, off his past, and off Jason's offer, that was still whirling around in his mind unhelpfully.

.

"What was that about?" Hazel asked quizzically the moment the two blondes were out the room, but Percy and Nico could only shrug.

Percy seriously had no idea.

One moment, everything had been alright, Will being a tad distant, but nothing to worry about (especially because Jason had been more than obvious in his tries to include him in the conversations), the next moment Will had been paler than Percy had ever seen him, looking rather sick and trying to run for it.

What could have possibly scared him so much?

Percy had felt Nico tensing in his arms, and he could practically feel the concern rolling off him in waves, even now.

He knew he himself had instantly worried as well, contemplating between pulling Will into a reassuring hug or telling Reyna to get her dogs out of here.

It was more than obvious this mess was because of the dogs, after all.

But had Percy said something wrong?

What had he even said?

He had only explained they were Argentum and Aurum, and that they detected lies.

Both was the truth, and neither was really…well…worrisome?

Unless you were a liar, of course.

But they all knew Will was one of the most honest people they could find, despising lies and half-truths probably as much as those two dogs did.

So what could he have possibly been so worried about?

"I…am not sure. But I remember that when I took him to Clovis, he was very unnerved as well. I guess it's because he's working in an infirmary. You know how strict they are with personal information and such, this whole matter of confidentiality. I believe he was even doing some counseling work after the war against Kronos, so I could picture him knowing a lot he's not allowed to let anybody else know, you know? He's this sort of person that takes such stuff very serious." Nico explained hesitantly, and Percy at first thought he was right, too, but then he had to frown.

If it was just that, some stuff about other kids he wasn't allowed to talk about, then why would that worry him now?

It wasn't as if they'd ask anything about anybody like that.

Didn't he trust them?

No, that couldn't be right.

But then he looked around at Reyna's still suspicious gaze and realized Nico was probably only saying that to reassure her.

Because, if it wasn't that, it had to be something else, and that meant it was something they didn't know and couldn't reassure Reyna about.

"Yeah, he really is. Gods, remember when Adam asked about whether he had any freak accidents in the infirmary he could tell them about?" He said quickly to support Nico's theory, remembering how darkly Will had glared at the boy back when they had been on the train.

"Oh yeah, he was so upset about that. Had this whole rant about not giving out personal information – just to then talk for almost an hour about all those accidents at the Camp Fire and in his cabin." Nico said with a broad smile and Percy gave him a peck on the nose.

"True. He had such fun stories, though. Never heard you laugh more." He said softly and heard Hazel giggle next to them, leaning against Frank and watching them with adoration in her gaze.

He loved her acceptance.

Percy knew that if she had reacted badly to either Nico coming out or to them being together, things would look a lot different right now.

He looked around at Reyna, who still looked skeptical, but less so than some minutes ago.

"That's because you guys can always make me laugh. Hope they're bringing good pizza." Nico stated with a serious nod, and leaned back to give Percy a peck on the lips, the first 'real' kiss Percy had gotten ever since they had come here.

He grinned and dared to follow Nico to give him another peck, then let him go with a satisfied smile, watching Reyna roll her eyes amused, while Hazel and Frank exchanged a knowing glance.

"Sure you'll be alright sharing a room with those other two?" Reyna asked dubiously and Hazel and Nico both blushed, while Percy chuckled and pulled Nico close.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine."

"Well, alright, if you say so." Reyna muttered with a shrug, eyeing them oddly again, same as Hazel, though she was still fanning her face as inconspicuously as possible.

He wondered faintly what they were thinking about, but at the same time, he didn't really want to know.

It seemed like something he didn't want to know, at least, so he preferred to listen to his gut in this case.

He put his chin on Nico's shoulder, gazing at the door Jason and Will had disappeared through, earlier, and hoped they'd come back soon.

Hopefully, Will would feel better by then.

Then again, he was with Jason, and Jason usually managed to cheer everybody up somehow.

Though, this was Will, and Will was rather unpredictable when it came to problems concerning him.

While he was quick to help others, or get help for others, he seemed rather reluctant to say much about himself.

As it was, up until the moment Will had mentioned his mother's death, Percy hadn't had a clue.

He wasn't sure what he had expected, but it certainly hadn't been another person without a family whatsoever.

And the way Will had talked about it indicated it might not have been a natural death, either, which made Percy feel even worse for never even bothering to ask.

Then again, family was usually a touchy subject with demigods as it was.

But still, that was no excuse for his ignorance.

Thinking about it, Percy barely knew anything about Will's past.

He had no idea what he had gone through, next to the fact his mother had apparently died and he had been left to himself, with only a satyr to help him get to Camp (not unusual for those times, though. Will was one of the kids that had been at Camp the longest, after all, and at such a young age, too).

But he didn't even know anything about Will from after he arrived at Camp, other than he had at some point been claimed and found his healing abilities, starting in the infirmary.

The only things Will had ever talked about were recent, the oldest things from sometime after the war against Kronos.

Before that…Percy couldn't recall Will ever mentioning anything, actually.

But was it Percy's place to ask?

There was the possibility Will thought they might not care or something, in which case Percy should of course at least show him he'd be interested in hearing about that, willing to listen no matter how boring or whatever it was.

But there was also the possibility Will never said anything because he didn't want to talk about it.

Regarding how pale Will had gotten the moment he had found out the dogs' ability, Percy was fairly certain he knew which possibility was more likely.

Nico glanced back at him, and his gaze told Percy his boyfriend was coming to a similar conclusion.

Whatever it was Will didn't want them to know, it must be something bad, something that bothered him and something he definitely didn't want to talk about.

In other words, it was something Will should definitely talk about to get it out of his system, something where they could show him he could trust them with anything, and something Percy most definitely wanted to know.

But he knew better than to force Will to anything.

He gave a small nod to Nico, and found him nodding back, squeezing his hand gently.

And with that, they had made their decision.

If Will was ready to talk, they'd be there.

Until then, they'd wait.

And maybe tell him they wouldn't pry, especially not with those dogs around.

That ought to reassure him at least a little bit.

Though it still bothered him to realize just how little trust Will seemed to put into them in this matter.

Kind of hurtful.

.

Jason tried and failed to be the gentleman and carry all the pizza, but Will obviously looked right through it, sending him a scowl and taking four pizza cartons from him, leaving him with three, much to his dismay.

And there he had thought with Will so distracted and beside himself he could at least do that for him.

Seriously, Will still looked troubled.

What was going on?  
What was bothering him?  
What was scaring him?

He couldn't tell.

All he knew was that 1. it indeed was something about Will and not some stupid confidentiality issue; and 2. it was something bad that seriously bothered him and he was worried it would make them think different of him.

But he knew better than to pry.

As it was, he was going through all the possible things he could tell Reyna to reassure her Will was more than trustworthy, and ask her whether she could…well…leave her dogs somewhere else for the duration of their stay.

Then again, they might only stay for tonight and leave tomorrow again, so maybe it was better if he didn't say anything at all, just so she wouldn't get even more skeptical than she already was.

Jason knew she didn't trust Will much, though the fact he had gotten her a Christmas gift had helped a tiny little bit, at least showing her he had good manners and wasn't as bad as his first impression might have made her think.

He had simply been a tad too forceful with Nico back then.

But he knew Reyna would give him another chance if he showed her just how great of a guy he could be when he wanted to be.

Seriously, in a way, Jason was even certain those two would get along greatly if only they got over their apprehension.

While Reyna disliked him for being too touchy-feely with Nico and more than obviously making him feel uncomfortable, Will seemed to either be scared of her or have a hell lot of respect for her, which Jason guessed came from him not knowing how to handle her.

He couldn't blame him, of course.

Reyna was a complex person, and not easy to read at all, not even after knowing and working with her for a long time.

But she was a good person, and he was sure she'd be willing to send Aurum and Argentum away if only he had a good enough point that could convince her.

Or at least something he could tell her that would make her trust Will at least a tiny bit more.

But Will had kind of given her even more reason to be suspicious with his sudden panicking.

It would be difficult to find a way around that.

Maybe he should first talk with Nico and Percy about that.

They made their way back quietly, Will apparently back in his own world – full of doubts and fears, by the looks of it.

Jason had half a mind to ask him again, but then refrained, staying silent.

Will didn't want to talk about whatever it was, Jason had to respect that.

If he pried now, it might push Will further away and make him even more reluctant to talk about it.

"Jason…" Will uttered his name so quietly, Jason almost didn't hear it.

In fact, he wouldn't have heard it if he hadn't been so focused on Will right now as it was.

"Yes?" He asked instantly, hoping faintly Will would surprise him and tell him what was bothering him.

"Those dogs…will they always be around?" Will asked hesitantly, staring at the pizza cartons intently as they kept walking, the building getting ever closer.

Jason inwardly sighed.

Would have been too easy.

"Well, Reyna usually keeps them close, yes. Do you want me to talk to her?"

"No! No, it's ok. I don't…it's not…" Will instantly exclaimed, then started stuttering, his face paling again and his expression turning conflicted once more.

"Hey, hey, it's ok. I was just asking, Will. I won't say a thing unless you want me to. You know you can trust us."

"It's not that. I trust you guys. I just…erm…I have bad experience with…dogs. Yeah." Will mumbled awkwardly, now definitely avoiding Jason's gaze, and all Jason could think was that right now, Will was an even worse liar than Percy.

Bad experience with dogs?

Yeah, right.

Especially since Will had told them he loved animals – especially dogs, always wanting to own one himself one day and all.

"Will, it's ok. It's not like we will ask you anything just because the dogs are there. If you're uncomfortable with something, simply say you don't want to talk about it. We won't judge you or pry. You should know that by now."

"I just…don't want you to think differently of me." Will admitted, stopping as they reached the door, his face downcast, his shoulders slumped.

Jason instantly felt the strong urge to wrap his arms around him, pull him tightly against him and reassure him.

Maybe throw a couple of kisses in, as well.

Gods, he looked so scared right now, so worried, so helpless.

"What makes you think we would? Plus, that's not always a bad thing, you know? I thought differently of you when I first met you than what I think of you now, after all." He tried carefully, but Will immediately tensed up and Jason could basically feel him locking up again.

No! _Damn it!_

"That's different. I…don't want you guys to know. I just don't. Can you accept that?"

And then, Will looked up at him, his eyes pleading, his expression desperate.

Gods, Jason would do anything for him.

Right here, right now, no matter what Will could possibly ask of him, he'd do it in an instant.

"I do, Will. Just know that I'll be there if you do want to confide in somebody, ok?"

Relief washed over his face, and Jason wanted to drop those dumb pizza cartons and cup Will's face and draw him into a kiss, telling him over and over again he had nothing to fear, that Jason would never judge him, no matter what it was that was bothering him so much.

Seriously, how bad could it be?

Will couldn't even hurt a fly, so he highly doubted it would be anything like murder or equally gruesome.

Maybe it had to do with his mother's death?  
Or something about some other kid at Camp?  
Maybe Will had done something that indirectly helped their enemies?

Who cared? The wars were won, Jason couldn't care less if Will accidentally told the wrong person something – or did it intentionally, for that matter.

All that mattered was that Will was here right now, it didn't matter what he did or didn't do before.

Jason loved him all the same.

"I can't. But thanks, anyways. I really, really appreciate it. And I do trust you, Jason. I trust you three with everything I have. More than I ever trusted anybody else. But this is something…I can't talk about it. I won't talk about it. Ever. And I just don't want you guys to…ask something by accident and…well…find out. Does that make sense?"

Yes and no.

It kind of made Jason wonder even more, but he knew he had to reassure Will right now, so he nodded quickly

"Yeah, it does. Don't worry, I don't have any intention of asking you more than the usual 'Are you ok?' and 'Really, Will, do you have to be like that?'. If you want, I can indirectly help out in case anybody else asks you something bad, ok? Like, just give me a sign if things go into dangerous territory, and I'll make sure to switch the topic somehow. Deal?"

Will looked conflicted for a moment, then just shrugged, not looking convinced whatsoever.

Then again, he was probably thinking showing Jason what topics would be dangerous would be like giving away what this whole issue was about.

"Are you sure you don't want me to talk to Reyna about the dogs? It would probably be easier."

Will shook his head.

"She already hates me and thinks I'm bad news. I don't need to reassure her in her belief. Plus, we're probably not staying that long, anyways. I'm fussing over nothing. Sorry…"

Jason hated how defeated and torn up Will sounded.

Especially the apology.

Will didn't usually apologize like that.

"Don't worry. I'm not judging you or anything, Will. Everybody got things they don't want to talk about. I still remember when I first found out about those dogs. I'd rethink every word I said whenever they were around for about a week or two, then at some point, I realized nobody was going to take advantage of me, because there was no way Reyna would let them. She's actually a pretty cool person, once you get to know her better. Just try to talk to her. If she gave Percy a second chance, she'll give you at least three." He said reassuringly, taking a step closer to Will, which he actually permitted, even though Jason's shoulder was brushing against his now and all.

"Percy? Why? What happened?" Will asked with a small frown and Jason smiled, glad to see at least one typical reaction from him.

"Oh, didn't he tell you the story? Gods, they'll hate talking about it, it will be hilarious. I'm going to give you a quick pointer: It has to do with Circe's island, where Reyna and her big sister Hylla had been living until Percy and Annabeth came and caused havoc. It's quite a story. You'll love it." He promised and nodded towards the door encouragingly.

Will looked hesitant a moment longer, but then his expression changed to curiosity, and Jason knew he had won him over.

Thanks, Percy.

Once again, Jason was surprised to see that those two fit better than he would have at first thought.

Will could manage to distract Percy from his arguments with the gods, and Percy could distract Will from whatever haunted him from the past.

It was astounding, really.

He kind of wondered what that meant for the future, but then he brushed it off.

Percy was still too much in love with Nico, and while Nico hadn't outright exclaimed anything negative when Will had talked about threesomes and the like, Jason knew Nico would be against it.

He had already had way too much trouble accepting himself as gay, he'd never accept being that different that he'd be willing to date more than one person.

Plus, he was so in love with Percy, so focused on Percy, and on keeping Percy, so glad and grateful to have the chance to date his long-time crush, that Jason doubted he'd ever dare risk that.

So there was that.

Will gave a small nod, and Jason opened the door for him so he could file in with his four pizza cartons.

Oh, right, pizza.

Hopefully, they weren't cold by now.

Maybe he should come up with some believable excuses just in case, though.

Oh, wait, maybe not.

The dogs were there, after all, and he didn't want to be forced to talk about his conversation with Will.

That would destroy everything he had just reassured him about, after all.

So, yeah, hopefully the pizza would be good, still.

.

The rest of the day didn't get any better.

Nico sighed, walking hand in hand with Percy as they left Reyna, Frank and Hazel to themselves in the evening, after another awkward meal together and some forcefully pleasant conversations between Hazel (she was such a sweetheart), Frank (always there to support Hazel), Percy (the heart of the conversation when it came to questions about the trip) and Jason (the one who kept supplying them with new topics once the conversation wore thin).

It was so obvious they were trying to cover up for what had happened with Will earlier, but Nico was so entirely grateful for it all the same.

He had tried several times to get them all to leave – something that hadn't been easy, of course, because he had only just gotten here and only just gotten back to Reyna and Frank and Hazel and he wanted to spend as much time as possible with them – but they simply hadn't listened.

But Will looked so horrible.

He looked handsome as usual, of course, but his demeanor was unusually tense, and he was still so, so pale – and _quiet_!

Truth be told, other than when he had explained to them what pizza was for whom, he hadn't heard Will utter a single other word.

Every time the conversation had turned to a question in his direction, Jason had answered it for him and promptly changed the subject.

Whenever somebody had looked expectantly at Will to say something, Percy had piped in with something funny or stupid (mostly both) to say.

And whenever Reyna had given Will that skeptical once-over, Nico had started engaging her into a conversation to drag her gaze away from his Will.

It wasn't as if Will wasn't trustworthy.

Nico trusted Will.

With his life. With their lives.

He knew she meant well, knew she had to think differently than him because she was praetor and had responsibility over the lives of lots of people.

Of course she'd be suspicious, especially with the way Will was behaving right now, especially since Will – his Will, the perfect actor, the one who could make you believe pink rainbow-pooping pegasi existed on Mars – was making it so utterly obvious he was scared out of his mind somebody would get behind whatever he was hiding.

It had improved, of course.

After his flight to get pizza with Jason, he had been a tad calmer, though he had still looked like a lost kitten, awakening the urge within Nico to go and wrap him into a hug and take him home.

There had been a momentary set-back when Reyna had started talking and gotten up, moving dangerously close to him and promptly sending him scurrying out of her way and behind Jason, but other than that, he had been somewhat alright.

Very quiet. Very pale. But he had stopped fidgeting and had lost the fearful expression, instead replacing it with a noncommittal, rather empty one, that Nico hadn't liked much better, either.

He kind of wanted to ask him what was wrong, but at the same time, he didn't want to open that conversation yet.

Nico knew Percy was burning to ask about it, too, but also knew he wouldn't dare until somebody else mentioned it, and that somebody wouldn't be Nico.

If Will didn't want to talk about it, so be it.

They had originally intended to go straight back to their room, but had then gotten held up when Jason had suddenly said a walk through the park would be nice.

Since Will had nodded along with it almost instantly, Nico had guessed the exercise and fresh air probably wouldn't be too bad for him and agreed.

So, that's how the four of them had come to walk the long way through the park towards their hotel for the night, instead of the short, straight way through the city.

Glancing over his shoulder, he watched Will and Jason sticking their heads together, having a hushed conversation while Will seemed to look for something in his pockets.

Did they lose the key?

"Hey, what are you guys talking about? Everything ok?" Percy asked as if he could read Nico's mind, and both guys looked up quickly with a surprised expression – the sort of surprise one had when one got caught with the hand in the cookie jar.

It didn't bode well with Nico.

What were those two up to?

Will had only just started regaining some color in his pretty face, he couldn't be scheming weird things again, right?

"Oh, nothing, I just realized I must have forgotten my wallet back at the pizza place. Listen, why don't you two go ahead back to the room? I fear I'll have to take Jason with me, because…well, Latin, you know?" Will said cheerily, the first thing he had said in hours, and Nico found himself staring at him dubiously.

No, he did not understand.

_Latin_? What kind of excuse was that? The people here liked to _write_ things in Latin, yeah, but they _talked_ normal English.

If Nico didn't know better, he'd think Will and Jason were scheming to give Nico and Percy some privacy.

When Will moved forward to pass the key to Nico, pressing a condom and what appeared to be a trial pack of lube into his hand (Nico had only caught a _very_ quick glance at it before Will had closed his hand around the items), Nico's assumption was validated, his face practically burning up.

"Sorry for ruining your reunion with the others, Nico. Go get some time alone with your sweetheart. Get him good. You have one hour." Will said quickly into his ear as he tugged him closer for a quick hug.

Loudly, he exclaimed he was going to miss Nico and that Percy better take good care of him while they were gone.

Nico knew his face was flaming red, and he was standing there frozen to the spot and mortified beyond belief.

Oh. Gods.

When Will pulled back, he hesitated once more. "If you need more condoms, I think there are a few in my backpack. Front pouch. Enjoy." He added with a wink and a knowing smirk, then pulled back completely and patted him on the back, hurrying back towards Jason and dragging him off.

From Jason's genuinely concerned face, he guessed Jason wasn't in on the developments of the evening, yet.

Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods.

This was so not happening.

Why?  
Why was this happening?  
Why was Will actually doing this?  
Had he noticed how desperate Nico had been for more than just quick kisses and feeble touches?  
Had he noticed how badly Nico had wanted some time alone with Percy, but refrained in favor of spending time with his friends?

But then his mind started going into a different direction.

One hour.

He had one hour alone with Percy.

"What was that about? I didn't even know Will was the one paying." Percy asked with a surprised expression, looking after the two disappearing demigods.

Nico looked around at him.

One hour. To do anything.

"Percy, we have to get back to the room. Now."

"Huh?" Percy uttered, taken aback as Nico grabbed his hand again and started hurrying off.

"They'll be gone for a while…we… we should make…erm…we should make use of that, shouldn't we?" He explained, his face burning even worse as he said it, unable to look around at Percy though he knew he could see his face in all its glory.

Oh gods, he couldn't seriously even…even consider…

What was he even saying?

Percy had to think him such a slut.

"What? Oh…_oh_!"

He knew Percy had understood the moment his hand closed more firmly around Nico's, now the one rushing them along instead of Nico, his expression surprised, but definitely all for it.

Oh gods, what was Nico even doing?

He couldn't seriously do this.

Was he that desperate?

He was ashamed to admit the answer was yes.

They were back at their room at breakneck speed, which should have probably concerned Nico, but didn't.

Instead, they practically raced up the stairs, Nico fumbling with the key, pushing the condom and what he now hoped was lube into his pants pockets so he could use both hands.

Oh gods, this couldn't be happening.

This must be what married couples with kids must feel like when the little ones were out of the house.

Maybe he should talk to Percy about at least making sure they got some time alone.

But seriously, they had been on the move for seven days.

Seven days without getting each other off in any way whatsoever.  
Seven days with teasing touches and promising kisses but nothing more.

And that while they had kind of made it a habit to at least get each other off once a day.

Ugh, Nico was so spoiled.

Though he entirely stopped caring about that when Percy stepped up behind him, wrapping his arms around his midriff and placing a kiss to the side of his neck (which had finally returned to its natural color, the marks Percy had left completely faded at last – though he wasn't sure whether he was happy or upset about that).

Percy was trembling slightly, and Nico had the feeling it wasn't because of the exercise.

At least not the 'running here'-type of exercise.

Finally, he managed to get the dumb key in and turned it, unlocking the door for both of them.

Percy instantly pushed him inside and let the door fall shut, pushing Nico against it the fraction of a second later, their lips surging together like magnets.

Oh gods, _yes_!

"Percy…"

"Oh gods, Nico, yes…" Percy breathed against him, pushing their bodies together and letting his hands roam his body, first down his neck, over his chest and sides, then beneath the layers of clothing on him, teasing his front and then his back, making his way back up.

Their lips mashed against each other hungrily, Percy's trembling increasing slightly.

Nico started moving his hands as well, unsure when he had flung his arms around Percy in the first place.

He was tentative at first, but then 'One hour' flashed back through his mind and he started pushing against Percy harder, started touching him more wantonly.

How much of that hour was gone already?

How much longer could he relish in this?

"Please…" He heard his own voice pleading, though he wasn't sure what he was wishing for.

Percy tensed at his words, pulling back slightly to scan over his face, then he pressed against him again, his hands flying down to Nico's pants.

For a moment, Nico wanted to tell him to wait, that he didn't have to rush anything.

But at the same time, he wanted Percy to rush.

He wanted to feel him, all of him.

Right now. Right here.

He felt Percy's hands slide into his underwear, felt them touching his needy erection, and he couldn't help but let his head fall backwards, disconnecting their lips in order to let out a low groan.

It had been way too long.

Seriously, _way too long_.

Percy's quiet chuckle seemed far away, the sensation of his lips only slowly drawing him back into reality as Percy started peppering his face and neck with kisses.

"Somebody seems desperate." Percy uttered in a low purr, looking at him with pure sex in his gaze, as if already stripping him off his clothes in his mind's eye.

Oh yes, please.

"You have no idea how long I've been wanting this, Percy." He heard himself replying, his voice sounding needy and desperate and weird, but by the way Percy's eyes glazed over and he started kissing him vigorously, he guessed it must have a similar effect on Percy as Percy's voice always had on Nico.

"Me too, love, me too. Let's never wait for so damn long again." Percy breathed against his skin as his hands started working their magic on Nico's dick again, and Nico felt so ready to blow already, it wasn't even funny.

He didn't, though.

Instead, he started pushing against Percy, beginning to move them both into the vague direction of the sofa.

Of course, he'd prefer the bed, but he didn't want the guys to complain later, so the sofa would have to do.

Percy seemed to catch up to his thinking, letting go of his dick in favor of moving them both over quicker, beginning to strip Nico down in the process.

Hey, no fair.

"You undress, too!" His voice was a mixture between an indignant huff, a needy plea and a pout, but Percy didn't make fun of him, instead practically ripping off his jacket and sending both t-shirt and pullover flying off to somewhere to their right.

Nico toppled forward to get to Percy's pants, hurrying the buttons open and the zipper down, wanting so badly to see Percy as affected as he was that he couldn't even bother worrying about how this must seem to Percy.

But Percy didn't say anything and didn't stop him, instead panting and huffing, kicking his pants down and off before letting himself flop backwards onto the sofa.

Nico just loved the sight.

Oh gods, yes.

This was his.

This masterpiece of a human was his boyfriend, his glorious, perfect boyfriend.

_One hour_.

Right, no zoning out.

He hurried to step out of his own pants, not feeling that embarrassed anymore about being naked in front of Percy, but then again, Percy had already seen him naked plenty of times, so it wasn't as if Nico had any real reason to be embarrassed in the first place.

So, instead, he moved forward and straddled Percy's lap, aligning their dicks as best as they could so Percy could wrap his hands around both while their mouths mashed against each other once more, their tongues exploring and teasing and going crazy.

"Gods, Nico, I missed this so much." Percy panted against his lips as they had to part for at least a moment to catch their breath.

"Me too. More? Please, I need…" He wasn't sure what he needed, but he was sure this wouldn't be enough.

He needed more, more of Percy, more of his dick.

Oh gods, he was such a slut, but he loved it so damn much.

"What? What do you need? Babe, please, anything...I'll do anything for you…" Percy said, his expression so far gone, yet with so much adoration.

Nico pressed their lips together again, his hand moving down to join Percy's in their task to stroke them both, just to then take over for him.

He needed those hands in other places right now.

"Please…t-touch…" He pleaded again, trying to make Percy understand without actually saying it.

Percy let his hands roam his body hungrily, then halted at his nipples, teasing them relentlessly and luring small, desperate moans out of Nico's mouth.

But he wanted more.

He wanted sex.

Was it bad that he wanted sex?  
Did Percy want sex?  
Could he just ask for it?

Percy pinched his nipples and Nico gasped, thrusting his hips forward blindly and losing his grip on their dicks.

Yes!

Wait, no!

Gods, what did he _want_?!

All. He wanted it all.

Every little thing.

Every touch, every kiss, every sensation.

Percy groaned, his hands closing around Nico's hips suddenly to press them tightly together, his dick right next to Nico's, pushing against his skin, apparently in as desperate need for more friction as Nico.

Then Percy's hands moved towards his backside, and everything inside Nico screamed '_Yes!'_.

But then he only cupped Nico's butt, tugging him closer and pressing their lips together again, sensually, wantonly, but Nico couldn't help but groan in frustration.

"I don't want to hurt you, love. Plus, won't they be back soon?" He heard Percy breathe against his lips, eyes apologetic, yet full of want and love.

For a moment, his words didn't make sense to Nico.

Then it clicked, and he scrambled off Percy's lap, startling him quite a bit by the looks of it.

"Nico?" He asked, and Nico could hear the worry in his voice, but he was too busy lunging at his pants, fiddling with the condom and – _yes!_ – the trial pack of lube he managed to rip out of his pocket.

Oh gods, he loved Will. Bless him and his questionable stack of supplies when he wasn't even in a relationship and 'didn't do casual'.

Then he was back, pushing Percy back onto the sofa as his boyfriend had gotten up to see what was wrong.

"We have an hour. Had an hour. I don't know how much longer we have now. Please, do it. _Please_." He pleaded, shoving the items into Percy's hand and thrusting his hips against him again in desperation.

Percy's gaze hushed down to verify what he was feeling was in fact condom and lube, then his eyes hushed back towards Nico, understanding crossing his features.

Then he grinned.

It was a dangerous, predatory grin.

"Sometimes, I really love Will." Percy said, then wrapped his arms around Nico to pull him into a kiss again, and Nico could feel and hear him opening one of the packs, though he had no idea which one until he felt Percy's hand moving down and back towards his butt, this time not stopping anywhere on the way.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, _yes_!

A cold, wet finger rubbed against his hole and he mewled, too gone with the sensations washing over him to be shocked by his behavior, though he knew he'd worry about it later.

But Percy didn't seem to mind whatsoever, sucking in a deep breath as he pushed the finger inside, making Nico whimper and push back against him, eyes closed, breathing shallow.

Oh gods, it had been way too long.

Percy slid in a second finger, as wet and cool as the first, and Nico could feel the slight stinging again as Percy spread him cautiously, wondering faintly whether that would ever go away or would simply be a part.

Then Percy thrust his fingers in and out of him, finding his sweet spot, and Nico found he didn't give a damn either way, moving against Percy and groaning and whimpering and begging again.

Oh gods, this felt so good.

Too good.

It had been too damn long.

He was never going to hold back another entire week for this.

.

Nico was pure sex in his arms, writhing and moaning and whimpering, needy pleas leaving his lips faster than Percy could claim them in open-mouthed, messy kisses.

Gods, how had he survived without this?

How had he functioned without this?

He groaned at those wonderful sounds Nico made, thrusting against him to get some friction on his neglected dick, pushing his fingers into Nico faster.

No matter the rush, he wanted him to thoroughly enjoy it, and to be thoroughly ready for his intrusion.

But, gods, Nico wanted him.

Wanted to have sex with him.

Here. Now.

Could anybody believe it?

This was the best thing ever.

Nico's hands closed around his dick, apparently noticing his dismay and hurrying to provide the much needed friction, and Percy was close to worshipping him.

Scratch that, he was worshipping him.

He gasped for breath again and thrust into Nico's palm, his fingers momentarily concentrating solely on Nico's sweet spot as he contemplated sending Nico straight over the edge like this, first.

Sure, they had had sex before, and they should be fine with a tad more prepping and lube, but if Nico came first, he was bound to not feel any pain or discomfort, right?

Percy probably should have done this during their first time, duh.

Not one of his brightest moments.

"Percy…please, _please_, just…do me…_yes_…" Nico pleaded again, whimpering and thrusting back against Percy's hand, looking so needy, so desperate, so wanting.

Percy's free hand was already grabbing for the condom pack, sending another silent 'Thank you!' to Will.

This was the best thing those two dorks could have done for them.

He had no patience whatsoever with the plastic, so he tore it open with his teeth instead, catching Nico watching him with dazed, lusty eyes, a small moan escaping him as he rocked his hips again, his hands moving uncoordinatedly and messily on his dick, but he didn't mind one bit.

Percy loved seeing him like this.

Loved being the one to make him like this.

Gods, this was the best thing ever.

He had a feeling he thought that each and every day by now, but he'd be lying if it wasn't the truth each and every time.

Thrusting his fingers one last time against Nico's sweet spot, he made to roll the condom down his length – and found Nico helping him, speeding the process up a little as he started pushing himself up on his knees to the left and right of Percy, making it more than apparent what he wanted.

And Percy utterly loved it.

He felt Nico's hands on his dick, straightening out the condom a bit and rolling it down all the way, then Percy rubbed the rest of the lube from the small pack over it, liking and disliking the sensation of the cool goo on his fingers at the same time.

On one side, it just felt weird and he wanted to rub his hands on something, but on the other side, the lube allowed him to touch Nico in an entirely different way and his fingers slid a lot more fluidly over Nico's hot skin, a bit like massage oil.

Then Nico shifted, aligning his backside with Percy's dick, and Percy lost every thought in his head in favor of gazing at his boyfriend with all the love and lust he had inside him right now, giving a small, reassuring nod as Nico met his gaze with a quizzical, yet love-dazed one.

Oh gods, yes.

Nico moved down, his hand guiding Percy's tip inside him.

Oh gods, _yes_!

They both groaned at the sensation, the tight heat engulfing Percy and turning his mind into even more of a mess than it already was, and his hands grabbed Nico's sides, keeping him steady and stopping him from going too fast – though all he wanted to do right now is thrust all the way into him over and over again.

Nico met his parted lips with his own, the kiss more of a sorry excuse of mashing their lips and teeth and tongue together as Nico slid down on him further, luring moans of pleasure out of both of them.

Before long, Percy felt himself nearly completely inside Nico, the Italian beginning to move more fluidly now, and Percy began using his hands more to move Nico up and down on his dick instead of keeping him from moving.

_Oh gods, yes!_

This was it.

This was the best thing in the world.

He was so tight, so hot, so…Percy had no words for it.

He should learn some more languages, then he might find a word that could explain this.

Or maybe he wouldn't.

It didn't matter.

"Oh gods, babe, I love you so much. I love this so much. I want this so much. You are so perfect." He babbled with a husky, faraway voice and caught Nico's lips twitching as he moaned, rolling his hips and thrusting down on Percy, making him see stars.

"I love you, too, Percy. Percy. My Percy. Gods, you're the perfect one. I love you so, so much." Nico replied, though it looked almost as if he didn't notice he was talking, his gaze too glazed, too dazed, too far gone.

Percy tightened his grip and started thrusting up into him to meet him while Nico pushed down, working out a quick, rough, and steadily increasing rhythm.

Percy was so going to blow soon.

He had no idea how he could have even lasted this long, especially not after feeling one touch away from orgasm ever since pushing Nico against that door.

Sheer willpower. And the condom.

Bless condoms.

Bless Will.

Bless everything.

"Percy…please…" Nico gasped and pleaded as he kept riding Percy as if his life depended on it, his expression almost pained as he seemed so wonderfully close, just like Percy was.

"Please what, babe? Nico, love, I love you, I'll do anything for you. Just tell me. Tell me and I'll give it to you, I promise. Promise." He breathed against his lips, followed by a low gasp and a groan as Nico slid all the way down on his dick with a needy whimper, over and over again, his body trembling harder and harder, as if he was either over exerting himself or trying to keep himself from blowing (maybe both).

"I- I don't know! Faster…faster?…Yes…" As soon as Nico seemed to have made his mind up, Percy grabbed his sides and flipped them over sideways, Nico's back hitting the sofa as Percy pushed inside him, moving his legs up to go over his shoulders.

Bless Nico's flexibility.

_Oh gods, yes._

Nico made a surprised sound that was quickly drowned out by a throaty moan, then he writhed beneath Percy as beautifully as he always did, and Percy thrust into him hard and fast, feeling his orgasm coming ever closer.

He wrapped his hand around Nico's dick, sending a jolt through him and making him cry out again, his hands trying to claw into the fabric of the sofa as he threw his head back, beginning to babble again, telling Percy over and over he loved him and never wanted this to stop.

Percy could totally understand.

He wanted to do this every day, all day long, every single moment of his life.

"Oh gods, babe, I'm so close. Please tell me you're close." He panted, barely catching Nico's quick nodding of the head as he had to close his eyes with the next moan, the sensations too much for him.

His hand increased the speed of his pumping on Nico's dick, trying as much as he could to somewhat time it with his thrusts, though he wasn't sure Nico even as much as noticed.

He forced his eyes open to watch Nico falling apart beneath him, groaning, whimpering, crying out, writhing so wonderfully, so perfectly, gazing up at Percy with those dazed eyes, not trying to hold anything in, neither his expression nor his noises.

With a last warning, Nico threw his head back and cried out, his dick shooting out thick spurts of cum, proof that Nico, just like him, hadn't had any action for way too long already.

Percy kept thrusting into him, one hand holding onto Nico's legs, the other one still pumping Nico's dick until he was utterly spent.

Then he felt his own orgasm wash over him, felt the bliss filling every fiber of his body, rushing through him quicker than any poison ever could.

Yes!

He mumbled something, no idea what, and felt himself filling the condom to what felt like the very brim, which of course wasn't possible, but he couldn't care less about anything right now, other than Nico and his orgasm.

Percy started slowing, his hand now letting go of Nico's softening dick, his own hips merely humping now, eyes glued to Nico's face as he felt the satisfaction settle over him like a warm blanket on a cold winter day.

Oh gods, how much he loved his guy.

Nico opened his eyes again, slowly, almost lazily, a blissful smile on his lips, his expression so gentle and soft Percy just wanted to crawl into his arms and feel complete.

He felt his dick softening and pulled out, not wanting to upset Nico with any mess, so he quickly began with their usual clean-up routine, disposing of the condom and looking for something he could use to clean Nico up.

Nico at first seemed like he wanted to help, but he was still trembling and was way too out of it still, so Percy gently pushed him back down on the sofa and scurried through his bag quickly for tissues or a towel.

He found the tissues first and was back by Nico's side an instant later, gently beginning to clean him up as much as possible, while Nico laid there with an arm over his face, a content smile playing on his lips, still panting slightly.

"You liked that?" Percy asked softly, and Nico instantly nodded, moving his arm a bit to glance at Percy, his expression still so wonderfully blissful.

"Absolutely loved it. We seriously have to do that more often."

Percy's heart leaped in his chest.

He wasn't sure why, but having Nico actually say this meant so much to him.

He leaned down to press his lips onto Nico's once more, their kiss languid and slow and absolutely perfect.

Then he urged himself to get the two small windows open, unless he wanted to listen to Jason's and Will's complaints the entire rest of the evening.

Coming to think of it, how long had they taken?

What if the guys would be back any moment?

No, they probably had some more time.

Gods, he'd have to thank them later.

This had been the best thing they could have done for them, seriously.

Though at the same time it was kind of weird.

But he decided not to think about it too much right now.

Instead, he walked over to their bags, getting them some new underwear at the very least and deciding to check later where the bathroom was in this place, just so he and Nico could maybe take a shower later.

Oh, that would be nice.

The jump into the lake had been great and refreshing, and they had all managed to get a tad cleaner and wash up, but it certainly hadn't been comparable to a real shower.

Especially not one with Nico.

He brought the boxer shorts over to Nico, who managed to sit up half-heartedly and slip into them, just to then fall sideways against Percy, snuggling against his side like a cat.

Oh gods, he was so adorable after an orgasm, so affectionate and cuddly and cute.

Percy wrapped his arms around him and tugged him into his arms, moving back onto the sofa to somewhat lay down, Nico on top of him, nuzzling his face against his chest happily.

Yes.

This was perfect.

.

"I can't believe I did not realize you didn't even pay, until we were right in front of the restaurant." Jason grumbled and Will had to bite his lip not to laugh out loud.

Jason could be so adorable sometimes.

"Well, you probably were too busy worrying about me for no reason whatsoever. Anyways, do you think it's safe to return now?"

It had been an hour already, yeah, but with those two he wouldn't be surprised if they completely lost track of the time.

"We could check, I guess. If the door is locked, we can just leave again." Jason muttered with a noncommittal shrug and they slowly made their way back towards their building.

The streets were fairly busy, with people going into all directions and some ghosts (Will had forgotten what they were called - again) loitering around here and there, talking either among themselves or any poor soul that paid them any attention.

But it was quite nice.

The air was cool, but a lot warmer than back in December, and there was no snow around anymore, a few flowers even beginning to bloom already.

The Christmas and New Year's decorations were gone, but the charm of the city was still very much alive, making Will want to live here even more.

How much he'd love to walk these streets with his boyfriend every day, maybe picking up food from the supermarket, or going out for dinner.

Or just holding hands and taking a nice stroll, like the four of them had done earlier (minus the handholding part, of course).

He glanced sideways at Jason, but pushed the thought aside before it was even completely formed in his apparently still confused mind.

Nope, he was not going to imagine anything right now.

"This is so nice, though. I remember showing this to Piper back when the Argo II came here for the first time. I always wanted to live here at some point, get a job, have a family. You know?" Jason explained to him with a soft smile on his face, and Will looked around at the buildings around them again, wondering faintly whether Jason still felt anything for Piper.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find somebody to make that dream of yours come true." He said with a light shrug.

Jason chuckled.

"Oh, don't worry. I gave up on that part. Right now, I'm more hoping I'll finally get done with the peace issue. After that, I'd still love to move here, though. With you guys."

Will smiled to himself at that, his heart fluttering.

With the guys.

Percy, Nico…and Will.

"We did say we would. Remember, last time we were here? So, yeah, it's already settled." Will reminded him with a lopsided grin, finding Jason grinning back.

"True. I just hope we're not going to end up in one apartment with Percy and Nico. Seriously, I wouldn't put it behind them to try."

Oh gods, Will wouldn't, either.

"It'd be a pain to explain to Percy why we'd want our own place." He muttered darkly, already imagining the arguments that would follow.

Will hated fights, no matter if physical or verbal.

Bickering was fine, but anything that got too serious…he hated it.

"Oh yes. But hey, you and I, we could do a shared accommodation thing. It would save rent and such." Jason mused, looking at him with an odd gleam in his eyes, seeming almost…hopeful.

Will still made a face.

"I don't know…you need to consider you'll probably start dating once you settle down here, and then you'll be wanting your own space, I'm just saying."

He did not want to see Jason with anybody, especially not a date, especially not intimate in any way; though he refrained from saying anything like that.

It was Jason's life, he had no say in that.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I highly doubt that. Haven't you noticed I only fall for people I can't have? But you'll probably start dating, huh?"

"Fat chance. I'll be too invested in keeping Percy and Nico from being at our place the entire time." Will put in with a doubtful snort, and found Jason grinning at him triumphantly.

"See? Then I don't see why we couldn't share a flat."

He had been played.

Utterly, cruelly played.

Sighing, he shook his head and sent Jason a scornful look.

"Well, alright. If you say you'd like to, then I guess I wouldn't mind. It's still some time until we move here, anyways. I mean, until then, you might actually find someone to be with and all, so let's not settle on anything completely just yet, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah. But hey, I already got your agreement to it, so if we both don't have anyone until then, you're mine, ok?" Jason asked, looking so oddly hopeful again.

Then his expression changed into one of alarm. "I mean, my roommate! Like, flat mate! Not '_mine'_ mine, of course." He hurried to correct himself and Will chuckled, reaching out to poke the bridge of Jason's glasses, pushing them back onto his nose correctly as he did.

"Hey, no worries. I understood, you dork."

Oh crap, his voice sounded so unnaturally soft right now.

Why was that?

Just because Jason looked adorable, that didn't mean Will's voice could just do as it pleased!

Jason looked surprised for a moment, though Will wasn't sure whether that was because of his words, his voice, or the unusual touch.

Well, sue him, but he had always wanted to do that with his glasses.

And why not? It wasn't as if it yelled he liked Jason or anything.

Nico did it all the time, after all.

Oh, wait, Nico did kind of like Jason, though, so maybe Will shouldn't use him as an example of what he could or couldn't do.

He glanced at Jason again and found him staring off into the distance with a gentle smile, making his insides flutter.

Then the light of one of the signs on what appeared to be a pub illuminated his glasses and Will had to snort as he saw how dirty they actually were.

"What?" Jason asked surprised, looking around at him with a hint of concern, but Will waved off with a laugh and shook his head.

"Nothing…just…" He looked at the glasses again and lost it once more.

Then he sighed and reached out, slow enough to give Jason a chance to step away or stop him, but fast enough not to appear stupid.

Jason didn't stop him, instead standing still and watching his hand coming closer with an air of confusion.

Will took his glasses gently, grinning when he saw Jason blink to get used to the sudden blindness.

He looked so different without glasses.

A bit like a model.  
A very buff model.  
Not that Jason ever didn't look like a (buff) model.

But the glasses kind of gave him that hint of adorableness and made him look like the nerdy dork he was.

Will grinned to himself, going through his jacket pockets with his free hand, searching for the glasses wipes he usually carried around until he remembered he had put them in his medicine bag.

So he fumbled with that instead, finally fishing out the wipes in question.

"Here we go. Seriously, can you even see with those on?" He chided, cleaning Jason's glasses quickly, only now noticing how this might look to the others, especially since they were standing right in front of a store window, only a step away from each other, ginning like idiots.

"Well, I certainly can't see without them on." Jason muttered, shifting slightly and moving closer ever so slightly, while Will made sure to stare at the glasses instead of Jason's face.

"Eh? You're not that blind, right?"

"I have no idea."

"Well, how blurry am I?" Will asked, then scolded himself, because now he was definitely looking up at Jason's face.

Jason's lips twitched and he let his gaze travel up and down Will's body as if to measure how blurry he'd say he was, making Will's face heat for no apparent reason whatsoever.

"Well, I can still see your outline and all, if that's what you're asking."

"Can you see what expression I'm making?" Will asked curiously, sticking out his tongue at Jason, who stared at his face impassively for a moment.

"By the sounds of it, I'm guessing a stupid one?"

Wait, really?

"Hey, that's not very nice. Maybe I was making heart eyes at you, about to confess my never dying love to you?" Will asked scornfully, making a pouty face, but then he realized Jason wouldn't be able to tell, anyways.

"Yeah, I highly doubt that." Jason muttered, looking away and shifting slightly.

Will sighed. "Ok, ok, you can have them back. At least they're clean now." He conceded and half expected Jason to take the glasses from him, but Jason didn't move when Will reached out to place them back on his nose, gently tucking the earpieces behind Jason's ears.

Jason let him, merely tilting his head slightly to make it easier on him, one of his hands closing around Will's arm as if to keep him there.

Will found the situation weird, adorable and oddly intimate at the same time.

What was he even doing, anyways?

He knew Jason had cleaning liquid for his glasses, Nico had gotten him that for Christmas, after all.

So all in all, why hadn't he just told Jason to clean them himself or something?

Jason looked up, blinking slightly, a small smile spreading on his face.

"Hey, so that's how you look." He joked and Will chuckled, pulling back slowly.

"What, finally realizing people weren't running around all smudgy, but it was just your glasses?"

"Absolutely. And there I was wondering why you all were so dirty. Now I can admire your freckles much better."

Now it was Will's turn to blink, his ears and face instantly beginning to heat up.

What?

"Oh, maybe I should have left you blinded, then. They aren't really anything to look at." He muttered evasively, but Jason merely leaned forward, until their noses were almost touching.

Will found himself incapable of moving, though he felt his face burn even more.

Traitorous body.

Jason studied his face intently, then smiled.

"Really? I think they are amazing. I especially like how they glow when you get flustered."

Now Will's face was definitely on fire.

What?!

Jason chuckled. "See? You're so adorable sometimes. Come on, we're almost back at the hotel." The blonde said, and Will could feel the ghost of a touch at his jaw, only noticing now Jason had reached out with one hand, but hadn't quite gotten that far yet.

Why had he wanted to touch him, anyways?

What was this, anyways?

Gods, things were so weird between them sometimes.

Between all of them.

There was the Pocky kiss with Nico, the handholding thing with Percy, then there had been that small issue of Will kind of hitting on all three of them in his half-dead state (not to mention his exclamation of not doing casual just because Jason had tried to help him out of his clothes…oh gods…the embarrassment…) and now this.

Great, they weren't even in the Underworld yet and Will was already at a loss with how to deal with the situation.

He let Jason tug him onwards by the arm, even let his hand slide down to his wrist, so it was almost as if they were holding hands.

Jason smiled to himself, his face illuminated so nicely whenever they passed a store or sign or lamp.

He looked so happy, in a way.

Will looked around at the buildings around them again, a small smile spreading on his lips.

Well, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't happy, as well.

In a way.

.

Jason grinned to himself, adjusting his glasses slightly as they entered their hotel where they had their room.

Well, he knew he shouldn't be so happy about something so small, but hey, Will had agreed to live with him in case they moved here.

Ok, he had said 'if neither of them had anybody else by then', but Jason had no intention whatsoever to look for anybody else, and Will was way too invested in Percy and Nico to even as much as notice anybody around him.

So, yeah, Jason was more than satisfied.

They might not end up together, but at least they wouldn't lose sight of each other.

Because that's what Jason was actually worried about.

He knew things couldn't always stay this way, with the four of them together all the time (though he'd seriously love that), but he didn't want to lose touch or something because of his job or because they simply had too different schedules and lived too far apart to see each other.

This way, they were bound to meet at some point at home.

Plus, he could be delirious sometimes, lie in his bed and imagine how it would be if Will did someday feel the same way for him and they were living '_together'_ together.

Gods, Jason was a horrible person.

They made their way up to their room, just to stop dead in front of it, staring at the key in the lock.

"Well, so much for the great plan of checking whether they locked the door." He muttered quietly, looking around at Will, who buried his face in his hands.

"Those two. Seriously…you know what, technically speaking, we should lock them in as punishment. Now, put your ear to that door and tell me if they're still at it." Will ordered and Jason made a face.

"Why do I have to be the one to listen for any noises? Aren't you the one with the perfect hearing?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to hear anything coming out of Nico's mouth that isn't my name. I already heard way too much. It's most definitely your turn." Will retorted and Jason rolled his eyes inwardly.

He sighed and put his ear to the door, trying to discern any voices or noises.

But all that greeted him was silence and Will's breathing behind him.

"I can't hear anything." He admitted awkwardly after another moment, hoping against hope that those two really were done and they weren't going to barge in on anything.

Maybe the door was soundproof?

"Are you sure?" Will asked, coming closer and putting his ear to the door as well.

Jason had to force himself not to smile as he thought about how this must look to any outsiders.

With both of them standing in front of a door with a key in the lock, their ears pressed against the wood.

Almost as nice as Will cleaning his glasses for him (even though he could have done that himself just fine) in the middle of the street, looking so utterly adorable.

Will seemed to concentrate for a moment, then he shook his head.

"Can't hear anything, either. Let's knock."

And with that, Will rapped his knuckles on the door, the sound surprisingly loud, startling Jason.

Well, even if they were still at it, they'd probably have heard this, anyways.

And he doubted Nico would just ignore the door in favor of…oh, well, maybe he would.

Jason had no idea.

But all that followed was silence.

"Maybe they're not there? Took a shower, or something?" Jason suggested, but Will frowned at him.

"If they were, wouldn't they have noticed the key?"

"Maybe they left it there on purpose so we could get in?" He tried, but knew neither of them were that naïve to take the risk of somebody else taking their things.

This might be New Rome, but that didn't mean there were no thieves and the like around, after all.

Will knocked again, but again without response, so they shared a last uncertain glance, then Will shrugged and tried the handle.

The door was of course unlocked, falling open and revealing…_aw, how adorable_.

"Sometimes, they're so cute." Will muttered with a huff and a shake of his head, walking into the room and over to the sofa, where Percy and Nico laid snuggled together, both fast asleep, arms around each other.

Jason found himself chuckling quietly, taking the key and closing the door behind him as he came in after Will, searching for the camera while Will closed the windows.

"Well, at least they were considerate enough not to make a mess of the place." Will said, eyeing the bed in particular, which seemed utterly untouched.

Jason rolled his eyes amused.

As if Will truly minded.

He might have complained here and there, but he had never said anything about Nico's bed, any they all knew what those two did in there.

Not to mention the shower.

Jason found the camera and took a few pictures, knowing those two would be equally flustered and happy about more pictures, especially with just the two on them.

Plus, these were so adorable, Jason just might want one for his own photo album as well.

Even if just to remind him that those two really belonged together and he'd never have a chance in the world.

Very comforting.  
Wasn't he a bundle of joy?

Will stood next to the sofa, smiling softly at Percy and Nico, who had shifted slightly, Nico nuzzling into Percy's bare chest, while Percy's arms hugged him tighter, muttering something in his sleep that sounded a lot like 'I love you'.

Jason couldn't resist it, he took a picture of all three of them.

Why did it look like Will just belonged with them?

Maybe he did.  
Maybe he did, and they just didn't know yet.

A sad smile hushed over Jason's face, but he pushed it down.

Who cared, anyways? As long as they were happy, everything was fine with him.

Which of course didn't mean he'd play Cupid or anything (gods, Nico would kill him solely for the reference).

"Come on, let's put the sheets on the bed and look for a shower. We'll wake them up later when we're ready for bed, yeah? I'd say let them sleep until tomorrow, but I have a feeling their backs wouldn't thank them. Plus, they both whined about showers earlier, so I'm fairly certain they'll want to shower before embarking on the tedious journey to the Underworld." Will chirped and tugged Jason with him to the bed, even though Jason didn't even notice him moving from next to the sofa.

He smiled at him, liking this rather touchy-feely side Will had developed lately.

An innocent hand on his thigh, a hand grasping his wrist, a gentle touch to his shoulder, sometimes even just the brushing of shoulder against shoulder, or Will leaning the tiniest bit against him.

He really liked that.

Though he was fairly certain it didn't mean anything and Will probably didn't even notice.

Who knew, maybe it was something like how he used to play with Jason's waistband in his sleep (Jason kind of missed those times. That had been a lot better than the nightmares Will was having now, that much was for certain).

Or maybe it was the replacement for that.

Or maybe Jason was just thinking about stupid things again.

Oh well.

.

When Nico woke up in the morning, he was lying in bed, snuggled against Will's chest, with Jason behind him, arms wrapped tightly around him.

At first, he smiled contently to himself, snuggling into the embrace and about to drift back into sleep, when two major things occurred to him:

1 – he was in the bed, not on the sofa

2 – where was Percy?

Shaken awake by the second issue in particular, he tried to move to sit up, but instantly both guys on either side of him tightened their hold, muttering something in their sleep that sounded as if they tried to reassure him.

But he found himself panicking.

Percy, where was Percy?

"Percy?" He asked into the room, but there was no reply, the two guys only snuggling closer to him.

Then, Will shifted in his sleep and tensed, his hands moving up Nico's front to his rapidly beating heart.

Next moment, the blonde opened his eyes, taking in Nico's complexion sleepily.

"What's wrong?" He asked groggily, moving his hands back down Nico's body ever so slowly, giving him goose bumps all over.

Wait, this wasn't the time to contemplate that.

"Where's Percy?" Nico asked instead, the worry clearly audible in his voice.

Will merely frowned at him for a moment, then craned his neck to look behind Jason.

"Hm, no clue. Bathroom, maybe? It's downstairs, quite a walk there. Come on, he'll be fine. Calm down and go back to sleep." Will ordered sleepily, snuggling closer and rubbing their chests together, making Nico hyper aware of the fact that he had not exactly washed up last night after his quality time with Percy.

Maybe he should tell- wait, no way in hell.

Plus, Percy had cleaned him up, so everything was good, anyways…probably.

"How come I'm in the bed, not on the sofa?" He asked sheepishly, making Will sigh and pull back slightly so he could reply, since he had kind of buried his face in Nico's hair again already.

Maybe Nico should just let him sleep instead of bothering him.

"We didn't want to wake you up, so Percy carried you to the bed. He won the Rock Paper Scissors game. _Again_. Sometimes, I wish I could hate him." Will grumbled and Nico found himself relaxing.

Really? That story again?

Why did they always play about who could carry Nico around when he was behaving like an idiot, anyways?

They could have just woken him up, too.

These dorks.

"Isn't it usually the loser who has to do stuff like that?" He asked dubiously, remembering faintly how he had asked Percy the same thing back when he had carried him to his cabin after that day in the amusement park.

"What? Carrying you? No way. That's a privilege, you dork." Will insisted groggily, nuzzling his nose into Nico's hair affectionately.

"Not really…" Nico mumbled, finding himself snuggling into Will's embrace ever so slightly.

This…kind of felt really nice.

Though he was still worried about Percy.

Will tugged him closer, which made Jason grumble and come closer from behind, as well.

Those two.

"Yes…yes, it is. You have no idea…I'd die to be allowed to carry you…just once…like he carries you…" Will mumbled sleepily, then his breathing evened out again, so Nico guessed he was back in his dream world.

What was he even talking about?

Carrying him was nothing but a pain - and mortifying for Nico, to boot.

He had two perfectly functioning legs, he could walk.

And anyways, Will was over exaggerating, anyways.

That dork.

Nico smiled to himself, snuggling against Will's chest again, who shifted and wrapped him into a tighter embrace, a small, content smile playing on his lips.

This felt way too nice.

He was still worried about Percy, but Will was probably right.

Percy was going to be back any minute for sure.

Just as Nico closed his eyes again, wondering faintly whether Will had had any nightmares, and whether they had spent the entire night with Nico between the two blondes, or whether that had been a recent development, he heard a key fumbling at the door lock.

Instantly awake again, he resisted the urge to sit up and check, instead staying in his boys' arms to not wake them, listening to the sound of the door opening and somebody entering.

"Percy?" He asked hesitantly, not knowing how loud he had to be to be heard without waking Will and Jason.

As reply, he heard Percy stutter and stumble, dropping something that sounded like some sort of paper bag with light content.

"Nico! Gods, you startled- wait, why are you awake? Did I wake you? I'm sorry..." Percy instantly whispered urgently, moving over and putting something down on the bedside table, before leaning over Will to place a gentle kiss on his forehead.

Or he was aiming to, at least, because Nico pushed himself up and caught his lips with his own instead, smirking up at his boyfriend sleepily.  
"Nah, I woke up on my own, you were so quiet I almost didn't hear you enter. Where were you?"

"Getting breakfast and coffee for you all. I woke up earlier, so I figured I could at least get you guys something to eat while waiting for you to wake up." Percy explained with a smile, giving Nico another peck before pulling back, shifting some items around out of Nico's sight.

Then he climbed back into the bed and behind Will, who let him wrap an arm around him loosely without complaint, even leaning back into Percy's chest ever so slightly.

Seriously, one would never guess this was the same Will that still hissed when they woke up and he found himself getting hugged by Percy in any sort of way (though, in Will's defense, he had gotten better already, compared to the beginning).

Then again, Will had changed a lot in the past months, so Nico guessed he shouldn't be too surprised.

Plus, he had already started accepting Jason touching him and holding him at night, so Nico was sure it was only a matter of time until Percy would get the same liberations.

Though, for a moment, Nico wondered whether that would really be a good thing.

Weren't they all a bit too touchy-feely for friends?

Were friends always like this?

None Nico had had in the past had ever been like this (then again, with his messed up childhood, he wasn't very surprised).

Still, he never saw any other groups of people, no matter if friends or best friends, being as close as the four of them were.

Should he worry?

He contemplated that for a moment, letting Jason nudge him into Will's arms further, and feeling Percy's hand on his side, gently stroking up and down, his gaze soft and affectionate as he gazed at Nico from behind Will, his chin on the blonde's shoulder.

Nico smiled at him.

Nah. This was good.

Better than good.

He liked this.

And they obviously liked it, too.

Who cared whether it was unusual, they were more than unusual, anyways.

So, obviously, their friendship would be unusual, as well.

It simply made them even more special.

Yeah, he liked that.

Smiling happily to himself, he snuggled into the embrace of his boys…and started falling back asleep, Percy's quiet chuckle and the brush of his fingertips against Nico's cheeks the last thing he heard and felt before sleep took over again.

It was simply too comfortable.

.

They day passed in a blur.

One moment, they were all snuggled together in bed, enjoying the closeness and warmth their embrace granted; the next, they were running around in New Rome and the Camp, meeting old friends and new people, laughing and chatting and catching up.

The four of them had intended to stick together for as much as possible, so they wouldn't have to go looking for anybody once they wanted to leave, but that plan had been for naught.

Nico had instantly been dragged off by Hazel, Frank and Reyna; and even Percy and Jason had been separated by their cohort, half of the people dragging Percy off to some place near the Poseidon temple to show him something, while Jason had been bombarded with questions about his progress and then had to listen to all the things that had happened while he had been gone.

Jason was still surprised by how much had changed at Camp in the short amount of time he had been gone, given that everyone of them had enough to talk about for hours on end.

Will had surprisingly enough stayed with him, though he surely hadn't complained.

He had the odd feeling it was because of Reyna, anyways, even though she was nowhere in sight (hopefully Nico would keep her busy enough so they could get going to the Underworld before she did do anything about Will).

Still, he was glad at least the blonde stayed with him.

That was, until Will had suddenly started a very heated argument with some fellow Apollo kids about which Camp had the better medical equipment (or so he had gathered from the snippets of conversation making it over from their little group).

Before Jason could even look around, Will had been abducted to look at Camp Jupiter's 'super advanced and high-tech and unbeatable' infirmary, leaving Jason behind by himself in a mass of people he knew or didn't knew.

Oh well, he'd probably come back soon enough again.

"So, how's college going for you?" He asked Gwen with a smile, really glad to see her again for once.

Last time, that hadn't worked out too well, though he had also not really looked for her, which made him feel somewhat guilty now.

"Oh, it's great. Like living a normal life. You'd love it, I'm sure. Hazel told me that you were thinking of living there at some point." She said amiably, making him wonder what else Hazel had talked about with her.

But at least she seemed happy.

That was good.

"Yeah, when I'm done with the peace treaty and got all the temples built. Percy, Nico and Will are going to come as well. That's the plan, at least." He explained, glancing around at where he had last seen Will, hoping he'd come back soon.

It was already afternoon, after all, and they wanted to leave in the early evening.

Then again, the other two weren't back yet, either, so there was that.

"Yeah, Hazel told me. You four are really close, huh? I'm glad. You used to be so distanced, always by yourself. Of course, you'd talk to all of us and we all loved you dearly, but it never felt like you really let us…closer. I'm glad you found somebody to be so comfortable with." Gwen said with a smile and Jason blinked, slightly thrown off by her statement.

He had?

Ok, he had never been a very open person, preferring to keep most of the bits of his life he could remember to himself, but he had always seen them as close friends.

Somehow, knowing that they had thought him 'distant' felt odd now.

Then again, he could still remember their games of Truth or Dare and the countless Pocky games they had always tried to drag him into, so he wasn't too surprised he had remained 'distant' in that way.

He guessed that made Gwen right, then.

"Well, in a way, they found me, really. But yeah, I'm glad I got them. They're the best friends I could have ever hoped for." He said, then regretted his words as he realized how that might have come across.

The people here had been great friends too, of course.

Still were.

"Oh, I can see that. You four fit together like nothing I've ever seen before- hey look, there's Percy. Oh my, seems like they completely wore him out, huh?"

Jason looked around to see a very disheveled and panting Percy trudging towards him with the rest of the cohort behind him, cheering and laughing loudly.

Jason raised an eyebrow.

If this was Camp Half-Blood, he'd have all his alarm bells ringing inside him right now, signaling they had definitely been up to no good.

Since this was Camp Jupiter, though, he was sure it wasn't anything innocent, either, but at least not to a Camp Half-Blood degree of trouble.

Seriously, nothing could beat the Stoll brothers.

"And what have you been doing?" He asked amused, but Percy only blew out a frustrated breath and walked towards Jason until he was right in front of him – then he dropped his head onto Jason's shoulder and let out a small wail.

"They're so mean, Jason." Percy complained with some fake sobs.

Jason blinked, patting his back and ignoring Gwen's knowing smirk as he looked around at the troublemakers.

"What did you make him do?" He asked, trying to keep his curiosity at bay and instead sounding stern, but nobody seemed to buy it.

Glances were exchanged and mischievous smiles were replaced by unbelievably innocent expressions.

"No clue what he's talking about."

Percy snorted, turning his head on Jason's shoulder to glower at the lot, a small pout on his lips.

"Of course not. You only made me- Nico! I'm so glad to see you!" Percy suddenly exclaimed, pulling away from Jason and sprinting towards his boyfriend, who was just coming back with Hazel and Frank, and looked as surprised about Percy's outcry as Jason was.

What?

Percy wrapped his arms around Nico, dragging him into a hug and burying his face at the side of his neck, wailing and crying some more about something Jason couldn't decipher, while Nico – much like Jason – merely patted his back with a taken aback, confused expression.

Then he caught the kids snickering and made a face, clearing his throat.

"So, who wants to explain why Percy is a wreck?"

Sometimes, it felt like the whole world was a kindergarten – and Jason was the sole supervisor, apparently.

.

They had been rather good-natured until Percy had noticed Will's absence, and Jason had told them he was in the infirmary with his 'other' siblings.

Then Nico had instantly turned around and run for it.

The reason: Reyna.

She had left Hazel and him to return to the others without her, in order to 'check something at the infirmary'.

Now, Nico was fairly certain she must have seen Will at some point, which wasn't all too unlikely, since they had been walking around close to the infirmary all this time.

Percy and Jason had followed, surprised and confused, but trusting his judgment that running through the Camp was utterly necessary right now.

Yes, yes it was.

What if Reyna decided to question Will, after all?

He had hinted at the matter, mentioning that she didn't have to worry about anything, and that he could make his own decisions (he was a big boy now, after all).

He had also told her what a great guy Will was (which had earned him odd glances from Hazel, but he had pointedly ignored those for now, knowing she was thinking weird things again), but Reyna hadn't seemed too interested whatsoever.

So Nico had kind of left it at that, hoping she'd be ok with the whole thing and leave Will alone.

After all, Nico did not want to see Will that lost and haunted and afraid as he had looked yesterday ever again.

Now, however, it looked remarkably as if Reyna might indeed take him aside for a nice long chat.

Well, not if Nico could stop it.

He knew she had good intentions, but there was no way in the world he'd force – or let anybody else force – Will into talking about something he didn't want to talk about.

Nico trusted him with more than just his life, and he didn't question Will's goodness in any way, no matter what.

"Nico, what's wrong?" Percy called again and Nico glanced around as they rounded the corner to the infirmary.

"Reyna." Was all he said – and it was all he had to say.

Percy's eyes widened and understanding flashed through his features, while Jason's face darkened.

They hurried up the steps and past a boy that seemed to curse them out in Latin as he almost tumbled down the stairs because of them.

Alright, they were inside.

Where to now?

He looked around helplessly at Percy and Jason, but they both looked as much at a loss as he was.

Sadly, in all his time he had been at this Camp, he had never actually been in here, only seen this place from the outside.

"I'm guessing one of the healer's rooms. It wouldn't be like Reyna to use an empty patient's room for anything but sick patients." Jason said, his expression tight, eyes full of concern.

Nico found himself gazing at him quietly for a moment, wondering if he had ever seen him with such an expression before.

If so, he couldn't remember.

But for some reason, right now, Jason looked a lot older, a lot more mature, and a lot more like the praetor he once had been.

It was slightly unnerving.

Jason led the way, and Percy and Nico followed, exchanging a worried glance.

At least they shared his concern.

Nico wondered vaguely how things might have been if this had happened before the Christmas Calendar.

He didn't like what his mind came up with, so he discarded the thought, instead grabbing Percy's hand as they walked (they weren't allowed to run, sadly, but they still hurried) through a narrow hallway full of doors on either side.

Jason stopped in front of a white door with a 'Staff' sign taped to it, and all three of them strained their ears for any sort of indicator whether Will was inside.

But everything seemed quiet.

Jason still knocked, but they kind of already knew the room was empty, already turning away again.

"Is there another one?" Percy asked, seeming nervous, and Nico couldn't blame him whatsoever.

"On the second floor." Jason said, his expression now borderline frustrated and almost guilty, though Nico had no idea why that would be.

He didn't ask, either, instead hurrying towards the stairs and up, making their way past a bunch of Apollo kids, who stood huddled together muttering and whispering.

"Hey, have you seen Will?" Percy asked them in passing, and all five of them jumped.

"Ah…yes! We were with him, but then…" One of them started, and the three of them stopped dead in their tracks.

"Yes?" Jason pried, and the kids exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"Well, the praetor took him and said she needed to speak with him..._alone_." Another one said with a small voice, looking disturbed.

Well, Nico assumed it didn't happen often that Reyna walked around Camp demanding to talk to people in private.

"Where did they go?" He asked, and all five of them pointed to where they had been heading anyways.

"She said she doesn't want to be disturbed, though!" One of them called after them as all three of them set off, but they ignored him.

At the end of the hall, there was another 'staff'-sign taped to a grey door and they stopped short at the voices they heard from the inside, muffled and quiet, but clearly audible if one concentrated on them.

"Do you have any intention of hurting Nico?" Reyna's voice sounded calm and collected, as if she was talking about the weather.

"What? No! Of course not!" Will instantly replied, sounding positively offended.

Nico exchanged glances with Jason and Percy.

"Does whatever you're so keen on hiding harm anybody?" Reyna continued asking, but Nico was only glad she wasn't actually asking what Will was hiding.

Though that didn't mean she wouldn't still do it.

"No." Will answered, his voice sounding strained.

If the dogs were with her (which seemed fairly obvious, else she wouldn't be questioning Will, of course), then they remained silent.

"Does knowing about it harm anybody?"

Will muttered something indistinguishable.

"What was that?"

"No. It doesn't." Will snapped. "Can I go now?"

"No. Listen, don't get me wrong, Will Solace. I know you are Nico's friend, and bluntly, I do not care about your personal life or whatever secrets you keep. But I don't trust you. And the way you are behaving makes me trust you even less. So, you'll understand I'm not doing this to punish you or to make you uncomfortable, but to see that you are not going to hurt either Nico, nor anybody here at Camp. It is my responsibility as praetor to ensure the safety of my people, after all." Reyna explained and Nico looked around at Percy and Jason again, wondering if they should just barge in now or wait a moment longer to see whether Reyna really would ask the 'what'-question.

It would be stupid to interrupt them when this would have been all Reyna had wanted.

Plus, Will would definitely not appreciate them babying him (which was undoubtedly how he would interpret their concern).

"I understand that." Will mumbled, not sounding any happier.

"Good. Then you'll understand I must ask you where your loyalties lie."

Nico felt Jason next to him flinch and looked around, watching Jason's expression change from concern and uncertainty to flat out anger.

Uh-oh.

"What? Are you…are you trying to say you think I'm a _spy_?!" Will's voice sounded aghast, and they heard what sounded like a chair falling over.

"I am not saying anything. Will you answer the question?"

"No. I'm not a freaking spy. Listen, lady, I get you don't like me, I get you don't trust me. Likewise, thanks. But that doesn't mean you can just look me in the eye and ask me-…how can you even…I would NEVER betray anybody!" Will sounded agitated, hurt.

Nico had the sudden urge to barge in and wrap his arms around him and tell him to forget that dumb accusation.

Will would never betray anybody.

The mere thought was laughable.

Jason next to him seemed to be fuming, which was something Nico had also never seen before.

For a moment, he wondered why the blonde was even still here, since he looked ready to run the door in, but then he saw that Percy was actually holding him back, his expression tight, eyes fixed on Jason.

"Please calm down. I am only trying to make sure you won't-…"

"Won't what? Hurt Nico? I have no intention of hurting Nico. I have no intention of hurting anybody. The only people I've ever wanted to hurt in my life are mostly already dead- but let me reassure you now that it wasn't me who killed them and I had nothing to do with it either. Before you're accusing me of murder as well." Will spat, and Nico pursed his lips.

He had never heard Will's voice filled with so much venom before.

But this explained why Percy was holding Jason back right now.

If they barged in now, Will wouldn't know how to react, where to push all his anger, since Nico knew he'd never want them to see nor hear him like this.

"I never said anything like that. Please try to understand. There have been incidents here at Camp, and I know there must be an outside person involved, so I had to make sure."

There have been incidents?

What sort of incidents?

Reyna hadn't said anything like that.

"Well, it isn't me. I'm a healer, I've been in two wars, why would I want trouble? Only makes me have to heal more people."

"If that's the case, then why were you so agitated once you found out the ability of these dogs? You claim you are a good person with no ill intent, yet you are scared out of your mind at the thought of the truth. What is it you're hiding?"

Jason moved, and Nico barely had enough time to grab his arm and hold him back.

The blonde snarled, looking ready to take on the world, and Nico could full well understand why there were people in this world that were afraid of Jason Grace.

"Shit, calm down. He'll slaughter you if you walk in there now, man." Percy hissed, but Jason still strained against their grips.

"That's enough!" He spat, trying to get to the door, anyways.

"Jason, Percy's right. Listen, how about we take a few steps back and call Will's name? Or Reyna's? That's bound to draw their attention and we can get Will out of there without making him even more uncomfortable. You don't want to make him uncomfortable, right?" Nico babbled quickly, surprised his mind had even been able to conjure this up from nowhere, what with half of his attention on restraining Jason, and the other half on the door, hoping they couldn't hear them from the inside as well as they could hear them from the outside.

"Reyna, don't you have any secrets? Things that wouldn't hurt anybody, but you still don't want them to know? I am not a liar, and I don't think I've ever even truly lied to them about anything, not like that. This thing…this is my problem. My past. You might not understand this, but there are things in life you really don't want anybody to know. It will change everything. And I don't want anything to change. I don't want to know how they'd take it, don't want to see their reactions to it. I don't want their pity, and I don't want them to stop being the way they are. I've made the mistake of talking about it once before, and it didn't end well, so I'm not going to try a second time, especially not with them. I'd never risk our friendship like that. So, yeah, I do have my secrets, and I get you can't trust me because of that, but it's nothing that will have any effect on anybody, other than the fact it will disturb them and change their entire view of me. So, yeah, in a way, you could say it'd hurt me if they knew. Are you happy now? Can I go now?" Will explained, his voice suddenly surprisingly calm, and Nico felt Jason stopping his attempts to free himself.

Instead, his shoulders slumped, his anger transforming into what seemed like hurt and disappointment.

Nico couldn't blame him, feeling something churning in his stomach at Will's words.

But he tried to shrug it off, opening his mouth to propose they should move and make themselves noticed now.

Instead, he halted when he heard Reyna speak again.

"I...I understand what you are saying. I have such a secret too, you know? Something I don't want anybody to know. For a long time, I thought I would be strong enough to deal with it on my own, to push it aside and not let anybody know about it, but it would keep being in the back of my mind, and I never quite managed to let it go completely. But then I found two people I knew I could trust, and I told them, and they accepted me the way I was, no matter how messed up the story I told them was." Reyna said quietly, and Nico had the feeling she was referring to the issue with her childhood and her father.

His anger at her for questioning Will like that almost dissolved at that.

But only almost. He was still upset she couldn't have just taken Nico's word for it.

"That's good, then. I'm glad you found somebody to confide in. I really am. And I know where you're trying to go with this, but my issue is different. It's not that I don't trust them, Reyna, I trust them. I really do. I trust them more than anybody or anything else in the world. And if anybody deserved to know, then it's them. But I can't let them know. I just can't. It will change too much, and in the end it won't change what happened, so there would be nothing good about them knowing whatsoever." Will replied bitterly, and Nico's chest clenched at the tone of his voice.

Why? Why was Will thinking that?

What could possibly be so horrible that he'd assume they'd think differently of him?

They all had their share of messed up pasts and childhoods, so what could possibly be so bad he thought they'd react so badly?

He said he trusted them, but…no, Nico shouldn't think like this.

It was Will's decision.

He wasn't going to pry. He wasn't going to question anything. He wasn't going to doubt.

This was Will's life, and Will's choices.

Nico respected his privacy and his decisions, and he was not going to doubt or question anything now.

Will was his best friend.

He looked around at Percy and Jason, and found them looking to the ground, sad, pained expressions on their faces.

At least Jason wasn't trying to run in the door, anymore.

"If you say so. Just know that they'll be there in case you change your mind. Same as I will be. We might not have been off to a good start, and I still don't trust you, but I do not dislike you, and if you need somebody to talk to, I will take the time and listen. Though I will still have your head if you ever dare to push Nico past his comfort zone again." Reyna declared and Nico felt himself relaxing slightly, a small smile hushing over his lips for the fraction of a second.

Then he started worrying, because the dogs hadn't acted up, and he didn't _really_ want Reyna harming Will in any way for real whatsoever, especially not because of him.

He saw Jason move, and thought for a moment he was going to open the door, but instead he grabbed hold of Nico's shoulders and started moving him backwards down the corridor.

"Come on, let's let Percy fetch him. Percy, we'll be at the meeting point." The blonde muttered quietly over his shoulder, and Nico blinked, watching Percy nod with a serious expression, waving at Nico with a small smile and a reassuring wink.

What?

Why Percy?

"Don't worry, Percy will get him back in order in no time. You know how those two are. Out of the three of us, Percy is the most likely to get his mind off things. I hope you don't mind." Jason explained as they rounded the corner and made their way towards the ground floor and the exit.

Nico frowned.

"I don't. But wouldn't it be better if you picked him up? I mean…" How to say this?

Nico wasn't even sure what he really wanted to say.

Jason was kind of the one they all went to for issues like this, at least that's how Nico felt and what he had thought the others agreed on, too.

Percy was great (and the best boyfriend ever!), but Will and he usually had a more competitive nature, so was it really the best idea to let him fetch him when he had just had an emotional outbreak and sounded so raw and bitter and actually open with his emotions?

Nico understood why he couldn't be the one getting Will (though it sucked. He'd have loved to be there for Will right now), since he was fairly certain Will would immediately brush everything aside and act as if nothing had happened, maybe throw in some bad jokes and try laugh it all off, but was Percy really the right choice right now?

"No, Percy is our safest bet if we want Will to be ok. You need to consider this seems to be a very touchy subject for Will, and he made it more than clear he doesn't want to talk about it. I talked to him yesterday, and the mere notion of me telling him I'll be there if he wants to talk agitated him beyond belief, so if I were to pick him up now, he'd only feel cornered and pressured even more. He might suspect us eavesdropping, because he has excellent hearing, after all, but even if he doesn't, he'd know I'd pick up on something being off, especially with Reyna involved. So he'd know I'd know the two talked, and he'd be worried I'd ask him about it, which would only make him angry. So, yeah, if I stayed to get him, we'd come back with him in a bad mood and me a head shorter. With you, he'd probably push it all down but be similar to how he was yesterday and today, quiet and reserved, pondering and lost in his own world." Jason explained, and Nico sighed.

He guessed that sounded about right.

Still…

"But if we have Percy picking him up, that will throw him off us eavesdropping, because he'll definitely expect you or me to show up in that case, so that should ease things a little bit. Also, Percy is the only one who can successfully drag Will out of any worries or issues he's having. Haven't you noticed? If it's you or me, he'd simply act the part, but I guess Percy is too distracting for him to concentrate on whatever is bothering him. So, yeah, he's our safest bet." Jason continued, gazing off into space with an almost bitter expression.

Nico guessed that all made sense.

He had noticed how those two were with each other, as well, after all (maybe he had even been the first to notice).

Seriously, they could drag each other out of any mood, really.

One joking dare from Percy, and Will forgot all about whatever he had been ranting about in favor of talking rubbish with Percy.

One wry comment from Will and Percy ignored a quarrel with a god in favor of bickering with Will and running off with him and the other two.

Yes, he saw where Jason was coming from.

"I suppose you're right. Oh well, let's get back to the meeting point before they end up catching up to us. I think that would be a bit suspicious, what with us coming from the direction of the infirmary and all." He said with a glance over his shoulder and Jason nodded with a sigh.

"You're right. So, tell me, how was your day? Had fun with your sisters and Frank?" Jason asked with a try at a smile, but Nico knew he was still bothered by what they had overheard.

Maybe they shouldn't have gone to the infirmary, after all.

Why hadn't they just barged into the room right away, anyways?

Fine friends they were. Running to the rescue, but then stopping to eavesdrop instead.

Ugh, they were horrible friends.

Nico was the worst, since he had even held Jason back.

Seriously, though, he had never seen him so angry before.

And the way he had snarled had thrown Nico completely off, too, reminding him for the first time that Jason had indeed spend a good part of his childhood in the care of wolves and a rather ferocious wolf mother, and had obviously adapted more traits from them than he had let on up until now.

Nico was immensely grateful Jason was his friend, not his enemy.

Because Jason really was nobody anybody should ever mess with, even though he seemed like an innocent teddy bear most of the time (much like Frank. Nico didn't want to cross _him_, either).

He accepted the change of topic gladly, telling Jason about his time with Hazel, Reyna and Frank and about what they talked about, though in the back of his mind, he kept pondering that Jason Grace - the person who he had fought with in the war, the person who had never gotten this agitated even in the worst situation - had gone into murder-mode just because Reyna (somebody he knew and knew to trust!) had bothered Will.

It made him wonder what Jason would do if Will, Percy and/or Nico were ever confronted or hurt by anybody outside their circle of friends.

It also made him wonder whether he'd be able to hold Jason back in such a case.

Nico decided for himself he didn't want to find out.

.

"And then, they made me look for all these things in that small pond, because, supposedly, it was rumored some descendant from Jupiter from hundreds of years ago dropped 'something super valuable' in there. Yeah, well, I found tons of useless stuff and some money - and a pretty cool shield, but that doesn't matter right now - but that's it. I have no clue what they were thinking. They just kept asking me to keep going and get every little thing out, even though it got really exhausting after some time. The naiads weren't very helpful, in fact, they utterly ignored me until I started working on getting that water a bit cleaner. Then they finally got around acknowledging me, though they still didn't bother helping, instead egging me on as well. You'd be surprised how lazy they can sometimes be." Percy kept babbling as he and Will made their way to the meeting point slowly.

Slowly, because Percy deliberately stopped every some steps to gesture wildly.

He was astounded at himself for being able to keep up with this silly act (especially with his horrid acting skills), but at least Will had a small smile on his lips now.

It wasn't much of an improvement, since his eyes were still unusually dull and joyless, but it was better than the vacant, empty look Will had had when Percy had stormed into the room - after announcing his presence in the hallway with as much ruckus as possible.

Will hadn't seemed surprised about him coming to pick him up, though he also didn't seem to suspect Percy having heard anything (or the other two being anywhere close by).  
He had simply sighed and stayed with his back to Percy for another very long moment, getting up ever so slowly from the chair he had been sitting on and saying his goodbyes to Reyna, who also hadn't seemed surprised whatsoever to see Percy.

Percy was still proud he hadn't blown his cover with ranting at her for taking Will aside behind their backs (seriously, he understood her concern, but that had been unnecessary beyond belief. And her questions…no, he didn't want to think about that right now. It would only make his insides coil in anger all over again).

Though he HAD given her a pointed, disapproving glance as he herded Will out of the room with a 'The guys are waiting for us at the meeting point, better be quick!', and he knew she had gotten the hint.

Still, he had mixed feelings about what they had overheard, and he really, really wanted to talk to Will about it all, but he knew Jason and Nico trusted him not to mention a thing, so he reigned his curiosity and despair back in, acting like the idiot he usually seemed to be (seriously, the fact that Will just accepted his babbling and random stopping as if it was utterly normal for Percy to behave like that kind of nagged at Percy, because he wasn't always like this, right? Right?).

"Oh really?" Will asked half-heartedly, looking into Percy's face for the first time since before Reyna, though he looked away again almost instantly.

Percy's chest clenched and he fought the urge to either hug Will or rattle him for being so stubborn and stupid and for keeping everything bottled up.

There he was, the great and untouchable Will Solace, medic and master masseur and what not, telling them how to train, what to eat, how to lead a happy and healthy lifestyle and_ not to keep issues bottled up_ \- yet he didn't seem to follow any of those things himself.

It was more than just a bit frustrating.

Percy sighed, pushing the onslaught of questions (and the urge to rattle AND hug him) firmly down.

"Oh yes. They get even lazier than Jason on a lazy day! They just float around in the water being unproductive and letting people drown and the water pollute more and more. Of course, it all starts with water pollution in the first place. The murkier the water, the lazier they get, and the more they give up on the place, too. Usually, at some point they'll leave, if they can. It's kind of sad, really."

He continued, and Will nodded in understanding, lips twitching promisingly at the mention of Jason, but then resuming his neutral expression.

"I can imagine."

Percy gazed at him, trying to find something to say that could pull him out of his head.

Maybe...

"But, you know, it's all about knowing what could motivate them to get up, right? So, whatever _did _you do to get Jason out of bed that day? Will that mystery ever be solved?" He tried dramatically with a teasing smirk and a wriggle of eyebrows at the end, trying to tease the information out of Will.

Will shot him an almost exasperated glance, though his lips _definitely_ twitched.

"Wouldn't you love to know? Why don't you ask me during Truth or Dare? I might just humor you and answer." He retorted, rolling his eyes and looking straight ahead again, while Percy grinned and started poking his side.

"Aww, you know what, maybe I will. I got some really awesome questions at the ready already, you know? Oh, you'll want to sink into the ground from embarrassment! I can barely wait." He promised, hoping the prospect of more questions wouldn't freak Will out right now.

But he needn't have worried.

Will snorted derisively, eyebrows shooting up as he fixed him with a doubtful stare.

"Of course. Dream on, Gorgeous. Hope you haven't forgotten the kiss-dare you're going to have with Jason. Looking forward, yet?" Will teased, the mischievous twinkle slowly returning to his eyes.  
Percy did a mental victory dance.

"Oh, you mean the kiss _you_'re going to be having with Jason? How would I ever forget?"

"Forget it, you're so going to lose that bet, Percy. Before you know it, you'll be smooching Jason like there's no tomorrow."

"Lies. You'll be the one smooching Jason. And if not, I'm going to get him to hump you, I'm just saying." Percy insisted, and for a moment Will's expression darkened.

Then he smirked almost maliciously. "Unlikely. I could, however, hump Nico, if you insist on the whole humping-thing."

Percy looked around at him, scandalized.

"No way! You made me hump him, it's only fair if-..."

"I wanted you to hump Jason! And then it backfired and you just had to get Nico, so now that you want Jason to hump me, it should be me humping Nico!" Will insisted heatedly, and the two started glowering at each other.

Why exactly had he been wanting to hug Will?

Right now, all he wanted to do was throttle the blonde.

Not literally, of course.

Maybe rattle him a bit, though.

Nah, better not.

"Forget it! With that logic, it should be Nico humping you!" Percy shot back and they glared daggers at each other.

A long moment passed, then they started frowning, thinking about their words once more.

Wait...

"Wait, wouldn't it be Jason humping Nico?" Will asked confused and leaned back slightly, though Percy hadn't noticed them moving closer to each other at all.

Percy scratched the side of his head, debating the same question in his mind, actually.

"Thinking about it...yeah...kind of...man, your logic sucks!" He decided to end the whole topic altogether, making a face and looking away.

Though he could still see Will grinning out of the corners of his eyes, the two of them resuming their walk to the meeting point.

Percy inwardly smiled.

Finally, they were making progress.

"But seriously, when are we going to play that game? Back at Camp, I thought it'd be a bad idea to rush it, and the trains and busses fell flat too, of course, because of the lack of privacy, nor space, nor comfort. There's no way I'm going to waste a chance for a Truth or Dare game with my rules. It's going to be perfect." Will's gaze drifted off, apparently imagining all the awesome things that could be happening.

Percy rolled his eyes with a wry smile.

Now, who wanted to bet Will's ideal scenario would be full of passionate kisses and heated touches with Nico, while Jason and Percy only featured as unimportant side characters, there to be embarrassed and pushed aside?

Well, maybe Will would have mercy on Jason.

But at any rate, Percy would be the sorry sod in the corner.

Kind of mean, really.

"Well, I guess that takes the car ride to the Underworld out of the run, too. Maybe there? Or once we're back. I have no idea how things are going to go down there. All I can hope for is that we're not going to be kept in separate rooms ages away from each other. Do you think Ha-…Nico's dad is going to let us all share a room?" He tried to drag Will out of his thoughts to show him he was still there.

Though he didn't dare say Hades' name right now, not wanting to draw his attention more than usual, not when they were about to go into his realm.

Will shrugged, not exactly looking like he cared either way.

"No idea. But since he lets us all crash at his cabin all the time, I don't really think he minds too much. If anything, he'll realize how badly you two are pining for each other and put you in a room together, and give Jason and me our own rooms. I have no idea, does Nico's place even have rooms? What if we have to share spaces with the god of the Underworld himself?" Will mused loudly, looking thoughtful.

Percy's stomach lurched.

"Oh gods, please not!" He exclaimed in terror, then common sense struck him again as he remembered the last time he had been in the Underworld, and the fact that Nico had told him of his room there before.

Will had apparently only been making fun of him, given that he was laughing loudly now, bending over and holding his stomach as he kept glancing at Percy's face as if it was the most hilarious thing in the world.

"You should have seen your expression right there! Oh, that was so, so perfect. I wish I could have taken a picture of that. Or even better, film it. I'd have loved to show that to the guys. The terror. The outright terror." Will laughed, tears building in the corners of his eyes, while Percy just stood there with an indignant scowl, crossing his arms in front of his chest and waiting patiently for the blonde to settle down again.

Though, if he was completely honest with himself right now, he kind of had to grin, too.

Not necessarily because of his terror, but because of Will.

If he could laugh like that and have that twinkle in his eyes again, it meant he was fine again.

And that was all that mattered right now.

So it was ok.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You're such a child sometimes, sun-bug."

Didn't mean he had to let it show, right?

.

"So, you sit in the front like usual?"

"No way! Why doesn't _he_ sit in the front for once?"

"Hey, what's that for? And why me? Why not him?"

"Well, you can both sit in the front, I don't care."

"It's always me sitting in the front! You sit in the front!"

"No, you!

"You! Or you!"

"No way, you two decide that for yourself!"

"No, you two do!"

"You!" "Just sit in the front already!"

"Guys, we don't have all day, could you just make up your mind?"

"Why don't YOU sit in the front?!"

Nico listened to the endless debate for another long, excruciating moment.

Then he took a deep breath.

"This is it. _I _am sitting in the front. Get into the backseat, you bunch of babies." He declared loudly and firmly; and instantly, there was silence.

All three of them stared at him, Percy and Will still with their hands fisted into each other's shirts as they had started getting touchy-feely again (at least that's how he saw it).

Then came the half-expected, way too loud, and utterly unnecessary "Noooo~!" from all three of them.

.

Will looked so adorable...and so exhausted.

Jason couldn't blame him.

The blonde looked up, so Jason quickly turned towards the window again, face impassive.

Will was a tad touchy with them looking at him right now, for whatever reason.

Maybe they shouldn't have put him in the middle of the car (Percy's idea, of course), he really hadn't seemed to like that.

Still didn't seem to like it.

He kept shifting, his body slumping more and more, and it appeared he was dozing off every some minutes - though he always jolted back upright again almost instantly.

Poor guy.

Jason would probably be tired, too, after today.

Seriously, he was still annoyed at Reyna for the entire ordeal.

Not only had it been utterly unnecessary, it had also been unnecessarily cruel on Will.

Seriously, what had she been thinking?

If she had really wanted to ask Will whether he wanted to harm Nico (the mere thought was more than laughable. Will and HARM in the same sentence was laughable. The only person Will ever hurt was himself, and Jason was already intent on changing that), she could have just come up to them and asked for a quick word with him.

Not wait for him to be away from the group like a lioness on the hunt, keen on getting her prey as far away from the herd as possible before pouncing.

But Jason would have probably forgiven that, given that he had known Will's answer to the question, and had expected that to be the end of it.

He had not expected the next questions, though, and they had been beyond irrational in his mind.

Now, Jason was a very understanding person, alright?

He could _understand_ where Reyna was coming from with her worry, yes.

But not with _Will_.

Not when she should have known better.

They might not have called her much, but Will had been present in most conversations, and Nico had told him he had talked to her about Will a lot, too, even before the four of them had gotten so close, so she really, really should have known better.

But she had asked, anyways.

And Jason hated how much it seemed to have agitated Will, how much pressure it had put on the blonde, how it had worn him down so much, leaving him so utterly exhausted, even now.

Jason knew that if it hadn't been for Nico and Percy holding him back, he'd have stormed into that room, grabbed Will and gotten him out of there in an instant.

He hadn't even questioned it in his head, hadn't cared about what would happen had he done that.

All that had mattered to him had been the fact that Will needed help, and he wasn't going to let him down.

Yeah, he definitely had to work on that.

If he had stormed the room and interrupted their little conversation, he was fairly certain it would have led to more than just a small argument, especially between Will and Jason, because Will was never ever going to allow anybody to butt in like that.

He'd see it as babying or think that Jason was looking down on him, and Jason would never hear the end of it.

Not that he would have seriously cared about that.

But he knew Will would have been even more upset if he had known the guys had even only heard that much of the conversation, and that was the opposite of what Jason wanted.

Jason wanted to make Will feel comfortable, safe, at ease. Happy.

So, yeah, he was glad Percy and Nico had held him back.

He seriously had to work on himself, though.

Maybe Percy's spontaneity and recklessness had rubbed off on him or something.

Oh my, it really did look like they were slowly adapting to each other, huh?

Now, the question was whether that was a good or bad thing.

Will slumped again, falling slightly against Jason, and this time, he stayed like that.

He was really out of it, wasn't he?

Jason smiled at the mop of blond hair against his shoulder, and was about to look back out of the window and let Will sleep, but right then a car had to zoom by and honk the horn.

Will jolted upright again, looking alarmed and shocked, though Jason wasn't sure whether that was because of that dumb car or his own falling asleep.

Jason's eyes hushed over to Percy, who was watching Will as well, expression concerned, though he at least tried to be inconspicuous about it.

Their gazes met, leading to a mute conversation of its own, until Percy sighed and sat up straighter, stretching very obviously, while Will fell back into his seat, looking tired, disgruntled and frustrated.

"Man, I'm so tired. Wish you were back here, Neeks. Then I could use you as pillow again." Percy cooed, and Jason had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

Therefore that Percy was one of the worst actors, this one was actually at least believable.

Then again, maybe Percy really was tired. That would be very helpful right about now.

"Maybe next time. Why don't you ask Will or Jason?" Nico supplied tiredly from the front, apparently dozing off a bit as well.

Well, it was a rather quiet ride, after all.

They had chatted a bit in the beginning, but with the conversation between Will and Reyna hanging over all four of them, they hadn't had their usual cheer, so conversation had dropped fairly quickly, making way for outdated music on the radio and a more or less comfortable silence between them as they all drifted off into their own thoughts.

So, it was kind of unsurprising to see them all becoming more and more tired.

"No." Will grumbled even though Percy hadn't even asked (though he had looked around at them and opened his mouth, making Jason wonder whether he really had wanted to seriously ask them that).

"Aw. Well, I guess your lap wouldn't have been comfortable, anyways." Percy muttered sulkily and Jason wanted to groan and bury his face in his hands as he realized what Percy was doing.

Percy, no.

"Excuse you, my lap is perfectly comfortable!" Will uttered indignantly, glowering at Percy as if Percy had personally offended him – maybe he had, Jason wouldn't put it behind them.

"Yeah, right. Because I'm so going to believe that." Percy retorted with a derisive snort, glaring at Will as well now.

Gods, Percy, no.

When Jason had tried to get him to do something, he hadn't meant this!

He had meant him saying something like being tired, yes, and appalling to Will's soft side and getting him to go like 'hey, nothing bad about being tired, let's all nap' and go to sleep.

He had not meant for Percy to start bickering with Will, trying so obviously to get him to agree on the whole letting-Percy-sleep-on-his-lap-thing.

Will growled and opened his mouth, and Jason put his face in his hands as he realized Will was so going to let him do this.

Could anybody believe these two?

Why?

Why could they do this?

If Jason had tried anything like that, Will would have never went with it.

"You know what. My lap is awesome, not that you'll ever know. Jason. Nap on my lap." Will said stubbornly and Jason needed a moment to process what the blonde had just said.

Wait…what?

"Huh?" He asked, wondering if he had misheard, but when he looked up from his hands, he found Will gazing expectantly at him, while Percy made a face, looking almost disappointed, if not even disgruntled.

Jason was too surprised by this twist to feel sorry for him.

"Nap on my lap. Now." Will ordered and Jason blinked, swallowing thickly and wondering for a moment if he should really do this.

But then his body was already moving, and Will was shifting - and suddenly, he had his seatbelt unbuckled (he couldn't believe he was seriously doing this. In a driving car. If he died because of this, he'd kill himself for being so stupid. _Kids, please don't attempt this at home._) and was getting his head comfortable on Will's thigh.

It felt…weird.

Not his thigh, that felt perfectly alright, warm and not as hard as he would have thought.

Kind of comfortable, really.

But everything else felt weird.

Being so close to Will with his face was weird.

Being so close to Will's midriff/groin instead of his face was even weirder.

But not bad so.

Will was warm and nice, and looking up at him didn't make Jason feel stupid at all.

Rather than that, he kind of liked it, really.

Will gazed back at him, fairly smug at first for getting Jason to agree and having Percy huff and turn away, then his expression became softer, and Jason really liked how he looked at him then.

Then Will put his hand over Jason's eyes.

"You're supposed to sleep, not stare at me, dork." He chided, and Jason sighed, shifting slightly and pulling one leg up slightly to get a bit more comfortable, turning his face to the side.

He felt the fabric of Will's pants, felt the warmth radiating from the skin beneath, and couldn't help but inhale Will's scent, so much more distinctive here.

Will always smelled so nice.

While Percy smelled like the sea, fresh and slightly salty, like an ocean breeze, and Nico had this rich, earthy scent, Will's scent always reminded Jason of a warm summer day.

Of the sun, green grass and blooming flowers.

He didn't smell flowery at all, but there was just something in the way he smelled that reminded Jason of it, though he couldn't put his finger on it.

Anyways, it wasn't important.

He shouldn't be sniffing Will, anyways, especially not while lying in his lap.

Will would definitely not appreciate that.

"So, am I comfortable?" Will pried, and Jason could hear Percy grumble something, making his lips twitch.

_That's what you get, Percy._

"Oh yes, very. You're missing out, Percy."

"Oh, shut up." Percy uttered, trying to sound brisk, but the pout on his face kind of ruined that.

Aw, poor guy.

Now Jason really did feel maybe a tiny bit sorry for him.

"Leave him alone. It's your own fault. Nobody insults my lap and gets away with it without feeling the loss of-…" Will started, but Percy interrupted him with a groan.

"Whatever. Just go to sleep or something."

Uh-oh. That was bad.

"Hmpf. Fine then."

Wait, what?

Jason frowned, turning his head minimally to look up at Will, but the blonde merely rolled his eyes and pushed back into his seat some more, his hand coming up to Jason's head apparently on its own accord, threading his fingers through his hair.

Then Will closed his eyes and let out a small sigh, and Jason guessed he really was going to sleep.

Well, that was unexpected.

Usually, Will started fighting as soon as somebody told him what to do.

Jason risked a glance at Percy, and found him staring right at him with a triumphant expression, giving him a knowing smirk and a very obvious wriggle of his eyebrows.

Jason's expression darkened.

Why did it feel like he had been played?

He refrained from scowling or saying anything, instead glaring at Percy for a moment, before turning his attention back to Will's face, of which he couldn't see all that much anymore, sadly.

But judging from the bit he saw, Will was really trying to fall asleep, so he risked shifting on his lap slightly and closed his eyes.

Somehow, the lack of vision only amplified his other senses for some reason, making him feel Will's warmth and the gentleness of his hand so much more; his scent filling Jason's nose, numbing him to anything else, as if Will was all the air he needed; hearing Will's even breathing and the steady, though slightly enhanced beating of his heart reverberating throughout his body, which was oddly calming.

Everything about Will seemed so calming, so comfortable, so nice.

Jason couldn't stop the small smile from spreading as he felt himself relaxing more and more.

Oh, Percy was definitely missing out on something, that was for sure.

And even though Jason wasn't really 'tired', he wouldn't mind spending the next hours until they got to the Underworld with napping on Will's lap.

.

"Looks like they really needed some sleep, huh?" Nico asked, looking around at Jason and Will, both utterly knocked out.

Jason still had his head on Will's lap, holding onto Will's thigh with both hands, as if he thought the blonde would pull away any moment, while Will was slumped against Percy's side slightly, one hand in Jason's hair, and the other on Percy's thigh, though Nico wasn't sure Percy even as much as noticed that, staring out of the window with an indifferent expression.

They looked kind of cute, to be honest.

Percy shrugged. "Seems like it."

Nico frowned at his boyfriend.

Was he really upset because of the nap-on-lap-thing?

Right when he wanted to ask, Percy sighed, looking around at him with a small pout.

"I still wish you were back here, then we could sleep like that, too."

Why wasn't Nico surprised?

"Well, that's what happens if you three have nothing better to do than to bicker and fight about who has to sit in the front seat like it's some sort of punishment." He said with a shrug, and Percy sighed again, looking around at the two sleeping boys.

"It kind of is. Sitting in the front means being all alone and having to turn around all the time. Sitting in the back is much better, even if it's a tight fit."

"Well, can't change the way the car is built, Percy, else I'd do it. But hey, maybe we could come to an agreement to make some stops on the way back and switch? That way everyone would get to sit in the back at one point and you wouldn't have to bicker all the while?" Nico suggested and Percy looked surprised for a moment.

Then he chuckled.

"You know, I'm surprised we didn't have that idea sooner. Yeah, that's a splendid idea. If you were any closer, I'd kiss you right now." Percy cooed and Nico felt his cheeks heating up.

That dork.

"I'll hold you to that later, then." He mumbled, eyes hushing over to Will and Jason, but they were oblivious to the world around them, with Will muttering something under his breath and Jason rubbing his cheek against Will's thigh with a small smile.

Gods, they were adorable.

"I hope they'll wake up on their own, because there's no way I'll wake them." Percy muttered drily, eyeing the two as well with a gentle expression on his face.

Well, at least he wasn't upset or anything.

Then again, Nico had the distinct feeling this had partly been Percy's plan in the first place.

Though he couldn't see why.

He gazed at Will quietly for a long moment, the conversation with Reyna flashing through his mind again.

"Did he say anything? About…you know…" He asked hesitantly, hoping Percy would understand what he was talking about without him needing to say it.

Percy did, shaking his head quietly, his expression somber.

"He looked shaken, but didn't say much, if anything at all at first. I started trash-talking him best I could, but he just nodded and listened as if I was telling him the story of my life. It took forever to get him out of his head." His boyfriend explained quietly, brushing some stray curls out of Will's face gently, a small smile hushing over his face as Will moved slightly and nuzzled his face against Percy's arm again.

Nico sighed. "Jason was right, then. It was the right decision to leave you to pick him up. I don't think I'd have managed and Jason said he'd have only made Will uncomfortable."

Percy raised an eyebrow at that, looking down at Jason's face as he shifted and moved, pushing his arm under Will's leg to wrap it around his thigh now instead of just holding onto it like before.

Will let him do it, only frowning slightly and changing his position to accommodate Jason's wish, his hand dropping from the blonde's head.

Percy and Nico watched quietly as Jason started frowning, making a small noise of complaint in the back of his throat that had both Percy and Nico throw each other amused glances.

Will let out a deep sigh and shifted again, patting Jason's shoulder in apparent consolation, but that only made Jason grumble more, his free hand now moving to grab Will's.

Then he moved it back to his head, to the spot where it had laid before.

Percy chuckled quietly, while Nico grinned.

Those two could be so utterly adorable sometimes.

Will grumbled back something in his sleep, patting Jason's head, but then Jason all but growled and Will sighed, his hand beginning to stroke through Jason's hair again – and Jason finally seemed content, smiling to himself and nuzzling against Will's thigh with a happy sigh.

Will grinned to himself as well, his shoulders relaxing, and his face rubbed against Percy's arm again, who had to bite his lip not to laugh, trying to keep his body as still as possible.

Nico could only shake his head at the three of them.

How did he even deserve these three dorks?

It was beyond him.

But he was so, so grateful to have them, anyways.

Jules-Albert made a series of sounds and he looked straight ahead at the road again to check where they were, taking in the various street signs and shop names.

"Well, I guess we're almost there, huh? That was quick." Percy said quietly and Nico looked over his shoulder back at him, trying to gauge his expression as to whether this was good or bad.

He wasn't sure himself what to think of this whole visit, anyways.

In a way, he wanted to see his 'family' again, yeah (and especially take a look at his 'refurnished' room. Hopefully his dad hadn't actually put skulls or such in there. He wouldn't put it behind him, though), and he kind of liked the fact that Percy was willing to meet his dad as his boyfriend and all, making it absolutely 100% official he was dating Nico and stood up to his decision (not that Nico had ever been allowed to believe any different, what with Percy willing to 'boast' about dating Nico di Angelo since day one…), but at the same time it was kind of weird, just marching into the Underworld with his boyfriend and his best friends in tow, to spend a sort of…vacation (?) there.

He didn't even know how long they'd be staying, nor what they were going to do during their stay.

He could show them around, yes, but he wasn't too sure they'd really be up for that.

Jason would let him show him around out of consideration, but there was nothing that should be of interest to the blonde, and Percy had already been down there and seen most that was worth mentioning.

And Will…well, Will was the utter, complete opposite of the Underworld, so Nico had a hard time picturing him being ok in that dark and gloomy place, anyways.

Then again, Will was hanging out with him, and he wasn't exactly all smiles and sunshine.

He hesitated, thinking of the past months.

Ok, well, he used to not be all smiles and sunshine.

He did admit he was smiling a lot more than usual, but then again, who couldn't, with such great friends?

But now, for real, how were they going to take the Underworld?

They had talked, yeah (except Will, for now obvious reasons – seriously, why hadn't Nico figured this whole mess with Will thinking he wasn't invited out before?!), but that had been idle, more joking talk than anything else.

What were they going to do?

What if they got bored? Or even worse, what if they got scared?

As to the duration of their stay, he guessed he'd have to talk to his dad and Jason, since he wasn't sure how long his father and Persephone (and Demeter? Nico had no idea whether she'd be there or not, but usually she was, if only to cockblock Hades and Persephone – disturbing, but sadly true) expected them to be there; nor whether Jason would go to any other gods for his contract business while he was down there already.

It would make sense to Nico if he did, at least, that way he'd be saving himself a trip to the Underworld.

"Hey, what's with that expression? Nico, don't worry, it's going to be great. I mean, sure, your dad hates me, but if he's willing to put up with me, it can't be that bad, right? Can't wait to see your room, though. Wish I could have seen it before it was 'refurnished', though. What was it like, staying in the Underworld?" Percy tried for casual conversation – and instantly made a face at his own words, realizing a tad too late that this was kind of a bad topic, given that Nico had stayed in the Underworld due to not having a place anywhere else.

But he knew Percy hadn't meant it like that, just trying to get Nico's mind off his doubts and worries.

So he put on a small smile.

"Oh, it was alright. Once you get used to all the darkness and gloom, it's really not all that bad. You have your peace and quiet for most of the time, and if you really want to chat, there are plenty of dead people that love to tell you their life stories. As for my room, it was just a simply bedroom, really. A bed, a night stand, a wardrobe and a cupboard, all dark and simple. You'd have been disappointed if anything. Though I hope there won't be any skulls in there now." He happily chattered away to stop Percy from scowling at himself.

He didn't blame Percy for what had happened in the past anymore.

So there was no way he'd let Percy feel bad now because of that.

"I don't think I'd have been disappointed. Hey, have you seen my room? Next to it being a mess, it's pretty simple, too. The only difference is that everything is blue. And…why skulls?"

Nico shifted sheepishly.

"I…might have mentioned on a few graveyards that some random things like walls full of skulls would look good in different parts of his palace in case he should consider redecorating. He said he never knew when I was being serious, so now I'm a bit uncertain whether he might not have taken that advice too seriously. If so, I hope you guys don't mind."

Percy stared at him for a long moment, apparently processing those news.

Then he laughed.

"Really? Oh gods, Nico. And that sounds so much like something you'd do, too."

Nico felt his face heating and huffed indignantly, shifting in his seat.

"Shush. Back then I hadn't intended to stay at Camp, so I'd have been in my room all the time and there would have been no way for him to really change anything, especially not without me knowing, right? So I never thought that far."

But Percy just kept chuckling and laughing, beginning to talk about all the possible decoration-options for Nico's room, even though he had never even seen it in the first place.

Nico let him, instead watching how Will and Jason shifted more and more, until Jason finally woke up, looking only a tiny bit annoyed at the noise Percy was making, but more interested in the fact Will's hand was still in his hair, stroking more or less.

Nico watched him as inconspicuously as possible, noticing the soft smile playing on his lips as he looked up at Will, and the way he remained in that position for what seemed like as long as he could, not even loosening or changing his grip on his thigh in any way.

It was…odd, yet at the same time, it wasn't.

And not for the first time, Nico wondered whether Jason and Will actually…well, whether they were actually interested in each other.

It would be good, he guessed.

If the two of them got together, then the four of them were bound to be at a bit more ease with each other, since the other two usually liked teasing Percy with 'hitting on Nico', and he was fairly certain that would stop once those two were dating.

But for some reason, he couldn't help his chest clenching at the thought.

Not that he minded them dating, and he did want them happy, but…he wasn't sure.

It was just…there was no way to explain it.

It felt weird.

And he didn't really like it.

Of course, he would never say anything against them dating, and he'd support them with all he had, because they deserved to be happy more than anything, but…but he still felt odd about it.

Maybe that was because he was being selfish again.

He had to work on that.

Yeah, it was probably just that.

Percy noticed Jason being awake as well, Nico could tell by the twitch of his lips as he looked down at the blonde, but surprisingly enough, he acted oblivious to it, instead continuing his idle chatter about the gloomiest and creepiest things he had seen throughout his life and how they would look in Nico's room.

Will began waking now, as well, frowning against Percy's shoulder and shifting slightly, his hand now more holding onto Jason's hair than stroking him, but Jason didn't seem to mind at all, blinking slowly up at Will and waiting, waiting, waiting.

Then, the moment Will moved his head from Percy's shoulder and opened his eyes, Jason shut his eyes and blatantly acted asleep.

Nico had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing, watching Percy do the same.

Will blinked in confusion for a moment, then he looked around at them staring at him with even more confusion, just to look down at Jason with a light frown.

"Hey, had a good rest, sun-bug? I'd say 'back from the dead', but since we're going _to_ the dead, I think I'll refrain for now." Percy chirped and Nico rolled his eyes in amusement, watching Will throw him a disgruntled look.

Then he made a small grunt-like noise and turned away from Percy, shifting in his seat and almost knocking Jason clean off his lap, who made a startled sound and promptly gave himself away.

Seemed like somebody was a bit grumpy.

Nico shook his head with a smile, watching Jason sit up with a sheepish smile, but Will was too busy stretching and covering his mouth as he yawned, while Percy started telling them of the last time he had been on his way to the Underworld (either he was bored, or he just felt like teasing Will a bit more, because Percy had already told them this story back on the train. Still, nobody interrupted him, though Will and Jason did exchange telling glances).

They were almost there.

Gods, Nico could only hope everything would turn out well.

How was his father going to act? He had no idea what to expect.

Would he be nice to them? Or would they have to watch their every step not to get incinerated?

Well, Nico hoped for the first, because if it was the latter, he'd get his guys out of there asap, the gods be damned.

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun. Nico, you'll definitely have to show us around. Right, guys?" Percy chirped and Nico had the distinct feeling he was only saying that to reassure him.

But it kind of worked, so he was glad for it, anyways.

Especially when both Jason and Will sighed and sent Percy exasperated looks.

"Of course." "What are you thinking? You only get to see the Underworld as a living being once. Gotta make the best of that. So, yeah, Neeks will have to show us everything." Will said, his grumpiness gone with the wind as he caught Nico's expression, making Nico wonder whether he was looking as excited/worried/freaked out as he felt.

He was about to reply, but then Jules-Albert started uttering something next to him again and he glanced straight ahead, feeling the car slowing down.

Oh gods, they were there.

Here.

_Here!_

He looked around to his guys, panic rising inside him again, but Percy and Will were already unbuckling their seatbelts, looking more excited than anything else, while Jason's hand found Nico's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

"This is going to be great." He said soothingly, and Nico felt himself relaxing again.

Jason was right.

Everything was going to be great.

The Underworld might be gloomy and dark and creepy, but it did have lots of interesting things that used to fascinate even 11-yeah old, angsty, forcefully indifferent Nico di Angelo (they still did fascinate him, but he was still trying to be forcefully indifferent towards them, anyways).

And if that didn't work out, he'd simply drag them to Elysium and/or the Isles of the Blest.

That was bound to be interesting for them.

Alright, people usually weren't allowed to go there, but hey, he was Hades' son, and if he could go there, he could very well take them with him for a quick glance.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded at Jason with a grateful smile, then the car came to a stop and they all got out to grab their luggage.

Oh gods, they were here.

Before he could think about it too much, Percy was in front of him, taking hold of his chin and tilting his head slightly upwards to meet his lips with his own.

"There's the kiss I promised you, babe." His boyfriend breathed against his lips and Nico couldn't stop the broad grin from spreading on his face, all worry forgotten, instead replaced by a gentle warmth.

"Oh really? Where? I must have missed it." He teased and Percy's eyes gleamed, his lips twitching.

Then he kissed him again, this time longer and deeper than before.

"That better?" He asked, his grin almost as wide as Nico's.

"Hmm, I guess it'll pass…" Nico muttered with a noncommittal shrug and Percy huffed, attacking his lips once more, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close.

Yes.

Nico's arms went around Percy's neck by their own accord, tugging Percy down slightly as they mashed their lips together wantonly, turning it into a French kiss in no time.

He could hear Will and Jason chuckle somewhere to their right, and Jules-Albert let out what almost sounded like an exasperated groan, but Nico ignored them all in favor of letting his boyfriend kiss him senseless.

It simply felt too good to resist.

"I love you." Percy whispered, and Nico grinned against his lips, pulling back minimally to look into his beautiful, sea-green eyes.

"I love you, too."

The two smiled at each other, pecking each other's lips again and again, before finally letting go of each other, linking their hands and turning to look at their best friends, who had their luggage at the ready and were grinning at them with affectionate expressions on their faces.

"Ready to go, then?" Will asked, eyes sparkling with excitement, and Nico looked from him to Jason, who nodded reassuringly.

How had he ever gotten such amazing friends?

How had that happened?

And how did he even deserve them?

Nico had no idea.

But he was so, so, so glad he had them.

They were the best friends in the world.

"Yeah, come on, let me show you my 'other' home."


	19. Chapter 19: The Underworld

**A/N:** Finally in the Underworld, yaaaay~

**Chapter 19: The Underworld, refurnished rooms; and oddly comfortable bathtubs**

The Underworld was…well, dark, Will guessed.

Getting in had been as they had imagined, and Charon had appealed to Nico's good side for the entirety of the boat ride across the Styx, until Nico had finally promised to tell his dad about another pay-rise, which had struck Will as pretty bizarre, but he had refrained from saying anything in front of the reaper of souls.

From there, they had made their way to the palace, past a very intimidating, but also very playful Cerberus (who had immediately jumped towards Nico, wagging his tail, his three heads slobbering and barking and being overjoyed by Nico coming back, which had instantly warmed Will's heart and made him realize all over again how precious Nico indeed was, befriending giant three-headed dogs and taking care of all the people, animals – beings – that were usually forgotten by the majority), and Will had even caught his first glance of the actual dead – all queued up in a very long waiting line, waiting to be judged.

It had been more than a little disturbing, but luckily he hadn't seen anybody he knew (though he had to admit he hadn't wanted to look too closely, either).

He had also seen a glimpse of the Fields of Asphodel and Elysium, making his insides itch with curiosity, but he had held himself in check.

He had no idea what Nico was going to show them here, and he didn't want to push him to anything before they had even fully arrived, yet.

Plus, he was fairly certain most places would be prohibited to visit, anyways, at least for them – especially Elysium and the like.

But hey, one could hope.

He looked around at Nico as they entered the giant palace (gods really liked to show off, huh? If this was Hades' place, he'd hate to see how Zeus or Apollo would decorate their places. Hades was one of the more modest gods, after all), seeing him fidget, his mouth a thin line, but he led them on resolutely and without wavering.

He looked so adorable.

There was no reason for him to be concerned, but it was just so much like Nico to be, anyways.

A loud crash sounded next to Will and he jumped, half leaping into Jason's arms, who funnily enough both grabbed hold of him with one arm and pulled out his sword with his other, holding it out in front of Will protectively, while Percy and Nico whirled around in surprise and shock.

But as it turned out, it was only a fury landing – wait, _what_?!

"Mrs. Dodds? Long time no see." Percy greeted unimpressed, lowering Riptide as he had apparently drawn it as quickly as Jason had.

"Alecto, what brings?" Nico asked, also sheathing his sword, leaving Jason the only one who hadn't lowered his weapon yet, still in his protective stance behind – around – Will, who still felt his heart beating way too fast in his chest, glad he at least hadn't let out a terrified yelp or the like.

Gods, what was this thing thinking, landing right next to him with no warning?

The fury cackled, eyeing him amused in particular, as if his reaction had been a feast to…her? It? Whatever.

"I was sent by your father to inform you, that, due to the hour of your arrival, you may go straight to your chambers, dear. Your friends shall-…"

"They are staying in my room with me." Nico interrupted the fury's – _Alecto's_ – raspy speech with a firm, authoritative voice, making all three of them look around in surprise.

Nico's entire demeanor had changed, radiating power and confidence, and Will had to swallow as his heart started fluttering for an entirely different reason than the fury.

Damn, Nico was _hot_.

Jason finally sheathed his sword, though he kept his grip on Will's arm, and Will could feel the faint trace of similar emotions to his rushing through Jason.

But then the fury cackled again and he was torn out of his thoughts, looking around at Alecto once more.

"As I was going to say: Your friends shall find everything they need there as well. Your father has had everything arranged to…meet your needs." She clarified and looked them over with ugly, horrible eyes, and Will inwardly cringed, drawing back into Jason's chest, who squeezed his arm in a gentle, reassuring manner.

And just this once, Will let him do it without saying or doing anything.

Nico's eyes widened and he looked surprised for a moment, but then he caught himself again and gave a quick nod.

"Alright, thanks for passing the message, Alecto. You may go now, I can find my room by myself." He dismissed her, looking around at Jason and Will with an apologetic expression.

The fury looked them over once more, lastly stopping for a glaring match with Percy, but when Nico cleared his throat impatiently, she finally took off again, disappearing back to gods knew where she had come from.

"Sorry about that." Nico mumbled awkwardly, but Will was just relieved that thing was finally gone, stepping out of Jason's hold and letting out a forcefully unbothered laugh.

"No worries. I was just surprised, that's all. Just for clarification purposes, though, is this going to happen more often?" He asked, trying to sound upbeat, but he was fairly certain he wasn't fooling anybody.

"No, I wouldn't think so. At least I hope so. But we might want to get up early tomorrow to meet my dad to avoid him sending her or anything else to fetch us." Nico muttered with a frown and Will saw Percy making a face, apparently disliking the idea of 'getting up early'.

Or maybe he was pondering all the 'things' Hades could send to get them, instead.

Will knew _he_ didn't want to think about that.

"Oh, yeah, that might be a good idea. Let's get going then. I can't wait to see your room, Neeks." He said with a grin and started forwards, which made the other three move again as well, and Nico led them on towards the palace.

Apparently, his room was in there, too.

Kind of cool.

"Are there any abandoned towers in this place, too?" He asked curiously, remembering that one time he and Nico had joked about putting Percy and Jason into dresses and up in a tower somewhere.

Judging by the wry smile Nico sent him, Nico remembered the same thing.

"Not like that, no."

Percy looked between them with a frown.

"Wait, are you two sharing some sort of inside-joke or something? I want to know, too!" He wailed, but Nico and Will merely grinned at each other and Percy turned his pout towards Jason, who just sighed and shook his head.

"Well, I'm going to take a wild guess and say it's about this whole damsel-in-distress-thing they talked about back on Valentine's Day." He said and Will and Nico both made a face at him, both letting out disappointed 'Aw'-s.

"Did you have to give us away so cruelly? No fair." Will whined, and Jason rolled his eyes with an amused twitch of his lips, while Percy's eyebrows show up in surprise.

"What, you want to see me in a dress so badly, sun-bug? You only need to ask. I'm sure I'd look stunning in anything." He said cockily and Nico apparently choked on something, coughing wildly, while Will stopped in his tracks to stare at Percy, his face turning scarlet at the implication of him wanting to see Percy in anything but what he was wearing (or at all. Who looked at Percy Jackson, right? He so wasn't. Whatsoever. Ever.).

"Nah, it's me he wants to see in a dress. A hot pink one, so you can have a real good laugh again." Jason supplied very unhelpfully from next to Will and Will just _had_ to glance at him for a moment, picturing him in such a dress – completely against his will, of course.

"That…it's not…" Nico sputtered, bright red in the face as well, but Will was certain it was nothing compared to his own blush.

"Nah, man, you'd look great in hot pink. But I think personally, you'd look even better in blue." Percy chirped, and the two were back to their bromancing, looking each other up and down appreciatively and telling them of their apparent ideas on _what kind of dress would suit them best_, even going through the entire color palette.

Nico and Will exchanged mortified glances.

Somehow, their little inside joke had badly backfired, it seemed.

Jason and Percy both grinned at them rather maliciously, apparently knowing full well what they had done, and enjoying it to bits.

Those guys.

"Really, though, let's finally get to your room, Nico. I don't mind telling the Underworld of my dress choices, but-…" Percy started, but Nico started sputtering again, grabbing his hand and dragging him off, with Will and Jason following hurriedly, Will catching Jason looking at him smugly as they went.

Yeah, yeah, alright, they shouldn't make fun of the two, whatever.

But after this, it was unlikely Will and Nico would ever do it again, anyways.

Will was more than glad when they finally made their way down a dark and rather gloomy corridor, past hundreds of heavy-looking, wooden doors that were so dark brown they were almost black.

Yep, this was the Underworld, alright?

Now Will knew why Nico used to wear so many dark clothes.

He knew he'd have felt stupid walking through this place in yellow and orange – it would have been like waving a beacon above his head…or _being_ the beacon.

In front of an indeed pitch black door, they came to a stop, and Nico looked slightly nervous, eyeing first the door, then them.

"I…well, we're here." He announced awkwardly, and Will watched Percy squeeze his hand reassuringly.

"Alright, just as a warning, I have no idea how the place looks now, and I take no responsibility." Nico said quickly, putting his hand on the doorknob, but then he halted again, looking agitated.

"You know, after picturing Percy in a dress, I think nothing can shock me anymore. Bring it on, Death Boy." Will demanded with a lopsided grin, earning himself an eye-roll from Jason, a death-glare and scowl from Percy, and a wry smile from Nico.

But at least it eased the tension in Nico's shoulders, and he opened the door, stepping inside first to look around, eyes nervously hushing about.

Percy, Jason and Will instantly followed, sticking their heads inside curiously.

At first, he couldn't see a thing, due to the darkness, but then Nico actually found the light-switch, and a soft yellow-orange light flooded the room, a lot more welcoming than maybe expected.

"Whoa." Was all he managed to utter, and Jason and Percy soon followed with equally surprised – but impressed – exclamations, while Nico just stood there, gaping at the interior of his room.

Nico's room was big. Bigger than one might have expected with all the doors and the distance between the doors, giving nothing away of the size of the rooms.

Or maybe the gods had some sort of magic thing going on to have it seem like a small room from the outside, but inside it was double or triple that size.

Anyways, the room was big, so big it justified four separate sets of lights on the ceiling, and the corners of the room were still tinged in darkness.

But that wasn't the main thing that made them stare in awe.

It was the interior, really.

Of course, there were skulls (Will faintly hoped they weren't real, though they looked eerily real to him), and the color black and dark brown/gray clearly dominated the room, but other than that - or maybe even because of that - the room was absolutely, undeniably _cool_.

The first thing that got his attention was the giant double-bed, in which they'd all have plenty of space in (he guessed Hades had noticed the tight fit in the cabin bunk? How considerate...?), which was all dark colors and wonderfully comfortable and soft looking black sheets, standing right there against the wall opposite the door.

After that came the countless cupboards and the wardrobe (which was big enough to hold the clothes of the entire Apollo cabin – maybe even the clothes of the Aphrodite cabin, though he couldn't vouch for that) all aligned neatly along that same wall.

This might have struck people as odd, but it was kind of understandable to somebody inside this room why there were no cupboards or drawers against any of the other walls…because the rest of the room was full of a wide variety of gaming consoles and games in general.

Will had no idea what Hades had used as a reference for his son's room, but it looked like something straight out of a magazine for gamer kids and their dream rooms.

Because this surely had to be a dream come true.

There was everything, from old-fashioned machines that reminded him of a casino, to the newest gaming consoles out, all next to each other and hooked up to two different screens against the wall to the left of the bed, with shelves right next to them, full of games Will itched to check out (he even thought he could make out some Singstar-microphones, which made him wonder whether he could convince the guys to sing just once – he was sure that would be tons of fun), and another shelf full of what appeared to be board games (he found Jason eyeing those with great interest and would bet his right hand they'd end up playing most of those at some point for sure).

The third (and biggest) TV-screen was on the opposite wall, right next to a shelf full of a variety of DVD's he also wanted to check out as soon as possible.

There was also a door that seemed to lead to another room on, but he wasn't sure, and it didn't seem half as interesting as the rest of the room right now.

And then, there was also the water fountain right next to the door, which didn't only impress Percy, that much was for certain.

All in all, it was the perfect room for all four of them.

Seriously, if he didn't know better, he'd think Hades really loved his kid.

But he knew better, so he wasn't only thinking that, he knew it.

He didn't know any other father (or anybody, in general – except Percy maybe, because he was crazy) who'd go through such lengths just so their kid would feel more comfortable being there - and it was more than obvious that had been Hades' intent.

The thought made him smile, looking around at Nico, who was still looking around his room with wide eyes and slightly parted lips, apparently still in either shock or awe, he couldn't tell.

Alright, the skulls and bones adorning the cupboards (and the front of the bed…?) were somewhat creepy, but he had to love this room too, right?

"Damn, how long does your dad want us to stay? There's no way I'm leaving before playing all of these." Percy exclaimed, in front of the first shelf full of games in an instant and looking like a child on Christmas Eve.

Will so couldn't blame him, everything inside him craving to join his side and take a closer look at those games - better yet, start playing them.

Oh gods, this was going to be the best vacation of his life.

He followed Jason numbly towards the wardrobe, dropping their luggage down in front of it, too busy looking about the room in awe to really catch Jason's words, though he thought it was something along the lines of 'We'll do that later'.

He merely nodded, feet moving by themselves until he was next to Percy, his eyes hushing over the first row of games.

"Oh. Gods."

_Yes_, this was going to be the best vacation ever.

"Hey, look, it's a bathroom. And there I was worried I'd get lost looking for it at some point." Jason announced from the other side of the room and they looked around, finding the blonde in front of the now opened door, revealing dark tiles and enough room for Will's entire cabin to get ready in there in the mornings.

Seriously, so much space.

_What did people do with so much space?_

Will had never had so much space.

Back with his mother, they had lived in a 2-room apartment, and that hadn't exactly been big whatsoever, barely big enough to let them both be in the same room at the same time (though she had barely been home, anyways).

When he had gotten to Camp, he had had to share spaces with the other kids at the Hermes cabin until he had been claimed, so space (not to mention privacy) had been more than just a privilege in those times, too.

And with his cabin now, there was only that much space they could work with.

But this...this was crazy.

He had always thought Nico's cabin spacious, mostly because it was only the four of them in there, but this was at least double the size of that.

Did people always live in such big rooms?

Before he even knew it, he was in the bathroom, looking around in wonder.

Big shower.  
Even bigger bathtub (seriously, if they so wanted, they could probably all take a bath in that thing. At the same time. _Oh gods_).  
Two sinks.  
Lots of room.  
A cupboard with towels and bath utensils (Jason was currently inspecting that, that's how he knew).

There was also a rectangular patch on the ground, but he had no idea what that was for, instead still eyeing shower and bathtub in wonder.

"Pretty big, huh?" Jason said behind him and he looked around with big eyes, making Jason chuckle.

The blonde closed the cupboard and turned around, almost running head-first into the door, now making Will laugh.

"But apparently not big enough to save you from yourself."

"Oh, hush." Jason retorted with a light blush on his cheeks, closing the door to apparently avoid running against it again.

Instantly, everything was eerily quiet.

"What?" Jason uttered surprised, opening the door again.

Percy's voice carried over like before, indistinguishable, but clearly audible.

Jason closed the door, and everything was quiet.

Will laughed.

"Hey guys, we got a soundproof bathroom!" He called as Jason opened the door again, but then the blonde was being a dork, closing the door half-way through Will's announcement and sending him a wicked grin, making Will give him an exasperated look.

Idiot.

He was about to say something, but then Percy already ripped the door open and thus almost shoved Jason into the cupboard, and Will all but exploded with laughter.

"What did you say? Couldn't hear you. And what are you two doing alone in - whoa, that's one awesome bathroom." Percy started, then stopped in awe, looking around with big eyes, conveniently ignoring Jason, who sent him an almost indignant look that made Will laugh even harder.

"I said we have a soundproof bathroom. And yeah, it's pretty cool, isn't it? Just look at that bathtub..." He cooed, eyeing it wantonly.

Seriously, that bathtub.

He so wanted to take a bath now.  
He hadn't taken a bath in forever.  
A real bath, with all the relaxing and soaking in the water and forgetting the world around him.

Jason sent him a funny look, but he ignored it, instead daydreaming a bit more.

"Yeah, it looks so inviting, doesn't it? Hey, I wonder if we'd all fit in there..." Percy mused and Will's grin widened.

"Only one way to find out..."

The two of them exchanged wicked glances.

Jason sighed behind them. "Don't tell me you're going to..." He started, but then they were already moving, dragging him along, so all he could do was let out a defeated sigh, which was quickly drowned out by their cackling.

Oh yes, they would.

.

When neither Percy, nor the other two came back from the bathroom, Nico finally tore his gaze away from all the new additions to his usually so plain and simple (and smaller? Like…how?) bedroom, walking over towards the only thing that had still seemed like before.

He had always had a private bathroom right next to his room, so he had kind of assumed at least that had remained untouched.

But since his guys weren't coming back, he had the distinct inkling that that wasn't the case, after all.

Opening the door, the first thing he saw was a lot more space than before, validating his assumption.

The second thing, however, was the one that surprised him all the more, making him stop in the doorway.

"Why...are you guys sitting in the bathtub?" He asked confused, blinking at the scene in front of him.

Percy, Will and Jason looked around at him from where they lounged around in the giant, round bathtub next to the shower, Percy and Will with smug grins and a mischievous twinkle in their eyes, Jason with a conflicted expression, as if he wasn't sure whether to be amused by this or disturbed.

Nico sympathized with that only all too well.

Just...what?

"Oh, hey. Come in, Neeks. We want to see-..." "...whether we all fit in here. Looking good so far. Come on." Will started, and Percy finished their little speech, and Nico was once more reminded how similar they were in some points.

Which was to say, they were both _crazy_.

He stared at them, then looked around at Jason, but Jason merely shrugged and seemed to have given in to his fate, so Nico sighed and walked over to the bathtub.

He couldn't believe he was actually doing this.

Was he seriously doing this?

What if somebody walked in?

How was he ever going to explain why four grown guys would just randomly...sit down fully-dressed in a bathtub. Just for the hell of it.

He threw them a last quizzical look to see whether they were really dead serious, but Will and Percy both looked expectantly at him, Cheshire cat grins firmly in place.

Those two.

He hesitated only one moment longer, then sighed and climbed in.

Seriously, he couldn't believe this was seriously happening.

Plus, why the bathtub?

Couldn't they have done a different sort of crazy and stayed up all night to play games?

(Though he didn't want to know what his father would say if they did. There he let them off for the night without first having to meet and greet him, and they were still awake...and sitting in the bathtub. Just…what.)

Percy shuffled over slightly, so Nico could squeeze in between Jason and him, and Nico had to wonder where his father even got such a big (and round?) bathtub from in the first place.

Yeah, where DID he get all this stuff?

It's not like he could just walk into the next Home Depot and look at what they had there…right?

"Yes! I knew we'd fit!" Will exclaimed, high-fiving with Percy, who laughed and nodded vigorously, wrapping an arm around Nico and tugging him closer.

Nico eyed them skeptically.

"Why did you want to know in the first place? Are you intending to bathe together?" He asked dubiously, and both guys instantly sputtered and blushed.

Apparently, they hadn't thought that far, huh?

"Nico! I was just…we just wanted to…" Percy tried to explain, gesturing with his hands and almost smacking Will in the face, but the blonde was too busy burying his face in his hands.

"Gods, Nico, no. I'd bathe with you, yes, but not with Percy around, no, no, no."

Percy's head whipped around.

"Well, excuse you! What's that supposed to mean?"

Nico rolled his eyes, looking around at Jason hopefully, but he was eyeing Percy and Will with an amused smile, leaning back against the bathtub and apparently getting comfortable, even stretching his legs a bit, which resulted in them being right between Percy and Will, though they didn't even seem to notice, too busy bickering.

While Will started ranting about how baths were there to relax and soak up in the water and Percy was too loud and obnoxious for that (ouch, that seemed to have struck a nerve); Percy insisted baths were the perfect opportunity for fun – for which he'd be the excellent partner, of course, because he, as son of Poseidon, could control the water and do tons of stiff Will wouldn't even be able to dream of.

All in all, it was impressive how unimpressed Nico was by now by their bickering.

"So, how long do you think this will go on?" He asked Jason quietly, shifting closer so they could talk in hushed voices without drawing their attention (so they wouldn't be dragged into the argument as well – all happened before, after all).

"Hard to say. I'd guess either they break off and are best friends again, or they obsess over it so badly they dare each other to bathe together, in which case we're probably going to spend an entire day locked in the bathroom." Jason mused thoughtfully, stretching his arms out on the outside of the tub and then leaving them there, one around Nico nonchalantly, but he let him, his skin by far softer than the acrylic.

He did not like those options, though.

Seriously, they were NOT going to bathe together.

Nico wouldn't allow that.

It was already awkward enough sharing a bed with close to no clothes on, he was not going to get that close to them in a bathtub (assuming they were wearing clothes…if not, even more of a reason to say no).

Nope, no way.

"Jason…" He started, his voice pleading, and Jason looked around at him, studying his expression for one fleeting moment.

Then he groaned. "Don't give me your puppy face, Nico-…alright, I'm on it." He gave in before even finishing his complaint, and next moment, he turned and put his arms around Nico, leaning against him.

"Mmh, Nico, you're so nice and comfortable, let me sleep on you, yeah?" Jason said loudly, while Nico froze and stared at him in terror for a moment as Jason all but flopped down on top of him.

"What the- GET OFF HIM, JASON!" Percy instantly yelped and growled.

"Jason, what the hell? Share him, damn it!" Will complained.

Jason let himself get dragged off him an instant later with a smug smile, Percy still growling and hissing and being surprisingly protective all of a sudden, while Will started laughing at Nico's dumbstruck expression.

"There you go." Jason said cheerily as he apparently utterly ignored Percy's indignant exclamations of 'He's MY boyfriend' and 'Couldn't you have given me a warning at least' - and tons of other things that mostly didn't even make much sense to Nico.

He sighed, sending Jason a grateful look and putting his hand on his boyfriend's thigh.

"Percy, he just did that to make you two stop fighting. Listen, I have no clue why we're sitting in here, but…can we just…I don't know…enjoy it? Lean back, relax a bit, just be happy we're finally here?" He tried carefully, and instantly had the attention of all three of them, Jason smiling gently, while Percy's and Will's expressions softened and they nodded, all three of them leaning back a bit.

Alright, he hadn't meant it literally, but he guessed it made no difference.

As long as things became somewhat calmer and those two weren't getting the four of them to bathe together, everything was good.

"Gods, this feels kind of comfortable in a really bizarre way, don't you think?" Will asked, letting his head fall back onto the tub and stretching out slightly, letting out a deep sigh.

Percy hummed in agreement, closing his eyes and putting his arms out like Jason, looking pretty calm for somebody who had ranted nonstop mere moments ago.

It surely was impressive how quickly he could change.

Like the sea.

Nico smiled looking around at Jason, who eyed the three of them with a gentle expression on his face, winking at Nico when he noticed him looking back.

Then he also closed his eyes.

Nico watched them a while longer, a comfortable silence settling over them.

Then he frowned, realizing with a jolt that they were still sitting inside a bathtub, and all three of them had their eyes closed and their bodies relaxed and…

"Guys, you're not intending to _sleep_ in here, right?" He asked aghast, and instantly had three guys grumble in complaint at the noise.

"No, Neeks, we'll just…" Will started, but didn't finish, his hand waving in the air dismissively before dropping back down, right into Percy's lap, who didn't even react to that at all, instead nodding with his eyes still closed.

"We'll…move in a bit…five minutes…" He mumbled, and Nico looked around at Jason for support.

But Jason didn't say a thing, and judging by his even breathing, Nico guessed he was already asleep.

Wait, what?

"You can't sleep here! There's a bed no ten feet away!" He insisted, but none of them seemed to care.

Were they dead serious?

What should he do?

He couldn't exactly wake them up and make them get into bed, right?

Or was that what he should do?

Nico wasn't sure.

But he couldn't leave them here, right?

"'S ok, Nico. Just five minutes…" Will mumbled, then seemed to be utterly gone as well.

Five minutes.

Percy muttered something under his breath, his arm around Nico tugging him closer slightly and turning his head to rub it against Nico's.

"I love you." He mumbled drowsily, then started snoring softly against Nico's ear, and Nico sighed, his insides in conflict.

Then he gave in, pushing Percy back slightly and moving to get somewhat comfortable (in…a…bathtub….seriously, what was he doing…), leaning against Percy and moving his feet under Jason, who let him do it without complaint.

Percy sighed contently, keeping him close and nuzzling against the side of his face, and Nico couldn't deny it did kind of feel nice…even though they were all squished in a bathtub.

Hopefully, his father wouldn't find out about this.

Or anybody else.

He did not want to be the one to answer the questions this was bound to bring forth.

Jason and Will started moving simultaneously, Jason coming closer to Nico and dropping against him like a log, while Will let his head drop on Percy's shoulder similar to how he had done in the car, and Nico couldn't help but find them both adorable.

Then he sighed and leaned back against Percy, deciding that, just this once, he'd give in to this madness and just play along.

It wasn't as if he wasn't tired as hell anyways.

And, well, the bathtub actually was kind of comfortable, in its own, kind of bizarre way, just like Will had said.

Closing his eyes, he put one hand into Jason's hair, and his other on top of Will's hand in Percy's lap.

Then he felt a small smile spreading on his lips and fell asleep.

.

When Jason woke up next, the first thing he noticed was that it was morning - which meant he must have missed Will's nightmare (highly unusual) - the second thing was that he wasn't in bed.

It still took him a long moment to realize that, yes, in fact, he was still inside the bathtub (which didn't feel all that comfortable anymore, believe it or not).

Well, at least he wasn't alone.

He mused this as he blinked around groggily at Percy, Nico and Will, who were still utterly knocked out.

Will must have been much desired last night (probably because of his warmth, it was rather chilly in here), since all three of them were practically on top of him, though he didn't seem to mind whatsoever, snoring softly with his arms wrapped around Jason and Percy, since Nico was between them with their arms somewhat around him.

It was a weird moment.

Waking up like this - here - so close to the other three.

But Jason kind of liked it.

It was similar to the way he usually woke up in the morning in bed with them around, but still not quite like it.

Maybe it was the fact that they were in a bathtub instead of a warm and undoubtedly comfortable bed where they'd all have plenty of space.

Or maybe it was the fact that all four of them had somehow arranged themselves more or less comfortably next to - and on top of - each other just like that.

Or maybe it was simply the way the other three smiled so contently in their sleep.

Especially Will (and Will rarely really smiled while he slept. First because of the nightmares, and then because of the resting, taking any chance for a good dream away. Jason had no idea how Will could cope with that so easily, anyways).

Well, he probably smiled because of Nico, since it was the Italian who was pressed against Will's chest, while Jason was slightly to his left / Will's right, and Percy more towards his right / Will's left, with their heads at his shoulder, their arms loosely around...well, kind of everyone.

At least one thing that was as usual.

Jason started shifting, trying to get at least one arm back to prop himself up better, not exactly wanting to sit back up just yet (he'd have to be very stupid not to enjoy every single second of this), but found that close to impossible, given the proximity and lack of space.

He wished acrylic was at least a tiny bit softer, or at the very least a bit more yielding, but no chance, of course.

So he gave in and leaned back against Will again, who hummed softly in his sleep, just to then continue his snoring.

So adorable.

He glanced around at Percy, who was happily drooling onto Will's shoulder.

Oh my, Will was not going to like that, was he?

Still, it was kind of adorable in his own way.

Apparently, Percy couldn't even keep his mouth shut in his sleep.

The thought made him smirk and look at Nico more closely, studying his relaxed, peaceful expression.

He looked so at ease.

Jason wished he could always see him like that.

Sadly, he knew the moment Nico woke up he'd freak out because he was snuggled against Will's chest instead of Percy's.

Well, maybe he'd have one of those nice, tranquil moments he sometimes had right after waking, where he just remained how he was and seemed to relish in the closeness just as much as they were.

Though that might also just be wishful thinking from Jason's part, anyways.

He snuggled closer to them, trying to get away from the cold and unmercifully hard bathtub, and Will and Nico instantly tugged him closer, Percy's hand moving up and down his back in an apparent try to comfort him.

Jason couldn't help but smile at that.

They were so sweet.

Especially when they were asleep and just did things like this.

When they were awake, they were still adorable, but a lot more careful with what they did and how.

But that was understandable, he guessed.

Will was trying to act like he liked nobody but Nico and couldn't care about anybody else, and Percy and Nico were dating and felt bad and guilty as soon as their eyes weren't fixed solely on each other.

So, yeah, understandable they wouldn't get too affectionate.

Jason rubbed his cheek slightly against Will's shoulder, wondering what freaking fabric he was wearing, or what he was washing it with that made it so fluffy, soft and comfortable, not to mention smell so nicely (then again, maybe that was just Will).

Will's head tipped in his direction, cheek nuzzling against the top of Jason's head, and he halted, wondering whether this was a sort of indicator Will was waking.

But Will's breathing didn't change, so he relaxed again.

Instead, he noticed Percy stirring, shifting closer and grumbling in his sleep, as well as kicking with his foot, which – luckily for Percy, but unfortunately for Jason – hit Jason's foot instead of the bathtub.

Great. Thanks Percy.

He watched with one eye open and one closed how Percy started frowning more and more, hands beginning to tentatively touch and feel out where he was (at least that's what it felt like).

Then he opened his eyes groggily, blinking at the sudden light (yeah, the bathroom light wasn't half as nice and gentle as the one in the bedroom had been. Seriously, Jason still couldn't believe they had passed up the opportunity to sleep in that bed. It had looked so wonderfully soft and comfortable…).

"What…" Percy started, his voice sounding horribly (nicely) raspy – and loud!

"Shh, at least try to keep your voice down, will you?" He hissed over, wincing at the sudden noise in the other wisely quiet room and feeling Will and Nico tense and shift as well.

Percy's gaze fixed on him, and for a moment, there was dead silence as they stared at each other, Percy still blinking away the sleep.

Then Percy groaned, realization flashing across his features before he pulled his hand away from around Jason and hid his face behind it.

Apparently, he was as happy as Jason to wake up in here.

"We seriously...why..." He heard him muttering and couldn't help but smile slightly in sympathy.

"Wait, how was Will? How did he take this with his nightmare? Why didn't you wake me?" Percy then asked with a start and looked around at Jason almost offended, trying to get up slightly, just as Jason had tried.

Jason frowned. "What? I was going to ask you the same, actually. For some reason, I didn't wake up. I thought you were there for him." He said confused as he watched Percy giving up like he had, falling back against Will, who immediately tugged him closer again with a small growl.

Percy let him, only shooting the blonde an amused smile before fixing his gaze on Jason again with a frown.

"Really? Well, that's odd. I hope Nico managed, then..."

They both looked at Nico for a moment, who was oblivious to the world around him, nuzzling into Will's chest with a content smile.

Jason's lips twitched, but then he wondered why Nico hadn't woken them.

Not to mention...

"If those two woke up, how high are the chances they would stay in a bathtub just because we are still sleeping in it?" Jason asked slowly, and Percy's eyebrows raised.

For a long moment, there was silence.

"So...either Nico didn't wake up, either, and we all smothered Will too much for him to get up..." Percy started, and Jason felt his heartbeat quickening as the thought of the other option manifested in his head. "...or Will didn't have a nightmare." He finished, the words almost alien, which was just plain sad.

The two of them looked at each other, Percy's expression as hopeful as Jason was feeling.

This would be the first peaceful night for Will.

That would be too good to be true, right?

"Gods, that would be awesome." Percy all but whispered, and Jason nodded in agreement, putting his chin on Will's shoulder to look at Percy better, who imitated him on Will's other side.

"Maybe it all stopped." Jason said hopefully, though he knew he shouldn't get too elated, especially since they didn't even know whether Will had had a nightmare or not.

In the end they had left him all to himself all night long or something, being complete dicks.

Though none of them could really sleep that deeply anymore by now, so that would be very unusual.

"Maybe it was because of the bathtub! Maybe he only gets them in bed!" Percy suggested with a hint of excitement, but Jason kind of doubted that.

"Maybe it's because the travel tired him out so much...?" He offered instead, but Percy rolled his eyes.

"Come on, then he wouldn't have had it even worse in the sleeping bag. I say it's because of the bathtub. This is it, Jason, we're sleeping in-..."

"No. Forget it. It's not that. Also, look at him, Percy. Does he look like he wants to sleep in the bathtub every day?" He asked, trying to get Percy to see reason.

But right when they both studied Will's face intently, the blonde sighed contently and let his hands travel lower on their backs and...to their butts.

Jason felt his face heating and looked away hurriedly, rolling his hips to move Will's hand off his backside, and found Percy shooting him a triumphant grin.

"Yes, he looks _exactly _like he wants to do this every day."

Jason gave him an unimpressed look. "I bet you're only saying that because you want him to molest you more, and chances are higher in here, apparently."

Percy's expression immediately changed to something close to scandal. "What? No! That has...that's...it's not...I'm not...he..." He stammered and Jason inwardly rolled his eyes.

Right.

He had forgotten Percy loved to be oblivious.

In a way, both Percy and Will were trying (and more often than not failing, though they didn't want to admit it – but Jason could still tell) to be oblivious.

Great. Just great.

He shook the thought off, instead wriggling his eyebrows at Percy.

"Of course not. I'm just joking, Perce. We all know you just like your butt touched." He declared, and emphasized his words with moving his own hand lower on Percy's back, squeezing his backside playfully.

Percy jumped, face turning scarlet, and his sputtering became incoherent - but all the more adorable, to be honest.

Jason grinned at him.

"Jason! You...that's...gods, you are the _worst_! You..." He seemed to be at an utter loss for words, moving his butt very obviously out of Jason's reach, making him grin even wider and let his hand travel over Nico's back towards Percy again, in plain view, wanting Percy to see.

Percy made an almost terrorized face and turned over onto his side more, scowling at him.

"You...you...you know what, let me do you, too!" He exclaimed, and Jason chuckled as Percy all but lunged forwards and over Nico to get to him.

That had taken him a while.

Jason would have guessed him to react like that three stammers ago.

Seriously, no matter how aghast Percy was acting like right now, it wasn't as if they hadn't done this before.

(One did not want to know exactly what they had done before, back when they started being 'bro's' and all. Seriously, he still wondered how most of that had even started and why the hell they had been so ok with it.)

He rolled his eyes as he felt Percy's hand on his butt, squeezing a tad harder than maybe necessary, but that was Percy for you.

"Satisfied?" He asked with a teasing wink once Percy pulled back, and Percy scowled back at him.

"You know what, I don't see why people think you're the nicest guy around. You're actually really horrible." Percy grumbled, falling back into his spot next to Will, letting the blonde wrap his arm around him again and pull him close with another growl, as if warning him to do it one more time and he'd meet dire consequences.

Jason chuckled, nuzzling his face against Will's shoulder, making him hum again and tug him closer as well.

"Aw, thanks so much, darling. Anyways, you know I'm only like this with you. Everybody else is too nice to me for me to be an ass."

"Oh wow, thanks a lot. What's that supposed to mean? I'm nice! I just groped on your butt like you wanted, you bet that butt I'm nice." Percy grumbled irritably and Jason grinned against Will's shoulder.

"Of course, Perce. Keep telling yourself that."

"You want me to do it again?"

"Whatever makes you happy."

"You little..." Percy grumbled, reaching over to rumple up his hair some more, not that it really did any more damage (the sleeping in the bathtub had taken care of that already, after all).

Jason still wailed and buried his face at Will's shoulder.

"See? This is _exactly _what I mean! You're mistreating me!" He complained, and the hand became more vigorous on his head, then moved to the back of his neck, making him squirm.

"Stooop..." He wailed - more to content Percy, because he really couldn't care less.

Percy cackled maliciously, leaning onto Nico slightly to get closer, which resulted in both Nico and Will grumbling, but Percy ignored it in favor of getting to Jason.

That dork.

His hand moved from Jason's neck down his back, tickling his sides - and now Jason really squirmed, biting his lip as to not laugh out loud.

"Say it, Jason. Say it, and I'll stop."

Oh no, Percy couldn't be serious.

Jason was NOT going to say _that_!

Over his dead body!

"I...I don't know what you're talking about..." He tried to play stupid, but Percy's tickling got even more insistent.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Jason. Now, say it." He insisted, and Jason squirmed even more under the touch, feeling Percy coming closer and using much more pressure, making him tremble with the urge to laugh, but still trying to hold back so much.

"N-Never…"

"Oh, I will make you say it. You know you want to. Same as you want my hands on your-…"

"Guys, I have no idea what the _hell_ I am just witnessing, but could you please not do it _right in my face_?" Will's voice sounded both astounded and annoyed in front of them and they both froze.

Oh no.

His face shot around to look at Will, who stared at them with a both disbelieving and kind of angry expression, his arms now wrapping solely around a luckily-still-sleeping Nico, tugging him up and closer to his chest, while his eyes narrowed skeptically, hushing between them with a frown.

Oh gods, oh gods, no, no, no.

Jason did NOT want to know how this must look to anybody without context (then again, even with context, he guessed this would be pretty weird for anybody but Percy and him, still).

Especially since Percy was still leaning mostly over Nico, dangerously close to Jason, one hand on his sides under his shirt, his other one happily resting on Jason's backside, where he had probably intended to squeeze him once more to urge him into submission (not that it would have worked).

Will's eyes landed on that particular spot, too, eyebrows shooting up.

Jason and Percy started talking in the same time – well, sputtering and stumbling over their words was more like it – things like 'it's not like that' and 'it's his fault' echoing off the bathroom walls.

To his faint surprise, Will didn't react badly, though.

In fact, he barely reacted at all, simply staring at them and their desperate tries to explain the situation with a blank face, as if indifferent to the whole.

Then his eyes dropped back to Percy's hand – _which was still on Jason's butt_!

Percy!

"Percy, get off me, you're not making this any easier."

"What? Forget it. I'm going to make you say it."

Jason shot him a dirty look. "You're the worst. I'm not saying anything. Get off me or I'll make you – _remember that we are in a bathtub, Percy._" He added when Percy opened his mouth to undoubtedly say something along the lines of 'Go ahead'.

Percy seemed to consider that threat for a moment, then his eyes hushed back to Will, who was looking at them almost curiously now, a faint hint of amusement in his eyes, which Jason decided to take as a good sign.

Finally, Percy pulled his hand back.

"Fine. I'm so going to get you for that later, though. You just wait, crybaby."

"Likewise, drama queen." Jason grumbled, pushing himself up and away from Will, guessing that now that the blonde was awake, he'd nag about the closeness again.

But Will didn't even seem to notice, instead still eyeing them.

"So, other than you two all over each other, what else is new? Is Nico available again?" He asked with a cheeky grin, and Percy's head shot up so fast Jason wondered how that didn't break his neck.

"No way! Forget it, sun-bug. Jason and I are always like that, no need to interpret anything in it, now. After all, I'm not saying anything about you two snuggling in the-…"

"You are." Both Will and Jason retorted drily, then sent each other contemplative looks, while Percy made a face.

"Shush, you know I only mean well. No, Jason and I are really always like that. Jason, tell him."

Jason turned his face ever so slowly towards Percy, eyes scanning lazily over his features.

Half of him wanted to agree with him instantly to get this whole mess out of the world.

But there was this other part of him that kind of wanted the exact opposite – most likely because this was Percy, and the two of them still had that bit of rivalry between them that only sometimes surfaced, generally in situations like this, since they didn't spend that much time alone together anymore (and in their group, Percy was usually too busy bickering with Will or making heart-eyes at Nico to really…well…notice Jason…).

He knew from the way Percy's expression darkened and the scowl spread on his face, that he knew exactly what Jason was going to say next when he turned towards Will again, dropping against him.

"He's always mistreating me when you two aren't looking, I swear. There I want to be a nice guy, and he calls me names and is being super mean." He wailed, and was actually surprised to feel Will wrap an arm around him by reflex (he hadn't even noticed Will had let go of Nico).

"Oh, come on. You were the one who started it, Jason! Don't make me sound like the bad guy here, you git."

"See?" Jason whined, and Percy started cursing him some more.

Will was quiet for a long moment, and didn't move even an inch, but Jason didn't dare look up, wondering how exactly he was going to take this.

Of course, there was a chance Will would push him away (which Jason would understand, of course).

But Will was a lot like Percy in many ways, so there was a high chance he'd…

"Oh really, Percy, I've about had it with you. Leave poor Jason alone, will you?" Will's voice was stern and authoritative, and Jason grinned victoriously against his shoulder as he felt Will tug him closer.

He risked a gleeful glance in Percy's direction, and found him straight out gaping at Will, looking aghast, taken aback – and absolutely offended.

"_What?!_"

"You heard me. I will not tolerate this any longer. Jason, don't you worry, you're under my protection now." Will stated seriously, but Jason could practically hear the grin on his face, not even needing to check for a visual.

Jason had to bite his lip to reign himself back in and stop from laughing, feeling Will's hand pat his back reassuringly.

"What? But he…this is all…" Percy stammered, still looking utterly shocked.

Jason risked to look up at Will, who had his face dangerously close to Jason's in order to hide his broad grin, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Thank you so much." Jason breathed, and Percy groaned out in what almost appeared to be agony, grumbling and muttering and growling and grumbling even more.

Will winked at him, then his expression turned serious again.

"No problem. I'm always there for the ones in need. Especially against bullies like Percy Jackson."

"You know what?!" Percy exclaimed loudly, the sound reverberating throughout the room.

"Oh gods, guys, shut up." Nico's voice was groggy and annoyed, and even though he wasn't speaking very loudly, it had the magic effect of making all three of them shut up instantly, to the point where none of them even as much as breathed for a long moment.

Nico grumbled some more, eyelids fluttering as he rubbed his face against Will's chest rather harshly, as if thinking it was a pillow.

His hands fisted the fabric, his legs moving to wrap around one of Will's, who let him do it with wide eyes and pink face.

Percy was still looking alarmed at most likely having woken his boyfriend, and looked up for help from Jason, who gazed back with what hopefully conveyed 'Don't look at me, it was you who had to be so damn loud'.

It didn't seem like it, for Percy's expression turned pleading.

Jason rolled his eyes and gave in.

Twisting his body some, he turned sideways and put his face against Will's shoulder again, squishing him against the bathtub, but Will didn't complain or react in any way, so Jason continued to wrap one arm around Nico and tug him towards him slightly, until he was almost at his chest.

"Sorry. Want to continue sleeping?" He asked softly, despising the bathroom for the echo.

Nico hummed, one hand letting go of Will's shirt in favor of finding Jason's, and Jason's lips twitched when Nico gave a slight nod.

"Five minutes…" He mumbled, and Jason could see both Will and Percy grin out of the corners of his eyes.

"Alright. Five minutes." Jason agreed, and heard Nico's breathing evening out again a few moments later.

"So, why exactly are we sleeping in the bathtub? What about my nightmare, anyways? I can't remember a thing, must have been completely out of it. How come you guys didn't run off to bed afterwards?" Will asked quietly, hands flat on Nico's back, and Jason had the feeling he knew exactly how asleep/awake Nico was, based on his expression and the certainty in his volume.

But then the meaning of his words dawned on Jason, and he looked around to Percy in elation, who looked back almost as excited.

"Will, if you can't remember having a nightmare, and we didn't wake up because of any nightmare…" Jason started.

"Could it be you had a nightmare-free night?" Percy finished, and both of them looked at Will with big, hopeful eyes.

Will blinked surprised, looking slightly taken aback.

Then his eyes widened.

"Wait…really?"

"Did you dream?" Jason asked, while Percy fist-bumped the air and seemed to try for a mute 'Yahoo!'.

Will's ears turned scarlet, and he glanced down at Nico ever so quickly, and Jason was fairly certain he had his answer right there.

"I bet it was the bathtub!" Percy exclaimed excitedly.

"No, I don't think that's it." Both Will and Jason retorted wryly, shooting each other telling glances.

Nico merely grumbled something in his sleep about pancakes and ghost parties.

Well, he was right in a way – this definitely gave reason to party (and Jason could really use some pancakes right now).

.

They all decided never to sleep in a bathtub again when they got out of it and first had to groan and stretch, their muscles sore and their joints popping.

Seriously, next time Nico was so going to put his foot down and get them all to bed.

Then again, Will DID have a nightmare-free night (though Nico agreed with Jason and Will, hoping it was NOT the bathtub that was the cause for this), so it might as well have been worth it…maybe.

He pondered this as he made his way over to their bags, the other three bickering about who'd be allowed to use the bathroom first.

Seriously, he wondered whether he'd ever see the day where all three of them could be nice to each other for more than five minutes.

He knew they weren't serious, but maybe especially because of that he wondered why they couldn't just drop that altogether.

But he didn't say anything, instead picking out his clothes for the day (_finally_ he didn't have to wear anything bright-orange anymore! Black sweaters for life~) and waiting for them to finish.

Jason did the same with a sigh, shooting him a pained glance, while Percy and Will loudly argued about...cold showers versus warm showers.

Again.

Those two!

"Alright, this is it. Percy, go take a shower. After that, it's Will's turn, then Jason's, and I'll go last." He declared with a glance at the time.

It was 'only' 7am in the morning, but he wasn't sure when his father would expect them.

He didn't doubt for a second Hades knew they were awake already.

He was also pretty sure he wouldn't be happy about them sleeping in the bathtub instead of the room he had apparently poured so much work into (not that it had been necessary, his old room had been perfectly fine! A bit boring, but at least it had had something...cozy...to it. Though Nico really didn't mind the change too much - in fact, he actually did like it quite a bit, but still...it was just unfamiliar, that was all.).

So, yeah, he wasn't going to take any chances in worsening his mood any further first thing they got here.

As expected, the moment the boys processed his words, three stunned demigods turned to gape at him.

"What? But Nico..." Percy started whining, looking guilty and sorry, and Nico was about to tell him this wasn't meant to be punishment when Will cut in, looking dumbfounded.

"No! I started it, so, really, there's no need for Percy to go alone..." He let his voice trail off as Percy shot him an even more stunned look than he already had, and Nico saw Jason raising an eyebrow at both of them.

"Guys, I don't care who started it. Percy, you are going alone, because if we take a shower together, it will take too long and I don't want my dad to get pissed off even more because we don't show up as soon as possible." Nico explained with a sigh and watched as all three of them visibly relaxed, breathing out in relief - before realizing what he had just said and tensing up all over again.

"You are absolutely right! I'll make sure to be quick!" Percy said hurriedly, rushing forward to press his lips onto Nico's quickly, hands rubbing Nico's sides – then he was gone again before Nico could even return the kiss, the bathroom door falling shut by the time he opened his eyes again.

Nico had a hard time not following Percy to demand those lips on his again - and thinking about what they could be doing in the shower right now didn't help at all, either.

Will and Jason chuckled, most likely noticing his inner struggle right now, so he shot them a wry look and walked to the closest shelf to get his mind off his boyfriend (a wet, most likely wanting, sweet and perfect boyfriend...).

Seriously, where had his father even gotten all this stuff from?

It wasn't as if the god of the Underworld could simply go into various stores to purchase DVD's, games, consoles and…new furniture.

And as far as Nico knew, Hades didn't exactly have many…living…beings that could do that for him, either.

Unless he used more zombies and had them dress up and let the Mist do the rest.

Yes, that sounded exactly like what happened.

Though Nico couldn't resist imagining Hades in a gaming store, asking the staff for all the games that kids liked to play nowadays – oh gods, how he'd love to see that.

Not that Hades would ever do anything like that.

But still, the thought alone made Nico smile to himself and successfully dragged his mind off his boyfriend.

He let his eyes wander about the assortment of games in front of him, trying to read the titles even with his dyslexia, which wasn't all that easy when they were sideways, but he managed a few.

Gods, if Percy stayed true to his word to play all of these, they'd still be here by next year.

But who knew, maybe that was his father's plan.

To be honest, Nico had no idea what they'd really be doing here.

His dad had wanted him to visit, but usually, his visits consisted of a few days spent in his room with the occasional quest or task by his father to venture to some part of the Underworld.

Of course, they had sometimes gone through the trouble of aiming for a conversation, but that had never really truly fruited before (so not Nico's fault, of course…ok, maybe he could have given less snarky replies and tried for an actual conversation himself, sometimes).

Persephone had been ok, though.

After she had finally come around and started liking him, that was (he still couldn't exactly see how or why that had happened, but he was glad for it, all the same).

Before then…yeah, not a good thing to dwell on.

But now, she was actually quite cool. They barely talked, of course, but the few times they had, it hadn't been too bad.

Except maybe that one conversation where Persephone had suddenly started ranting about her mother cock-blocking Hades and her all the time.

That…had been somewhat awkward, and Nico did not want to think about that whatsoever.

"These games are so awesome. I swear, I'm going to beat Percy at all of those." Will declared next to him and Nico blinked surprised.

He hadn't even noticed Will moving over.

"Don't say that too loudly, he'll take you up on that, and then you two won't do anything but play. Hey, you should see these DVDs, though. These are really good. He even got you all the Disney movies, Nico." Jason called over from across the room and they both looked around.

"Really? Cool, I want to watch Tangled. Can we watch Tangled? Oh gods, wait, never mind. Forget Tangled. Look at all these horror movies. Nico, we have to watch these." Will insisted as both of them walked over to join Jason in front of the shelf.

So many DVD's.

However, Nico instantly found which ones Will was looking at.

Oh wow. His dad must have done quite some research (or had it done for him, same difference).

There was everything.

This room seemed to have everything.

For all of them.

"Definitely." Nico breathed, scanning the titles and feeling the anticipation rising inside of him.

He actually kind of liked horror movies.

Though he rarely got to watch any, since nobody ever got him any (somehow, people were more keen on giving him Disney movies for some reason. Not that he minded, he loved them all, after all).

"I didn't know you were into that stuff…" Jason muttered next to him, shifting uncomfortably, and Nico glanced around at him.

"You don't like horror?" He asked surprised, but even as he said it, it seemed to kind of make sense that somebody as good-hearted as Jason wouldn't be too keen on watching horror movies.

But Jason merely shrugged, though he still looked uncomfortable, which was answer enough already, to be honest.

"I…don't mind too much, I guess."

He seemed to mind, but Nico didn't point it out.

This was simply too much like Jason, he wouldn't have expected it any different.

"Well, maybe Will and I can watch these while you and Percy play some of those games. By the looks of it, I'm sure we can't play all of those together, anyways, and none of us should have to force themselves to do anything here. This is a sort of vacation, after all." He said and found Jason's shoulders relaxing slightly, making him inwardly roll his eyes.

Jason could be so precious sometimes.

"Who doesn't like horror? It gets so funny when they try to show people all that gore and bloodshed and can't even do their research properly, so people just randomly start bleeding shit tons of blood out of nowhere, while others run around with what should be vital injuries. It's kind of like in those action movies, just that there's a serial killer or psychopath or psychotic possessed-…"

"Alright, Freckles, I think I get your point." Jason hastily interrupted Will's speech, his face blanching slightly.

Uh-oh.

"Yeah, well, anyways, it's not like we're only going to watch horror movies. And I'd like to watch Tangled, too. Been a while. How about we watch that tonight, if everything works out fine?" He asked, trying to nudge the conversation into a different direction.

Will raised an eyebrow, but went with it, while Jason breathed out in relief and started pointing out different films he knew that they hadn't watched yet, putting together a sort of vague list of movies with Will that they intended to watch during their stay (however long that may be).

Nico mostly nodded along with their choices, tugging the various DVD cases out of the shelf and putting them down next to where the TV was, so he could show them to Percy later.  
Percy, who was still in the shower, all warm and wet and naked…Nico shouldn't think about that.

His eyes travelled over to the bathroom door, and a small sigh escaped his lips.

"I hope your dad got breakfast." Will chirped, tugging out some more DVDs and grinning and Nico.

"Well, Persephone and Demeter are most likely here, so we'll probably be able to get some cereal and fruits. The past times I was here, I didn't exactly eat much, but I'm sure they'll have something. Just don't eat any pomegranates, yeah?"

Gods, he would have to watch out for that.

He didn't want them stuck in here, after all.

Though his dad wouldn't do anything like that, right?

Still, Nico decided he'd watch out for any stray pomegranates just in case.

Jason and Will chuckled and looked around at him, amused smirks on their faces.

"I'd only eat that if you were to stay with me, Neeks." Will said with a wriggle of his eyebrows, while Jason rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Nico did the same.

"Sun-bug, are you hitting on my boyfriend again?" Percy asked, emerging from the bathroom with only a towel around his hips.

Damn, Percy.

Nico had a tough time not drooling, especially because Percy was walking straight towards him, his hair and skin still so wonderfully dripping wet.

How badly Nico wanted to lick those drops of water off him right now.

Damn, was he getting that desperate again?

"Wouldn't dream of it, Gorgeous. Where did you leave your clothes, huh? Or do you just like to tease our poor Nico? It's not like he hadn't been having a tough time not following you." Will chided, and Percy's eyes widened for a moment, looking slightly surprised at Nico, who promptly felt his face heating.

Hey! He hadn't let it show that much, right?

He wasn't that desperate…yet.

"Oh, shush, Freckles. Go take your shower and leave the two lovebirds alone." Jason came to his rescue, while Percy only had a dangerous smirk on his face and wrapped his arms around Nico, tugging him closer and against his still wet chest.

"Hey there." Percy's voice was low and seductive again, and Nico felt a shiver running down his back as he leaned into the hug, tilting his head upwards to get the much desired kiss.

"Hey."

"Fine. But hey, Neeks, if you want, you can join me in the-…"

"Don't even think about it." Percy interrupted Will with a wry look into his direction, then he looked back at Nico with that predatory gleam in his eyes.

Then they kissed again.

And again.

And again.

Nico could hear Will snort and complain about something, then heard the bathroom door closing, while Jason merely sighed and seemed to walk back to the games at the other wall, if the sound of his footsteps across the room stood for anything.

But Nico didn't care.

All that mattered to him were Percy's lips on his own right now.

"Missed me? I tried to be as fast as possible." Percy breathed against his lips, and started moving him towards the bed, which Nico let him do only too willingly.

"You should have enjoyed your shower, Percy." Nico whispered back, their lips finding each other over and over again, Percy's hands now beginning to roam his body as they still moved backwards.

Nico's hands moved up and down Percy's back, following the paths of some stray water drops and letting his fingernails graze across his skin every here and there, making Percy shiver so nicely.

"Without you? Impossible." Percy's voice was still so wonderfully low, almost a purr.

Nico loved it when that happened.

He felt the bed behind him and let himself fall onto it without hesitation, knowing he could trust Percy to keep him safe.

But seriously, it was so weird still wearing so many clothes when all Percy was wearing was that towel.

Oh, how badly he wanted that towel gone.

"Erm…guys? You do know I'm still here, right?" Jason's voice was hesitant and awkward, and Nico froze beneath Percy, feeling him tense up as well.

They threw each other alarmed and partly guilty glances, then Percy pulled back slightly and looked towards Jason, who luckily still had his back to them, studying the shelf of games, though Nico doubted he was really paying attention to the titles right now.

"Of course we do. How would we ever forget you?" Percy tried with a cocky voice, though Nico doubted Jason would buy it.

"Right." Jason replied, sounding as doubtful as Nico had thought.

He felt his face still burning and squirmed under Percy, who glanced down at him in surprise but pulled back further almost instantly, rolling off sideways to lie beside him.

"Oh gods." Percy groaned out in what almost sounded like bliss, closing his eyes with a faraway look on his face, and Nico blinked and blushed further, the tone of Percy's voice doing things to him they really shouldn't, though he had no idea what Percy was groaning about in the first place.

"Please don't tell me you're actually going to do anything even with me in the room." Jason almost pleaded, and Nico's head shot around in alarm, seeing Jason's ears turning a dark shade of red.

What?

No!

"Gods, Jason, you have to come here. This feels amazing." Percy groaned and Nico wondered what he was even talking about, his face practically burning – partly in embarrassment and mortification, partly in arousal (which should not be the case. Damn it Nico, pull yourself together!).

Then he realized he must mean the bed - Nico hadn't had the chance to really appreciate of the softness and comfort of the bed so far, though now that his confused and befuddled mind actually focused on it, it actually did seem kind of nice.

But still, Percy, really?!

If Nico hadn't caught on, then Jason was bound to think gods knew what!

Gods, he didn't even want to know what Jason thought.

"I…what?" Jason asked, his body tense now, a hint of incredulity in his voice.

Nico opened his mouth, but his voice didn't work properly, so instead of anything sensible, he let out a weak stammer.

Good job, Nico.

Very mature.

Especially given the situation.

"Jason, get over here. The bed is super amazing. I'm never getting up again." Percy uttered exasperated, hand over his face as he apparently utterly enjoyed the comfort of the bed, his second hand moving over to grasp Nico's, entwining their fingers.

Could anybody believe this guy?

"What? The…the bed? What are you two _doing_?" Jason asked, now utterly confused, and Nico couldn't help himself.

He burst into laughter.

It was just too absurd, too embarrassing, too awkward.

Jason finally dared to look around, relief crossing his features when he saw they really weren't doing anything they shouldn't, though then he frowned as he walked over and tentatively sat on the other side of the bed, eyeing them oddly, while Nico still laughed, curling sideways into a ball.

This was so stupid.

They were in the Underworld, one of the scariest and creepiest places in existence.

He should not be laughing, and this shouldn't be funny, and this bed shouldn't be this comfortable – not to mention they really shouldn't have spent the night in the bathtub.

But he couldn't stop, continuing to laugh and chuckle until it hurt, while Percy inched closer next to him, wrapping his arms around him and tugging him close, kissing the side of his neck with a smirk.

"You're crazy, babe." He notified him gently, but Nico didn't care.

He heard Jason let out a soft moan as he let himself drop backwards into the bed as well, and their eyes met for a moment.

Then Nico shook his head and buried his face in the sheets, still chuckling.

"All of this is crazy. Absolutely crazy." He muttered weakly, and Percy placed gentle kisses along his neck.

"You think so?"

"Yes. I know so." Nico stated and turned his face to look at his wonderful boyfriend.

Then he tugged him closer for a kiss.

"Now go and get dressed, you're making me crazy." He declared, pulling back and sitting up again, while both Jason and Percy looked up at him surprised.

"I…I am?" Percy asked, taken aback.

"Yes. Absolutely. Now shoo, or I _will_ ravish you." Nico replied seriously.

Today was a weird day.

He felt weird.

It was probably because they were finally here, after all the travelling and wondering and worrying, they had finally made it here.

Maybe it was that that made him act like this, so unlike himself, so crazy.

But it felt so damn good.

Percy's face turned a wonderful shade of pink, and he began stuttering something and getting up, making Nico awfully aware that there really was only a towel covering Percy right now, and seriously, it wasn't covering much.

He felt his lips twitching and gave in to the urge to grin, making Percy's blush deepen as he stood in front of Nico, looking at him with wide, surprised – but definitely aroused – eyes.

Then his gaze hushed past Nico to what he assumed to be Jason, and he watched Percy nibble on his lip with a conflicted expression.

Oh? What was he contemplating?

Whether or not to take Nico up on the ravishing part?

With Nico's current mood, he would so do it.

He raised a challenging eyebrow, and could see Percy's focus instantly returning to him, his hands moving forward to cup his face.

Next moment, their lips were colliding with each other's in an open mouthed kiss, and Nico felt Percy moving closer to between his legs.

Oh gods, this felt so good.

He put one hand to the back of Percy's head, drawing him closer and making their kiss more urgent.

Percy shivered, letting Nico take control without a fight, and Nico had to admit it felt kind of nice.

Very nice.

Way too nice.

Nico shouldn't be the one in control, but he couldn't make himself care, couldn't make himself stop.

Percy just seemed so wonderfully willing, it was almost as if their roles had switched.

It reminded Nico faintly of those few other times when he had been too tired to care, pushing Percy down and demanding what he wanted without fear of rejection or ridicule.

Percy always seemed to love those moments, too.

Maybe Nico should be more dominant, like, all the time.

It certainly had its perks.

He pondered this as he pulled Percy closer, his hands now roaming Percy's body, trusting him to stay close.

"N-Nico…" Percy panted against his lips as they had to break apart for a few seconds to breathe, but then Nico chased after him again, connecting them once more in a messy tongue kiss.

"Oh wow, Nico being in charge? Been a while since I saw that. Well, sorry to interrupt, but I'm done with my shower. Jason, stop hiding your head under the pillow, they're still good. Plus, the bed isn't the best place to hide when they're _making out on the bed_." Will's voice sounded through the room and Nico inwardly groaned in frustration.

Couldn't they leave them alone for a little while?

He wanted Percy! Here! Now!

Percy seemed to feel the same way, though he was a lot more vocal about it than Nico, groaning loudly and pulling back.

"Gods, couldn't you have just let us continue for a little bit? You're so damn cruel, Will! Do you have any idea how rare it is for Nico to get this sort of mood?" He asked incredulously, sounding almost offended by Will's interruption, but the blonde only shot him an unimpressed look and patted Jason on the back as he walked past him towards the bathroom, his ears a dark shade of red.

Nico merely grumbled, reluctantly letting Percy climb off him to get back up on his feet.

Apparently, he had actually gotten back onto the bed at some point.

Nico felt the irrational urge to grab hold of him and pull him back, but this time he controlled himself, letting him go, though it felt incredibly hard (though there were other things that were hard right now, too).

"Oh yeah, I am so sorry to interrupt your making out when I'm right there in the room too, you know." Will said with a sarcastic voice and Nico made a face.

Yeah, maybe they really shouldn't get so touchy feely around the guys, though.

No matter his weird and confusing urges and desires, he should at least control himself that much.

"You could be like Jason and simply look away." Percy sulked as he gazed at Nico wantonly a moment longer, then adjusted his towel and walked over to the bags with a mournful expression that made Nico want to chase after him and push him against the wall and claim his lips once more.

Gods, why was he so horny?

What was he doing? Catching up on all the hormone issues teenagers usually went through?

Well, he had been through enough other stuff, couldn't he at least be spared that?

"I'm not Jason, though." Will said simply, walking over to the bed and flopping down next to Nico, who promptly adjusted his position, the arousal slowly subsiding and making space for awkwardness again.

Yeah, he definitely should reign himself back in more.

"Oh? So what would you do, if not look away?" Percy asked from where he was collecting his clothes.

Nico resisted the urge to turn his head to watch him, instead risking a sideways glance at Will, who was watching him with an odd expression he completely couldn't decipher.

It wasn't surprise, but it was something along those lines, mingled with what almost looked like appreciation or admiration, though Nico wasn't sure.

It was weird, though, so he looked away quickly again, shifting as he realized just how this must have looked to the guys.

They were in the Underworld one day, and he was already doing utterly crazy things like declaring he'd ravish Percy right in front of Jason.

Well, maybe he could brush it off as some sort of after effect of spending the night in a bathtub.

That was bound to have some side effects, after all.

"Make out with Nico like that again, and you'll find out, Gorgeous." Will purred and Nico looked around at him again, a shiver running down his spine at the unmistakable innuendo in his words.

Wait, what?

Of course, Will couldn't possibly be serious, but…seriously?

Percy seemed to feel the same way, his head shooting around quicker than Nico had ever seen before, his clothes dropping onto the floor.

"What the…" His boyfriend started, his expression alarmed and utterly stunned.

Yes, that's how Nico felt right now, too.

Will laughed.

"Oh gods, you two should see your faces! That's what you get!" He exclaimed, laughing so hard he started having tears in his eyes, and Nico wondered faintly whether he had looked like that earlier, too, when he had been the one laughing.

Somehow, they were all crazy.

Now, was that a good thing or a bad thing?

He didn't know.

And, frankly, he didn't care.

He blamed it all on the bathtub, and that seemed good enough for now.

The moment Jason left the bathroom, he rushed in there, hoping a quick shower would do the trick of getting him back to his old self.

And seriously, he had to get Will's reply out of his head, had to stop thinking of the way his voice had transformed to that seductive, suggestive purr, had to stop thinking of the way he had involuntarily reacted to it.

Because that most definitely counted to the bad sort of crazy things he did not want to get into by accident and was thus something he should most definitely sort out as soon as possible.

Right now, he had other things to focus on than his raging hormones.

His father, for example.

And how in hell he was going to explain the mess with the bathtub.

He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, letting the water rain down on him.

Yes, that was a good thing to think about.

Though, if Nico was being honest with himself, Percy and Will stayed in the back of his mind throughout his shower.

.

Oh gods, dominant Nico was...there were no words for it.

Percy sighed wistfully, squeezing Nico's hand gently as they made their way through the dark, gloomy corridors towards what he considered a throne room, though it might have a different name to it, too.

Gods, he loved it when Nico was so straight-forward and direct.

He hadn't even been all too dominant, but the way his voice had changed, the way he had suddenly seemed so confident and looked Percy with that insistent, determined gleam in his eyes...it had been more than enough to turn Percy's world upside down and make his insides churn with want.

Percy knew he should have been sensible and walk away and get dressed, especially after already needing Jason to re-announce his presence when they had gotten carried away only minutes before.

But it was so rare that Nico was like that, and Percy just hadn't been able to resist.

Now, he almost regretted it, because he couldn't get the wanting look on Nico's face out of his head anymore, and he was more than desperate to see it again.

Which wasn't the best mindset when one was about to meet their boyfriend's father.

Especially not since this was Hades, and Percy and he didn't exactly have the fondest memories of each other, given their rocky past.

It had been Hades who had taken his mother, after all.

And it had been Hades who had wanted to lock him up in the dungeons and let him waste away.

Percy sighed, glancing sideways at his boyfriend, who had a contemplative expression on his face, gaze stubbornly directed straight-ahead at the closer coming doors.

Then again, Hades was a lot better than other gods.

And Percy had to admit once one got past all the doom and gloom, Hades had kind of been one of the most humane gods he had met.

He had definitely been the most realistic and down-to-earth one, that was for sure.

Percy still remembered his ranting about Charon's demand for a pay rise and had to smile.

Maybe they could get around the whole I-want(ed?)-to-kill-you-issue and make it work somewhat?

For Nico?

It was obvious Hades cared greatly for the Italian, after all (another fact that made Percy like him a lot more instantly).

Percy smiled, thinking of how _he _would definitely do anything for Nico.

And that included getting along with his dad, because even if Nico insisted otherwise, he knew he cared greatly for his father, too (or his whole godly family, to be honest).

So, yeah, Percy decided for himself he'd try his best to not start any unnecessary fights.

If there were any complications, they'd have to come from Hades' side.

Nico's hand turned clammy in his, and he felt the boy tensing next to him as they reached the big double doors, looming in front of them tall and majestic and kind of intimidating.

Percy took a deep breath, squeezing his hand again.

Everything was going to be fine.

He glanced around at Jason and Will, who stood on either side next to them and shot them reassuring smiles - which was ironic, since they probably had every reason to be nervous as well.

"Ready?" Will asked, mostly meaning Nico, but looking at Percy as well, so he nodded quickly, though he felt anything but.

Nico followed his lead and nodded as well, but Percy could swear he was blanching slightly.

"Everything will be alright, you'll see. Just relax." Jason said soothingly, and Percy immediately felt the tension leaving his shoulders, hearing Nico let out a small sigh, also relaxing slightly.

Yeah, everything would be just fine.

Nico looked up at him, and he put on the most assuring smile he could muster, nodding encouragingly.

Nico gave a slow nod back in reply, his hand closing around the door handle.

Then he opened the doors, squeezing Percy's hand one last time.

Percy squeezed back.

_Let's get the party started._


	20. Chapter 20: Comforting Percy

**A/N:** Hello Cupcakes ;D

Everytime after I uploaded a chapter or while I'm writing on the next one, I think of all the things I'm going to write here, but once I'm uploading them, I forget it all again ಠ╭╮ಠ

So, yeah, sorry, this is going to be a boring A/N (though I know I wanted to say something really important here...hm...)

This chapter is a tad longer again, because I didn't want to make a cut, and suddenly, everything seemed to be happening at the same time, because they don't even follow their own plans, apparently.

Enjoy ;D

-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 20: Meeting the gods, comforting Percy; and, oh what a splendid first day **

"Ah, you've awoken from the dead, how pleasant. Had a good sleep? I'm sure it was _refreshing_." Hades said, and Jason inwardly winced at the more than obvious hint at their sleeping in the bathtub (truly not their smartest idea).

Hades' voice sounded unimpressed, his expression stony as he towered in front of them in his giant, pitch-black throne, agonized faces swirling in the fabric of his robes.

Jason felt Nico stiffening to a board next to him.

Great. And he had only just felt a tad better, too.

"Oh, dear, be nice and show some manners, will you? No need to be so bitter, he obviously loved the room, and I'm sure they'll use the bed soon enough, you big crybaby." Persephone chided next to her husband, wearing a long, rather beautiful dress, depicting what appeared to be hundreds of different kinds of flowers in all shapes and colors, which clashed wildly with the rather dark and gloomy ambience.

Though it looked stunning on her, and made her look royal and intimidating like her husband, maybe even more so.

Hades opened his mouth to retort something, but then seemed to change his mind, instead huffing indignantly and turning away from her, causing her to smile in a triumphant, smug, and rather dangerous way.

"Who cares about all of that? Just look at the lot of them, skin and bones. They need some cereal. How about we first let them eat their breakfast, before wasting our time talking?" An elderly woman in a wheat-colored, but regal looking dress put in next to Persephone, who he guessed must be Demeter.

Cereal? Right.

He was all for the breakfast, though.

Persephone blatantly ignored her, instead returning her attention to them, and Jason made sure to look as friendly and humble as he could manage.

For some reason, he felt much more comfortable with Hades' attention.

Maybe because he actually knew what to expect, there.

"Good morning, boys. Please don't mind my husband, he is a bit grumpy in the mornings. I hope you had a pleasant night? Nico, why don't you introduce your friends?" She all but ordered, and Nico unfroze, just to almost jump.

It was so obvious he was nervous and uncomfortable, Jason wanted to tell them that they'd be back later and take him back to his room.

For obvious reasons, he didn't.

And even if these weren't gods that could pulverize him on a whim, he was fairly certain Nico wouldn't appreciate the gesture, anyways.

"Of course. Right. So. This is...this is Percy Jackson, as you all know already..." He started, and Hades made a derisive sound, which earned him an elbow in the ribs by his wife.

Hey, Persephone might actually turn out to be cool.

"...he's my boyfriend, as you also know. And this is Jason Grace, my best friend, and the one who'll be talking to you about the peace-contract...as you know…" Nico continued awkwardly, glancing at Jason as he introduced him, and he made sure to first send him a reassuring smile before looking towards the gods and wondering whether he should bow or anything.

The gods were kind of picky about that.

By the time he decided to better be safe than sorry, it was already too late, and all he had managed was a small nod.

Great.

Luckily, all their attention was already fixed on Will, anyways.

Wait, what? Why?

"...and this is Will Solace, also my best friend, as you also know. Percy, Jason, Will, as you already know, these are my father Hades, the god of the Underworld, his wife Persephone, goddess of springtime, and her mother Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and harvest." Nico finished his speech, his complexion still pale and worried.

"So he's the one you told us about before, hm?" Persephone chirped, getting up off her throne and striding towards them, her size reducing to that of an actual human by the time she reached them.

Now it was Will's turn to freeze, while Nico's face turned scarlet, eyes hushing over to Percy, who merely had an eyebrow raised.

Well, that was unexpected.

Jason watched Nico in sympathy.

Poor guy. This was bound to put even more stress on him, wasn't it?

And he was always trying so hard to show Percy he was his one and only.

"T-That was _one time_, and it's not...that was...I'm dating Percy." Nico blurted, face beet red, and Percy looked sideways at him with a frown, taking hold of his hand again as inconspicuously as he could (they had let go of each other the moment they had entered the throne room, probably not wanting to risk any trouble).

Jason even thought he could see him squeezing Nico's hand slightly, something those two had started doing to either get each other's attention or reassure each other.

Kind of cute, really.  
Persephone ignored him, instead lifting her hand to touch Will's cheek, which made him flinch, but luckily not pull back (Jason didn't want to know what that might have caused).

"Oh, I know. I'd have preferred this one, though. You made me lose a bet, sun boy." She said with a distracted voice, patting Will's cheek, who had absolutely no idea how to react, by the looks of it, staring at her, mute and in apparent shock.

Hades cleared his throat.

"Persephone, dear, do not traumatize his friends on the very first day, will you?" He said calmly, but Jason caught the way he looked at Nico, genuine concern showing on his features for a moment, and he knew the god actually cared.

For some reason, this made Jason relax slightly, though it didn't help ease his worry about what the hell they were staring at Will so much for.

Alright, Will was quite a bit to look at, and he supposed it was a big deal having the child of the god of the sun in the Underworld, which was the utter opposite, but Jason definitely didn't like the looks in their faces.

"I wouldn't dream of it. But he's a tough one, this one is. He'll be just fine." Persephone insisted, pulling her hand back slowly, though her eyes still travelled Will up and down, who had his mouth open as if to say something, but nothing came out.

Jason wouldn't have known what to say in his place, either.

In fact, he was kind of glad it wasn't him in that position, though he was sure he'd have it worse very soon, once he started trying to get their signatures.

"Right. Telling him you lost a bet because of him is not exactly a good way to reassure Nico's friends you won't turn them into plants." Hades reminded her with a pointed look, but Persephone merely rolled her eyes.

"Oh, you just don't want me to remind you that you lost that bet as well, betting on the Grace child."

Wait, what?

Jason felt his face heating, and saw Nico's doing the same, while Will and Percy looked around at him with wide eyes for a moment, then towards Hades for confirmation of that rather big and very doubtful statement.

To his absolute surprise, the god of the Underworld looked almost flustered.

"Persephone! I told you not to mention that! I did not support any of those three in that regard, as you very well know, and I have told you a hundred times I do not meddle with the love life of my children, which includes bets! I merely stated that the Grace kid would make for the least trouble, that is all!" He exclaimed, for a moment looking a lot like Nico when he tried acting tough when he was actually mortified.

"Oh, of course. And you so didn't say he was also the-…"

"Now, now, would you two stop it? They are right there, and they still haven't eaten. I am hereby ending the discussion, reminding you both _I_ am the one who won that bet. Of course it would be the boy who actually ate at least some cereal. Nico takes after me, after all!" Demeter boasted, and all heads turned towards her.

What…?

Nico still had a bright red face, but couldn't seem to bring out any words, while Percy stared up at Demeter in a mixture of confusion and bewilderment.

Oh gods, did they have to discuss this sort of thing right with them around?

Percy already doubted himself every some days, thinking he was no good for Nico and that Nico deserved better.

Jason really didn't need Hades and Persephone tearing him down even more – though he did admit he was more than surprised Hades had supposedly put his hopes in him.

Bad choice, really.

Jason loved Nico, and if the two of them were dating right now, he knew he'd always be there for him and cherish him and do all he could to make him happy – but he also knew that things would not have turned out the way they had in that case.

If Nico and Jason were dating, he'd have never let the others close the way Percy had.

No, he'd have kept Nico to himself, and solely himself.

He could be quite possessive, after all (though he tried to keep it at a minimum).

But for real, they wouldn't be where they were right now if he had been the one wooing Nico, and Nico wouldn't be as comfortable and at ease with them and the rest of the Camp – and most importantly, with himself.

So, even though Jason still mourned the lost chance, he was glad Percy had been the admirer, and that the four of them could hang out together as they did nowadays.

It was special and unique, their bond.

And Jason wouldn't want it any other way.

He returned his attention to the gods, and found them bickering loudly with each other about whom Nico resembled the most.

Just…what?

This was way too much like Will and Percy bickering about cold and hot showers.

For some reason, that realization eased the tension in his shoulders, and he took a small step towards Will, making sure he was alright after that thing with Persephone.

Seriously, Jason hadn't liked how they had looked at Will.

Will glanced around at him, his eyes still widened slightly, but the color was slowly returning to his face.

"You ok?" He asked quietly, his hand brushing against Will's arm, which Will actually allowed for once.

"Yeah. A bit disturbed, and more than freaked out, but I'm still alive, so I guess that's a good sign." Will mumbled back and Jason's lips twitched.

"Are you giving Jason your status report again?" Percy teased, stepping closer as well and tugging Nico along, who had his face buried in his hands and looked utterly mortified.

"Ha-ha. Very funny. I was confused, ok? People do weird things when they're confused." Will retorted defensively, and Jason rolled his eyes as Percy opened his mouth again to undoubtedly start something again.

"I can't believe they're actually standing there arguing. They wanted us to come here, and now they seem utterly set on embarrassing me or something." Nico's quiet wailing interrupted their not yet started argument, and Jason instantly wanted to reach out and tug him closer.

But he didn't, and a moment later, Percy did it for him, anyways, tugging Nico against his chest.

"Aw, sweetheart, don't take it to heart. I think they're pretty cool, actually."

"They practically said they hate you and Demeter only picked you because you ate your cereal, Percy." Will pointed out unhelpfully and Jason sent him an exasperated look when Percy made an almost hurt face.

"Shush, Freckles. Don't start anything."

"I can't believe they even bet on that. Why would they do that?" Nico asked incredulously, lowering his hands to gaze at them in question and befuddlement.

Will snorted.

"Welcome to my life. My siblings always bet on…pretty much anything, really. It's their way of telling me they love me and care about my life…or something." He stated with a noncommittal shrug and a frown at the end, and Jason instantly remembered the night he had spent in Will's cabin with him.

Yeah, those kids adored Will, alright?

The thought made him smile.

"Oh my, what bad hosts we are. Hades, dear, why don't you show them around? You went through so much trouble redecorating and refurnishing, it would be a shame to have them lounge around in here all day just because we get lost in idle chatter." Persephone exclaimed behind them and they turned to look at her.

If that had been 'idle chatter', Jason was kind of apprehensive to see what an argument looked like.

Also, he was seriously beginning to worry how things were going to go once he had to talk to them about the peace-contract.

He wished they'd make it easy for him and simply sign it and let him off, but he had the distinct feeling that was never going to happen.

If anything, they'd make it extra hard on him.

Oh well.

It wasn't as if he wasn't used to it already, anyways.

Gods and their moods.

Hades sighed and made to roll his eyes, but then didn't once he caught Demeter glowering at him.

"Alright. Nico, boys, come along. I shall show you around and then you can have breakfast and run around and do all those things kids like to do nowadays. Like scouring the Fields of Asphodel, taking a dip in the Styx, digging for dinosaur bones, sleeping in bathtubs…you know, all that _fun_ and _hip_ stuff everybody likes to do." He said, expression almost bitter again and Jason inwardly winced.

Seriously, gods were all spoiled, whiny teenagers.

"Or we could play those games! They looked so cool, after all." Jason tried conversationally towards Nico, sending them pointed glances.

Will instantly picked up on it, grinning.

"No way, we're so watching the movies first. Have you seen that collection? It's a dream come true."

They both glanced at Hades out of the corner of their eyes, who had started walking, expecting them to follow, though he was suddenly surprisingly quiet, as if listening.

"Guys, you know what's a dream come true? The bed. Seriously, Will, you have to lie down in that bed. It's amazing." Percy cooed, having gotten the hint as well, though Jason knew he was also dead serious.

But he understood.

The bed truly was nice, all soft and comfortable.

It really was a shame they hadn't gotten a chance to sleep in it yet.

Jason was certain their sleep would be heavenly (which sounded a tad ironic, given that they were in the Underworld).

They definitely had Hades' attention, that much was certain.

He looked towards Nico hopefully, already seeing him glance around at them with an almost exasperated expression.

"Guys, what did you expect? It's _my_ room, after all. So it's only obvious it'd be freaking _awesome_."

Jason, Will and Percy grinned at him and glanced at Hades out of the corners of their eyes.

What they saw made them grin even wider.

Yes, the god of the Underworld was most definitely smiling.

That just had to be a good omen.

Nico shook his head at them, but the three of them winked back at him at the same time, something that made Will and Percy snicker quietly, while Jason only shook his head slightly, looking over his shoulder towards Demeter and Persephone, who exchanged telling glances he couldn't decipher.

Then the doors fell shut, and they let a rather pleased Hades show them his realm.

.

The palace was interesting, and, quite frankly said, gigantic.

Seriously, so much space.

Will was more than awed.

They went through room after room after room, Hades telling them all these weird things Will didn't even understand, but he was too busy looking around in wonder to really listen, anyways.

The only things he actually did pay attention to were the rules Hades kept telling them every here and there.

They were allowed to go anywhere they wanted so far, but leave other beings alone and not bother anybody (which should be obvious, anyways. They all had manners, after all - not to mention they weren't suicidal).

Nico also only had to practically snap his fingers and skeleton guys would pop up from nowhere to fulfill his every wish, no matter whether it was food or drink or games or dinosaur bones (why Hades kept insisting on dinosaur bones, Will had no idea, but he found he was getting more and more curious to ask Nico whether they could actually _find_ dinosaur bones down here).

They didn't have any schedules or set times for anything, but Hades had told them that Persephone and Demeter wanted them to at the very least spend one meal a day with them (though Will was certain Hades wanted that just as much, but didn't want to admit to it).

All in all, the rules were that there were no rules, other than one meal a day with the gods.

That didn't seem too bad.

Though Will seriously wondered how long they expected the four to stay here, and what for.

So far, nothing had been mentioned that they actually wanted to do anything together other than eat, and by the way Hades had equipped Nico's room, Will was certain they'd spend most of their time in there.

Did Hades just want his son around for a while? Have him closer than when Nico was in the upper world?

Or was this some sort of trap, something to keep them contented until the gods could drop the bomb and have them go on some maniac quest or something?

Will didn't know, and he stopped thinking about it the moment they set foot in the dining room (thankfully the last room Hades had to show them, though it was just as impressive as the rest) and laid eyes on the food.

Gods, he was starved.

Yesterday, he hadn't exactly eaten much, due to his fear of being called out by Reyna, just to then get taken aside by her for real, and then the long car ride soon after.

And when they had arrived here, they hadn't eaten, either, instead falling asleep in the bathtub (not their smartest move, but totally worth it, all the same).

Oh gods, the bathtub.

Last night.

This morning.

Will had no clue where to start, really.

The whole thing definitely counted to the craziest things he'd done in his life, but he could swear he had never slept better.

It hadn't been very comfortable, and he clearly remembered the boys pressing him against the sides of the tub in an almost hurting way – but he also remembered never feeling better, humming in his nightmare-free sleep and drawing them closer, soaking in the comfort of their proximity.

And, by the gods, he had dreamed.

He had actually _dreamed_.

_A dream._

Not a nightmare, not some dumb prophetic rubbish, but an actual dream.

He had so wanted to tell the guys, had wanted to yell it to the world that he had finally had a dream again, in gods knew how long.

But then he hadn't, deciding he didn't want them to ask what his dream had been about, and utterly unwilling to ever lie to them (especially because they were so wonderful and trusting and considerate, not asking once about Reyna or his behavior or his past, instead accepting him just the way he was and waiting for him to be ready – not that he'd ever tell them, but anyways).

Yeah, it really wasn't a dream to boast about, especially since it had mostly featured a certain, very adorable (and very sexy) Italian and himself in that clearing back at Camp Half-Blood.

Then again, his dream was almost (but only almost) innocent in comparison to what he had woken up to today in the morning.

Seriously, Jason and Percy.

He was glad they got along better now, but wasn't butt-grabbing a tad over the top?

And who the hell had given Percy permission to ruffle Jason's hair in that super adorable way that made it stand off in all directions and made Will want to grab him and tug him closer for a kiss?

It should be illegal for Jason to look like that.

It should also be illegal for Percy to grin in the mischievous way that showed off those white teeth and put that gleam into his eyes that Will adored- he meant, the gleam that annoyed the hell out of him.

Oh well, screw it, who cared what he was thinking, anyways, nobody could hear it.

Alright, he adored Percy's eyes.

Big deal.

"So then, if you need anything, I'll be with my wife. Enjoy your breakfast – and make sure to at least eat some of the cereal, or I won't hear the end of it. And you will want me in a good mood, Jason Grace, if you wish me to hear you out about that rather interesting contract you have." Hades said pointedly and Will glanced sideways at Jason, who immediately stiffened, but met Hades' gaze with a small nod.

"Thank you for the heads up, sir. May I ask when you would be willing to grant me an audience with you?"

Jason sounded so business-like, Will was almost impressed.

Sadly, he also had to suppress the urge to laugh, because that type of speech didn't suit his Jason whatsoever – which was ironic, because he could so picture Jason a salesman right now.

But at the same time, he couldn't, because Jason would seriously die if he had to try persuade people to buy things they didn't really need.

Thinking about it, that was kind of amusing, too.

And cute.

Jason was so adorable.

Why was he so adorable?

And why was Will constantly finding his three dorks way too adorable for their own good?

They were fighters, the heroes of Olympus, saviors of the camps and their lives and everyone and the world – he should fall to his knees and beg for forgiveness, really.

_But they were just so adorable!_

Seriously, Percy drooled in his sleep, Nico was always that adorable, shy munchkin, and Jason was this giant, buff guy with glasses that kept sliding off his face, who would share his last brownie with you in an instant.

How could anybody take them serious? It was beyond him.

Hades contemplated the blonde for a moment, and Will remembered how Persephone had actually walked up to him – to _him_, Will Solace! – and _touched_ him.

The thought sent shivers down his back and made his skin tingle uncomfortably.

That had been weird.

It hadn't hurt, hadn't exactly felt much different from human touch, just that he hadn't gotten any data on her blood pressure or pulse or values like he usually did (not much surprise there, of course, since she was a goddess, after all, duh), but it had still felt odd.

He still didn't understand why she had done it, either.

She hadn't touched Nico, and of all of them, Nico was the one Will would have understood the most, maybe even expecting it to some extent.

Yet, it had been his cheek she had touched, her unnaturally cool fingers stroking over his skin in that horrible, chillingly soothing way, as if she was comforting him for whatever reasons.

Or pitying him.

Will wasn't sure what that look in their eyes had meant, but he was certain it meant nothing good for him.

And either they were pitying him for his messed up past (which he didn't want and would loathe to think that they knew about it in the first place – which was irrational, since the gods tended to know about everything that wasn't any of their business), or they were pitying him for some event in the future that they knew would come.

He wasn't sure which option he hated more, to be honest.

"I think I'll let you off the hook for this week, Jason Grace. Expect to be called by one of my subordinates the beginning of next week, and we shall see whether you can offer me anything that will persuade me to take part in your try for peace. I'm curious to see what you will come up with. Now, I must get going. See you around." Hades declared, lifting a hand as he turned away, probably hoping to look less strict and conservative as he was, but it looked kind of forced.

Still, they all were as polite as they could, except Nico, who merely nodded and wished him a good day, already pushing the three of them towards the giant table full of food.

Will's stomach grumbled, and all three of them looked around at him with amusement in their eyes.

"Somebody's hungry." Percy observed with a sly grin, and Will had half a mind to grab the first item in reach – in this case, something that looked a lot like porridge – and smack it in his face.

Though he also would have liked to smack his lips against Percy's. Hard.

That would definitely get that smug expression off his face, Will was certain.

Yeah, Will didn't do either, of course.

Instead, he huffed and flopped down on one of the many chairs, closely followed by Jason, and then joined by the other two as well.

They were about to start eating, when the god of the Underworld stuck his head in the room once more.

"Oh yes, before I forget: Perseus Jackson, I'll be having a word with you once you finish breakfast. Alone. Enjoy your meal." He announced, looking sharply at Percy – then he was gone again.

Will glanced towards Percy and found him looking stunned and slightly green in the face, apparently having just lost his appetite, if the pushing away of his plate stood for anything.

He couldn't decide whether to console him or laugh at this twist of events.

In a way, they should have expected it, he guessed.

Nico looked around wide-eyed as well, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"I…I am so…I am so sorry…" He mumbled towards Percy, but Percy took a deep breath and put on his brave expression.

"No worries. It's going to be great."

Will glanced towards Jason, but Jason wasn't looking at any of them, instead collecting various bits of food from the display in front of them, piling them onto his plate.

What?

Since when was Jason one to ignore the chance to be supportive and considerate?

And what was wrong with him that he'd eat so much?

Highly unusual.

Maybe he was still freaked out because of his upcoming business talk with Hades?

Will tried to sneak his hand closer to the blonde to get some physical contact between them, just to see whether there was anything seriously wrong, but then Jason got up, grabbing his plate and holding it over the table towards Percy.

"Man, I picked all the wrong stuff. Percy, switch plates with me." Jason said cheerily and Nico glanced around at him with a frown at his untroubled tone, but his expression cleared once he saw the plate.

Will's lips twitched.

What was he _doing_? It was more than obvious that was a lie.

Percy would never fall for something like that, not even on his bad days.

The boy looked up confused, but then his eyes fell on his plate and his expression changed to incredulity, gaze moving up to Jason with an unspoken 'You've got to be kidding me'.

Will looked at Jason, but Jason stared Percy down unimpressed.

"No thanks." Percy mumbled awkwardly, dropping his gaze again, but Jason apparently wouldn't take no for an answer, because in the next moment, he sighed and leaned across the table, grabbing Percy's free plate and dropping his own in front of him.

"Eat. Now. You have barely eaten anything yesterday, and I know for a fact you're starving."

"I'm not really hungry." Percy muttered evasively, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Nico gazed at him worriedly, teeth irritating his bottom lip nervously, and it looked a lot like he already regretted taking them all here.

"You'll regret it." Jason pointed out, dropping back into his seat and looking around at Will with a questioning gaze.

Then his eyes fixed on Will's still empty plate and Will understood the warning all too clearly, scowling at the blonde.

Mother-hen.

Will suppressed a huff and reached for whatever was closest to him, which - unsurprisingly enough – happened to be cereal.

Oh well.

"No thanks. I'm good." Percy grumbled, turning his face away from the plate and wrapping his arms around himself, still looking sick.

Some food in his system might actually not be a bad idea at all.

And Jason was right, Percy hadn't exactly eaten much, and he was usually the one eating the most out of all of them.

But the way Jason was going about it was all wrong.

Sure, it would work, but it would take way too long.

Will glanced around the table for something, anything, that could be of help, but there was nothing he was certain would tickle Percy's fancy.

And what was up with all the cereal?

Suddenly, he had an idea.

"Are you sure? I don't know about you, but I definitely don't want to upset the gods when they're kind enough to have breakfast prepared for us. Just imagine what Nico's dad is going to think of you if he just offered you all this food and told you to meet him later, and in return, you don't value his efforts whatsoever? Man, I'd sure feel offended, that much is certain." He chirped, and Jason threw him an amused, approving grin and a small wink that made Will feel all giddy and weird.

Percy, however, blanched even more.

"Really?" He asked weakly, his eyes hushing back to the overfilled plate with uncertainty in his gaze.

Nico opened his mouth, his expression conflicted, and Will knew there was a 50% chance Nico could say the final thing that would get Percy around.

But there was also a 50% chance Nico could say something that would destroy it all, because Nico didn't lie and Nico would never want Percy to worry.

"Oh yes, absolutely. So eat up. You wouldn't want to worry Nico, after all, would you now? And down here, there's barely any sunlight, so you'll need all the nutrition and energy you can get, else it'll be bye-bye health. And we wouldn't want that now, would we? I mean, we're in the Underworld, I have no idea whether my powers would be working. Would be a shame if-…" He babbled hastily, and found Nico shooting him an alarmed look.

Sorry, Neeks.

"Alright, alright! I'm eating. Damn, you're even worse than he is." Percy interrupted him and gestured towards Jason, who was grinning smugly, chewing on the sandwich he had apparently prepared for himself, looking adorably proud, even though he really shouldn't (that had not been praise, after all, though Will wondered whether Jason knew that).

That dork.

Will found himself smiling at him softly, but then concentrated back on Percy hurriedly, watching him picking up his fork and tentatively trying one of the many things loaded on his plate.

After the first few bites, Will saw some of the tension leaving his shoulders and nodded to himself.

Mission accomplished.

He glanced towards Nico, who had picked up some fruit and was eating slowly with his left hand, his right hand hidden from sight by the table – though Will was fairly certain it was resting on Percy's thigh to soothe him.

At least Will hoped that's all it was doing.

No, he definitely shouldn't picture anything else.

To get his mind off that peculiar topic, he focused back on his cereal, looking around for milk just to find Jason holding it out to him without looking at him.

Smiling to himself, he took it, and for whatever inexplicable reason, he remembered how Jason had looked at him today in the morning, with that hint of surprise, and an even bigger hint of alarm in his gaze, Percy's hand squeezing his backside as if to prove a point.

Seriously, why was he thinking about that now?

Also, was he ever going to understand the bond Percy and Jason had?

He had had his fair share of friends, and had watched plenty of friendships all around Camp, but he had yet to meet two other (gay or not) guys who were so comfortable around each other they could grope on each other like that without even flinching and without making things awkward.

In a way, he had to admit he was a tad envious.

He'd certainly like to have that sort of bond with Nico, that much was for sure.

At that thought, he glanced towards Nico again and found him gazing at him distractedly, as if pondering something.

Will winked at him and wriggled his eyebrows, causing Nico to blink and blush, shifting slightly on his chair and leaning against Percy, who was busy emptying his plate.

Will grinned and tried a spoonful of cereal.

"Hey, this is actually pretty good." He muttered surprised, and found the other three looking around at him with amused expressions.

"No duh." Nico deadpanned.

"You're slow." Jason remarked.

"So much about not wanting to upset any gods. Did you just indicate you thought it'd taste like rubbish?" Percy teased, and Will sent him a playful glare, which Percy returned with a scrunched up, rather adorably stupid face.

They two of them grinned at each other, then resumed their eating simultaneously, and Will could feel Jason tense next to him for inexplicable reasons.

But by the time he looked around, Jason was busy eating again, his gaze on his plate.

Hm, weird.

Will shrugged to himself and continued on his breakfast, thinking of Jason, of Nico, of Percy, of the three of them, of them in the Underworld, of the lack of sunlight, of how good this cereal actually tasted, of the flowery decoration around them (undoubtedly done by Persephone), about the talk Hades was going to have with Percy, about what they'd be doing later, about vacations, about bathtubs, about anything and everything that came to mind.

He smiled, catching Percy catching him at it, but the boy merely smirked back at him and resumed eating, for once not teasing him.

And Will felt himself relaxing, feeling surprisingly at home in this utterly foreign place.

Then again, home was where the heart was, right?

And apparently, his heart was right here.

His eyes hushed over to Nico, who was smiling down at his plate softly, eating some fruit and looking a lot better than earlier.

Of course his heart was here.

Nico was here, after all.

Nico was his heart, and nobody else.

Didn't he say he wanted to work on his denial-issues?

.

The moment Percy decided he could not eat another bite for the life of him (yeah, thank you, Jason, for completely overdoing it as usual – and who was he kidding, Percy so knew he had done it on purpose), the doors swung open again and there was Hades, and he felt the nausea and unease washing over him again, making his stomach lurch and immediately regret eating so much.

He found himself moving automatically, getting up, sending Nico a reassuring smile and nodding towards Jason and Will, (who first shot him glances that practically yelled 'Everything is going to be fine!', just to then glance at each other with a hint of doubt in their gazes) and rounding the table to walk up to the god of the Underworld – but at the same time, it felt like it wasn't him doing those things at all, as if his body and mind were two separate beings and his body simply acted because his mind was out of it.

Percy found himself uncaring, though, instead looking back towards his boyfriend for a last time.

"Well, see you guys later…" He mumbled, resisting the urge to add 'I hope'.

It was going to be fine.

What was Hades going to do, have 'the talk' with him?

Even if, it wasn't as if that was going to kill him, right?

He didn't doubt for a second Hades knew exactly what was happening at his cabin, and he wouldn't be surprised if Hades knew everything that happened outside that cabin, either, so it wasn't as if Percy had to break it to him that he was having sex with his son.

At least he hoped so.

Gods, Hades had wanted Jason to be Nico's boyfriend, what if he was going to let his anger out on Percy at being robbed off that chance?

What if he was going to criticize every little thing Percy had done and tell him how much better things would have been if it had been Jason?

Well, then he'd simply have to live with that and work on himself to be somebody Hades could at the very least accept.

"Relax, Jackson. I am not going to give you 'the talk', or whatever absurd scenario your little, human brain is coming up with." Hades sounded almost bored, walking a step ahead of Percy at a rather slow pace, as if he wanted to have as much time to talk as possible.

"Ok." Was all Percy managed, for the first time in his life humble and almost shy, not wanting to upset the gods – at least not this one.

Not now.

This was Nico's dad.

And Percy loved Nico, so he was going to try his best and would keep the promise he had made to himself.

For Nico, Percy would do anything.

Hades looked around at him, thin lips twitching amused – much like Nico's sometimes did.

All in all, Percy was surprised to see those two actually did share some similarities.

It had never really crossed his mind like that before, but now it seemed almost too obvious to not get noticed.

"What, swallowed your tongue? I must admit, I'm surprised. The last time you were here, you weren't this quiet. By far. Then again, the last time you were here, you caused nothing but trouble. I hope this time will be different?" The god of the Underworld stated, the last sentence sounding more like a threat than an actual question.

Percy gulped.

"I am sorry for the trouble I have caused. It wasn't my intention. I only had the best in mind, as you must know." He tried carefully, and they left the palace, making their way towards the Fields of Punishment, which instantly made Percy break out in cold sweat.

Hades didn't say anything, letting silence fall between them.

Percy took that as a warning not to say anything that would justify whatever he had been doing.

For Nico, he wouldn't upset Hades.

"So, you're dating my son." The statement tore Percy right out of his thoughts.

He had thought this wasn't going to be_ 'the talk'_?!

"Yes." He replied, though it should go without saying that he was dating Nico, and he knew Hades knew, so his statement was kind of pointless.

"Why?" Hades asked, turning his head to look straight into Percy's eyes, and Percy realized with a jolt he and Nico had absurdly similar eyes.

"I love him."

The words came naturally, because they were true.

He wasn't ashamed of how he felt, and he knew his feelings were honest and true and real, so there was nothing Hades could say or do to make him doubt that.

He loved Nico, loved him so, so much, more than anything or anybody else in the world – and he was sure he had never loved anybody else like that, ever.

Hades gazed at him quietly for a moment, stopping at the side of the path, the Fields of Punishment right ahead of them.

Percy stared back unblinking, afraid Hades would think he might be lying if he dared to look away.

Then he started wondering whether Hades might not actually see this as a sort of challenge and feel offended, but by the time he worried and contemplated looking away, Hades already turned his head to gaze across the field full of tortured souls.

"And why is that?"

What? What was Hades doing?

If he wanted Percy to gush about Nico, he only needed to say so.

Percy could go on for hours about his boyfriend, after all (he had, too, back before they had been together and he had ran to Annabeth to cry his heart out, because Nico was just so perfect, but seemed over him already. Gods, how he had cursed everything in existence for missing his chance with Nico like that. And gods, was he happy Nico was with him now).

"Because he's…Nico. He's smart and funny, even though his humor tends to be a bit dry and morbid by times, but I like it nonetheless. He's down to earth and realistic, but he'd still be up for any sort of rubbish we come up with, no matter how crazy. He's loyal and considerate and always there for anybody who needs him, he's a great listener and awesome with kids, even if he doesn't know it. He's strong and has the power to change the world, yet he'd never hurt without reason, and doesn't like being in the center of attention. He's this wonderful, shy and adorable dork, so beautiful and wonderful and perfect, even though he doesn't seem to realize it. And, gods, have you seen him with his hair in a ponytail? It makes him look so hot, older and more mature, and if he gets into one of his confident moods…gods, he's perfect." He trailed off, eyes unfocused as he remembered how Nico had pushed him down on New Year's Eve, remembered how it had felt being beneath Nico di Angelo.

He remembered this morning, once more cursing the fact they had had to stop.

Then he remembered who exactly he was talking to right now and cleared his throat, wondering whether mentioning this had been such a good idea.

"I mean…I know Nico for a while already. I don't know everything he went through, but I know that almost the entirety of Nico's past consists of him being alone and mistreated and hurt. I know I hurt him, too, with the things I've said and done, with my own obliviousness, with being the dumb idiot I tend to be. I know you probably don't think I'm a good match for your son, I think so myself, too, but I do really, really love him. And I want to make him happy. I want to make him smile and laugh, because he has the most adorable smile in the world and his genuine laugh is the most beautiful sound you could imagine. I want to be there for him, want him to enjoy himself and collect all those good memories he wasn't able to collect before, because he's wonderful and he deserves everything, anything, all there is, more than I can give, I know."

Hades looked at him quietly, his expression inscrutable.

"If you feel so unsuitable for my son, then why are you still with him? I see two other men as deeply in love with him as you are, yet you don't step out of the way for them to give Nico what he deserves." He stated quietly, and Percy felt pain searing through him, hot and throbbing, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth and making his hands shake.

Of course, he had brought this upon himself.

This was what he kept thinking as well, after all.

But at the same time, he couldn't stop being selfish, couldn't stop from keeping Nico to himself, because it was the best thing in his life, the best to have ever happened to him, and he didn't want it to end.

He couldn't let it end.

Nico was everything to him.

But Hades was right, of course.

If Percy truly cared for Nico, he'd see that Jason – or even Will, for that matter – would be able to make Nico so much happier.

His stomach dropped, and for one fleeting moment, he wanted to cry.

"I…I know. I just…I want to try to make him happy. Right now, he does seem to enjoy me being with him, so I want to make the most of it. I don't know what the future will hold, I don't know if he's going to get bored of me or anything, the only thing I know for sure is that I'll always love him. So if there's only the hint of a doubt that Nico might not enjoy being with me anymore, I'll step back instantly and not be in his way." He said, trying to push down the lump in his throat, threatening to make his voice crack.

Hades merely considered him with an indifferent expression.

"And you just expect the other two to wait that long? How is that fair towards them?" He asked sternly, and Percy's heart dropped even further, guilt washing over him as he thought of Will and Jason, who must be hurting so much all the time, but still stuck around because they loved Nico too much to leave.

"I…" He started, but had no idea what to say, swallowing in a futile try to get rid of the lump in his throat.

"What if you try to make my son happy, but fail, and by the time you realize this, it will be too late for him to get the boy that would have made him happy?" Hades asked, turning around to face him properly, his expression cold and unforgiving.

Percy felt the words as if they were being etched into his skin, physical pain shooting through his body.

A part of him wanted to yell, wanted to fight, wanted to argue, wanted to defend himself.

But another part of him wanted to cower and curl up in himself, wanted to cry and beg for Nico, for him to be happy with Percy, for Percy to be good enough for Nico.

Hades took in his expression, though Percy had no idea how he looked right now.

He had no control over his facial muscles right now, so there was nothing he could do, anyways.

He merely stood there, letting Hades look at him all he wanted.

There was nothing he could say.

Nothing he could do.

Nico. For Nico he'd do anything, he had promised Nico and himself that.

Why was it, then, that he was still with him? He knew the other two loved him just like Percy loved him.

He knew they'd be the better match.

Hades knew.

Persephone knew.

And the only reason Demeter had named Percy (which had surprised him, anyways), was because he apparently had eaten more cereal than the other two, so that wasn't a very good reason, was it now?

He had thought he had prioritized Nico, but now he wondered whether all he had been doing had been out of utterly selfish reasons.

Doubt settled over him like a cloud, like the world, like the sky he had had to hold up back in the battle against Atlas.

Hades' expression shifted for a moment.

Then he sighed and turned his back to Percy again, looking out over his realm.

"However, I admit Nico does seem fairly happy right now. You've done a good job, Perseus Jackson. And even though I do not approve of you, I respect my son's wishes. But be warned. I am not like the other gods. I do not neglect my offspring in times of need. If you dare hurt Nico, I will hurt you tenfold. You even as much as intend to use him or break his heart in any way, and you'll find yourself down here before you can even think to say 'Hail the gods'. You'll be right over there, next to Tantalus."

Hades' voice was low and dangerous, the threat sending shivers down his spine because he knew Hades was dead serious.

He didn't doubt it even for a second.

Swallowing, he found himself nodding numbly.

"I…I have no intention of hurting Nico. As I said, I'll be there as long as he'll have me. And even if he doesn't want to date me anymore, I'll make sure to stick around and be there for him for as long as he'll let me, and I'll protect him from danger as much as I can, though I know he's perfectly capable of protecting himself." He said, his face downcast slightly, though he could still see Hades turning his head towards him through his eyelashes.

Hades considered him for another moment.

"What about Will Solace?" He then asked and Percy's head shot up again, confusion filling him.

What? What about Will?

"I…what? Erm…I think he'd be a good boyfriend to Nico, if things played out that way…I guess…" He muttered awkwardly, a picture of the three of them 'together' rushing through his head – very unhelpful right now.

Yes, he was fairly certain he would never ever discuss the prospect of a threesome – much less foursome – with the god of the Underworld.

Hades all but rolled his eyes.

"That is not what I meant." He stated drily, but did not clarify what exactly he _had_ meant.

Percy frowned, confused.

But just as he was about to ask, Hades turned away from him again and began walking, so he followed hurriedly.

"You four have an interesting friendship." Hades remarked after a short span of silence and Percy broke out in cold sweat again.

Was Hades trying to hint at anything?

"I suppose so. We all love Nico very much."

"I am aware. And he loves you." Hades said, sounding almost bitter.

Percy pursed his lips and kept himself one step behind Hades, keeping up with his now rather brisk pace.

"Is that so bad? I mean…" He started, but then was unsure of how to continue, because he wasn't sure what he even wanted to say.

"No. But I had hoped my son would have…a simpler life. He has gone through enough bad things already, I had hoped he wouldn't chose an even more difficult future."

Percy winced.

Had Hades just compared Nico's love life with his broken past?

An 'even more difficult' future than his already horrid past?

What did that say about Percy?

And how much did Hades know?

"So…you're saying he won't be happy? With me? With us?" He asked, his voice coming out more shaky and scared than he had intended to let show.

Hades glanced around at him, looking almost bored.

"I said no such thing. Just because something may be more difficult to achieve, that doesn't mean you won't be happy afterwards. There will always be hardships, but if you work together, you will be able to overcome them and lead the happy life you so badly crave."

Percy frowned.

"So…he will be happy?"

"If you keep doing what you're doing and take good care of my son, I do not see why not." Hades stated simply, though Percy had definitely caught that splint second of hesitation.

What did it mean?

He didn't understand.

One moment, Hades said Nico wouldn't be happy, that Percy was in the way.

The next moment, he said Percy could make him happy.

It didn't make sense.

"I don't understand." He admitted meekly, feeling the god's gaze on him, studying him.

"I am not surprised." Hades retorted and Percy had to control himself not to glower at him.

This was _not_ the time to make fun of him!

When he did glance up at the man, he found Hades' lip twitching just like Nico's so often did when he tried to hold back a laugh.

Percy had successfully managed to make the god of the Underworld hold back from laughing.

Should he feel proud now?

He felt more embarrassed and annoyed, to be honest.

To calm himself, he pictured Nico, and what they had been doing back in his cabin the night before they had left for the travel.

That did work, but for an entirely different reason.

That was Hades' cabin.

His cabin, yet he let Percy, Will and Jason stay in there pretty much every night.  
His cabin, yet he let Percy ravish Nico in there.  
His cabin, yet Percy hadn't heard him say a single thing against any of that.

It was a sobering realization.

He glanced back at Hades, who had started walking again, the two of them slowly making their way back towards the palace.

"…thank you." Percy mumbled, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

Hades looked around at him with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

"What was that?"

"Thank you. For…for letting us stay with Nico. In your cabin. I…I know others wouldn't be ok with that." He admitted grudgingly, looking down at his feet.

For a long moment, there was silence.

"You're welcome." Hades then said simply, turning away again and resuming his walk, so Percy followed, feeling a tiny bit more at ease than a moment ago.

"I respect my son's decisions, as well as his privacy. When he first allowed you in the cabin, I was there, wondering whether I shouldn't just zap the lot of you, but then I realized it made him happy, so I let it pass. Since then, I have refrained from looking there much, unless it was important." Hades said conversationally after some time as they neared the palace doors.

Percy blinked, wondering since when he was so talk-active, and also, why he was telling him this.

Then it dawned on him what Hades was actually saying.

"Yes, Jackson, you got that right. I do not see everything that is going on in there, though I very well could find out. However, there are simply things in life no father wants to see his son doing or participating in."

Percy felt his face heating, knowing exactly what Hades was referring to in that moment.

So Hades didn't know, after all? Well, not in too much detail, at least?

"That's…that's very considerate of you…sir…" He tried to reply, feeling his face burn still.

Hades didn't even look around, only huffing the same way Nico sometimes did.

It was that typical 'you don't say'-huff.

"I mean…I'm serious. I know things like that should never be taken for granted. I can imagine a lot of other gods wouldn't be even half as considerate, nor care about their kids as much as you do." He knew it sounded like he was trying to butter him up (and maybe he was hoping to do that a tiny bit), but he was partly serious, too.

Hades glanced around at him.

"What, are you surprised? Look around you, Percy. Everything you see here is managed by my wife and myself. While the other gods you refer to have their heads in the clouds and concentrate on fun rather than hardships and work, we have to take care of this place in order to preserve peace and keep chaos from spreading. They might run around having children and forgetting about them, because they lose track or are too busy with themselves, but here, things do not work this way. Nico is the only child I have left, and he will most likely be the last mortal child I will ever have, same as Hazel will be my last child in my Roman form. Of course I care about him. Same as your father cares about you."

Percy's head shot up at the mention of his dad, stunned and surprised by the almost gentle expression on Hades' face.

Somehow, he hadn't expected Hades to even acknowledge his dad for the entirety of his stay, and if, then not in any sort of positive way.

Hades raised an eyebrow at his reaction, but didn't say anything further, instead continuing up the steps to the front doors.

Percy followed, utterly uncertain how to feel right now.

All in all, it had been a rather confusing and depressing conversation, and it felt like they hadn't really solved anything between them, nor anything else, like starting five conversations and just dropping all five of them before either party had said all they had had to say.

And then there was the fact that he still felt utterly guilty about the guys and Nico.

Was he really keeping him from his happiness?

Or was he not?

What had Hades ultimately said?

He didn't know.

He didn't understand.

And Hades didn't seem to either notice or deem it important enough to acknowledge, so Percy was certain he'd never actually get an explanation.

So, all that was left for him to do, was to ponder his words over and over again, trying to make sense of it all, of everything, and feeling his insides churning and hurting every single time, over and over again.

It couldn't be true, right?

He was making Nico happy, right?

Right?

.

Will sighed, watching Jason pace in a big 8 in front of the door, while Nico was sitting on the opposite side of the bed, tapping his feet on the ground nervously.

He could only hope Percy would be back soon.

Seriously, what was taking him so long?

How long did Hades intend to talk to him?

What could he possibly talk about for so long?

It was obvious he'd talk about Nico at some point, about Percy dating him and all that stuff, most likely resulting in Hades crushing Percy's self-esteem and making him doubt everything (because Will didn't already have enough work with these guys as it was, already) – but that couldn't take this long, right?

He nibbled his bottom lip, going through different scenarios in his head, but then shook the gruesome thoughts off.

No. Percy would be fine.

Crushed and devastated and utterly wrecked, but alive and unharmed all the same (physically, at least).

He glanced towards Nico again, who was worrying his bottom lip as well and stared at the wall with a conflicted, worried expression.

"Hey Neeks, can you do me a favor?" He asked quietly, and Nico instantly looked around in question.

"What is it?"

"When Percy comes back, can you shower him with affection? I mean, I know you usually try not to let it show too much just how much you love him, but I imagine this will drain him quite a bit, make him worry and fear he's not perfect enough for you already. So, it would be great if you pretty much smothered him with affection." He tried tentatively, deciding not to phrase anything in a way that could indicate Percy doubting their relationship too much.

That would only unnecessarily freak out Nico.

Nico blushed and stammered something, and Jason stopped pacing, looking around as well.

"Yeah, that would be great, Nico. Actually, how about we do the tour you wanted to give us tomorrow instead of today, and instead stay here, watching a film he might like? That way, it might make him feel a bit more comfortable, and help him relax." He suggested and Will nodded.

"Great idea. We should arrange for some blue snacks and drinks, too. That will make him laugh."

"Yeah, laughing would be awesome and blue food always gets him out of his head." Jason agreed.

"I know, right? Oh, how about you gush a bit about the calendar, Nico? He always loves talking about it. It's like his pride and joy – understandable, of course. Hey, maybe we should ask him more about it. It seemed to me he loved explaining how he got the ideas for the single days and all." Will continued, and Jason's face lit up.

"Absolutely. But we have to be sneaky about it, else he'll know what's up and think we're fussing over him."

Will nodded in understanding. "Yeah, he's not allowed to notice anything, or we'll never hear the end of it."

"I'm glad." Nico said quietly, and both of them looked around.

What?

"About what?" Jason asked, sounding as puzzled as Will felt, and they both blinked at the Italian, who was smiling softly at them.

"That you get along so well now. All three of you. Seriously, don't even try to talk yourself out of it this time. You just came up with all these things to cheer him up in a matter of seconds, being considerate fools as usual, just to then go all 'oh, but he's not allowed to know we're doing this for him or he'll think we're nice'. You're such dorks, I swear." He explained with a smile, shaking his head in a mixture of awe and disbelief, and Jason and Will both grinned at him.

Well, alright, there might be something true about that.

"I mean…yeah, I'm really glad. You're the best friends he could wish for - the best friends _anybody_ could ever wish for." Nico added sheepishly, looking away with a tinge of red on his face.

Will's heart did a little somersault in his chest.

Aw, he was so cute.

Jason looked at Nico gently as well, most likely thinking the same as Will.

"Well, we do care about him, even if we try to act like we don't." Jason admitted with a shrug.

Will sighed.

"Yeah, and this is kind of a big thing, after all. I know I'd be freaked out if I had to talk to your dad." He pointed out and Nico looked down at his feet again, guilt and unease flashing across his features.

"It's just…I don't understand why he's even doing that. I'm old enough to make my own decisions, and it's not like he doesn't know what we're doing, so it just doesn't make any sense. Don't parents usually talk to their kids' partners to make sure they make them happy and won't treat them bad? Because if so, he should know I'm happy and that Percy would never do anything to hurt me intentionally." Nico insisted with a frown and both Will and Jason sighed, exchanging a long glance.

Of course they knew that, and they knew that Hades knew.

But Hades seemed to be a rather protective father (which was surprising, given that he was a god and all and they usually couldn't care less about any issues their kids might have – Will knew that from experience, after all) and since he had even bet on Jason (which Will could only understand all too well), it was more than obvious he'd take Percy aside and question him to test just how determined he was about dating and staying with Nico.

Under normal circumstances, Will wouldn't worry, because this was Percy and he loved Nico unconditionally and so much he'd never be the one to break it off – but at the same time, this was Percy, who of course just had to feel insecure about exactly this topic in particular.

It would be so easy for Hades to get to him, if he really wanted to.

Will could only hope he didn't want to and had some mercy on his Percy.

"Well, let's just hope everything will be alright." Jason mumbled, probably trying to sound reassuring, but the fact that he started pacing nervously again ruined it.

Will made a face.

"Hey, you think he'd have given you the talk as well? I mean, you seem to have left quite an _impression_." He tried with a playfully scornful voice and both Nico and Jason looked around at him unimpressed.

"You're just jealous he didn't pick you as his favorite." Jason remarked drily and Will put on a scandalized expression.

"What? No way. Persephone made it clear I was her favorite, and everybody knows it's always the mothers who know best." He declared and Jason rolled his eyes with a twitch of his lips.

Nico groaned.

"Could we stop talking about that? Seriously, that…gods, that had been horrible. What were they thinking, betting on…betting on that like that? Like…why? Why would they do that?" He asked weakly, burying his face in his hands; and Will could see a flush of red underneath.

He laughed.

"I've been asking myself that question every time I'm around my siblings. When you find the answer, let me know, alright?"

Nico sent him a wry look, then sighed.

So did Jason, who suddenly walked over to them, throwing his arms up.

"Quit moping, you two. This is it. Will, go pick a movie. Nico, organize some snacks. You packed the Christmas blanket, right? Do you know which bag that was? I'm going to look for it." He ordered, clapping his hands together, and both Nico and Will raised their eyebrows at him, gazing at him quietly for a long moment.

Jason looked at them both in turn expectantly, then made a face.

"What? Move it, you two, unless you want to do it when Percy is back already."

That certainly had them moving, though they exchanged a quick, pointed glance, their lips twitching.

Jason could be so authoritative. It really suited him, too, making him seem much more mature and…kind of attractive, to be honest.

Not that Jason was ever not attractive.

Ugh, what direction were his thoughts taking again, anyways?

Will shook his head and moved over to the shelf with the DVD's, scanning the rows.

This was one awesome collection.

His eyes stopped in a row full of Disney DVD's, and he contemplated picking _Finding Nemo_, but he was fairly certain the other two wouldn't thank him for that, and Percy would instantly know they were just putting up with it for him.

But maybe a different Disney movie would do.

They usually made Percy laugh and got them all relaxed, since the films didn't demand them to think much or solve any sort of mystery.

He found _Hercules_, but discarded it. If it had been Jason whom they had to comfort, that would have been his first choice.

Soon followed Beauty _and the Beast, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tangled_ and several other films.

They had all watched them not that long ago.

Maybe Disney wasn't a good choice, after all.

Maybe some sort of other comedy, maybe?

He found _The Santa Clause_, and had to grin as he pictured how the guys would react to a Christmas movie in February.

This was bound to get Percy out of his head, and if only to tell Will he was crazy.

He tugged it out and moved over to the giant TV screen, wondering faintly whether Hades had wanted them to feel like they were living inside a cinema or something.

He had heard of home theater and all, but why would any living (or dead) person ever need such a big screen at home?

Well, he loved it, so he wasn't going to complain, but he certainly wasn't one for such luxury.

He preferred it simple, and if he ever had his own place, he'd probably get something maybe a third the size of this – maybe half, if he found a good offer and could somehow justify needing it for games or whatever people needed big screens for.

Though if he had to decide between a giant bathtub and a big TV, he knew what he'd choose.

Man, he so wanted to take a bath.

Sadly, there was no way he'd leave the guys alone for so long, and right now wasn't the time, either, so that would have to wait.

Hopefully, he'd get to do that at least once before they had to leave, though, else that would definitely be a waste.

He looked around as Nico came back into the room, loaded with all sorts of unhealthy looking snacks, as well as some cans of what looked like blue soda.

Well, that was taken care of.

"Got it." Jason exclaimed, and Will and Nico looked around to see him tugging the Christmas blanket out of one of the bags.

"Alright, let's get everything ready and then get ourselves into position to look as inconspicuous as possible." Will declared as Jason spread the blanket on the bed, the colors setting an almost blinding contrast to the black sheets, and Nico dumped the snacks onto them.

They nodded resolutely, and while Jason started rearranging the pillows and getting Mrs. O'Leary Jr., as well as the jar of fire; Nico came over to join Will with getting the DVD running, stopping short when he saw which film he had picked.

"Really?" He then asked, a wide grin spreading on his face.

"What? No good? Thought it'd ensure a laugh or two." Will said with a shrug, surprised at his emotional reaction.

"This is perfect. Remember when I had that one day with him back in December? We went to watch this movie in the theaters." He explained, expression soft and his eyes gazing off into the distance as he apparently reminisced about their date.

Will found himself smiling, though he had to admit he wished Nico would look like that whenever he thought of _their_ date, too.

"Alright, all set. Guys, get over here. Percy likes to get touchy-feely while watching films, so I suggest we put him in the middle, with Nico on one side and you on the other side, Will." Jason called over, patting the bed impatiently with his eyes on the door, as if expecting Percy to walk in any moment.

They had no actual idea when he'd come back, so it was understandable, and the two hurried over, practically throwing themselves onto the bed.

"Wait, why me? You sit next to him, Jason. You two are closer, and you're better at reassuring, so he'll probably prefer you over me any day." Will complained when Jason tried to usher him off to the side.

Of course, he'd prefer to sit with Percy and be there for him, but Jason was definitely the better choice for Percy in the state he'd most likely be in.

Will could get his mind off things, yes, but only Jason could really fix them.

Jason considered him for a moment, a light frown on his face.

Then he shook his head.

"No, I'm fairly certain he'll prefer you. We're not close like that, and if I tried to say anything, it would come out wrong. He'll feel more comfortable if it's you."

"Oh please. Don't make me laugh." Will snorted derisively, though he could feel his heart leaping in his chest.

"Well, it's not my hand he's holding every here and there just for comfort." Jason pointed out and Will felt his face burning, eyes hushing over to Nico, who merely rolled his eyes and huffed, as if he couldn't believe they were seriously having an argument over this.

Will couldn't believe it, either.

And what the hell, Jason?!

"That was an accident! Not my fault he's confusing me with Nico or something! And anyways, it wasn't _my_ butt he groped on today in the morning, but yours. Now tell me again he'll feel better if it's me next to him." He retorted, and Jason looked alarmed for the fraction of a second, but then his expression changed to exasperation.

"That was different, we used to fool around like that out of boredom. Trust me, you don't want to know. But yeah, I stand by my word, he'll feel better if it's you. Trust me on that one."

"He always complains about my heat, I highly doubt he'll-…" Will started again, though inwardly pondering what else those two had done 'out of boredom' in the past, if groping each other's butts was nothing.

Somehow, he had the feeling he really didn't want to know.

"Would you two stop it? He'll love either of you. You should more think about who of you _wants_ to sit next to him." Nico interrupted, sending them both pointed glances and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Will closed his mouth, pursing his lips, his insides in a knot.

He did want to sit next to Percy, preferably with Jason next to him.

It kind of felt nice, not to mention familiar, since they had sat like that quite a few times.

But he stood by his word, Percy was bound to feel better with Jason next to him, so he'd gladly take the spot next to Jason instead.

It wasn't as if that was any loss, either, after all.

He was the warmest of the four, so he was ok with being on the outside, anyways.

Just as he looked around to tell Jason his intention, he found Jason looking back at him, and the "You take the spot next to him, I'm good." came from both of them at the same time.

Nico groaned.

"You two are pathetic, you know that? You know what, I think I have a different idea. You're both sitting next to him on either side. Problem solved."

"No." Both of them exclaimed instantly.

Was Nico _mental_? Once Percy was back, he had to get close to Nico, feel him close, know that everything was alright, was as it usually was, give him some peace of mind and get him to feel safe.

If they took Nico out of the mix, nothing they were doing would have any sort of effect on Percy.

Will glanced towards Jason, who was looking at Nico with a frown as well, as if thinking about the same thing.

But Nico merely rolled his eyes.

"Whyever not?"

"He needs you, duh." Will deadpanned and Nico frowned.

"Yeah, that's why I'll be on his lap, _duh_." He retorted; and both Jason and Will blinked.

_Oh!_

Jason and Will exchanged glances, wicked grins spreading on their faces.

"Nico, you're amazing." Will said, and Jason nodded, while Nico puffed out his chest playfully, looking smug.

"Well, of course. Took you a while to realize that." He boasted, and Will raised an impressed eyebrow at the sudden display of confidence, though he knew all too well that Nico was just putting on a show to hide his unease and nervousness.

It was still impressive, though.

Plus, it meant that this confidence was in Nico somewhere, only waiting to act up one day and make Nico the man he had the potential to be.

Will could barely wait, though at the same time, he couldn't dread the day more, because he knew Nico would be utterly irresistible by then, and Will was already having enough troubles resisting his charms now.

"Oh, we've known." Jason remarked with an amused twitch of his lips, though his eyes were glued to Nico with a hungry gleam in them, as if he wanted to see more of that confident Nico same as Will did.

They got comfortable to Nico's left and right, striking perfect poses so as to look as if they were just chilling on the bed, about to watch a movie.

The plan: As soon as Percy would come in, Jason would start the movie, and all three of them would look around towards their best friend, telling him 'Perfect timing, we were about to watch a movie. Come sit'. Then Nico would scramble up to fetch him, hopefully showering him a bit with love and affection, tons of kisses and whatever, maybe daring to ask how it went, if Percy's expression wasn't too horrid.

Yes, sounded awesome.

A thought occurred to Will, and he leaned over, closer to Nico.

"Hey, you know what you could do? Take a bath with him tonight, instead of a shower. Spoil him a bit, let your dominant streak show. He'd die for that." He suggested with a wink, watching Nico's face turn scarlet, eyes hushing over to him in alarm.

But then something shifted in his expression and he nodded slowly.

"Thanks, will do." The Italian mumbled back awkwardly, and Will grinned, winking at Jason as the blonde looked around at them in question.

Alright, Percy, time for you to come.

.

When the door opened fourteen minutes and thirty-two seconds later (not that Jason had been counting the seconds on the small skull-clock on their bedside table...), Jason, Will and Nico instantly shot up and went into their poses, Jason hitting the play button, though none of them were looking at the screen, instead staring at the slowly opening door.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then Percy's head poked in tentatively, his expression clearing when he saw them.

"Thank the gods, I thought I'd never find the room again." He exclaimed, coming inside and letting out a relieved sigh as he closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment, exhaustion and fatigue showing on his face for a splint moment, before he tried to look upbeat again.

Jason's eyes instantly narrowed and his gaze shot around to Will, who met his gaze with a knowing one of his own, telling him he had seen, too.

As expected, the conversation with Hades hadn't gone well.

"Hey, perfect timing. We were about to watch a movie." Will called over, just like planned, and Jason nudged Nico, who was frozen to the spot next to him, staring at Percy with a struck expression on his face.

Jason blamed it on nerves, since Nico had been the most nervous out of the three of them, even though he had been the best at hiding it.

At his nudge, though, the Italian snapped out of his stupor and started climbing off the bed, while Percy tried to put on a smile.

"Oh really? That sounds nice. What are you watching?" He asked amiably, but it sounded fake, and Jason could tell by the way he was looking at them that his mind was somewhere entirely different.

"The Santa Clause." Will replied cheerily, and for the fraction of a moment, Percy was back with them, snorting and sending him an almost incredulous look.

"Seriously? It's a bit early for Christmas movies, don't you think? Or late…" His voice trailed off as Nico finally reached him, entwining their fingers and leaning forward to kiss him gently.

Jason watched Percy intently, catching the way he seemed to hesitate for a moment, before returning the kiss, though he still hadn't moved from the door.

Usually, Percy would have never hesitated, not even with Jason and Will in the same room, because everybody knew he couldn't care less about that anymore by now (today in the morning should have been proof enough of that).

Usually, Percy would have rushed in, ran to Nico and throw himself at him, wailing and complaining loudly about being parted for so long and throwing in some kisses for good measure.

The conversation with Hades had definitely not gone well, that much was certain.

Jason glanced around at Will, who was studying Percy intently as well, eyebrows furrowed slightly, lips pursed.

The two of them exchanged a telling look, then Will plastered on a wide grin again.

"Pff, who cares? Nico felt all nostalgic because he said it reminded him of your date. Been cooing about it all this time, until Jason and I caved in and got it running. We even organized some snacks." He chirped, waving a bag of blue chips at Percy when he pulled away from Nico slowly, a doubt in his gaze that Jason didn't want to see.

Not now, not ever.

"Get over here." He heard himself say, his voice sounding a tad harsher than usual, but at least it got Percy out of his head long enough to look around at him surprised, the doubt momentarily leaving his eyes.

Then Nico said something quietly next to him and tugged him down once more, pressing his lips against the corners of Percy's mouth.

Usually, this would have made Percy smile, would have made him try to chase after Nico's lips for a real kiss, would have lured at least some sort of sweet and cheesy reaction out of him.

But now, he only managed to let one corner of his lips quirk up into a mere excuse of a smile, his expression somber, his eyes flashing with uncertainty and guilt as he glanced over towards Jason once more, then away rather quickly.

No, the conversation definitely hadn't gone well.

And Jason started getting more annoyed by that by the moment.

Couldn't Hades have had at least some sort of mercy on Percy?

He should be able to tell just fine how much Nico meant to Percy, and how much Percy meant to Nico.

What was the god doing, making Percy look so lost and confused?

Jason didn't like it. At all.

In fact, he had half a mind to grab Percy and drag him to the bathroom for a nice long chat, preferably with Percy safely tucked away in his arms for comfort and so Jason could know he would be ok – he'd even do all that in the bathtub, if he had to.

The film started, but nobody was paying any attention to it, all eyes still on Percy, who didn't even seem to notice, his gaze now downcast as the two of them finally moved towards the bed, Nico now looking almost as worried as Percy did.

Not good.

"It didn't go well, huh? Well, who cares. You know, it's rare for any parents to be ok with their kids' partners. Don't worry about it, Perce. The most important thing is that Nico and you are happy, right?" Will chirped, though his expression said 'You better believe this and be fine now, you idiot'.

Thank the gods for Will Solace.

Percy looked conflicted for a moment, but then only gave a half-hearted shrug.

"It wasn't even all too bad. Just…he…gave me a few things to think about. But hey, let's just watch the movie, ok? Who wants to endure me for the next hour and some?" He asked, trying to sound upbeat and cheerful, even moving his arms about as he sometimes did.

But it didn't fool them.

"You're sitting between Jason and me, Gorgeous. Don't even try to get away, Jason and Nico were so lonely without you around, so you have to make up for me having to take care of them. Get here and let me smother you with my heat. Nico, tickle-tackle attack? Tickle-tackle attack." Will asked and answered his own suggestion at the same time, and the next moment, Jason watched how he grabbed hold of a taken aback looking Percy, pulling him into the bed and pushing him into the sheets so fast Jason could barely follow it with his eyes.

What?

Nico seemed to catch up before he did, letting out a small chuckle and throwing himself into the mix, getting on top of Percy and tickling him, while Will made sure there was no way for Percy to escape, tugging him further backwards onto the bed and into his lap for whatever reason – though Jason thought he understood why when Will managed to wrap his legs around Percy's midriff, seated right where he had been sitting before.

Percy was laughing, most likely unable to help it, because they all knew Nico was a master-tickler, and Jason had to smile as he watched them.

They fit so well together, didn't they?

Nico, Will and Percy.

It just looked so right, those three together like that.

It also felt right.

There was simply something natural in the way those three acted, the way Will tried to make it seem like he had to go along with something, though they all knew he did it because he wanted to; the way he and Nico held onto Percy from both sides, broad grins on their faces, definitely enjoying the way Percy writhed and laughed between them; the way Percy seemed to instantly accept his place between them, not exactly fighting them, though he probably wanted them to think that.

Jason watched them quietly, an empty, hollow feeling spreading through him as he realized once and for all that he was the odd one out.

Those three looked so much like they belonged together, like they were meant to be together.

And where did that leave Jason?

He pushed the feeling down, trying futilely to think of something else.

This wasn't right. He shouldn't feel this way.

He loved them, and he should be happy for them, not be bitter about it or wish for things to be different.

That was selfish, and he had no right to be selfish.

"Jason, get over here already! Nico's been saving you a spot all this while and you're slow as ever!" Will called over, sending him a searching, slightly confused look, as if he couldn't see why Jason was in fact not moving over.

Though the fact that they hadn't forgotten about him being there was a tad unexpected.

And, wait, Nico had been keeping a spot open for him?

Nah, Will was probably just saying that to-…

"Jason! Come on, I need you for back-up! We want to make him scream before he passes out from exhaustion!" Nico now called, looking around at him as well, and suddenly Jason did see where he had been supposed to go.

Wait…they hadn't left him out at all.

They hadn't left him out at all?

He looked at them for another moment, taken aback.

Then he moved forward to take his spot next to Nico, feeling Will's knee nudge against him as the blonde sent him an almost indignant 'Couldn't you have hurried up?!'-look.

Jason smiled apologetically, then turned the same apologetic face towards Percy, who was gazing pleadingly up at him, with his shirt tugged up to just beneath his chest and Nico's hands unmercifully going all over his exposed stomach and sides, making him squirm and pant and laugh and chuckle and whine.

"Sorry, mate." Jason said with fake sympathy, and Percy let out a loud wail, then Jason's hands joined the mix, and the room filled with even more giggles and wails from Percy, triumphant laughter from Nico, manic cackling from Will, and Jason's own chuckling, the movie for now completely forgotten.

Well, things hadn't gone as planned, but this might just turn out to be even better.

Though he did have to admit he felt a teensy bit bad for Percy.

Or maybe not.

.

They let go of Percy when he was utterly out-powered, hick-upping and groaning, even after they had let him off.

He didn't even have enough strength left to push himself up, so Will figured he really had had enough.

Still laughing, he and the other two worked together to get Percy somewhat into position to watch the film, which they had all kind of forgotten about and wouldn't have even remembered if it wasn't for the sudden burst of noise coming from the TV as they had arrived at the North Pole - or something.

It had been a while since he had last seen that film, sue him.

They got comfortable somewhat, Jason and Will moving Percy in between them and leaning against him to keep him there, though he was only glowering at them skeptically, instead of trying to move in any way (maybe he couldn't. Maybe they had overdone it a tiny little bit…so not Will's fault, of course. Percy's noises and reactions had simply been too addictive).

Then Nico moved to get between Percy's legs, which instantly got Percy's attention, and Will could see a flash of uncertainty in his eyes for a moment.

But then the moment passed, and Percy smiled, making space for Nico and wrapping his legs around the boy's midriff, tugging his back against his chest, hands coming to rest on his sides, while his chin found the top of Nico's head to rest.

They were so adorable.

Will smirked, figuring Percy would be fine now.

If he managed to grab hold of Nico like that and got so close, especially with that small smile, then he was bound to be recovering from that dumb conversation.

Satisfied, Will grabbed for one of the potato chip bags, eyeing it warily as he realized they were blue, but opening it all the same, eyes finally returning to the TV screen.

He wasn't exactly watching the film, though he was proud to see it had been the right choice.

Percy might not be laughing like he usually probably would, but Will could see him smiling every here and there out of the corners of his eyes.

As the film went on, Nico snuggled back into Percy's embrace more and more, more than apparently dozing off, while Percy held him close, burying his face at the side of his neck.

Around that time, Will decided to risk it and lean against the two, putting an arm around Percy - not to snuggle up to him, no, but to get a better estimate of his values and mental state (though he had to admit it felt kind of nice against Percy's side...).

Percy didn't seem to be bothered by that at all, pulling one arm back from around Nico and moving it around Will instead almost immediately, as if having waited for it; and letting him get as close as he wanted, though he did move his head to the other side of Nico's neck (probably so their faces wouldn't get too close. Or maybe he wanted to give Will some space so he could snuggle up to Nico - if so, that was NOT what Will had been aiming for, though he knew it probably should have been).

Jason looked around at him at that, expression surprised and taken aback, before something close to resignation flashed across his features, making Will's stomach turn.

He didn't know why, but he found himself shaking his head slightly, moving his hand to indicate what he was doing, before covering up for said motion with stroking across Percy's side as to not alert Percy to their little exchange.

Though, really, that should have probably alerted Percy even more, because it seemed a lot like something only lovers/boyfriends would and should do.

But Percy all but purred, leaning into the touch slightly and letting out a small sigh, his body relaxing further.

Will decided not to think too much into it, instead keeping his eyes on Jason, who had also relaxed visibly again, his expression seeming somewhat relieved.

Since Will had no idea what that was about - a fact that bugged him, though he didn't know why - he motioned for Jason to get closer, sending him a death-glare when Jason's eyes widened alarmed and he shook his head, holding up his hands as if to wave a white flag.

_Forget it, Jason, we're all in this together._

He motioned again, and knew he had won when Jason's shoulders slumped in defeat and he moved closer, awkwardly putting his arm over Will's and leaning against Percy's other side.

Percy didn't seem to mind that, either, letting out another small sigh, face completely buried at Nico's neck, and Will had the distinct impression he was most definitely beginning to doze off.

Well, it wasn't as if they really had been watching the film, anyways.

He shifted, managing to turn his head properly and put his chin on Nico's shoulder, so he could see Jason better, and the blonde returned his gaze with another sigh.

Hm, he was much too serious, and his composure was way too stiff.

Seriously, they snuggled up to each other every night, Jason should be more than fine with this.

This was nothing in comparison, after all - they were all still completely dressed, for example.

So, (while wondering faintly why he even cared) Will started making grimaces and funny faces, trying to lure a reaction out of Jason.

Jason stared at him, first slightly confused, then unimpressed - and what started as a faint try quickly became a challenge, because there was no way Will would pull these sort of faces and not have Jason on the ground laughing.

Not going to happen.

The more his determination grew, the more creative he got, glad that Percy and Nico were now utterly asleep, because he was certain he'd find his actions more than just a little embarrassing if they could see.

But since this was Jason, he was fine.

Jason kept his face forcefully blank, a clear indicator he had seen through Will's awesome plan and was set to destroy him cruelly.

That tease.

Good thing Will was always one for a good challenge.

Plus, that way he'd feel extra satisfied when he won (because there was zero doubt that he'd win in the end!).

He did his utter best. From batting his eyelashes at Jason, to the craziest expressions he could muster (making him feel as if he was starring in a psycho-thriller movie), nothing was left out, and he could practically feel Jason's body trembling with the strain to remain indifferent, which egged him on even more.

Finally, Jason couldn't take it anymore, though he tried to play his laughter off as a cough.

"You're crazy." Jason wheezed out, covering his face with his hands, glasses falling straight off and landing in front of him, right in Will's reach.

Will smirked, picking them up and placing them on top of his own nose on a whim.

Gods, Jason surely was blind.

"What, you're surprised? Crazy is my middle name, babe." He boasted, and Jason sent him a wry look from between his fingers (something Will could only see because he was looking slightly over the glasses instead of through them).

Then Jason's expression changed, turning surprised.

"Are you..." He squinted at him, coming closer as if to make sure he was seeing correctly (Will wasn't surprised, the guy seriously had horrid eyesight). "...wearing my glasses?" He finished his question, still sounding taken aback, his face unusually close, eyes hushing over Will intently.

For some reason, this made him fidgety and nervous, as if he was dreading how Jason would judge his appearance now.

"Yep. Why? They suit me, don't they?" He uttered confidently to make up for his inner turmoil and posed like those models for photo shoots, batting his eyelashes at Jason, though he wasn't even sure the blonde would be able to tell.

"They do." Jason agreed softly, his gaze indecipherable, and Will halted, feeling his insides getting even more jittery than before.

Hey, he was only messing with him. No reason to actually get flustered or anything.

A cool hand found his cheek and he blinked, watching Jason's face getting even closer.

Wait, wait, wait, what?

Will's heart was beating in his throat, his mouth suddenly dry as his eyes involuntarily glanced down to Jason's lips.

No, he wouldn't.

Jason's thumb stroked across his cheek, gentle and timid; and even though his touch was cool, Will felt his skin burning under the touch.

And still, Jason was coming closer and closer.

"What..." Will forced out, his voice a traitorous huff.

Damn it, what was this?

Jason was inches away from him, his expression inscrutable.

For one fleeting moment, Will seriously wondered whether he was going to kiss him.

But right then, Jason's other hand popped up out of nowhere, tugging the glasses right off Will's face and back onto his own nose.

"But they fit me better." Jason chirped amiably and Will blinked, confused and bewildered (and maybe ever so slightly disappointed…maybe...), while Jason pulled back again, looking rather smug.

For a very long moment, Will was rendered speechless, staying where he was, slightly bent over with his face up as if he had intended to let Jason's lips meet his just like that; and staring at Jason with an undoubtedly flabbergasted expression.

"What? Did you want me to do something else?" Jason asked innocently, though there was a dangerous gleam in his eyes - and as he leaned forward ever so slightly again, Will finally snapped out of it, surging back, mortification and embarrassment rushing through him.

What was he doing?! And what was Jason doing?!

And what was that 'Did you want me to do something else' supposed to mean, exactly?!

Will found himself sputtering, and quickly shut his mouth, his mortification only growing by the moment.

Great.

Apparently, Jason really had to one-up him every single time Will thought he had him.

How mean.

"You...you...you're the worst." He finally brought out, waving off and turning away flustered, not wanting to wake Percy and/or Nico with all his fidgeting.

Damn, he had to get a hold of himself.

Jason chuckled, his gaze still as inscrutable as when he had been inches away from - damn it, he should NOT think about that whatsoever.

Best to pretend it never happened, really.

"Of course. Come on, let's put on a different movie. Unless you want to wait until this one plays again." Jason said and started climbing off the bed, and Will looked around at the TV in question.

Oops, right, the film was over.

He pulled back from Percy and Nico, pushing the two backwards gently to properly lay down, though he refrained from even attempting to move Nico from between Percy's legs.

It wasn't the weirdest way those two had slept, after all, and he certainly wasn't going to wake them if it could be avoided.

Both of them asleep meant both of them were more or less comfortable, and both of them could use some more sleep, anyways.

Getting up, he joined Jason at the shelf with the DVD's.

"So, what movie would you like to watch?" Jason asked cheerfully and Will sent him a wry look.

"Oh, trying to make up for being such a cruel tease? Fat chance, Handsome." He replied with a snort, turning his head away as if he was mad at him.

Jason merely sighed, nudging his side playfully.

"Aw, did I get you that badly? And there I thought you're immune to my charms." He teased with a low voice, and wonderfully cool fingers tickled along his side, more teasing than tickling, really.

It felt way too nice.

Will pushed his hand away quickly, his mind going a hundred miles an hour.

Whoa, what? Was this the same Jason? His Jason? Well, not _his_-his, but, his Jason?!

"I...I am absolutely immune to _any _sort of charm from _anybody_. You are simply a tease for trying to act indifferent when we all know you are putty in my hands." He retorted with a smug grin, though he felt anything but.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? How would you now? You never had me in your hands."

Will couldn't help it. He gaped at him.

Did he just...? Was that...?

That was...

There wasn't even a non-sexual way to interpret that statement!

Jason bit his lip, but burst out laughing anyways, so badly he had to turn away, while Will's mortification changed to indignity.

"Jason! You are...that's...you're _impossible_, you know that? I'm so telling Percy that. You just wait!" He called, feeling his face still being traitorously hot and turning toward the DVD's to force his mind away from the direction his thoughts were taking.

No.

Jason was the worst.

"Sorry...but...it was so worth it. The way you said it just...it just asked for it. Sorry, I _had_ to." Jason first apologized with an almost sincere looking expression (if it hadn't been for the fact he was still laughing like an idiot), then added "But hey, I wouldn't mind." with a wink.

Will scowled at him.

"Wouldn't mind what?" He asked dubiously, turning his attention away from the way-too-attractive-when-laughing blonde and back towards the DVD's.

He kind of didn't feel like watching a film at all.

"If you had me in your hands."

"_Jason!_" Will exclaimed, his face feeling as if it was going to burn right off, and he grabbed the first DVD his hands found, all but throwing it at Jason to catch.

"We're watching that. And you're stopping your innuendoes, Handsome, or I swear I'll follow up on them." Will threatened, though it was an empty threat.

At least he hoped it was.

Jason chuckled and started working on the TV to get the movie running, though Will had no idea which one he had picked, all but rushing to the bed and hopping onto it, trying to get his mind off Jason's words.

Hopefully, he had picked a really horrible horror movie that would make Jason cringe and shudder and lose his cool, because he certainly had too much of that right now.

Seriously, _that guy_!

Not even Percy was that straight-forward!

And usually, Jason wasn't, either.

He had no idea what had happened to his blonde, but he was not liking it whatsoever (that was a lie. He was liking it, which was exactly why he was disliking it. He was confusing like that, but that didn't matter right now).

"Who knows, maybe I want you to take me up on it." The master of innuendo declared as he turned around and walked towards him again, his eyes raking up and down Will's body in a very obvious, very unnerving way.

Will's skin started tingling, something inside him stirring that he forced down with all his might.

But then he saw Jason's smug smirk and felt the surge of irritation, momentarily drowning out everything else.

Oh, if Jason was so keen on playing, Will could play just as well.

Determination got the upper hand in his whirr of emotions, and he put on a sly smile.

"Oh? So the mighty Jason Grace wants my hands on him?" He all but purred, and noticed with satisfaction how Jason stumbled slightly, though he caught himself and his composure in a heartbeat again.

The blonde even had the indecency to flop down on the bed super close beside him, as if they weren't doing some sort of bizarre dirty-talking-thing (or whatever this was. Seriously Will had to keep reminding himself this was all just a joke, because his body apparently didn't know the difference).

"Who knows, maybe I got curious because a certain someone kept boasting." Jason retorted with a wink, though Will noticed the way his ears had turned pink.

He decided to pour all his concentration into that little fact, because it meant Will wasn't the only flustered one.

Though Jason still seemed to have much more composure, which definitely shouldn't be.

Damn it, Jason was practically a virgin, having only dated Piper for those very few months, and Will knew Jason hadn't had any sort of relationships with anybody else before then, female and male alike (Will was just assuming Jason was bi, but he had no idea. Jason had never exactly talked about that, and Will had never asked, but given that he had dated Piper and now had a thing for Nico, that seemed the most plausible to Will right now).

It should be Will in complete control here, turning Jason into a flabbergasted, flustered, utterly awkward fool.

"Oh Handsome, you have no idea." He purred, reaching out to trail one finger over Jason's thigh lightly, more teasing than stroking, and making Jason flinch ever so slightly, his eyes burning with something utterly indecipherable, though all Will could think about was that he wanted to see more of that.

"Don't I, now? Mind to enlighten me, then?" Jason asked, licking his lips apparently unconsciously, though it certainly didn't go by unnoticed by Will, his eyes instantly hushing down to his lips, resisting the urge to lick his own.

Or even better, Jason's.

Oh gods, what was he even thinking about?

This was so not happening.

But even as he thought that, he found himself moving forward, placing his hands flat on Jason's thighs and getting closer to his face, watching with disturbing pleasure how Jason's eyes widened slightly, though he didn't stop him or say anything.

Quite the contrary, his hands even clasped Will's wrists, as if to keep him there.

This was not happening.

"Handsome, you really shouldn't be playing with fire. Wouldn't want you to get burnt now, would we?" He breathed against Jason's lips, way too close already, but he couldn't manage to pull back, his body utterly betraying him.

Jason's grip on him tightened, something shifting in his eyes as they hushed down to Will's lips, and Will could see him swallow slowly.

Oh gods, he had to stop this.

"Last time I checked, you weren't Leo." Jason replied, his voice a mere huff against Will's lips, and Will had to exert all his self-control not to blindly rush forward.

Jason's words took a moment to sink in, but when they did, he almost pulled back, though not because of the mention of Leo (he got that reference, alright? Leo and fire – not the most original, but certainly a good one).

Telling him he knew he wasn't Leo, meant Jason also knew he wasn't Nico.

And there was no doubt in Will's mind that it was Nico Jason wanted to kiss, Nico whom he wished would ravish him or get to ravish.

"I'm also not Nico." He heard his own voice say, low and breathy, and he inwardly cringed at the way it sounded slightly hurt, though he knew he had no right to be.

Jason merely blinked once, very slowly, not loosening his hold on him, and not pulling back.

"I know." Was all he said, though it only made Will question even more.

"You'll regret it." He informed Jason gently, but insistently, trying to cool that immense heat between them.

That's what you got for teasing each other senseless, apparently, though Jason still seemed the more collected one.

"Why, are you that bad?" Jason teased, seeming utterly unwilling to let this drop.

Gods, Jason, seriously, this was not a good idea.

They were friends, best friends, even (at least Will liked to think so), things would only get awkward if he let this happen now.

Not to mention the fact Jason didn't even like him _that_ way.

Nor did Will like him that way, of course.

The thought made him hesitate, but then the meaning of Jason's words sunk in and he glowered at Jason.

"Hey, I'm the best kisser you're ever going to find."

Jason's lips twitched, and the blonde came even closer, until they were eye to eye, their noses awkwardly next to one another, their lips maybe half an inch apart.

Oh gods, Jason.

"What tells me that's not just big talk?"

He could feel Jason's breath against his skin, causing shivers to run down his spine, though he'd lie if he said they weren't pleasant ones.

Then, for the first time, he actually concentrated on the way Jason felt, his hands grabbing a firmer hold of his thighs, feeling the flush of arousal and want surging through Jason, just as it was in Will.

_Oh gods, Jason._

And then, right in that moment, Will wanted nothing more than to grab him by his hair and crash their lips together.

It was so crazy, so not like him, so not like them, but in that moment, it all seemed to make perfect sense.

And he could feel Jason feeling the same way.

Will found himself moving, pulling his hands up to put them into Jason's hair instead, and the blonde let him, his own hands moving up Will's thighs to his sides, sending even more shivers down his spine (especially when those wonderfully cool fingers didn't stay on top of his clothes but slipped under his shirt as they passed his jeans.

They closed their eyes, their bodies finding together almost on their own, Will practically climbing onto Jason's lap.

Oh no, they couldn't be doing this.

Jason's breath came out in pants, much like his own, and Will swallowed.

Oh yes, they were doing this.

It was Jason who moved next, daring to close the last fraction of an inch between them – or at least trying to.

Because, right then, Percy groaned in his sleep and turned, making them both jump and rush apart, looking around in surprise.

Will felt his heart hammering in his chest, eyes hushing over Percy and Nico hurriedly, confirming that, yes, they were still asleep.

Thank the gods.

Almost instantly after he felt the surge of relief, realization hit him.

Oh gods.

Oh gods!

He had not just been about to…no way he'd have…that was just…_oh gods_.

His face burnt, as did the rest of his body, though while the reason for his face was mortification and terror, the rest of his body had an entirely different reason, one he did not want to ponder right now.

His gaze shot around at Jason, who was looking at Percy and Nico still, though he looked more disgruntled than shocked, a fact that made Will's insides squirm and writhe with the absurd need to continue what they had just started.

No way.

No, no, no, no, no!

Out of sheer cowardice, Will found himself scrambling off the bed, rushing past the TV that was happily playing 'Ice Age', and towards the bathroom.

He thought he could hear himself mumble some sort of excuse like 'bathroom' or 'toilet' (or maybe a mix of both), but couldn't focus enough to really be sure, instead slamming the door shut behind him and locking it, checking twice whether it really was absolutely locked.

Oh gods.

What had he done?

What had they done?

Ok, they hadn't done anything, but what had they _almost_ done?!

This was _Jason_, gods be damned!

Alright, Will might have been feeling a little off around him, and maybe he might even admit to a minor crush on the blonde, but there was no way anything could come out of that!

Most definitely not!

Jason wasn't interested in him like that! He had no idea what had moved the blonde to take things this far, but his best guess was that Jason was getting sexually frustrated with Nico and Percy all over each other all the time, and Will just so happened to be the only other gay guy in immediate reach (the thought made his insides knot up, so he tried not to think too much about it and let it get to him too much).

And next to that, they'd never work out.

Jason was a great guy, yes, and Will knew he'd never want to make his partner uncomfortable, but he was still a top, still a very dominant person, and there was simply no way for Will to give him what he wanted.

Will let his head fall back against the door and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

Nothing had happened.

Nothing would happen.

Everything was going to be fine.

He was probably going to go out of this room and Jason would be sitting on the bed watching film (why did Will just have to grab Ice Age? Couldn't it have been some really bloody horror movie? Seriously, of all the things…) and trying to keep things from turning awkward as much as possible, though Will was almost certain he'd try to apologize, at any rate (thinking back, Will wasn't even sure anymore who of them had started this in the first place).

But yeah, everything would be fine.

He waited for his heart to calm down somewhat, controlling his breathing and wishing controlling his mind would be as easy.

Then, right when he thought he was ready to leave, he remembered every tiny detail again.

Jason's hands on his bare skin, the touch soothing cool.

His sky-blue eyes behind those glasses gleaming dark and dangerous and wanting.

The way his breath had come out in small huffs, his heart rate and values all over the place.

The definite arousal Will had been able to pick up.

Will groaned, burying his face in his hands.

He had enough problems already, how in the name of Hades did he deserve another one?

But there was no denying it.

Will wanted to kiss Jason Grace.

Well, not just kiss, but that was already big enough a problem, he didn't even dare to think of the others, because that would probably leave him in a puddle on the bathroom floor.

Yes, he definitely had a problem.

.

After waking up to find Jason sitting on the bed, feeding Will (who had been sitting on the floor in front of the bed for whatever reason) blue potato chips with an almost apologetic expression, while Will took said potato chips with a reluctant, slightly flustered (?) expression of his own (Percy had no idea whatsoever what that had been about, though it had certainly unnerved him); they spent the rest of the day loitering around in Nico's room, sometimes watching film, sometimes dozing off on the bed, apparently catching up on the missed sleep during their travel (that bed was damn comfortable, though).

It was odd, how they didn't even have to talk much, but still felt utterly comfortable around each other.

They were also oddly in sync, always dozing off in pairs (first Percy and Nico, then Jason and Will, then Jason again, but with Nico, leaving Will and Percy to bicker about which film to watch next).

He still felt conflicted about the whole conversation with Hades, and seeing Nico had only made him wonder all over again whether he was actually doing the right thing with dating him.

He loved him more than anything, and he'd never ever want to leave him, but what if he really was keeping Nico from the person who could make him truly happy?

But what was true happiness, anyways?

Was there such a thing? Percy felt truly happy when he was with Nico, and Nico seemed to be happy with him, too, so wasn't that all there was to it?

But what if that was only for now, and in a few weeks, months, maybe even years, Nico would despise Percy for robbing him of the chance to find his partner for life?

Hades had said he couldn't make Nico happy, but two minutes later, he had claimed if Percy just continued being how he was, he didn't see how Percy couldn't make Nico happy.

So what did that mean?

What did it all _mean_?

He didn't understand.

"Gods, Percy, you're starting to mope again. Stop it." Will chided, nudging his side rather harshly, though Percy was more startled Will had noticed in the first place.

He had thought he had had his expression in check.

Glancing around at Will, he found him watching him sternly, expression grim.

For some reason, Hades' words shot through his head again.

_'What about Will Solace, then?'_

What had _that_ meant?

He had thought it was a hint at Will and Nico, but now, he started wondering whether it might not have been something entirely different.

Maybe Hades had meant to hint at the fact Nico still liked Will, and what Percy was going to do about it (if so, then nothing, because Percy knew how much Will meant to Nico, and he wasn't going to tell anybody how to feel or not to feel. Jason had been right when he had said one couldn't be blamed for their feelings, their hearts simply having a mind of its own).

Or maybe it hadn't been about that at all.

Maybe Hades had tried to hint at something happening that had to do with Will.

What if he thought something bad was going to happen to Will?

As that thought shot through his head, he felt his stomach turn and had to force down the urge to grab for Will's hand.

No, that couldn't be it. It had to be something different.

Hades hadn't asked or said anything else about Will. It had definitely just been something he had said to check Percy's reaction in general.

Yeah, that was probably it.

Will studied his expression quietly for a moment, then sighed, shaking his head slightly and inching closer until their knees rubbed against each other.

Percy let him, trying to suppress the pleasant shiver that still ran down his spine as he felt the boy's heat through the fabric of their jeans (why they were even still completely dressed when they all kept dozing off was beyond him, though).

"You know...if you want to talk about it...I'll listen, ok?" The blonde tried slowly, seemingly weighing his words carefully before saying them, and Percy knew he meant it.

He was also fairly sure he really _could_ talk about this with him without Will making fun of him or teasing him or taking advantage of him in any way.

They were that close now.

Kind of weird, now that he thought about it.

But definitely a good sort of weird, so he brushed the thought aside.

"Thanks, but I'm good. As I said, it wasn't too bad. I just...I just have some things to think about, that's all." He waved off with a forced smile, trying to act untroubled and cheerful as usual (which hadn't worked too well so far, but one could always hope).

Just because he could talk to Will didn't mean he would.

This was his problem. His insecurities.

He wasn't going to put all that on Will and force him to reassure him - which was undoubtedly what Will would do, even though he would probably think something entirely different from what he's say, since he loved Nico as well, after all.

Gods, he'd probably inwardly agree with Hades and think he'd be a much better match for Nico, too.

The thought was depressing.

Will sighed, looking away with a thoughtful expression for a long moment, and Percy found himself watching Will's face absent-mindedly.

Will had a pretty face.

Next to his freckles, which even Percy had to admit were kind of cute and had a certain charm to them, Will had a pretty delicate bone structure (not that he'd ever tell him – he wanted to keep all his limbs, thank you very much), and his bright blue eyes and slightly pink, rather nicely shaped lips certainly added to Will's attractiveness.

Percy remembered back when he had first laid eyes on Will after knowing Nico was getting along better with him.

To be honest, his first thought of him had been along the lines of 'What's so special about that guy?'.

How blind he had been.

In a way, there was nothing not-special about Will at all.

Percy found himself smiling stupidly, watching Will frown and apparently contemplate something, teeth worrying his bottom lip for the fraction of a moment.

Then those blue eyes looked around at Percy and he flinched, trying to cover up his undoubtedly dumb expression, but Will was merely looking at him in that odd, lost-in-thoughts-type of way.

Then his face cleared.

"Hey, you still want to learn how to dance?"

Percy blinked. What?

That was random.

"Uh…I suppose…? Why…?" He asked hesitantly, but Will already clapped his hands, a broad, wicked smile on his face, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Perfect. Dance with me."

Before Percy had the chance to comprehend the words, had the chance to utter a confused 'What', before he had the chance to at the very least look up at Will in bewilderment; he already found Will tugging him up by his arms and dragging him to the center of the room.

What…?

Will looked him up and down critically, beginning to fix his stance, his moving lips indicating he was talking, but Percy still had trouble realizing this was, in fact, real, and, as absurd as it was, actually happening.

"…so everybody knows the Waltz and that would be boring anyways, so we're stepping this up to a Hustle right away. Come on now, Perce, you'll like this one, I'm sure. Hand on my back, I'll even show you the male steps, which does _not_ mean I'll let you lead just yet." Percy could hear him chatter and blinked, now even more confused as Will took his hand and placed it slightly above his waist.

He opened his mouth, ready to complain, to stop them, to ask what was even going on, but then Will already started about all the possible steps and how they'd just start with the basics now – _now_-now – one of his hands clasping Percy's, while the other one was right at his shoulder/arm.

Then Will was tugging, clearly indicating for Percy to move, and all the things Percy had wanted to say were wiped off his mind.

"But I don't know how!" He heard his voice finally working, but saying something so utterly stupid, he felt betrayed by himself.

Will, however, didn't make fun of him, though his eyes were full of mirth, a wide, dazzling smile on his face, as if there was nothing better in the world but dancing with Percy (or trying to, at least).

"Dummy, that's what you got me for. Just do the same thing I'm doing, but reverse. You're smart, you'll catch on." He stated brightly, and Percy frowned inwardly at being called _smart_ by _Will_ – which definitely shouldn't have been the issue here.

He didn't have a chance to ponder this too much, though, because the next moment, Will really _was_ moving, and Percy found himself toppling after him awkwardly, not even knowing what foot he had been meant to use first.

He didn't even know what a Hustle was!

Well, he might have heard the term somewhere, and it might have been discussed at some point for proms and such, but…well, frankly, Percy hadn't paid much attention to such things.

Yes, that was his meek excuse for his utter failure.

He felt his palms becoming sweaty, both on Will's side (bless the fact they were actually wearing clothes, so Will couldn't feel that), and in Will's hand (damn, why couldn't they be wearing gloves, too?), and his skin started tingling oddly, same as he felt his face growing warm.

He kept stumbling after Will, until Will suddenly pushed against him gently, chattering all the way, apparently utterly unperturbed by Percy's absolute failure.

Percy moved backwards awkwardly, then was suddenly tugged forward again, and he felt himself stepping on Will's foot, but the blonde didn't even wince and didn't stop neither his steps nor his monologue.

"Percy, pay attention. And eyes up here. Learning by doing, Gorgeous. I'm teaching you the steps, and I'm also teaching you never to stare down at your feet. You'll figure it out, I believe in you." Will chirped after Percy stepped on his feet again and stared down at the jumble that was their legs.

But at the last part of Will's sentence, he found himself looking up again, slightly taken aback, his heart going even faster than before (which should have been impossible, not to mention deadly).

For some reason, hearing Will practically praise him, and telling him he believed in him, and that he was smart and would figure it out, all with that gentle, confident, honest voice, as if he truly meant it…that kind of felt really nice.

Percy felt his insides warming, and slowly, but surely, he felt himself calming, and actually paying attention to the way Will moved, for once.

Of course, Will was practically like liquid, his movements fluid and graceful, as if he did nothing but dance all the time, every day, all day long.

Percy knew this, even though he didn't know much about dancing, and he loved the way Will felt in his arms at that moment, moving to imaginary music, leading Percy while animating him to lead.

It was weird.

But a good weird.

Also, Percy thought he could finally sense a pattern in his steps.

In the beginning, with him stumbling and toppling after Will so much, he hadn't noticed, but it seemed this dance only took three real steps, though it might have been four, too, he couldn't tell (the last one and a half steps were somewhat confusing to him, still).

He was kind of tempted to look down at their feet again to verify, but the moment his eyes left Will's face, the blonde clicked his tongue.

"Eyes on me, Gorgeous. You're already getting better. Now, one-two-three-and-one..." He reminded him, pushing against him gently again, and Percy found himself moving backwards hurriedly again, but at least not as badly as two rounds ago, this time only doing two steps too many.

He knew that it was his turn to push against Will the moment Will would do that odd last sway after the second step, so he readied himself for that, trying with all his might to remember which foot to use.

Well, he ended up using the wrong one, but he could see something in Will's gaze that told him the blonde had noticed his try at the very least, and he seemed to approve.

So Percy tried again, this time while moving backwards.

It still took him quite a while to manage those stupid two/three/something steps in the right order, the right way, the right moment.

But when he did, he felt more than a little triumphant – especially when Will shot him such a dazzling smile he felt himself going weak at the knees, and that had nothing to do with the 'dancing'.

"See? I told you you'd be fine." Will said, adoration and pride showing in his eyes for a moment.

Then, suddenly, he was spinning Percy around.

"And now that you know the basic, we'll add the spins, because I'm all for the spins and turns. Who needs stupid linear learning, we can learn the other moves later. Swirl, babe." Will exclaimed with a laugh.

And swirl he did.

He had no clue about steps anymore, stumbling along as Will moved him about with ease, as if Percy wasn't as tall as he was (maybe even slightly taller, though that could have been wishful thinking from Percy's part, too), and weighed even more.

The room was spinning, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he swirled and swirled and moved and tried to adapt to Will's movements, even though it seemed impossible.

Whenever he thought he could detect a pattern, Will whirled him around in an entirely different way, though somehow, his steps always seemed to be the same.

He let out a small sound of complaint, but Will merely laughed, whirling him around even more – then he suddenly tugged Percy against him again, their chests bumping together, Percy's foot perfectly squashed on top of Will's, though Will didn't even flinch, his eyes gleaming with joy and amusement and mirth.

"Good job! We didn't fall over yet. Come on, it's always the same basic step. One-two-three-and-one-two-three-and-one-two- yes, Percy, exactly like that!" Will praised when Percy stumbled forwards, achieving the wanted steps by mere luck and coincidence, really, though the praise felt amazing and great and wonderful – and suddenly, Percy poured all he had into getting those steps right, determination urging him to get a grip on himself.

And then, he slowly started to get the hang of it.

"Good! Now, time to swirl again." Will stated with a mischievous smile, and that was all the warning Percy got before Will whirled him around again, but this time Percy could sense his movements much better than before.

This wasn't the usual swirling he knew from things like the Waltz.

Most of the time, his swirls consisted of moving backwards through Will's arms in weird intervals.

On and for itself, Will's arms suddenly seemed to be everywhere, anyways, though he never technically seemed to let go of Percy, much.

"Just so you know, usually, the lead is the one swirling their partner. I'm just improvising because I know you can take it." Will said somewhere behind him before taking him back close, and Percy managed to get the steps right almost instantly once they were back to their back and forth walking, though Will now started moving left and right, instead, momentarily throwing Percy off track before he caught on.

"I don't even know what we're doing right now." Percy muttered back, noting how he was already out of breath, though they hadn't even done much (if one neglected the fact he had just been swirled around a felt hundred times).

"We're dancing, Gorgeous. I'll teach you some more basic turns and swirls, then you'll get to swirl me. If you manage that before Jason and Nico wake up, I might even put on some music. Jason said something about the TV being capable of playing music, at least." The blonde mused, but Percy was too busy gazing into his flushed, rather happy looking face to really pay attention to his words.

His heart was beating loud and fast in his chest, his mind still slightly dizzy from the swirling.

But somehow, in that moment, in Will's arms, with both of them dancing to no music whatsoever, moving through Nico's room in what might be considered circles with some imagination…Percy felt oddly less confused about everything.

And then, he heard Hades' words in his head again.

_'What about Will Solace, then?'_

Maybe Hades had meant this.

Percy didn't know.

But somehow, he found he wouldn't mind if that truly was the case.

Not at all.

.

When Jason woke up, he found Percy and Will dancing.

He blinked, then frowned, then rubbed his eyes and stared, the thought 'I must still be dreaming' manifesting in his mind.

But as he closed his eyes and reopened them, he realized that, yes, in fact, those two were dancing.

With each other. Close to each other. And Percy was leading.

Jason stared at them, trying to make sense of the scene in front of him, but he couldn't.

Why were they dancing? And what were they dancing, anyways?

And _why_? There wasn't even any music playing.

Plus, Percy had always claimed he couldn't dance and had never learned!

"Good! Very good, Percy! Now, let's practice the turns, alright? Do a right turn." Will ordered in a cheerful voice, beaming at Percy, who was gazing back with a gentle smile of his own.

Something in the back of his mind clicked.

Ah. Will was _teaching _Percy how to dance.

That explained everything, he guessed.

No, wait, it didn't. Why was he teaching him _now_? And what dance? And, for the love of the gods, _why_?!

Percy followed his command, nodding and looking almost eager, stepping sideways and doing some sort of turn, looking giddy and proud when Will praised him again.

Jason had to smile despite himself, fairly certain that Percy would be wagging his tail by now if he had one, the dork that he was.

Will seemed to think the same, gazing at Percy with adoration and affection, a fond smile replacing his grin.

"That was superb, Gorgeous. Now, do one more and then a left turn. If you manage that, you can try to swirl me."

Percy's eyes gleamed.

"You know, somebody once told me the lead is supposed to be the one leading." Percy reminded him, his voice sounding like he was about to laugh.

Will merely raised an eyebrow, eyes full of mirth. "Well, I'm rebellious. Also, you were still falling all over yourself ten minutes ago, you'll understand I first want to see you capable of walking before trusting your lead."

Percy blushed at that, making him look even more adorable.

"That's because you just started moving and expected me to miraculously know what to do. So not my fault." He muttered defiantly and Jason smiled to himself, trying to picture how that must have looked.

Now he kind of wished he had woken up sooner.

Jason knew they'd most likely stop the moment they realized he was awake, so he tugged Nico closer to him, keeping his eyes half-shut and on them, watching them some more.

By the sound of it, Will had randomly decided that now was the perfect time to teach Percy how to dance.

It wasn't hard to figure out why, but still, wasn't that a bit much just to cheer Percy up?

Then again, Jason was sure the three of them would do anything to get Percy back to his old self, so this wasn't as bad as some other stuff Will could have probably come up with.

He watched them do some more turns, then Percy seemed to miss a step or something in his try to 'swirl' Will, though Will was nice enough not to point it out, though Jason inwardly winced in sympathy when Percy's foot landed on Will's.

"Almost had it. Let me show you once more how it's done. Careful, now." Will warned and started pushing against Percy, and Jason watched curiously how they started doing more turns and whirls, sometimes Will leading even though Jason was sure he shouldn't, sometimes Percy attempting to lead even though he didn't seem to know exactly what he was doing.

But somehow, they seemed to manage, and the result didn't look all too bad.

Though Jason seriously had no idea what they were even dancing.

"You know, a friend once told me that secrets shared during a dance are the ones that bind people together and make the world a brighter place for both of them." Will said, keeping their dance up while he moved away from Percy, then back towards him, and Percy caught his hand with his own again, bringing them together once more and beginning to actually lead.

"Yeah? That sounds nice." Percy replied, grinning triumphantly when he indicated a right turn and Will moved along fluidly.

"I know right? You should probably try it with Nico. Talk out what bothers you. I mean, it's more than apparent you wouldn't want to talk to me about your conversation with his dad, but-…" Will started, but then had to stop talking as Percy made him swirl around.

"It's not that, sun-bug. Really, the talk didn't go all too bad. He even said I might just be able to make Nico happy." Percy stated quietly, pushing away from Will to do that series of steps again that Jason sadly still couldn't follow.

If only he knew where it started, then he might actually at least know how many steps there were.

But right now, it all looked like some sort of very difficult choreography that only those two perfected.

"Might just be able to? What's that supposed to mean?" Will asked, a slight frown on his face as he let Percy tug him back closer, and the two started moving about the room.

It was so weird to see them like this, to see them dancing, and in such harmony, too.

"Well…" Percy started reluctantly, but then trailed off, rather trying to get Will's focus back on the dance, but Will's eyes were fixed on Percy's face, an expectant expression in his eyes.

Jason knew he had him when Percy let out a small sigh.

"Well, he just wants what's best for Nico, you know? And he's not blind, he knows you guys love him. I mean, he even bet on Jason. Not that I can blame him, I'd probably have done the same."

Jason raised an eyebrow, but lowered it quickly again before they could notice him being awake.

Hey, should he take that as a compliment? Or worry about Percy's state of mind, if he admitted out loud he'd have bet on Jason to be Nico's best bet.

Well, it didn't matter, he didn't like the bitterness in Percy's voice, at any rate.

Will gave a small snort.

"Percy, everybody would bet on Jason, because everybody knows he's the most considerate of Nico. Still, that doesn't mean you're not the best for him, at any rate."

"Please. Be serious, Will." Percy retorted drily, and they gave each other little glares.

"I am serious, Percy."

"So you think I can make Nico happy? Like, really happy?" Percy asked, and Jason wanted to groan, wanted to slam his head against something hard – and Percy's right along with it.

This _again_?

He thought they had solved this!

Hades! By the gods, did the god really have to prod those insecurities in Percy even more?!

Like, _those_?

Couldn't he have appealed to Percy's loyalty or something? That would have been the easiest to fix, since Percy probably wouldn't even have been bothered by it in the first place, the loyal soul that he was.

"Oh, gee, let me think." Will retorted with a snort, and suddenly, he was taking the lead again, switching their steps somehow, because Jason was very sure they had been using the other foot to start just a moment ago.

Percy seemed as surprised as him, if the momentary stumbling stood for anything.

"Will, what…"

"I'm taking you for this dance, sir. What we've been doing up until now was mere playing, now is when the real fun starts, and I want to show you how it's done properly. Get ready to go down in style." Will exclaimed, and then he was moving – and damn, it was at least double the speed they had moved at before.

Percy cursed and stumbled, but then caught himself and tried frantically to adjust, while Will whirled them through the room.

"So, let's see…" Will started the moment Percy had finally managed to keep up, falling into step with him and making everything look harmonized again.

"Remind me, Percy, who was it who came to my cabin at an utterly ungodly hour to discuss birthday gifts?"

Percy made a face. "Me, but…"

"And who was it who went through such lengths to make Nico's birthday special and amazing and perfect, without making him feel uncomfortable?"

"Me, but…"

"Who would then proceed to come to my cabin over and over again to ask questions and demand help to be the best for Nico?"

"Me,_ but…_"

"And who had this crazy idea of a Christmas calendar, with twenty-five freaking different gifts, not even expecting anything in return?"

"Will!"

"Say it."

Percy groaned. "Me! But that's all-…"

"Who managed to get Nico out of his shell within a week of dating him, making him tolerate physical contact without flinching away?"

Percy blinked, hesitating in his steps, but Will tugged him along, anyways.

"Who decided to prioritize Nico above anything else, even willing to put up with his other two friends that have major crushes on him, just for him?"

"That's…" Percy started to complain, but Will shushed him unimpressed, indicating a turn, and smirking amused when Percy instantly went with it, moving away from Will to do the turn by himself, just to then come back to him, all the while not losing his footing (at least as far as Jason could tell. Then again, he still hadn't figured out the steps, so they could be fooling around for all he knew and only make it seem somewhat professional).

"Who let two other guys sleep in the same bed as Nico, knowing full well how close they could get to him, but trusting them all the same, all just because he felt bad for them and didn't want anybody hurt or left out?"

"But…" Percy started, but wasn't allowed to continue.

Jason nodded in agreement. Will was doing a perfect job right there.

It kind of made him wonder why everybody always came to him with their problems.

Because it was more than obvious Will could fix those much better than Jason could ever attempt to.

Well, it seemed like just another fact to show him they didn't need him.

Sad, but true.

"Who made Nico grin like a fool with the smallest gestures that others would have never even thought of?"

Percy remained quiet, looking bewildered.

"Who makes Nico happier than I bet he's ever been, with just being with him, being there for him, and loving him unconditionally?"

Jason nodded slightly, thinking of the way Nico had changed the past months, getting so much more comfortable with himself and them.

He even came out to the Camp!

And that certainly had been something close to impossible to imagine, even though Jason had never doubted he could do it, of course.

Jason could have never done it.

He still didn't know how Percy had done it, anyways, but he knew it was something only Percy could have done.

And Will seemed to know that, too.

The blonde started slowing, getting them into a nice, slow rhythm that probably wasn't entirely correct, but seemed to make Percy much more comfortable with the steps.

"Percy, you're a great guy, you know? You're funny, smart – though unbelievably stupid and oblivious at the same time, I'll have you know. You're loyal, kind and unbelievably sassy by times."

Jason buried his face in Nico's hair, pushing down the pain cutting through him at the gentle tone of Will's voice.

He was utterly in love with Percy, wasn't he?

It sounded like it.

It also looked like it.

Then again, who was Jason fooling? He had already known.

Gods, just earlier he had thought that would be it, those three would be a thing, and he'd be the odd one out, the fifth wheel that was only going to drag them down.

Well, right after, he had kind of maybe hit on Will because he apparently happened to be suicidal and crazy and unable to help himself, but it was probably better not to think of that now.

Ugh, too late.

Gods, what had Jason been thinking?

Sure, Will had started it, but he hadn't had to go along with it and tease him right back, especially when he knew Will would never let anybody one-up him like that.

Damn, he should have just let it drop, not egg him on further and actually let it escalate quite like that.

What would he have done if Percy hadn't moved?

Though, by the gods, he had wanted to slaughter Percy for that.

Seriously, such a horrid timing! Couldn't he have at least waited another few seconds so Jason could have at least felt Will's lips on his just once, even for just those few seconds?

Wait, this was exactly the problem here.

What if that had happened?

Was that really how he would have wanted their first kiss to be like?

No, no it wouldn't have been.

It was already bad enough he had messed up his first kiss with Nico during that Truth or Dare game, there was no way he'd have wanted to force Will to kiss him in any way.

Why was he always so prone to fall for those heat of the moment situations, anyways?

Everybody else managed just fine to get into situations where everything simply built up that way and allowed for a kiss to unfold.

With Jason, it always seemed to go along the lines of his brain wishing for something like that, and the situation yelling 'nope', just to then escalate, anyways.

"You're this awesome hero everybody looks up to, but at the same time, you're so much more. Yet all this time, you try to make Nico happy, and doubt yourself at every step. I mean, seriously, how blind can you get? Can you not see how much Nico loves you? How happy he is with you? Do you think Jason and I would really, seriously, honestly, sit around idly if we had just the inch of a hunch of Nico not being utterly happy with you? Seriously, what are you worried about? He adores you, you practically worship him, you two are the weirdest couple I've ever seen, but you two just fit, so crazy doesn't always have to mean bad. So, seriously, Gorgeous, stop doubting yourself so much. _Fuck what Hades says_. He's Nico's father, he won't agree with any guy. If it had been Jason, you think he'd have given him a clap on the shoulder and told him 'I approve of you, my future son-in-law'? No. I bet my collection of guitar picks – and it's a very nice collection, let me tell you – that he'd have been even harsher on Jason, and Jason would have a hell of a time to figure out what to do to never ever disappoint him in any way, which includes coming up with the best thing ever to move him to sign the contract – on first try, of course. So don't think about it too much, ok? He probably just took you aside to scare you, anyways, and to test out how much you really want to be with Nico. You know, he probably just tried to see whether you'd run away or if you'd actually stand your ground and prove your worth."

Jason watched them becoming slower and slower, Percy staring at Will with slightly parted lips and a stunned expression, while Will's eyes gleamed with affection and honesty.

Then he smirked his usual smirk and started speeding their dance up again.

"What you should rather think about is the acceptance of Nico's friends, because they're the ones who are around Nico much more than his dad and can influence him a lot more. And if the friends don't like you, you're screwed. Now, let's think of Nico's friends. Oh, funny, they all like you. What's that saying, Gorgeous?" Will asked with a knowing wriggle of his eyebrows and a wicked grin.

Percy snapped out of his stupor, though Jason had no idea whether that was because of the dance, Will's face, his words or some other reason.

"Uh…you have a guitar pick collection?"

Jason pressed his mouth against the back of Nico's head to not laugh out loud or make any noise in general.

Yes. This was Percy.

Will groaned.

"Really, Percy? I throw you a speech for your self-esteem and all you hear is that I have a guitar pick collection?"

Percy turned slightly pink in the face, looking about uncomfortably, but Will was leading again, so he had to focus on the dance more than anything.

Apparently, he didn't know what to say.

Jason wasn't surprised.

"Well, yeah, I do have a pick collection. They're useless to me, of course, but sometime I humor Alec and let him borrow one of them." Will conceded with a sigh, and Jason smiled to himself at that tidbit of information.

So did Percy, as he noticed a moment later.

"How come you're not playing anymore? Didn't you like it?" He asked, and Jason studied Will's gaze, noticing the way he seemed to hesitate for the fraction of a second.

"I did, but…well, I wasn't very good at it. So after my guitar was done for, I saw no reason continuing, or even getting a new one. It's not like we are all rich kids, despite having gods for parents." The blonde explained with a shrug, and Percy let out a small sigh.

"I suppose so. Hey, what's your secret?" He asked, suddenly seeming all excited again as he did a right turn with Will, their movements fluid and harmonized.

It was disturbing to see so much improvement in such a short time.

"Huh?" Will asked, taken aback, looking startled and almost scared – something Jason didn't understand whatsoever, but bothered him greatly.

Though he needn't have worried, because Percy was quick to explain, a small smile on his lips.

"You said something about 'secrets shared during a dance'. I told you about the talk with Hades, in a way, which I hadn't intended to. So now, it's your turn, right? For fairness?"

Jason could see Percy giving Will the baby seal look and couldn't suppress a smile, knowing Will would fall for that.

He did.

Rolling his eyes, he let out a small sigh and gazed off into the distance with a faraway, thoughtful expression for a moment.

"Hmm…a secret…"

Jason had to admit he was more than just a little curious now.

What would he tell Percy?

Who knew, maybe he actually felt relaxed enough to mention something about his mother, or his past in general.

Maybe they'd even breach whatever topic it was that he was so scared to talk about and that had freaked him out so much in New Rome.

"I really love baths." Will said after a solid minute of silence, and Jason's hopes were squashed.

What. The. Hell.

He stared at Will with a deadpanned expression, thinking to himself this shouldn't have come as a surprise at all, though it still kind of had.

Percy stared at Will, too, with a fairly similar expression on his face like Jason's, though then he started laughing, shaking his head.

"Seriously? _That's_ the secret you're going to tell me?"

"Hey, I'm serious! I love baths. Like, you have no idea how much I love baths. I hate bathrooms, especially small ones, but I absolutely love baths. The longer, the better. Just give me a giant bathtub filled with hot water, and I'll be the happiest demigod around for hours – provided the water stays warm, that is." Will mused, then clicked his tongue.

"You know what, let's try this to actual music, alright? Time to get Nico's laptop, because I have no clue how to get the TV to play what I want, and Jason's still asleep."

Jason hastened to shut his eyes, keeping Nico's body close to his to mask most of his face, glad that the Italian was still utterly knocked out (poor guy, he must have been needing that sleep quite a bit).

Good thing he was acting asleep, though.

Because he honestly had no idea how to work the TV.

Having gotten the DVD's to run had been more of a coincidence and lots of luck, really.

But there was no way he'd point that out unless utterly necessary.

"Really? Are you sure we're ready for that, yet? It's supposed to be faster, right?" Percy asked, uncertainty in his voice, but Jason didn't dare open his eyes yet, listening to what sounded like them breaking apart so Will could go fetch Nico's laptop.

"Gorgeous, you'll be fine. It's just going to be one dance, and I'll even let you lead. But don't ever tell anybody, I swear. This is a one-time thing. Usually, I lead. No exceptions." Will threatened, and Jason inwardly sighed.

Yes, this was his Will, alright.

"Alright, alright. So, can you tell me why I'm learning this, anyways? Does Nico know it? Or was all of this just a trick to get me to permit you to teach my boyfriend how to dance?" Percy asked, but made it obvious he was only making fun, else Will would have probably beheaded him.

"Oh, I actually thought you'd be able to teach him yourself, but of course I'll do it if you want. I can combine that with the blowjob-help he demanded, I guess." Will teased right back and Jason had to suppress the urge to chuckle.

Yes, these were his guys.

"Ugh, Will, don't remind me. You're so mean. Now, hurry up, I think I'm already beginning to forget my steps."

Will chuckled and Jason risked opening his eye the fraction of an inch to glance at them.

Will was sitting on the ground, Nico's laptop on his lap (good thing Nico had given them permission to use his laptop if they wanted), while Percy stood behind him, looking over his shoulder down at the screen.

"Shush, Gorgeous, I'm working on it. The Hustle isn't that common here anymore. In Europe, there's still people who enjoy it, though. But I think it has a different name there, and the basic step is slightly different. Still, I prefer it over standard dances like the Waltz. Seriously, the Hustle was and still is awesome. It's one of my favorites, actually." Will explained absent-mindedly, typing on the keyboard.

Percy smiled, now gazing down at Will instead of the screen.

Man, Percy was getting worse and worse with hiding his growing crush on Will.

Jason had to admit he was surprised Hades hadn't seemed to mention that.

That would have been one of the first things that probably would have bothered him about his kid's potential partner.

Oh well, maybe Hades figured Percy would never act on it, like Jason.

"Yeah? So what are your favorites?"

Will chuckled. "My favorites? Wow, let me think. There are so many good classical dances - not that you'd know most of them - and each has their own charm. But if I had to pick, I guess I'd pick Foxtrot or Hustle, maybe the Cha Cha as my favorite choice when I want to have fun; and the Viennese Waltz if I either want to show off or get close to my partner. And if I want to go romantic, Rumba would be _the_ choice. Oh, I bet you'd like that one, too. But there's no way I'll teach you that one. It's not called one of the most romantic dances for no reason, you know?" He said, looking up at Percy with a teasing grin.

Percy gazed down unimpressed, an eyebrow raised. "Yeah, yeah. You can say all you want, all I can hear is the mute plea of 'Please let me teach Nico that dance I want to get my hands on him'." He remarked drily, but in good nature.

Will sent him a playfully aghast look. "No way! Why would you think that?"

Percy ruffled through his hair. "Oh, I wouldn't know. Hey, wait, can you click on that one? I want to see how this dance is actually meant to look before I attempt to let you let me make a fool of myself or something." He exclaimed, crouching down and pointing at the screen, and Jason noticed surprised this had to be the first time they didn't start bickering in a matter of moments.

He also noticed how close Percy's face was, right next to Will's, though both of them seemed oblivious to that, their eyes fixed on the screen.

"That? Well, alright, but this is more show-dancing, so they do a lot more moves than we do, and, well, they're professionals. Don't get discouraged, I'll hold you to that dance and if it's the last thing I do."

Percy grinned and sent Will a knowing look, wriggling his eyebrows. "Hey, now I'm almost starting to believe you actually want to get your hands on me, not on Nico. Is there something I should know about?"

Jason wanted to say yes, but he figured the way Will's face flushed bright red with his freckles glowing should have been enough of an answer.

"Idiot. I merely want to reap the fruit of my labor. Teaching you isn't the easiest thing, after all, and I want to see the end result of my awesomeness." Will replied defiantly, clicking a felt hundred times with the mouse to probably attempt to get the video to load faster.

He was so obvious about it, how could Percy be that oblivious?

A moment later, Jason could hear faint music coming from the laptop, along with applause, and he watched both of them staring at the screen.

Percy's expression was the first to change, and Jason had to bite his lip not to laugh at the utterly incredulous look on his face.

"There is NO way I can do that!"

Jason wished he could see what 'that' was.

"Gorgeous, you'll be fine! Or do you want me to lead first, to give you an idea? Come on, it's not as difficult as it looks. You already did most of-...well, you didn't do that, but nobody needs that. That's just for show. We want to do it for fun, right?" Will cooed, and Jason watched surprised how Percy flopped down next to Will and the two leaned against each other slightly almost immediately – and apparently without noticing -, Will putting an arm around Percy loosely, rubbing his side, while Percy put his head on Will's shoulder with a sigh..

When had they started being so openly affectionate towards each other?

"I don't know..."

"Come on, it'll be great. Those people dance for a living, Perce, of course they'll be awesome. But hey, you managed to not fall even once, and with my teaching methods, that's definitely special. Plus, nobody is watching, anyways. Who's going to judge you?"

Jason decided to really make sure they didn't know he was awake, because he was fairly certain they'd slaughter him if they knew.

Percy gazed at the screen again doubtfully, but then nodded. "Alright. But you're teaching Nico. There's no way I'll risk teaching him the wrong stuff and mess up. Try to be nicer to him, though and first show him the basic step before rushing him to cope, will you?"

Will snorted. "There I'm giving you the perfect opportunity to show off, and you're passing it right back to me. Go figure. Anyways, don't you worry, I only teach you that way, because I know it's what works best with you. You're not one for theory and slowly getting used to things, Percy. You are one of those people that need to be ambushed with the situation and figure it out for themselves how to solve it. If I tried to teach it to you the way I'd teach everybody else, we'd still not be able to do the basic step in three weeks time."

Jason found himself agreeing to that, thinking of the way Percy tended to train. Not to mention the way he fought, what with him rushing into action and figuring out things along the way (or not).

Yes, that was Percy.

And Jason really wished he could have seen them trying to dance from beginning on.

Percy looked conflicted for a moment, as if wondering whether that was meant as a compliment or an insult, and Will chuckled, clicking around some more with the mouse.

"Ok, let me put it like this: If Luke would have shown you the theory of sword fighting, instead of thrusting a weapon into your hand and making you fight, would you have wielded the sword the way you did?"

Percy's face cleared. "Oh! No, I probably still wouldn't know how to do it. Ok, I get your point. Alright, let's do this. So...erm..." He fidgeted, eyes hushing from the screen to Will and back.

Will raised a questioning eyebrow, but then smiled and got up, bumping their shoulders together as he did.

"Ok, you lead? It's a once in a lifetime chance." Will said, though Jason had the distinct feeling Will _wanted _Percy to lead.

Which was weird.

_Very_ weird.

Percy seemed hesitant for another moment, but then shrugged and grinned, letting Will help him up.

"Alright. Back straight, shake your arms out, let's get into position, we have until the video buffers. I'll nudge you to let you know when to start, yeah?" Will offered, and Percy nodded, suddenly looking nervous all over again.

Those two were seriously going to do a real dance.

Just like that.

Jason wished he had a camera to film it.

He also wished Nico could see his boyfriend so fidgety and nervous and adorable.

But chances were they would stop the instant they noticed either of them awake, and he didn't want to risk that.

He watched quietly, moving his head ever so slightly to get a better view, though he didn't dare shift too much.

Percy placed one hand on Will's side gingerly, just above his waist, while Will put his on Percy's upper arm, their other hands clasped together.

Then Will adjusted Percy's stance with nudges of his foot (at least that's how it looked to Jason, though he couldn't see much of their lower bodies), giving him hints and pointers here and there and getting them both ready to start.

Music started playing, a tad louder than before, and he could see Percy tensing up right away, but Will seemed utterly calm and collected, sending him a reassuring smile.

The song started, but they didn't move yet, and Jason could see Percy being more than a little nervous about that.

He was just about to wonder what Will was waiting for, when he gave a small nod and nudged his foot against Percy's for a moment.

And then, they danced.

It looked messy at first, with Percy almost jumping out of his skin to get it right, but after the first few steps, they seemed to adjust to the music and each other, and Jason watched amazed how they fell into nearly perfect sync.

He could tell Will was the one leading at first, but then Percy took over, making them turn and spin and dance through the room, his expression changing into something close to amazement.

Will beamed at Percy, giving him complete control and trusting him blindly to not make him run into anything as he moved mostly backwards, letting Percy set where they went and how and why.

They didn't talk.

Maybe because they were both concentrating on doing it right and at the right speed.

Or maybe there simply wasn't any need for words.

Their bodies relaxed, the last bit of tension leaving Percy's shoulders as he spun Will around two times in a row, making both of them laugh quietly.

They went back and forth like that, sometimes moving in circles, sometimes spinning around, sometimes parting just to come back together.

It didn't look professional, but it sure looked great.

Jason smiled and watched how they shared another one of those moments where they simply gazed at each other with adoration, wonder and affection.

He closed his eyes, burying his face in Nico's hair and heard him sigh in his sleep, snuggling back against Jason's chest slightly.

He wanted to keep watching, but at the same time, this was not for his eyes, was it? He shouldn't have even watched them for so long in the first place, really.

This was their moment. They both seemed to need it, and they both sure as hell deserved it.

So he kept his eyes closed, instead trying to focus on Nico, who muttered something so quietly he almost didn't catch it, though he could make out his name.

Smiling to himself, he let his hands stroke over Nico's front slowly, luring a content sigh out of him, his back pushing against Jason's chest.

He could hear Percy and Will chuckling and laughing, and then, one song changed to another.

Jason smiled, though he wasn't sure why.

It was great they could be around each other like that now.  
It was great they got along so well.  
It was great they were enjoying themselves.

And he was happy for them, he really was.

But he couldn't help but feel a little sad, too.

It wasn't as if he begrudged them anything, and they were allowed to dance and be close and happy all they wanted, but he just wished there would be somebody in this world who would...want to do all that with him, too.

Somebody like Nico, Percy or Will, just that that somebody could like him back the way he liked the guys.

Somebody he could fall in love with that wouldn't leave him feeling hopeless and alone.

He heard the music end and footsteps coming closer, Percy's and Will's laughter now the sole sounds in the room.

Then he felt a weight next to him on the bed and tried his hardest to appear utterly asleep and knocked out.

"That was fun. I'll have to teach you some more dances at this rate, Percy. You make a decent partner when you try." Will chirped, and Jason realized with a jolt he was the one closer to him.

He wasn't entirely sure, but he kept getting the funny feeling Will could pick up quite a bit of information when he touched people – though Jason had no idea what sorts of information nor how he did it.

He wished he could ask, but he hadn't dared so far, worried to make Will either think Jason didn't trust him or make him uncomfortable with pointing it out in the first place.

"Thanks, same to you. I mean, you probably don't have to try, because you're awesome, but I thought I'd still say it. Thanks. Erm. Yes."

Percy was so adorable when he was flustered and tried to act cool.

Will chuckled quietly, and Jason could feel another weight settling on the bed, probably Percy this time.

And from the clicking, he guessed he had brought Nico's laptop.

"Aw, that's so nice. I hope for you you're not indicating I was born with natural talent at dancing, what with my dad and all, because that was definitely not the case. My dancing skills are from hard work and effort, I'll have you know."

Jason hear Percy chuckle.

"I wouldn't have expected it any other way. Let me guess, that mysterious friend of yours that told you dancing can solve anything?"

"Yep, the one and only. You'd have liked her." Will chirped, but Jason inwardly winced.

Past tense.

"I bet. So, what were those other dances called?"

"Why, are you going to look them all up now? You do know the next time Nico checks his browser history he'll wonder who the hell hacked his laptop, right?"

Percy snorted. "Hey, Leo said he made this thing hacker-proof, I'll have you know. Nah, we'll just say it was Jason. He likes using his laptop, after all, so that will seem a lot more plausible than us. We're save."

Jason wished he could turn around to throw Percy the unimpressed scowl he had on his face right now.

Really? Those two.

Plotting against him. Again.

Will chuckled. "Hey, but he's mostly looking through the photos, isn't he? I don't think I've ever seen him on any website, really. He usually only likes to scroll through all the pictures and save them to his folder to get them printed."

That…was actually true.

Jason did like to do that.

But he couldn't help it, there were such nice pictures in there!

"You know, maybe we should get him a laptop, too. That way, he would be able to have all those pictures without having to print them out." Percy mused thoughtfully and Jason raised an eyebrow.

Were they seriously just going to discuss this right now?

How did the topic change to him, anyways?

"Nah, let him keep using Nico's, those two love to be all over it together. Hey, how did you get that idea anyways? I mean, a laptop, really? I wouldn't have thought of that. Especially not as a calendar gift. For his birthday, maybe, if he had said he wanted one." Will asked curiously, and Jason turned his head ever so slightly to listen better.

That he did want to know (and at least these were things he was allowed to hear).

Percy let out an awkward chuckle.

"Well…to be honest, I have no idea. It just kind of occurred to me that it would be a nice idea, especially because he never had anything like that, you know? First, I was thinking of a phone, but with the IM-ing device I thought that would be pointless. Then I had that idea with the camera, so I figured a laptop would actually give him the chance to…well…store his pictures, play some games, look through the Internet…stuff like that, you know? It was meant to help him with all this 'new' stuff he hadn't had a chance to experience because of the time he was born in and such."

That sounded reasonable.

Also kind of cute of Percy to think like that.

"Trust you to think of something like that. But hey, good job. He really likes the laptop, and I know he absolutely loves that camera. Best gift ever. Oh, that reminds me, have you seen the pictures Jason and I took a couple days ago? You're going to love them." Will chirped and Jason risked opening an eye to glance around at them as inconspicuously as possible.

They sat huddled together right behind him, one of Percy's arms around Will, their heads leaning against each other, while Will had taken over the laptop and was clicking around on it.

Was he referring to the pictures they had taken after Percy's and Nico's little quality time?

"Oh gods, you didn't…man, I'm so sorry about that. Still. I wasn't thinking about the key at all, I'm so sorry. Gods, that was so embarrassing when I woke up, I swear…" Percy cried, pulling his arm back to bury his face in his hands, the back of his neck turning pink.

Jason grinned, turning his back on them again.

"Aw, you poor thing. But hey, at least you weren't completely naked. Now that's a scene I wouldn't have wanted to run in on. You should have seen Jason's face, though. He found you guys so adorable, I swear. And just look how much his photographing abilities improved."

Jason felt his face heating and hid it in Nico's hair again.

Hey, he hadn't been that bad at taking pictures before.

Percy chuckled. "True, he did get better. I like that shot there."

"Percy, why would you like that one? I'm in that picture, too. I have no clue why Jason took that, anyways."

Because it had looked like he belonged in the picture, too.

"I don't know, either, but I think it's my favorite, anyways. Yeah, I think I'll print that out for my album once we get back to Camp. How about you?"

"Nah, I'm good. But hey, maybe we should have gotten a picture of us dancing. _That_ I would have printed out."

Oh wow, that sounded just like Will.

Though Jason knew for a fact Will was going to print out one of those pictures, too (Jason hadn't seen which one they had looked at, exactly, so he couldn't tell whether it was the same, but it would definitely be a similar one at least), because he had moved one of them to his printing folder when he thought Jason hadn't been looking.

"Oh really? Want me to wake Jason then so he can take a picture?" Percy suggested and Jason stiffened to a board.

What? What if they found out he hadn't been sleeping, anyways?

And wait, he thought they hadn't wanted anybody to know of them dancing?

"Oh, hell no. I am not going to explain to him why you and I are dancing. And there's no way I'll let you lead for any more dances, sorry, Gorgeous. I have my pride, too."

Oh wow.

"Oh wow. So I guess you won't teach Jason, huh? Shame, I'd have loved to watch him stumble and fall."

Thank you so much, Percy.

"What…oh. Well…" Will started, then trailed off, and Jason had to suppress a depressed sigh.

Well, on the bright side, it wasn't as if he had actually intended to ever learn how to dance…he guessed.

And he had kind of pushed past Will's comfort zone earlier (badly), so it was understandable Will wouldn't really be up for 'teaching' Jason anything that had both of them in close proximity.

It was his own fault, really.

"Did something happen between you two? I mean, I noticed you two seemed a bit off when Nico and I woke up earlier." Percy asked tentatively, and Jason's hold on Nico tightened, causing him to huff in protest, though he didn't wake (Nico seriously slept like the dead sometimes. It was astounding to find out he had actually woken up whenever Percy had come over as his 'admirer' in the mornings, seriously).

It wasn't as if Jason was worried Will would actually tell Percy about their teasing and that almost-kiss, but he was kind of reluctant to find out what Will would say about it.

At the same time, he kind of really wanted to know, though, so he was torn between wanting to listen to every single word Will would say to the topic; and trying so very hard to fall back asleep before Will could reply.

"Oh. No, nothing happened. Not really. It's just…things are…confusing, by times, I guess. But no worries, Jason and I are good."

Jason wasn't so sure.

"Well, if you say so. Hey, look, this shot is nice. Did you take that? It looks a bit like that café we were in back at Salt Lake City." Percy said surprised and Jason sighed, partly glad for the apparent change of topic, partly disappointed.

Well, what had he expected?

"I did. He looked at me so weird at that moment, I just had to take a picture. Ha, that's the one where he noticed. Look at all that indignity." Will laughed, and Jason frowned, wondering who they were even talking about.

"Aw, he looks more flustered if you ask me."

"Jason and flustered? Please. Only Nico can make him flustered, we all know that."

Wait, they were looking at a picture of him?

He felt his face heating.

Great. Why were they looking at pictures of him? They had just been looking at entirely different pictures altogether!

Not to mention that mere minutes ago they had been dancing through the room making heart eyes at each other.

Ugh, he was never going to understand how the brains of these two dorks worked.

"Nico - and you. Then again, you can make anybody flustered. It's like your secret weapon."

For a second, Jason had almost thought Percy was going to tell on him.

"Oh really? And there I thought my secret weapon is my awesomeness." Will retorted smugly and Jason rolled his eyes.

"Wow, now you're sounding just like Leo, you dork."

Jason inwardly winced, remembering his comment earlier about Leo, and watching the way Will's eyes had become guarded and doubtful.

He really wondered what had gone through Will's head at that moment.

Though it wasn't very hard to guess, given that his next statement had literally been 'I'm not Nico, either'.

Pah, as if Jason hadn't known.

Though he knew it was understandable for Will to say it, because Will had no idea how Jason felt for him.

Jason had no idea himself, to be honest.

He admitted, things had escalated quite a bit since his last statement towards Percy that he 'might start liking' Will in the future, and he did admit he was feeling a lot for Will these days, but he wasn't entirely certain where to place said feelings, either.

It felt a tad too sudden for an actual crush, but at the same time, it felt strong enough to seem like one.

Then again, there was no point for Jason to ponder this, because Will was too busy ogling Nico and Percy to develop any feelings for Jason, like, ever.

So, no point admitting to himself he might have a more or less minor crush on Will.

"Well, that's harsh. I'm tons better than Leo, I'll have you know." Will retorted and Jason both loved and hated the way those two could be at such ease with each other, even though (or maybe especially because) they usually bickered all the time.

"Oh yeah? At what, dancing?"

"Amongst other things, yes, definitely. Want me to prove it to you? Hang on, let me call upon my flustering-power and we'll be doing the Tango in here for the next hours until your beloved wakes up. Oh, and Nico too, of course."

Jason rolled his eyes and heard Percy utter some indignant cries.

"What? Surprised? Come on, you grabbed his butt today in the morning and still expect me to take you seriously?"

Oh gods, that.

Why did Will have to keep mentioning that?

Why did he have to see that in the first place?

What a cruel, cruel world they all lived in.

"Pah, he liked it. Still, _Nico_ is my beloved, I'll have you know. And you can Tango with Jason now, because I'm most definitely upset with you. No more dancing with me." Percy retorted sulkily and Jason bit his lip to contain his chuckle.

Will didn't even bother trying to contain his, chuckling and clicking away on the laptop happily.

"Right. You really want me to teach Jason, huh? Plan to take him out for a dance?" He teased, and Percy huffed.

"And there you tell me to stop hinting at you and Jason being a thing, when you keep doing it to me. And here I'm the one in a committed relationship."

"Oh shush. The chances for you and Jason to date are a clean hundred percent higher than Jason and me ever dating." Will retorted drily and Jason's insides clenched painfully.

"Ouch. That's harsh. And there I thought you liked Jason." Percy said after wincing, which Jason liked to think was done in sympathy for Jason's feelings on the matter.

"That's not it and you know it, you dork. He's a great guy, but you can't just try to get us together just because we happen to both be single and it would be convenient for you, Percy. Jason doesn't like me like that, and he deserves somebody who prioritizes him and loves him and him alone, don't you reckon? If you haven't noticed, I'm still head over heels in love with your boyfriend. That would hardly be fair on Jason, would it now?"

Jason's stomach unknotted.

Those were Will's excuses?

Not something along the lines of 'Ew, he's not my type'; 'I'd never want to date somebody like him' or at the very least the usual 'Stop your innuendo, Percy Jackson. Jason and I are never going to be a thing!'?

"How would it be convenient for me? You hurt my feelings, sun-bug. Plus, like hell I'm going to play matchmaker here. Over my dead body. But yeah, I think I know what you mean. Well, if you don't want him, we should probably look for a different cute guy, then." Percy said light-heartedly and Jason scowled.

What? Forget it.

"Whoa, what's with that expression? Don't murder me! You _just_ said you don't want him." Percy suddenly exclaimed and Jason could feel him shift behind him.

Huh?

"And you just said you won't play matchmaker." Will snapped back and shifted as well, and next moment, Jason could feel a warm hand on his head, going through his hair absent-mindedly.

He swallowed, hoping against hope Will wouldn't find out he was awake.

Now more than ever.

Seriously, at this rate, he'd have preferred to be found out earlier, when those two had 'only' been dancing.

There was no way he'd survive this if Will found out.

"Aw, so you _do_ want Jason."

"I do not. What part of 'I don't bottom' do you not understand? Now I get why Annabeth refers to you as Seaweed Brain." Will retorted with a snort, his hand still moving through Jason's hair gently.

"Hey, that's mean. Also, what makes you think he wouldn't bottom for you? Plus, you never know, you might actually like it."

From the way Percy talked, Jason could practically see the shit-eating grin on his face, even if Jason had his head turned away and his eyes closed.

"No." Was all Will replied, and Percy let out the sigh Jason was suppressing.

"Alright, fine, I'll stop. Come on, let's call it a truce for now, yeah? Now, help me sort these pictures, before Nico has my head. I think I did something wrong, they're suddenly all over the place." Percy conceded, then whined, and Jason could hear him clicking on the mouse like a maniac.

He guessed they must have switched who was holding the laptop.

That would explain why Will was touching him – or had been touching him, because Will was just pulling his hand back.

Aw, shame, he had liked that.

"You dork, you sorted them by…size? Gods, you're hopeless."

"You weren't saying that when we were dancing, so I don't believe that for a moment." Percy insisted smugly and the next moment, Jason heard him grunting and wheezing, so he guessed Will had given him an elbow in the ribs.

_You deserved that, Percy._

Nico stirred and turned, pushing his own elbow in Jason's side and making him groan.

Ok, he might have deserved that, too.

Nico grunted smugly in his sleep, then snuggled back against him and he sighed, wrapping his arms around him tightly and tugging him closer, burying his face in his hair once more.

"Are those two ok? That looked rather painful." Percy muttered concernedly from behind him and Jason had to admit he was a tad surprised to find him caring at all about him, though he certainly didn't mind.

Will's hand touched his shoulder out of nowhere and he flinched slightly, then cursed himself for what undoubtedly had to be a clear giveaway.

"He's fine. This is Jason, after all. If he could take you trying to crawl inside him while you two were airborne, he'll live with Nico's elbow in the side. You should be more concerned about how close they are, Gorgeous." Will chided, patting Jason's shoulder before pulling back and resuming his clicking and typing on the laptop.

Phew, he guessed Will hadn't noticed his wakefulness.

"What? Nah, Nico seems to enjoy himself, so I don't really mind."

Jason inwardly rolled his eyes. Why wasn't he surprised?

Will snorted. "The day I understand your way of thinking, I'm probably dead. Now, come help me sort these pictures into folders. You dictate, I type. Deal?"

"Deal."

And just like that, those two returned to talking about pictures and laptops and Nico, as if they hadn't just danced, talked about Jason and dating, and shared more than just a few of those romantic moments with heart-eyes and fond smiles.

Somebody understand those two.

Because Jason certainly didn't.

Now, he only needed to figure out how exactly he was going to 'wake up' and make it seem authentic.

He should probably wait for Nico to start waking.

Percy and Will shifted behind him, leaning against his back and continuing their chatting, typing away on the laptop – and then Will's hand came to rest on his head again, stroking through his hair.

Oh, he would definitely wait for Nico to start waking.

.

When evening rolled around, Nico was surprised to see how well their first day in the Underworld had gone in comparison to what he had dreaded.

Ok, Percy had been out of it for a while, but he certainly seemed fine now.

Nico assumed it had something to do with Will.

He wasn't sure, but somehow, those two must have done something while he had been asleep.

Well, they definitely had done _something_, because when he had woken up, those two had been huddled together on the bed, next to Jason and him (with Jason acting asleep for some reason?), facing each other with their legs wrapped around each other, laughing and chuckling and playing an abstract version of 'Patty Cake', with classical music playing on the laptop next to them, showing people dancing to what looked like the Waltz.

So, yeah, he was absolutely certain they had done _a lot_ while he had been sleeping.

It had been weird at first, seeing them like that, finding them utterly unperturbed even after he had sat up and looked at them in stunned stupor.

Maybe he had at least expected them to act flustered or jump apart and act indifferent, or at the very least offer some sort of excuse for being so close like they usually did.

But somehow, they hadn't.

Instead, they had stayed like that, sending him almost identical wide grins and telling him almost proudly how they had taken it upon themselves to teach each other all the hand clapping games they knew (which wasn't exactly something they should be proud of, but he hadn't had the heart to point that out to them).

It had been so weird.

In a way, it was still weird now, because Percy and Will were so…so different right now.

They still looked the same and talked the same, of course, but they acted so differently around each other right now.

So…relaxed. At ease.

Not to mention _nice_.

In fact, there hadn't been a single round of bickering between them ever since he had woken.

It would have almost been unnerving, if it hadn't been so nice and refreshing to have peace for a while, really.

And they looked so happy, too, it was so endearing.

Nico smiled fondly at his dorks, currently chuckling and behaving like utter idiots, trying to convince Jason to eat what looked like a M&amp;M-filled marshmallow with cheese (?), a piece of banana (?), something dark and indefinable and weird (?); and a piece of chocolate squished together between a biscuit and one of the blue potato chips, while Jason looked around pleadingly at Nico to save him.

Nico's smile turned into a frown.

Yeah, maybe he _should_ save him.

That thing did not look edible whatsoever.

"Guys? I hope you're leaving some space in your stomach for dinner. I don't think my dad was joking when he said we have to spend a meal a day with them, and since we had breakfast on our own and slept through lunch, dinner is our last option for the day. Unless you want to have a midnight snack with them?" He asked, and instantly found their heads whipping around, Percy dropping the morbid creation into Jason's lap in horror.

"Percy!" Jason wailed, but was kind of drowned out by Percy's and Will's pathetic whines.

They were such kids sometimes.

He was about to ask them what they had expected, when Percy already came crawling over and wrapping his arms around him in an apparent pleading attempt to gain his mercy.

"Percy, really, we-…" Further he didn't get, because suddenly, Percy's whining stopped and he instead started using his lips on the side of Nico's neck, and Nico's mood changed from mildly amused and concerned to maybe slightly aroused.

"Pretty please? If you talk to your dad, I'm sure he'll make today an exception…" Percy breathed into his ear hopefully, placing gentle kisses right behind it and moving down his neck again to his shoulder, tugging on his shirt lightly to place a few kisses against his skin there.

Nico had to admit he was more than tempted to say yes, just to get Percy to continue with that.

But they had said they'd share that meal a day, and seriously, it was only a meal, that couldn't go that bad, right?

Well, then again…no, Nico had to stay positive.

The day had gone well, considering the alternatives, so dinner would be fine, too.

He decided not to think of the fact that the day had consisted of them mostly sleeping, and instead focused back on Percy, who was beginning to gently nibble on his skin now.

Oh gods, that felt terrific.

"Are you trying to seduce Nico to get around dinner?" Will asked in amazement, watching them with an amused, but rather appreciative look on his face.

Percy bit Nico's neck gently and Nico closed his eyes, pursing his lips not to let the small moan slip that so badly wanted out.

"Maybe?" His boyfriend muttered as reply, sounding a tad sheepish, but not stopping all the same.

"Figured. Is it working?" Will asked, and when Nico opened his eyes a little bit, he could see the blonde watching him hopefully, batting his eyelashes at him.

"No." Nico retorted instinctively, and Percy stiffened for a moment, making Nico worry he had been too harsh and that Percy would be hurt/upset now.

But then he simply continued licking and nibbling down his neck, this time a little more forceful.

"Oh really?" Will asked with a dark look in his eyes and a knowing smirk on his face when Nico tilted his head slightly to give Percy more room.

Wait, he should definitely not do this, nor let Percy do this.

Especially not in such plain sight of the guys (though they funnily enough didn't really look all too bothered).

He knew he should probably stop Percy or say something, but at the same time, he kind of really didn't want to stop.

That was bad.

"A-Absolutely. But I do think, that…" He started, then trailed off as Percy's hands came up on his sides, moving under his shirt as he went.

He couldn't help but shiver at the warmth of the touch.

"Yes?" Will asked hopefully, a shit-eating grin on his face from where he sat next to Jason, who was looking at Nico with a mixture of pity and amusement (that traitor. Nico would never save him again, that much was for certain).

Nico's mind was racing a hundred miles an hour, which was ironic, because it didn't seem to be functioning at all.

At least it didn't supply him with the right words; and gods, what was Percy doing to him?

Percy moved closer, his knee pushing apart Nico's legs a tad further, and his hands began sliding over his bare skin under his shirt, moving towards his back and using his nails ever so slightly.

Ok, this had to stop, or Nico was going to get way too invested in this.

Gently, but resolutely, he placed his hands on Percy's chest and pushed, indicating for him to stop, which Percy did almost immediately, glancing up to check whether Nico was in discomfort, and ginning at him teasingly when he realized Nico wasn't.

"I do think we should take a bath, though. Before dinner. Now. Yeah. After that, we can go eat dinner, and then you're off for the night." He declared, noting how his voice was a tad huskier than usual and clearing his throat in embarrassment.

Damn, Percy.

He watched as Will's face fell and Jason coughed into his hand, a grin spreading on his face instead, while Percy momentarily looked stunned, then conflicted, as if he couldn't decide whether to try plead for Nico to change his mind about dinner or to just go with the bath (because it was quite obvious he was totally up for that, what with his pupils dilated and those small huffs escaping his slightly parted and wonderfully kissable lips).

Nico didn't wait for him to decide, instead forcing his body to move away from Percy and off the bed, his pants already feeling tighter than usual.

_Damn you, Percy. You and your irresistibility._

"Yes, a bath. Come on, Percy. In the meantime, you two can decide when we'll be taking a meal with them tomorrow." He called over his shoulder, marching off towards the bathroom at a quick and determined pace, though his mind was still in a haze and his body felt hot and cold, already missing and craving Percy's touch.

When he reached the bathroom door and looked around to check whether Percy was following or still in a stupor on the bed, he found his boyfriend almost falling headfirst off the bed in an attempt to rush after him.

"And for a moment I thought you wanted me to take that bath alone." He uttered smugly when Percy finally reached him, unable to resist the temptation of teasing him at least a tiny little bit.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it. I already had to survive the shower today in the morning without you, there's no way I'd let this pass…" Percy all but purred, bringing their faces closer together as he moved Nico backwards into the bathroom, one hand searching for the door to close it.

The last thing of Will and Jason he saw and heard was the two of them throwing each other telling glances and snickering, then Percy smacked the door shut and locked it, drowning out any sound from the room.

Gods, a sound-proof bathroom sounded amazing.

Nico couldn't help but shiver slightly in anticipation, thinking of all the possibilities.

Percy was gazing down at Nico with a hungry, predatory expression, his hands moving back to Nico's shirt and beneath it, agonizingly slow.

"Hey…" Percy whispered, and Nico now shivered at the sound of his voice instead of his wild imagination, his body moving against Percy's hands automatically.

"Hey." He replied, then he leaned forward and their lips touched and all coherent thought was forgotten.

.

"So…I guess that leaves the two of us to -…" Will started, finally tearing his gaze away from the bathroom door.

"…put all the clothes in the wardrobe so we can finally store the luggage away and have more space." Jason finished for him, even though that wasn't even close to anything Will had wanted to say – not to mention it wasn't anything he'd EVER want to say.

"What? Oh, come on…" He whined, but Jason seemed unmoved, climbing off the bed and making his way through their thrown about bags and backpacks, opening the wardrobe.

Oh man.

He made a pouty face, even though he was fairly certain Jason wouldn't see; and got off the bed as well with a defeated sigh.

He guessed Jason was right, they should get this done, or else they'd still be here months later with their stuff all over the place.

Not that he wasn't expecting the place to look horrid in a week's time, anyways (which made him wonder once more how long they were going to stay here. He really wanted to play all those games before then – in fact, he could barely contain himself from starting up the consoles, but they had all decided to keep that for after Nico's tour, or else they'd probably never leave the room again).

He guessed he got Jason's point, but still…

"Why do we have to do this and Percy and Nico get to be having fun? It's so not fair…" He pouted, hoping to appeal to Jason's good nature.

Jason did glance around at him, but his expression remained fairly impassive.

He let his shoulders sag slightly and lowered his head, looking at Jason with his best puppy face possible.

_Please let this work._

Jason's expression softened the tiniest bit.

"Alright, then at least put your stuff in the wardrobe, and you can decide what we do next. I mean, I can't promise it will be as much fun as Percy and Nico are having, but that would be kind of difficult to achieve, I'd imagine."

Will made a face at still having to do something, but then he felt his face warming slightly at the last part of Jason's statement.

It kind of reminded him of their little almost-kiss, and he kind of really didn't want to think of that right now.

Jason hadn't mentioned that moment whatsoever so far, so Will was not going to mention it either, or give any indication he still thought of it.

He was not going to make this awkward, nope.

Will saw Jason's eyes widening slightly and his ears turning pink, then the blonde turned his back on him and started collecting various clothes from inside his travel bag.

Oh great, he had a feeling he knew what Jason was thinking about.

On the bright side, he now had a rather nice view of Jason's- wait, he should _not_ be looking at Jason's backside whatsoever (that reminded him way too much of that glance he had caught of Jason's _bare_ butt back in his cabin on Nico's birthday...oh, he so shouldn't think of that).

Will hurriedly went through his own things, though he couldn't resist taking another quick peek (man, he was kind of envious of Percy right now for being able to just squeeze Jason's butt for the hell of it and live).

To his horror, Jason decided to look around exactly the moment Will was shooting him that appreciative look.

"What?" Jason asked, while Will tried to look away hurriedly, redirecting his attention to his backpack and grabbing a fistful of laundry.

"Nothing. Just thinking of what we're going to do once we're done with this." He replied hastily, rushing to the wardrobe to somehow fill his stuff in there, stumbling and almost falling over an open bag that seemed to belong to Percy (at least it was blue).

"Careful, there. Well, I hope it has nothing to do with that horrendous thing you and Percy made earlier." Jason remarked drily and Will had to grin despite himself.

"Oh, come on, I bet it wouldn't have tasted all that bad."

It really would have, but Percy and he had kind of just wanted to know whether Jason actually _would_ give in and eat it if they bothered him long enough.

Though, of course, they wouldn't have really given it to him (at least he hoped Percy wouldn't have. The guy was a bit unpredictable by times, but Will knew he really cared for Jason, so that should keep him from trying to poison him…right?).

Jason sent him a doubtful look, and Will turned his back to him again, snickering and hurrying with his clothes.

It didn't look very well sorted, but it would probably do.

When he straightened up and turned around to go back to his backpack, he found Jason averting his eyes quickly, his ears turning pink.

Well, what had he looked at?

Will raised an eyebrow, but discarded the thoughts crossing his mind.

This was Jason, he wouldn't do something like that, especially not with him.

He was probably just remembering their teasing, or simply thinking of Nico, or what Percy and Nico must be doing right now.

Well, judging by the way Nico had started stuttering, his pupils dilating and his breath getting shorter the more Percy had teased his neck-area, and the way Percy had all but rushed after him to get to the bathroom as soon as possible, his expression dark and hungry, Will was pretty sure they all knew what those two would be doing.

They'd certainly enjoy their bath, that much was certain.

If they didn't forget to take one, that was.

Coming to think of it, did they take any lube/condoms with them?

Then again, he thought he had seen Percy put _something_ in one of the cupboards behind a bunch of blue towels, so who knew, he might have some 'shower supplies' stashed away in there.

He was sure they'd be fine, at any rate.

Not that he really wanted to think of them like that too much.

If he had to picture Nico having sex with anybody, it would most certainly be with Will, not with Percy.

But imagining sex with Nico wasn't the best thing to think about right now, either (when was it ever?), so he quickly discarded those thoughts, too.

Jason worked efficiently – and fast -, so it wasn't very surprising that by the time Will was done with one backpack, Jason had already sorted all of his clothes neatly into the giant wardrobe and was currently doing the same with Percy's clothes.

Such a considerable dork.

Will was certain Percy wouldn't have done the same for Jason (at least not without a very good reason).

He actually managed to get done before Jason this time, but then had to admit he felt kind of stupid leaving all the work to Jason, because he was fairly certain the blonde would move on to Nico's bags after Percy's.

Plus, they were Nico's clothes, so Will sort of managed to tell himself he was not just doing this to not seem like a total jerk to Jason when he crouched down in front of Nico's bags and started to unload the clothes in them with a sigh.

"You don't have to." Jason said quietly as he walked past him with an armload of Percy's jeans (why did he need so many jeans? Then again, they had no clue how long they'd stay and whether they'd have a possibility to wash their clothes, so he guessed Percy packing all the jeans he owned was justified somewhat).

Will sighed. "I know."

He still continued, though, finding that Nico apparently had packed his entire wardrobe, as well - not to mention all his other possessions, it seemed.

Nico was so adorable.

Will knew the Italian had had close to nothing all throughout his life, first losing everything he had owned due to his mother's death and Hades putting them in the Casino; then losing everything there once they were taken out to get put in that military school; to _then_ get taken to Camp - from which he had ultimately ran away and lived gods knew where until…well…now.

So, Will could kind of understand why _owning_ things was a big thing to Nico now, and why he liked to take as many of his possessions with him as he could.

Still, that did not justify the amount of items he pulled out of his bags.

The clothes were understandable.

The Advent Calendar gifts were questionable.

The bringing of pretty much all of his birthday gifts, including a bunch of super heavy books that Nico had not exactly shown any interest in reading in so far was a tad too much.

Will sighed, stacking the gifts on top of each other until he found Nico's collection of condoms, all of which he had gotten from Will.

Oh, so Nico had wanted to be prepared, huh?

Good, at least Will had done his job of teaching safe sex (though he knew those two were clean, so the only real reason why he wanted them to use condoms was so they wouldn't have to bother with all _that_ cleaning up afterwards, not to mention he wanted to prevent any discomfort on Nico's side).

He had half a mind to count through them by instinct to make sure he had them all, but then stopped himself, not wanting to find out just how many were missing already.

Yeah, no.

Though he did notice the glow-in-the-dark one was gone, making him wonder if they had found it as funny as he had when he had first seen it.

Will really shouldn't ponder that.

Instead, he should probably think of where to put them.

His best guess was the bedside table, but he kind of didn't want to put them anywhere where he could catch a glimpse of them at a later time and realize how many were missing by then.

Then again, if he kept an eye on them, that way he could at least make sure they wouldn't run out of stock, because he still had plenty.

And Will didn't exactly intend to use them, like, ever.

Why he had them was beyond him, actually, but his siblings had kind of given him pack after pack over the course of the past months, ever since he had started hanging out more with Nico (and, back then, 'the other two'), and he was never one to throw free condoms away.

He was surprised Nico hadn't questioned anything, anyways.

But that was Nico for you.

"Are those…oh. Right." Jason started with a frown at his overfilled hands as Will made his way to the bedside table, then he tugged open the drawer for Will to dump everything in, raising an eyebrow at the amount.

"Either they are very eager, or they really want to make sure they have enough, huh?"

Will chuckled. "I think it's a mixture of both, actually. But hey, what do you expect? They're young and in love, and just had their first times with each other. You bet they'll be all over each other for months to come. Give it a year, maybe, and they might manage to calm all those raging hormones." He said confidently and Jason sent him a wry look.

"There you go again with 'young and in love', as if you're old and bitter. But yeah, I doubt it. They'll still be all over each other in ten years, I'm telling you."

Probably, but Will was not going to tell Jason he was right.

"We'll see." He replied instead, trying to sound smug, but inwardly wondering how things would be in ten years.

Would they be in New Rome by then?

Would he get a job in the infirmary there?

Would Jason and he really share an apartment?

Would they still be friends with Percy and Nico?

Would Jason have a boyfriend/girlfriend by then?

And what would Will do? Would he ever find somebody like Pe-…Ja-…_Nico_?

It seemed unlikely, and that thought was more than a little depressing.

"Can I help with anything?" Jason asked, glancing over towards the two bags Will still had left (out of four) and Will realized with a jot that Jason was already finished with Percy's things.

Either Will was exceedingly slow, or Jason was exceedingly fast.

Well, in his own defense, he had been a tiny bit occupied with his thoughts, alright?

"Nah, I'm good." He replied, but Jason was already starting on the fourth bag, while Will opened the third, first taking out all the clothes before bothering with the rest of Nico's gifts.

Seriously, that guy.

How many bags was he going to bring when he actually owned more than just these handfuls of items?

Ten?

Will decided he didn't want to find out, instead sorting his assortment of skinny jeans into the wardrobe next to Percy's pants, which was right next to Will's, with Jason's at the side.

Nice, they even had some order- wait…he hadn't put his pants there.

He also hadn't folded them quite so nicely.

He sent Jason a wry glance over his shoulder, but the blonde had his back (and butt) to him, collecting the books and the glass with the flower in it off the ground and carrying them over to one of the cupboards.

It should have probably annoyed Will, but he kind of found it too Jason-like to be mad, and anyways, this way they'd definitely be done faster, so he tried to hurry up a bit to at least get done with 'his' bag before Jason had to do that, too.

Seriously, though, he hoped the other two would appreciate their effort.

"How long do you think they'll be in the bathroom?" Jason asked conversationally as he sorted everything into the various cupboards, putting the flower on top of one in such a way Nico would most likely see it as soon as he came out, his snow globe right next to it.

"Well, knowing them, it will take a while. Why? Afraid of what I'll come up with to pass the time?" Will asked with a suggestive wriggle of his eyebrows and a cocky smirk, but Jason merely shot him an amused glance.

"Well, I probably should be, given that you and Percy ended up teaching each other hand clapping games."

Hey!

"Hey, those were awesome…also, you're no one to talk, you have a bro-handshake with him and all, so you can't say anything against good, old-fashioned hand-clapping games." Will insisted indignantly and Jason chuckled.

"I suppose that is a point. Well, in my defense, it was all his idea."

"Of course. And the butt-grabbing was so his idea, too, right?" Will teased before he even knew what he was saying, then instantly regretted bringing that up _again_.

But he just couldn't help it!

Percy had just…put his hand…on Jason's butt…just like that.

No hard feelings.

Both had been completely unperturbed by it.

Why couldn't Will put his hands on somebody's (preferably Nico's, though he really wasn't that picky – as long as it belonged to one of his three best friends) butt just like that, too?

Jason's ears turned pink again and he coughed into his hand.

"That's…he was…it's…ugh, shush, you. That was _one time_, and it's not like it means anything. He just did that one day after training out of a hyper mood of his because he won, so I did it back when I won the next day, and it kind of…yeah…" Jason explained, looking kind of uncomfortable and adorably bothered by the fact Will kept mentioning it.

Hey, it wasn't as if he had said anything _against_ it.

It was none of his business what those guys did with each other or anybody else, after all.

"Hey, chill, you don't have to justify yourself. If you like it, suit yourself." He tried to reassure and tease at the same time, and earned himself a wry look from Jason as they both emptied out the last bits of content in Nico's bags, stacking them with the other bags and the rolled up sleeping bag under the bed until they'd need them again.

Now, hopefully, they wouldn't have to leave in a day or two, or else all of this would have been for naught.

"How would you know whether I liked it or not?" Jason asked defiantly, and Will snorted before he could stop himself.

Oh, he knew, alright.

Those two had been close enough for him to feel the contentment and calm between them, even with the butt grabbing and the teasing, so he had known they were both enjoying what they were doing (which hadn't stopped him from acting like Jason's grand savior, of course. Too tempting).

"How would I not know? Did you forget I'm a medic?"

"So you can tell how I'm feeling?" Jason asked dubiously, raising a doubtful eyebrow at him and Will made a face.

Wait, had he just been played, or was this conversation just randomly turning on him?

Well, then again, it wasn't exactly as if he had ever kept his abilities a secret from anybody, so he lifted his hands, anyways.

"Sort of. Since I'm a healer, I can pick up people's values when I touch them. Best of course if it's hand to hand contact. Like this." He explained, reaching for Jason's hand, who funnily enough didn't jerk back or hesitate at all, instead already moving his hand towards Will.

He clasped it, and instantly felt the rush of information that always came along with it, though this time he actually consciously focused on it.

"I usually ignore it unless I'm working in the infirmary or know something is off, so it's not like I'm constantly aware of all your values, but I do pick up on strong differences and the like. Your values are perfectly fine, like the last time you had your check-up in the infirmary. Your blood pressure is great, your blood sugar levels a bit low, but nothing to worry about. You're lacking some Vitamin B12, but as I know you, you'll have meat for dinner, anyways, and it's nothing too noticeable. Just a tad less than usual. Probably because we skipped lunch, I don't know. Your body temperature is…increasing slightly? Also, your pulse is quickening, which reminds me that I wanted to ask you whether you've been feeling light-headed lately? I noticed that your pulse was a tad quicker than usual quite a few times during the trip, but I never got around actually checking if it permanently changed or whether you just had an additional amount of stress at the time. Because if not, we should probably check you for real to see that everything is ok." He rambled, both hands holding onto Jason's now, his fingers massaging it gently as he checked for any other variations in Jason's values.

He could have sworn there was something else he had wanted to say, something he had wanted to explain to Jason, and a point behind all of this, because he was fairly sure he had not just randomly decided to give Jason a check-up.

But somehow, it evaded him now, his doctor-mode taking over ruthlessly.

Jason stared at him taken aback for a moment, surprise flickering in his sky-blue eyes for a moment, before he frowned at Will, apparently mulling over his words.

"You…picked all that up…from one touch?"

Now it was Will's turn to frown at him.

"Of course. I just told you I get that sort of information whenever I touch someone. Again, usually I don't focus on it, unless I have good reason to. It kind of tends to make people mistrust you when they know you can pick up on their emotions and stuff- oh, right, that's where I wanted to go with this."

Right, he had wanted to explain to Jason that he could partly pick up on emotions.

How could he have forgotten that?

Probably because of the Vitamin B12.

Will looked down at Jason's hand in his two, his thumbs stroking circles into the cool, smooth skin.

"Because I know people's values, and I know my job, I obviously can tell the differences between comfort and discomfort, fear, ease, anger, etc., right? It all shows in various parts, like, let's say, their pulse, or blood pressure. Since I've had this ability most of my life, I obviously managed to refine my skills a little bit, meaning I watched and observed and compared, so now, when I touch somebody I actually know a bit more, I can pick up on bits of their emotions. I mean, for people like Percy that would be utterly unnecessary, because he is so expressive of his emotions in the first place, but it can come in handy with people like Nico, who like to act indifferent to anything and everything. You know what I mean?" He asked, looking back up at Jason, who was also looking down at their joined hands, slowly blinking as he listened to Will's explanation.

He looked kind of adorable.

Well, he kind of always looked adorable (it was unfair, really. The gods must have it out for Will, simple as that).

"Yeah, I think I understand. So, erm, how accurate is that ability, then? Like, can you tell now exactly how I'm feeling?" Jason asked and started to fidget slightly, though the hand in Will's remained still.

Will could imagine this to be weird to others.

It was one of the reasons he generally never brought up his abilities by himself, though he never made a secret out of them, either.

"Well, it depends on the person and the situation, really. Right now, I can't tell more than that you're slightly nervous, but not uncomfortable, and I could have easily picked that up from just looking at you, really. It doesn't tell me everything about you, nor your thoughts or anything, so don't worry about that."

"I'm not worried." Jason replied hastily, though Will could hear the sincerity in his voice, making him smile slightly.

"Well, yeah, that's about it. Easiest to pick up on are of course fear, anger, lust and contentment, because they are very strong emotions. Everything else is more or less of a blur. Still, quite helpful by times." He shrugged, finally (and reluctantly) letting go of Jason's hand, who didn't pull it back instantly, looking a bit disappointed, as if he had hoped Will would hold it a little while longer.

The thought made him smile, but not for long, because reality was a bitch.

"That's pretty impressive." Jason said softly and Will looked up surprised.

Impressive? Now that was new.

He knew Jason wasn't intimidated (why would he be, anyways? He was Jason Grace), but he knew other people usually didn't find it very impressive to hear Will could pick up on their emotions at will (oh gods, what a pun).

"Oh, don't look like that, Freckles. Seriously, I think that's pretty cool. And I can so see how that's useful. It certainly explains how you managed to nudge Nico's borders without ever pushing him too far." Jason remarked drily and Will winced.

Apparently, his secret was revealed.

Jason chuckled, looking smug.

"Oh, come on, it's not like I didn't already guess. I knew you could pick up _something_, I just never knew what and to what extent. I mean, it's not like you hid it or anything."

"Yeah, yeah. If you knew, then why not just ask me that in the first place? It would have spared me quite some explaining here, you dork." Will retorted, looking away with a light blush on his face.

"Aw, but I liked to have you explain it to me. Now I at least understand it somewhat. Before, I was just guessing. Plus, I now know that I need to eat more stuff with Vitamin B12, so it's a win-win situation for both of us." Jason declared and Will frowned.

"Wait, how did I gain anything from this?"

"Well, you got to hold my hand. That ought to be something." Jason retorted drily and Will's head whipped around, eyes wide and blush deepening.

What?!

Jason laughed.

"Gods, Will, I was _joking_. Don't look so scandalized. My hand can't be _that_ bad…at least I hope so." At the last part of his sentence, Jason started frowning at his hand, as if inspecting it, and Will let out a small groan.

"You're the worst. No. Just, no. I'm so done with you." He moaned and shook his head, walking off towards the bed and falling down on it face-down.

He did NOT like to hold Jason's hand, what was Jason playing at?

Well, he might like it a tiny bit, but that wasn't the point.

Jason wasn't allowed to think anything like that.

The blonde chuckled, and Will could feel him sitting down next to him on the bed.

For a moment, he wondered what Jason was going to do, but then he felt his hand at his head, stroking through his hair lightly, the way Will sometimes did when Jason was asleep.

"What are you doing?" Will still asked into the blanket, his voice coming out muffled, though the words still seemed fairly distinguishable.

"Reducing your stress levels by attempting a head massage." Jason replied in a serious voice and Will snorted.

Really?

"Don't even think about telling me not to. You seem tense, so, as your doctor, I hereby order you to let me at the very least try. Be my test subject. Doctor's orders." Jason remarked and Will stiffened, turning his head to the side to glower at Jason, who was grinning at him rather smugly at his imitation of him.

"You are not a doctor, Jason. You're a teddy bear stuffed into the body of a buff model from one of those posh agencies. I bet you couldn't even hold a needle straight, much less take somebody's blood without fainting." He retorted drily, then frowned at his own words, wondering why he was complimenting Jason and why the lack of a doctor title was the only thing bothering him in Jason's statement.

Jason chuckled.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, and I don't need to take your blood or hold a needle to give you a head massage. Now, get comfortable and let me do this."

Jason was doing that thing again with his voice.

The thing that allowed no 'no', but not in that forceful way, but in that 'I know you want it, stop resisting, you know I won't hurt you' type of way.

So it felt kind of reassuring, instead of worrying, really.

Will glowered at him a moment longer for good measure, anyways.

Then he huffed and turned his face back into the blanket.

"Fine. But apply more pressure, I'm not made of sugar. And don't use your nails."

"Yes, sir." Jason piped cheerily and Will could feel him shifting, closely followed by his second hand finding his head as well.

Luckily, Jason did not get the idea to sit down on Will's back, or push him down in any way, instead sitting next to him, his hands entirely focused on Will's head, first stroking tentatively, but slowly gaining more confidence.

Mmh, actually, that didn't feel half bad.

"If I'm doing something wrong or you want me to do something else, tell me, yeah?" He heard Jason say and nodded numbly.

"'S good. Doing good. More towards the right…yes…" He huffed contently, a shiver running down his back when Jason's fingers moved across his scalp, the soothing coolness feeling so much better than when Will attempted to give himself any sort of head massage during showers or headaches.

When was the last time he had gotten a massage, anyways?

Gods, it must have been ages ago.

Jason chuckled next to him, and they fell into a comfortable silence.

Will had to admit, being around Jason really was nice, even though Jason was the most serious out of the four of them.

With Percy, one could do the craziest things and waste hours laughing and doing stupid things, so one would guess it would be boring to spend time alone with Jason, with him being rather quiet and collected, and not always up for everything crazy and stupid.

But in truth, spending time with Jason was almost as fun, and certainly as good.

They wouldn't be laughing like crazy maniacs, and Percy and Nico probably wouldn't find them doing something utterly useless and stupid like playing hand clapping games, but usually, their time would still be filled with smiles and chuckles, a feeling of ease and contentment in and around them, and Will always felt so strangely comfortable around the son of Zeus, it should be disturbing.

He could so see why Nico had fallen for both of those quite opposite dorks.

Though he really shouldn't understand that, and shouldn't think of it, because he had no business falling in love with Jason Grace.

No matter if he still wanted to kiss him or not.

And the fact he just wanted to crawl sideways into Jason's lap and give them both a better working angle for this massage was completely irrelevant as well and not to be followed.

.

"You said you wouldn't make a move on him." Percy repeated for the hundredth time and Jason rolled his eyes, nudging him in the side rather harshly as they walked behind Will and Nico towards the dining room, after Nico had called upon a skeleton to let Hades, Persephone and Demeter know they'd be up for dinner, which had then come back to them no five minutes later giving them their ok.

"I _told_ you I _wasn't_." He insisted for the hundred-twentieth time, utterly exasperated.

"He was _on your lap_, Jason. With his head. And your hands in his hair weren't helping, either. I thought you two were doing…you know…"

Jason sent him an unimpressed look.

"What? Doing what you and Nico were doing?"

Percy blushed a furious red, gaze hushing to Nico ever so quickly as he sputtered something indistinguishable.

Jason snorted.

"Please, this is Will we're talking about. He wouldn't do that, especially not with me. As I've told you over and over again, I was just giving him a simple head massage. Stop making such a fuss about it. Seriously, you two can dance Hustle and be all close and make heart eyes at each other, and I can't even give him a simple massage? How unfair is that?"

He only realized a moment too late he had just given himself away.

Percy's head snapped around at him so hard and fast he heard something crack, though Percy didn't seem to be in any pain.

"_What_?! You…you…how do you…" He stammered, looking aghast, and Jason made a face.

Just great.

He and his big mouth (Percy was definitely rubbing off on him, he was usually a lot better at first thinking, then talking).

"I…kind of woke up and you two were dancing. I didn't see it from the beginning, but I saw your final dance and was…kind of acting asleep while you two were chatting. I guess. Sorry." He muttered awkwardly, lowering his voice slightly as to not draw Will's attention, too, but the blonde seemed utterly invested in whatever he was talking with Nico about.

Percy looked utterly stunned for a moment, his lips parted as if to speak, but nothing came out.

Then he closed his mouth, swallowed hard and looked away, nodding slowly.

Jason's heart sank.

Was he going to be very upset?

Percy turned towards him again, opening his mouth once more, but then he closed it again, a frown building on his face.

He was, wasn't he?

"Listen, I really tried to go back to sleep. I really did." He tried, but Percy shook his head.

"It's ok, man. Just…I don't know. It's…wait, what? You were up all that time, and you couldn't have taken a freaking picture?!" Percy suddenly exclaimed, sounding upset for all the wrong reasons, and Jason wasn't sure whether he wanted to send him an incredulous expression, send a silent 'thank you' to the gods or just bury his face in his hands.

"I…am sorry that didn't cross my mind. I was…erm…kind of trying to be considerate of your feelings, since you both looked like you didn't want to be disturbed." Jason replied carefully, only noticing now Percy had never said anything against the 'heart-eyes'-part.

It made him wonder just how oblivious Percy was about his growing crush on Will.

And whether he really intended to do nothing about it like Jason had first thought.

Then again, he had the feeling those three would end up together at some point, so that kind of took out the matter whether or not Percy would act upon anything he might or might not realize he felt.

It seemed that end was inevitable.

Kind of harsh.

But hey, at least Jason had had the chance to be the first of the three to give Will a head massage.

That was something special.

And that had to be enough.

It had certainly been memorable enough.

Will had already surprised him with actually letting him continue, since he had kind of thought Will was going to put up much more of a fight, not to mention be much more upset at his imitation of him, but Will hadn't really seemed to mind.

So, Jason had already been happy about being allowed to massage him, hoping he was doing everything right, and he'd have been utterly content with that – but then Will had shifted, and for a moment, he had dreaded he had messed up, but Will had merely turned and…kind of gotten into Jason's lap, resting his cheek against Jason's thigh with a content sigh, nudging his leg with his nose to get him to continue.

Gods, that had been one wonderful moment.

Gazing down at him, watching his face so relaxed and at ease, and having his hands massage his scalp, his blonde curls tickling his fingers…that had been so, so perfect.

He had never wanted it to end.

Jason sighed, reminiscing for a moment about all those impressions he had tried to practically imprint into his mind so he'd never forget anything about that moment.

Then he was dragged back into the cruel reality, with Percy letting out a loud sigh.

"Oh man, that sucks. I'd have liked a picture. But I really don't think I can get him to do that with me again, especially not with you guys watching. Plus, I don't want to embarrass myself in front of Nico."

Jason rolled his eyes with a smirk.

"I thought you were pretty good."

"Really?" Percy asked dubiously, though Jason could hear the hint of hope in his voice, so he nodded vigorously.

"Absolutely. Therefore that you didn't seem to have much practice at all, it looked almost professional." He decided not to point out he still had no idea what they had even danced (other than it was supposedly called Hustle, which he had never heard before), nor the fact he had zero knowledge about dancing and even less about how professionals would have looked like.

Luckily, Percy didn't ask for any of that, instead grinning to himself rather self-satisfied and proudly.

Jason had to smile had that.

Percy glanced around at him again, then let out a small sigh.

"Thanks, by the way. For, you know, putting our stuff away. You didn't have to." He admitted grudgingly, though Jason knew he meant it, so he patted him on the back.

"No problem. Will put your stash of condoms in the bedside table."

Percy's eyes widened, his lips forming a small 'oh'.

Then his face turned scarlet again.

"You…that…right. Erm…thanks. I guess."

Jason grinned to himself, looking back towards Will and Nico, both of them gesturing wildly and talking animatedly about…wait, were they talking about _Halloween_?

It was still _February_!

"I am not dressing up as anything, especially not a pumpkin. That's even worse than your idea with the nurse outfit – no, that doesn't mean I'll be wearing that, either! Why don't _you_ wear a pumpkin outfit?" Nico insisted, but Will snorted, shaking his head.

"I won't look half as cute in it as you. But fine, have it your way. You'll see, I'll find the perfect outfit for you, just you wait. But seriously, about the decoration, you have to agree with me that pumpkins would go best with your cabin. Come on, I'll help you with the cutting of the faces, but don't just say no to pumpkins." Will wailed and Jason rolled his eyes.

Those two could be almost as bad as Will and Percy.

Maybe it was because Will could animate anybody to talk nonstop, and seemed to know exactly what to say to lure somebody out of their shell (since Nico had closed up the moment they had left his room. Which was also why Percy was walking next to Jason, to give Will a chance to help Nico relax until they made it to dinner. By the looks of it, their plan was working).

The two argued back and forth about various ways to decorate for Halloween, while Jason and Percy exchanged amused glances and watched them quietly, getting closer and closer to their destination, though Nico seemed so absorbed that he didn't even seem to notice what he was doing when he pushed the doors open to reveal their breakfast table – this time with an entirely different assortment of food on it and with Hades, Persephone and Demeter sitting there as well.

"The skeletons are debatable, but there will definitely not be a zombie giving out candy in front of my cabin, forget it, Will." He declared loudly, then stopped abruptly as he took in the scene in front of him, his family looking back with raised eyebrows.

"Good evening, Nico. Nice seeing you and your boyfriends again." Persephone chirped, breaking the silence, and Jason felt Nico stiffening to a board, while Will and Percy turned scarlet in the face.

Nico and_ his boyfriends?_

Did she refer to Percy and Will?

Or all three of them and Nico?

Wait, that didn't matter right now.

He opened his mouth to explain that, no, only Percy was dating Nico, but didn't get the chance to, because Hades scowled around at his wife.

"What did I say about scaring them off, dear? Come on, at least let them have one meal in peace."

Persephone shot him an unimpressed look, but it was Demeter who replied, glowering at Hades.

"Says the one who mishandled my favorite the moment you had the chance to. I shall remember that, you old grump. Persephone, I keep telling you, you shouldn't have married that man. There would have been tons of other men around, all much more suitable. Much less grumpy, much less-…"

Nico looked around at them miserably and Jason wished he could wrap his arms around him and reassure him.

"Good evening. I hope we aren't imposing on your time. May we sit?" He asked loudly, interrupting the conversation, but hoping he wouldn't get slaughtered for it.

The three of them instantly fell silent, looking around at him and eyeing him for a moment.

"Of course, come and sit, you three. Hades, you're scaring them, I swear. By the way, Jason, you'll be staying here for a while, so no need for formalities. Just relax, we won't zap you unless you give us a very good reason." Persephone replied sweetly, and Jason wondered what she would see as 'a very good reason'.

Because that kind of varied from god to god.

"They aren't my boyfriends." Nico muttered, apparently pulled out of his stupor by Jason's reply, and the four moved towards the table, getting seated.

"Of course they aren't." Persephone remarked with a telling glance towards her husband, who merely sighed.

"So, how was your day?" The goddess tried conversationally once they were all sitting in front of their plates, and Jason looked around in question at Nico to decide whether he was in any condition to reply, since they most likely expected to have a conversation with him.

Nico cleared his throat, though he still looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Good. We caught up on sleep and watched a couple of movies. They are really good. Oh, also, I was thinking of taking my _friends_ out for a little tour tomorrow, if that would be ok. So we'll probably have breakfast with you and then be out for the rest of the day. There's a lot I want to show them." Nico explained, his voice growing in confidence as he continued.

Good, he was recovering.

Very good.

He caught the way Hades' eyes gleamed and just knew he was thinking something along the same lines.

But when the god of the Underworld caught him looking, his expression became completely neutral again.

"Of course, that's ok. We're glad you're enjoying your new room. Have you tried the games yet?" Persephone asked, motioning for them to eat, so Nico reached out and selected a couple of various fruits, Percy and Will imitating him hesitantly.

Jason waited until they were done picking out what they wanted, then picked chicken with vegetables, looking around at Will for approval, just to find Percy and Nico doing the same.

Well, Will had certainly trained them well, it seemed.

"No, not yet. We wanted to wait with that until after the tour, because Percy and Will are sure they'll not leave the room except for the meals once they start playing." Nico explained with a small smile – which quickly vanished when Will placed a slice of bread on the side of his plate wordlessly.

Jason's meal seemed to pass, though, because he only awarded it with a small nod and then turned to Percy, who was sending him a pleading look to let him be ok with the large amount of meat and potatoes, and only a small amount of carrots and peas.

Jason watched amused how Will's expression became incredulous and slightly offended, sending Percy a mute scowl before reaching out and swapping plates with him, so he was going to eat green salad with a few stripes of meat and two slices of bread.

Percy made a face, but didn't dare complain, instead sending Jason a pouty, depressed look.

That's when they noticed the gods were watching them intently.

Jason quickly concentrated on his food, though he kind of didn't want to start when the others hadn't started yet.

He never did that, though he wasn't sure why.

"That sounds like quite the statement. I hope you'll enjoy the games. And the tour, of course. Have you decided where you wish to take them exactly, yet?" Persephone asked, while Demeter eyed Will curiously, and Jason didn't like the way she practically inspected him.

Well, at least she wasn't touching him the way Persephone had.

"I have a few places in mind, but nothing fixed yet. Though I did…want to ask permission to take them to Elysium. Just for a short while." Nico seemed to hesitate for a moment, though his voice was strong and firm.

Jason raised an eyebrow.

Elysium?

He highly doubted they'd be allowed to go there.

At least not alive.

As demigods, they did have fairly good chances of ending up in there, after all, what with 'hero's death' and all.

All three gods first looked at Nico, then Demeter and Persephone turned to Hades, both of them raising their eyebrows.

Hades studied Nico's expression quietly for another moment.

Then, to Jason's surprise, the god glanced towards Will, concern flashing across his features for maybe a millisecond.

"I do not think that is a good idea." He declared quietly, and Jason frowned, looking around at Will, but Will seemed to have missed the god's attention, because he was still looking around at Nico with wide eyes.

Nico's shoulders slumped slightly. "Oh."

"Not tomorrow, at least. How about, if you are still intent to take your _friends_ there, you do it in a week or two? I am certain you will be staying here for a while, if your _friend_ wants to get his signatures." Hades continued thoughtfully, letting his eyes move over Jason for a moment, the ghost of a smile hushing over his face.

Oh great.

Therefore that the god had bet on him, he certainly didn't seem to like him much.

Or maybe, he simply had it out for him because he had lost the bet because of Jason.

And did he really have to emphasize the word 'friend' so much?

Jason knew he wasn't Nico's boyfriend, thank you very much.

He looked around and saw the others eating, Will and Percy exchanging sober looks, so he picked up his fork and started eating, too.

"Alright then, we will do that. Thank you." Nico replied with a small nod, eating his fruit with a small smile at Jason, who grinned back.

If the gods hadn't been watching them so intently, he'd have given him a thumbs up.

"Well, instead of Elysium, you could come to my garden. I have a few new flowers I'm sure you'll enjoy, Nico." Persephone put in with a cheerful tone, though her expression said there was no choice about the matter.

"Oh, I was actually hoping we could take a look at your garden, but I didn't think I'd be allowed to bring them inside." Nico muttered evasively, looking slightly taken aback.

But Persephone waved off.

"It's alright. I only don't like strangers in my garden. But since these three handsome men will keep us company for quite a while, I do think that justifies a trip there."

"Then we'd love to see it. Any particular time?" Nico asked with a glance at Jason, Percy and Will, checking whether they were ok with this.

As if they'd say no to visiting the garden of the goddess of springtime (not to mention she had already made it sound like a do-it-or-you'll-regret-it thing).

"Oh no, just come whenever you like. I'll be there. Since I'm supposed to be in the upper world already, but decided to stay down here for a while longer – yes, mother, I am aware of your arguments, but my opinion has not changed – I can mostly be found in my garden. Your father is taking care of the Underworld by himself for now. It's good practice for the next months without me." She declared, sending her husband a smug grin, as if she expected him to say something like 'I'll miss you so much and have no idea how to do this without you'.

But Hades merely sighed and looked past her at Demeter.

"At least your mother has stopped insisting I am forcing you to stay against your will." He noted drily, just as Demeter opened her mouth, turning towards the other two.

Nico sighed, and Jason put his hand on his thigh just as Percy did the same from Nico's other side.

They shared reassuring smiles and Will passed some of the potatoes left on his plate to each of them, much to the delight of Percy, who had already finished his plate and had been ogling his original plate in Will's care for a while now.

Jason noticed he was – once more – the slowest eater, so he started to hurry up a bit, making use of the time the gods were bickering among themselves so he could eat without feeling watched.

It seemed like they weren't half bad, though they bickered worse than Percy and Will, and that should have been nearly impossible.

All in all, he had no idea what to expect of the next few 'weeks' here, but he was a hundred percent certain it wouldn't get boring.

Plus, they had tons of games to play and films to watch (he definitely wanted to try out some of the board games. Hopefully the guys would be up for them, and not just get addicted to the gaming consoles. Jason loved board games).

And, it seemed like, at some point, they'd be visiting Elysium.

Though that made him glance around at Will again, wondering what could have possibly moved Hades to look at him in particular, at that very moment, and with that concern in his eyes.

Will hadn't seemed perturbed or bothered by the idea of Elysium whatsoever, after all, so it wasn't as if there should be anybody there he wouldn't want to see.

At least Jason assumed so.

Maybe it had just been coincidence.

Maybe Hades hadn't even looked at Will, but through him at nothing in particular.

Yeah, that was probably it.

"Jason, please, have mercy on me…" Percy whispered over with a puppy face, and Jason raised an eyebrow, glancing from Percy to his own still rather full plate and back.

Then at Will, who raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to do it.

Oh, that was a tough decision.

Either he had to live with Will's wrath, or with Percy's.

Well, he was most likely going to sleep with Will in his arms, so he definitely wanted him on his good side.

"Sorry, man. Doctor's orders." He muttered back apologetically and Percy whined, looking heartbroken.

"You traitor! What bro are you, leaving me to suffer like this? Bros before-…very nice best friends…" Percy backtracked hurriedly when Will's fork clanked against his plate and he turned to Percy with a murderous expression on his face.

"Were you just going to call me…"

"No, no, I wasn't. I would never. I love you, man. Don't kill me." Percy pleaded hurriedly, shrinking in his seat and looking around at Jason and Nico with big eyes.

Nico had been a tad busy, apparently following the conversation his father was having with Demeter and Persephone, looking around at his boyfriend with a confused gaze, probably because of the 'I love you', which was usually solely directed towards him, after all.

"What?"

Jason sighed.

Why was it always him who had to save everybody?

Plus, this time it was Percy's own fault (then again, when was it not…), for resorting to stupid slang idioms, anyways.

Yes, the next weeks would definitely not be boring.

That much Jason knew.

* * *

**A/N**: Please do not attempt to teach/learn how to dance the way Will did with Percy. It will result in hurting feet, lots of falling and cursing, and no dancing.

I'm just saying. Not that I tried anything. Nuh-uh, I'm pro at dancing (*cough*).

Also, I only realized way into the story that the dance I was describing (Discofox) didn't even exist as such in English, but was called Hustle and had a few (very big) differences.  
Since they were kind of already way too into it, and I'm a lazy person and couldn't be bothered looking for anything else they could dance instead, not to mention rewriting it because it seemed to fit the situation somewhat, I edited the parts that would make it the European Discofox as best as I could.

If anybody finds a mistake in it (for example, even after Youtubing and googling, I have no clue whether Americans count in 3 steps or in 4, it was very confusing), feel free to point it out to me, I'll gladly edit.

Also, the European Discofox rocks. I suck at it, but it's still awesome ;)

Wish you guys a nice week~  
-Tári


	21. Chapter 21: Underworld Tours

**A/N:** Hello Cupcakes ;D

Next chapter will be Truth or Dare ;3  
Also, does anybody know if Rick ever announced when Will's birthday is?

Because I couldn't find anything (though it's not really that important, I can just decide on a convenient date, too, I just don't like doing stuff like that much)

They are so adorable together sometimes..

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 21: Underworld Tours, Flower Crowns and very interesting Make-Over's**

When Jason woke up in the middle of the night, his first thought was 'Nightmare! Will!', because there was movement in the bed, and somebody was whimpering.

But when he opened his eyes, wondering why Will wasn't burning them all up again, he found out it wasn't Will at all.

It was Percy.

Percy, who was turning and whimpering and wailing, his body trembling.

For a moment, Jason almost thought the nightmares had somehow switched from Will to Percy.

But then, he deciphered Percy's mumbling of 'Nico', '...happy...', and 'the guys' and realized he was just having a regular nightmare.

Well, not that that was any better, really.

He shifted, wondering how to best proceed and whether he should wake him, but before he could decide, Will – who had apparently moved and was laying behind Percy – already started moving, wrapping his arms around him and tugging him back against his chest, face at his shoulder.

"Shh, it's alright, Percy." He said soothingly, his voice gentle, his expression sad and tired.

Jason relaxed slightly, then wondered with a frown how Will had gotten behind Percy in the first place, since he had fallen asleep behind Jason when they had gone to bed.

Weird.

But good for Percy.

Will was better at comforting Percy than Jason (as the day had shown as well).

Percy wailed quietly, and it sounded almost as if he was crying, which made Jason's heart clench painfully.

He had done so well during the day, though!

Why was he having a nightmare now?

Maybe Hades had something to do with it.

Then again, Hades didn't seem the type to torment people like that, not even Percy Jackson.

No, he really didn't seem the type.

Plus, he hadn't seemed that opposed to Percy.

And if he really had a problem with Percy as Nico's boyfriend, why would he have waited for Percy to come to the Underworld, instead of bullying him from the moment on when those two had started dating?

No, it couldn't be Hades.  
Persephone hadn't seemed to care about Percy whatsoever, so Jason was certain it wasn't her, either.  
And Demeter had claimed Percy was her favorite out of the three, so tormenting him would be stupid (she was the goddess of agriculture, not torture, after all. Else he might have been tempted to believe it was her way to express her fondness or something. Yeah, no).

So, that kind of ruled out any immediate gods. Maybe it was just Percy's sub consciousness.

He did seem bothered by the whole 'making Nico happy'-issue he kept bringing up.

Seriously, that guy.

"Shh, Gorgeous, calm down. What's wrong? Nico is right here, we're all right here. Come on, don't cry..." Will whispered, hugging Percy closer to his chest and burying his face at Percy's neck, whispering gentle reassurances into his ear, and Jason could see Percy shiver and lean back against him, clearly craving the closeness and physical contact.

Jason watched as Will moved, half laying down on top of Percy, talking quietly to him and rubbing his arms and sides, warming him.

Percy seemed to calm slightly, his body relaxing ever so faintly, though he was still whimpering every here and there.

But still, Jason found himself breathing out a small sigh of relief.

Percy would be alright.

Will rubbed his cheek against Percy's affectionately, telling him about how he saw Percy and Nico living in New Rome some day, finishing college and finding jobs, living together and being happy.

His hands were still moving over Percy's body slowly, stroking and rubbing and warming, giving Percy the affection and comfort he more than apparently needed.

Percy started stilling, one of his hands finding Will's, and Jason watched him squeezing it, as if trying to say thanks.

Will smiled, and Jason watched him squeezing back.

They didn't let go.

Will kept talking quietly, about the things they'd all do together in New Rome, and what Percy's and Nico's apartment would probably look like (and how he'd probably have to drag Jason over there to get the place cleaned, because they all knew how messy Percy was, and Nico tended to not be much better), and Percy started smiling, nuzzling his face against the base of Will's neck with a low hum.

Will looked surprised for a moment, but then chuckled and tilted his head ever so slightly, leaning it against Percy's, his eyes closed, his expression soft and content.

"That's right, everything will be fine. Now, finally, stop worrying, will you? You big crybaby. I know what I'm going to get you for your birthday, now. A big photo album with all the pictures of Nico making heart eyes at you because of how perfect you are. I'll name it '101 proofs I make Nico happy, by Will Solace – and probably Jason, too, because he'd so back me up on this – who had to reassure me over and over again because I still don't believe the words of somebody that doesn't lie'. You'll love it." He declared with an affectionate smile, though his eyes seemed a tad sad.

Jason inwardly sighed.

He'd participate in that book, alright?

He'd be the one adding some pictures of Will to the mix, with him making wistful eyes at Percy and Nico.

Then he'd add a sentence on the last pages, going: 'End your worries, date them both. Your best bro, Jason'.

Yep, that was exactly what he was going to do.

"And a big hooray for me, now I have gifts for both you and Jason. Jason is so getting a stapler, I'm just saying. Wait, now that I'm giving you something meaningful, I'll have to give him something meaningful, too, won't I? Damn. And his birthday is first. Percy, this is it, you'll have to help me find something for him. Something nice that conveys 'thank you for always being there for us. We love you and wouldn't know what to do without you'. Any ideas yet?" Will continued, nudging Percy slightly, who was still smiling, shaking his head slightly and turning over, which turned his back towards Jason and hid most of Will's body from view again, including his face.

Jason was still glad for it, because that meant Will couldn't see him anymore, either.

Will was thinking about Jason's birthday gift? Now?

He felt strangely honored, though he was fairly certain Will was just trying to change the topic so Percy would have something better to dream of.

Though, in Jason's opinion, Percy would have probably preferred to dream of Nico and New Rome, not of potential birthday gifts for Jason.

Then again, that would at least guarantee some laughs in his dreams, while dreaming of Nico would most likely resort to morning wood and pent up sexual desires he'd want to work off with Nico first thing in the morning.

Ok, now he could totally see why Will might be changing the topic.

"I wasn't really going to get him a stapler. Maybe as a side gift to make him laugh, though. He doesn't laugh much, does he? You'd expect he'd laugh more. I don't know, I remember he used to laugh a lot, but lately, he hasn't much. We should work on that. You up for that?" Will asked quietly, and Jason frowned.

Was Will…actually concerned about him?

"'S ok. He's jus' sad…'cause you keep acting indifferent…to 'vrything. Living in denial. He wants you happy…" Percy mumbled barely coherently into either Will's neck or his shoulder, Jason couldn't tell.

But that didn't matter right now, anyways.

Percy's words mattered much more.

What were they discussing?!

Hello? Was Percy seriously going to give him away now?

Then again, he hadn't told Will Jason was in love. He had just said Jason wanted him happy.

Which was absolutely true.

Though he did laugh.

He laughed plenty.

Well…he smiled…and chuckled.

But that was nearly the same.

He was happy.

It was just that those two were so crazy he had to worry more about them than laugh about their craziness.

One of them had to take care of the lot, after all, and that someone was simply Jason.

Nobody else would want to be the party-pooper, after all.

Will chuckled quietly.

"Right. I don't think that's it. I think he wants you to spend some more time with him. You're either all over Nico or bickering with me – which is very flattering and all, but yeah. I think he's starting to feel a bit lonely. You _are_ his bro, after all. At least that's the term you two are using for 'secretly gay for each other but covering it up because of reasons'. I saw that butt-grab, Percy."

Jason wanted to groan and bury his head under the pillow.

Will!

No!

"Wiiiiillll~!" Percy wailed in his sleep wrapping his arms and one leg around the blonde, who cackled evilly, but surprisingly quietly (how was that even possible).

"You know I'm just joking. Now, go back to sleep, you dork. I'm dead tired. Mind if I abuse you as pillow for the rest of the night?"

Jason raised an eyebrow.

Will, asking Percy, when Percy could actually hear him, to use him as a pillow?

That was new.

"Sure." Percy mumbled back, and the two moved and shifted again, with Will's arm snaking around Percy and his head appearing again as he pushed Percy downwards slightly to move him against his chest instead.

Percy let him mishandle him, their legs entangling and Will's face burying itself in Percy's hair.

"Comfortable?" Will asked quietly, eyes barely opened, a content sigh escaping his lips.

Percy made an affirming sound, then Jason watched him squeezing Will's hip gently with one hand, before his breath seemed to even out.

Apparently, he was drifting back off into sleep.

Will smiled, closing his eyes as well.

"Good."

Jason watched them for a long moment, then looked down at Nico, who was still snuggled against his chest, the most adorable sleeping expression on his face.

He smiled, tugging him closer.

See? He had known Percy would be fine in Will's care.

He wondered whether he should tell Nico about Percy's insecurities, though.

Well, he wouldn't necessarily tell him about his sleep issues, because that was bound to make Nico feel horrible and guilty and worried beyond reason, but maybe he should think of something to say that could show Nico Percy needed him just as much as he needed Percy, so they could reassure each other.

Somehow, he realized a lot of those problems they had would probably be solved if Will and Jason weren't around all the time, because Percy had this whole issue where he wanted all four of them utterly happy, which simply wasn't possible.

But there was no way Jason would leave the guys, and even less of a way for him to tell Will to do that.

That would be suicidal, wrong, and utterly cruel, since they'd be doing exactly what Percy and Nico were so scared of.

Yeah, not going to happen.

So, instead, Jason buried his face in Nico's hair, inhaling his earthy scent and wondering what he'd get for Will's birthday.

Coming to think of it, when _was_ Will's birthday?

.

Percy woke up with Will pressed against his back, one arm and one leg thrown over him, and Nico pressed against his front, hands clutching Percy's shirt.

Sighing contently, he closed his eyes again.

Mmh, it felt so nice and warm and comfortable.

Though, thinking about it, what was Will doing behind him? Hadn't he been behind Jason when they had gone to bed?

What...?

Memories of last night rushed through his head, with him panicking and Will being there for him almost instantly, comforting him, reassuring him.

He remembered warm hands moving over his body, stroking, soothing, warming.

Remembered inhaling Will's scent, his face buried at the base of his neck, and Will's cheek rubbing against the side of his head affectionately.

Remembered Will's gentle reassurances, his breath against his skin, his warmth seeping into Percy.

Oh.

_Oh_.

Well, that explained a lot.

Not exactly how Will had gotten here, but certainly why they were this close now and why Percy was feeling better than ever.

Ugh, he should stop needing the guys like that.

But, gods, Will had been so nice and kind and gentle with him.

No teasing, no making fun of him.

Kind of like he had been during the day with him.

Percy had to admit, he liked that side of Will even more than their constant teasing (though that was always fun).

He smiled contently to himself, tugging Nico closer and snuggling back into Will's warmth.

This was so nice.

Where was Jason, though?

Jason was missing.

He always added that nice coolness, and Percy missed his hands on his side, though Jason rarely did that anymore, anyways, always focusing on Will.

Percy opened his eyes again, just to find Jason lying on his back behind Nico, with his head turned towards him, gazing at him quietly.

Huh?

"Something wrong?" He asked, his voice coming out a lot groggier than intended.

Jason blinked, then put on a small smile and shook his head.

"No, just thinking. Feeling better?"

Why did that sound like Jason knew about last night?

Had Will talked to him? That didn't sound like something he'd do.

Especially not since he threw fits and lengthy rants about confidentiality.

Then again, maybe this didn't count as something private, something not to be shared with others?

Jason must have seen the puzzlement on his face, because he quickly shook his head, turning over sideways again.

"I thought Will was having another nightmare, so I woke up to help, but then saw it was you. I mean, I'd have helped you, too, but you seemed to be taken care of already." Jason explained, and Percy wasn't sure whether he should feel embarrassed or surprised.

He settled for a mixture of both.

"Was it that bad? I'm sorry for waking you. I don't know…I had this really weird dream, and...I don't know..." He mumbled, maneuvering his hand between Nico and himself so he could rub the sleep out of his face.

His dream was a bit fuzzy, but he could still remember bits of it.

Something with a set of different paths that would all lead to different futures.

He couldn't remember many details, but he knew the first path had been ok-ish, but the second one had been utter hell.

The third one had been ok-ish again, but weird, kind of incomplete - and then there was the last one, the most improbable one, but the one he had desired the most.

He still remembered how he had felt after the fourth, how badly he had craved for it, how badly he had _needed_ it.

But then he had realized the impossibility of it all, had realized this was the most difficult to achieve, the most _improbable_ to achieve.

And the other paths had started weighing him down, and he had become desperate, yearning for a way out, guilt flashing through him like a hundred needles pricking his skin, old and new worries coursing through his body, and everything had seemed upside down.

Yeah, it hadn't been pretty.

But then there had been Will's voice - and Will's touch -, right when he had started to really, truly panic, and everything had become warmer, softer, lighter, _better_.

"Don't worry about it. The conversation with his dad still bothering you? You want to talk about it?" Jason asked, but Percy shook his head.

No, that was ok.

It hadn't really been Hades or their talk.

It had just...oh, he didn't know.

Whatever.

"No, it's ok. As I've said the past hundred times you guys asked, I'm good. The conversation didn't even go that bad. The dream just got to me. Nightmare, whatever. Now, get back over here."

Jason hesitated for a moment, his expression confused and surprised.

But then he came over, anyways, wrapping an arm around Nico – and Nico alone.

Such a mean person.

Percy stuck his bottom lip out at him. "What, you don't want to cuddle with me anymore, or what? How hurtful, man. And there I thought we're best bro's." He sulked, giving Jason his baby seal face.

It had the desired effect of making Jason's lips twitch and a small smile show on his rather stern face as he sighed theatrically and put his arm around Percy and Will instead, getting closer to the group again.

Percy only now noticed, but Jason must have gotten up at some point, because his hair wasn't nearly as messy as usual, and he was wearing his glasses.

"How long are you awake already?" He asked curiously, feeling Nico shift slightly and entangle his legs with Jason's, rubbing his back against his chest, which made Jason smile even more.

There, now he was looking a lot better.

Why had Jason detached himself from them in the first place?

This better not be another one of those_ I'm-the-odd-one-out-_things, or Percy was going to have to get mad.

"Not very long. I was just thinking." Jason replied with fake cheerfulness that instantly made Percy scowl.

What was _wrong_ with him?

He sighed, detangling himself somewhat from Will and Nico, in order to put Will's arm around Jason and add his own to the mix.

"So, much better." He stated with a content nod and Jason eyed him amused.

"Right."

Hey, what did he sound so doubtful for?

Percy made a face at him.

Then he remembered Will talking about Jason last night, about him laughing - or not laughing -, about birthday gifts, about making Jason happy.

Had Jason been awake then, too?

Probably not, else he certainly wouldn't seem so pouty and weird.

The fact that Will kept talking about Jason all the freaking time showed that he was definitely starting to like him a lot more than he wanted to admit, after all (no matter if Percy liked it or not).

So, really, if he had heard that, he'd probably be gloating about it now.

But he wasn't.

So, yeah, he probably hadn't heard.

Did that mean Percy should tell him?

Well, how would he tell him, anyways?

Nah, that was stupid.

"You know, this is the second time you woke up to eavesdrop. Really, Jason, shame on you. And both times you catch us gushing about you. How mortifying." He muttered drily, putting his face back into Nico's hair and rubbing his forehead against the side of Jason's head, who let him do it without complaint.

Well, that was all he was going to say to this.

It ought to get the point across, anyways.

Jason would be able to read between the lines, and sooner than Percy could look around, Jason and will would have their own little forever after happy end, and yada yada.

Splendid.  
Terrific.  
Percy felt sick.

"Gushing? Really? First you were plotting to set me up with somebody, and the second time you two were debating what you're going to give me for my birthday. I hardly call that gushing." Jason retorted with a raised eyebrow and Percy rolled his eyes, the knot in his stomach changing from despair and hurt to annoyance.

_Jason you prick, how could you not get it?_

Wait, wait, he had just said he had heard them talking about birthday gifts, so he must have been awake.

_Jason, you double prick, how could you not see Will gushing about you?!_

"Hypocrite. This is our _manly _way of gushing, Jason. Talking about you when we have six thousand other things to talk about means we're swooning all over you. Now, get closer, Will is so freaking warm and I don't want to move." He complained, and Jason gave him another one of those doubtful looks, though he came closer, anyways, maneuvering his arm under Nico and Percy to get both his hands onto Percy's back, stroking over his hot skin soothingly.

Mmh, that felt nice.

Not that Will behind him didn't feel nice. That felt great, too.

But Jason's cool hands were a serious blessing.

"You're so needy, Percy." Jason chided amused and Percy grinned at him cockily.

"Yep, that's me. Percy Needy Jackson at your service, sir."

"Dork." Jason remarked with a light chuckle that made him look so adorable again, especially with his glasses and all.

"Really, I can't adapt that many additional names, man. Have some mercy on me." Percy whined with a scandalized expression and Jason snorted (aw, how cute, Will was rubbing off on him).

Will and Nico shifted, grumbling simultaneously, and both Jason and Percy instantly shushed, pursing their lips with alarmed expressions.

Then they saw each other's faces and chuckled again.

"Guys...not again...Jason, behave." Will grumbled behind Percy, rubbing his face against the back of his neck, which sent shivers down his spine for some reason.

Jason pouted. "Why me? Percy started it!" He complained quietly, but urgently, and Percy wriggled his eyebrows at him with a cocky grin.

Ha!

Will mumbled something incoherent and shifted again, then let out a loud sigh.

"You mad? How are you ever going to get Percy to stop? He's the _epitome_ of craziness."

"Hey!" Percy sulked, and now it was Jason who grinned cockily at him.

"Yes, I'll take the brownies...muffins...cupcakes..." Will muttered behind him with a wistful sigh, then his breathing evened out again.

Percy blinked, eyes meeting Jason's, and they both looked at each other quietly for a moment.

Then they both grinned.

Aw, how _sweet_.

And there Will always claimed Percy was the ever-hungry one.

Hypocrite.

A cute one, but a hypocrite all the same.

.

"And these are the Fields of Asphodel." Nico explained in passing as they walked along the border to what looked like a horribly dull and depressing place, full of blank faces and empty looks.

A shiver ran down Will's spine.

Nope, he did not want to end up in there after his death, that much was certain.

"That's where you found Hazel, right?" Jason asked, eyeing the place with a small frown.

Will looked back over the gray landscape.

That's where Hazel had been all this time?

That pure and innocent creature that blushed and had to fan her face whenever things got heated (but could curse worse than a sailor, seriously, had anybody heard her curse before? She was damn cool. He liked it. If she wasn't Nico's sister, and single, and more his age, with a tad more of his humor, she'd completely be his type. But since she was Nico's sister, in a relationship, and they had close to nothing in common – yeah, no. But he still adored her.) had to stay here in this gloomy place and had still managed to retain her kind and fierce nature?

Now he definitely had even more respect for her.

And he could definitely see how Nico and her were related, because Nico had literally gone through Tartarus and had managed to stay true to himself.

"Yes, that's where I found Hazel. I was hoping to get Bianca, but…yeah…" Nico started, then trailed off, and Will's insides clenched at the flash of pain in Nico's eyes.

Percy lowered his gaze, but he seemed to take the mention of Nico's sister better than before.

It seemed they had at least managed to talk that bit out.

Now, all that was missing was that those two would finally get around talking what was really important to them and what still worried them.

If they just did that already, Jason and Will would certainly have a lot less work with those two.

Though Will completely wouldn't mind spending some more nights snuggled up close to Percy with Percy's face pressed against his neck, his breath right at his ear (Will had such sensitive ears…).

But yeah, that was more for selfish indulgence and utterly unfair to Percy (not to mention nonsensical and stupid), so that was not going to happen.

Also, Will didn't want to admit to it, but he had kind of missed Jason's arms around him throughout the night.

Not that anybody ever needed to know that.

But seriously, he had gotten way too used to Jason's body.

On the bright side, though, he hadn't had a nightmare.

It was weird.

Especially because he only really realized that in the mornings, after waking up from weird or horribly erotic dreams (since he had dreamed of a bakery last night and how he had ordered all sorts of weird sweet stuff for the guys because Percy had been pregnant (?), he really wasn't sure which kind of dream he would prefer, if he had a choice. Though, right now, he was for the horribly erotic one – it had been a lot less…_weird_…).

Maybe he was miraculously cured?

Yeah, unlikely.

But somehow, there must be something down here that had some sort of influence, else he was sure he'd still get them.

It was like back when Jason had just come back to Camp again and Will had suddenly been able to sleep properly.

But what had been different?

He didn't understand.

Not that he minded, hell no.

He loved it.

Though he had woken up today in the morning with his hands on Percy's waistband (though he hadn't seemed to have noticed yet, too busy chatting with Jason in low voices), so he was also beginning to wonder whether he was getting touchy feely again.

Please not.

The last thing he needed was to wake up with his hands down somebody's pants.

Not only would that lead to more than just an awkward conversation, but it would definitely get him kicked out of the bed.

Not to mention that it would go against every single one of his morals.

So, yeah, he really had to get himself under control, there.

The fact that he generally didn't even notice wasn't helping much, though.

The four walked on, past soul after soul, some standing there motionlessly, some moving about distractedly, as if looking for something.

One even got disturbingly close to them, looking at them with hollow eyes.

As if noticing his growing unease, he felt Jason's fingers on his arm, just brushing across his skin for a moment.

It was still enough to make Will glance around, just to be met by a reassuring smile from the blonde.

Hey, he was _fine_, Jason so didn't need to protect him or anything.

And the fact his shoulders relaxed the tiniest bit as he fell into step next to Jason (as well as the brushing of their arms together) was entirely coincidental.

Nico started telling them of his various trips in the Underworld, and the jobs he had had down here, sometimes including journeys through the Fields of Asphodel.

He also told them of quite a few souls he used to chat with, too, which Will found slightly weird, but it sounded exactly like something Nico would do.

Will glanced past Jason towards the Fields of Punishment for a moment, but then hurriedly looked away again.

He knew he definitely didn't want to end up over there.

Nico had offered them to lead them through there as well, but they had all politely declined, since none of them fancied talking to anybody there and some of the torture methods were already way too real for Will.

He couldn't really decide whether he should feel like this horrid treatment was justified for all those people, or whether he should feel sorry for them for having to suffer like this for eternity.

Though he knew if they had ended up in there, they had certainly deserved it.

Still, torture for eternity?

Will wouldn't even wish that upon his worst enemies.

Well…no, wait, he shouldn't even think like that.

Nobody deserved eternal punishment.

Maybe a few thousand years though, to get the point across.

Will raised an eyebrow at himself.

And there people thought he was a good person.

And there _Will_ had thought he was a good person.

Nico led them further and further on, leaving the plains behind and making his way towards what seemed to Will like open plains, though then they started turning left, instead, more back towards the palace.

"Over there, if you travel for long enough, you'll get to the mountains of riches. You should see them. They're pretty much the riches of the Earth, just that they hold close to no value here." Nico explained conversationally, gesturing towards the plains; and Will raised an eyebrow, realizing all over that Nico really didn't have to worry about money.

That so didn't mean he wouldn't take him out and pay for him if he had the chance, though.

"Where are we going now?" Will asked curiously, since it didn't sound like they were going to go to the mountains - not that Will minded whether they did or not.

He found the Underworld both fascinating and terrifying so far, and he wasn't sure in which category he'd place giant piles of gems, gold, and/or whatever else it was that Nico meant by 'riches'.

They had already taken a look at the various rivers the Underworld had to offer (Will wasn't sure which one he had liked the least, they had all looked murky and strange and he was glad it hadn't been him who had had to take a dip into the Styx), and had already admired Elysium from afar (definitely where he wanted to end up in, he knew that just from looking. Plus, the alternatives all sucked, anyways).

So, really, he had no idea what would come next.

"Oh, I was thinking we could pick up Cerberus and take him for a walk to where Mrs. O'Leary and a few other non-aggressive monsters usually stay. Bob had made them such a nice place, after all, I thought I'd show it to you guys." Nico explained, a small smile hushing over his face at the thought of his Titan friend, but his eyes seemed sad.

Will hadn't really understood all of it, but when they had looked at the River Lethe, Percy had explained to them how he had managed to beat the Titan Iapetus with practically drowning him in there, and then telling him he was his friend Bob.

Will could have sworn he had heard that story before, but that had been before he had started liking Percy, so he hadn't exactly cared about any of his heroic tales (there had been too many, anyways).

But Bob apparently had become a real friend to Nico, who had spent quite some time with the Titan and taken care of him...though it had sounded more like those two had taken care of each other, keeping each other company and holding together in a world that had seemed to have turned against them.

And then Bob had gone to save Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus, and had ultimately sacrificed himself to guarantee their escape.

Will had never even met the Titan, but he had still felt like crying at the end of the story.

He glanced around at the Fields of Punishment once more, wondering whether he'd be willing to take a lifetime of torture for the sake of somebody else.

Of course, for Nico, for Jason, for Percy, he'd do anything, including eternal punishment, if it guaranteed their safety.

But in Bob's case, he hadn't done it for Nico, the person he had actually talked to, had befriended, had cared for and who had genuinely cared for the Titan in return, too.

He had done it for Percy and Annabeth, even though he had barely known them, had done it for them even though Percy had been the one practically ruining his life with erasing his memories.

It wasn't only a very sobering thought, it was also a very disturbing one, because it showed that even someone/something as cruel and vicious as a Titan had feelings and thoughts and could be so undeniably _good_.

Sadly, Will knew barely anybody even talked about Bob the Titan - Will himself hadn't known the story until half an hour ago, after all.

But in his opinion, everybody should know of him, should tell his tale, should think of a way to save him.

Then, maybe, somebody, someday, might be able to release Bob from his eternal punishment in Tartarus.

Will knew if he had the chance, he'd so do it.

Even though he didn't even know him.

"You can take Cerberus for a walk?" Jason asked ominously, and Will was torn out of his thoughts.

Wait, how were they supposed to take a giant three-headed dog for a walk? Wouldn't that thing more walk them?

Nico chuckled, waving off with a grin.

"Don't worry, he's quite obedient when he wants to be. We'll let him off the leash as soon as we're a bit further away from all the souls. Just so we can avoid mass panic among the dead and all."

Will exchanged a doubtful glance with Jason, who was frowning back at him with a similar look on his face.

Somehow 'quite obedient_ when he wants to be_' didn't sound very promising.

Percy, however, was all for it, apparently, looking excited as ever.

"Oh, I haven't seen Mrs. O'Leary in ages. You think she'll even remember me? It's been forever. I was wondering where she went after she left the Camp, but I guess I should have known she'd be down here somewhere." He babbled, his sea-green eyes gleaming.

Either he had little concern about Cerberus, or he hadn't understood the meaning of a giant three-headed dog on the loose.

They made their way past the to-be-judged souls, and Will felt a shiver running down his back, wondering whether he'd be standing in line here forever as well, waiting for his final judgment.

He also vaguely wondered what his fate would be.

So far, he hadn't really done anything heroic, since healing and saving people was what his job demanded from him, not something outstanding like winning/participating/ending the wars like Percy, Jason and Nico.

Great, did that mean he'd be one of those unlucky bastards that would end up in the Fields of Asphodel?

He glanced towards his three best friends.

_Alone?_

He was so not looking forward to that.

Cerberus was wagging his tail, all three heads drooling and gazing at them hopefully as they walked towards him, apparently hoping for either something to eat or some affection (or maybe he knew they were about to 'take him for a walk').

And in that moment, for some reason, Will thought he didn't even look that scary anymore.

Actually, he looked kind of cute, just like an overgrown puppy with two heads too many.

That was, until Nico unfastened the chains binding the dog to its guard post, and the dog bounded towards them with a leap.

Souls screeched and scattered, and Will could only blink once before he could feel a massive paw pushing him back onto the ground, a giant snout looming over him.

Next moment, he felt something hot and slimy moving over all of him, and he cried out a very indignant 'Eww!'.

Pressed against his right side was Jason, who shuddered quite noticeably, but at least didn't cry out, while to his left, Percy practically roared with laughter, wriggling around like mad.

Apparently, this was Cerberus' very slobbery way of saying 'hi'.

Terrific. Will had always wanted dog drool all over him (_not_).

Will grinned, trying to suppress a laugh because he did NOT want to open his mouth with the dog still looming over him, the two other heads now fighting for a chance to greet them, too.

Judging by the sudden wailing from Percy's side, he was almost certain he knew Percy had had that realization too late.

"Cerberus! Get off them! So sorry, guys, he's just trying to show you that he likes you." Nico called over apologetically, and the dog did listen after dragging another very wet tongue over the three of them, almost plucking Will off the ground and swallowing him whole (at least that's what it had felt like).

He still couldn't help but chuckle and laugh, though he knew he shouldn't.

The indignant look on Jason's face as he got up and looked down on a very wet himself wasn't helping his restraint, either.

And that was before he turned to look at Percy, who was laughing and wailing and trying to clean off his hands on his pants enough to clean his face, spitting on the ground in front of him.

"Why do dogs always lick my face when I have my mouth open? Eww!" He cried, and Will all but lost it.

Nico patted Cerberus' side, looking at his boyfriend with a frown, his expression mingled and maybe slightly disgusted by the news of where exactly the dogs' tongue had gone.

Will laughed, looking at Jason, who was now eyeing him with amusement.

"I love dogs." Will simply stated with a shrug, as if that explained his stupid laughing; patting down his clothes which didn't get rid of the drool and kind of only made it worse, but he didn't mind too much.

Jason's lips twitched into a knowing smile. "I know." He said gently, then shuddered again and looked down at himself with a sigh, looking torn between disgust and amusement.  
Will grinned at him, then a set of arms wrapped around him from behind.

"Sun-bug, _take my drool_!" Percy laughed against his ear and Will all but shrieked.

"Eww, Percy! Why? Why?! Use your boyfriend for that, you horrible creature!" He wailed loudly, cringing at the wetness seeping through his up-until-then-dry back and trying to get out of Percy's hold, while Percy cackled menacingly, his lips still dangerously close to his ear.

Jason and Nico merely chuckled at his dismay, neither of them coming to the rescue as Percy bent backwards, picking him off the ground and pressing his back even more against his drenched chest.

"Never, I wouldn't abuse my boyfriend like that."

"Then don't abuse ME like that!" Will cried indignantly and wriggled and thrashed, trying to get free; and Percy laughed, putting him down again and loosening his hold the slightest bit.

"Fine. Hey, want me to dry you off? It will still feel weird because it's drool, not water, but at least you won't catch a cold." He said as Will turned his head to scowl at him, ignoring the way their faces were way too close.

He might have minded, but since Percy had been tongue-kissed by Cerberus, there was no way in hell Will wanted to even think about getting closer to those lips (even if they were very nice lips).

No thanks.

Plus, both their faces were still full of dog slobber.

Percy leaned forward, rubbing his face and hair against the back of his neck.

Alright, Will's face was still full of dog slobber.

"I hate you." He stated drily, but without menace, looking around at Jason and Nico with an expression that hopefully conveyed 'Can you believe this guy?'.

By the pitying looks the two gave him, they understood.

"Yeah, I know." Percy replied with a sigh, then Will could feel his shirt and skin drying, leaving it feeling weird, as if snails had glided all over it while he had been sleeping, but at least he wasn't wet anymore.

Then Percy mussed through his hair with a cheeky chuckle and sauntered off towards Nico as if nothing had happened.

_That guy._

"Glad to be of use to you, you ass!" He called after him sourly, walking towards Jason who was already moving towards him, too.

Percy blew him a kiss and wrapped Nico into a hug, who immediately looked him up and down scandalized and let out a complaining 'Nngh!', both hands firmly on Percy's chest - though he only kept him from pressing too close, not actually pushing him away.

"Don't even think about it, I am not kissing you when you just had Cerberus' slobber in your mouth!" He wailed, and Will shook his head amused when Percy started whining and pleading (and arguing that the dog slobber was long gone, anyways. _Eww_, Percy, you couldn't be serious!).

He looked back at Jason, glancing him up and down as Jason kept tugging on his shirt to keep it from connecting to his skin.

"Hey, Percy, get your butt back over here, you forgot to do Jason."

"I didn't _forget_ him at all, I was going to get to that right when I'm done kissing my boyfriend." Percy retorted indignantly, but Nico started wailing again, turning his head away firmly so Percy couldn't sneak any kisses in whatsoever.

Cerberus eyed them oddly, as if trying to decipher whether Percy and Nico were playing, or whether Percy was attacking him.

When two of the heads looked ready to attack, ears flat against their heads, Will hurriedly jumped forwards.

"Hey, Cerberus, you're such a _good boy_!" He called with fake excitement, and the dog instantly fixed all three heads on him, tail wagging more than ever as he came running.

_Oops_.

"Oh great." Jason remarked drily next to him and very obviously stepped out of the way.

_Traitor._

"No, no, _stop_! Cerberus, sit!" Will called, mild panic spreading through him as he feared another wet assault.

Two of the heads tilted and made a confused sound, but the third played deaf, the rest of the dog still bounding for Will.

Oh great.

He was so going to get plowed to the ground.

Will fleetingly stole a pleading glance at Jason, wishing that guy would be less of a coward and actually save him (not that he needed a savior, but…_please_…).

Jason was looking right at him with a conflicted expression on his face - which cleared the moment their eyes met.

"Cerberus, _sit_!"

The dog slowed to a stop right in front of Will, a small whine escaping all three heads as his rear hit the ground an instant later, looking rather disappointed, but obeyed nevertheless, submissive heads turning towards the owner of the voice - Jason.

_Jason_.

_Jason_ had just told a giant three-headed dog to sit.

And the dog had freaking _listened_.

What.

Well, then again, it hadn't been Jason's normal, smooth voice, but his authoritative, dominant one that always sent shivers down Will's spine.

Like right now.

"Couldn't you have done this before I saw my life flashing by in front of my eyes?" Will complained with a huff, patting the dog's side and stroking under the first head's chin, which made the dog move his hind leg in appreciation and the other two whine needily.

"Well, I wanted to wait until it was certain you wouldn't be able to get him to obey on your own. Else you'd have been upset about me acting like your knight in shining armor or something." Jason retorted, moving closer as well and stroking the dog's other side.

"I don't need a knight in shining armor." Will replied automatically, then cringed at himself for being an idiot.

Jason had kind of just saved him. Maybe not from certain death (though with giant three-headed dogs one could never know), but certainly from getting drowned in dog slobber all over again.

The least he could do was say thanks – which he planned to do, of course!

But Jason merely rolled his eyes. "I know that."

"Are you two done now? Want us to leave you alone for a bit?" Percy asked, his head popping up behind the dog, and Nico's followed suit, his eyes looking them both over quickly to check whether they were unharmed.

"Oh, shush." Both of them replied, making faces at Percy, and Jason even snipped some of the dog drool on his shirt at him, hitting him square in the face – and in his mouth.

_Eww._

"Eww, Jason, you are the _worst_! I am taking back _everything_ I've said today in the morning! Worst bro _ever_! Not ok! This is it, Jason, I want a divorce!" Percy cried, spitting on the ground over and over again and wiping his face with his hands, looking utterly upset, while Nico inched away from him as inconspicuously as possible.

Will laughed, but then had to stop to frown, stroking Cerberus' flank as he practically shoved it in his face.

"_Divorce_?" Nico and he asked at the same time, while Jason's face went blank.

Like, that sort of done-with-the-world sort of blank.

"Yes. I want a divorce. We're so not bros anymore, man. If you throw drool at me, you definitely don't love me anymore." Percy whined, and Will wasn't sure whether to laugh or bury his face in his hands.

Nico raised his eyebrows at his boyfriend.

Jason stared off into the distance as if he was somewhere far away.

Then he cleared his throat.

"Percy, I am so sorry. But this thing between us…it's just not working anymore. And now that you have doubted our sacred relationship of best bro's, I just…I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry." He said, very seriously, and now Will's eyebrows shot up as well.

Percy's face fell and he gaped at Jason, as if he couldn't believe his ears.

"What? So you're just…just going to throw this…throw US away?" He asked stupefied, hands to his chest like he was in a bad soap opera.

Jason shook his head, his face stern.

"I'm so sorry, bro. But…my feelings for you…they're not the same anymore."

Percy put on such a heartbroken look that Will inwardly cringed, wanting to rush forward and wrap him into a hug, though he was 60% certain those two were just playing.

Right?

"Yeah…it's just…I can't look at you the same way anymore, man. Every time I see you now, I just feel like…like…" Jason tried to explain, shaking his head and gesturing with his arms.

Alright, Will was to 40% sure they were playing.

Were they playing?

Was this some sort of confession?

Sure, those two were close, but Jason hadn't _seriously_ seemed to develop any sort of crush on anybody other than Nico (and that was well past the crush-phase, anyways).

Or had he?

"Yes?" Percy asked, patting Cerberus other side, while Jason was stroking over one of the dog's muzzles.

"I just feel like throwing dog drool at you. Sorry man." Jason suddenly finished in a completely normal voice, and next moment, dog drool flew in Percy's face.

"JASON! I HATE YOU!" Percy yelled, then took off after Jason, who cackled maniacally (and very un-Jason-like) and ran off at top speed.

Nico groaned and buried his face in his hands, Cerberus leaping to his feet and bounding after the two demigods, barking and apparently thinking they were playing with him.

Will could only chuckle.

"Those two. I did not see that coming whatsoever." He said, amused and maybe mildly impressed.

Seriously, Jason so often acted like the most mature of them, but in times like these, with Percy around, he always let it show just how much of a kid he could be sometimes.

Nico shook his head.

"The thought crossed my mind, but I didn't think he'd REALLY do it. I still didn't want to take any chances, which is why I moved to your side. I thought it'd be safer. Well, I was right. I'm such a horrible boyfriend." He remarked drily, but Will knew he wasn't really serious.

"Yeah, right. A horrible boyfriend that doesn't laugh out loud at his dismay and is so going to kiss him later, dog-drool and all be damned, am I right?" Will teased and Nico sent him a scandalized look, though his face flushed pink.

He had his hair in a ponytail again, so Will could see much more of his face than usual, which was really nice – especially when bright pink.

"I will do no such thing!"

Will merely chuckled and left him in his belief, the two of them hurrying after Percy and Jason and the dog, so they could get going to wherever Nico had wanted to take them.

This was going to be fun.

.

Nico couldn't believe the first thing he did once Percy gave up on trying to catch Jason to slaughter him (Nico hoped that had been a joke, though) was giving him a kiss.

On the lips.

Eww.

He had especially hated the way Will had laughed, loud and triumphantly, giving Nico that 'I told you so'-look that made Nico cringe even more at himself.

Percy had had dog slobber all over him!

Well, at least he hadn't done more than that little peck.

Else he really wasn't sure he could live with himself without brushing his teeth really thoroughly, for, like, thirty years straight, right here, right now.

Eww, he didn't even WANT to know where Cerberus' tongue(s) were all day long.

Eww, he really shouldn't think of this.

They had gotten to the 'park' alright, and the guys (as well as Cerberus) had loved it, but sadly, Mrs. O'Leary had been nowhere in sight.

Nico really wondered where she was, because he hadn't seen her in a long while now.

But he was fairly certain she was ok, wherever she was, and whatever she was doing.

Percy seemed so disappointed, though. Nico could only hope she'd show up soon again.

The park was really nice, though.

Bob had made it back in his spare time between cleaning up and sitting in his 'room', trying to remember his life.

There was fresh grass and some not-so-dead looking trees, some boulders and spaces for animals to hide, plenty of small orbs of light floating above them to give better light and atmosphere in this rather gloomy place, and lots of toys in a giant locked box that only human fingers could pry open.

Another really awesome feature was that only friendly creatures could enter the park (it really wasn't much of a park, but Bob had called it that, so Nico would honor that).

So they spent the majority of the next two hours playing ball with Cerberus and another very young hellhound Nico hadn't seen around here before at all (though he had a faint memory of Bob playing with something small and dark on his first few tries of this thing, so that might have been it), as well as petting and stroking skeleton kittens, the same that had been freed by Luke Castellan.

How they had gotten here, Nico had no idea, though he had the faint idea Bob had had something to do with that, too.

Percy had told him all about Small Bob, after all, and Nico wouldn't be surprised if that had been a relative of these bundles of joy and menace, too.

After those two hours of laughs and chuckles – and, alright, one more peck onto Percy's gruesome lips because Nico was gruesome and too in love to resist, sue him – they had reluctantly left, deciding to definitely come back some other time again (even with the video games waiting for them in their room), instead making their way towards Persephone's garden.

Nico only realized too late that four demigods full of dirt, three of them full of dried slobber (though Jason still looked slightly wet, since Percy hat blatantly refused to dry him after Jason's prank), might not exactly leave the best impression on Persephone, when she had just been surprisingly willing enough to share her precious, sacred garden with their unworthy eyes.

By the time this occurred to him, he was already feeling her gaze travel over the four of them, her perfect eyebrows raising ever so slightly.

But then she put on a smile nevertheless.

"I've been awaiting you. I didn't think you'd show up so…gross…but, oh, oh well, this at least gives me a reason to show you my little fashion collection." She said happily, clapping her hands together and turning away from them to lead the way further into her garden.

True, she had started on a fashion line some time ago.

Why was she so cheerful, though?

Usually, she wasn't this cheerful.

She might act the part sometimes, but she really wasn't like this usually.

Persephone glanced back at them, her eyes hovering on Will for a moment longer than with the others, and Nico started feeling weird again.

Seriously, was something the matter?

What was her deal with Will?

She caught him eyeing her skeptically and smiled, winking at him.  
"Sorry, dear, just trying to get used to you bringing home your boyfriends. Kids grow up so fast. One day they're small and angsty, next, they're bringing home their boyfriends and plan to get married…"

Percy's and Will's faces turned a bright red as they started sputtering, while Jason merely eyed the goddess quietly.

Nico felt his face heat, too, and quickly picked hurried on.

"Friends. And I'm not getting married. Not anytime soon, at least." He glanced around at Percy as he said that, hoping that wouldn't come across wrong, but Percy only shot him a 'You'll see'-smile that made him both nervous and giddy at the same time.

They walked past multi-colored mushrooms and other various plants, all of which Nico didn't find all that impressive anymore, though he knew that was because this was merely the official part of Persephone's garden, the one everybody could see (assuming they had permission to enter this realm) and she had shown him her real treasures before, so he knew this was nothing in comparison.

Percy had been here before, so he wasn't all too affected either, though Nico could see him grinning at a few plants as if remembering something funny.

Then they got to the center, an orchard of pomegranate trees, and Nico instinctively reached out to hold Will back, who most definitely had that tempted look on his face a lot of people got when confronted with the sweet scent of the fruit.

Percy chuckled, though his eyes had glazed over slightly, but Nico wasn't too worried.

Again, Percy had been here before, and he had never been tempted enough to eat any off the pomegranates, so he was fairly certain Percy would be able to stand his ground this time, too.

Jason seemed curious, but still in control of himself, holding on to Will's other arm as the blonde shot Nico a puzzled look and still wanted to take a step forward.

"I won't touch?" He tried hopefully, but all three of them shook their heads and he sighed rather miserably, but at least he didn't fight them, letting them tug him onwards when they saw Persephone at a ivy covered gateway that hadn't been there a moment ago.  
Yeah, that was the entrance to her real garden with her real treasures.

The guys would love it, he was absolutely sure of it.

They looked around at Nico in question, a hint of hesitation in their step when they reached the gate, but when he nodded reassuringly, they relaxed and stepped through.

He had been here before, this was safe.

Well, as safe as anything could be when in the company of a goddess.

Persephone started talking, explaining to them the flowers, fruits, mushrooms and other plants they saw, which turned more and more exotic and stunning the further they walked down the long and narrow path.

"Don't step on anything." Nico warned Will quietly, who was closest, and he could swear he heard him gulp before passing on the message to the other two.

Persephone still acted so oddly cheerful, it was almost frightening.

Then again, that gave Nico something to think about and occupied him enough to keep him from fidgeting and acting weird, so it was alright.

He even verified or explained a few things here and there about things he actually knew about, to make sure the guys wouldn't drift off, because he was fairly certain 80% of what

Persephone told them made no sense whatsoever to them.

Nico only understood because he had heard it plenty of times before (and because he might have asked various ghosts to explain a few things to him afterwards in secret).

"Those are pretty." Percy remarked, nodding towards what appeared to be blue lilies, emitting a soft, dark glow.

Of course he'd like those.

"Yes, they look beautiful, but don't let that fool you. One petal of these, added to water, holds enough poison to quench the life out of an entire army." Persephone explained proudly (_proudly_.) and Nico watched Jason and Percy taking a cautious step back.

Will, however, frowned and stepped closer.

"Really? So it's a water-reactive poison? How does that work out? I mean, it IS a plant, so..." He asked, looking genuinely curious.

Nico blinked.

He hadn't known Will was interested in plants - or poisons for that matter.

Then again, he WAS a medic, and Nico had already seen plenty of creams and herb-mixtures that Will had made himself in the past, so he guessed he should have...well, guessed.

Persephone smiled, stepping up to the plant and motioning for Will to come closer. "I thought you would be interested. Here, let me show you."

Nico shifted from one foot to the other nervously for a moment, but once he noticed Jason and Percy shooting him uncertain glances, he put on his confident face.

Will crouched down in front of the plant, watching it curiously as Persephone made a watering can appear out of thin air, letting it tip over ever so slightly to let a few drops of water hit the petals.

Nico stepped closer, too, eyeing the plant warily and readying himself to pull Will away, just in case.

The gods could sometimes be a bit...reckless when it came to danger and humans, since they were after all immortal and didn't have to worry about, you know, anything lethal, though it could and would still kill humans.

The moment the water hit the petals, the glow intensified, then turned to a reddish gold for a moment, before turning its 'normal' blue again.

"See? As long as it's still planted, there won't be much effect unless you happen to chew it, or touch it right when the water hits it. That is because I've made it that the leaves of this very plant work as its antidote. If you consume the petal mixed with water, there will be no rescue, of course, but if you touch it or chew it and eat one of its leaves within the next five minutes, you might just live." Persephone explained, plucking off one of the petals.

Will instantly stepped back cautiously, but his eyes still gleamed with curiosity as Persephone proceeded to let the water drip onto it now, the petal suspended in mid-air.

The petal seemed to practically burst into flames at the touch, emitting a vivid orange glow for a moment.

When the glow faded, the petal was gone.

"So it burns up?" Percy asked confused, but Persephone shook her head, clicking her tongue.

"It dissolved in that bit of water? How strong is that?" Will asked amazed, staring at...nothing?

Nico came closer and blinked at the two single water drops hovering in air.

Persephone beamed. "Very. As I said, one petal is enough to kill entire armies, if one just knows how to use it. And now, the best thing is..." She snapped her fingers, and the two drops fell down, hitting the grassy ground to their feet.

They half expected everything to wither and die, or at least burn into flames.

But nothing.

"Huh? It doesn't react to..."

"It reacts to mammalian saliva. Touching the water in its infected state will cause rashes, but nothing deadly. It also doesn't bother plants or fish, for example. But if a human or an animal consume it..." Persephone shrugged, looking disturbingly proud.

Nico had no idea what there was to be proud about, but Will surely seemed to know, his eyes sparkling. "That's not stupid at all."

"I didn't know you could do poisons." Nico put in drily as Persephone all but beamed at Will.

He didn't like how close she was getting to his Will right now.

The touching bit had already freaked him out a bit, because Persephone didn't even touch Nico if she could avoid it.

Seriously, he couldn't help but feel like the gods knew something he didn't, and it was something big.

And it had to do with Will.

He double didn't like it.

Triple didn't like it.

Will was _his_.

Nico halted, scolding himself.

Will was _his friend_. Not _his_.

But that was what he had meant, yes.

And as his friend, Nico was going to protect him from anything and everything, and he did not want Will involved with anything with the gods, because that usually ended up cruel and bloody and horrible and dangerous.

Nico was not going to lose Will.

Especially not because of something messed up with gods and/or monsters and/or poison and/or anything else.

Persephone sighed. "I don't. It was an experiment, I liked the colors, and I wanted to try something new. The Underworld gets horribly dull with your father so busy and you not around, after all."

Nico blinked slowly at that information.

Alright, he might have kept her company every here and there, but they hadn't exactly talked that much, much less done anything together.

She hadn't even been able to look him in the face for the longest time, much less acknowledge his existence.

Saying that he had made her time in the Underworld less dull was a bit much, wasn't it?

Somehow, Nico had the feeling his family was plotting against him to make him stay down here longer and more often.

He glanced towards his friends.

Well, as long as they would be up for it, he guessed he wouldn't even mind all that much.

Though it really was rather gloomy down here.

Wait, what was he even thinking about?

No. He was not going to get sidetracked now.

"So you made it by accident? That's amazing!" Will exclaimed, crouching down in front of the flower again to look at it up-close.

"So what are the healing qualities of the leaves? Would they help for anything else other than the poison emitted by the petals? I wonder what would happen if one researched it a bit. In the end, you made the cure for…" Will started babbling (gushing?), and Nico raised an eyebrow, looking around at Percy and Jason, who were both eyeing the blonde with similar expressions, small smiles on their lips.

_Will, your inner medic-nerd is showing._

It was adorable.

Especially because he wasn't asking about how to best use the poison, but about the healing qualities, instantly thinking about how many lives he could save instead of take.

Yep, that was Will.

Persephone and Will started chatting, and she led him off towards some other plants she had created, some even with her mother's help, and the two went on and on about the various attributes of herbs and tea and what not.

"Well, those two are getting along well." Percy remarked amused, coming up next to Nico and putting an arm around him automatically.

Nico smiled, leaning against him almost immediately.

He remembered faintly there used to be a time he loathed physical contact and wanted anything but.

Now, he couldn't imagine living without Percy's touch, seriously.

"Yeah, I know right? I'm kind of glad, though. At least she's not trying to pulverize you or makes us wear flower crowns. She used to always make me wear flower crowns whenever I was in here. It was mortifying, really." Nico explained, letting Percy press a kiss to his forehead.

At least he wasn't going for another kiss on the lips.

He definitely wanted Percy to brush his teeth first.

Thinking about it, they probably should have made a quick stop back in their room and gotten cleaned up, then they would have been more presentable to Persephone as well (though she didn't seem to mind too much – and she _had_ said she'd show them their fashion line, which she had barely even shown to Nico before).

Persephone and Will fell quiet behind him for a moment, then continued their conversation, though it sounded somewhat hushed.

Nico wasn't worried, though.

They were probably just getting some more plants to burst into flames (he'd have never guessed to use Persephone and burning plants in the same sentence, but he had definitely just learnt better).

"Flower crowns? That sounds adorable if you ask me. Wish I could have seen that." Percy said quietly, kissing the top of his head and nuzzling his face against his hair, keeping Nico close.

Jason looked amused at them, then past them towards Will and Persephone, who were by now out of earshot.

"No way. I am never putting on those things again. There's a reason why I like my hair in a ponytail, you know? It makes me look _older_. Flower crowns make me look five years younger than I am." Nico complained, but Percy merely laughed, gazing off into the distance, then back at Jason with a smirk.

Nico's alarm bells went off, but he wasn't sure why they would, so he ignored it.

"So, you look like 85?" Jason teased and Nico threw him a scandalized glance.

"Really? _You_ are going to go there, Jason? I'd have expected more of you!"

Percy chuckled, rubbing over his back and keeping his back to Will and Persephone, which Nico had to admit he didn't like at all, because he had no idea what they were doing, and in the end, Will might end up hurt or something.

"Sorry, couldn't resist." Jason shrugged, not looking sorry at all, his eyes full of mirth for some odd reason, and he glanced back towards Will and Persephone again.

Alright, something was definitely up.

"No, but really, I think you'd look adorable. Wouldn't you wear one for me? Just once?" Percy cooed as Nico tried to turn around, his grip on Nico tightening to keep him as he was.

"No way. I look ridiculous. There's no way I'll let you see me in that."

"Aww, I bet you'd look great. Please? Pretty, pretty please?" Percy asked again, giving him that horrible baby-seal look again.

Oh no.

No, no, no, no, no, no, _no_.

Nico opened his mouth to tell him no, and that he shouldn't even bother trying.

But then his eyes hushed over Percy's face again, over his sea-green eyes with that pleading expression, down to his little pout that made Nico want to kiss him, even though he really didn't want to because of dog drool...

"Fine. Maybe. I guess." He relented with a groan, looking down and trying to reassure himself that, just because he had said yes, that didn't mean he'd have to actually go through with it.

They were in Persephone's garden, yes, but there was no way she'd allow the guys to…

Somebody moved up behind him, and he could feel something weird getting pushed onto his head.

"You said yes! Perfect! We just got done making it." Will's voice sounded at his ear, and Nico groaned, closing his eyes in horror.

He knew exactly what that something on his head was.

He shouldn't have said yes.

_They had played him._

_Percy_ had played him.

"I feel so betrayed." He stated drily as he felt Percy and Will pulling back, both of them laughing and high-fiving each other, while Jason chuckled in the background.

Persephone said something Nico couldn't quite catch, but it didn't matter, because right now, he was standing here, in front of his friends, with a freaking flower crown on his head.

"You look _adorable_!" Percy cooed affectionately, trying to get closer again after he had apparently seen his fill, but Nico turned away, flustered and embarrassed and mortified, trying to hide his face.

He'd rip the dumb thing off, but he knew he wouldn't get away with it, plus, Persephone would have his head for mistreating her flowers.

"Hey, you really don't look half bad. We should have picked a bit more color, though." Will remarked seriously and Nico glared at him from between his fingers, but he was looking towards Persephone, who had an amused twinkle in her eyes as she looked Nico over.

She was probably super smug about getting him to show so much emotions and act so flustered.

Usually, whenever she had made him wear flower crowns before, he had acted utterly indifferent to them as to not hurt her feelings, as well as not giving her any attacking ground in case she changed her mind about him.

"I agree. Some pink, maybe. He looks so nice in pink." She agreed and his scowl only deepened.

"No pink. What colors did you put on me, anyways? I look ridiculous, I can feel it." He complained, putting on a pouty face as he tried to see more of the crown on his head than a few twigs and stems.

"You look great. Really, you do. And it's just greens with white roses." Jason explained with an almost shy smile, his gaze hushing between the top of Nico's head and his face.

Nico scowled at him, too.

"Now, now, we just all told you that you look utterly adorable. Ravishingly adorable. Come on, give your boyfriend a smile." Percy pleaded, trying to come closer again.

Nico eyed him warily, but let him wrap his arms around him with a sigh.

But wait…

"Only if you wear one, too. It's unfair if it's just me." He declared, his lips twitching at the thought.

"Gods yes, please, let's put one on Percy and Jason, too." Will instantly piped up, and Nico looked around to see Percy and Jason exchange troubled looks.

Ha!

"Yes. Unless you're saying flower crowns look stupid." Nico put in with a raised eyebrow, and both guys immediately looked around at him in alarm.

"Of course not!" Jason insisted scandalized, though he shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm cool with it! Sure, go ahead, put one on me, I don't mind. They're cool." Percy hurriedly declared, though it sounded more like he was just trying to get back on Nico's good side.

_Keep trying, Percy._

They looked around towards Jason, Percy's expression urgent, Nico's expectant.

Jason looked conflicted a moment longer, then his gaze hushed towards Will for a moment and Nico could practically see an idea forming in his head.

"I'm only in if I get to weave flowers into Will's hair."

"What? No way!" Will immediately argued, looking taken aback and scandalized.

"Oh, that would look so pretty. You have such nice hair. Yes, perfect. I will get the flowers." Persephone chirped and the next moment, she was gone.

Wait…what?

Not to mention that this had actually worked out, but…like this?

For real?

"Yes!" Jason exclaimed, in a very un-Jason-like, triumphant way, and Percy and Nico raised their eyebrows at him surprised, while Will was still busy wailing and looking around for Persephone to apparently change her mind.

Nico decided not to point out all he'd have to say was 'no' and Jason would probably leave him alone.

Nope, since Will had utterly betrayed him and planted that devilish piece of weed and flowers on his head, he deserved to be left in the dark.

Thinking about darkness, it was always so much brighter in Persephone's garden, though Nico couldn't see any source of light at all, it was weird.

Then again, the Underworld worked in mysterious ways, anyways.

After all, there was no sun or substitute for the sun, yet they could somewhat tell whether it was night or day when outside.

In their room, Nico had to admit he could only tell with certainty if he checked the alarm clock on the bedside table.

There were only two windows, after all.

One next to the bed with a cupboard in front that was currently holding his books (his treasure), flower of hope (definitely his treasure), and the snow globe of Venice (also his treasure. Everything he owned was treasure. Nico was, in fact, a dragon. Yes.); and the other one in the bathroom.

So, yeah, with the Underworld generally dark and gloomy, and only those two windows, it wasn't very surprising they needed artificial light in the room to be able to see, no matter if day or night.

(Though he _had_ noticed the light changed depending on the hour of the day. At first, he had thought he had imagined it, but today in the morning he had definitely seen the change. The light was much more dimmed in the early morning/late evening/night hours than during the day. Nico absolutely didn't mind.)

Nico looked around at his boyfriend, who was sending Jason a stern glance, while Jason was still grinning from one ear to the other triumphantly.

Then Percy caught his glance and winked at him with a smile. "We're going to look so pretty."

All that positivity.

Persephone came back, and with her, a pile of flowers on the ground.

"Here, take your pick. Nico, your father just called for me, so you four will have to live without me for a while. Don't touch any of the other plants, will you? I expect you all to use up these flowers until I return. Don't let them go to waste." She announced, a dangerous tone in her voice at the last part, then she was gone before they could even reply.

Oh great.

Nico gazed down at the various flowers with a sigh.

This was going to be some work.

Especially because he had no idea how to even do anything with flowers, other than let them wilt during emotional outbreaks.

"So, who wants to learn how to make flower crowns?" Will asked, more or less cheerfully, clapping his hands together and picking up the floral wire that was next to the flowers, all the while looking towards Nico hopefully.

Percy also looked around at Nico with pleading eyes.

Ugh, why him?

"Sure...I guess..." He relented, wondering whether he was going to regret this.

Well, at least he could make a really embarrassing and pathetic flower crown for Percy.

Now, the only question was whether that would be embarrassing for him or for Percy.

Oh well.

.

Will had a considerably good time teaching Percy and Nico how to make flower crowns - until Jason reminded him he was going to weave flowers into his hair.

Ugh.

Why though? Alright, his hair was a tad longer (especially since it was curly, which probably also made it easier to work flowers into), but why couldn't Jason just be happy making him a flower crown, if he already had to do something with flowers and Will's hair to begin with?

Though, he had to admit, he was more flustered at the notion than annoyed.

Will didn't like admitting to that.

He really didn't.

But he was pretty sure it showed, especially when Jason had looked at him soberly and asked whether he really didn't want to, and Will had talked his way out of it with a bright red face and stammers of 'It's ok, I guess' and 'If you must'.

Yeah, based on the knowing looks Percy and Nico had exchanged, they most definitely knew.

Meh.

So now, here they were, with Will sitting cross-legged in the grass with his back to Jason, cool fingers moving through his hair, while he tried frantically to concentrate on the flower crown he was making...for Jason.

Great.

Maybe he should at the very least make it look less pretty as revenge.

Then again, Jason was so gentle, and it did feel as if he was doing his best, so Will didn't want to be mean if Jason was actually trying to...well, to do what, exactly?

Damn, what was Jason's _goal_?

He had acted so excited and triumphant over something so entirely _stupid_, Will had no idea what to think nor how to deal with this.

It just didn't make any sense.

There wasn't really any way for Jason to prank him or to do anything stupid, plus, Jason wasn't the type for that, anyways (unless with Percy, maybe. Will would never forget that scene with the dog drool today. Jason rocked).

But there also wasn't any way this could be any sort of...pleasant (for Jason, at least)?

Like...no?

If this was NICO Jason had insisted on doing, Will would have completely understood, because, who _wouldn't_ love to weave flowers into Nico's hair?

Well, Nico would probably loathe it even more than Will, because Nico hated getting all fidgety and flustered, just like Will hated it (it made him feel weak and vulnerable, and he didn't want that whatsoever, same as Nico didn't want that. Just that Nico didn't have any reason to worry - everybody knew he was strong and powerful and wouldn't need to prove anything, whereas Will was a sorry excuse for a demigod).

But it wasn't Nico's hair Jason wanted to work flowers into, it was Will's.

And Will still had no idea why, no matter how much he thought about it.

He glanced at Percy and Nico, who sat cross-legged in the grass in front of him, next to each other, stealing glimpses of each other's work out of the corners of their eyes and going about their pathetic first tries with admirable concentration.

Who Percy was even making a flower crown for, Will didn't know, but he looked very absorbed in his doings, his eyebrows furrowed, the tip of his tongue sticking out slightly.

Will's lips twitched.

Percy looked kind of cute.

Not as cute as Nico, of course, but cute, nevertheless.

Nico had his lips pursed, his brown eyes gleaming almost furiously down at the wreath in his hands as he added flower after flower with utmost care and caution.

So far, their crowns looked anything but.

Though Will had full faith in them, of course.

"Stop moving so much." Jason chided behind him, tugging on a strand of hair gently, and Will all but froze in his place.

Oh. Right.

Jason was still working flowers into his hair.

He hadn't exactly forgotten, but it had kind of started to feel similar to the head massage Jason had given him yesterday, so he had kind of just relaxed automatically and let his mind wander.

Bad idea.

He looked back down at the flower crown he was making for Jason, careful to move as slow as possible.

Jason chuckled behind him, but didn't say anything, and didn't tug again.

Instead, he could feel his fingers stroking through his hair, brushing against his skin every here and there, being careful and gentle as always.

Jason was always so gentle.

Will wondered vaguely whether he was such a gentle and considerate lover, too.

Wait, no. He should NOT think like that.

Especially not of Jason.

Super-small, minor crush (maybe) and all be damned, it still did not justify such thoughts.

Then again, wasn't it usually the gentle ones that were more passionate and pushy in bed?

Oh gods, what was he doing, thinking of Jason like that?

Poor Jason, he'd be so freaked out if he knew.

He tensed, concentrating hard on the left-over flowers in the pile they had to work off, trying frantically to get his mind out of that rather dangerous territory.

Not knowing what better to do, he picked some baby's breath and started adding it to his crown.

He kind of already had way too many flowers on that thing, anyways, but he decided one could never go wrong with baby's breath.

If he was being honest with himself, he was already more than done with this crown, but if he said that, Jason might stop, and he kind of might not want that just yet.

Maybe.

Also, if Jason _didn't _stop, he'd have to hold still with nothing whatsoever to do, and that was stupid, so he decided that was the excuse he was going to use in case somebody asked.

He glanced at Percy and Nico again, catching them both eyeing his wreath with clear envy in their gazes, before quickly looking back at their unfinished works.

Yeah, right, because they were so going to ask anything else than 'I think I messed up, can you help me out?'.

He smiled, eyeing his wreath once more, plucking off some stray leaves and petals until he was somewhat satisfied.

Therefore that Jason had his hands in Will's hair so much, he surely didn't feel him adding that many flowers.

Will decided not to question it, though.

"Can you turn around? So I can look at it from the front." Jason asked him quietly, and Percy and Nico looked up at him for a moment, taking in Jason's work so far.

Nico's eyebrow shot up, but other than that, their expressions stayed utterly indifferent, not giving Will one clue about whether he looked ridiculous or presentable.

He sighed, doing as Jason asked and turning around, which made him realize one moment too late just how close they were going to get, not to mention: _Where to with his legs?_

Jason seemed to notice the problem at hand, too, but he was much quicker in coming up with a solution.

Will blamed it on his still straying thoughts of Jason and gentle people and passionate lovers.

He also blamed those thoughts for the fact that he let Jason take his legs and put them over his own, animating Will to wrap them around him somewhat, which only brought them even closer.

Well, at least he wasn't sitting on Jason's lap, he guessed (instead, he was sitting between his legs, which wasn't all that better).

Wait, why was he even letting Jason manhandle him like that?

He was getting way too comfortable with the blonde, that much was certain.

Will decided to stare at the front of Jason's oversized, utterly dirty sweater, in order to avoid gazing at his face for too long.

Seriously, though, why was Jason always wearing such baggy clothes?

Maybe they should take him clothes shopping by times.

Some nice, well-fitting shirts definitely wouldn't hurt.

Not that Will really cared what Jason was wearing.

But if Jason wore better fitting clothes, he'd definitely be able to show his body off much better.

Then again, Jason wasn't the type to show off.

And who would he want to impress, anyways? Nico was already taken.

Thinking about it more and more, maybe it was better if Jason kept wearing baggy sweaters, after all.

That way, at least Will didn't have to worry about soon being the only single left.

Well, that was pretty selfish (and also not entirely true, anyways, but he didn't want to admit to the real issue here, yet).

Jason let out a small sigh, and Will's gaze flew upwards by reflex, their eyes meeting for a splint second.

Gods, why were Jason's eyes so blue?

They so reminded Will of the sky all of them couldn't see anymore from down here.

Jason smiled that typical Jason-smile of his, then his gaze returned to the top of Will's head, and Will had to suppress the urge to sigh.

Of course, his own eyes weren't anything special.

They were blue, yes, but an entirely different shade from Jason's.

It really was kind of unfair how Will couldn't even have special eyes.

But he knew better than to be bitter about that.

Instead, he let his gaze drift over Jason's face slowly (why not use the time Jason was distracted, now that he was looking up in his face, anyways?).

Jason had a rather pretty face.

It wasn't as delicate as Nico's, and slightly more angular than Percy's, but Will could only once more think of how handsome Jason actually was.

How the blonde never seemed to realize that was beyond him.

Then again, Nico and Percy played oblivious to their good looks, too.

Maybe it was just this thing that people could see beauty everywhere but in themselves.

Will wanted to laugh at himself.

Right, and what did that make him?

He hated his face.

Hated his plainness.

Hated his complexion.

Hated the way he looked like any other kid from Apollo that hadn't had the luck to come after their mother.

And, most of all, he hated his freckles.

"Freckles, what's with that face? Do you want me to stop?" Jason asked taken aback, lowering his hands as he took in the look on Will's face.

He hurriedly tried to look indifferent again, unsure how much of his inner distaste had just shown.

Seriously, since when was he not master of his body anymore?

"I'm good. Was just thinking about something unpleasant, that's all." He mumbled, lowering his gaze again to Jason's horrid sweater.

Yeah, who wore ocher, anyways?

Horrid color.

It looked even more horrid with dried dog slobber all over it.

"You thought of something unpleasant while looking at my face. That's very reassuring." Jason muttered drily, his hands still hovering to the left and right of Will's head instead of moving back into his hair.

Will shifted, not liking the way Jason was scrutinizing him whatsoever.

"Oh shush. It wasn't anything about you. Now, are you done?" He asked impatiently, moving one hand up instinctively to touch his hair, but Jason's hand was faster, snatching it and holding it in his own.

Jason had bigger hands than Will.

Not very surprising, Will had noticed that before, after all.

Still, _knowing_ they were bigger than his own, and _feeling_ them clasped around his own were two entirely different things.

"Not yet, but almost. Unless you want me to stop?"

Jason's gaze was searching, his expression skeptical.

For some reason, Will craved for that relaxed, content attitude Jason had had only moments ago.

Seriously, he shouldn't let his mind wander so much.

"Man, just do it. If I had a problem, I'd have said something." Will grumbled, twisting his hand to grasp Jason's instead and then tug it towards his hair, showing him he was fine with it.

At least he hoped that's what the gesture showed.

Jason looked doubtful for another moment, but then resumed his work, one hand moving through his hair, apparently checking the flowers already in place and searching for more free spots, while the other one gently started stroking Will just behind the ear on the other side.

No way.

_No, not his ear._

Any other place was fine, but there…

Will closed his eyes, a small sigh escaping his lips as he tilted his head into Jason's hand instinctively, moving into the touch.

_Not there._

Jason's hand halted for a moment, then resumed.

Gods, _yes_. No wait, _no_.

"You like that?"

Damn, did Jason really have to ask?

He couldn't remember whether he had ever actually called or thought of Jason as _smart_, but if he had, he was so taking it back hundredfold right now.

Managing to pry one eye open to glower at Jason, he found the blonde studying his face with a surprisingly un-Jason-like expression on his face.

In fact, it reminded Will a lot more of the way Percy sometimes looked at Nico.

Wanting.

Predatory.

_Dangerous_.

Will felt a mixture of emotions surge through him, but mostly lust and fear, both of which made him feel uncomfortable.

He wanted to move, wanted to make Jason look away, wanted to make Jason look at him differently; but at the same time, he found himself incapable of moving, Jason's fingers still caressing the area right behind his – alright, never mind, Jason must have figured it out, because the next moment, his fingers were massaging his ear, and Will was _dying_.

He let out a very embarrassing (though luckily rather quiet) sound, practically turning into putty under Jason's touch, and he could swear he was dropping against the blonde.

But there was no way he could stop himself.

Gods, _yes_.

Luckily for Jason, he didn't laugh at him or say anything, because else, he'd have most likely ended up with a few limbs less and some missing organs.

No, instead, he continued, moving his second hand to Will's other ear.

Will trembled, trying frantically to keep his face as indifferent as he could, while at the same time trying to decide between pulling away and dropping right into Jason.

His body screamed for the latter, but he was fairly certain he should be picking the former.

Jason's fingers found his earlobes, and he huffed out a small, needy breath, the only way for him to push down the whimper that had wanted to escape instead.

"Hey, what are you two doing?" Percy asked in an odd tone behind them and Will's eyes shot open, his body instantly tensing.

Jason sighed loudly, sounding utterly frustrated.

Then he frustrated Will as well with pulling his hands back.

_No, please, put them back_!

"Really, Percy? Was that necessary?" Jason asked sourly, picking up another flower from where he had placed his chosen ones next to him, and going back to putting them into Will's hair.

Will didn't meet his gaze, instead deciding to do something very grown-up and mature: sulk.

"What? What did I do?" Percy's voice was confused and startled, showing he was absolutely honest.

Will still huffed indignantly.

"Well, what do you think we're doing? I'm putting flowers in his hair. How can you not see that, Percy?" Jason deadpanned, and Will wanted to look up at him with a grin, but at the same time couldn't make himself do it.

So, instead, he continued pouting, staring at…oh wait, he was staring at Jason's crotch.

Hey, he hadn't exactly looked, his eyes had simply strayed there, so not his fault!

"That was not putting flowers in his hair." Percy muttered under his breath, and Will felt himself tensing.

Wait, Percy had actually noticed?

Then again, one would have to be pretty stupid not to notice somebody massaging another person's ears and that person practically turning into goo at the touch.

Ugh, Will had been way too obvious, hadn't he?

"You know what, I give up. Percy, take this sorry excuse for a flower crown." Nico announced loudly, and Will's lips twitched with amusement.

How high were the chances Nico was just saying that in order to get their conversation away from this?

That was Nico for you.

The best guy ever.

"Sorry excuse? Nico, it looks great. And so much blue!" Percy cooed and Will rolled his eyes to himself, his lips maybe twitching the tiniest bit.

He risked a glance at Jason and found him gazing at him quietly, as if contemplating something.

But then he smiled. "Yeah, you're done, too. I admit it didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, but still great. More your good looks than my skill, though. Guys, what do you think?"

He asked, motioning for Will to turn around, while Will tentatively touched the top of his head, feeling quite a few flowers.

He didn't dare move too fast, since Jason hadn't exactly secured all of them that well, and if he already had to show himself like this, he wanted to at least make sure it didn't all fall out right away again.

Jason _had_ made an effort, after all.

And wait, what did he mean, 'more his good looks than Jason's skill'?

By the time Will was facing Percy and Nico again, his face felt rather hot.

Jason thought he was good looking?

Nah, he must have misunderstood.

Both Percy's and Nico's eyebrows shot up in surprise as they took in his new hairdo, and Will was torn out of his train of thoughts, just to be catapulted into another one about whether he was looking ridiculous or whether they were impressed.

"I have to admit, I didn't think it would look quite like this." Percy finally commented, but Will wanted to curse him, because that didn't answer his unspoken question whatsoever.

"Where did you learn to do that, anyways?" Nico asked Jason curiously, and Will inwardly ground his teeth.

Jason plucked at something on the top of Will's head, then got up off the ground and held out a hand to him.

"The cohort. Whenever we had duties in groups of two or three, we would play games or teach each other random things to pass the time. So, once there was this girl who showed me how to do that, and from that day on, I had to do it all the time for almost all the girls. They seemed to like it." He explained with a shrug, tugging Will up as he took his hand.

Well, that sounded like Jason.

Still…

"So, mind telling me how I look? Since you're not on the ground laughing, I'm guessing it can't be that bad?" He finally relented and asked, which immediately caused all three of the guys to exchange knowing glances and smirk.

Somehow, he had the feeling they had wanted to have him ask for it.

"Aw, Will, don't worry, you look stunningly…adorable." Percy cooed, and Jason nodded enthusiastically.

"Absolutely. You look great."

"I think the look suits you, though it's definitely different." Nico put in with a small grin, and Will couldn't keep the blush from creeping onto his face.

All three of them grinned like Cheshire cats.

What was this, some sort of conspiracy against him?

When had they found out he was a sucker for praise, anyways?

He scowled, trying to hide his face in his hands, but Percy clasped his wrists, tugging them up.

"Don't you dare hide, you look so cute! Let me take a picture."

"Oh hell no!" Will exclaimed horrified, but Nico seemed all for it.

"Yes! Will, please, let us take a picture. You want to see how you look, too, right? We can take one together. Me with this horrid headpiece, and you with your flowers. Deal?" He suggested, making puppy eyes at Will.

Will froze.

Those eyes.

His struggle immediately ceased, the fight leaving him.

How could anybody ever resist those eyes?

How could anybody ever resist Nico?

Percy whooped, letting go of him and getting the camera from Nico, while Jason crossed his arms in front of his chest, grinning to himself rather happily, not noticing Will looking.

Will frowned at him for a moment.

Sometimes, he really didn't understand Jason.

Of course, Jason had never been an easy read, but still, there were moments Will thought he could understand him, or knew what/how he thought.

But right now wasn't one of those moments.

Right now was one of those moments where he wished he could take a look inside Jason's mind to figure him out.

Nico came to his side, and even wrapped an arm around his side, which immediately dragged Will out of his mind and had him focus on the Italian.

Because NICO never initiated physical contact with _anybody_ other than Percy (except when it was cuddle time in the evening, maybe).

But Nico was.

Nico also leaned against his side with a small sigh, trying to put on a smile at Percy's pleading.

Oh, photos, right.

Will shook his head slightly, looking around at the camera.

With Nico.

His expression cleared.

Photos! With Nico!

His arm wrapped around Nico automatically, a smile spreading on his lips.

Percy raised a knowing eyebrow from behind the camera, chuckling and pressing the button over and over again.

"Jason, why don't you put on yours and join them?" He called over, and both Will and Nico looked around at the blonde, who looked surprised.

"Mine?"

"Duh, the one I made you." Will heard himself saying, feeling both irritated and confused by Jason's reaction.

Who had he thought Will had made that crown for?

Judging by the taken aback look on Jason's face, he hadn't thought it had been for him, that much was for certain.

Will rolled his eyes, letting go of Nico to pick up his wreath off the ground, picking up Nico's try for Percy, as well.

"How about we all wear them? If we already made them…" He suggested, placing his crown on Jason's head, who still blinked at him slowly, but seemed oddly happy.

Percy took his from him, holding up the camera as he put it on.

"Alright, just let me take a few more pictures of you three. I want that to go in my photo album."

The three relented, Will wrapping an arm around Nico on one side, and Jason on the other.

He still had no idea how he looked.

Jason and Percy at least knew what they were wearing.

And they had told Nico what he had on his head.

It really was kind of unfair Will was the only one who didn't know.

They fooled around for a bit, Jason and Will pushing each other around playfully, before Nico interfered and pushed them both into the dirt, which made a few flowers fall out of his hair.

Very, very colorful flowers.

Will decided it was definitely time he got a good look at himself.

"Alright, Gorgeous, pass the camera. I want a few pictures with you on it, too. Nico did such a good job on your flower crown, after all." He declared, and Percy looked rather proud as he adjusted the mostly blue wreath on his head.

Nico looked flustered, but pleased nevertheless, and Will proceeded to order them around to get the best shots for pictures, though he wasn't even taking any yet.

Instead, he was looking through the ones Percy had taken.

Aright, he didn't look ridiculous.

But damn, how had Jason worked all those flowers into his hair?

They were of varying sizes, though nothing too big, and in very varying colors, all threaded into his hair, and even though the stems were showing every here and there, they stayed remarkably well (maybe because of his curls? Alright, his hair was messy, but really?).

And, well, it didn't look all that bad.

He certainly understood why Nico had said it looked 'different', because it definitely wasn't his style, but…it really didn't look too bad.

He wouldn't want it permanently, but for now, he didn't mind.

"Hey, did you break the camera? Or are you…you're looking at the pictures, aren't you?" Percy guessed, a knowing grin spreading on his face, while Jason looked a tad nervous, scanning Will's face as if trying to gauge his reaction.

Will rolled his eyes, holding up the camera to take some pictures of them.

"I was just checking whether I looked presentable. Well, now I know why everybody went to Jason for hairstyles. It's not all that bad." He said, and promptly found Jason all but beaming at him.

Ha! Perfect!

Will shot picture after picture, grinning at his guys as Percy started wriggling his eyebrows at Jason, while Nico was rolling his eyes and poking his boyfriend in the side, and Jason laughed and did the same from the other side.

Then those three were looking back at Will with broad grins, and he just adored them so, so much.

Plus, they looked even more adorable with all those flowers in their hair.

Nico's flower crown was made by Persephone and him, so, of course, it looked the most professional, though Jason's was close behind, the colors certainly suiting him (Will had done a pretty good job, if he was allowed to say it. Plus, the baby's breath that was mainly near Jason's ears had been a perfect idea).

Then there was Percy's flower crown that Nico had made, but it really didn't look all that bad, especially not since it had been Nico's first try.

And then, there was still the discarded wreath on the floor that Percy had made for whatever reason.

Will picked it up, raising his eyebrows at the various colors and flowers in it.

"I was thinking if Jason messed up you could wear that instead." Percy said sheepishly, suddenly right next to Will and taking the wreath with a sigh.

At least, he was trying to.

But Will didn't let go.

Wait, Percy had made that for him?

Percy tugged, looking confused for a moment, and Will let go, watching Percy eyeing it with a mixture of disappointment and distaste.

Then he shrugged and-…

"Don't!" Will exclaimed in horror, snatching the wreath from Percy as he was most definitely about to take it apart again.

"But…"

"No." Will growled, keeping the flower crown close and protecting it from Percy.

"But…" Percy repeated, looking confused and taken aback.

"Percy, really, you just pretty much said it's his, you can't just try to take it away from him again." Jason chided with a small chuckle and a serious shake of his head.

Will was about to argue, especially because Percy looked around at Will with wide eyes and a question mark on his face, but then Persephone materialized out of nowhere.

"Ah, you're all done. How nice. And I see there's barely any flowers left. Splendid. Not that I actually expected you to use them all, but it's good to see you've tried. Oh, yes, you look wonderful." She said approvingly, and all four of them looked around in surprise, Will still hogging Percy's flower crown.

Persephone eyed him in particular, and he could tell she approved of his hair.

He guessed that was a good thing, right?

Though the attention she gave him unnerved him immensely.

"Yes, yes, perfect. Except for your clothes. You know what, how about you let me give you a little make-over? Nico, you're excluded from the question, because you already agreed to it beforehand."

For some reason, it didn't sound like a question much, anyways.

What were they supposed to say?

No, thanks?

Yeah, not going to happen.

Plus, she was kind of right, they (with exception of Nico) still looked nasty with all the dried dog drool on their clothes.

Thinking about it, there had also been some in Will's hair.

Well, that would explain why Jason had gone through it so many times.

Wait, Jason had…eww…now Will felt bad for making him do that.

"Erm…sure…" He replied hesitantly when nobody else said anything, and Persephone's gaze landed on him once more, something odd gleaming in her ageless eyes.

"Perfect. Hang on." She said, clapping her hands.

He was about to ask what she was going to do, but then, the world already turned upside down.

Nico groaned next to him, while Percy and Jason instinctively grabbed for Will's arms for some reason, and everything turned black.

.

"So, that's how shadow-travelling feels like." Jason muttered drily once the world stopped spinning, and Will dropped against him like a log, trying to regain his balance properly.

_This_ was shadow-travelling?

"Oh my, I forgot Nico didn't show you that, yet. Will you two be alright?" Persephone asked, looking genuinely concerned for a moment, though then she turned around and strode off without waiting for an answer.

Will frowned.

He really didn't understand the gods.

Nico threw him an apologetic glance, swaying himself slightly, his hand on Percy's arm, same as Percy's and Jason's hands were still on Will's.

Wait, why were they holding him, anyways?

He blinked, but then finally got a good look of the room they were in, and all other questions vanished from his mind.

_Whoa_.

They seemed to be in what was either a very small warehouse, or a very big walk-in closet, with rows after rows after rows of clothes.

Will had never seen so many clothes in one place.

Like, not even stores could compete with this.

"Whoa." Percy exclaimed, looking as impressed as Will felt.

Even Nico looked surprised, so Will guessed he either hadn't seen this place before, or it had changed since the last time he had.

"Come on, boys, we don't have all day. Who wishes to start?" Persephone called over and they hurried after her, careful not to topple over their feet or tear anything with them, though Will couldn't resist touching a few of the pieces on the hangers.

So many jackets.

So many shirts.

So many everything's.

Granted, the items mostly had floral designs and patterns on them, but still, they looked stunning.

Was Persephone doing some sort of Underworld-business with clothes to sell them in the mortal world?

Or was she just doing this for the hell of it?

Or maybe the Underworld _did_ have some sort of store, with the latest demigod fashion, or ghost fashion, or fashion for gods or anything related?

Will had no idea, but he couldn't say he truly cared for the reasoning behind this.

He just found all of this amazing, reasons be damned.

Glancing around at Jason, he found the blonde eyeing a few pieces curiously, as well, his eyes travelling over the rows of clothes, then back towards Persephone and the others, and lastly to Will.

They smiled at each other, then proceeded hurrying after Nico, who tried to navigate them through the clothes towards where Persephone was waiting at a door.

"Alright, here we are. How about you wait with Will in there, Nico, and you two follow me?" The goddess of springtime announced, looking expectantly at Jason and Percy, who both shared a taken aback glance and nodded.

Why was she leaving Nico alone with Will?

If she was hoping for them to bond and start dating within the next some minutes it would take to dress Percy and Jason, he should probably tell her now it was pointless.

Really, Nico didn't want him like that.

Sometimes, Will thought Nico still might, just a tiny little bit.

But those were rare moments, mostly full of confusion and messed up situations.

So, yeah, there was that.

Not to mention Nico would never leave Percy.

And Will knew better than to hit on taken guys.

Which didn't mean he wouldn't playfully do so just because he could.

"Oh my, Nico, you and I, alone? Been a while, huh?" He asked with a teasing grin, catching Percy's scowl out of the corners of his eyes, so he winked at him.

"Don't worry, Percy, I'll watch over him, yeah?"

Percy's expression changed to a nonplussed one.

"Right. I think it will be more him watching over you, but keep telling yourself that, sun-bug."

Now it was Will's turn to scowl, but Percy already waved and turned away to follow Persephone.

Jason smiled at both Nico and Will, looking slightly conflicted.

Then he was gone, too.

Nico and Will looked after them for another moment, then Nico sighed and opened the door, and the two peeked inside.

It looked a lot like a sort of waiting area, with a row of chairs against the wall, and some changing cubicles at the other, with curtains and all.

The first thing they did, without even looking at each other or saying a thing, was opening all those curtains.

There was no way they'd want to be surprised by anything coming out from behind them, after all.

But luckily, there wasn't anything hiding behind any of the curtains.

Not that Will had really expected it.

This seemed to be Persephone's territory, after all, and Will was certain no monster or being in their right mind would want to piss her off.

She seemed alright, and she did seem to care about Nico, but he still couldn't read her, so he was still slightly apprehensive.

"I wonder what she's going to make them wear." He tried conversationally, and found Nico's lips twitching.

"Me too. I can't help but picture Percy in some sort of dress shirt with giant sunflowers on it."

Will chuckled.

"Well, it's not like he wouldn't be able to pull that look off. You could wrap real flowers around him and he'd probably still look good." He said with a grin, then realized what the hell he was even saying, so he quickly shut up and looked away.

But Nico didn't seem to notice anything weird, instead chuckling to himself.

"Yeah, I know, right?"

They both started inspecting the room some more, chatting about various flowers and what else they could picture Persephone putting on the guys, making them laugh and giggle and high-five each other.

Then they started wondering how long this was going to take.

It had already been, like, ten minutes, and the guys still weren't back.

"Maybe Jason made her despair because she didn't have anything to squish his broad shoulders into, and now she has to make something new just for him?" Will suggested when Nico and he both took a peek at the pocket watch Nico had given him for Christmas (seriously, best Christmas gift, ever. He loved that thing).

Nico shrugged helplessly.

"Or maybe she took them to the other end of whatever this place is, got them dressed, and they have to find their way back here on their own." The Italian suggested, eyeing the door oddly.

Hm, maybe she did that.

Maybe she did hope Will and Nico would somehow bond in some weird way while the other two were gone, and that was why she kept them far away from here to give them as much time as possible.

If so, she could forget about it.

He was not going to make a move on Nico.

Will still remembered the last time they had come way too close in the room in the infirmary, after all, and he was not going to play with fire again.

The fact that Jason's and his almost kiss crossed his mind at that moment, too, didn't help, either.

"Or she got them to the other end of this place to get them dressed, _then_ found out Jason's shoulders don't fit in anything she has and then proceeds to make something just for him, to then get completely fed up with them and send them back here on their own." Will put in with a serious nod, then wondered why he kept thinking of Jason's shoulders, anyways.

Nico sent him a dubious look.

"What is it with you and Jason's shoulders?"

Ugh, even Nico noticed.

Will shrugged, trying to play it off.

"Well, have you seen them? They're, like, this wide." He said dramatically, holding up his hands to indicate just how wide Jason's shoulders were, though he knew he was wildly exaggerating.

Nico laughed.

"No way. They're more like, this…" He stated seriously, holding up his own estimate.

"Have you looked at him, Nico? He got wider shoulders than that!"

"Have _you_ looked at him?"

They kept criticizing each other's estimates, nudging each other with their elbows, until it suddenly turned into a whole elbowing war.

"What are you two doing?" Jason's voice asked dubiously from the door, and both of them turned around to tell him they were measuring his shoulders, but…well, their words died in their throats.

Holy…

Will felt his world turning upside down as he took in the man in front of him.

Oh gods.

Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods.

Who in the name of Hades had had the idea to…

Will found himself grabbing hold of Nico's shoulder, who in turn grasped his, apparently going through the same surge of emotions Will was going through.

Who in his right mind had decided to put Jason in a leather jacket?

And why did Jason have the indecency to look so freaking…

There was no other way to say it.

Jason looked absolutely _hot_.

Gone were the baggy jumper and the loose jeans, replaced by a skin-tight, black shirt (gods, Will had been right, this suited him so, so well), much better fitting dark jeans (which made Will want to touch so, so badly, which he really shouldn't want to, but damn, those legs…could somebody tell Jason to turn around, please? Will just HAD to look at his backside in those jeans. Now!), black combat boots, and that horribly amazing black leather jacket that turned their dorky friend into a sexy, hot, breathtakingly attractive supermodel.

Oh gods, Will had to…do something.

His grip on Nico's arm tightened, mostly to keep himself rooted to the spot, and he could feel a similar surge of surprise and most definitely arousal going through Nico, his pupils dilated, his eyes fixed on Jason as if he just saw him for the first time.

Oh gods.

Will felt his mouth watering and swallowed hastily.

He hated Persephone.

He really, really hated her.

How could she do this to him?

"What? Not good?" Jason asked, apparently utterly oblivious, and he looked down at himself, putting his hands into the pockets of those damned jeans.

Will felt his heart pounding in his chest and needed to swallow again.

"That…you…that…" Nico started, apparently as at a loss for words as Will was.

"Whoa, Jason, you look hot." Percy declared as he walked into the room, sending an appreciative look at Jason's backside mostly, which made Will want to yell at him that he had seen Jason first (which was a lie, but who cared).

But then, he got a good look at Percy, and he died a little on the inside.

Why?

Why would Persephone punish him like this?

Percy was not wearing a leather jacket. He was also not wearing combat boots.

Persephone seemed to have been in quite a mood to try out various fashion styles, and while she had more than apparently decided Jason would look good in punk-like clothes, she had put Percy in what could undoubtedly be called preppy clothes.

Which really shouldn't look as good as it did.

Percy was wearing a well-fitting, but not too tight sort of blue-green dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, with rather nice-looking white pants (not jeans), and a belt that only accentuated his narrow hips, tipped off with a set of sandals on his feet, which really shouldn't look good, but did.

That, plus the jacket he had leisurely thrown over one shoulder, and Percy looked ravishingly amazing.

Gods, it went so well with his character, and it looked like an outfit for somebody who belonged near the sea, and Will wanted to touch, wanted to rip open that shirt, wanted to…yeah, no.

He shouldn't think like that.

His gaze drifted back to Jason, and he found his mouth watering as Jason turned around to appreciate Percy, giving back the compliment about looking hot.

Oh gods, yes, those jeans fit him perfectly.

And, by the gods, Will was going to die if he couldn't get his hands on the guy's backside, like, right now.

Horribly enough, he _did_ feel himself moving forward, his body acting entirely on its own, while alarm bells went off inside his head, telling him this was _not_ a good idea.

But, as luck would have it, Nico was still the best friend in the world, because he grabbed hold of Will's arm and tugged him back.

"Will, stay with me, I'm going to lose it." Nico hissed pleadingly, his cheeks flushed, his eyes wide, his pupils blown so wide one could barely see the brown of his eyes anymore.

Will was dragged out of his thoughts at the urgency in his voice and put his hand around Nico's wrist, taking in the turmoil of emotions inside him.

But before he could think of anything to say or do, Persephone appeared out of nowhere, right next to him, and took hold of his shoulder.

"You're next, sun boy. Come on."

And then, before he knew what was happening, the goddess led him out of the room, away from Nico, and past Percy and Jason, who looked at him with a mixture of confusion and amusement (probably because of his stupefied and slightly turned on expression – or maybe because he DID let his fingers stroke over Jason's thigh ever so slightly in passing, though he had hoped nobody would notice).

A moment later, they were gone.

.

"So, how do you think I look?" Percy asked, looking hopefully down at his boyfriend, but Nico still didn't seem to want to look at him, his gaze downcast with his cheeks flushed so adorably.

In fact, he hadn't looked at anything or anyone ever since Will had been herded out of the room.

Gods, Will had looked so weird, too, with his face flushed and his eyes wide, and what had been up with that expression, anyways.

And the way he had ogled Jason…Percy hadn't liked it.

Then again, he couldn't deny Jason looked pretty good.

Personally, he'd have never put Jason in such clothes, but Persephone surely had known what she was doing.

Percy surely wished she had put him in such unusual clothes, too.

But instead, he felt fairly normal, the style not that much different from any other, really.

Alright, it was different to his usual dress style, but still kind of casual, while Jason looked like he was an entirely different person altogether.

Seriously, though, not even his glasses made him look less cool.

If anything, they made him look like even more of a bad boy.

But now wasn't the time to be thinking of Jason.

Now was the time to figure out what was wrong with Nico, because he fidgeted and looked nervous and conflicted and still didn't look up.

"I…you look great…" Nico mumbled, still looking so weirdly uncomfortable, and Percy looked down at himself again.

What was wrong?

Was his outfit that bad?

Alright, he'd have never thought he'd wear light pants, and the dress shirt was definitely different, but he hadn't thought it would be bad enough to make Nico uncomfortable?

"Well, if you don't like it, I can always take it off later, so…" He tried tentatively, but then Nico's head shot up, an incredulous expression on his face.

"Don't you _dare_ take that off, Percy!"

Percy blinked.

Nico's expression changed to horror, his blush deepening, and he hid his face in his hands, looking utterly flustered.

Percy was confused.

"Erm…ok? I was just…because…you aren't really looking at me, so I thought…" He tried carefully, and heard Jason snort behind him.

What?

Had he missed something?

Nico groaned.

"Percy, I love you, but you're so unbelievably dense sometimes." He uttered, sounding almost annoyed.

Percy didn't understand.

But before he could ask Nico what he had done wrong, he felt the Italian push against him, and the next moment, he felt himself getting pressed against the wall next to the door, Nico's lips on his own, hands moving over his front and sides.

"Gods, Percy…" Nico breathed against his lips, before nudging his tongue against them in a silent order for Percy to let him in.

He blinked, still utterly perplexed and confused, but parted his lips nevertheless, his hands shyly moving up Nico's sides.

What…was going on with Nico?

Did he like Percy's clothes now or not?

He loved it when Nico got more pushy and dominant, though, and he was so not going to refuse him anything or stop him with stupid questions.

Jason chuckled in the background.

"_Somebody_ likes your new style, it seems."

"Love it." Nico huffed, his hands now moving up to Percy's face to tug him closer, removing the flower crown from his head to grab hold of his hair.

"Gods, you look so freaking hot, Percy. I can't…" Nico babbled, and pushed against Percy further, their chests rubbing against each other as Nico's French kiss became more and more demanding.

And as his words sunk in, his behavior suddenly made a lot more sense.

Percy couldn't help but grin into the kiss, wrapping his arms around him tightly and returning the kiss with more vigor, luring a small groan out of Nico's lips.

So, Nico liked him in these clothes, huh?

Maybe Percy should change his wardrobe up a bit.

"Nico…" He gasped when Nico started tugging and nibbling on his bottom lip, his hands still fisted into his hair.

"You know how irresistible you are? Probably not. Gods, Percy…" Nico moaned, his eyes half closed, but Percy could see the way his pupils were blown wide, his expression full of want and lust, which made Percy want to so badly get them somewhere more private.

Gods, yes.

Then Nico attacked his lips again almost furiously, and Percy sighed happily, giving in to Nico instantly, returning his kiss and moving his hands up Nico's sides to his back, noticing the shivers running down.

And then, Nico was at his neck, his hands moving over Percy's dress shirt, then suddenly beneath it, a low, possessive growl leaving Nico's lips that made goose bumps appear all over Percy's body.

Oh gods, _Nico_.

This was it, he was so going to change up his wardrobe.

Nico rolled his hips against his thigh, and Percy found himself gasping, both at the sensation of Nico's definite hard-on, as well as the feeling of Nico's teeth at the base of his neck.

Jason cleared his throat behind them, but they ignored him, Nico's hands moving all over his sides and chest and abs and back, before slowly moving down towards his belt.

Yeah, Percy should definitely start using belts again.

Then again, they prove to be quite some work to take off, given that Nico started to fumble with the buckle impatiently.

"Erm…guys…I _really_ don't want to interrupt, but…could you at least take this into one of the changing cubicles? I mean…I don't really want to be here with you two doing…_that_, but…at least don't do it right next to the door? Will and Persephone are bound to be back anytime soon, after all…" Jason announced awkwardly behind them somewhere, and Percy let out a frustrated sigh, which turned into a small gasp when Nico bit down on his shoulder, apparently not liking his collar.

"Nico…cubicle…?" He managed to pant out, something inside him churning with guilt as he thought of how this must feel to Jason, but he couldn't stop, couldn't stop himself from wanting Nico, couldn't stop wanting more, couldn't stop Nico and couldn't make himself want to stop Nico.

Nico grumbled something, growling against his skin as his hands finally gave up on Percy's belt, sounding frustrated and impatient and fed up, and his lips found Percy's jaw, nibbling on it rather harshly and demanding.

"So that's what happens if I leave the room for five minutes, huh? Jason, do I even want to know why you're hiding behind the curtain? Please, they are more dressed than they were the last time, I daresay." Will's voice sounded through the room, and Nico made another frustrated sound, pulling away from Percy, making him let out a rather pathetic and embarrassing whine.

When he opened his eyes, Nico was gazing at him with dark eyes, panting heavily, with his hands moving up Percy's arms, both over his bare skin and over the shirt.

Percy gazed back, wanting nothing more than to get those lips back onto his own.

"Are you done now? No? Well, suck it up. Nico, you have to go get changed. Nico? Hello, earth to Nico?" Will called over, but Nico's eyes were fixed solely on Percy, as if waiting for him to say something.

And, gods, Percy wanted to say a lot, ranging from 'I love you', over 'Kiss me' to something far more indecent that he shouldn't even think about saying in a room with Will and Jason in it.

But he never got the chance to make up his mind, because Will was his usual cruel self.

"Nico, I think this is the perfect time to remind you that Percy had Cerberus' drool in his mouth and still hasn't brushed his teeth. Just in case you forgot."

That got Nico's attention, alright.

And Percy cursed the day he had laughed while Cerberus had had his tongues out.

Nico's eyes widened, realization flashing across his features, and his expression changed to one of terror and disbelief.

Then he let go of Percy, and Percy looked around at Will with the tremendous urge to yell 'Was that really necessary?!'.

But at the sight of Will, he had to admit he turned a little speechless, swallowing his indignant outcry.

Together with his tongue and all the words in the world.

Because Will looked damn good.

Persephone hadn't put him into leather clothes, and hadn't put him into Percy's sort of preppy clothes, though Percy could imagine those not looking too bad on Will either.

Instead, she must have gone for a hipster sort of look, with a light dress shirt and a brown sweater over it, topped off with a dark cardigan and black, rather nice looking pants and black boots.

He was also swirling a beanie on one finger that he probably only didn't put on so he wouldn't ruin the flowers Jason had put into his hair – the only thing that kind of didn't go with that outfit whatsoever, though it kind of did, which was disturbing.

Still, it was a big change from the usual loose Camp sweater and jeans in winter, or the t-shirt and shorts in summer, or the scrubs he was wearing the rest of the time.

Nico looked surprised as well, the arousal leaving his eyes as his eyebrows shot up at the sight of the blonde.

He looked good.

Very good.

Percy kind of wanted to play around with that cardigan, actually.

It looked so fluffy and soft.

Alright, how had his mood changed from 'Yes, Nico, please take me' to 'Gods, Will, let me play with your cardigan'?

That…was kind of creepy.

Will's expression was unimpressed, and he clicked his tongue to get their attention back to his words instead of his looks.

"Nico. Your step-mom is waiting for you. Shoo." He announced pointedly, and Nico let out a loud, frustrated sigh.

"Yes, mom." He grumbled, throwing a last glance towards Percy, raking his eyes over his body once more with an appreciative glint in his eyes.

Then he trudged out the door and let it fall shut behind him.

Percy was torn between apologizing to the guys, complaining about their renewed interfering, and running after Nico to get him to ravish him all over again.

Then he saw Jason poking his head out from behind one of the curtains uncertainly, and he couldn't help himself – he laughed.

.

When Nico got back, he was feeling horribly guilty, horribly fed up, horribly horny, and even more guilty.

Also, he was annoyed with his get-up.

Why was it that Jason got a complete make-over, looking like some sort of punk god; why did Percy get a complete make-over, looking like the impersonation of a wet dream; why did Will get a make-over, making him look like a runaway model – and Nico was merely put in a dark, looser shirt, and black, non-skinny pants with a thin black belt and chucks?

Alright, he was wearing a blazer, and Persephone had done something with his hair to make it look better in a ponytail, but all in all, he looked pretty much the same, just ten times more nerdy.

One just had to give him a couple of books and/or glasses, and he'd be some sort of nerdy kid from high school/college.

How was that fair?

Not that he wanted her to whip out flower dress-shirts or gods knew what, but it kind of sucked that his friends looked like dreams come true, and he…was kind of left to look the same as ever.

Yeah, he was not happy about that.

Though he was annoyed at himself for being so bothered by that, too.

There were other things he should think about.

His friends, for example.

And Percy.

And the fact he had – again – thrown all caution to the wind and tried to make out (scratch that, he hadn't merely tried, he had freaking DONE it) with Percy, risks be damned, Jason be damned, his step-mom and Will be damned, everything be damned…

Yeah, he definitely had to get himself back in order.

That could not continue happening.

It wasn't fair towards his friends, and it wasn't fair towards Percy, and it wasn't fair towards himself, either, because all it did was make him even hornier than he already seemed to be, and thus even more frustrated than before.

Where did that urge to ravish Percy come from, anyways?

Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?

Wasn't Percy supposed to be the one pushing Nico against walls, kissing the hell out of him; and shouldn't it be Nico who would be a whimpering mess, begging him to continue?

Instead, Percy seemed to actually want Nico to be pushy and dominant and...seduce him?

That couldn't be right.

Maybe Nico was simply not active enough, so Percy liked it when he actually acted up a bit.

In that case, Nico should most definitely get a grip on himself, stop making out with Percy in front of his friends, and instead get more active during their quality time in the shower/bath.

Alright, now, that was a goal he could work with, right?

He sighed, twirling the flower crown in his hands.

It actually didn't look too bad, he'd have expected it to look much worse.

Then again, Will and Persephone had apparently made it, so of course it wouldn't look as bad as his sorry excuse (well, it had only been his first try, ok?).

Still, there was no way that thing was going back on his head anytime soon.

He should probably hide it just so the guys wouldn't find it (Persephone had forbidden him to get rid of it, and he had the feeling she had told the same thing to the others – which would kind of explain why Jason had still been holding his and Percy had even still worn his).

But anyways he shouldn't think about flower wreaths right now.

He should think of how to apologize to the guys for not getting his hormones under control properly.

Oh, that was going to be such a great conversation, he just knew it.

Sighing once more, he stopped in front of the door, wondering how he was going to do it, anyways.

Should he just walk in and apologize right away?

Well, he had no idea how he could possibly get the conversation to go into any direction that could ease him into it, so that was kind of the only option, wasn't it?

Alright, he could do this.

Nico swallowed, nodding to himself in reassurance, then he opened the door.

"Hey guys, I just wanted to say I'm…what are you doing?" He asked confused, staring at his three best friends.

For some reason, he felt like he shouldn't be surprised whatsoever, because up until now, every time he freaking came back from anywhere to those three, they tended to do something entirely crazy, stupid, weird or all of those in one.

But still, he was surprised.

His three best friends…were on the floor.

Jason was kneeling, with Percy somewhat laying in his lap, Jason's arms holding him in place, while Will sat on Percy's crotch (at least that's how it looked like to Nico), apparently unbuttoning his shirt.

What…?

Was he walking in on something?

All three of them were looking around at Nico with surprised eyes, Will looking like he had been caught with the hand in the cookie jar, Percy looking scandalized, and Jason looking like he wasn't sure whether he really wanted to be here.

"Should I…go again?" He asked, puzzled, and found all three of them opening their mouths a the same time.

"What? No! We were just going to…" Will started horrified, his ears turning scarlet, his hands flinching away from Percy as if he had been burnt.

"No! Nico, they were just…" Percy all but yelled, wriggling and writhing in Jason's grip and under Will's weight, looking even more scandalized.

"You look very nice, Nico." Jason said quietly, and the absurdity of the normality of the comment made Will and Percy shut up and all three of them look around at Jason in confusion.

"Right…" Nico said with a frown, glancing down at himself for a moment before looking back at his three friends.

Percy eyed Jason almost disgruntled, and finally, Will and Jason let go of him, scrambling to their feet.

"No, seriously, they were just trying to tickle me. Thank the gods you are back. You-…hey, you really do look nice. That look really suits you. I like it." Percy interrupted himself, letting his gaze travel up and down Nico's body slowly as he came closer.

Nico opened his mouth to say something, but he forgot what that had been.

Hadn't he wanted to say something?

There had been something he had wanted to let the guys know…

He couldn't remember.

Then again, Percy was walking towards him, his gaze turning hungry, though it didn't look like he was going to ravish Nico any moment.

Well, that was good.

It wouldn't do them any good if they-…oh…

"I'm sorry." Nico blurted, and Percy blinked, stopping a few steps away from him in confusion.

"Huh? What is it?" He asked, sounding uncertain, while Jason and Will looked at Nico with frowns, as well.

"Ah…for…you know…" Nico tried and failed miserably, his courage leaving him, so he just gestured at Percy, as if that explained everything.

Well, to him, it kind of did, but by the confused look on Percy's face, he certainly didn't get it.

Jason did, though.

"Oh, that. Don't worry about it. It's not like it didn't happen before." He waved off, and Will's face cleared, though Percy still frowned.

But Nico shook his head.

"No, that's the thing. I know it shouldn't happen. Ever. At all. I'm really sorry, I just…well, just look at him. He looks so…" Wait, that was not going as planned.

And why was he still gesturing at Percy with both hands, now even more vigorously than before?

Percy blinked, then he blushed.

Just. Blushed.

Will laughed. "Nico, it's ok. You two are young and in love, and…"

"Don't you start with that again, Freckles. But he's right, Nico, we're good. As long as you don't overdo it, that is." Jason cut in, mussing through Will's hair and making some more flowers fall out.

Will glowered at the blonde.

"Shush, Handsome, go hide behind the curtain or something, I wasn't done yet. Listen, Nico, we get it. And, I mean, we don't mind if you feel the need to express your love physically…"

"Oh wow, you're seriously going to put it like that?" Jason remarked, but Will shushed him again with a grin.

"Shush…so, anyways, if you two feel like you can't live without your hands all over each other – this better, Jason? – then either stay above the belt and keep your clothes on, or tell us so we can leave. Unless you want us to be there, of course. In that case, you should probably tell us that, too."

"I can't believe you just said that, Will." Jason muttered drily, putting a hand to his face, while Will looked around at him with a questioning look.

Nico felt his face burning and couldn't believe they were seriously saying any of this.

This should not need to be discussed.

He should not force his friends to say things like this.

Plus, what the hell had that last part been about?

Why would he want them around when he was making out with Percy?

Well, he could think of something he'd want them around for, but that was…no.

Just. No.

He was not allowed to think like that.

Nico was in a relationship with Percy, and Percy made him happy, and he was not going to imagine anything else and not think of anything else, because that would just give him more of those weird dreams, and he certainly didn't need those.

_Nope, not going to happen._

Still, on an entirely different topic, weren't those two acting a bit like a couple?

It might have just been his imagination, but somehow, it felt like it.

Well, he wasn't sure how he felt about that, but he wasn't going to question it, of course.

It was their thing.

He glanced towards Percy, just to find him in an equally flustered state, looking at him almost sheepishly, his face still so adorably flushed.

"I…thanks, guys. Sorry. Yeah." Percy mumbled, tentatively taking a step towards Nico, who found himself smiling at the almost shy behavior and walked over to his boyfriend, letting his hands rub over his sides as Percy's wrapped around him almost automatically.

"It's fine. We can look away." Jason said with a shrug, and Will snorted.

"You might, because you're a sweetheart. I know what I'm going to do if those two don't behave. You just wait."

"Will, stop scaring them. You know you wouldn't do anything that made them uncomfortable, anyways."

"Shush, Jason, that's beside the point."

"Right."

Percy and Nico grinned, looking around at the two blondes who were throwing each other dubious glances.

Who'd have thought those two could bicker just like Percy and Will did sometimes?

Wait, what had they said?

Nico should definitely pay more attention to their words than the way they talked to each other.

He had a feeling it had been something important.

Sadly, the only thing his mind deemed important right now was the feeling of Percy's skin through that shirt of his.

"You know, I really think you look very nice." Percy purred, tugging him closer, and Nico found himself smiling, his face now warming more because of the definite undertone in Percy's voice than the mortification at the entire situation.

"That may be, but I still don't look as nice as you. You rock this look, I'm just saying." He whispered back and Percy chuckled, something Nico could see, hear and feel.

They smiled at each other, putting their foreheads together and gazing into each other's eyes sheepishly, not wanting to upset the guys with starting another make-out session.

Plus, this was kind of just as nice.

It might not be as passionate and heated, but it made Nico feel all warm and fuzzy and loved inside, just standing here with his arms wrapped around Percy, feeling the fabric of his shirt, the warmth of his body, the pounding of his heart, just as fast as Nico's.

"I love you." Percy whispered quietly, gently, and Nico felt the usual shiver run down his back that he always felt, his grin only widening to the point it almost hurt.

Gods, he surely did smile a lot more than usually, huh?

It was all because of Percy and his guys, really.

"I love you, too."

"Gods, those two can be so adorable. No wonder they are the most powerful demigods around. Other people and monsters don't stand a chance, what with all that cuteness. Now I'm not surprised I can never stay mad at them." They heard Will saying, but didn't look around.

"Why would you ever be mad at them in the first place? You love it when they're happy." Jason remarked amused, and they heard clicking.

"Touché. Now, guys, what would you like to do? Photo-shoot? Dancing lessons? Standing there a while longer making heart eyes at each other?" Will asked, and the two sighed, giving in and moving together for a small peck on the lips (dog drool be damned), before letting go of each other, looking around to find Will taking pictures of them.

At this rate, Nico was going to have to get a new photo album just for their stay in the Underworld.

Then again, that might not be such a bad idea.

Hey, he could label it something like 'Our fist vacation', or something.

Though that did kind of sound like something couple-ish, and it wasn't as if the four of them were…well, a couple.

If that was even possible.

No, Nico was fairly certain it wasn't.

He remembered faintly how Will had mentioned something about more than two people in a relationship, but he was also fairly sure that was just sexual – not to mention not exactly the norm.

And most certainly not for four guys.

Ugh, what was he even thinking about?

He should not be thinking like that.

"Actually, I was thinking…" Percy started hesitantly, one arm still slung around Nico, squeezing his side gently.

"Yeah?" Will asked, continuously taking pictures, even though they weren't even posing.

"Well, how about we start on the games? I mean, first I want to brush my teeth, but after that, I was thinking-…"

"I'm in!" Will yelled, thrusting the camera into Jason's hands and rushing out the room, before Percy could even finish his suggestion.

Jason stared at the spot where Will had been a moment ago, looking stunned and shocked and petrified, while Percy gaped at the door.

Nico found himself chuckling, closing his boyfriends mouth and moving towards the door.

"Well, I guess that's settled. It's playtime, guys." He announced, and Jason and Percy took a moment, but eventually snapped out of it, blinking and grinning, throwing each other amused glances.

"First one there gets to pick the game?" Percy suggested, and Jason laughed.

"Well, then I'd hurry if I were you. Will can be quite fast when he wants to be."

Percy's head shot around. "No~! Nico, I'm sorry, but I…" He started, wailing and looking conflicted as he reached Nico and the door.

Then he pressed his lips to Nico's forehead – and was gone.

"I can't let him choose the first game, or we're all going to die!" He yelled over his shoulder, the noise partially drowned by Will's manic laughter.

Nico rolled his eyes, grinning around at Jason, who was shaking his head with an amused expression.  
"Those two are never going to grow up, are they?"

Jason shook his head. "Nope, but that's what makes them so special, doesn't it?"

Nico sighed. "Yeah…"

And with that, they followed those two dorks, which made Nico wonder how they were even expecting to get out of here.

Persephone had shown him the exit, yeah, but the way she had said it had made it sound more like she had not told the other three.

"Nico, where is the freaking exit to the place?" Will and Percy both yelled over, and Jason snorted next to him, something he had most definitely adapted from Will.

Nico shook his head.

Yes, those were his dorks, alright.

.

"I say we play this one first." Will suggested, holding up the case.

"No way, we'll never get done with that, and then we can't play this one." Percy argued, holding up a different game.

"Who wants to play that one, anyways? This is much cooler." Will insisted.

Jason rolled his eyes, watching them bicker amused.

"Are you kidding? This one got much better graphics!" Percy said pointedly, but Will only snorted.

"Who cares about the graphics, this one at least got some plot to it!"

"What do I care about the plot? I got ADHD, I can't focus on the plot, anyways!"

Now Nico was rolling his eyes, too.

"Well, that's harsh. I got ADHD too, and I can focus on the plot just fine. Maybe you're just stupid." Will exclaimed, and Percy gaped at him incredulously.

"Did you just call me stupid?"

"I call you a lot of things, 'stupid' should not be the one that bothers you most, I'm just saying." Will muttered drily, but put back the game anyways, instead pulling out a different one.

"How about this one, then? We can all play this."

Percy opened his mouth – undoubtedly to argue again -, but then closed it, contemplating the case for a moment.

Then he looked around towards Jason and Nico, who both raised their eyebrows at the same time, both with unimpressed expressions as they sat on the bed, waiting for those two drama queens to get done picking their first game.

"Yeah, alright. That will do."

"Oh wow, thank you so much for your approval, oh mighty Perseus Jackson." Will said sarcastically, and Percy glowered at him.

"Shush, and don't 'Perseus' me, _William_."

Will's head shot around, his expression one of utter incredulity.

"Do NOT call me that."

For some reason, it felt like he really meant that, too.

Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, guys, are you done now?" He asked loudly, keeping Percy from saying anything he might regret later.

Both looked around at him.

"Yeah, we're playing this." Will announced, and Jason got up to help with setting their chosen game for the night up.

He was kind of the only one of them with a working gaming console in his cabin, so they expected him to know most about this type of stuff.

Sadly, Jason had utterly no idea what he was doing, which made him all the more surprised when the thing was actually running without problems.

Hades had probably done something to make sure they wouldn't run into any difficulties, he was certain.

"See? I told you we can always depend on Jason." Will remarked smugly, making Jason blink and look around, but Will was shaking his shoulders triumphantly at Percy, who scowled back at him.

"I never said we couldn't, I merely said I _could_ do it myself if I had to."

"Right."

Those two.

Still, the indirect praise felt kind of nice.

"You know, sometimes I wonder who is dating whom here." Nico uttered drily from the bed, and all three of them looked around at him with surprised expressions.

Then Percy AND Will were over there in a heartbeat, cooing and reassuring Nico Percy was all his.

…Right.

Jason raised an eyebrow at them, but decided not to say anything, instead getting the controllers and setting it all up ready for play for four people.

Oh, this was going to be a long, long night, he could feel it.

Well, at least they had had mercy and not picked a gruesome, horrid game right away.

But he guessed those were going to follow soon enough.

He glanced around at the board games.

Hopefully, the guys weren't completely serious about their claims they wouldn't stop playing until they had finished all of those fames.

He really wanted to play some board games with them at some point.

"Jason, you need any help?" Will called over, so Jason hastily shook his head and grabbed the controllers, moving over to that messy bundle of demigods that was his friends.

"Here you go. Percy, you get the one with the blue tag, Will, you're the orange tag, Nico, you get the green tag, and I'll stick to the red one. Alright?"

They all nodded, though Will and Percy eyed their controllers suspiciously.

"You didn't do anything dodgy with them, right? I swear, if I lose against Will, I'm going to-…"

"The only reason you're going to lose against me is because you suck, Gorgeous." Will interrupted him pointedly before he could finish his sentence, and Jason and Nico exchanged telling glances.

"I only set it up in the order they were plugged in. Which means Nico will go first, Percy second, Will third, and me last."

"You're always last." Percy remarked.

"That's cause he's a nice guy, unlike you, you're a git." Will muttered, and the two started elbowing each other.

Jason sighed.

"That peace between you two surely didn't last long. Pity, I kind of liked the quiet."

Both of them sent him small scowls, then exchanged a mischievous look with each other.

Next moment, they had their arms thrown around each other, grinning at Jason widely.

"No clue what you're talking about, we're best mates!" Both of them insisted simultaneously, and Jason rolled his eyes, while Nico raised a dubious eyebrow, watching them from the side.

Jason looked back at the screen, a small smile spreading on his face.

"Right. Well, best mates…it's your turn."

"What?! Percy, make space!"

"_You_ make space!"

Nico chuckled, and Jason and he high-fived over the heads of those two adorable dorks.

Yes, this was going to be a long night.

But Jason was certain it would not get boring whatsoever.


	22. Chapter 22: Truth or Dare

**A/N:** Hey Cupcakes :)

Finally, the Truth or Dare game is happening XD

It did not go as I wanted, nor as I expected, but at this point, I'm not even attempting to be surprised by that..  
I hope you guys will enjoy it, though :)

Also, as a little update, I think I'm finally going to give up on my husband proof-reading this, which means you'll sadly be stuck a while longer with my English, I am so sorry.  
(As before, if you find any mistakes, don't hesitate in telling me, I'll try edit asap and I won't be upset or anything. Give me all the criticism in the world, else I won't find the mistakes until years from now- or ever..)

On another note, has anybody realized this year doesn't even have 10 whole weeks anymore?  
And there I was hoping of finishing this story by the end of the year o_O

Kind of weird thinking that I started this sometime end of December/January, it certainly hasn't felt that long...

Thanks to all that stuck with this story up until now, you guys are the best!  
(Sorry I'm having a sentimental day, bear with me DX)

Aaaaanyways, enjoy the Truth or Dare~  
Until next week,  
-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 22: Truth or Dare**

"Hey, guys..." Will's voice sounded muffled to Nico's ears, though he was fairly certain that was because Nico had his head buried in the blanket of the bed, since that's where he had dropped earlier, completely out-powered.

"Hm?" Came the collected reply from him, Percy and Jason, all from different corners of his room.

The past four days had been very...well, they had certainly been different.

One might think playing games all day (and night) would be boring or impossible, but really, it wasn't.

If anything, it was _exhausting_.

Probably the reason why Will had just slumped sideways onto Jason's lap at some point last night, right in the middle of playing a rather cruel and gruesome zombie game, which had led to him accidentally killing all four of them, turning _Percy_ into a cruel and gruesome zombie, too (he had been about to level up and thus be three levels ahead of them, practically 'winning'...Percy apparently was a _very_ sore loser).

Also, that was probably also the reason why Nico had woken up some hours ago with Will curled up beside him, because the blonde seemed to need more sleep than any of them (it might be the Underworld, or maybe he was simply catching up on all the sleep he had been missing out on due to his nightmares before).

Yeah, keeping four guys in one room with nothing else to do but playing games and watching films seemed to turn them into weird game junkies and zombies that just randomly passed out at irregular intervals and in the worst places and positions.

Like Will with his body practically wrapped around Jason, apparently trying to cool himself down a bit in his sleep, much to Jason's amusement.

Or Percy with his head under the bed, hogging one of the skulls near the front of it.

Or Jason when he had fallen asleep in the middle of watching _Brave_ with Percy, with his arms wrapped tightly around Percy's thighs and not letting go the entirety of his nap.

They were weird like that.

But all in all, it had been fun.

Still was fun.

Being lazy made them kind of even lazier, so the only things they really accomplished - other than playing or watching films, or getting fat from all the snacks (Nico was in desperate need for a good, long workout, seriously) - was taking super quick showers and having one meal a day with his family - which was working surprisingly well, too, actually.

Seriously, after the first awkwardness between his friends and the gods, Will had surprised them all with actually striking up a conversation _with Nico's dad_.

Nico had no idea why, or what had lead up to that, whether Will was doing it just to see whether he'd get pulverized (because, sometimes, Will was crazy like that), or whether it was because Hades had kept looking at Percy so oddly, making his boyfriend cringe and tense up all throughout dinner four days ago, but Nico was glad he had done it all the same, because his dad had actually replied completely normally, and the other gods had followed.

And suddenly, everybody had been able to talk with each other.

Well, not _that_ suddenly, but thinking back now, it kind of felt that way.

He certainly would have never expected to witness Will and Demeter arguing about _sunscreen_, sitting opposite each other and glowering worse than hellhounds ready to kill.

Yeah, that had been yesterday, and Nico was still surprised that both had made it out alive.

And he was even more surprised to find that Will had actually _won_ that argument.

Either Will was very confident in himself and his knowledge, or he was very suicidal.

Nico was fairly sure it was a mixture of both.

But, yeah, other than that, it had been a rather peaceful series of days, and he felt like he could go on like this forever, really.

He loved how they all just laid back and relaxed, playing and joking and having a good time, not a care in the world, no real arguments (other than the occasional bickering over a game, or whenever Percy lost against Will again), no problems, no flustered Nico's...

"Let's play Truth or Dare. I've been meaning to play it with you guys, and now seems like the perfect time. What do you say?" Will said, and Nico froze.

_Alright, discard everything he had just thought._

No way.

Truth or dare? _Now_?

Why _now_?

That was bound to be...the end of the world, to be honest.

He was going to be turned into a flustered fool _times hundred_!

Especially because...

"You mean that Truth or Dare that's still open where we'll play by your rules?" Percy asked, sounding more curious than anything, maybe even slightly excited.

Of course he'd be all for it.

"You mean to say with no rules at all." Jason muttered, and Nico inwardly agreed.

"Hey, no fair! There'll be rules: Have fun, make the best of it - and try to make it out alive. Nah, joke. It really won't be all that bad, though, stop looking at me like I'm going to torture you, guys." Will exclaimed, huffing out an indignant breath and Nico forced himself to look around at him where he sat next to the box of board games, batting his eyelashes at Nico.

Ugh.

This was going to be horrible.

Then again...

Opportunities and imaginary scenarios played through his mind, all those things that _could _happen, especially during a game of Truth or Dare with _Will_.

He felt his face heating and noticed Percy and Jason were watching him, too, probably waiting for his consent.

Hurriedly turning his face back into the blanket, he tried to hide his blush from view.

Oh gods.

Oh, wait, they were still waiting for his reply, weren't they?

Uh…

"Alright, then. Let's play. I think we all deserve a break from the video games and movies, after all." He muttered, and promptly heard Will whooping triumphantly.

This was either going to be the worst day in his life, or the best.

Though he was fairly certain it would be the former, because everybody always had it out for him for some reason.

Please not this time.

_Please_.

.

They sat in a sort of circle on the bed, facing each other, with Percy to his Will's and Jason to his right, while Nico sat across from him.

The lot looked so unnerved, it was adorable.

Will knew they were merely nervous, not really uncomfortable, so he wasn't worried.

And hey, he had already reassured them if they really were uncomfortable with something, they could just say so without needing to justify themselves and that would be the end of it (though he had to admit he had mostly added that for his own selfish reasons and worries, just in case Percy _would _insist on Jason humping him).

So, all in all, it was practically like any of the other times they had played this game - just that he could turn the lot into flustered fools and nothing could stop him, since there was no dumb 'no awkward or embarrassing stuff'-rule this time.

Though Will would start off with innocent things, anyways.

"So, who wants to go first?" He asked sweetly, watching them amused as they exchanged nervous glances.

Then Jason cleared his throat. "May I?"

Will raised an eyebrow.

That was a surprise. He'd have guessed Percy would go first.

Apparently not.

Since they all nodded, Jason shifted, turning towards Nico. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." Nico muttered, looking hesitant.

Aw, come on, Nico, this was Jason, he wouldn't do anything bad, anyways.

Well, unless Jason would demand a kiss again.

Though Will had the feeling Nico hadn't minded that as much as he had made it seem.

"Cats or dogs?" Jason asked, and Will rolled his eyes, smirking to himself.

Now why wasn't he surprised?

"Do-...ca-...erm..." Nico started twice, but broke off both times, looking conflicted and glancing from Percy to Will for some reason, as if one of them had the answer.

"Both..." He then admitted meekly, as if a confession, not meeting any of their gazes for a moment.

"Alright then." Jason said with a light shrug, looking conflicted, as if debating whether he had asked the wrong thing.

Well, this game was off to a good start.

Next time, Will would so go first. Or have Percy go first.

Nico shook his head to himself, then took a deep breath and looked up again, turning towards Percy.

To be expected.

Will decided he'd definitely go first the next time they played.

Who knew when the guys would have the mercy to turn to him.

Yeah, maybe he should stop teasing and scaring them.

But what could he do, it was simply too tempting.

"Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

Hm, how boring.

Then again, they probably needed some time to get more comfortable, then the good stuff would start.

"Erm...what's your favorite food?" Nico asked, clearly at a loss as to what to ask, and Will inwardly sighed.

Knowing Percy, it would probably be something super greasy and horrible.

"Oh, that's easy: That Subway sandwich Will got me that other day." Percy declared with a broad grin and Jason chuckled, while Nico's lips twitched ever so faintly.

Wait, really?

It hadn't even been that great, to be honest.

There one clearly saw how different people's tastes were.

"I feel so flattered right now." He mumbled, and Jason sent him an amused wink he couldn't really identify.

Percy huffed, ignoring his statement and turning to Jason.

Wow, that was so mean.

"Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." Jason said, glancing at Will with a small smirk, as if knowing exactly what he was thinking right now.

Will stuck out his tongue at him just for the hell of it, making his lips twitch even more.

"Are you ever going to wear that leather jacket again?" Percy asked, and Will flushed bright pink at the memory of Jason Grace in _that_ leather jacket.

Oh gods.

Oh gods _yes_.

Oh gods _no_.

_Freaking screw it - yes_!

Nico made a small sound as well, his face turning scarlet, and Will just knew he was having similar thoughts.

Jason blinked, apparently taken aback by the question, then he frowned and seemed to ponder it for a moment.

Gods, hopefully he wouldn't look at Will, because Will was certain his reaction was very, very obvious.

"I wasn't planning on it, but...I suppose I could. Maybe. It was rather comfortable, I have to admit..." Jason mused, and Will wanted to _beg_ him to do it.

"You should. Seriously, man, the look suited you." Percy said with an appraising expression, and Will had a hard time trying to keep himself from yelling his agreement through the room.  
Jason merely shrugged, glancing towards Will, so Will was quick to lower his head.

"So, Will, Truth or Dare?" Jason asked, and Will guessed he should be happy it was going to be his turn next.

But he really didn't want to lift his head right now.

Couldn't Percy have just asked him something stupid like the others?

"Well, since you're all babies, I'll finish the first round with a Truth as well." He exclaimed cockily, though he felt anything but.

"Oh, I know what I'd ask you right now. I think I'll keep that for next round, though." Percy muttered with an indignant huff, but Jason shushed him.

Will stuck his tongue out at Percy, too, daring to look up again as his face felt a tad cooler, mostly thanks to Percy's comment.

He'd just have to keep Jason and his stupid leather jacket far out of his head.

Will met Jason's gaze, and his determination wavered for a moment, but he managed somewhat.

Instead, he pictured Jason in an oversized teddy bear outfit, which actually helped.

Though he probably shouldn't tell him that was the sole reason for the smile playing on his lips.

"Hmm...well, since Percy already started with the clothes, how about this: How did you like the clothes Persephone had picked out for you?" Jason asked with a light shrug, apparently unable to think of anything better.

Will raised an eyebrow.

Really?

Well, he guessed they hadn't been bad, but they had kind of been a bit...boring?

Compared to Jason and Percy, at least (especially Jason, though. Gods, he was _so_ picturing him in that outfit again and he seriously shouldn't).

"It was ok. I liked the cardigan." He replied with a shrug, admitting to himself, that, if he could, he'd probably be a cardigan person (but there sadly weren't any Camp Half-Blood cardigans, and with scrubs he wasn't allowed to wear any, either. Kind of sucked).

"It suited you." Jason agreed with a small nod, and Will noticed Nico and Percy nodding in agreement, making his face feel warm again.

Yeah, right.

"Not to mention all the flowers in your hair." Percy added teasingly and Will scowled, the fluttering in his chest dying again, because Percy was most definitely being a sarcastic ass again.

"Save it, Percy. You're just jealous Jason didn't make you look all nice and pretty." He retorted, and Percy huffed indignantly, but stayed quiet, while Jason looked rather proud for a moment.

Proud of what, Will couldn't tell.

He turned towards Nico with a grin.

"So, Nico, Truth or Dare?"

Nico groaned. "I knew it."

Will's grin broadened.

He watched him contemplate for a long moment, probably weighing his options.

Then he shook his head. "No. I pick Truth."

"Excellent! Just what I wanted you to pick." Will declared with a small chuckle, and Nico buried his face in his hands, apparently expecting the worst.

Hey, Will wasn't _that _bad, right?

"Don't tease him so much, Freckles." Jason put in with a pointed look and Will rolled his eyes.

"It's really not that bad. Ready for the question?"

Nico shrugged noncommittally, but then lifted his head to meet his gaze, anyways.

"Alright, what's your favorite way of kissing?"

See? Totally innocent.

Percy scowled at him.

Jason sighed and rolled his eyes.

Nico...looked fairly surprised, straightening up a bit.

"Oh, that's not as bad as I thought. Hm, let me think..." He said thoughtfully and Percy and Jason both blinked, glancing around at the Italian taken aback.

Even Will had to admit he was slightly impressed.

Alright, kissing was innocent in _his_ opinion, but he wouldn't have thought _Nico_ would be up for discussing that so openly.

He certainly wouldn't have done that the last time they had played this game.

So much could change, huh?

"I think...I think I like those morning kisses the most. Those slow, languid ones..." Nico admitted quietly, blushing slightly, but not too badly, and glancing around at Percy uncertainly for a moment.

But Percy had a dreamy and utterly in love expression on his face, gazing at Nico as if he was thinking of kissing him exactly that way right now, so, yeah, Nico needn't have worried.

Will winked at him. "Sounds awesome. Wish I could take you up on that, but, you know..." He excused himself, gesturing at Percy vaguely, who glowered around at him.

"Yeah, yeah. You had your chance." Percy remarked pointedly, and now it was Will's turn to scowl.

Hey.

If anything, Percy should be happy about it, or else Will would be dating Nico right now (maybe).

"Oh hush, you two." Nico declared pointedly, just as Will opened his mouth to argue back, and he instantly closed it again, unable to go against Nico di Angelo's wishes as always.

Meh.

Fine.

Nico eyed them both warily as they both looked around at him, swallowing their left-over remarks for each other.

Then he turned towards Percy.

"Truth or Dare?" Well, that was to be expected, that he'd pick Percy (again).

Will vaguely wondered whether Percy would turn on Will right away for that question he had wanted to ask.

Just in case, he decided he'd pick Dare.

"Truth." Percy replied, and Will smirked.

Sweet, that meant next time Percy would have to pick Dare.

"What's _your_ favorite way of kissing?" Nico asked curiously, and Will wasn't surprised in the slightest.

Percy wasn't, either, smirking at him broadly.

"Same, actually. Though I also like those heated ones where you breathe my name against my lips…" Percy purred, and Will rolled his eyes.

Thanks, Percy, they all wanted to know this _so badly_.

Nico blushed and glanced towards Jason and Will for a moment, but seemed pleased, nevertheless.

Then, Percy surprised Will with not going for him, but Jason instead.

"Hey, man, truth or dare?"

A moment later, his face fell. "No! I wanted to ask Will if he…damn it." He cursed, looking at Will with a scowl, as if it was his fault Percy hadn't thought things through before opening his mouth.

Will grinned at him, even daring to wink, inwardly cackling.

Danger successfully avoided.

Percy made a face, but then sighed and turned towards Jason again, considering him as Jason considered him.

Then the blonde shrugged.

"Dare." Jason said thoughtfully, considering Percy warily.

Well, at least the dares were starting now.

Though, right now, they wouldn't be vey daring, would they now?

"Uh...feed me some blue potato chips, you know you want to." Percy ordered after looking around hurriedly, though he had the indecency of wriggling his eyebrows at Jason, as if he had planned this all along.

Will rolled his eyes with a small chuckle.

Right.

Dorks.

The four of them went on for a while like that, asking innocent questions and daring innocent stuff - except for Will, who asked Percy what his favorite kind of foreplay was (he said kissing, but Will was fairly sure that wasn't the whole truth), asked Nico for one of his good spots (but he merely said the back of his neck, which Will had already known), and asked Jason to tell them about his first kiss (which had been with Piper, big surprise. No, seriously, the last part did surprise Will a bit, because he had kind of thought Jason had more experience than that, though he hadn't said a thing and seemed to have been the only one surprised, anyways).

As one could see, they all avoided Dares with him (not that it would save them from their fate).

But now, several rounds later, he could tell they were starting to feel more comfortable and, well, daring.

Especially Percy, who was grinning like a Cheshire Cat and kept glancing at Jason with a sly smirk, as if planning something super mean, which made Jason eye him warily.

"Jason, Truth or Dare?" He asked the blonde, and Will wasn't surprised to find Jason picking Truth, even though that meant next time it was Will's turn, he'd so make use of the Dare Jason would have to choose.

Though he wasn't sure how he'd use it yet.

"What's your sexuality?" Percy asked, and Will frowned.

Huh?

That was kind of…boring?

Will would have expected it to be something they didn't already know.

Jason was bisexual, after all, right?

Or maybe gay?

Jason sent Percy an exasperated look, and Will had the funny feeling those two had talked about that topic before, which made it all the weirder.

"I'm demi." Jason then replied with a shrug and Will blinked.

What?

Demi?

Jason?

Really?

He'd have never guessed.

"So, that means you're..." Nico started with a slight frown, and Will could see he was trying to sort the term to a definition.

"It means I only feel sexually - or romantically, for that matter - attracted to people I feel close to, to people I know and have a sort of emotional bond with." Jason explained with a sigh and a glare into Percy's direction...who was grinning smugly and glancing at Will for some reason.

Will was too busy looking at Jason, though.

Somehow, he wouldn't have guessed that.

Though, now, he could kind of totally see it.

A lot of things made much more sense now, too.

Like how Jason had been utterly indifferent to the girl on the train, or how the thought of hook-ups or flirting with strangers seemed to merely confuse him.

Or the fact that Jason had been desired by so many, yet had only kissed Piper of the lot, when Will was 120% certain there had been more than enough interested girls and boys alike at Camp Jupiter (there still were. Will had seen the looks they had sent Jason, alright).

Nico nodded quietly, understanding crossing his features.

Jason sighed.

"Right. So, Will, Truth or Dare?" Jason asked, making Will pout.

Damn, now he couldn't turn on Jason for a Dare.

Maybe he'd get lucky and the other two would mess up and have it be his turn again before they got to him.

"Erm...truth."

"Would you ever play the guitar again if you could?" Jason asked curiously and Will halted.  
Memories flashed through his mind, and his first instinct was to say no.

But then he saw the way Nico lifted his head, expression hopeful and borderline pleading, saw the way Percy was watching him intently, curiosity burning in his eyes, saw the way Jason studied his expression as if trying to gauge what he'd say.

And his eyes hushed back to Nico, the one person he could never deny anything.

Will let out a long sigh, trying to push everything else on his mind right along out with it, though it didn't work half as well as he wished.

"If...if I ever happen to own a guitar again, I suppose I might give it a try again...maybe..." He replied evasively, concentrating on a spot a bit to the left of Jason's ear so he wouldn't have to meet his gaze right now.

The chances he'd ever own a guitar again were zero, so he technically should be good…

"Yes! _Awesome_! I bet you're _amazing_ at it and are just acting like you can't play. Or you really suck, in which case there'll _finally _be something you aren't the best at!" Percy whooped, looking excited, while Nico rolled his eyes at his boyfriend and smiled at Will warmly, his beautiful dark eyes gleaming, turning Will's world upside down as usual.

He tried to focus on something other than Nico, not to mention Percy's comment, which he shouldn't think about whatsoever, anyways, and shouldn't take seriously, either.

Especially not the indirect way Percy had just claimed Will excelled at _something_ (he had even made it sound like 'everything'!), when Will pretty much failed his way through life.

Nope, that had definitely been sarcastic. Had to have been.

Even if it wasn't, though, he wouldn't have meant it anyways.

"Right. So, Percy, Truth or Dare?" He asked with a smirk, watching Percy blink surprised, probably having expected Will to pick Nico next.

Nope, because he knew Percy was going to take Truth, and he decided to get back at him for asking Will earlier whether he preferred to touch or getting touched (to which Will had replied touching, though that wasn't as true as he wished it was).

Plus, he wanted them to get far away from him and guitars, and this was the easiest way.

"Truth." Percy replied and Will grinned, winking at Nico.

"Good. Top or bottom?" He asked Percy with a sly look.

Nico blinked, then frowned confused and opened his mouth, but Will shook his head at him, making him swallow his reply, his actions confirming Will's assumption.

So he had been right about that.

Nico still thought Percy was a top only.

Even though Percy was trying so hard to show him he'd be more than willing to let him take the lead.

Percy looked confused as well, but then glanced sideways at Nico, realization crossing his features.

"Both." He breathed, then cleared his throat. "Both. I don't really mind either way." He repeated, his voice stronger this time, and Will watched amused how Nico's eyes widened and he looked around at Percy utterly stunned.

Had he just helped their relationship and Percy's growing sexual frustration? Yes, yes he had.  
Would he regret it? Most likely.  
Was it worth it? Absolutely.

He caught Jason raising an eyebrow at him and shrugged innocently, making the blonde smile gently.

Well, at least Jason seemed to appreciate his sacrifice (not to mention approve of him. Will had no idea what he cared for Jason's approval for, but he felt everything inside him turning all warm and giddy, so he guessed that was another thing to ponder in the shower, which was where he was working on his denial issues nowadays – not that he had made any progress, though).

"Jason, don't you look like that, we can't all be power tops like you." Percy called over and both of them looked around at him watching them sternly, though his lips were twitching, his eyes gleaming with gratitude at Will.

What?

Somehow, it felt like he was playing at something, as if he was trying to repay the favor.

Well, teasing Jason and rubbing it in that he was a top and Will could never have him certainly weren't the way to go, though Will was pretty sure he couldn't say that out loud, like, ever.

"Oh, shush. You know just as well as I do I'm nothing like a 'power top', because I adapt to my partner and their preferences." Jason deadpanned with an exasperated look and Will choked.

Wait, _what_?

Percy grinned, more at Will than at Jason.

"Don't I know it. You're always so considerate, Jason."

Why did it feel like Percy was just saying all of that to get to Will somehow?

Well, not necessarily in a bad way, but Will couldn't see how Percy could possibly know he might be maybe slightly crushing on Jason (a tiny little bit. Maybe.).

Then again, it usually was Percy who indicated more between Jason and Will, anyways, so maybe this was just his way of trying to set them up somehow.

For some reason, that thought hurt, though Will pushed it aside, because it had no business hurting.

Percy was _utterly _off limits, no point crying over his indifference to Will that he wanted to set him up with other people.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Well, it's not like I'll sacrifice anything. I simply don't have any preferences, that's all. Pretty much like you, you ass. Now, get going with the game or I'll assume you just used your turn on me." He said pointedly, and Percy made a face.

"Ok, ok. Fine. Nico, truth or dare?"

"Dare..." Nico mumbled absent-mindedly, eyes hushing from Jason to Percy and back with a small blush on his cheeks.

Aw, this must have been so eye-opening for him, too.

Will couldn't help but smile and wink at him, making him blush even more.

"Finally! Come kiss me, babe. I've been meaning to dare you that ever since you talked about kissing." Percy cooed, already leaning forward to get closer to Nico.

Will and Jason both exchanged telling glances, sighing simultaneously.

Of course Percy would do something like that.

Nico blinked surprised, but then smiled and closed the space between them, sealing their lips.

For the first time, Will actually paid attention to how they kissed - usually, he merely glanced at them and then focused on something different, to be honest (or at least didn't look _this_ closely).

Slow, languid movements, smirks on both their faces until Percy initiated a tongue kiss, to which Nico reacted almost instantly, meeting his tongue with his own, letting out a soft, content sigh that set Will's insides on fire.

Every single one of their movement seemed to practically scream with love and affection and warmth, and Will couldn't stop his insides from knotting up with longing, yearning, the urge – no, _need_ – to be kissed like that, too.

By them.

Wait, by Nico, by Nico.

Only Nico.

Will watched transfixed how Percy moved closer, letting out a soft sigh as their tongues entangled, Nico's hands coming up to grab hold of Percy's shirt, his head tilting slightly for a better angle.

He probably shouldn't be watching like that.

Scratch that, he really shouldn't be watching at all.

He tore his gaze away as Percy almost pulled Nico into his lap, instead glancing around at Jason, who was watching him with an odd expression on his face.

Oh gods, had he noticed?

"Percy sucks at kissing, I'm just saying." He blurted, panicking slightly (a lot) and not knowing what else to say, and there was a muffled noise coming from Percy and Nico as they pulled apart, Percy turning to scowl at him.

"Excuse you?"

"You heard me." Will said pointedly, looking away, though he didn't even mean it.

Seriously, it looked like Percy was a pretty good kisser.

It was very frustrating, to be honest, because it kind of maybe made Will want to kiss him even more than usual (which was already pretty horrible by itself, really).

Nico let out a loud sigh. "Will, Truth or Dare?" He asked, probably to stop the two of them from arguing.

Not that he had to worry, because Percy most definitely sulked, which meant Will would have his peace from him for a bit.

Though he did feel a tad guilty.

It wasn't as if he had actually meant it, after all.

"Truth..." He mutter absent-mindedly, wondering whether he should apologize.

Then he realized with a jolt he had trapped himself, because 1. if Nico wanted to, he could ask him whether he had meant it and he'd have to be honest, and 2. next round, he'd have to pick Dare.

_Oops_.

"What would your perfect day be like? I mean, what would you do, where would you be, who would be with you?" Nico asked, and Will blinked.

Then he smiled.

Bless Nico for not asking awkward questions.

"Oh, that's easy. Let's see...alright, picture this: Warm summer day, our clearing, just you guys and me, a picnic blanket and the radio for some music. No worries in the world, no other people, just us relaxing in the sun all day long. Yeah, perfect." He said almost dreamily, yearning for some sunlight down here.

Nico smiled triumphantly, making him blink and glance at Jason and Percy, who were both staring at him, utterly stunned.

What?

What had he said?

"Wait, did you just say we'd be there, too?" Percy asked with a frown, as if trying to make sure, pointing at Jason and himself.

Oh shit.

Oh shit, oh shit, _oh shit._

Will felt the color draining from his face.

He had messed up.

He had messed up _badly_.

All this time he had managed to uphold his 'I like Nico and no one else', and now? Now he just had to ruin it all.

"Ah...well...you know..." He started, trying frantically to think of an excuse.

His gaze fell on Nico.

"Well, _Nico_ would want you guys around, so, of course you'd have to be there. How could my perfect day possibly be perfect if it wasn't perfect for Nico?" He insisted hurriedly, and Nico raised a doubtful eyebrow, sending him a stern glance that conveyed as much as 'Yeah, right'.

But Percy seemed to buy it, looking upset all over again. "Oh. Right. To be expected. Would have been a surprise to see you being nice for once. Not to mention _honest_."

"Oh, and what's that supposed to mean?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow at him, and Percy huffed.

"That you're living in denial again. And there I thought that got better."

"I can live however I like, thank you very much." Will shot back with a scowl.

Percy glowered at him. "Right, sorry for thinking you _care_. Jason, truth or dare?"

Hey!

"Hey, it's my turn!" Will exclaimed, but Percy raised an eyebrow at him.

"It is? I thought you just asked me something, and I replied. My turn now."

Wait, what?!

"I didn't even ask you 'Truth or Dare', nor did you say you pick Truth! You can't just assume that was my question for you!" Will insisted, but Percy merely shrugged.

Will looked around at Jason pleadingly, but Jason was looking between him and Percy with a sigh, his expression saying he'd stay out of this.

Ugh.

Aw, man, and Jason would have to pick Dare, too.

It could have been so fun.

Damn it all.

"Dare." Jason replied once he seemed to notice Will admitting defeat, slouching back into his place.

Well, in all honesty, what did they expect him to say, though?

If he was being honest, they were acting as if he announced he was a party pony in disguise.  
If he was being like he usually acted, they acted all upset and annoyed.  
So, really, what was he supposed to do?

"You know what, how about you put on that punk outfit of yours? It looked so-…wait..." Percy started, but then his eyes widened and he looked like he had just had some sort of brilliant idea, his eyes hushing between Jason and Will, making him cringe.

Oh, he should have apologized, alright.

He was so going to get this back, wouldn't he?

"Actually, I changed my mind. Jason, your dare: Make Will _moan_." Percy corrected himself and Will groaned, burying his face in his hands.

No way.

"I think you just did that yourself, Percy." Jason deadpanned and Will sent him a wry glance from between his fingers.

Percy clicked his tongue. "No, that doesn't count. Also, _you_ have to do it. Unless Will changed his mind and lets you hump-…"

"No." Will and Jason interrupted him at the same time, and Will looked up at Jason surprised.

What was _he_ saying no for?

So, what, just because he was demi and loved Nico and Will would never have a chance, that meant he could just say straight-out how he would never want to do anything with Will?

The thought hurt, though Will should probably be glad about it all the same.

He really should be, but it still hurt.

Ugh.

Percy rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Though you'd deserve it, Will, I'm just saying. Well, guys, get going, then. Can't wait to see this unfold."

"Oh, be quiet, you tease. Will, are you ok with the dare?" Jason asked, considerate as usual, and Will shrugged evasively, his mind too busy going a hundred miles an hour without coming up with anything coherent.

So Jason really was going to try to make him moan, huh?

What was he going to do?

He kind of didn't sound bothered whatsoever, so Will guessed he either had a plan or didn't care either way.

Jason started moving over ever so slowly, or maybe it just felt like that to Will, because time seriously seemed to slow down right now.

_What was Jason going to do?_

He looked at him so oddly, similar to the way he had looked at him when they had been about to kiss all those days ago, and Will could feel his body tingling all over in anticipation and dread.

"What makes you think you'll be able to accomplish that, anyways?" Will heard his own voice ask dubiously, but he was just happy it didn't come out breathless and weird like he was feeling right now.

The ghost of a smile hushed over Jason's face as he settled down in front of him.

"Let's just say I have a hunch."

That sounded most definitely like Jason had a plan.

What did he know?

Did he know any of Will's good spots-…oh…oh no…

Memories flashed through Will's mind, of the past days and his waking up in various places, though usually always close to Jason for some reason.

Memories of Jason's hands, his fingers in Will's hair, stroking through it and massaging his head, making him want to doze off right away again (especially when he woke up with his head on Jason's lap for inexplicable reasons).

Memories of Jason's fingers moving towards his ears, making him shiver and resist the urge to either beg him to stop or to continue and never stop.

Oh gods, Jason knew, didn't he?

Will remembered the way Jason had started massaging his ears in Persephone's garden.

Of course he knew.

He swallowed thickly and looked up at Jason with big eyes, unsure what he was hoping for.  
That Jason would do it or that he wouldn't do it.

Jason studied his expression, his hands already moving, gently stroking over Will's arms as if to calm him.

Then they moved over the sides of his neck, making Will shiver.

Yes, he was so going to do it, wasn't he?

Jason was still studying him intently, his brows furrowing slightly as if concerned, and Will tried so hard to keep a straight face.

But then Jason's hands reached his ears and he stiffened, his eyelids fluttering shut.

Oh gods.

_Oh gods_, Jason was doing it.

Actually doing it.

How _dare_ he?

Who gave him permission to rile Will up like this?

Oh, he guessed he had given him permission with agreeing to the dare.

Damn the dare.

Damn Percy.

Will wished he could hate him.

He swallowed, trying to suppress any sort of sound that wanted to make its way out of his mouth, his entire body tingling and burning as if on fire.

Will knew he was trembling, but there was nothing he could do against that, because it already took all of his willpower to keep his hands from grabbing hold of Jason's shirt, of Jason's arms, of any part of Jason, really.

Jason's wonderfully cool fingers started massaging the shell of his ears, his movements slow and cautious, as if he was worried of hurting Will.

Will's head tipped forward on its own accord, a soft sigh escaping him, and he inwardly cursed himself for it.

Then Jason's fingers found his ear lobes, and Will swore he was _dying_, his hands grabbing hold of Jason's shirt, a needy gasp escaping his lips, his entire body trembling with the effort to remain quiet.

Torture.

This was _torture_.

And Jason was mental.

He definitely had no idea what he was doing, because playing with Will's ears like that was not just making him _feel good_, it was freaking _turning him on_.

He heard shifting next to him, probably Percy and/or Nico, but couldn't make himself care, another small gasp escaping him as he had to part his lips to breathe, because he was panting, and his body was shaking, and his hands were grabbing hold of Jason's shirt so hard he knew he was tugging him closer.

Jason was crazy enough to actually _shift closer_, too, moving his legs around Will and almost bringing their chests together, that's how close he got.

One of his hands pulled back, and Will wanted to whimper at the loss, wondering what Jason thought he was doing.

But then Jason leaned forward, and Will realized a moment too late just _what_ Jason was up to.

"N-No…" He gasped as Jason's lips found his ear, and his entire body practically jolted, his arms wrapping around Jason by themselves, clawing into his shoulder blades through the shirt.

Oh gods.

Oh gods, oh gods, _oh gods_.

Jason hesitated for a moment, his breath feeling way too wonderful on Will's skin, and Will wasn't sure whether he wanted to shove Jason away or pull him closer.

Then Jason licked over his helix, his other hand resuming its massage on Will's other ear, and Will made a very embarrassing 'Nngh'-sound that would probably haunt him forever.

"Want me to stop?" Jason breathed against his ear, and even though half of Will screamed _yes_, the other half screamed _no_, and he was left with another gasp and a small shake of his head.

What was he doing?

He shouldn't let Jason do this.

This was nothing you let a friend do, not even for a dare.

Will was going to _die_.

But it felt so freaking good.

Too freaking good.

Nobody had ever done that to him.

Jason started nibbling on his ear gently, and he wanted nothing more than to groan out loud.

But there was no way he'd give Percy that gratification- nor anybody else, for that matter.

Instead, he bit his lip, trying so hard to suppress any more sounds, his fingernails digging into Jason's skin through his shirt, though Jason didn't seem to even feel it.

They were both trembling now, and he could swear part of the lust that was coursing through him was actually Jason's, but due to his dazed mind, he couldn't tell for sure.

He pressed against Jason needily, and Jason tugged him closer almost immediately, a soft huff escaping his lips, his breath caressing Will's ear before Jason resumed his gentle nibbling, moving down Will's ear to his ear lobe.

Oh gods.

Oh gods, yes.

Oh gods, yes, wait, no, wait, yes - _oh gods_, this was so not happening.

Jason tugged on his ear lobe, and Will just lost it.

He gasped, then _groaned_ \- a loud, needy, _wanting_ groan - and then cursed, because he had just successfully ended a torture he had never wanted to end.

Jason stiffened, then pulled back, searching his eyes for a moment as Will felt his face burning, pulling his hands back from around Jason with great reluctance.

"Well, I guess _somebody_ got sensitive ears." Percy remarked drily, and Will's mortification changed to right-out annoyance.

Percy's dare.

Percy's fault.

His head whipped around as Jason let him go with a small sigh, pulling back and away from him with what Will liked to think was reluctance, though he probably just didn't want to set Will off right now.

Well, too late, Percy had already achieved that, kind of.

"Shut up! I swear, Jackson, one word about this and I'm going to _murder_ you – and I'm a medic, I know of six million ways to do it, too." He spat, and Percy winced, flinching back visibly and almost cowering behind Nico, who raised a surprised eyebrow at Will, studying his face with a pink one of his own.

"Calm down! I'm not saying a thing against you or your ears, sun-bug. Don't get mad…" Percy tried carefully, soothingly, but Will merely scowled, ignoring the way his heart jumped at the gentle way Percy had said 'sun-bug'.

He grumbled, turning his face away and trying to calm his racing heart, instead looking at Jason.

Jason sat in his spot to Will's right again, looking between Percy and Will with an almost sad expression that Will didn't understand, but when he noticed Will's gaze, he put on a sheepish smile, and Will huffed at the way he looked so adorable and almost shy.

He could feel his anger ebbing away slowly and huffed again.

Then, he noticed how Percy's shoulders relaxed slightly and hissed at him.

"Don't you think I'll let you off the hook, Percy. You're going down, I swear. Nobody makes anybody make me-…whatever. It just doesn't happen. Fuck you." He spat, blushing all over again and looking away pointedly.

Percy cooed some more rubbish about 'not judging Will' and 'I didn't mean it bad!', and Will hated to admit to himself that it worked way too well on his bruised ego, though he still felt kind of mortified.

He had seriously just moaned out loud like that in front of his friends.

"Will, truth or dare?" Jason asked after a moment, and Will blinked.

Somehow, he kind of hadn't expected the game to actually continue, though that was stupid, since they had only just started (well, not really, but still).

Also, he wouldn't have thought Jason would pick him right away after having just nibbled on his ear like that.

Well, maybe Jason had it out for him, wanting to embarrass him even more by asking whether he liked it?

Will swallowed.

"Dare." He replied, glancing up to find Jason sending him an almost upset look, as if knowing exactly what Will was thinking and feeling hurt by the lack of trust Will seemed to put in him right now.

Well, Will had trusted him not to abuse his secret knowledge of Will's sweet spots, and everybody had just seen where that had gotten him, right (also, he had picked his two Truth's earlier, so no way out of this Dare, anyways)?

Seriously, though, his ears were still burning hot, and it partly even felt as if Jason still had his hands/lips on them, as if the touch was now permanently imprinted on his skin.

"Put on the cardigan you got from Persephone." Jason's voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he blinked, confused for a moment.

Then he relaxed.

Oh. That was ok, then.

He nodded, climbing off the bed and moving towards his wardrobe, where he had dumped the cardigan into as soon as they had come back from Persephone's garden and gotten changed, just so it wouldn't get rumpled up and dumped in some corner (he did plan to keep it forever, after all, and wear it whenever he felt like he could get away with it).

The walk to and from the wardrobe, with his thoughts on the cardigan instead of Jason's lips on his ear, helped him cool down quite a bit, too.

Maybe that had been Jason's intention all along, to get him to calm down a bit, get himself back in order.

Jason was simply a great guy, wasn't he?

Will slipped into the cardigan, smoothing the fabric and contemplating whether he should close it, but in the end, he left it open, burying his hands in its pockets (he loved pockets, though nobody else knew).

"Like this?" He asked with a small smile, presenting himself as he stood next to the bed, and Jason actually let his gaze travel up and down his body for a moment, before looking him straight in the face again.

"Perfect."

For some reason, Will felt his face heating again and let out a small snort, flopping down on the bed again.

Right.

He was far from perfect, though he was pretty sure they all knew that, so there was no need to point it out.

"Right. So, Percy, Truth or Dare?" Will asked amiably, though the smile he sent Percy said 'murder'.

Percy looked at him with one of his best baby seal faces, but this time, Will stayed strong.

Punishments were in order.

"D-Dare…" Percy finally relented, though Will was fairly certain he'd have chosen Truth if he had had the choice.

But he didn't have a choice.

"Flirt with Jason. Jason, I'm sorry." He declared, then glanced towards Jason apologetically, though the blonde merely sighed.

"It's ok, I half expected it."

Percy whined. "Oh, come on, I suck at flirting! Don't do this to me!" He wailed, getting closer and looking at Will with big, sea-green eyes, but Will merely sent him an unimpressed look.

"Do it, or I'll tell you exactly what to do, and trust me, you won't like it."

Percy wailed, turning towards his boyfriend with a pleading expression, as if he hoped Nico would somehow save him.

Nico probably could, too, because none of them would do anything against Nico's wishes.

But Nico didn't, instead letting out a small sigh.

"Percy, you kind of brought this upon yourself, really." Was all he said, and Percy wailed even more.

Then he seemed to accept defeat, moving forward to Jason with a sigh.

Jason raised a dubious eyebrow at him, but kept quiet.

"Alright, here goes…" Percy mumbled, flopping down right in front of Jason and staring at him determinedly.

For a long moment, they all waited, but nothing happened.

Jason's eyebrow moved higher, but he gazed back at Percy, eyes moving over his face slowly, as if trying to figure out what the hell he was doing.

Will stared, too, trying to make sense of it with a frown.

Then it dawned on him.

"Percy, what do you think you're doing? Eye contact only works as flirting if you stop every here and there!" He cried, and Percy looked around at him with a red face.

"Shut up, I _told_ you I can't flirt for the life of me! Why do you think I needed an_ Advent Calendar with notes_ instead of telling Nico I love him and would do anything for him?" He asked indignantly and Nico made a small, startled sound in the back of his throat, but Will ignored that for now, moving forward, shaking his head all the while.

He plopped down next to Percy with a sigh.

"No, no, no. You have to do it like this: Look at him, as soon as he looks back at you, you lower your eyes, right? And then you glance at him again, maybe turn your head a little to make it seem like you're sheepish and shy, like that, and if you're confident he likes you, you can even dare to bat your eyelashes a bit. Then you look away again, act a bit fidgety. Then look again. If you just keep staring, it will seem like you're a crazy psychopath waiting to run after him and abduct him or something." He explained, turning his own head and finding Percy imitating him, blinking taken aback all the while.

Jason snorted drily.

"Are you teaching Percy how to flirt?" He asked incredulously, but Will shushed him, nodding towards Percy.

"Try again, you sorry excuse." He ordered, and Percy huffed, but turned towards Jason again, anyways.

He looked up at him through his cruelly thick eyelashes, then looked away almost instantly again, seeming genuinely flustered, which made an utterly adorable blush spread up from his neck over his face.

Jason sighed, but leaned back, mustering Percy quietly, as if wanting to see how well Percy would do if he went along with it.

Percy looked up at him again, blinking once, really slow, then he fidgeted slightly and swallowed, dropping his gaze again.

Better.

Not perfect, but a lot better than staring somebody to death.

Will had no idea why Percy would need to know how to flirt, but one could never have enough useless knowledge, he guessed.

Then Percy moved forward slightly.

"So…I was thinking…" He started, blushing slightly, and Will raised an eyebrow, wondering what was going to come now.

Jason seemed surprised, instinctively moving backwards, and Percy's face changed to one of indignity.

"Hey, are you-…did you just _move away_ from me? Dude, that's _low_. Here I am, making a move on you sorry sod, and you just…act like that?" He asked absolutely upset, gesturing at Jason still moving back slowly, though he did stop.

"Percy, that's not how you…" Will started, but then decided to let it drop.

"Well, I wasn't sure what you were going to do!" Jason exclaimed slightly panicked, and Percy growled, moving forward again, while Jason started moving backwards.

"Stop moving, you dick! I had such an awesome pick-up line at the ready!"

"I don't want to hear it!" Jason called back, and Will frowned at the way they practically started chasing each other.

That was…not flirting…

Though, in a way, for those two, it could probably count as an abstract way of flirting, he guessed.

Jason started sideways for the edge of the bed, but Percy uttered a curse and threw himself at him, grabbing him by his legs and pulling him back.

"Stay still and _take my love_!" Percy cried, flopping down on top of him, and Jason groaned out in what could very well be agony.

Will's brows furrowed.

"Hey, Percy, don't hurt him. Also, you do have to respect it if he rejects you, you know?"

"He's not rejecting me, he's just being a dick!" Percy insisted, and Nico and Will shared a doubtful look.

"Get off me, you dork! I don't want your love. Love Nico or Will or both or something!" Jason declared, and Will stiffened momentarily, but then brushed it off.

"See? If he was rejecting me, he'd say 'ass' or 'Jackson'." Percy announced smugly, and Will frowned.

That…was not what he should get hung up on…but, oh well, this was Percy, what else to expect.

Jason wailed, though he let Percy drag him back by his feet in defeat, his face down in the blanket.

Then, Percy flopped down next to him, turning him over to face him and cupping his face.

"So, I was thinking…you're a child of the sky, and I'm a child of the sea, but what would you say to a life on earth with me?" Percy asked with fake sincerity, and Will's eyebrows shot up (as did Nico's and Jason's, for that matter).

For a moment, there was silence.

Then Jason snorted and started laughing.

"Hey! That was a good one!" Percy cried, looking utterly hurt and glancing around at Will for apparent approval, but Will had to fight hard to contain his own laughter.

"You're the worst!" Percy wailed at both Jason and Will, moving towards his boyfriend, who was biting his lip, but wrapped his arms around Percy nevertheless, tugging him close and letting him bury his face at the side of his neck.

Jason and Will exchanged one quick glance, then exploded with laughter.

"I wish I could hate you guys." Percy grumbled against Nico's shoulder, who was patting his back with tears in his eyes, biting his lip almost hard enough to make it bleed, apparently trying so hard to reign in his laughter.

Gods, Percy and flirting sucked, that much was for certain.

Though, the pick-up line hadn't been _that_ bad, in a way.

He just lacked the feeling in the words.

But Will wasn't going to tell him that.

Nope.

After all, that dare had mainly been there to get to Percy for making Jason nibble on Will's ear like that.

He had to admit this was rather nice payback, but he also decided it nearly wasn't enough to satisfy him.

Will had groaned out rather loudly, after all, embarrassing him in front of Jason and Nico, so Percy was most definitely going to feel his wrath for a much longer time than just one dare.

Definitely.

.

The guys had it out for him.

Definitely.

As several more rounds passed, Percy had to do the weirdest things, none of them showing mercy on him.

He had to run around the room once – which hadn't been easy, what with all the stuff already scattered across the floors, even though they had barely been staying here for a week -, had to do a handstand for five minutes – which meant he had to keep trying forever until Jason had decided to help him so he'd stay upright for five minutes in a row, with his shirt in his face, exposing his bare stomach without being able to do anything about it (much to Will's amusement, apparently, if his dry remark about Percy's tensed muscles had meant anything), and had to do some other weird stunts.

So, yeah, now, he was sitting here, tired and exhausted, and not even Nico was showing mercy on him, that cruel, cruel boyfriend (but he loved him so, so much, anyways), though at least he hadn't made him do anything weird.

He also hadn't asked him too embarrassing questions (like when Will had asked Percy for one of his sweet spots when Percy had been delusional and thought picking Truth with Will was a smart choice – he had told them he had a sensitive lower back, since he was fairly certain they had all known that already, anyways. It still hadn't helped his embarrassment, though, at admitting to things like that).

Percy knew he had messed up, damn it!

He shouldn't have made Jason make Will moan, whatever.

But Will had deserved it!

(Also, it wasn't as if he hadn't _enjoyed_ it…though Percy guessed that was kind of the problem Will was having right now, anyways. That he had enjoyed it but hadn't wanted _them_ to know he had. Typical living-in-denial-behavior again, ugh.)

It had all been because Will had been so freaking _mean_ again, back when Nico had asked him that Truth-ask (not to mention how he had criticized his kissing – seriously, what the hell?)

Seriously, why had he _said_ that?

Percy knew he shouldn't have expected anything different, of course, because Will was obviously going to be just like he always was - which was to say giving Percy hope and making him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, just to then squash his hopes again with being cruel and mean.

Sometimes, Percy thought he could tell roughly how Will felt about something, but then there were times where he was fairly certain it was all just wishful thinking.

It had still sounded so nice though, what Will had said.

About his 'perfect day'.

He had said it so dreamily, so contently, as if he could picture nothing better than all four of them in that clearing on a nice day, just hanging out together.

Kind of like the scenario Percy had though would be perfect for him, too – and what Nico had said back in their first Truth or Dare, now that he thought of it.

It had just sounded so…_fitting_.

Like Will shared their views, _Percy's_ views, that the four of them…kind of…well…_belonged together_.

And when he had said it like that, Percy had really been hoping that he had meant that, that there was a chance for them all.

But then Will had backtracked, brushing it all aside as if it was nothing and as if he couldn't care less about Jason and Percy, as if they were his friends, yes, but nothing more.

Well, Percy guessed he was nothing more to Will than that.

He did know Will was beginning to feel more than a little something for Jason - he wasn't blind, after all.

Sure, people called him oblivious by times, but he had eyes in his head, alright?

And the way Will had grabbed hold of Jason, his expression one of bliss and want…_please_.

It had been so blatantly obvious, really.

Percy was fairly certain Will wouldn't have reacted even half that sweetly if it had been anybody else doing that dare with him, even if they had nibbled on his ears just as nicely.

What was up with his ears, anyways?

Percy had never noticed Will particularly reacting to anything that had to do with his ears.

Then again, he kind of couldn't remember ever _doing_ anything with Will's ears.

Maybe he should try that by times, just to see whether it really were his ears he reacted so intensely to, or whether it was Jason.

Not that it would make any difference, of course.

"So, Nico, Truth or Dare?" Will asked, at least looking a lot more relaxed now than earlier, the mischievous glint back in his eyes again.

Nico straightened up slightly, apparently not surprised it was his turn again, but seeming a lot more comfortable now, compared to the beginning.

Then again, Percy had the distinct feeling Nico was inwardly glad Jason and Will were mostly targeting Percy, because it meant they left Nico alone mostly, which meant they didn't embarrass him, neither purposefully, nor accidentally.

"Dare." He replied with a small smile of his own, and Percy gazed at him gently, thinking to himself that Nico looked so wonderful when he was confident and at ease.

He noticed Will looking at him for a moment and glanced around at the blonde, finding his eyes gleaming with mirth for a moment, a rather evil smirk on his face, and Percy just knew this was going to be something mean again.

"Make Percy whimper."

Oh wow.

"Seriously?" Percy scowled, glancing around to see Nico blink surprise.

"Yeah, make him whimper. He deserves it." Will repeated with a determined nod, raising an eyebrow at Percy as if daring him to argue.

Percy bit the inside of his lip to stop himself from retorting something he'd regret.

So, Will wanted to get to Percy by making him whimper in front of them, huh?

Probably as a direct payback for making him moan in front of them.

Well, but Will was forgetting this was Nico who'd have to do it, and Nico wouldn't-…

"Alright." Nico replied with a small shrug, and Percy's head shot around in startled surprise.

What?

By the time he was looking at Nico, though, the Italian was already pretty much on his lap, lips finding his, drawing him into a searing hot kiss he had NOT been prepared for whatsoever.

What?

He returned the kiss instinctively, the sensations too familiar for his body not to melt against Nico's automatically, and he wanted to wrap his arms around Nico to draw him closer – and Nico immediately pushed them back down, holding his wrists at his sides resolutely as he dominated Percy's mouth relentlessly.

Whoa.

Alright, that was…unusual.

But, damn, that was _good_.

Better than good, it felt sort of amazing.

Though he had no clue why he wasn't allowed to touch Nico.

He wanted to touch Nico.

Badly.

Nico squeezed his wrists as if in warning, then let go of them to let his hands slide under Percy's shirt, stroking over his bare skin with a slight tremble.

Percy tried to deepen the kiss, but Nico pulled back almost instantly, instead attacking his jaw and neck, biting down on that spot near the base of his neck that he liked so much, making him gasp.

Nico was being so…different.

He was being sort of dominant, but in an entirely different way from usual, his movements deliberate and distinct, as if he knew exactly what he was doing.

There was no trace of uncertainty, no hesitation, nothing that usually crossed Nico's features at one point or another.

He tried to move his hands again tentatively, but Nico promptly shoved him back onto the bed, climbing on top of him and pinning his arms over his head, his expression determined and fiery (and sort of really, absolutely sexy).

Then his lips were back on Percy's, hot and amazing and perfect, and Percy moaned, tilting his head for a better angle – and Nico instantly pulled back again, making Percy almost whimper with need.

What was Nico doing? Why would he tease him like that?

Was he trying to turn him into some whimpering-…oh…

Nico was being like this _on purpose_!

Apparently, he knew _full well_ how he could get to Percy, how he could turn him into a whimpering mess, and, more than apparently, he wasn't afraid to use that against Percy – how unfair was that?!

The realization didn't exactly help Percy in any way, though, because just the thought of Nico being dominant again had him moaning longingly against Nico's lips again, once Nico finally pushed them back onto Percy's.

Then, Nico started touching him again, pushing his hands under his shirt in a rather demanding manner, stroking over his skin as if claiming every inch as his own, which had Percy's nerves tingling all over, making him feel hot and cold in utter excitement.

Nico's hands moved over his skin as if searching for something, using his nails here and there to make Percy's breath hitch, but he didn't whimper.

_Hell no._

He was going to make the most of this.

Because who knew when Nico would do it again (or IF he would do it again, at all)?

Nico started nipping on his bottom lip, tugging on it and grinding down on Percy's crotch, making him gasp, barely able to suppress the needy whimper that wanted to escape him instead, but he managed.

Barely.

Nico proved to be ruthless, teasing him more and more, and when he grinded down on Percy again, he couldn't help it and moved his hands to Nico's hips to hold him in place for longer than those few seconds that sadist granted him.

Nico instantly pulled back completely, and Percy whimpered and cursed.

Then he realized what he had just done and cursed even more, sitting up to see Nico grinning triumphantly, though he had swollen lips and his breath was as ragged as Percy's, showing he wasn't as unaffected as he might try to act like.

"No, Nico…" He breathed, pleaded, whined, trying to get him to come back, to kiss him again, to grind against him again, to do anything he wanted to do to Percy (he swore he wouldn't move!).

But Nico merely chuckled quietly, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on Percy's cheek.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think now's the time." He said gently, and Percy huffed upset, glancing around at Jason and Will, who exchanged amused and smug glances.

Those two!

_Will_!

This had been his plan all along, hadn't it?

To get Percy all hot and bothered, just to leave him hanging?

How cruel was that?

Percy turned towards his boyfriend again with a pleading look, trying to get him to show mercy on him and maybe just give him _one more kiss_, but Nico only threw him an apologetic glance and moved back to his place.

Percy whined, but couldn't help letting his gaze drop to Nico's absolutely perfect backside, which might not have been such a great idea, because, well, Will and Jason were right there, watching him, and he was already hard from their little make-out, and he really did not need his mouth to water as much as it did right then.

Seriously, though, if Nico did this for a dare, how high were the chances he'd do this again when they were in the bathroom, or alone some other time?

He must have clearly noticed Percy had liked that.

Why had he never done anything like this before, then?

Maybe this had something to do with Percy admitting he wouldn't mind bottoming?

If so, why had Nico never asked?

It should have been kind of obvious, of course – especially since Percy had always tried to somehow encourage him whenever he had been acting more confident, not to mention when he had been dominant -, but even if Nico hadn't been sure, he could have simply asked whether Percy minded or not.

At that thought, he remembered all the times Nico had admitted he didn't want to do anything wrong or cross any borders, even after Percy had insisted he could do anything he wanted.

Oh.

Maybe that had been his way of asking, and because of Percy's rather generalized reply, he hadn't exactly known that to be Percy's way of screaming 'Yes, push me down and ravish me, I'm completely fine with that and anything else you want to do!'.

Damn it, Percy should have told him directly.

Definitely.

Damn, why hadn't he done that?

Why had it never crossed his mind to say it out loud so Nico could be 100% sure?

He shook his head.

Right now, he shouldn't be thinking about top or bottom issues, and he shouldn't be thinking of Nico's hands all over his body and his lips pressed against him so wonderfully again, because, seriously, he should be trying to get rid of his hard-on, not support it with fantasies.

Damn, why had Will dared Nico to do that, anyways?

Sure, he had wanted to get to Percy, but what could he possibly get from turning him into a hot and bothered fool with a hard-on and his mind full of-…oh…

Percy gazed at Will again, realizing with a jolt this must have been exactly how he had felt like earlier, when Jason had nibbled on his ear, more than obviously driving him crazy.

Because, if Percy had read the signs correctly (Will's dilated eyes, his heavy breathing, the way he had definitely adjusted his pants a couple of times afterwards, not to mention the way he had practically pressed himself against Jason needily while Jason had pretty much ravished him in the most innocent way possible), Will had definitely been turned on.

Just that there was nothing Will could do about it, and definitely not with Jason, while Percy could drag Nico off to the bathroom later.

Oh.

"Percy, Truth or Dare?" Nico asked him curiously, and Percy blinked, turning his head back towards his boyfriend instead of Will (who apparently didn't like getting looked at for too long, frowning at him rather warily).

"Erm…Truth." He decided, since his last choice had been a Dare and he didn't want to end up _having_ to choose Truth next, since he had no idea who'd ask him next.

"Did you like that?" Nico asked, and Percy's eyebrows shot up, surprised at the bluntness of the question.

Though Nico didn't seem like he was trying to tease him at all.

It seemed like he actually genuinely wanted to know, and he looked almost uncertain, which at least made him seem a lot more like the Nico Percy knew.

Will snorted. "Of course he did. Never saw anybody writhe so nicely. You'd be such a pro top, Nico." He replied before Percy could say anything; and Percy instinctively scowled, though he completely agreed with everything he had said (well, though he couldn't say anything about his 'writhing', since he hadn't even noticed he had done that in the first place).

Still, that didn't mean Will had any right to say it like that.

"You know what, sun-bug? This is it. You want war, you have it. Truth or Dare?" He asked, turning towards him and finding both of Will's eyebrows shoot up.

"Oh really? Well, now I'm curious. Dare."

Wow, daring.

Exactly what Percy knew he'd take.

Percy grinned triumphantly.

"Perfect. Will, I think it's time for the kiss-dare."

Will flinched back slightly, eyes growing wide.

But then he caught himself, a smug grin hushing over his face as his eyes settled on Nico.

"Oh really? And you think the other two will agree to that?" He asked pointedly, and Percy scowled.

"What kiss-dare?" Nico asked confused, and Will chuckled.

"Percy and I had a bit of a row some time ago, and we decided we'd dare each other to kiss the winner of a Rock-Paper-Scissors game. That was the only way it would be fair, because I know whom I'd want to kiss, but we both agreed that would hardly be a Dare." He explained, and Percy looked around to see his boyfriend nodding quietly, frowning slightly at the end.

He wondered vaguely whether Nico knew Will was referring to him when he said 'I know whom I'd want to kiss'.

He should, of course, but Percy kind of had the feeling Nico was trying not to hear any of that as to not make things even more complicated for himself, not to mention their relationship.

Percy could imagine it to be quite difficult being with somebody while still having feelings for somebody else, just to then find out that somebody else would actually be interested.

Ugh, not a good train of thought.

Then again, the issue could so easily be sorted out if they…no, Percy shouldn't think of that right now.

Or ever, for that matter.

He still had no idea where those thoughts had come from in the first place, after all.

No place good, that much was certain.

"Well, ok, then. So, if Percy dares you, that means Jason, Percy and I have to play Rock-Paper-Scissors, and the winner gets to kiss you, right?" Nico repeated, still with a slight frown on his face.

And Percy wondered whether he actually wanted to kiss Will.

He probably did.

Maybe Percy shouldn't have brought up the Rock-Paper-Scissors-game back then, instead letting Will dare Nico to a kiss, like Jason had done?

Wait, no way, he was not going to support anything here!

Especially not his boyfriend kissing somebody else, not even if it was Will!

"Yep, that's it. Unless one or two of you want to give up right away?" Will replied, looking at Percy and Jason pointedly, acting hopeful and sighing when neither of them 'gave up'.

Instead, Jason and Nico both held out one fist, looking at Percy expectantly.

Alright, let's do this.

Wait, who would he want to win, anyways?

Somehow, as Percy moved his hand, he got the feeling this really hadn't been his brightest idea.

Will looked at Nico hopefully, and they played their first round.

Percy held up Rock.

Jason held up Rock.

Nico held up Scissors.

"No…" Will whined, looking crestfallen, though he pulled himself together relatively fast, especially when Nico looked similarly disappointed (which actually did sting a little bit) and threw Will an apologetic look as he pulled back with a sigh, falling back into his place.

Alright, that meant it would either be Jason or Percy.

Before earlier, with Will so very obvious with his affection for Jason, Percy would have completely rooted for Jason, just to tease Will.

But now, the thought of Will kissing Jason, for a dare or not, made his throat constrict and his insides churn.

Also, there was the fact Jason definitely liked Will, the past days alone had shown that, even if Jason hadn't told him he 'might start liking him' all those weeks ago in the forest.

"Ready?" Jason asked good-naturedly, and Percy inwardly growled.

Jason _wanted_ to kiss Will, didn't he?

He thought he'd so win and get him and then those two would be dating and everything would be different and over and-…_Percy wouldn't have it_.

There was _no way_ he'd let Jason kiss Will.

No way in hell.

He straightened up slightly, holding his hand out determinedly, and saw the realization flashing through Jason's eyes, his jaw tightening, his body stiffening slightly.

They both stared into each other's eyes determinedly, having a fight of their own as their hands moved for their second row.

They both put up Paper.

Jason's gaze was challenging, his lips a firm line, and it was obvious to Percy he wanted to win.

Percy wouldn't let him win.

He _couldn't_ let him win.

"Alright, another round, then." Will said next to them, apparently oblivious to the already raging battle between them.

Their hands moved on their own accord.

And the next moment, Percy held up Paper, while Jason held up Rock.

Yes!

Jason hissed and pulled back, looking furious and upset and ready to fight for real, while Percy flashed his teeth victoriously.

"Percy, you _idiot_!" Jason exclaimed, burying his face in his hands, while Percy wondered what he was talking about.

"I…you…" Will started, and he turned his head, seeing Will stare at him wide-eyed, his lips slightly parted, his ears and cheeks reddening.

Hell, of course Percy wouldn't let Jason kiss him.

"So…I guess that backfired, huh?" Nico asked, sounding both disturbed and amused from his other side, and Percy frowned.

Backfired how?

"Well, have fun kissing Will, man." Jason muttered, waving off as if giving up all hope on Percy.

And then, in that moment, Percy realized that winning against Jason – and not having Jason kiss Will - meant that Percy would have to kiss Will.

Percy.

Kiss.

Will.

_Oh shit._

"Ah…that…" He started, looking around hurriedly for some sort of excuse or way out of this one.

"I…am not sure whether Nico would be ok with that…" Percy tried tentatively, glancing around at his boyfriend, but Nico looked at him with a rather impassive expression.

"What, I thought kissing during Truth or Dare doesn't mean anything?" He asked drily, and Percy winced, because he knew Nico was thinking of that kiss-dare from Jason back in December, when all three of them had assured him it was completely ok to do stuff like that.

Oops.

"Oh, there's no way out of this one, Percy. You got yourself into that, you'll go through with it." Jason said derisively, his anger pretty ill concealed in Percy's opinion, though, funnily enough, the other two didn't seem to notice a thing.

Will snorted, looking so absolutely _hurt_, it made Percy want to crawl under the bed in shame, though he had no idea what had brought that expression on his face.

Maybe he had hoped to kiss Jason, too, since he couldn't have Nico.

Gods, who was he kidding, of course he had hoped for Jason.

He liked Nico and Jason, after all.

Percy was nothing to him.

"I really don't see why you're complaining. You're the bad kisser here, Percy, not me. Unless you're saying kissing me will make you realize how much you suck at it." Will remarked, apparently out to hurt, because the words did sting quite a bit, though Percy was almost certain he didn't mean them as much as he wanted to.

It was just something in the impassive way he said them, especially because he could usually muster at least double that venom without even trying.

Still, Percy squared his shoulders and moved forward.

"We'll see in a moment who the bad kisser is, sun-bug." He said determinedly, and Jason's head shot up, same as Will's eyebrows.

Percy moved to get closer to Will so he could give him a quick peck and be done with this, but the moment he got between Will's legs, the blonde all but bolted.

"Wait, no. Not like that. We…we are not going to kiss on the freaking bed, if I already have to put up with you." Will stuttered, looking almost horrified at the notion, and Percy blinked, now definitely hurt.

But then he shrugged and followed suite, climbing off the bed.

"Alright, ready?" Percy asked awkwardly as he stood in front of Will, looking at his face (and especially his lips), and swallowing rather thickly.

Was he seriously going to kiss Will Solace?

Will scowled at him as if he had said something stupid again (he probably had. Truth be told, he had already forgotten what he had even said).

"Do you ask Nico every time before you kiss him whether he's ready? How does he put up with you?" He remarked and Percy rolled his eyes, taking that as a 'Yes'.

Then he leaned forward, pushing their lips together.

Just like that.

And for a moment, nothing happened, yet everything happened.

Because Will wasn't kissing back, but making a startled sound in the back of his throat, his body tensing, his eyes wide open in what almost seemed like shock, gazing at Percy in disbelief as their lips were pressed against each other's.

But at the same time, Percy could _feel_ it all.

Could feel the texture of Will's lips against his, could feel the heat radiating from his body, could feel his breath on his skin, could feel the way he trembled slightly; and he wanted it, he wanted it all.

Before he knew what he was doing, he moved against him further, moving his lips to animate Will to freaking kiss back already.

And then, Will did.

_By the gods_, he did.

.

Will had no idea what he was doing, but he never wanted it to stop.

One moment, Percy and he had stood in front of each other stiffly, their lips sealed, their eyes staring at each other.

Then, Will had kissed back…and suddenly, everything had escalated.

Percy had closed his eyes with a small gasp, both their hands moving up to clasp each other's faces, Will's lips moving against Percy's, drinking in every single detail he could make out; and Percy had let him, pushing against him with equal vigor, his lips mashing against Will's almost wantonly.

They both gasped, and then Will was closing his eyes too as Percy moved, urging him backwards until his back hit the wall next to the bathroom door, but neither of them cared, their breathing ragged, their lips mashing against each other's relentlessly.

He was kissing Percy Jackson.

And he was liking it.

A lot.

He couldn't think. Everything inside him was a mess and jumble of emotions and sensations, and he tilted his head to the side for a better angle, drawing a small moan from Percy as he slid his tongue into Will's mouth, making him move his hands into Percy's hair, resisting the urge to groan out in bliss, happily going along with the now tongue-kiss, showing Percy just what he could do with his tongue.

_Yes!_

Percy smirked and huffed slightly, and their kiss turned from heated to scalding hot, their bodies pushing against each other, Percy's hands still cupping Will's face unnecessarily, while Will's were fisted into Percy's hair, tugging him closer, even though that shouldn't have been possible.

But Percy didn't mind.

In fact, Will even thought Percy liked it.

At least the small moans he let out whenever Will pulled on his hair indicated that.

Maybe he had a thing for that.

Who cared.

That didn't matter right now.

All that mattered right now were Percy's lips, hot against his own, their tongues entangling and chasing and teasing and exploring.

He groaned, then spun them around so Percy's back hit the wall, taking complete control.

There was no way he'd let Percy get away with pushing him against anything.

Will was not going to be submissive.

Percy gasped and groaned, tilting his head and letting Will take over almost instantly, not even trying in the slightest to put up a fight, which made Will put in an extra effort to please, luring a low groan out of Percy once more as he rutted their bodies together shamelessly.

Shit, Percy was a great kisser, alright?

And Will felt like he was going to explode.

He tried pulling back slightly, but Percy pursued with a needy moan that made Will's body tremble and tingle, making his dick twitch in his already rather tight pants.

Damn, he was reacting way too much to this.

He had forgotten why, but he knew it wasn't a good idea to get too into this.

Though, by the gods, he was already way too much into this.

Percy pushed against him further, and they started stumbling backwards again, though neither of them seemed to have a definite goal in mind.

It was a miracle they didn't fall over anything, to be honest.

He heard somebody saying something behind him and was momentarily drawn back into reality, but then Percy's hands moved down his sides, setting his skin on fire even through the fabric, and all coherent thought was gone again, replaced by desire, need and lust.

He tugged on Percy's hair again, and Percy smirked against his lips, trying to pull back – undoubtedly to say something -, but this time, Will was the one tugging him back close, not wanting this to end.

Because something told him once they broke away, once they let this end, it would be over, and he didn't want it to be over - he couldn't have it be over.

He needed this.

Needed Percy.

Needed Percy's lips pressed against his own.

Oh, he was a formidable kisser.

Will heard himself sigh contently, and Percy trembled slightly in response, both of them still stumbling through the room awkwardly.

Percy's fingers hooked through his belt loops, tugging him closer, and their bodies collided with each other, as harsh and heated as their kiss was.

Will's hands dropped from Percy's head in favor of moving down, using his fingernails on the back of his neck and then down his spine, making Percy shiver so wonderfully.

Then his arms moved back up and wrapped around his shoulders, and he tilted his head further.

They needed air.

Both of them knew they needed air.

But breaking apart would mean the end, and Will couldn't even stand the thought of that.

In fact, he wanted the opposite.

He wanted more.

More of this.

More of what could follow.

Right here.

Right now.

But he knew it wasn't meant to be.

He knew this wasn't allowed to mean anything.

He knew those things, though the knowledge was what meant nothing to him.

_He didn't care._

He wanted this to be. He wanted _them_ to be.

And this meant everything to him.

Will made a desperate sound in the back of his throat, and found Percy clutching him harder, as if trying to show him he was there, that everything would be alright, and their feverish kissing started slowing, becoming intense in an entirely different, much more emotional than sexual way.

Then, they finally had to part to gasp for air, panting hard and looking at each other with wide eyes and flushed faces, both of them choking out weak chuckles at the sight.

Percy beamed at him, and Will grinned back, pulling his arms back slowly from around Percy's shoulders, instead letting his hands rest on his chest, feeling his fast and wild heartbeat, so like his own.

"That was intense." Nico's voice sounded from behind them and they both flinched, looking around towards the bed slightly surprised.

Alright, how had they moved through pretty much the entire room?

No, Will decided he didn't want to know.

Instead, he realized just what Percy and he had just done, how badly things had escalated, and how Percy's fingers were still hooked through his belt loops.

Why the last part mattered, Will had no idea.

He was kind of too occupied falling apart over the other two small but sadly gigantic issues.

Oh gods.

He had just kissed Percy Jackson.

Like, _really_ kissed.

That kiss had been one of the most intense kisses in his life, to be honest.

And, by the gods, Percy was a great kisser.

Wait, no, that wasn't what he should be thinking about.

Damn, he had kissed Percy.

_Percy_.

(And he had loved it.)

Percy, who was in a relationship with Nico.  
Percy, who wasn't interested in Will.  
Percy, who Will might be super slightly crushing on maybe (but only a very tiny little bit, barely noticeable, barely worth mentioning even inside his head…yeah…absolutely…).  
Percy, who was Percy.  
Percy, who was utterly off limits to Will.  
Percy, who had definitely kissed back.

(And he had still utterly loved it.)

Will gulped, glancing at Percy again almost against his will, finding him looking around at him in surprise, too, his expression telling Will he must be going through a similar train of thoughts.

Yet, he didn't pull back, and Will didn't step away, either.

And then, Percy opened his mouth - and blurted something he completely couldn't catch, but it was something urgent, something desperate, and for a moment, he tugged Will closer by his jeans, his eyes wide, honest, sincere.

Will blinked his brows furrowing.

"What?" He asked, hating how weak and breathless his voice sounded, so he stepped back and cleared his throat, eyes hushing back towards Nico and Jason.

Nico was staring at them, his eyebrows raised, but he didn't look upset or jealous or disgruntled.

There was an underlying sadness in his eyes, though, but Will found himself breathing with relief anyways, because that meant Percy and Nico would be alright.

He hadn't destroyed their relationship.

"N-Nothing…I think…just…you…no, never mind…" Percy stammered, looking down, his face turning redder by the moment, and he finally let go of Will completely, stepping back and scratching the side of his neck awkwardly instead.

Will's gaze dropped to those bruised and swollen lips for a moment, but then he shook his head and looked towards Jason, but Jason wasn't looking at him.

In fact, Jason wasn't looking at either of them, though he had moved to next to Nico, their shoulders leaning against each other, and their hands on each other's thighs, so Will was fairly certain they had both been watching them during their little…well…dare.

Somehow, that made him realize none of them had actually really talked yet, and Percy and Will still stood kind of close to each other (though not dangerously close anymore), and there was definitely that awkward silence moving in here.

He had to do something.

But what?

Will cleared his throat.

"Right…well…I admit, you're not as bad of a kisser as you had made it seem." He admitted, not meeting Percy's gaze as he said it.

A little confession like that was much more bearable than all of them uncomfortable and quiet around each other, after all.

Percy was still scratching the side of his neck, and Will found himself imitating him without noticing.

"Yeah…erm…you aren't too bad, yourself. Nothing compared to Nico, though, of course…" Percy muttered, eyes hushing towards his boyfriend, and Will's lips twitched into a dry smile, trying not to take it personally.

"Oh, you're nothing compared to Nico, either. Forgot I kissed him? Now, Jason is the only one I haven't kissed. I'm not sure whether that makes him the lucky bastard or the sorry sod." He babbled, looking towards Jason again, but Jason didn't look up, instead studying his lap intently.

What was _wrong_ with him?

He had already reacted oddly when Percy had won the Rock-Paper-Scissors game, but Will had kind of thought that was because he hadn't wanted it to be Percy so Nico wouldn't get worried.

But Nico seemed fairly fine, actually.

Will would have to check, of course, but as far as he could tell, he was doing a lot better than Will would have probably done in his position.

Not that he had ever been in that position.

A loving relationship with a partner that loved and cherished him the way he was, doing everything in his power to make him happy and comfortable, being there for him whenever he needed him and reassuring him constantly?

Oh, how Will wished.

He had kind of had the utter opposite, truth be told.

Yeah, but now was not the time to think about that.

It had been Will's fault, anyways.

He had let it happen, even after (finally) realizing that wasn't how a relationship should go.

Then again, it wasn't as if he had had that much of a choice in the matter, anyways, but that was _definitely_ something he didn't want to think about, like, ever again.

Thankfully, after all this time, Will had perfected to ban those thoughts from his mind as soon as they tried to manifest.

Maybe, if he tried hard enough, he'd be able to do the same with the jumble of emotions inside him, too, one day.

He took a deep breath, then started moving towards the bed, trying to ignore the way his legs felt like jelly (they had worked just fine when Percy had made them move through the room, after all, so they had no business acting all weak now).

Sighing, he flopped down.

"Well, that had definitely been different. Now, are we still playing?"

He hoped they were, because else, this was definitely going to be and stay awkward.

"I don't see why not." Percy said, sitting down on the opposite side of the bed and instantly moving towards Nico, who already stretched out a hand as if to welcome him against his side, showing once more that he seemed…well…fine?

It was weird.

Not that he shouldn't be fine, but somehow, Will had kind of thought he'd be a bit more…shocked.

Maybe even angry.

But he smiled at Percy tentatively, warmly, his eyes gleaming with affection when Percy pressed his lips to his forehead lovingly.

Yeah, he wouldn't expect Percy to kiss Nico right now, either, since he had just kissed Will.

Hey, wait…

"Sweet, and I just indirectly kissed Nico. Hey, Neeks, Truth or Dare?"

Nico and Percy both shot him a wry glance, and Will chuckled, leaning forward to ruffle through Nico's hair quickly.

While it felt nice and fluffy and soft as usual, Will obviously had ulterior motives, trying to catch a glimpse of Nico's inner state.

_Oh_.

Yeah, ok, Nico was a master actor, that much was for certain.

Will tried to keep his smile on his face as he pulled back, though he was fairly certain it looked more like a grimace for a moment.

Alright, Nico was a mess on the inside, full of confusion and longing and guilt (?), all whirling and churning and throwing the rest of his body (and values) into utter turmoil.

"Dare." Nico replied, probably trying to avoid Will asking about that kiss (not that he would have).

"Hm…dare…oh, I know: I dare you to take a long hot bath with Percy later. After all, he's still three levels up in-game and so far I've had no time whatsoever to catch up and I'm so not letting him beat me, so you better keep him occupied for at least an hour." He insisted, wriggling his eyebrows at them and Percy looked around at him with an indignant scowl, though his eyes gleamed with gratitude, so Will knew he knew he wasn't completely serious (he'd still beat him, though).

"Oh really? You'll need us gone for more than an hour if you want to catch up to me in-game. And even then, my skills are still a hundred times better than yours."

Will stuck his tongue out at him, and Percy looked aghast, wrapping his arms around Nico and burying his face at his shoulder.

"Nico~, Will is sticking his tongue out at me! Do something!" He wailed, and Nico turned his head towards his boyfriend as if he was crazy (which he was, and they all knew it).

Will crossed his arms in front of his chest, making a face.

"Tattletale." He grumbled, and Nico looked towards him with a hint of exasperation, too.

But then he rolled his eyes and grinned.

"You two are such kids sometimes."

Both Percy and Will chuckled, winking at Nico simultaneously.

"We have our moments."

They laughed, and Will looked towards Jason again, who had moved back to his spot, still unusually quiet.

Their eyes met for a moment, and Will was taken aback at the note of pain in those sky-blue eyes, not to mention the sorrow.

What?  
What was going on?  
Was he alright?  
Why was he hurt?  
What had hurt him?  
_Who_ had hurt him?  
Will was going to fight them.

Jason looked away hastily, looking back down at his hands that were folded in his lap, and Will wanted to reach out, wanted to stroke his shoulder, or hug him and hold him close, or do…something, anything, everything, to make him stop looking like that.

So hurt.

So vulnerable.

But when he shifted, just to reach out and tap his shoulder to ask whether he was ok, he instantly felt Jason stiffen and move away slightly, making it more than obvious he did not wish to be touched right now.

Especially not by Will.

And it stung, it hurt, it felt horrible, the rejection, but Will drew his hand back anyways, trying not to let it show just how badly that got to him.

Percy met his gaze and worry showed in his features for a moment before he glanced towards Jason for a moment, too.

Will watched his eyes widen slightly, apparently realizing something Will didn't know, then guilt flashed across his features and Percy bit his lip, looking down at his hand clasped around Nico's with a conflicted expression.

Alright, whatever Jason's problem was, it was something serious, and Percy knew something about it.

Great.

Just great.

(He couldn't fight Percy. Damn it.)

Will seriously wasn't sure whether he loved or hated this Truth or Dare game.

He had massively enjoyed the ear-nibbling part, and they had definitely found out a lot of stuff about each other, not to mention that that kiss with Percy had been other-worldly (oh gods, he'd have never guessed he'd ever use that word, especially not in this context).

But at the same time, he had also been utterly embarrassed, had had to admit to quite a few things he hadn't really wanted to admit, and that kiss with Percy had been other-worldly, which meant he had set himself up for even more misery.

Not to mention Jason seemed to have some sort of issue with him now.

Maybe it was because of the kiss.

Maybe Jason thought it would get between Percy and Nico somehow.

If so, he really didn't have to worry.

Will was not going to make a move on Percy anytime soon, and Percy wasn't interested in him like that.

Alright, he had been completely gone with the kiss and all, but, well, the kiss had been rather good, after all.

It had been _amazing_.

Ok, Will should definitely stop thinking about that.

With a last glance towards Jason, Will sighed and returned his focus on Percy and Nico, resuming their Truth or Dare game, though he decided he definitely had enough of anything awkward, not to mention sexual.

Which was a first.

But everything was a first once.

Like that kiss with Percy.

Oh gods, Will _seriously_ had to stop pondering that.

.

Once Percy and Nico left for the shower, that dumb game finally over, Jason had no idea what to do.

He was hurt, and he wanted his peace, but there was nowhere to go, and Will was right there next to him, looking at him as if he thought Jason didn't notice.

Why had Percy done that?

_Why_?

Was he so set on taking everything from Jason that meant something to him?

No, Jason shouldn't think like that.

He knew Percy didn't think that way, and hadn't done it just to hurt Jason.

Though he was fairly certain he had wanted to hurt him somehow, because else, he definitely wouldn't have been so utterly determined about winning that cursed Rock-Paper-Scissors game.

And Percy had beaten him.

Jason had lost.

Had lost his chance for the kiss he had been hoping for forever already.

Had lost his chance with Will, because he had definitely seen the chemistry between them, had seen the way their bodies had reacted to each other, had seen how they had gazed at each other as they had finally managed to pull away for air, had seen the longing in both their eyes, had heard Percy blurt out his barely distinguishable 'Go out with us!' afterwards, though he had covered it up hastily again for whatever reason.

Jason smiled wryly to himself.

Who was he kidding?

He had never had a chance with Will in the first place.

The blonde had never seen more in him than a friend, just like Nico and Percy.

Jason had known that before.

He had also known before that those three would end up together at some point, so, really, it shouldn't have come as a surprise, it shouldn't have hurt.

But it had.

It had hurt so freaking much.

The way those two had kissed, the way he had been able to see how it had escalated, how he had pretty much seen the moment both of them had forgotten anything else in the world existed.

The way they had pressed against each other, smirking against each other's lips smugly every here and there, looking so blissed out.

The fact that Percy had just…had just taken it all as another challenge with Jason, not pausing to think for one freaking moment, to think about what this meant, for Jason, for himself, for anybody else, no, nothing, just so he could beat him, just so Jason wouldn't get the _one thing_ that had been on his mind forever.

Then again, maybe that was all for the best.

Jason shouldn't be hoping for kisses with a person that wasn't interested.

What was becoming of him, anyways? Was he some sort of crazy, horribly selfish asshole now?

"Jason…?" Will's voice was hesitant, cautious and quiet, but to Jason it felt as if he had yelled at him, tearing him out of his thoughts and making him want to look up instantly to check whether Will was ok, because Will never talked like that.

But then he didn't, because he didn't want Will to see him like this.

It had hurt, yes.

He was never going to forget it, no.

But he would get over it, he'd be fine, he'd revert to his usual self…eventually.

It was a bit like confessing to a person and being rejected.

Yes.

And he knew Will would have rejected him if he had confessed to him, so this was perfect.

After all, he wouldn't act all mopey and upset then, either, but accept his decision and make the best of their friendship and be ok with that, because their friendship meant more than any romantic feelings Jason had developed.

Exactly, so there was no reason for him to act like this now.

But at the same time, he knew he couldn't act like his normal self right now, what with everything still so fresh on his mind, so he wasn't even going to attempt it, or Will would be even more worried.

There was a quiet creak and he could hear and feel Will coming over ever so slowly, making his mind whirl all over again, the just slowly calming storm inside him picking up again.

No, Will couldn't come over right now.

What if he touched Jason and found out?

Then again, he had seen the pain in Will's eyes as Jason had acted a tad too obviously earlier, and he wasn't keen on hurting Will, no matter how much he himself was hurting.

He opted for a small sigh, then let himself drop backwards on the bed, turning his back towards Will as he rolled onto his side.

"Man, am I tired…" He heard his own voice say, though it sounded horribly fake and not like him at all, making him inwardly cringe.

Will stilled behind him.

Then he moved over, anyways, and Jason tensed, just waiting for Will's hand to touch him somewhere to get a good measure of his values and leave again, most likely stunned and disturbed and disgusted.

Well, he should probably be happy if Will touched him, at all.

"I suppose it was a long day for you. Bet you couldn't get any sleep last night because I kept hogging your lap. So sorry about that." Will said apologetically as he sat down next to Jason's head, his legs crossed, so all Jason could really see of him was a part of his knee.

Unless he turned his head, but he didn't want to turn his head.

"It's ok, you seemed to need the sleep more than me." He muttered evasively, and Will chuckled.

"Yeah, I constantly need to sleep here. Wonder why that is. Maybe the lack of sunlight? Gods, don't tell Nico I said that, or he'll start worrying. Hey, want to abuse my lap? I mean, I know it's not the most comfortable, but I thought I should offer, anyways. It's just fair, after all." Will explained with a serious voice (because Jason had moved his head ever so slightly even though he had told himself he wouldn't, ugh) and Jason felt his lips twitching slightly, though he was still waiting for his hand to pop up out of nowhere.

It didn't.

"I'm ok. Thanks, though." He replied after a moment, and felt Will tense up again.

"I mean, you have a very comfortable lap and all, but I am pretty sure you have better things to do, so I'll just take the bed, you know?" He added, not wanting to upset Will, which was ironic, because Jason was the upset one.

"Oh, if that's the case, then I insist you better move it onto my lap. Come on, you know you want to. After that ear-nibble, I feel like I owe you."

The ear-nibble.

Gods, that had been something.

Jason had loved it.

He had also never wanted to stop, getting drunk on the small sounds Will had uttered, though he had so badly tried to suppress them.

Not to mention how his body had trembled and his hands had first clasped Jason's shirt almost needily, just to then wrap around him, letting Jason closer than he ever thought he'd get to Will.

He had felt so hot, so wonderful, so perfect in his arms.

And Jason couldn't deny he had hoped maybe a tiny little bit that this would change things between them, that Will would maybe see him differently, would maybe at least give them a chance.

But, yeah, Percy's kiss had kind of ruined that.

"So you enjoyed it? I mean, I saw that you liked it, but since you acted so upset afterwards, I wasn't sure whether I had done something wrong…" He asked before he realized what he was doing, and cursed himself.

What was he doing?

Will wouldn't want to talk about _that_!

Not to mention Jason would most likely not like the answer, so he really shouldn't ask this right now, when he was already upset beyond reason.

"Oh no, you were great. I was just upset that Percy made you do that. I mean, I was kind of upset that you'd actually betray me like that and go for my ears, but I probably would have done the same if it had been the other way around, making use of your sensitive neck. But yeah, you were great…I should not be praising you like that, I'm just saying." Will said gently, then his voice turned dry and disbelieving.

Jason couldn't help but smile slightly, the storm inside him calming, a warm, fuzzy feeling spreading through him instead.

Will had liked it.

Well, of course he had liked it, but still, he had _liked_ it.

And he was admitting to it, too.

"Now, come here, you big baby. I have no clue what's wrong with you, but if you don't want to talk about it, I won't pry." Will then insisted, patting his lap, and Jason stiffened.

Seriously?

"That is not optional, by the way. You either come here, or you have to use up your free wish to get me to leave you alone. Which one shall it be, Your Majesty?" He asked, and Jason frowned, turning his head to look at Will.

Was he serious?

Will grinned at him triumphantly, winking cockily.

"Aw, you're finally looking at me. I'm feeling so loved." He cooed, and Jason had half a mind to open his mouth and say 'That's because I love you'.

Yeah, he didn't.

Instead, he rolled his eyes.

"Of course." He replied drily, not lying as usual, but he knew Will wouldn't understand it that way, anyways.

Then he resigned himself to his fate and moved closer, awkwardly moving his head onto Will's crossed legs.

"Are you sure that's comfortable? You know what, hang on…" Will started, then began moving back on the bed, tugging Jason along with him by the arm.

Jason blinked, but let him, his eyes glancing down at where Will was grabbing hold of him.

Could Will sense it all right now?

If so, wouldn't he pull back?

Jason kind of thought he'd pull back.

Then again, maybe Jason had himself in more control than he thought, and Will couldn't completely tell?

Or Will was already pondering the mess that was Jason Grace and it would simply take him another moment to figure it all out.

Jason waited while Will started getting comfortable in the pillows at the top of the bed, wondering faintly what he was doing, because this didn't look like it was going to get comfortable at all.

Not to mention they'd end up taking up the entire bed by themselves.

Then, once Will seemed satisfied, he motioned for Jason so come, though Jason had no idea where he was supposed to go.

"Now, this is a one-time thing, Jason, and I'll only do it because it's you. So you better keep any sort of comment to yourself." Will stated pointedly – then he held open his arms.

Jason blinked at him, at a loss.

What…?

Will seemed to see the puzzlement on his face, because he threw him an almost exasperated look, as if he couldn't believe Jason was serious.

Then he leaned forward and grabbed hold of Jason's arms again, tugging him…between his legs…over his body…urging him to…kind of…lay down on top of him, his head at Will's chest.

"This ought to be more comfortable, and you'll finally get some warmth into you. Hey, stop looking so scandalized." Will chuckled, stroking through his hair gently as Jason settled down awkwardly, staring at Will in disbelief.

This…why was Will letting him do this?

This was close, way too close.

Much closer than Jason's head on Will's lap, and he hadn't thought he'd ever get that close again in his life.

In a way, this kind of reminded him of that one time in Nico's cabin, with him having his lazy streak and Will flopping down on top of him.

Just that now, it was him on top of Will, feeling his warm and wonderfully comfortable body beneath his own.

Oh gods.

"Y-You don't have to do this." He heard himself saying, his voice disturbingly weak.

Damn it, he wasn't even really tired (well, yeah, he kind of was, but he hadn't really intended to sleep!), how was he going to deal with…this?

Will chuckled quietly, something Jason could more feel than hear, and he realized with a jolt that the fast thudding he could hear was actually Will's heartbeat, not his own.

The realization made him feel hot and cold all over.

"I know I don't. But I want to. Guess that makes you special, because I'd have never admitted to that out loud to anybody else, I'm just saying. You better not make fun of me, Handsome, or you'll regret it." Will said warningly, but Jason shook his head, burying his face in Will's chest, resisting the urge to sigh happily, the storm inside him replaced entirely by a wonderfully warm and fuzzy feeling.

"I wouldn't dream of it. Thanks."

Special, Will was calling him _special_.

Will was also saying he wanted Jason on him like this (well, he hadn't said that _exactly_, but it felt good thinking of this like that).

Alright, kisses be damned, this was the best day ever.

Will wrapped his arms around Jason loosely, stroking over his back soothingly, and Jason found himself shivering slightly from the warmth and the gentleness of the touch.

That felt so nice.

He closed his eyes, daring to move his own arms around Will, even letting one finger touch his bare skin where his shirt had moved up slightly at his back.

Will didn't say anything nor move in any way, so Jason smiled and left it like that, rubbing against Will's chest with a small sigh.

Yeah, maybe he shouldn't sigh so contently and rub against him like that, but it was too hard to resist.

"Guess that means you won't use that wish of yours, huh? I really wonder when you're going to use that." Will said thoughtfully, and Jason opened his eyes again for a moment, looking up at Will's face.

True, he still had his free wish.

He could…no, he shouldn't even think of that.

Then again…

"I'm not sure yet. I have a few things in mind, but I wouldn't want to force you to anything, nor have you judge me, you know?" He tried carefully and cursed his word choice.

Yeah, now Will would definitely think he had something utterly horrid in mind.

"I thought we already agreed it's going to be a no-questions-asked-thing? That includes judging, you know? Also, I trust you not to make me do something super horrible. And if anything, I have the option to say no, right?"

"Of course." Jason instantly assured, his heart beating faster in his chest as possibilities raced through his mind.

No questions asked.

He could ask for anything.

And if Will was ok with Percy kissing him for a dare in front of them, maybe he'd be ok with kissing Jason in private…no, no, he shouldn't think of this, he shouldn't ponder this.

How low was he sinking to consider using his free wish to make Will uncomfortable and force him to kiss him?

That was just like his kiss with Nico!

No way!

He shook his head slightly, and found Will's hand on it a moment later, stroking through his hair.

"See? Then everything is good. I mean, what's the worst you can do? Ask me to put on woman's lingerie? Oh gods, wait, don't do that, that was not meant to give you any ideas." Will blurted and Jason looked up at him, partly scandalized, partly amused.

What?

"Jason, I swear, don't do that. If you do that, I'll force you into those clothes, I'm just saying."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "No worries, that was not on my mind at all. Not until now, at least. Just for clarification, though, what lingerie are we talking about, exactly?"

Will blushed the most adorable shade of red, his freckles glowing brightly, and Jason grinned.

Then Will made a face, pushing Jason's face back down into his chest.

"Oh, shush. I'm talking about super big, ugly nightdresses, definitely. Now, go to sleep, you dork."

Jason chuckled.

Of course.

Because those nightdresses so counted as 'lingerie'.

"Aw, bet you'd look so adorable in one of those, though. Now I'll seriously have to consider that." He teased, and Will sputtered something, his heart thumping loudly in his chest.

"No way. I said I wouldn't do it, so don't even think about it. Think of something different. Anything different."

Anything?

Oh, Jason could do that, alright?

He hummed at the thought, then cursed himself for being such a creep.

No, he wasn't seriously going to do _that_, right?

Well, Will _had_ said he'd have the choice to say no, and that he wouldn't judge, and…no!

No, Jason, that was a _bad _idea!

"Alright, deal. I won't ask for you in woman's lingerie. Just curious, do you have anything in mind yet for me?" He asked, trying to get his mind out of the gutter.

Will was quiet for a long moment, his hand resuming its stroking through Jason's hair.

"Oh, I've decided I'm going to keep that wish for an emergency. Who knows what the future will bring, after all." He finally replied after a while, and Jason frowned.

"You know I'd always be there for you in case you need me, right?"

He'd always be there for Will in any and every case.

"Oh, I know. But who knows, maybe I'll need a really big favor of you at some point. A wish could come in handy for that. Especially a no-questions-asked one."

Jason's frown deepened, but he didn't move from Will's chest.

"Yeah? Like what?"

Will sighed. "I have no idea. Now, go to sleep, Jason. If not, we're going to cut your hair. It's remarkable how fast it grew, but at this rate, it's kind of getting out of bounds." He remarked and Jason huffed indignantly.

Hey, his hair wasn't _that_ long yet!

Well, he should probably get it cut soon, though, he had to admit that.

Persephone had offered cutting it when she had picked out those leather clothes for him, but he hadn't been sure about whether he had really wanted a goddess to handle any sharp object that close to his head, and he had kind of wanted to get back to the others as soon as possible, so he had politely declined, saying he was good for now but would think on her offer, if she was ok with it.

She had seemed fine, though he had to admit he had quite tested his borders there, especially with flat out refusing the clothes she had picked out for him before then, too.

But that had been four days ago, anyways.

Nowadays, they all sort of acted a lot more like…actually, almost like a family, in a bizarre way.

Or at least Nico's family, with Jason, Percy and Will as the long-term guests.

The conversations were getting better by the day, and while they still had utter respect of the gods (except Percy, maybe, because Percy was a little different), they actually managed to talk relatively normal with each other.

Well, Will had kind of made it a habit to argue with at least one person a day, apparently, and when that wasn't one of his friends, it seemed to include the gods, because he had quite literally picked a fight with Demeter last night (and survived!), but that was beside the point.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get it cut soon. Good night." He muttered with a small smile, neither of them commenting on the fact it was only late afternoon, and by no means night, while he nuzzled his face into Will's shirt again (because he was so damn comfortable).

Seriously, that cardigan was as fluffy as it looked.

Mmh, Will in that cardigan, anyways.

It was only one piece of garment, but it changed Will's entire look in a really nice way.

It really, really suited him.

Jason kind of wanted to…

His hands moved over Will's side to his front, his pinkies trailing over bare skin as he accidentally dragged Will's shirt up slightly, then he let his hands move upwards, away from his wonderfully warm skin, in favor of moving to Will's cardigan, tugging on it and letting his hands slip beneath, wishing Will wasn't wearing anything _except_ that cardigan.

Will's breath hitched, but he didn't say a word, and didn't stop him as Jason let his hands stroke over his waist on both sides, adoring the heat that radiated from his body, warming his fingertips and making his body tingle all over.

He also didn't say anything when Jason started pushing his hands flat against him, his touches becoming more determined than gentle.

Then Jason realized what in the name of Hades he was doing and he backtracked, instead wrapping his arms around Will again, grabbing hold of his back a tad too vigorously to count as appropriate, but luckily, Will didn't say anything about that, either, instead huffing slightly and continuing the caressing of Jason's head/hair.

Jason's grip on him tightened, and he wanted nothing more than to bury his face completely in Will's chest, smother himself in his scent, his warmth, his being.

_I love you._

He said it in his mind, soft and needy and desperate, but he didn't dare say it out loud.

It would destroy everything, after all.

Will sighed and started using his nails gently, making him shiver.

Jason hummed.

Will might not reciprocate his feelings, but that was ok.

This was nice.

This was amazing.

This was near perfect.

"Good night, Jason." Will said softly, and Jason found himself smiling, though he kind of felt like crying, too.

Humming again and holding onto Will as if he could keep him close forever, he felt himself drifting off into sleep.


	23. Chapter 23: Bath Stories

**A/N:** Hello Cupcakes :)

What a week~  
First I bought myself a new laptop (arrived yesterday ;3) and then I got our cat a kitten because she's been vandalizing the place and apparently wanted a playmate to fight boredom (because all the cat toys are apparently boring..).  
Now our Bianca got a Zoë.

While I found out Bianca is a gentle soul and apparently lacks any sort of violence and aggression, the little fur-ball Zoë is the exact opposite, hissing and growling and attacking _her reflection in the mirror_.

Very entertaining to watch, I must say.

So, now back to this story...I have no idea what to say to this chapter. But I think Jason is going to get some more love in future, though it's gona come slowly by the looks of it.

Therefore, Percy is an idiot. Even more than usual.

And Will...*sobs*

Oh well, until next week (unless I manage to finish the next chapter quicker for once, though I kind of doubt it..)

-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 23: Peace talks gone wrong, bath stories, and Percy is a drama queen**

Two days later, things had reverted back to normal.

At least that's how Nico saw it.

Will and Percy kept chatting and bickering and being their usual dorky selves as usual, as if their kiss had never happened (seriously, sometimes he wondered whether they had _really_ forgotten), and Jason stopped being all brooding and weird after waking up a day later with the three of them squishing him (intentionally. It had been Will's idea to squash Jason with affection to make him laugh – it had worked).

Now, they were that inseparable bundle again, just like usual.

He glanced over to Will, who was draped around Jason's back and sides, his chin on Jason's thigh, controller in his hands with his arms wrapped around said thigh, cussing Percy out who seemed to be beating him at a car race game, while Jason was smashing the buttons on his own controller, trying frantically to even as much as catch up to them.

Yeah, well, maybe not exactly like usual.

Will had never been that touchy-feely in his awake state before, after all.

And, well, he kind of usually wasn't, at least not with all of them.

Just with Jason.

Maybe it was the ear-nibbling during the Truth or Dare game.

Or maybe it was the kiss that had maybe kind of changed his view of everything.

Or maybe it was the way Percy and Nico had found them snuggling when they had come back from their bath, with Jason draped over Will instead of them spooning, that had done the trick.

He didn't know.

And, frankly, it shouldn't matter.

But he had to admit it kind of bothered him.

_Everything_ bothered him.

His boyfriend had kissed Will, and all Nico had been able to think, was 'Why doesn't he kiss me like that? He never moved me through the room that blindly before.', which should definitely _not_ have been the issue.

Same as 'I wish I could be the one kissing Will like that' should not have _ever_ crossed his mind at _any_ given point, but still…it had.

He had to admit he had felt queasy at fist, especially when the two had gotten ready to kiss, and then again when it had kind of escalated, with both of them suddenly all over each other.

But from that point on, everything had felt so…different.

He hadn't been _upset_, per se, but he hadn't been completely ok, either.

This was his boyfriend, after all.

But it hadn't felt at all like how it had felt back when he had seen Percy and Annabeth kiss in the past.

It hadn't hurt like that.

Instead, he had been more curious, watching them intently, watching the rush of emotions flashing across their faces, hearing the noises they made – at one point, he had even thought he was able to hear their rapid heartbeats from across the room.

It had been weird, watching Percy kiss somebody else, especially Will.

And he thought vaguely that he might have felt a tad jealous at one point, not to mention worried about what this meant, that Percy was kissing Will so vigorously, like a starved man, like he had waited all his life to kiss Will Solace, and Nico had worried whether this would mean he'd break up with Nico.

But then there had been Jason, putting his hand on his thigh, not saying a word, but not needing to, either, because their conversation back in the park had crossed Nico's mind again at the touch, and he had felt himself calming.

It had still been weird, though.

And Percy and Will were weird, too, not acknowledging it whatsoever.

Though, Nico guessed he should be happy about that.

What would he do if those two kept talking about the kiss or teasing each other about it all the time, after all?

No, this was probably much better.

And a lot less difficult, too.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, effectively shutting up the bickering between those three about whether Will had cheated, because he had apparently passed Percy up at the last possible minute (again); and making them all look around at the door with surprised faces.

Up until now, there had never been anybody visiting them or really calling for them.

Since he was the only one without a controller in his hand, Nico went to open the door, just to find himself face to face with a skeleton.

"Huh?" He uttered startled, then caught himself and cleared his throat.

"Good day? How may I help you?" He tried instead, wondering what his dad wanted, since they had already said they'd have dinner with them today, and it wasn't even lunchtime yet.

The skeleton's jaw clicked and moved, and Nico stared at it unimpressed.

Right.

Another reason he didn't like communicating via skeletons.

Others couldn't understand it.

Why couldn't there be a cool sort of communication way, like in the Harry Potter series, with owls and such?

He'd even put up with the howlers.

Instead, they had souls, zombies and skeletons, and none of those could be understood by people that weren't children of the Underworld (well, unless Hades made it that way, he guessed, but his father usually didn't, so yeah).

Nice.

He turned around with a sigh, eyes locking with Jason's.

"Jason…"

"Oh. Right." Jason said before he had even said anything more, patting Will's shoulder lightly and getting out of his hold, making Will huff but push himself up, anyways, looking wary.

(Since when did Will show so much emotion when it came to Jason, anyways? He still acted the same around Percy, while it was Percy he had kissed, not Jason…Nico was never going to understand them, was he?).

"Is it time for the talk?" Percy asked, brows furrowing in concern.

Nico nodded.

"He said Marius here will bring you to him for your first meeting." He explained to Jason, while the blonde moved about the room, collecting a fresh pair of jeans and a new shirt, leaving for the bathroom.

Nico had no idea why, since they had all seen each other in their boxer shorts by now, after all, but he wasn't going to say a thing.

In the end, it'd come out wrong.

"You think he'll be ok?" Percy asked as soon as Jason had closed the bathroom door behind him.

Both Will and Nico shrugged, looking worried.

"Are you sure we can't come with? I mean…at least one of us?" Will asked hopefully, but Nico bit his lip and shook his head.

"It's…he said he'll be awaiting _Jason_, so I don't think he'd appreciate if any of us came along. Also, Jason has said before this was his job, so I don't think we should really interfere…"

"But we can't just sit here and do nothing. Hades might be a cool guy, and a pretty decent dad, but I'm fairly certain he's had it out for Jason especially ever since we got here." Will continued, looking conflicted.

He really cared for Jason, didn't he?

Something inside Nico stirred, but he pushed it down.

No point pondering that.

Also, they all cared about Jason.

He was their friend.

Best friend.

Best guy ever.

"We'll wait and see how the first meeting goes. Maybe it won't be all that bad. If it really escalates, we can sit down and think of something, ok?" He asked, just as the bathroom door unlocked and Jason stepped out, fingers moving through his hair, apparently trying to flatten it in the back, where it still stood off so adorably from his nap earlier (Jason had so wonderfully, completely straight hair, unlike the rest of them).

"Yeah…ok…" Will agreed reluctantly, then turned to wink at Jason. "Good luck. You'll need it. Hope you'll make it out alive." He said cheerfully, and Nico rolled his eyes inwardly at how carefree and mean Will could act sometimes.

Just a moment ago he had looked so concerned, yet it was he who teased Jason.

Go figure.

Yeah, Nico was never going to understand these dorks.

Jason sighed, sending Will an exasperated, but amused look, his shoulders relaxing ever so slightly.

Oh. So that's why he was doing it.

"Yeah, man, good luck. You can do it." Percy agreed, holding up a thumb at Jason, though Jason merely nodded at that.

Yeah, ever since the Truth or Dare (and the kiss, in particular) Jason hadn't talked to Percy much.

In fact, he mostly ignored him, though it usually wasn't as noticeable.

If Nico didn't know better, he'd say that Jason was a bit jealous.

Yeah, well…he didn't know better.

Which didn't make things better at all.

But Nico wasn't allowed to be bothered by that.

It was none of his business.

Jason came forward and Nico smiled reassuringly at him.

"It will be fine. You'll be great." He said quietly, hoping he sounded convincing.

It wasn't as if he doubted Jason.

He was just worried his dad would give him a hard time for no reason.

So, yeah, he could only hope Jason had some sort of plan or idea or something.

Jason smiled at him, ruffling through his hair and messing up his ponytail on purpose.

"Thanks, guys. Wouldn't know what to do without your warm words of comfort…except Will's, who is a dick as usual."

Will blew him a kiss at the remark, along with a wink, and they all rolled their eyes at him.

"Just get back in one piece."

"I'll try…anyways, see you later." Jason then said with a last glance at all of them, concern only showing in his features as he turned towards Marius, the skeleton.

They waited until he was out of the room, then looked at each other worriedly again.

"He'll be fine, right?" Percy asked quietly.

Will and Nico exchanged a small glance.

Well, they could hope, right?

Will sighed. "Of course he'll be fine. This is Jason, after all. But…just in case, you know, for worst case scenario…who wants to ready Disney's _Hercules_ and get the extra pillows for an evening in the bed full of moping?"

They looked at each other quietly for a moment.

Then all three of them started moving, rushing into various directions.

"Hey, what snacks does he like the most? Will?" Percy called over from where he got the DVD, while Nico tapped on the walls to summon one of the skeleton servants he had, asking for more pillows.

It sounded weird to him, but Will usually knew what he was doing, alright?

"The blue bag with the potato chips, those sweets Nico got us to try out three days ago and the-…wait, what makes you think I know what he likes?" Will replied, then cut himself off with a dubious glance into Percy's direction.

Nico looked around to find his boyfriend grinning knowingly and wriggling his eyebrows at Will.

"Oh, just a hunch."

"Shut up. I need that information for his diet plan, stop wriggling your eyebrows at me." Will exclaimed loudly, wagging his finger accusingly at Percy from his place next to the bed, where he was redoing the way the already existing pillows were placed and pulled the blanket back, though he looked more flustered than annoyed.

What was that about?

Probably just something with Percy indicating there was more between Will and Jason (again).

Ugh, Nico really wished he'd stop that.

It seemed painfully obvious those two were dancing around each other, interested, but not daring to make a move for whatever reason, and in Nico's opinion, Percy's constant teasing didn't help with that whatsoever.

It neither helped getting them together, nor did it help keeping them apart.

It did nothing, really, other than apparently frustrate Percy when he didn't get the reaction he apparently wanted to see, and irritate Will and Jason.

Maybe Nico should talk to him.

Then again, if he did, he'd probably have to admit he was a bit apprehensive about Will and Jason dating.

He kind of…maybe…wanted them…to stay…with him…no, that was mean.

And selfish.

No, gods be damned, he was not going to allow himself to be so cruel as to put his own selfish (not to mention wrong) desires over the feelings of his friends.

If they liked each other, that was great, right?

Ugh, didn't he have this train of thought before?

Somehow, it felt like he kept thinking about the same things, because it was always the same things that bothered him, and he hated that they bothered him so much.

The skeleton came back with the requested pillows, and Nico helped putting them on the bed, letting Will direct where what went, while Percy collected snacks and drinks and placed them in convenient reach.

When they finally finished their work, all three of them let themselves fall backwards into the bed with a sigh.

"So, what if everything goes great and he comes back with their signatures?" Percy asked, putting an arm over his face, while Will and Nico looked around at him.

"Well, then we'll say we knew it all along and prepared this as a surprise party. Nothing goes over celebration cuddles." Will replied smugly, and Nico shook his head to himself with a smile, moving closer to Percy's side and letting him wrap an arm around him.

"Right. You're just saying that because you are a sucker for cuddles." Percy remarked, and Nico sighed against his shoulder.

Really?

Were they going to bicker again?

He didn't understand that, either.

Sometimes, there were entire days where they didn't bicker whatsoever, acting gentle and kind and nice with each other, in complete sync, making Nico feel slightly worried at the harmony between them.

And then, there were days where they bickered almost the entire time, about the silliest things, sometimes just for the sake of bickering – at least that's how it felt like to Nico.

"Yeah? They are healthy. Cuddling boosts the immune system, not to mention it makes people more comfortable with each other. Why do you think people always feel a lot more comfortable around each other once they've spend a night or so together, maybe even just huddled on the couch together? Falling asleep next to somebody else is a sign of absolute trust, because you trust that person to not harm your unconscious self. So, usually, when you spend time with somebody and sleep next to them a lot, you two tend to form a special bond, based on trust and comfort, else you could never fall asleep. It's important." Will explained in lengthy detail, and Nico buried his face at the side of Percy's chest with a grin, while Percy chuckled.

"Alright, doctor, I believe you. Cuddles are important. You know, with the amount of times the four of us spend in bed bonding through cuddles, we should technically be married already." Percy deadpanned and Nico stiffened momentarily.

Well, in a way, he wasn't wrong.

They did cuddle practically every night.

And by now they definitely didn't have any sort of excuse, other than that they liked it.

Well, theoretically, Nico could also use the lack of other beds, but since his guys had a tendency to fall asleep in random places throughout the room, that didn't exactly count, because they still sometimes snuggled up to each other even then.

"Oh, shut up. Don't make things awkward, or you'll be sleeping on the floor, I guarantee you." Will shot back, but then chuckled.

"You'd all have to change your name to Solace, though."

Percy snorted. "Forget it. It's Di Angelo-Jackson, man."

Nico froze.

Wait, what were they even talking about?

Were they dead serious?

Well, of course they weren't, but were they seriously discussing this, even as a joke?

"No way. It's going to have my name in it. How about Solace Di Angelo?"

"I can't believe you two are seriously discussing this." Nico mumbled, his face heating, and he buried it further in Percy's shirt.

Percy turned towards him with a chuckle, wrapping his arms around him and tugging him against his chest.

"Solace Di Angelo Jackson, I could live with, but then Jason would be upset. So, yeah, sorry, Will, but I think your name has to go."

"How about we have your name go? Grace and Solace is basically the same thing, we can just say we fused our last name to 'Sol' from Solace and 'Ace' from Grace. Problem solved. Now you're the odd one out." Will cut back and Nico sighed.

Yes, they were seriously discussing this.

Of all the things.

And they couldn't even get married, not even if they so wanted to (though he highly doubted anybody wanted that to happen, anyways).

But he decided not to burst their bubble for now.

"Ugh, then Solace Di Angelo Jackson!" Percy replied, and Nico tried to block out the conversation, but obviously failed miserably.

"Are you crazy? That's too long. What if you have kids and give them a long ass name like, I don't know, Philomena or something? Throw in some more names in the middle, and suddenly, your kid will have to introduce itself with: Hello, my name is Philomena Leah Amy Solace Di Angelo Jackson. What the hell?" Will complained, and Nico groaned.

"Guys, you can't just…why are you talking about this?" He asked, noticing surprised that Will must have moved, because he was definitely behind Percy now, when he had been somewhere to Nico's right before, with plenty of distance between them.

"Yeah, and who names their kid Philomena Leah Amy when they have a long last name?" Percy agreed with Nico and added his little complaint that made Will huff indignantly; and Nico buried his face in his hands.

"You guys are horrible."

"Aw, Nico, you know we're only joking. As if Jason would ever marry us." Will said and Percy snorted.

"I know right? Hey, have you thought of something for his birthday yet?"

Well, that was a random change of topic if Nico had ever witnessed any.

"Ugh, why do I have to do all the thinking? You are the one who made an Advent Calendar, use your creativity." Will remarked and Nico frowned.

"Can't, used it all up already. You were the one who said you'd think of something."

"No, I said you should think of something and we'd talk about it later."

"I didn't know you two were thinking about something for Jason's birthday. Isn't that in July, though?" Nico asked perplexed.

Will laughed. "Yeah, July 1st. But as you can see Percy is an uncreative idiot, so we need the next few months to think of something good."

Well, alright, that sounded understandable.

"What have you thought of so far?"

"Staplers." Both of them replied at the same time and Nico laughed.

Well, that was to be expected, really.

Will cleared his throat.

"But we were thinking of…" "…getting him something meaningful." Percy finished, and Nico looked up at them.

Lately, they did a lot of that finishing each other's sentences stuff.

He wasn't sure how he felt about that, either.

"Yeah, something along the lines of 'We know you're always there for us and we're grateful for it'." Will added, and Percy nodded.

"And something that says 'We love you, man, don't ever think you don't belong."

Nico raised an eyebrow.

That sounded like those two really wanted to bother.

Just as he was feeling more than a little impressed, they both shrugged at the same time.

"Or something like that." They both said, and Nico sighed.

That was just like them.

"That sounds great. Can I participate? I have no clue yet, either. In fact, I haven't thought of any birthday gifts yet." He mused, and found both of them grinning at him.

"Sure! With your brains, we're bound to find something." Will said and Percy nodded enthusiastically.

The two guys shifted, then Nico was tugged along by Percy as they apparently tried to move further up on the bed, settling down on it properly and kind of resuming their former position, with Nico against Percy's chest and Will behind Percy.

Coming to think of it, Will was the only one ever really spooning Percy, since Nico was usually the one in the middle, and Percy always complained whenever Jason as much as tried.

Weird.

But he guessed he shouldn't question it.

Instead, the two started talking about possible birthday gifts, starting relatively realistic and thoughtful, but soon escalating to the weirdest things Nico partly couldn't even wrap his mind around (why would Jason want a flying disc that brings him pizza? As far as he knew, Jason didn't even really eat pizza?), so he made it his job to bring them back down to earth and give some pointers every here and there.

It felt kind of weird, talking like this, in such close proximity, especially since it was the middle of the day, not nighttime.

Usually, when they really cuddled like this, especially on the bed, it was to go to sleep, after all.

Or maybe to watch a film.

But it felt kind of nice.

He liked it.

Though he was fairly sure he really shouldn't.

Coming to think of it, though, he should probably think about something for Percy's and Will's birthdays, too.

He'd have to ask them separately later whether they'd be up for doing something together for that, too.

And he'd have to talk to Jason.

Seriously, he hoped his dad wasn't giving Jason a hard time.

Well, he probably was, but hopefully not too badly.

Nico wished he could help somehow.

He really did.

But he had no idea what his dad even wanted, even though he had tried to ask in a roundabout way the past days, as inconspicuously as possible.

Maybe his dad had figured it out, though, because he hadn't found out anything.

It was frustrating, really.

But Will was right, this was Jason, he was going to be fine.

He probably had a plan or something, anyways.

Yeah.

Everything was going to be good.

.

Jason had no idea what he was going to do.

He wished he had a plan.

But yeah, he didn't.

No plan.

No idea.

Nothing.

He followed the skeleton – Marius? Had Nico said Marius? – through the corridors, though technically he could have found the way himself by now.

It was the same way they took to get to dinner, after all, just that he didn't have to take a right to get to their dining room.

Well, at least he assumed they wouldn't have their conversation in the dining room.

He put his hand back in his hair, trying to flatten it a bit in the back.

Yeah, he definitely had to get it cut, alright.

Hopefully, his clothes were good, though.

He had kind of just grabbed a jeans and a shirt.

Then again, Hades had seen them all in worse by now (Percy had even come in sweatpants yesterday. That guy.).

But that didn't mean Jason could slack off now.

He sighed, trying to collect his thoughts and get a last miraculous brainstorm or something, a last brilliant idea that had eluded him so far.

What could he offer Hades?

One would guess this would/should/had to be a lot easier, since Jason saw Hades pretty much daily and even had normal conversations with him nowadays, but for some reason, Jason found it a hundred times harder now than before.

Not to mention there was nothing he could truly offer the god.

While Hades should be one of the gods with the most wishes, he seemed fairly simple.

He had his Underworld, his staff and his duties, all of which he handled with the air of a man who knew what he was doing and knew he was good at it, so Jason knew he wouldn't want any interference there.

Jason also couldn't offer more space for the Dead, since that was out of his league, not to mention Hades had kind of told them just last night what a good job Daedalus was doing to make the most of the space available, and that they were currently working on expanding the Fields of Asphodel, so he seemed to be good in that aspect, anyways.

The only things Hades had so far expressed any interest in at all were his wife and Nico, and Jason couldn't do anything about either, so that was out of the question, too.

He sighed again.

Gods, he was so unprepared.

With the gods he had encountered so far, things hadn't been that difficult.

He had met them, had introduced himself and stated his purpose, then asked some questions what their requirements would be.

Seriously, all the other gods seemed to love talking about all the stuff that wasn't going the way they wanted it to.

Why couldn't Hades cry about something, too, so Jason could find a solution and be done with it all?

Jason followed the skeleton, which led him right past the dining pavilion towards the throne room.

So their conversation really was going to be held in the throne room.

How formal.

He thought back to his friends for a moment, wishing they could be with him now.

It was ironic, how he had done this several times already, but still, now, he wished for somebody to be with him, helping him out.

Yeah, no.

Plus, the three had better things to do than that, he was sure.

The giant black doors swung open as if on their own accord, and Jason could already see Hades towering in his throne, dressed in his black robe with all the screaming faces – which made him wonder if Hades could actually hear their screaming.

Oh, he could just picture Percy leaning over and saying something like 'You could offer him ear plugs, bet he'd be grateful'.

Sadly, Jason was still partly mad at Percy, so the thought didn't cheer him up as much as it usually might have.

It had gotten better, and he was a lot more rational about the whole…'matter' by now, but he was still upset Percy had acted the way he had, and since Percy had so far avoided being alone with him and had made no move to actually really talk to him about the issue, either, Jason didn't see that changing anytime soon, either.

He just wanted to know _why_.

Why Percy had done that.

If he could just have a reason, he might be able to make sense of it, understand it all, and thus end the matter for himself, find closure.

Percy had just treated it like a challenge, but he hadn't done it because he had right out wanted to kiss Will, else he wouldn't have looked as stunned and shocked once he had realized what winning had meant.

And he certainly hadn't done anything to change his relationship with Will so far, so it's not like the kiss had really made any obvious difference.

So, really, why had Percy not just let Jason kiss Will?

Because he was jealous?

Well, then he should tell Will about his freaking feelings, finally, and get this whole mess over with!

Jason brushed the thoughts aside stubbornly.

This was pointless.

He was about to have a serious conversation about the peace of the world and the unison of the gods, and instead of searching for something Hades could be interested in, he was contemplating why Percy seemed to enjoy taking everything from Jason that ever mattered to him.

Talk about priorities.

He stopped when Marius stopped and took a small bow.

"So, Jason Grace. Ready to convince me to sign your contract?" Hades asked, sounding amused, which already didn't bode well for Jason, he was certain.

Oh, he had no idea how he was going to do this.

Partly, he wished he was a bit more like Percy, what with his usual attitude to rush into something without thinking, just to figure it out along the way and come out victoriously in the end.

(Not to mention that Percy had gotten to kiss Will, and Jason hadn't, but that was a different matter and utterly irrelevant, of course.)

Oh well, time to face it.

This was so going to suck.

.

Time passed and passed and it was already early evening, but Jason was still not back.

Percy, Will and Nico had spent most of the day lounging around, talking about birthday gifts and gods knew what and waiting for the blonde to come back, but when he hadn't, they had resumed their playing, trying to act like this was no big deal, like they weren't concerned about just how things were going at Jason's end.

But the later it had gotten, the more agitated all three of them had become, until Percy had dragged them both back to the bed and declared they would just take a nap.

So, yeah, that was the reason why Nico was once again spooned by Percy, with Will spooning Percy, both of them fast asleep, while Nico was wide awake, waiting for a sign Jason was coming back.

But there were no footsteps coming closer, no noises other than the sound of Percy's breathing and that of Will's behind him.

What was going on?

Did something go wrong?

He hadn't sensed Jason dying or anything, so his father had at least not incinerated him, but what was taking them so long?

Nico didn't understand.

But he did hope Jason would come back soon.

He sighed, snuggling back into Percy's bare chest, staring at nothing in particular, glad they had taken off their shirts earlier, because Will was like a freaking furnace.

How high were the chances- _holy Hera_!

"Percy, your IM-ing device!" He exclaimed, nudging Percy as he could see and feel Percy's wrist vibrating with the incoming call.

Percy made a small noise of complaint.

"Probably Jason, jus' take it…" He mumbled and Nico sat up, clipping the device off Percy's wrist and looking at the screen.

It didn't say Jason.

Usually it said Jason.

Weird.

He frowned, accepting the call and putting it on the bedside table, waiting for the screen to build up.

Then it did, and Nico made a startled sound – and toppled sideways out of the bed as he tried to grab for the blanket to cover his bare torso, cursing loudly (though he managed to do so in Italian, not that it really made much difference.).

"What- _Nico_!" Percy and Will exclaimed shocked, wide awake in an instant and sitting up.

"Percy?" The person on the screen asked.

Percy looked up, eyes widening.

"_Mom_?!"

Will cursed behind Percy, lunging for the blanket Nico had missed, while Nico tried to get off the floor, his heart hammering in his chest, his entire body on fire.

_Percy's_ _mother_!

Calling!

Via Iris Message!

_Now_!

With all three of them…with all three of them…with them like _this_…

He was going to die with shame.

"Mom, why are you…this is…well, you see…" Percy stammered, and Nico buried his face in his hands, letting himself drop back onto the ground.  
Why?

Why now of all times?

He had wanted to leave a good impression on Sally, damn it!

Had wanted her to like him, especially since he knew she and his dad didn't have the best history.

And now…now…

"What? Is this a bad time? Annabeth told me you're not on one of your deadly quests right now, so I thought I'd call you…" Sally said surprised, watching the spectacle unfold in front of her.

Will was just wrapping the Christmas blanket around himself when Percy tugged on the other blanket they had been laying on, which promptly resulted in Will losing his balance and falling over the other side of the bed with a loud squeak and a series of curses.

Percy looked around scandalized, cursing under his breath as well when Will didn't immediately come back up.

This was so chaotic.

"Hey, I did not just hear that, Perseus Jackson! Don't tell me you boys always swear like this." Sally said sternly, and Nico found it amazing how composed she still was, given that she had just seen her son laying in bed with two other guys, all three of them without shirts on (and kind of only in their boxer shorts…oh gods…).

Not to mention how they were all falling all over themselves (quite literally, too).

"What? Oh, oh no, no, we never swear, really! Will never swears, Nico never swears, I never swear…Jason never swears, either! Alright, Jason _really_ never swears, but the rest of us barely do it, I swear!" Percy insisted, and Nico was about to tell him to stop rambling, because he was so going to make it worse at this rate.

But, funnily enough, it wasn't Percy who made it worse.

It was _Jason_.

Jason, who opened the door, cursing loudly and vehemently, looking at the bundle of them for exactly one second, before resuming his cussing and stomping off towards the bathroom.

_Whoa_.

For a moment, the rest of them were dead silent, with Sally gaping at them.

Then, both Percy and Will jumped off the bed.

"Jason! Hey, wait!" Both of them called in alarm, hurrying after the blonde before he could shut the door, all thought of Sally apparently forgotten.

Which meant…

"Hello? Percy? Hello? What was that? _Hello_? Oh, Nico, hello. At least you're still here." Sally said, actually managing a smile at Nico as he awkwardly entered her field of vision, making for the blanket to cover himself up.

"Hello, Mrs. Jackson. I'm really sorry about all this." He said hesitantly, sitting down at the edge of the bed, unsure what the hell to do.

How did you talk to the mother of your boyfriend?

"I assume I called at a bad time, huh? Don't apologize, I'm sorry. It seems I have interrupted…whatever you were doing…" She said, looking away at the last part, though she still miraculously managed to say that with a straight face, which Nico found amazing, though he still blushed.

"We were just taking a nap, really. And…it's not really a bad time, it's just…well…Jason…"

"Hey! Will! Will, no! WILL! I SAID NO FOR GODS' SAKE! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR YOU FRECKLED PIECE OF- _UGH_!" Percy's indignant and absolutely livid yell cut through the room and Nico winced.

Sally's eyes widened.

"Perseus Jackson! You are not using the _F-word_ where _I_ can hear it!"

"But they locked themselves in the bathroom! Nico! They locked themselves in the bathroom! _In the bathroom_! Together! Just Jason and Will!" Percy wailed, coming over after giving the bathroom door a last kick, muttering another curse under his breath that his mother luckily didn't catch.

Once he was on the bed, he instantly wrapped his arms around Nico, burying his face at his shoulder.

"Percy, I really don't think this is…" Nico started quietly, more than just slightly alarmed, eyes hushing over to Percy's mother in panic.

"Would you mind explaining me what is going on? Where are you? Why are you not at Camp? And who allowed you to curse like that? I certainly did not give birth to you under pain and raised you for all those years with the best in mind, to have you running around throwing the f-word and that other wide variety of curses around you, young man."

Percy seemed to practically shrink as she went on with her rant.

A mother and her powers.

Truly scary.

Nico kind of wondered whether his own mother had been like that, too, but he could still only barely remember her.

Percy looked utterly scolded, a look that Nico had only seen on Will's face before, whenever Jason had taken him aside for a 'talk' in the past (which was to say in December and before).

"We're…well…we're kind of…in the Underworld…" His boyfriend explained sheepishly, and Nico watched how Sally's eyes widened once more, her gaze hushing over both of them quickly.

"It's a sort of long story! But it's mainly that, erm, well…" Nico cut in, but then was unsure what to say.

'My father wanted to see me so I grabbed your son and dragged him into the Underworld?'

"We're on vacation. Sort of. And Jason has to do that peace contract business I told you about. Apparently, that didn't go well, as you could hear." Percy explained hurriedly, and Sally raised her eyebrows, her expression blank for a moment.

Yeah, well, 'vacation' and 'Underworld' usually didn't go together, like, ever.

Unless you were reading the obituaries in a Greek newspaper, maybe.

Nico sighed.

"It's a long story."

Sally raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, I believe that. Then again, I yet have to see the day a demigod's life isn't one long story after another, one crazier and riskier than the other."

Oh, how true.

He smiled at her and found her smiling back.

Then, Percy cleared his throat and started explaining, and Nico glanced back at the bathroom door.

So, Will and Jason had locked themselves in the bathroom?

Why?

Was Jason that angry?

Had things been that bad?

What were they going to do in there?

Images and scenarios flashed through his mind that were definitely neither his business, nor appropriate in any way to the situation.

No, they were probably just going to talk it out.

Yes.

Because Will was good at getting people's minds off things.

He had managed to help Percy out back after the talk with his father, he was bound to be able to help Jason out, too.

Yes, they were just going to talk.

He tore his gaze away from the door, only to find Sally watching him intently, her eyes blazing.

She didn't say anything, but he had the distinct feeling he was being judged.

As in, whether he was suitable for her son.

That thought did a lot of things, but reassuring him or making him any less self-conscious weren't on the list, so he fidgeted and grabbed for Percy's hand in panic, hoping against hope Sally wouldn't notice.

Percy's hand grabbed hold of his, squeezing him gently, reassuring him as he explained to his mother that they had taken a nap to wait on Jason, who had had his first talk with Hades today, yada yada.

Sally's gaze instantly dropped to their joined hands, though, so Nico's heart sank even further.

He wondered how she thought of all this, anyways.

Percy had told him he had told her about the Advent Calendar, and that he wanted to date Nico, and Nico knew he had called her after Christmas and told her that everything had worked out and they were dating, and Percy had insisted she had been fine with it and happy for them, but…well, one never knew, right?

"Oh my, that sounds stressful indeed. Not to mention confusing. No wonder Annabeth told me I should just ask you directly." Sally said with a smile and something inside Nico clenched.

Annabeth.

She had said something earlier about Annabeth, too.

Why was Sally still in contact with Annabeth?

What if she wanted Percy to date her again?

What if- no, that was stupid.

She had helped Percy with the Advent Calendar, and Percy had said she had been utterly supportive all the while, he should stop projecting his fears onto other people!

Percy squeezed his hand again, and he took a deep breath.

Right.

Everything was good.

He glanced sideways, and found Percy smiling at him gently.

Then his face brightened and he turned to his mother.

"Hey! Now you can finally see Nico in a ponytail! So, may I present: My wonderful boyfriend." Percy declared with a surprising hint of pride in his voice, and Nico's immediate instinct was to put a hand to his hair, checking whether his ponytail was even halfway acceptable anymore.

Sally smiled at him.

"Yes, I can see what you mean. It does suit you, Nico. I'm glad everything seems to be going fine for you. Annabeth and Piper were a bit odd when we talked, so I wasn't sure how things were going on your end."

"Why were you talking to Annabeth and Piper, anyways?" Percy asked with a slight frown on his face, putting his arm around Nico and tugging him closer, placing his chin on his shoulder like he sometimes did.

But now, Nico found himself blushing again like an idiot.

They were out to the Camp, so he had been seen enough times with Percy by now, not to mention the coffee shops they had been in on their journey here, where Percy had definitely not been shy with his touches (or kisses, for that matter).

It should be no deal if one more person saw them like this.

But somehow, since this was not just some random person, but Percy's mother, that kind of changed everything.

He also noticed a moment too late he hadn't thanked her for her compliment.

Oh gods, she'd think he was rude!

Nico blurted out a choked 'Thanks', that probably lacked any context by now, which made Percy look around at him with a concerned expression, but Sally merely shook her head at him with a smile.

"Just telling the truth, Nico. Relax, I'm not going to eat you. Would be quite difficult to achieve through this, anyways, right? And I was talking to them because you haven't called, Percy, and I wanted to make sure I wouldn't call while you were in the middle of a battle, or spying on the enemy, or getting yourself killed, or-…"

"Alright, I get it, mom. Thank you. And sorry for not calling. I was kind of…busy…and, well…I'm sorry. I was going to call you once we were back at Camp safely, I swear."

"Oh, don't you swear anything, I heard you swear enough to last me a lifetime. And you too, Nico. I might not understand Italian, but I know from the way you yelled that it was nothing nice."

Nico ducked his head, face now burning with shame and mortification at being scolded like that.

"Mom, he fell out of the bed, that must have definitely hu-…oh gods, Nico, _are you hurt_?" Percy's voice turned alarmed and he turned towards him, hands tugging the blanket open instantly to check his exposed torso for any visible damage, while Nico instinctively wailed and tried to stop him.

"Percy, I'm fine! I was just startled, so I misjudged the distance to the blanket. No, Percy, stop it, I'm not hurt, I'm fine." He insisted as Percy seemed to have none of it, continuing to look and touch and check whether he had any bruises or blood pouring out anywhere.

When he grabbed hold of Nico's foot and tickled it, Nico snorted out a laugh (thanks, Will) and almost kicked Percy in the face.

"Percy!"

Sally laughed.

It was a beautiful, genuine laugh.

"Oh, you two are a sweet couple, I do have to admit. Not that I doubted it for a moment, of course, what with Percy gushing about you all the time."

"Mom!" Percy whined, looking flustered, which made Nico grin at him.

"Oh really? How embarrassing, Percy. Gushing about your boyfriend." He wasn't sure why he was being sarcastic, but Percy's face had kind of demanded it right then and there.

And his next face was even better.

Percy gaped at him.

"Nico! Oh, you…"

"You better not start swearing again." Sally warned, but Percy laughed.

"What, at my boyfriend? Never."

"Percy, you once literally called me a-…" Nico started to tease him and Percy's head whipped around.

"Shh, not in front of my mother." He hissed urgently, and Nico laughed, while Sally looked at them both suspiciously.

But then she smiled at Nico again.

"It's good to see you like this, Nico. Smiling suits you. See? I told you things would always get better someday. You just have to keep going and make it happen." She said gently, and Nico smiled back at her, remembering that one talk they had had all that time ago.

Gods, he must have looked like such a freak to her, a small, skinny kid in an oversized jacket, miserable and dark and creepy, almost like death itself.

Yet she had helped Percy with the Advent Calendar.

"Oh, thank you for helping out with the sweets, Mrs. Jackson. They were very good." He said quickly, then cursed himself, because who the hell would be able to follow his train of thought?

Percy and Sally both looked at him in surprise.

Then they both laughed.

"Oh, I see now what you mean with 'adorable', Percy. But yes, it's no problem, Nico. I was glad to be of help. Oh, and please call me Sally."

Nico blushed, but was glad all the same.

Percy grinned at him, and the way his eyes hushed down to his lips told Nico he was definitely thinking about kissing him, though he probably wouldn't, because his mother was right-…

"Mmhmpf!" He uttered perplexed as Percy moved forward, pressing their lips together quickly.

Though it was fleeting, and they both had their lips closed, Nico instantly felt his face practically burn, along with the rest of his body, his head whipping around to Sally in shock.

But the woman was merely laughing, looking at them rather happily, as if she couldn't see anything wrong whatsoever in watching her son kiss another boy.

What an astounding woman.

Nico liked her.

Hopefully, she'd keep liking him.

.

Jason was mad.

Really, super mad.

Will sighed, tying to get him to stop sulking where he sat on the closed toilet seat, his face buried in his hands.

"It was horrible." He mumbled, and Will sighed again, kneeling down in front of him and placing his hands on Jason's thighs.

"Come on, I'm sure it wasn't that bad." He said soothingly, eyes hushing over to the door, though he knew he had locked it (else Percy would probably still be in here instead of with his mother).

"It was."

It felt like it had been, too, judging from the turmoil of anger and mortification that was rushing through Jason.

What could Will do, though?

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

Well, that was pretty direct.

"If you talked about it, I might be able to help…" He tried carefully, but Jason huffed.

"No."

Hey.

Will's jaw set, but he wasn't going to take this personal, no.

Jason was upset, of course he wouldn't care about being nice to Will.

If he was Nico, then maybe.

Ugh, Nico would be perfect right now.

Jason would definitely talk to him, and it was Nico's dad that had upset Jason in the first place.

He looked around the bathroom, wishing there was something he could do to get Jason's mind off the apparently horrid conversation.

Seriously, Jason had _cursed_!

Will hadn't even known Jason _could_ curse!

It was just like that one time with the pick-up lines, when both Percy and Will had assumed Jason would suck at them, and then Jason had proven them wrong by utterly beating them almost effortlessly.

He had cursed worse than a sailor – not that Will could actually verify that, since he didn't know any, but people said that they cursed a lot (might only be stereotyping, though).

"Come on, Jason, I'm sure it really wasn't that bad. How about you calm down a bit, and then we'll watch Hercules with Percy and Nico and have a nice evening, hm?"

"No thanks." Jason moped and Will rolled his eyes.

"Then what do you intend to do? Stay in the bathroom all day and night?"

"Yes."

Oh wow.

"Jason! You can't do that." Will exclaimed, then his expression softened, his hands moving over Jason's thighs softly.

"Come on, you can't stay in here forever. The others will worry. We've already been in here for, what, twenty minutes? You don't have to tell us what happened if you don't want to, but please at least give us a chance to cheer you up." He tried gently, and Jason seemed to think about it for a moment, which was at least some sort of progress.

"No. You can go if you want. I'm good."

"Jason!" Will groaned, then pushed himself up.

Seriously! Jason was worse than Percy sometimes!

And there, Will had thought that was impossible.

He remembered how Jason had turned absolutely livid when Percy had tried to console him, turning on him with a 'Don't _YOU_ dare say a thing, Jackson!' – which had been the main reason why Will had grabbed Percy and shoved him out of the bathroom in an instant, not wanting to take any risks.

He had never heard Jason's voice with that much venom before, and with the two of them so weird around each other since the Truth or Dare, he seriously didn't want to let things get out of hand with having Percy do something stupid when Jason was clearly beside himself.

Will looked around the bathroom again.

There had to be something here to help him.

Or maybe he could get a game from the other room?

Fat chance, by the time he'd be back at the bathroom door, Jason would have probably locked it already and then there was no telling when he'd open it next.

His eyes fell on the bathtub.

Maybe…no, that was crazy.

Crazy, and utterly mad.

All sorts of crazy, and all sorts of mad.

Will hesitated.

Then he turned to Jason.

"Alright, fine. Sulk then. I'll just leave you to yourself, ok?"

He watched as Jason's shoulders slumped slightly, but the blonde didn't lift his head.

"Ok." He said, the word sounding almost pained.

Will's chest clenched painfully.

Alright, if he hadn't already made his mind up by now, this would have certainly done it.

Oh, this was going to be utter madness.

There was a high chance it wouldn't work.

A very high chance.

But at least it was worth a try, and Will didn't have that much to lose, he guessed.

_Oh well, you only live once._

Maybe he should get that engraved on his tombstone, should he ever have one (he wouldn't, but the thought was still comforting…in a very bizarre and morbid way).

He turned around and made for the door, looking around to watch Jason lean forward more in utter defeat, as if feeling even more horrible for pushing him away the way he had.

The sight was heartbreaking.

Will stopped next to the door, opening the cupboard and pulling out one of the big blue towels.

He couldn't believe he was seriously doing this.

Was he seriously doing this?

He closed the cupboard again, putting the towel down next to the bathtub, and turned on the faucet inside.

Yes, yes he was doing this.

"What…what are you doing?" Jason asked, looking up from where he sat with an utterly confused and startled expression.

Will couldn't blame him whatsoever.

He still couldn't believe he was doing this.

"I'm taking a bath. Been meaning to take one forever already, but didn't want to take up the bathroom for so long. Since you intend to mope all night, I figured I have enough time for one. So, yeah, don't mind me." He said nonchalantly, waving off as if this was nothing, as if he always just started baths when locked in the bathroom with other people.

Well, he actually might do that if his cabin actually had a bathtub.

But, yeah, it didn't.

"You…you what?" Jason asked, staring at him as if he had grown a second head.

Will raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm taking a bath. Want to join me?"

Wait, what had he just said?

That had NOT been the plan!

Jason gaped at him.

Then he closed his mouth and blinked, looking stunned and disturbed.

Will so couldn't blame him.

Seriously, now he kind of expected Jason to get up and run for it.

He turned and grabbed the bath soap, adding almost half the bottle to the water - and promptly saw Jason's eyebrows shooting up at the sight.

"Hey, don't judge me. It's not my fault I like bubble baths!" He warned, and Jason instantly lifted up his hands, which was very Jason-like and meant he was at least coming back to himself, which Will should probably take as a good sign.

Or Jason was so disturbed he couldn't think straight and was just behaving naturally because he couldn't focus on anything else.

"I'm not. I add twice that amount to my baths, actually." Jason muttered, then frowned and looked away again, expression conflicted as he apparently tried to decide whether he wanted to keep talking to Will or return to his moping.

"Oh really?" He asked, turning around properly to face Jason, raising a doubtful eyebrow to lure an answer out of him.

Jason shrugged. "Nothing goes over a nice, warm bubble bath." He admitted quietly, and Will's heart did a double-take.

"Definitely! Especially with the water really warm. Do you prefer short ones, or long ones?" He asked curiously, trying not to care for now just how stupid he must be coming across.

Anything to get Jason to talk.

Plus, what if he was just like Will?

The blonde snorted. "Long ones, of course. Can't expect a bath to be good if it doesn't last at least forty minutes."

Will's heart stopped.

He had just found his soul mate, most definitely.

Oh gods, he was going to die.

"Make that an hour, with adding warm water a few times again." He said almost breathlessly and they grinned at each other.

_Yes_, Jason was just like him!

"Sure you don't want to join in?" He asked before he could stop himself, then wondered why he couldn't manage to control himself for one time in his life.

No, that was a horrible idea.

Seriously, it was.

Alright, the bathtub was definitely big enough for them both, but-…wait, that should not even be the issue here.

Well, maybe partly, because a smaller bathtub would definitely be inconvenient, but…oh gods, what was he even thinking about?

Jason stared at him again, his expression indecipherable.

Will raised an eyebrow at him, trying to keep the jumble of emotions inside him completely contained.

He so hoped he didn't look as bothered by this as he was.

Gods, what was he _thinking_, inviting _Jason_ into the bathtub?

What was he even thinking taking a bath _in front of Jason_ in the first place?

He was _crazy_!

"Alright, if it doesn't make you uncomfortable." Jason replied with a shrug, and now it was Will's turn to stare.

Shit, he had said yes!

Oh gods, what was he supposed to do?

He couldn't seriously do this!

"I don't mind. Just keep to your side of the tub, and I'll keep to mine. We'll keep our boxer shorts on, though. I mean, man, I know we're close and all, but not quite that close." He heard himself saying and inwardly cringed.

What…was he saying…?

Jason got up from the toilet seat, moving over, so he made space for him to look in the still filling tub.

"Alright."

Oh gods, they were not doing this.

This could not be happening.

Why was this happening?

And why were things like this always happening to Will?

Well, probably because they also happened _because_ of him.

Oh gods, this was going to go so wrong.

Will added some more bath soap to the water, watching Jason moving over to the cupboard out of the corners of his eyes, half expecting him to bolt, but Jason merely pulled out a towel for himself, coming back over.

Then he seriously started to undress.

Right next to Will.

Just like that.

Jason Grace, who usually left the room to put on a new shirt.

Will was going to die.

The blonde looked around at him in question, so Will swallowed and tugged his own shirt off over his head, trying to suppress the feeling of self-consciousness that instantly rushed through him.

Jason had seen his upper body naked plenty enough times, he'd know by now Will didn't have any abs to show off.

Of course he knew.

They had gone through so much together already, that was bound to be one of the first things Jason must have noticed.

Yeah, somehow, those thoughts weren't all that reassuring.

He glanced sideways at Jason again, his gaze promptly glued to his formidable physique.

Damn, Jason.

Then Jason opened his pants and tugged them down, and Will found himself halting in his movements, his breath hitching slightly when he saw Jason's boxer shorts getting pulled with the denim for a moment, not very far, but enough to expose far too much skin that Will should not be ogling.

Damn it, he had to get himself together.

This didn't mean a thing, after all.

Just a bath.

With a friend.

That he might have a slight, minor crush on (which wasn't even worth mentioning, seriously, what was he even bothering to mention this?).

Yeah, absolutely normal.

Right.

He shook his head slightly and tore his gaze away forcibly, fumbling with his own pants button.

His mind was unhelpful as ever, supplying him with a memory of Jason's well-formed backside in those wondrous pants from Persephone.

Then, to make things _even worse_, he remembered said backside with nothing covering it, back when Jason had come back to Camp on Nico's birthday and Will had walked into his cabin unsuspectingly.

_Oh gods._

Why was he thinking of that _now_?

He was NOT allowed to think of that now!

No, seriously, he was about to take a bath with Jason, he was _not_ allowed to think of his naked butt right now, or else he would not be able to take his pants off without alerting Jason to his absolutely minor and unimportant crush on him.

Will glanced sideways at Jason again and gulped, his body feeling hot and cold as Jason stood bent over the bathtub, turning off the water, the backside in question right there, next to Will, pretty much just waiting for him to touch- _no_!

Will shook his head vehemently and turned away, trying to buy himself some time by folding his shirt, which he usually never did, but screw it.

He placed it on the ground next to his towel, all neatly folded and pretty, and glanced back at Jason, who was studying him, much to his dismay.

"You ok?" He asked, and Will nodded quickly.

"Of course. I just don't like being undressed without being able to get into the water right away."

He knew it was a weak excuse, since Jason had just turned off the water, so they were more than able to get into the water now, but Jason merely nodded, accepting it, anyways.

"Understandable. Though it's not that hot." He said, bending over to put his hand into the water, and Will forced his gaze onto his own pants with all his willpower, finally popping open the button.

"Yeah? Get in first, then. I'll be right there." He heard himself saying, glad his voice wasn't as breathless as he was feeling.

Jason gave a small nod, and actually climbed into the tub, so Will made the best of the time Jason seemed occupied to rip his pants down and off, fixing his boxer shorts and hoping against hope he wouldn't make a fool of himself.

The moment Jason settled into the water (and all the bubbles, which looked funny and awesome at the same time), Will rushed to get in himself, only slightly bothered by the fact he was getting into a bathtub in his boxer shorts.

But, yeah, there was no way in hell he'd ever take those off with Jason around, no matter whether he was semi-hard or not.

The first thing they noticed was that, even with the size of the bathtub, due to its shape, their legs kind of got entangled, anyways.

Though Jason acted like his usual self fairly quickly, grabbing hold of Will's unceremoniously and moving them over his own, similar to how he had done back in Persephone's garden.

But luckily, they weren't as close right now, and Will was nowhere close to sitting between his legs (or even worse, on his lap).

Then, Will first realized how nice the water felt.

_So warm._

He closed his eyes, momentarily forgetting all about awkwardness and Jason and anything else, really, just sinking back into the water until it almost reached his nose.

_Mmh, this felt so good._

Yes, he definitely knew why he loved baths.

"Liking it?" Jason asked, apparently having forgotten all about his plan to sulk the entire night.

Good.

Will opened his eyes lazily, gazing through the massive amount of foam and bubbles at the blonde, who was looking back with a slightly pink face and a small smile on his face.

He looked adorable.

Will closed his eyes again.

"Mhm." Was all he replied, thinking to himself that, if he was alone right now, he'd definitely be stretching and splashing and turning and whirling in this water right now, acting like a little kid (or a fish out of water…?).

But, yeah, obviously, he wouldn't do that.

He also didn't dunk his head underwater like he usually did, because that seemed like a fairly stupid thing to do with somebody else right there in the tub with him.

Will sighed into the water, noticing the silence that fell over them.

Oh, that was not so good.

Silence meant Jason was bound to let his mind wander, which meant he would definitely start brooding and moping again.

He pushed himself up properly again, though instantly missing the warmth of the water on his now wet skin.

"Wow, this is so not how I pictured my first bath here to go." He said thoughtfully, unable to think of anything better to initiate a conversation.

But hey, at least he was trying.

Will would not be the reason this was going to be the most awkward bath in a lifetime.

Nope.

If that was to be the case, it would have to be Jason's fault.

Absolutely.

Jason stiffened slightly. "Do you want me to get out?"

Always so considerate.

But hey, at least he was replying properly now.

"Why would I want that? I invited you in, didn't I?" He replied with a small smile, jokingly splashing a bit of water Jason's way, making his shoulders relax again and his lips twitch.

Then his face darkened again and he looked down into the water, and Will sighed.

"So, what do we do now?" He asked, trying to get Jason out of his head again.

He dared to sink into the water again slightly, the air feeling too cool on his skin right now.

Jason shrugged.

"Anything you want, I guess."

Oh, he wanted a lot of things right now, alright?

But none of them were appropriate, so he didn't even let his mind wander there.

Instead, he let out a long breath and leaned back against the tub, glad for all the foam to hide most of his body from view.

"Really? Splendid. How about we chat? You know, this is a once on a lifetime thing, after all. A bath with Will Solace. Who knows, maybe one day you'll tell your kids about it." He joked with a wink and found Jason raising an eyebrow at him, gazing at him quietly, as if contemplating something.

"Maybe."

Will wasn't discouraged.

"Yep. So, let's talk. What would you like to talk about? We can talk about anything, everything, nothing in particular, whatever you wish." He said cheerily, poking at some of the bubbles automatically.

Jason watched him do it with a raised eyebrow.

Then, when Will was about to stop, thinking he was being unusually stupid again, Jason lifted his own hand out of the water to play with some bubbles around him, too.

"So, you like baths, then." Jason said quietly, and Will blinked at him.

Wait, was that his attempt for a bathtub conversation?

Seriously?

Of all the things he could have said, he was going to talk about baths?

While being in a bath?

Seriously, who had unleashed this innocent, awkward (horribly attractive) dork into the world?

It was beyond him.

Alright, recent incidents showed Jason could also be a lot less innocent and precious, but hey, he was still Jason, and the majority of the time he was an oversized teddy bear, alright?

Will snorted, moving his legs involuntarily against Jason's sides, who immediately tensed and shifted.

Hey! What had he done? They usually touched _much more_ than this all throughout the day and at night, there was no reason for him to act uncomfortable _now_!

That kind of hurt, actually.

But Will swallowed it and went on with a deep breath and a wide grin, determined to get this conversation going somehow.

"I do. I love baths. Sadly, for obvious reasons, there's rarely the chance to take one." He replied truthfully, and Jason nodded in understanding.

"Makes sense. It's been a while since I last got to take one, too." The blonde said quietly, and Will had one second to decide what to say next.

"Oh really? I bet it wasn't nearly as long ago as my last time." He said cockily, and Jason's eyebrows shot up.

Ugh.

"I meant my last bath, Jason." He corrected drily, and Jason lifted his arms and turned his now once again pink face away.

"I didn't say anything."

Right.

"Well, though I'll have you know my last time was quite a while ago, too."

And Will was damn glad about that, too, but he wasn't going to tell Jason that.

Jason blushed, not looking at him as he studied the tiles.

"Right. Why…are we talking about this, exactly?"

Will raised an eyebrow at the blonde, but then rolled his eyes.

"Because I don't want this bath to get awkward, of course." He stated flatly, and Jason frowned, glancing towards him.

"That's not really helping it, you know?"

Will swallowed the sassy remark trying to make its way past his lips, instead clearing his throat.

Then he had an idea.

"Oh really? Well, alright. Then I'll try something different. Turn around." He declared, making a turning motion with his finger, and Jason blinked, looking startled.

"I…what?"

Will shouldn't feel so smug about being able to make people stutter, not even when it was Jason.

"You heard me. Turn around. Just do it. Unless you don't trust me?" He asked, knowing full well the last part especially would do the trick.

Jason's eyebrows furrowed together for a moment, but then he actually did turn around without another word, baring his back to him.

Perfect.

Will smiled to himself triumphantly, moving forward to kneel behind Jason, cracking his knuckles loudly, to then place his hands onto Jason's shoulders, right next to his neck.

Jason shivered under the touch, but didn't say anything, and didn't move.

Will's lips twitched.

"Nothing goes over a nice massage to kill any awkwardness, don't you agree? Alright, it might not be that great because I have no massage oil in here, but water and oil don't mix well, anyways, so there's that. What do you think?" He asked, trying to ignore how nice Jason's damp skin felt, and how sweetly he reacted, with shivers running down his spine at Will's slow kneading (and Will could feel they originated from pleasure, not disgust or anything else).

"It's good. Though you don't have to…" Jason started, sounding slightly hesitant, but Will merely rolled his eyes.

"But I want to."

It slipped out, really.

He hadn't meant to say that.

He would usually never say anything like that.

Will hesitated in his movements for a splint second, trying to gauge how Jason was going to react, but the blonde didn't say anything, didn't call him out on it, and didn't turn his head around, so Will relaxed again and resumed his kneading of Jason's shoulders.

(And _damn_, they were _broad_! He hadn't even exaggerated that much back when Nico and he had joked around in that room at Persephone's).

Jason let him, and silence settled over them again, but it seemed a comfortable one, only disturbed by the sounds of the water whenever Will moved, and the dissolving bubbles (no~, not the bubbles…).

Will let his hands move down Jason's spine, noting how his back was a lot better compared to the last time he had had the pleasure.

Must be the bed.

The bed here was amazing.

Yep, most definitely the bed.

He started working in circular movements over Jason's back, becoming completely absorbed in his work, so it took him a moment to realize Jason was drifting off into negative thoughts again, judging by the renewed turmoil of emotions inside him.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked quietly, frowning at how gentle his voice sounded.

Jason stiffened momentarily, but then relaxed again, leaning into his touch slightly and shaking his head.

"Nothing much."

Yeah right.

But since Jason wasn't elaborating, Will assumed he really didn't want to talk about it, so he decided not to pry.

There was no point in pressuring Jason to talk about his conversation with Hades if the blonde didn't want to, after all, because that would hardly be of help, then.

"Well, I'm thinking of the last bath I took. Want to hear about it?" He asked, wondering inwardly what the hell he was even saying, any why.

Just, no.

Also, why would he even ask Jason whether he wanted to know?

They were friends, yes, but why would Jason care about any bath Will had ever taken?  
Ugh, today really wasn't his day, it seemed.

"Sure." Jason shrugged, and Will sighed.

Oh great.

"Alright, well, let's see…" He started thoughtfully, and wondered for another second whether he was seriously going to do this.

This was crazy.

He gazed at Jason's back again, and inwardly sighed.

It would occupy Jason for a while, he guessed.

It might even cheer him up a bit.

He fought with himself for another long second, then gave up.

"Well, my last bath was years ago, and it wasn't even a real bath. I was with a friend at the time, and we were playing this sort of game I had made up, where we…kind of had to hide. From…everyone. So, we'd try to make our way through Camp and everything, but without being seen by _anyone_ or _anything_. If we were caught, we'd be dead. It was a very cruel game." Will started slowly, cursing himself for having to talk about baths in the first place.

Couldn't he have changed the topic to something else?

The infirmary? The lake?

Especially the lake, because he had tons of unimportant stories to tell about that?

He could have just told Jason of some rubbish his siblings had pulled, or how the infirmary had almost burnt down once?

But no, somehow, it just had to be this.

Why did it have to be this?

Why in the name of Hades and all the Dead in the Underworld was he telling Jason _this_, of all things?

Too many memories.

Too many complications.

Too many chances to give something away he'd regret.

All just to cheer Jason up.

He took a deep breath, the game flashing through his mind.

Oh, it had been a cruel game, alright.

Will had called it 'the game of self-preservation', and with good reason.

But that wasn't important right now.

Jason had turned his head minimally as Will had started talking, but Will mercilessly made him face forward again.

It was much easier for him to talk to people when they weren't looking at him, especially Jason, especially when Will was actually talking about any part of his past.

Much, much easier.

"So, anyways, we were playing that game again, and while I was fairly good at it, she sucked at it. Like, you have no idea how bad she was at that game. She nearly got us 'killed' so many times. Then, she _really_ messed up, and I thought this was it. We were going to get seen. I was going to get found. So I grabbed her hand, and we absolutely ran for it, just _ran_ for it, and by some sort of miracle, we weren't found – therefore, we ended up in the Big House. I know, that doesn't sound that weird, but might I mention we ended up in there by _climbing up the back of the house and breaking into one of the windows of the second floor_? Impressive, right?" Will continued, massaging down Jason's spine to his lower back, feeling for any kinks as he remembered how he had tried to frantically make her understand the severity of the situation, just to then throw all caution in the wind and telling her to smash the window.

As a child of Ares, she had abided fairly quickly, of course, but for all the wrong reasons, though he hadn't bothered telling her that.

Now that he thought of it, that would have probably been the perfect time to tell her.

Tell her why he had made up that game.  
Tell her why he was trying so hard to hide.  
Tell her he needed her to help him.

Thinking about it now, she probably would have done it, too.

Not that it would have made a difference.

She had been his age, and fairly slim and petite for an Ares kid, though she had still managed to grow taller than him before she…well, before she had died.

No, there was no point thinking about that now.

It wouldn't have made a difference, other than it would have changed their relationship, and probably gotten her into trouble.

No, this was a lot better.

"Very." Jason said quietly, tearing Will out of his thoughts.

What?

Oh, right.

He had told Jason about how impressively they had gotten into the Big House.

For a moment, Will had dreaded he might have thought out loud.

Gods, he wouldn't know what he'd do if that ever happened.

He wouldn't let it happen.

No.

"I know, right?" He tried quickly, but sounded a tad too cheerful to come across as authentic.

Jason tensed for a moment, turning his head ever so slightly again, but Will was quick to push it back forward.

"Hold still, you. I'm not done yet. But you can let some water out so we can add warmer water again." He ordered, and found Jason actually doing it.

That was Jason for you.

Will cleared his throat.

"So, we ended up in the Big House, in this _super_ messy room. It kind of looked a bit like the room Percy and I hid the cake in, but that was on the ground floor, and this room was on the second floor, and there was no fridge in there, as far as I remember. And we had no idea what to do, because, as soon as we were inside, we realized: _Damn! We just broke into the Big House!_ And, I admit, we panicked a little bit, and we tried to get out, but the thing is, the door was locked. So we just stood there, in front of the locked door, and the only exit was the window through which we had come in. For obvious reasons, we couldn't escape through there again, because…well, we'd be _seen_." He knew very well Jason wouldn't understand the severity.

She hadn't understood it, either, arguing with him why they couldn't just call it game over and get out.

"It was a cruel game." He repeated, though he knew it didn't explain anything.

"I can believe that. What happened then?" Jason asked quietly, not trying to turn around anymore.

Will smiled, working his way back up on Jason's back, wondering whether he could get away with doing his sides, too.

"She was very persistent, so I almost gave in, but then, right when she was about to go for the window, I noticed this other, small sort of door at the other wall, and I know it sounds stupid, but in that moment, I just thought: _That has to be a way out_! And I all but _lunged_ myself across the room with her towards that door – you should have heard her curse, she could curse worse than Percy and Nico combined, I'm telling you, and almost as hardcore as you did earlier. It wasn't even a real door. Maybe a third of a door in size and it didn't even look like it would actually lead anywhere. So, we opened it, and at first, I thought it really wouldn't get us anywhere. It was just this super small space in there, maybe enough to fit one of us in there to hide or something, but no exit, no way out."

He still remembered how his heart had sunk, especially when she had told him to just leave it and get out through the window.

Jason stayed quiet, turning off the water again, and Will sank into the water a bit more, enjoying the renewed warmth, his hands still on Jason's back.

It was disturbing how easy the words started coming to him.

He had never told this story to anybody else, after all.

He generally refused to even _think_ of this story, along with all the other messed up moments of his past.

Talking to Jason really was dangerous, especially when Jason was all quiet and listening and letting Will do his thing.

Very dangerous.

"But then, I noticed there was this hole, really well hidden, which might _just_ lead to a different room. I know it sounds utterly crazy, but I just…I don't know, I just _had_ to try, so I told her to wait, told her I'd check it out, and I crawled into that super small, super narrow space. Man, was I happy to have been as small as I had been." He said with a chuckle, though he definitely hadn't felt like chuckling back then.

Desperate, crazy and close to tears? More likely.

"You, small? How long ago was that?" Jason asked curiously, and Will hesitated.

"I was twelve at the time, and I swear I was smaller than all the other kids my age. Don't comment on that, I swear."

Jason sighed. "I wouldn't dream of it. Can I do you?"

Will froze.

What?

_What?_

"W-What?"

"Massage. Can I do you? You're always massaging everyone's backs, so I was kind of wondering whether I could…you know…give it a try. I probably won't be any good, but…yeah…" Jason explained, shifting slightly, and Will found himself relaxing.

Oh.

"Erm…sure." He muttered, then realized with a jolt this meant turning his back to Jason.

To Jason.

While talking about his past.

That definitely hadn't been his smartest move.

Then again, nothing he had done today had been smart.

First, he had woken up with his head next to Percy's thigh, hogging his leg and muttering about chicken wings (it had been a weird dream again, alright? Well, at least nobody had been pregnant in it, so that was a plus), which had made the guys laugh.

Then, he had let Percy beat him in a super simple game at a super easy moment, in which Will should have been able to beat him tenfold, had he not been too busy ogling Jason's sleeping face as the blonde had napped on his lap.

After that, he had fallen asleep again (all he did nowadays was sleep, eat and play, really. It was disconcerting. How his values remained stable he had no idea), just to wake up curled around Jason again, with his hand holding Jason's (how embarrassing).

Yeah, and to play that off, he had remained in that position and just grabbed his controller, playing against Jason and Percy with his chin still on Jason's thigh.

Not that Jason had said a word.

Not that anybody had said a word, really.

Not even Percy had said anything, though Will could still feel the disconcerted looks Percy shot both of them every here and there.

Then again, Percy didn't say anything against Will and Jason lately, anyways, because Jason still had some sort of issue with Percy, and Percy still seemed fidgety and guilty for some reason.

Somebody understand them.

And, well, then there was still that conversation he and Percy had had about last names and weddings and all that sort of rubbish, which should definitely count to the things one should _never _talk with_ friends _about!

Ugh.

Alright, it had all just been stupid playing, but still, he couldn't deny he had kind of liked thinking of…no, he shouldn't let his mind wander there, especially not now.

He blushed and hurriedly turned his back to Jason as the blonde moved.

Thinking about it, he had not even said he was done with Jason's back yet.

Damn.

But oh well, too late now.

Jason got comfortable behind him, moving his legs to sit cross-legged in the bathtub, which made Will feel part of his legs at his lower back/butt area, though he didn't mention it.

Then Jason put his hands on Will's shoulders, apparently trying to imitate what he had done.

Oh, right, Jason apparently didn't have much massaging experience.

Well, he was certain he'd do well, anyways.

"So, you were telling me how you crawled into a very small, narrow space." Jason reminded him quietly, beginning to knead his shoulders softly.

Maybe a tad too softly, but Will could feel him gradually applying more pressure, so he didn't say anything yet.

"Yes. I crawled in there, and found out that the small hole wasn't even that small, it was just slightly around the corner of this really stupid wooden board that was in the way, right? So, I told her I'd try to get through there, because I thought I could see what seemed like tiles on the other side. She was so fed up, but eventually, she went with it, because she was just as crazy as I was."

Jason moved towards his neck, then back to his shoulders, and Will had to admit it felt kind of nice.

Then again, he usually didn't get massages from anybody, instead more being the person doing the massaging, so he might as well have low standards.

Though he was still fairly sure Jason was doing a pretty good job.

Gods, this was such a nice change for once, too.

"So, I tried to get that board away, but it didn't work, so she dragged me back out of the hole by my foot and crawled in there herself. Needless to say, the board didn't stand a chance. And suddenly, there was the perfect exit. We just had to squeeze through."

He decided to leave out the fact that they indeed had to _squeeze_ themselves through there, and that that alone had taken at least ten minutes.

It had been so worth it.

"And on the other side, everything was dark, and there was no window, and it was creepy, but absolutely perfect. Because, who could ever find us there?"

Jason made an affirming sound, which Will appreciated, because he knew this must barely make sense to the blonde at all, but he still sounded curious and genuinely interested, and it didn't feel like he was judging Will at all.

And Will really, really liked that.

He felt himself relaxing more and more, too, both because of Jason's massage, and because of him simply being Jason.

Will had kind of forgotten why he was telling this mess in the first place, but he had to admit it felt kind of good, in a really bizarre way.

"We felt our way through the dark for a while, but then I finally found a light switch – and lo and behold: that room was actually a _bathroom_."

Jason halted for a moment, and Will could feel the realization washing over the blonde, making Will grin to himself.

Yeah, he had wondered when Jason would question what all this had to do with baths in the first place.

"Yep, it was awesome. It didn't even look run-down or anything, there was just some old stuff standing around here and there. So, first, we checked the door, and it was unlocked, but we kind of didn't want to be found walking out of the Big House. Plus, we had only gone into the Big House in the first place to hide from everybody, so going outside would kind of be pointless, right? And, well, that was a really awesome room and we so wanted to check it out some more. So we both started to look at all the stuff laying around, including this weird supply of liquids and murky substances. Now, in the beginning, we were merely looking. But soon enough, we got more curious and kind of experimental, so we started touching and taking things to sniff on them or look at them better. And before we knew it, we were trying out that small bathtub, just to see whether the faucet still worked."

Jason chuckled behind him, probably guessing already how the story must have evolved.

Well, he probably wasn't wrong.

But he certainly couldn't guess just how awesome it had gotten.

Will could only repeat: It had been worth it.

"And as you can guess, suddenly, we were dumping all sorts of things in there, until her good luck charm fell in there. She had this little charm she usually had on her wrist as a bracelet, but it had come off. So, heroic as always, I decided to…_plunge into my doom_." He said dramatically, gesturing with his hands and chuckling at the memory.

So much foam.  
So many scents.  
So wet.

And, gods, he wouldn't advise it to anybody, though he certainly would do it again.

Maybe.

Just once.

It had been crazy (now thinking about it, it had probably also been kind of suicidal and super dangerous, but meh), but it had been awesome all the same.

Jason chuckled, now massaging down his spine as he had done it earlier, and Will could feel a pleasant shiver run down his back.

Hey, that felt _really_ good.

Maybe he should get Jason to massage him more often.

With the excuse of teaching him how to properly do it, of course.

Whoa, that sounded like an awesome plan, he'd have to remember that for later.

"So, you have this 12-year old me, just diving head-first into a small bathtub full of foreign substances, trying to get a super small good luck charm…"

"Which totally sounds like something you'd do." Jason remarked drily and Will grinned.

True.

"...and you have this 12-year old her, one head taller than me and a lot buffer and stronger than me – though she was still kind of small and thin, but don't tell her I said that…not that you'd be able to -, standing next to said bathtub, wailing and crying because her charm was gone, and now I was gone, too. You can imagine how that must have looked. And you can't even begin to imagine how she shrieked when I suddenly shot up in the water again, with my face full of bubbles and foam, the colors of the rainbow. Wait…I wonder whether that was supposed to show me I was queer." He suddenly trailed off, thinking of all the various colors.

"Nah, it was probably just because we kind of just mixed everything together. And anyways, I already knew it at that point, anyways. No, so, I had her charm, and I had my face full of foam, and she was just standing there in terror, staring at me like I was some sort of alien. So, of course, I did the most plausible thing ever."

"You threw foam at her, didn't you?" Jason asked with a sigh, and Will grinned, sinking into the water some more, and back into Jason's touch, who immediately adjusted his position and started applying more pressure, making Will close his eyes in pleasure.

That felt _good_.

Better than good.

Yes, he'd _definitely_ have to remember that plan of his later.

"Of course I did. She never stood a chance. Well, long story short, we both ended up in that bathtub, splashing and joking and trying to drown each other playfully – don't worry, we really weren't trying to kill each other…much…I think she might have been tempted at one point, when I called her a slug, but other than that, we were mostly fooling around."

Jason chuckled behind him, probably imagining the scenario.

Oh, Jason, you had no idea.

It was one of the best things in Will's life, especially at that time.

"Yeah, it was awesome. Until we both knocked over _this one bottle_." He said dramatically, and Jason groaned.

"I knew there was going to be some sort of dramatic plot twist."

"Oh, you bet there was. So, this bottle just spills over, and we both just stopped playing around, staring at it transfixed. It didn't even make any sense, because the thing didn't look special, didn't smell special, didn't do anything special, but we just stopped in our tracks to stare at it. And then, there was this one little drop of it, just one drop, and it dropped down into the water and…_boom_." Will gestured, then stopped to push back into Jason's hand some more.

"Boom?" Jason asked, sounding adorably worried and uncertain.

Will nodded seriously.

"Yes. Boom. One moment, we were in that tub, with rainbow colored foam and bubbles on and around us, the next moment, there was the sound of an explosion, and bubbles were _everywhere_, and we were right in the middle of it. No, I swear, you don't understand. The bubbles were _everywhere_, because the bathtub was suddenly _overflowing_ with foam and bubbles and water, and it wouldn't _stop_, and we were in this room and everything was _drowning_ in rainbow colored foam." Will told him dramatically and with way too much excitement than appropriate, remembering how they had laughed and cried at the same time, holding onto each other and trying to fight their way through the foam – which hadn't really worked.

And then…

"And then, Chiron must have heard us making so much noise, or maybe the explosion – probably the explosion, yeah -, because suddenly, there he was, opening that bathroom door…and…well…let's just say the foam was very eager to get out. It was quite a sight, though. Chiron full of rainbow foam from head to hooves, the interior of the Big House full of even more foam, bubbles flying around everywhere…we thought it was kind of pretty, actually. Chiron didn't agree, though. He made us clean it all up. But hey, that's how we managed to survive for a whole day without getting found. She hated me for it, but I swear, it was the best day of my life."

Of course, the days afterwards had been hell, but that day had definitely been awesome, no matter the hours of cleaning and scrubbing that had followed, nor the other things that had happened the day after due to his missing for an entire day.

He still had no idea why Chiron hadn't told anybody else about that incident, anyways, but he hadn't, and Will had never told, either, thinking that if everything else failed, he might at least manage to hide out in one of those rooms once more if he just kept quiet about their existence, and Chiron's silence had greatly helped.

Maybe Chiron hadn't wanted the Stoll brothers to take them as an example and start breaking in through windows – not to mention all the other chaos they could cause with multiplying rainbow foam as soon as they knew that existed.

Still, it had been cool.

Jason massaged down to his lower back, carefully making his way lower and _lower_, until Will started tensing slightly.

Then Jason immediately moved upwards again.

Will smiled.

Jason really was a great guy.

Oh, how he wished…

Nope, he wasn't even going to go there.

"So, yeah, that was the last bath I took." He finished his rather long and horrid story, wondering faintly whether it had even been entertaining for Jason.

In the end, he had just bored him.

But Jason didn't seem bored, to be honest.

He seemed fairly…happy, if Will was reading his emotions correct.

Giddy, content and happy.

Kind of strange, but ok.

Then again, Will was feeling rather giddy and content, too, even somewhat elated after having told this story, though that shouldn't have felt half as good as it had.

He also felt a lot more relaxed than…close to ever, really.

"That sounds like quite the adventure. I'd love to tell you a story as entertaining, but sadly, I don't think I have anything comparable. My last bath was a while ago, too, but it was just when I got promoted to a praetor. It was a sort of treat for myself, a nice, long, quiet bath. Very boring."

Will grinned, picturing a younger Jason in a giant bathtub, just laying back and relaxing for once.

"I don't know what you mean, sounds perfect to me. You should probably do that some more, treat yourself, you know? You certainly deserve it, what with you taking care of everyone around you all the time."

He could feel Jason shrug behind him.

"I'm really not all that great. I just do what has to be done, really."

"Nobody else would do all that, though." Will pointed out with a small smile.

He leaned back against Jason, his back rubbing against his chest, his head falling back onto Jason's shoulder.

Jason's hands moved over his sides slowly, tugging him back against him slightly.

Mmh, that felt so nice.

"I don't know why not. I like doing it. It feels like the right thing to do, and if it makes other people feel good, then that's even better, right?" Jason said quietly, letting his head fall back onto the acrylic and wrapping his arms loosely around Will, and Will found himself shifting slightly to move his head closer to Jason's neck.

They chatted for a while, about unimportant things like baths and bath toys like rubber ducks, or how they'd change up their cabins if they had the chance, and how their new bathrooms would look (apparently, Jason really was a lot like him in that regard. What an adorable dork).

Chuckling and throwing each other amused grins every here and there, he felt Jason's hands moving over his front, stroking ever so gently across his skin.

Mmh, that actually felt really nice.

Will closed his eyes, resisting the urge to hum contently.

That would just be weird.

After all, Jason and he were…wait…

And _that_ was the moment he actually realized what they were even doing.

What.  
What?  
_What?!_

Too close!  
_Way too close_!  
What was he _doing_?!

He couldn't just...they couldn't just..._why was Jason letting this happen_?!

Will's heart pounded a hundred miles an hour, and he felt hot and cold at the same time, something that only seemed to be amplified by the water around him, all the peace and quiet they had just established gone.

He sat frozen between Jason's legs, unable to believe what was _happening_, unable to believe _this _was happening, unable to believe _Jason _was letting this happen.

Everything inside him urged him to move, to run, to flee - yet he couldn't even open his mouth to say a single word, too stunned, too shocked, too..._why did this feel so_ _nice_?

It wasn't allowed to feel this nice!

This was _Jason_, he understood that it would feel _good_ to lean back against him, to let himself fall like that and trust Jason to catch him without judging, because this was _Jason_, and _Jason_ would do anything for his friends.

But this was so much more than what friends would do for each other.

This felt amazing, like something a couple would do when taking a bath.

This _was _something a couple would do.

_A couple._

Not friends.  
Hell no, not friends.  
No friends would do this.  
Not half-naked.  
Not in a bathtub.  
Not with each other.  
Especially not without a reason.

But what was he supposed to do?

He had started this!  
Oh _gods_, he had started this.

How could he have just...why had he...what had he been _thinking_?!  
Well, he apparently hadn't been thinking at all.

But what now?

Could he just pull away?

Jason was kind of not helping the situation with holding him like a lover, really.

Though, gods, it felt so good.  
So nice.  
So perfect.

Will never wanted to move, though he freaking wanted to run away at the same time, which really wasn't a good mix.

"Is this ok?" Jason asked quietly, his voice cautious, as if noticing something was wrong.

Well, something was wrong, alright? _Everything_ was wrong.

Will opened his mouth, but couldn't trust his voice, because he was fairly certain all that'd come out would be a high-pitched squeak that would...well, it would most likely _end_ this, but it would also make Jason either worry or laugh, and Will didn't really want either.

So, instead of saying no (or yelling it, rather), or anything else that would indicate just how not-ok this was, Will found himself nodding numbly, his heart pounding in his chest, his hands sweaty (thank gods they were in water-…wait, how did he even know his hands were sweaty?), his brain full of…rubbish, really.

Why was it that when one needed their brain the most, it seemed to fail them on purpose?

Will had no answer.

He also had no idea what to do, but by now, that really shouldn't surprise him.

Jason's hand moved over his flat stomach, and Will wasn't sure whether to feel flustered, mortified or pathetic, so his befuddled mind settled for a mix of all three.

Flustered, because Jason Grace was touching him.  
Mortified, because Jason was bound to feel just how not in shape Will was, his stomach flat and soft, not ripped like Jason's (not that Jason wouldn't know already, but _still_!).  
And pathetic, because those two were the first thoughts that crossed his mind, and he felt more self-conscious than genuinely uncomfortable, and none of that should have been an issue right now.

He should be getting annoyed at Jason touching him in the first place.

Or at the very least feel bothered that they were so freaking close for no apparent reason.

Well, mostly, he should stop Jason and get out of his (_so, so nice_) embrace.

Will didn't do anything, though.

Quite literally, too, because he didn't move a muscle, instead closing his eyes and trying to get a grip on himself.

Jason continued, stroking over his stomach slowly, as if either trying to imprint the texture, shape and feel of his body to memory (highly unlikely) - or maybe Jason was trying to find any muscles.

Fat chance.

Will opened his mouth, then stopped himself.

There was _no way_ he was going to say anything along the lines of an apology for the lack of visible muscles.

That would not come out of his mouth.

Especially since he wasn't capable of saying anything of the things he _should_ be saying instead.

That Jason should stop, for example.

Then again, Will really didn't want him to stop.

But he really wanted to have abs to show off to not feel so stupid.

Life was unfair.

"Do you want me to stop? You do, don't you? You're too quiet." Jason observed, his voice gentle, his breath right at the shell of Will's ear, making him shiver.

Will was about to say yes, or at the very least nod, to get himself out of this torture, because that's all this truly was, feeling so damned good when it had no right to.

But as Jason pulled his hand back, all that came out of his mouth was a traitorous whine.

By. The._ Gods._

Jason practically froze, and Will froze along with him, the mortification making his face burn.

All in all, he could swear the water was warming up again solely because Will was burning up from embarrassment.

He pushed away from Jason, the first time his body seemed to be obeying him again, though he promptly slipped with his knee and nearly went straight underwater, if it hadn't been for the faucet, which he practically clung to as if it was a matter of life and death.

In a way, it was a matter of life and death, just for his dignity.

"Will..." Jason started, sounding concerned and slightly guilty, and Will reacted with the only thing his crazy mind managed to come up with: He turned on the water.

"We need warmer water. Definitely. And no snuggling in the bathtub, Handsome. That's for bed tonight. We want to have fun in here, not fall asleep, right?"

Oh gods, what was he even saying?

He was babbling. Badly. Gods, somebody stop him.

Somebody bury him alive.

They were already in the Underworld, all that was missing was a shovel.

No, wait, that wasn't how things went down here.

Damn it.

Will didn't even want to turn around to see how Jason must be looking at him.

Gods, Will was such an idiot.

For a moment, there was silence.

"You're absolutely right. The last time I slept in here, my entire body hurt. And you just gave me such a nice massage, it would be a shame to let that go to waste." Jason then said amiably, as if he hadn't just caressed Will in a way nobody else ever had.

Will risked a glance back at him out of the corners of his eyes, but Jason was busy crossing his legs again, not looking at him.

Will was glad for it.

"That wasn't really a massage. I can do much better." He muttered, clearing his throat to get his voice to work properly again.

He was a master-actor, for gods' sake, he should be able to at least act like everything was cool.

But somehow, with Jason around, his skills were generally non-existent, it seemed.

"I know you can." Jason replied, and he could hear the honesty in his voice.

He should stop being such a sucker for praise, really.

Because now he felt his insides getting all jittery and warm and fuzzy just because of what Jason said, not the overall situation, and that was definitely disturbing.

"You just wait until I give you that full body massage. I'll make sure you-…" He started, acting cocky, instantly proud to know his acting skills weren't entirely lost yet.

"Let me guess: Scream? Moan? Groan? Cry? Get addicted?" Jason interrupted him with suggestions, a small smirk playing on his lips as Will turned his head to glower at him almost automatically, trying to keep his lips from twitching.

It appeared he boasted a tad too much around the guys.

And how did Jason manage to make Will feel indignant rather than flustered?

"Actually, I was going to say 'I'll make sure your back will never bother you again and you'll feel better than ever', but I can do all of those, too, if you insist." He retorted with a huff, splashing water towards Jason, whose smirk now turned into a grin.

"Oh really? You know what, I think I'll insist. I'm curious to see whether you'll be able to be as good as you claim." He winked at him, splashing water right back at him, and Will put on a playfully aghast expression.

"The _insolence_! I'm the best masseur you're ever going to get, and now you can bet your broad shoulders that I'm going to make you whimper and cry and beg for my mercy!" He declared, using both hands to splash water and the left-over bubbles at Jason, who merely laughed and replied with an ever bigger load of water.

Then, obviously, they did the most mature thing ever: They started a whole water fight (just without any tools, though neither of them needed any, really).

Well, at least the awkwardness between them was gone.

.

If somebody asked Jason what the craziest thing he had ever done was, a lot of things would come to mind, probably.

A lot of them super crazy things like charging into battle with a gold coin, or his challenging of a Titan.

But Jason was fairly certain that, in the end, he'd reply with this: Taking a bath with Will Solace.

Seriously, what had Will been thinking, anyways, just randomly declaring he was going to take a bath with Jason right there in the room with him?

Alright, Jason had been upset (still was, actually, if Will wasn't doing this thing where he managed to make Jason forget anything that didn't have to do with Will) and a bit out of it, but he was still _there_, still a _guy_, still in love with-…well, ok, Will didn't know that part, he guessed.

But still.

He couldn't just go and take a bath _with Jason right there_.

And how could he have just _invited him into that same bath_ just like that?

It had been the best thing in Jason's life, of course, but it had also been the weirdest thing to happen to him, ever.

If this hadn't been Will, he'd have thought the person was trying to make a very obvious move on him.

But it had been Will, and that confused Jason immensely.

Especially because he had just done it in that unbothered, unconcerned manner, as if there was nothing weird about Jason and Will sharing a bath.

It kind of made him wonder whether, to Will, that truly hadn't been anything unusual.

Would he do that same thing with anybody else?

Had he done that with anybody else?

Unlikely, since he had just told him about his last bath, and that had been years ago (Twelve year old Will must have been such an adorable troublemaker, Jason wished he could have been at Camp back then to see it).

Did that make Jason special?

He wasn't sure, but his heart fluttered wildly in his chest, anyways, uncaring for the improbability of it.

There had been that moment, though, when Jason had given Will that sorry excuse of a massage, where Will had just leaned back against him, all relaxed and calm and nice.

Gods, that had felt so wonderful.

So perfect.

He had tugged him closer, and Will had let him, had even let him stroke his sides, and then over his stomach.

Jason had wanted to touch him everywhere.

Seriously, it had been a pain to restrain himself from letting his hands move over every inch of Will's body, to touch, to feel, to mark, to claim.

Will had felt so wonderful, though.

All smooth, soft skin, unscarred, unmarred.

He wished he could have touched him for longer, but it was a miracle he had gotten to touch him like that at all, of course.

Jason sighed and looked at Will, who sat across from him in the tub with his head tipped back, panting openly after their rather wild water fight (since neither of them had wanted to give up, they had finally settled for a draw).

Had Will enjoyed that, too?

He seemed to not have noticed at all, at first, all relaxed and perfect in his arms, leaning against him, looking around at him and grinning, his face so wonderfully close (making Jason want to kiss him and ask him out, which would have probably ended in a disaster).

But then, he must have picked up on it, and judging by the sudden silence and the tension in his shoulders, he had not been as ok with it as he had made it sound.

All in all, Jason had noticed that, while Will _boasted and bragged_ about physical contact quite a bit (especially if it had to do with Nico in any way), he wasn't one to really _get_ too close to people, and it seemed to almost freak him out whenever somebody made an actual move on him.

It was weird, really.

But, well, this was Will, and Will was one giant contradiction, anyways.

Will sighed.

"We should probably get out soon, I'm just saying." He muttered, and Jason thought he could hear a hint of reluctance in the way he said it, which made his heart beat faster.

Who knew, maybe Will had enjoyed the bath as much as he had.

And damn, had he enjoyed it so far.

It had certainly been perfect after the horrid mess that had been his conversation with the god of the Underworld.

Yeah, it had gone horrible.

Even worse than anything he could have ever come up with in his nightmares.

Well, at least nobody had died, he guessed, so maybe not as bad as his nightmares.

But therefore way more real.

He really didn't want to think about it.

He wanted to forget it ever happened.

Sadly, he had the sinking feeling Hades would never let him forget.

Ugh.

"You're probably right. You said something about Percy's mother calling? I hope she didn't hear me cursing." He said, trying to distract himself.

Percy.

Definitely not the best idea to think about him right now.

Jason glanced at Will again, who still had his head tipped back, a small smile on his face.

Then again, it wasn't Percy whom Will had invited into the bathtub.

Grinning smugly to himself, he was suddenly a lot more willing to think about him.

And his mother.

Oops.

Great, and there Jason had wanted to leave a good impression on Sally if they ever were to meet.

Well, that was out the window now.

"Oh, I'm sure she heard that. You should have heard Nico. Apparently, he accepted the call, hoping it was you, and then he was so shocked he fell straight off the bed. He curses wonderfully in Italian." Will told him and Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Wish I could have heard. He so rarely says anything in Italian I'm not sure I'd even recognize it as Italian."

Will looked up, sending him an amused look.

Then, he opened his mouth and started talking, though Jason had no idea whatsoever what he was saying.

What…?

"That's basically what he said. The f-word quite a few times, cursing a few gods, the universe, the bed, pretty much anything and everything, oh, and he yelled something about rotten luck and an idiotic but perfect boyfriend. So adorable." Will concluded with a shrug, looking smug.

Oh, true.

Will had said he knew some Italian.

Actually, that had sounded kind of…hot.

Did Nico's Italian sound like that, too?

Probably.

Now Jason really wished Nico would talk more in Italian every here and there.

"You should really teach me Italian sometime."

Will shrugged. "I only know the basics, myself. Also, Percy will skin you if you learn Italian before he does."

Jason huffed.

He might be more willing to think about Percy, but he was still upset.

Will sent him an odd look.

"You know, I don't want to pry, but I've been wondering. What is going on between you and Percy?"

Ah.

That.

Jason shrugged.

Like hell he was going to explain to Will that he had issues with their kiss.

After all, it wasn't as if they even mentioned it or acknowledged that it ever happened in the first place.

In fact, if Jason didn't know they had played that Truth or Dare game for certain, he'd probably think he had dreamed that up and it hadn't actually happened.

But he knew they had played it, and he knew those two had kissed, and it was still making him cringe inwardly.

"Nothing, really."

Will raised an eyebrow, his face unimpressed.

"Right. You sure about that? Because it looks a lot like you two got some sort of issue. Is it because of the kiss?"

Jason's heart stopped.

Wait, did Will know?

No, then he definitely wouldn't have invited Jason into the bathtub.

"I don't know what you mean." He muttered evasively, but Will didn't look fooled.

Instead, he let out an exasperate sigh.

"Because if it's the kiss, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Nico seems completely fine. I had a chat with him yesterday when both you and Percy were out, and while he said he was at first upset, he's fine with it, because he knows it was just a game. It's not like Percy and I even…even _like_ each other _like that_, so really, there's no need for you to worry. Nico and Percy are just fine, as usual."

Jason stared at him.

What…?

What was he trying to-…oh…

Oh.

_Oh!_

Oh gods, Will was an idiot.

An adorable, kind of very good looking idiot, but an idiot all the same.

That was _so_ not why Jason was upset.

But how the hell was he supposed to explain that without telling him it was because Percy had been an utter dick, because Jason wanted to be the one to kiss him, because he loved him…?

"I…that's not…" He started, but Will sighed loudly.

"I mean, ok, it escalated a bit, but that was totally not my fau-…erm…actually, yes, that was _entirely_ my fault. Absolutely. Know what, if you think about it, the whole thing was my fault. Percy was just the sorry sod who had the rotten luck to win. I mean, if you really think about it, it was to be expected. Percy _always_ wins at Rock-Paper-Scissors. Ugh, no wonder all of this happened. We should have made it that the loser has to kiss me. See? All my fault. Not Percy's." Will rambled, and Jason stared at him, watching his lips move without being able to make proper sense of his words.

Will was…defending Percy?

Like…for real?

Taking the blame for everything in hope for Jason to stop being upset with Percy?

Was that what he was doing?

Thinking about it, that sounded exactly like something Will would do, too.

He leaned back, crossing his arms in front of his chest with a sigh, studying Will's freckled face.

What was he supposed to say now?

What was he supposed to do?

"I don't agree." He finally stated, and Will's face fell for a moment.

But then he caught himself again, opening his mouth to undoubtedly bring up some more made up things that would make it seem like he was the bad guy (or whatever he was trying to do).

"If the loser had to do the kissing, that would seem like a punishment or something horrible. I don't think that would make anybody feel very happy. So it has to be the winner. In my opinion, next time there's such a dare, we simply have to either settle for a different game or Percy will be disqualified for being an ass." Jason explained calmly, hoping this didn't sound too much like 'don't you dare making it seem like kissing you is something undesirable, because I'd have died for one chance'.

Will looked at him surprised for a moment.

Then he grinned.

"Did you just say there'll be another Truth or Dare game? Oh, I'll have to tell Nico about that. Hey, you know, we could dare Nico that and take Percy out because he's his boyfriend. Now, that would be interesting. A bit obvious, but a showdown between you and me would definitely be interesting."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "You know, if you want to kiss Nico so badly, why didn't you just dare him that directly?"

Will snorted. "I couldn't. Percy forbid it. And, sorry, but I don't think I could have pulled it off quite like you." He explained, then pushed himself onto his knees in the water, which exposed his entire upper body to his navel, dripping wet and wonderful.

Jason had trouble not ogling him, instead keeping his face straight and looking Will in the eye as he cleared he throat.

"'Nico, can you do me a favor, can you pick dare?'" He imitated, looking at Jason with mirth in his eyes.

Jason made a face.

They were never going to let him live that down, were they?

Will moved forward, putting his hands to the left and right of Jason, looking him in the eye.

"'Kiss me.'" He mocked, something dangerous flashing in his eyes for a moment.

Jason swallowed, trying to resist the urge to say 'Ok' and just do it.

Yeah, Will would probably kill him for that.

Will hovered over him for another moment, their eyes locked, Will's expression indecipherable, and Jason swallowed again.

_No, don't get carried away now._

He opened his mouth, practically feeling his body getting ready to do something utterly crazy and stupid, when it knocked on the door.

Both of them blinked, looking around, and Will pulled back almost instantly.

Somehow, Jason suddenly felt as if he had just missed another perfect chance for…something.

Great.

"Yeah, I guess it's time to get out. I'll go first." Will declared, his voice a bit odd, but when Jason looked up at him, he looked fairly normal, getting up and flashing him a small smile, before turning and climbing out of the tub.

Oh.

Oh, Jason so shouldn't look.

He tried not to, he really did, but how could he resist, how could he not take another quick peek?

Will was wearing blue, after all, and he always looked stunning in blue.

Especially when the only piece of garment he wore was drenched and wet and clung to his backside so heavenly.

Jason forced his gaze away and swallowed.

He shouldn't have looked.

Will was shuffling and moving about, grabbing his towel and drying off somewhat, so Jason took a deep breath and started letting the water out, climbing out of the tub himself, quite glad Will had his back to him right now.

"What do you think the guys are going to say about this? Want to bet Percy is going to be pissed? He kicked the door, after all." Will mused thoughtfully when it knocked again.

Jason glanced towards the door for a moment, then shrugged, drying himself off hurriedly and wrapping the giant towel around him.

His hair was still pretty dry, since Will hadn't quite managed to push him underwater during their little water fight.

Therefore, Will had dripping wet hair, because Jason had surely done it (though he had made sure that Will wouldn't really drown or anything, and the blonde had laughed all the while, so Jason supposed it had been fine).

"Who cares? It's really nothing of his business, after all. Let him rant."

Will glanced around at him, studying his expression as he started drying his hair somewhat, which made Jason aware of his naked upper body all over again.

Seriously, Will might not be trained like them, but he had a nice shape, though Jason still thought he needed to eat more.

He hadn't even been able to move Jason all that much when he had pushed against him, what with him being so light.

He must weigh roughly around the same as Nico, which might not be all that concerning, if it wasn't for the fact Will was also a head taller than Nico.

Still, he didn't look underweight.

He looked thin, yes, and while Jason couldn't see his ribs standing out, he had definitely been able to feel them quite distinctly.

Other than that, though, Jason actually really liked Will's stomach.

Again, Will wasn't trained like them, and didn't do any workout Jason knew of, so he didn't have anything like Percy's or Nico's abs; but therefore, he had this really nice, flat stomach that felt super soft and smooth to touch.

Jason actually really liked that.

Though he was fairly certain he'd never say that out loud.

Will sighed, and Jason quickly tore his gaze back up to his face, just to notice he had the towel over it.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right…so, are we going to tell them we bathed together, or are we going to make up a super amazing and super surreal cover story they would never believe, just to annoy the hell out of them and make Percy go crazy?" Will suddenly asked, tugging the towel down, which made his hair stand off in all directions and made Jason grin.

"Here, let me…" He started, moving over before he knew what he was doing, taking Will's towel from him and working on his hair carefully, instead of haphazardly like Will had.

"Really?" The blonde asked with a snort, but let him do as he pleased with a small, indignant huff – though his lips were quirking up at the corners, so Jason knew he was just acting upset.

"So, what do you say about the cover story?"

"Oh, Freckles, I believe you know exactly what I think of it." Jason said with a small smile, and Will looked up at him through his eyelashes.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then Will grinned dangerously.

"So you're in. Perfect. I was thinking…" Will started, then started telling him cover story after cover story, one crazier than the next.

Jason smiled, pulling back only when he was satisfied with the state of Will's hair – which was to say, it was still damp, but now it definitely stood off in all directions, making Will look absolutely adorable.

He listened to his stories, only capable of shaking his head quietly as things changed from dracaena attacking, to Jason and Will getting teleported across the globe, just to end up in the Nile, where they heroically had to battle giant crocodile monsters and face all sorts of obstacles to appease the gods' hunger for entertainment.

Right.

Well, Will certainly had a vivid imagination, that much was certain.

Though Jason had known that before, already.

Still, he let him talk, noting how Will had a definite thing for drama, because his stories got more dramatic and drastic and morbid the more he babbled.

It was absolutely endearing.

Jason sighed, picking up his clothes and debating with himself whether he should actually put them on, but discarding the thought, since both of them were wearing dripping wet boxer shorts, after all.

That was also the one thing that would most likely give them away, really, unless they took them off or something, and Jason was fairly sure that was never going to happen.

So, unless Will came up with an explanation for that in his cover stories, it looked like Percy and Nico would still figure it out in the end.

They probably really would, though, but Jason didn't really mind either way.

It wasn't as if it was that bad.

Quite the contrary, he'd like to see the shock on Percy's face once he figured out they had bathed together.

Oh, how he was going to love being secretive about exactly what they had done in here.

Of course, he'd probably have to tell Percy at some point, but until then, he'd so enjoy Percy not knowing.

He leaned back against the outside of the tub, the towel wrapped around him, his clothes in a bundle in his arms, and watched with a small smile how Will explained his horrible theories, gesturing animatedly and with that excited gleam in his eyes, as if he was actually recounting a real adventure.

Then, he suddenly stopped, looking as if he had just had a brainwave (Jason would have needed that earlier with Hades, but he wasn't going to let that ruin his moment now. He could still feel sorry and upset about his miserable life later, when Will was done being adorable).

"Oh, I got it. We'll say _nothing_. And if he asks, we'll just look him straight in the face with a nonplussed expression, and go all 'None of your business'. That will probably bug him the most, no lie."

Jason agreed.

But…

"Wouldn't he figure it out pretty soon, though, since we're both practically naked with wet underwear and there's still water in the bathtub?" He asked doubtfully, but Will shrugged.

"So? He will assume what we did, but he won't know for sure. For all he knows, we could have gotten naked, put towels around us, drowned our boxer shorts in a bathtub full of water and talked about the meaning of life while making S'mores."

Jason laughed.

Seriously?

"You know what, maybe we should use that as cover story if he keeps bugging us about it. But let's say it as if we used the boxer shorts like a bait, trying to catch some mythical creature that's said to inhabit full bathtubs." He suggested, and Will's eyes widened, the glee making them sparkle.

"Jason, you're a genius. Hell yes, let's do it. Ready to face them?" He asked, looking eager and a bit like the Stoll brothers when they were about to cause mischief.

Jason grinned.

"Ready when you are, Freckles."

They both chuckled, moving over to the door and unlocking it with a last glance at each other.

Poor Percy.

Jason almost felt sorry for him.

But only almost.

.

Three hours later, Percy was still sulking.

Seriously, what had Jason and Will done in the bathroom?

They had come out of there _half-naked_, only wearing drenched boxer shorts and towels (and shit-eating grins, those bastards), and ever since then, they had only replied with 'None of your business' whenever he had asked.

It was madness.

What _had_ they done?

Well, earlier, he had tried a last time with Will, but all he had gotten in return was a blatant lie.

Seriously, there was no way in hell they had 'sat in front of the bathtub fishing for the mythical bathtub-fish (whatever that may be) using their boxer shorts'.

Percy huffed indignantly.

Who were they trying to fool?

Something must have definitely happened.

He just wasn't sure what.

When he had gone and inspected the bathroom, there had still been some soapy water in the bathtub, so his closest guess was that they had taken a bath.

Which instantly made him wonder whether they had taken said bath together.

Judging by their same level of wetness, that was a yes.

But why?

How?

Why?

Since when was it ok for 'friends' to do stuff like that?

The last time he had checked, a certain somebody (Jason) had most definitely complained that there was no way the four of them would take a bath together.

So, why would he take a bath with Will?

Was that his way of making a move on the blonde?

Was he declaring war on Percy?

Well, he didn't have to, Percy could see just fine how enamored Will was with Jason, so it wasn't as if that would be any sort of fight, even though it made Percy's heart clench.

Plus, why would Percy want to fight?

Jason was his best bro, no matter if they kind of barely talked right now - which Percy knew Jason had a very good reason for.

Yeah, he should definitely get around and apologize.

He had been a dick, and he knew it.

But at the same time, how was he supposed to apologize for something he wasn't really sorry for?

He regretted being a dick to Jason and taking the chance from him to get Will's dare.

But he didn't regret kissing Will.

Not at all.

Ever.

Kissing Will had been amazing.

And while he had no clue what to do now, he wasn't ever going to act like he hadn't enjoyed it beyond belief.

Percy knew he had acted rash, asking Will on a whim to date them, though he had luckily been able to backtrack, since nobody had understood his mumbling (thank all the gods for that).

He had no idea how that would work out.

Alright, he had played with the thought before, yes, but he had never actually talked to Nico about it, and Nico had never even mentioned anything, even thought Percy knew he liked the guys.

And then there was the next problem, because Will had never actually said anything about his view of the matter, either, so Percy couldn't just go and assume anything.

And even if one ignored both of those issues, how would anything even work out anyways?

He had no idea!

He was just Percy, he didn't know how to even date Nico properly, since everybody kept complaining and lecturing him on his dating skills, how was he ever supposed to suggest a…well, what was it, a threesome?

What would be of Jason, then?

There was no way he could just leave Jason out of the mix, Nico and Will liked him too much for that.

And it wasn't as if Percy really had any problems with him, either.

But what was he even thinking about, all of that would never happen, anyways.

He would certainly not blurt anything blindly again.

Will had seemed to enjoy the kiss, yes, but he hadn't seemed as enthralled by it as Percy had been, and hadn't said a word about it ever since.

Nor had he acted any differently towards Percy at all.

Instead, he had been practically glued to Jason.

Ugh, Jason.

Why was he still acting upset, couldn't he see how much Will adored him, especially with Will all over him all the damn time?

It was maddening! Absolutely maddening!

And no matter what Percy did to get Will's attention, somehow, Jason always managed to be there and draw Will away again!

_Ugh!_

No, no, he shouldn't think of any of that, anyways.

What had he been thinking about before this mess?

Oh, right, those two in the bathroom.

_Oh gods, those two in the bathroom._

IN THE BATHROOM!  
ALONE!

TOGETHER!

Percy was going to lose it.

Seriously, he was just waiting for one of the other three to point out this loud, insufferable screaming, so Percy could lift his hand and say 'Oh, don't mind it, that's just me internally coping with your bullshit'.

He huffed out another indignant breath and saw Will and Jason throwing each other knowing smirks, those two sitting all close and tight next to each other as the four of them were watching _Hercules_ (since they _had_ kind of prepared all of this to cheer Jason up, no matter what, though the blonde hadn't even told them anything about the conversation with Hades and all they knew so far was that it had gone horrible).

Those two.

He knew they were so doing this on purpose, but couldn't they just finally give in and tell him?

He was going to go crazy at this point!

Nico squeezed his thigh, letting out a small sigh.

Percy couldn't understand how he could be so calm and collected.

He knew Nico wanted to know just as much as he did just what those two had been up to in there.

Especially because Jason had stormed in there like he was about to start a world war, and had come out looking like he had just gotten laid.

Wait…those two wouldn't have…right?

_No, they wouldn't have_.

They both insisted they weren't dating (and Percy would know instantly if that changed because Jason was bound to rub it in), and they both claimed they didn't do casual.

And they didn't seem the type for that, either.

His eyes fell on Will.

Will wouldn't do that.

He might boast and brag, but he had never actually struck Percy as the type who'd do anything sexual with anybody he wasn't in a serious relationship with.

Also, no matter his bragging, he didn't even hit so much on Nico anymore, and he had never made a move on anybody, no matter how interested they had been in him (like that cash register guy. Percy still felt irritated by that guy. If he ever met him again, he'd- no, what was he even thinking about. Ugh.).

No, Will would never do anything like that, not even with Jason.

Then again…

Percy's face darkened.

Will _had_ told Jason he'd 'help him out in case he needed it'.

Whatever that had meant.

"Hey Jason, don't look, but Percy is most definitely analyzing us now. How much longer do you think it will take for him to crack?" Will whispered – clearly audible! – to Jason and Percy ground his teeth in annoyance.

"Well, if you just came out with what you did in there, I wouldn't have to think about it anymore. But you two seem intent on torturing me!" He insisted, looking away pointedly and pushing back into the pillows behind them.

Will snorted.

"Torturing you? Please. What is it to you what Jason and I do in the bathroom? Seriously, we just want to show you it's none of your business."

"Oh yeah? Is that because nothing happened in there, but you want to make it seem like something did; or because something happened and you don't want to tell us?" He snapped back, and Will looked at him almost incredulous for a moment.

Though Percy couldn't tell whether that was because he was indicating _nothing_ had happened, or because he was indicating _something_ had happened.

But then, Will's face turned blank, and he shared a glance with Jason.

"What do you think could have happened that we wouldn't want to tell you about?" Jason asked, the first thing he had said to Percy directly ever since the Truth or Dare game (Percy should have definitely apologized, because Jason might have just had mercy on him then).

Percy scowled at him, but Jason met his gaze with an utterly unimpressed one of his own, daring him, challenging him.

Percy wrinkled his nose.

"I don't know. You tell me. I'm not the one being all secretive, after all."

Will's eyebrows shot up. "Neither are we. I mean, I don't exactly hear you telling us what you and Nico are doing in the bathroom together, and we don't ask, because it's none of our business. I don't see how this is any different."

"But Nico and I are _dating_!" Percy exclaimed, and Will looked at Jason smugly.

"Told you he'd say that."

"And I told you I knew he would." Jason muttered back and Percy seethed.

And then, something inside him just snapped.

"So what, you two did the do? _Comfort sex_ for poor Jason? Well, I hope you dicks had _fun_." He spat, and before he knew what he was doing, he was off the bed and storming off.

"Percy!" Nico called after him, but for the first time, Percy ignored him.

Not looking around, he rushed out of the room and down the long corridor, not even sure what the hell he was doing or where he thought he was going.

"Would you wait up, you dickhead?!" Will yelled behind him, and Percy almost tripped over his feet in surprise at being followed in the first place, especially by Will, but then he kept running.

"Percy! You freaking asshole, stop running! I can't…ugh…" There was a pained moan behind him and he slid to a stop instantly, hand flying into his pocket where Riptide usually was and he spun around - just to find Will bent over several feet behind him, wheezing badly.

That idiot!

They were in the Underworld _and_ it was nighttime, what was he thinking, trying to run after him?

He was already utterly useless in the upper world at night, and the Underworld did take some energy from them all as it was, Percy didn't want to know how difficult running must be for Will here!

Though he had to admit he was more than a little surprised to find Will had gotten quite far, not to mention hadn't even been that far behind him (then again, Percy wasn't that fast himself).

And also, Will had followed him.

Why had he followed him?

Will coughed, still wheezing and more than apparently having trouble breathing, so worry won over the anger and hurt whirling inside Percy and he hurried back.

"Hey, are you ok?" He asked, just as Will broke down, dropping to his knees and clutching his chest with one hand and a small moan.

In reply, he weakly lifted one arm and shoved Percy away by his legs.

He pressed out some words, but Percy could barely understand him.

It sounded a bit like 'Piss off, dickhead, I'm so done with you', which sounded just like something Will would say, though he decided to act like he hadn't heard it, anyways.

Instead, he came closer, trying to remember if there was anything he could do to help a person catch their breath.

All that came to mind was using a paper bag, but he wasn't exactly carrying those around with him.

He crouched down next to Will, putting his hand on the blonde's shoulder as he let out another strangled sound, his breathing still way too fast.

But Will shoved him away blindly again.

"Asshole…go away…what even…ugh…" He forced out between his gasps for breath and Percy caught him when his other arm finally gave way.

"Hey…shh…it's ok, calm down first." He said soothingly, also ignoring the sting of curse words Will uttered after that, his hand clutching Percy's thigh rather painfully (though he guessed he deserved that for running off in the first place) as he let Percy tug him closer and into his arms, feeling his way too quick heartbeat against the side of his arm as he tried to steady him somewhat.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. I'm a dick, I know." He agreed quietly, stroking over Will's back slowly.

Will was still wheezing and gasping, but Percy thought it was already a tad better than before, so he just kept sitting there, listening to Will's choice of curse words for him and agreeing with him as to not rile him up further emotionally.

All the while, Will's body shook from the effort, his fingers digging into Percy's thigh painfully, but by now he thought that might not even be intentional.

He looked around him, momentarily worrying about cleaning harpies, but then he realized there wouldn't be any here.

Scary, how Camp could teach you not to go out at nighttime wherever you were, least you wanted to feel queasy and worried all the while.

Well, that was probably the best training for demigods, seriously.

Still, it wasn't nearly as scary as seeing how long it took for Will to catch his breath, especially when he dropped forwards into his chest with another small groan.

Percy helped him back upright, knowing Will didn't like getting that close to him (at least not when he was awake), steadying him and stroking him gently.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have run off like that. I wasn't thinking…" He said quietly, looking around him again to check how far they had actually gone and whether he could get Will back to Nico's room – maybe one of the other two would have an idea on how to help.

"Damn right…you weren't…gods, I…hate you…idiot…" Will complained and Percy sighed, patting his back.

"Yes, I'm an idiot. Why the hell did you come after me, though? Why not just let me get lost on my own?" He asked, unable to stop himself.

Will's body was still shaking so badly, but he seemed to slowly catch his breath.

"Shut…shut up…" Will snapped back, and Percy was amazed by the amount of venom his words managed to contain when he had to press them out that forcefully.

Percy sighed.

"Alright, I'll shut up."

And thus, they spent the next minutes in silence, only disturbed by the eerie sounds around them and Will's breathing, not to mention the soft curses he kept uttering.

At some point, Will dropped his head onto Percy's shoulder, but Percy didn't point it out or do anything against it, instead dropping his own onto Will's so he wouldn't feel stupid later on (he was sensitive about such things, after all).

It was probably just that his head was too heavy to hold up right now, which Percy could only understand all too well.

He sighed, stroking over Will's back relentlessly, knowing Will would probably-…

"Ow!" He hissed, feeling a sharp pain in his shoulder.

He stared at Will incredulously.

"Did you just _bite_ me?!"

Will lifted his head, still breathing faster, but a hell lot better, and normal in comparison to earlier.

"You deserve it."

"You _bit_ me!"

"_You deserve it_!"

Percy pouted.

Will punched his shoulder – not that hard, but a lot harder than his usual light punches, and sent him a scowl.

"And I do _not_ have comfort sex with _anybody_, you dramatic piece of shit!"

Percy blushed, looking down in shame.

Yeah, now that his mind was working halfway properly again, he figured that had been kind of dumb.

All of it.

And since when was he one to run off?

He so didn't want to know what the other two were going to say about that.

How embarrassing.

Especially because…

"I know…" He muttered sheepishly, not meeting Will's gaze.

Will let out a loud huff, still panting slightly, though he seemed fine enough to flick his forehead.

"Idiot. Then don't yell it through the room and run away right after. You should have seen Jason's face. I think if I hadn't been at the door first, he'd have been there next. Nico was too stunned to react, but that's your own fault for being a dumb idiot."

"Yes, I'm a dumb idiot." Percy mumbled, looking down at the ground.

Then he frowned.

Jason would have followed him? What face had he made?

And Nico…gods, Percy had no idea what to do.

He had just…ignored him…just like that.

Usually, Nico would have only had to whisper his name and Percy would have stopped dead in his tracks and come back to him, no matter where they were and why.

Had this really bothered him so much?

Yes, yes it had.

He felt stupid for that, too.

Will boxed his shoulder again, then dropped against him like a log.

"You're impossible. What were you thinking? Were you even thinking?" The blonde asked sternly, though with the weak sigh he uttered right after, Percy felt more worried about him than anything else.

"No, I wasn't. I was overreacting. It just…you two were just…oh, I don't know." He shook his head, not quite sure what to say, putting his arms back around Will and stroking over his back again.

"All we wanted to hear was a 'Alright, I admit it's nothing of my business.', Percy."

"I know it's not, but I still wanted to know!" Percy exclaimed agitatedly, then scowled for not just dropping this topic altogether.

Will muttered a few curses into his shoulder.

"Know what? You know yourself that nothing happened. As if Jason would ever want somebody like me, anyways. He'd have to be very desperate to even think into that direction."

Yeah, right.

If only Will knew.

Percy wanted to snort derisively, but stopped himself at the last moment.

There was no way he was going to say anything Jason definitely wouldn't want him to say.

"You…aren't that bad…you know…" He mumbled evasively to reply at all, not exactly wanting to say anything that would encourage Will to think Jason was interested in him, but also not wanting to let him believe he was some sort of unwanted creature, because that's exactly what it sounded like right now.

Will chuckled against his shirt.

"Right. So, still want to know what we did in the bath?" Will asked, and Percy wanted to say yes and no at the same time.

He huffed.

Then huffed again.

Then let out a long, low sigh.

"No, I guess it's ok. As long as you two had fun, stayed safe and Jason is feeling better after Hades tore into him, I guess it's fine and nothing of my business." He then grumbled, clearly unsatisfied, but it was the truth.

Though he really wasn't happy about it.

Will chuckled into his shoulder again.

"About time, dude. Now, carry me back to Nico's room, you ass." Will ordered and Percy blinked, taken aback.

Never mind how many times Will had insulted him now (probably to cover up for his breakdown? Will never liked thinking he was 'weak' or anything, after all.), but had he just seriously told Percy to _carry_ him?

"I…what?"

"You heard me. I demand a piggyback ride as compensation for being such an idiot." Will mumbled, and was it just him, but was he kind of starting to slouch against Percy more and more?

"Hey, are you ok?" He asked worriedly, looking down at the mop of blond hair with a frown.

Will let out a small sigh.

"Just tired…and everything hurts…I want to punch you so hard…"

Percy made a face, then started moving, trying to get up to somehow make this mess work.

Will helped half-heartedly, which meant a lot of moral support in the form of cussing Percy out (since he had a slightly pink face and wasn't meeting Percy's eyes, Percy was now to 80% certain he mostly did this because he was embarrassed of needing help) and helping out with his arms a bit, though Percy found out he was too weak to even as much as hold onto Percy properly, which was more than just a little worrisome.

He had to admit he even kind of hoped Jason or Nico would come looking for them so they could help him out and prevent Will from getting hurt (well, hurt even more than he already seemed to be).

The guilt tasted bitter in his mouth, but was well deserved.

Seriously, he should start thinking before both talking _and_ running.

Especially the running part.

He still had no idea what he had been thinking.

"Perseus. Will. What are you two doing out here at this hour?" A voice asked behind him just as he had maneuvered Will onto his back somewhat, noting all over again how surprisingly light he was.

He turned around, just to find himself face to face with no other than Persephone.

Persephone, who came closer and put her hand on Will's back the moment he weakly turned his head into her direction.

"My, my. You need to get him back to your room right away. My husband has only managed to make that room secure, after all. Don't let him fall asleep out here, or there's nothing we can do to help him." She said without waiting for Percy's reply, genuine concern lacing her words, though it was faint.

Wait, wait, wait, what?

"You're the ones making his nightmares stop." He said, stunned, while Will mumbled something weakly, his body going limper by the moment.

"Of course we are, stupid. There is no way we permit any sort of godly interference down here in the Underworld. He wouldn't be able to figure it out just yet, anyways. That will be for when you all return to Camp. Now, shoo with you. Keep him awake until you're back in the room, or you won't like the consequences." She exclaimed, giving him a little push.

He stumbled back, staring at her.

"G-Godly interference? His nightmares are-…what do you-…"

"Percy…" Will breathed feebly and Percy's blood turned to ice.

He gave Persephone one last look, but she merely looked at him blankly.

Then he turned around and started running back the way he had come from, not even knowing where they had been in the first place.

So Hades had done something to Nico's room to prevent Will from getting his nightmares?

And those nightmares had to do with the gods? (Big surprise.)

And what was he supposed to figure out when they got back to Camp?

What?

_What?_

Will let out a small moan and Percy made a face, trying to hurry.

"I'm so sorry, Will. I really didn't mean for this to happen. I'm such an idiot."

Will called him something he definitely didn't want to repeat, but which reminded him a lot of something Arion would say.

"Yes, cuss me out, babe. Anything, just don't fall asleep, yeah?" He replied absent-mindedly, rounding the corner and finally finding his way back into the long corridor to Nico's room.

Seriously, how far had he run?

"Will? Still there?"

Will grumbled quietly. Barely audibly, really.

"Tell me how much of an idiot I am."

Will grumbled again, but didn't reply.

"It's not that much further. Damn it, I should have carried you here back when you dropped to the ground like a log."

Silence.

"Will?"

Silence.

"Will!" He called, giving Will a good shake on his back, who let out a small wail, his body beginning to tremble with the apparent effort to stay awake.

"Shit, we're almost there. Hang on, yeah? And next time, let me get myself killed or something, but don't do something stupid and go after me, alright?"

"Fuck you." It was feeble, but at least it showed Will was still with him.

Nico's door came was only three doors away.

Now the only question was how he was going to get it open without dropping Will.  
Damn it!

He was about to call something, anything, but right then, as he ran past the second door, the black door swung open and Nico rushed out.

"Percy!"

Percy swore he had never been happier to see his boyfriend.

Especially when he stepped aside to get them into the room, shutting it close right after him as Percy all but toppled into it, falling forward and only managing to catch himself because he knew he'd hurt Will if he face-planted into the ground right now.

Then Jason pulled Will off him, who instantly slumped together, a last 'I want to hate you so bad' escaping him before he seemed to be utterly knocked out, letting Jason carry him over to the bed and dump him on there, grabbing a blanket to cover him up worriedly.

Percy stared at Will, only noticing now how badly he himself was panting.

Oh gods, they had made it.

Oh, thank the gods, they had made it.

And for the first time, he meant that quite literally, because if it hadn't been for Persephone telling him to get Will here, they'd probably still be out there and Will would be sleeping, and…Percy had no idea what would have happened, but it sounded bad.

Something whacked him across the back of the head and he cringed, barely able to suppress his cry of pain, though it didn't hurt all that much (then again, he was feeling rather lightheaded right now, so pain was a bit fuzzy to place).

"That's for being a stupid drama queen." Jason spat, and Percy realized Jason had just hit him with an empty DVD case.

Wow.

His hand would have probably hurt more, not that Percy was complaining.

"Percy, what were you thinking? Don't just run off like that." Nico scolded, hurrying over from the door and putting his hand on Will's forehead to check his temperature, letting out a relieved breath a moment later.

"I'm sorry…" Percy mumbled, feeling like he had never said sorry this many times before, but also feeling like he had to say it a lot more times.

Jason's expression softened slightly, though he hit him with the DVD case again, this time lightly on top of his head, more like a tap.

"You're an idiot, you know that? Be happy you're so lucky."

Percy nodded, looking down at the ground in shame.

All of this was his fault.

Then he remembered Persephone and his head shot up again.

"Persephone said Hades did something to the room, that's why the nightmares have stopped! She said something about godly interferences and how they wouldn't allow that down here. That's why he's been sleeping!" He told them hurriedly, and found Jason and Nico exchanging glances.

"Well, that'd explain why Hades sent you the message, I guess." Jason then said and Nico nodded.

Percy frowned.

"What message?"

"A minute before I ran out the door, Hades sent a message, saying if Will doesn't get in here within two minutes, they won't be able to save him. We had no idea what it meant, but since it didn't sound very good, I wanted to go and get you asap, but luckily you were already here." Nico explained, stroking through Will's hair as he sat down at the side of the bed.

Jason and Percy moved over, too, and Jason put the DVD case down, even though Percy seriously felt as if he deserved another few hits – maybe one or two…hundred.

Gods, what if he hadn't been able to get him back here in time?

What if Persephone hadn't shown up?

What if he hadn't stopped when Will had stopped running after him?

What if he hadn't noticed Will running after him in the first place?

"I'm sorry…" He mumbled, dropping his gaze on the ground in shame.

Jason sighed next to him, boxing his shoulder – the other one, not the one Will had been boxing earlier.

"Shut up. It's not like you knew this was going to happen. Though you still shouldn't have run off like that. Jealous fool."

Percy blushed slightly, glancing sideways at Nico, but Nico was still busy stroking through Will's hair, gazing at him worriedly.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Though I admit I'm sorry about running off. That was wrong and stupid. I shouldn't have pestered you about…that…either. Will and I talked."

"Oh, so he told you? How low, and there we had such a sweet backup plan of telling you we got teleported to Albania to stop the Dark Lord." Jason muttered drily, sounding almost disappointed as he leaned over Percy's lap to adjust the blanket, tucking in Will's foot that was still sticking out.

Percy only now noticed they had been barefoot all this time, too.

How had he not noticed that before?

No wonder he had felt so cold.

Wait, what had Jason just said?

"What?" He asked confused, and Jason laughed.

"Nothing. Now, come on, you two, let's get ready for bed and then smother Will with our heat." He declared, which was ironic, because Jason was pretty much the coolest of them.

Still, both Nico and Percy nodded quietly, and the three dispersed, with Nico and Percy tugging off their shirts to drop them into their temporary laundry basket Jason had created two days ago (so neat and tidy), while Jason left for the bathroom first.

"Are you ok?" Nico asked quietly, fingers brushing against his arm, and Percy felt the guilt washing over him again, for running off like that, for ignoring Nico's call, for…for caring so much about the other two that he started acting completely beside himself out of it…well…alright, maybe it really was jealousy.

"I'm sorry…" He mumbled, reaching out to intertwine their fingers, but then he hesitated, unsure whether Nico would even want him to right now.

Nico was the only one who hadn't hit him, and his scolding had basically only been 'Don't run off like that, idiot', and nothing else.

Also, compared to the stuff Will had thrown at him, 'idiot' sounded more like a term of endearment than an actual insult.

But Nico already took his hand, coming closer and leaning against him with a sigh.

"Just don't ever do that again, ok? Especially not about something so stupid. We were worried, you know? The Underworld is a giant place, not even I know all corners of it. And Jason probably won't say, but he was sick with worry, too, pacing the room, but keeping me from going after you, insisting it'd be better if we let Will get you back. It's a good thing he did, too, because I have no idea whether my dad would have been able to contact me in time to open the door, I'm just saying. And it was a very close call, you know that."

Nico's voice was gentle, but firm, and Percy nodded soberly, wrapping his arms around him and tugging him close, burying his face in his hair.

"I was an idiot."

"Yes, you were. Seriously, Percy, they do a lot of things, but _comfort sex_? Really?"

Percy made a small, pitiful sound in the back of his throat, and Nico tugged him tighter.

"I didn't mean it…" Percy tried, but Nico shook his head.

"It's ok. We know you didn't. Just apologize later, yeah?"

Yeah, he definitely had to add that to the ever growing list of things he had to apologize for.

Which made him wonder how many more times he was going to mess up.

"And…I do care about them too, you know…I…I was worried, too…about…about what they did…" Nico all but whispered, and Percy's eyes widened slightly.

Nico usually never said anything that could indicate he might still like them.

And he never ever said a thing about anything other people did, accepting everything the way it was without questioning it or butting in.

Did this mean…? Was he hinting at…?

For a moment, Percy wanted to ask him.

Wanted to ask him whether he still liked Will and Jason, the romantic way.

Whether he would still date them if he had the chance.

Wanted to ask him whether he'd be willing to try it, try dating them, try dating Percy, try dating all three of them.

He opened his mouth, his heart beating faster than it had just done after the run.

"Nico, I-…." He started, but then Jason opened the bathroom door.

"Bathroom's free." The blonde announced, and Percy faltered.

No, what was he thinking?

This was nothing he could just ask Nico!

Not like that, not out of nowhere!

Plus, how was it even going to work out?

He highly doubted that - even if Nico would miraculously be ok with it, which was highly unlikely already – Will and Jason would want that in the first place.

They'd date Nico in a heartbeat, yes.

But not with Percy in the mix.

Most certainly not.

If Percy was out of the picture, Will and Jason might actually come around to date Nico together, but not with Percy there, no.

Neither of them wanted Percy like that.

Wow, that stung more than it should.

"Percy?" Nico asked, looking up at him with his wonderful, beautiful dark brown eyes, reminding him of melting chocolate.

"Ah, nothing. You want to use the bathroom first?" He backtracked hurriedly, and Nico frowned at him for a moment.

Then he nodded, leaning forward to place a kiss onto Percy's cheek.

"Be right back."

Gods, Nico was so adorable.

The best boyfriend ever.

What was Percy even doing, thinking of anything else but worshipping this wonderful Italian for the rest of his life?

As he watched Nico walking to the bathroom, Hades' words echoed through his head, about how he should be able to make Nico happy if he kept doing the things he did.

Had he meant this?

That Percy should focus on Nico more?

What if his constant thinking about the four of them as…as a thing…what if that was what would make Nico unhappy?

What if it made Nico feel as if Percy was cheating, as if Nico wasn't his one and everything?

Because Nico absolutely was!

Percy didn't love anybody the way he loved Nico, seriously!

He glance at Will, a queasy feeling building in his stomach.

Well…he did feel…something…for Will, though…he kind of really couldn't deny that.

But it wasn't the same as what he felt for Nico.

Nico, he absolutely loved.

Unconditionally.

Absolutely.

Undeniably.

Loved.

When he saw Nico, he could feel his insides warming, could feel the smile trying to plaster itself onto his face almost against his will, because sometimes, his body wanted to smile so hard it hurt.

He felt happy when he was with Nico, no matter whether they were laying in bed, with him gazing at Nico's adorable sleeping face, or whether they were running around outside doing nothing.  
Even if Nico just sat next to him while they played video games, Percy never stopped feeling happy.

They hadn't exactly argued yet, next to some minor bickering over rubbish, but he was fairly certain he'd still feel happy to have Nico, all the same, to be with him, to hold him close, to love him.

Nico was the person he wanted to wake up to in the morning and fall asleep with at night, and he was the one Percy wanted to spend the rest of his life with in New Rome, living with him, wherever he wanted to live, maybe even with a dog or a cat (or both), with jobs and all and just…living a normal life.

He was the person Percy wanted to marry someday and maybe even consider adoption – though he would never say this out loud, because they _were_ only dating since December, and he knew what people had to say about rash decisions and such.

Will, on the other hand…that was…it was _different_.

Percy didn't want to think on it for too hard, because it felt like if he did, he'd admit to something he wasn't ready to admit to yet, but he still knew it was different.

It was just…he wasn't sure how to properly explain it.

For a moment, he remembered the picture he had made up so very long ago (at least that's how it felt like, now).

Of all the warm colors, of the sky and the earth and the sea and the sun.

Yeah, kind of like that.

Nico was Percy's heart, his hearth, his home.

Nico was all those gentle touches and soft kisses, the fluttering of his heart and the warmth of an embrace.

Will was…Will was those warm colors, the light, the life, the joy in life.

He wasn't gentle like Nico, but not harsh, either. More like the sun, where it was up to you whether you'd feel it at all, let it warm you, or make it burn you.

He was there, and Percy felt like he was important, like he was necessary in that picture, because, without him, who would make the picture shine like that?

Who would tinge it into all those warm colors, and make it seem so complete and perfect?

And then there was Jason, but it was obvious why Jason had to be there.

How else would the sea be contained, if it wasn't for the breeze, pushing him back relentlessly in case he went too far?

How would anything on the picture work out without the sky and the clouds and the wind?

Where would the tranquil mood come in that Percy got whenever he thought about that picture?

Who would supply the calm they needed to exist, and who would build the storm to chase away any danger?

For one fleeting moment, Percy took a deep breath, feeling astoundingly at peace with himself and the world.

Then he realized what the hell he was even thinking about, and he shook his head.

What the hell?

What sort of rubbish was he making up, now?

"Jason, I'm going crazy." He said, turning around to see Jason sitting on the bed next to Will, eyeing him unimpressed.

"Percy, we all agreed we're already crazy. Don't just exclude yourself from that just to cry about going crazy all over again."

Percy made a face. "You were supposed to reassure me and tell me I'm fine, you horrible being."

"Love you too, you ass. You almost hurt Will, don't come to me for reassurance for the next thirty years." Jason retorted coldly.

Well, fair enough.

"Only thirty years?"

"Don't push it, or I'll make it a lifetime." Jason warned, though his lips twitched.

Percy walked over, flopping down on the side of the bed.

"No, it's just I had this really weird train of thoughts." He explained, feeling like he had to talk about this at least to somebody.

"Yeah? No surprise there. And wait, didn't I just tell you not to come to me for reassurance?" Jason frowned, but Percy ignored him, staring off into space and contemplating whether he really should talk about this.

In the end, Jason would misunderstand.

The blonde sighed, stroking a strand of hair out of Will's face, who still hadn't moved an inch from where Jason had put him down (which was highly unusual, since Will usually moved quite a bit in his sleep…no, seriously, if it wasn't for the blanket moving due to his even breathing, Percy would so think he was dead).

"Alright, what is it? It better be something seriously crazy." Jason gave in after another moment.

"Do you remember the picture I told you about? With all of us? I mean…the one with all the colors, sort of resembling us?" Percy instantly asked, and Jason frowned at him.

"Yes…?"

"Yeah, what if we all just sort of…kind of…erm…"

Yeah, how was he supposed to explain this without making it weird?

Jason raised an eyebrow at him.

"Erm…"

Jason's eyebrow moved higher.

Oh great, he was going to be so pissed in a moment.

"Well, I was just thinking of the differences between us, really. Like, you know, the hearth being this, and the sky being that, and such…yeah…and…erm…"

Jason's eyebrow lowered again, in favor of Jason giving him a stern, borderline exasperated look.

"You are thinking about a picture in your head and debating the differences in the various elements, am I getting this right? And that's what you need to be reassured about?"

Well, if he said it that way…

"No, it's more like…I was just thinking how different the picture would look if one or more of those elements were missing, and what that would mean to the rest. You know?"

For a moment, Jason's expression changed.

Then he sighed, leaning back.

"Yeah, I think I get it. So, what happened then?"

Percy relaxed slightly.

"Well, it doesn't work that way, does it now? You can't just have this complete picture and take something out of it and still expect it to be complete, right?"

Jason didn't meet his gaze.

"If you say so."

Percy hesitated.

Was something in his way of thinking wrong?

"You don't think so?" He asked hesitantly, a sense of unease and worry washing over him for inexplicable reasons.

Jason shrugged.

"I just don't really see where you're trying to go with this. I mean, if you have a complete picture, you usually know what you're doing when you're painting it, right? You don't just say 'Oh, I'll just put this here and that there', and expect it all to look fantastic in the end. No, you sit down and you think about what you want, and then you create it as best as you can. It might not end up perfect, but it's perfect in its own sense. Now, if you decided you don't want some of the elements anymore…then you simply make a new picture, don't you? So, if you don't want the sky and the sun in there anymore, then you'd simply create a new picture with the sea and the hearth, right?" Jason explained slowly, and Percy frowned, not remembering telling Jason he wanted to take out the sun and the sky at all.

Why would he do that?

"But what if I don't want them out of the picture?" He asked before he could stop himself.

Then he realized what that had to sound like in the context of them being that picture.

Yeah, maybe he shouldn't have told Jason that part, after all.

Jason hesitated, staying quiet for a long moment.

"I…don't have an answer, Percy. I don't know what you want, so I don't think I can really say anything to this." He then said quietly, and Percy's shoulders sagged, his heart sinking.

Oh.

See, Percy had known this was stupid.

"Sorry, I guess it's…oh well, let's just forget about it. It's probably nothing, anyways. Just me being overly tired and stupid again." He tried cheerfully, getting off the bed again and walking towards the bathroom, hoping Nico would come out soon again.

"I don't think it's stupid. It's just different, but different doesn't mean it's bad or stupid. You know what, that wasn't crazy at all, you cheat! You just wanted me to talk to you again." Jason exclaimed, and Percy looked around surprised.

No way, that was so not the reason he had explained that!

He had seriously meant-…Jason was grinning at him.

Gods, that dork.

Percy made a face at him, then struck an exaggerated, startled pose.

"Oh no! You found me out! What _am_ I to do?" He cried, acting aghast with his hands on his cheeks and making a dumb 'Oh' face, before catching Jason's expression and changing poses again.

"What are you two doing this time?" Nico asked with a confused voice, spotting Percy right when Percy struck an absolutely dramatic pose with the back of his hand against his forehead, head tilted back, his body curved so his butt was sticking out (clothed, mind you).

In other words, he was looking utterly ridiculous, and Nico was seeing him like that.

He quickly moved, feeling the heat rising in his face, while Jason started laughing from the bed.

"That's what you get!"

"Shut up!" Percy cried, rushing forward to press a quick kiss to Nico's forehead, because Nico still looked at him utterly confused.

"I love you, babe. Jason made me struck those poses as compensation for upsetting him, I swear."

"No, I did not!" Jason called over from the bed, and Percy stuck out his tongue.

"Well, you better take them as such, because I'm never doing those again!"

Jason snorted, but funnily enough didn't talk back anymore, and Percy looked down at Nico again, who was shaking his head with a small smile, eyes full of affection and disbelief.

"You're such a dork, Percy." He said, but in a soft, gentle voice.

Then he leaned forward and kissed Percy on the lips.

"Don't ever change that about you, yeah? It's cute."

And just like that, Nico di Angelo catapulted Percy right out that room and into heaven – or maybe it was Elysium. Or maybe the Isle of the Blessed, even.

Nico had called him cute.

And so seriously, too.

So wonderfully.

So perfectly.

Percy knew he was grinning rather creepily, feeling as if he was floating, or maybe even flying, as he moved towards the bathroom in a trance.

The way Nico had said that!

Gods, Percy could die happily right now.

He heard Jason laugh and say something to Nico, but couldn't catch what it was, and then somebody (he had the feeling it was himself, actually) closed the bathroom door, and he couldn't hear anything anymore.

But the warm, fuzzy feeling and the sensation of flying in midair remained, making him all giddy and happy and forget all about stupid pictures and colors and confusion.

Oh, how he loved Nico.


	24. Chapter 24: Stuck in Bed

**A/N: **Hello Cupcakes :)

This was one messed up week, I'm telling you.

Last weekend I had a car accident, and had to borrow my mother's car to get to work, which really was no fun, I swear (that car is 14 years old and doesn't even lock/unlock properly anymore, seriously x_x And don't even get me started on the breaks...)  
But I survived~ *subtly leaving out the two near-death experiences*  
Yesterday, I finally got informed that my car is luckily NOT totaled, though it was a very near thing (we first thought the frame was bent [is that even correct in English? Is there a term for this? I have no idea], but luckily it wasn't. Only front and side and my light went flying. My airbag didn't open, though, which kind of freaked everybody out except me. Nice to know my car wants me dead..)  
So I'll hopefully get it repaired soon, though :)

On the not so bright side, with all of that going on and me fearing for my car and how I'm going to get to work (I live in a super small city/bigger village, and my workplace is 40-45mins away by car, and there are no busses/trains I could take instead, and none of my coworkers live close by), this chapter took a whole lot longer to write and finish than expected, and it's one of my smallest chapters yet, hope you guys don't mind too much.

Next chapter will definitley be longer again and with a lot more happening.

I just don't know whether I'll be able to finish it in time for next week's update, but I'll try :)

The kitten is doing great, she and Bianca are constantly playing throughout the night, no matter if with their toys (finally Bianca acknowledges their existence, but I think that's just because Zoe is so adamant about stealing them and carrying them around the place, making it seem like they are the best things in the world. Muahahha) or just chasing each other through the place and playing with a cardboard box I have yet to take outside (I probably won't. They love that thing).

So, yeah, hope you like the chapter :)  
Well, you'll probably hate me for the beginning, but the end is nice I think ;)

Love you guys, you're the best  
-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 24: Stuck in bed, holding hands, and whoa - who knew that was there?**

When Will woke up the next day, everything hurt.

Like, seriously, _everything_.

He tried to move, tried to turn sideways at the very least, but pain shot through his limbs, all his muscles unusually sore and stiff, and he let out a low, pained groan.

A weight lifted off his aching left side, and as he forced his eyes open with effort, he saw sea-green eyes blazing down at him, guilt pushing aside the drowsiness in them.

Percy.

"Are you ok?"

No?

Will opened his mouth, cringing at the pain shooting through his jaw and neck.

Instead of a reply, he let out another groan.

Percy stiffened.

"Are you in pain? Oh gods, Will, I am so, so sorry."

Will wanted to glower at him, but decided it wasn't worth the pain.

Did he really have to ask? And what was he even sorry for?

What had happened?

Will's mind started spinning as he tried to remember.

Something about Jason and Percy and nobody's business.

Oh wait.

Now he did glower at him, pain be damned (no, it seriously hurt).

That _idiot_!

What the hell had he been _thinking_, yelling at them with that betrayed, hurt, almost _heartbroken_ expression on his face, just to then storm out of the room faster than Leo could summon wires from his belt?

_Out of the room._

With all of them _in the_ _Underworld_, a place only Nico really knew.

_In the middle of the night_ (not that that made much difference in the Underworld, but still).

All because Jason and Will hadn't told him they had taken a bath together.

Right.

Percy was such a freaking drama queen.

Then again, Will was an idiot, too.

The moment he had seen the hurt on Percy's face, he had been stunned, shocked, his heart clenching painfully in his chest, both because of Percy's words, and because of the expression on his face when he had said them; and the next moment, Will had found himself rushing after Percy, all coherent thought forgotten, his insides trying to decide whether he wanted to punch Percy or hug him.

But first, he had had to catch up on him.

Gods, Will didn't think he had ever run faster, even though every single step had hurt like thousand needles pricking his feet and moving up his entire legs, from the moment he had crossed the threshold of Nico's room until he had finally _had_ to stop.

The pain in his body had been unbearable, his muscles and joints aching as if he was being torn apart on the inside, his lungs working way too fast and hard, the air cutting through him like knives, and his vision blurry and spotty, his other senses just as messed up.

He remembered yelling something, probably pleading with Percy to stop, and had heard the echoing of his hurried footsteps.

Will also remembered thinking Percy would leave him behind.

But then that idiot had been right next to him, sounding all worried and concerned and only mildly out of breath, and next to the pain, Will had just felt so _irritated_.

Good thing Percy had seemed to feel too guilty to leave him even after his usage of every single curse word he knew (and he knew quite a few, mind you).

But, gods, why had everything hurt so much?  
Why had he been so weak?  
He couldn't be _that_ out of shape!

It was the other three that kept eating rubbish nearly all the damn time, not Will, and Will knew his own values and his bodily constitution, he should have been _fine_ with that short sprint.

Then again, this was the Underworld.

And it had kind of been night (not that it mattered much, but still).

Ugh, sometimes, he really hated being a child of Apollo.

Percy came closer, still looking so awfully guilty, and a hand gently brushed along the side of his face.

The touch burnt his skin, but at the same time, it felt surprisingly nice, so he wasn't sure whether to push him away or not.

He settled for pushing him away, and instantly regretted it, wincing and moaning in pain as he tried to shift his balance and move his arm.

Oh, he would so curse right now, if his mouth would just finally work properly.

Percy instantly pulled back, his expression not only concerned, but now close to horrified.

"Will? Oh gods, Will, can you talk? Tell me you can talk! Or move? Oh no, oh gods, tell me I didn't break you or anything."

_Break_ him?

Did Percy just say 'break'?!

Will wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh, curse or cry.

What an idiot.

Ugh, but seriously, this was horrible.

He forced his mouth open and tried to speak, opting for a very loving 'I hate you'.

But all that left his lips was a croaking sound that shot another wave of pain through him.

This was it, he was going to kill Percy Jackson.

Right when he found it in him to summon the strength and effort.

First, he'd need a plan, anyways.

"Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods. _Jason_, _wake up_, I think I broke him!" Percy whined, shaking Jason behind him rather harshly (wait, since when did Percy let Jason sleep behind him? He was even worse about the whole spooning issue than Will was!), who instantly shot up, groggy, more than apparently annoyed, but alert nevertheless.

"Do something!" Percy wailed, and Jason threw him a last disgruntled look before shoving him aside to look at Will, taking in his complexion and studying him so intently it made Will even more uncomfortable than usual.

He opted for a 'Shut up, I'm fine', but all that came out was another pitiful croak and a small whine as his throat felt like it was being cut open.

Seriously, he half expected to taste blood any moment now, not to mention choke on it.

Something flashed across Jason's face and he shoved Percy out of the bed.

"Go do something useful and get him a glass of water. Nico, wake up. It's Will."

Nico jolted awake instantly on Will's other side, hands instantly moving to Will's face, eyes hushing over him as if to check he was still alive.

It hurt, but Will found the loss of his pride and dignity a lot worse right now.

Nice to know his friends were all over him in an instant when he was in pain, but could his body please get itself back into order at least enough so he could speak?

That should be _the least_ it could do, right?

No?

Yeah, no surprise there.

_Ugh._

He wanted to move his hand to clasp Nico's, but Nico was already pulling back as if stung.

"Oh gods, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I'll…I have no idea…I'll contact my dad, see if he knows anything, there's got to be something. Yes…" He rambled, then he left Will's side, climbing off the bed.

Will found the loss he felt utterly disturbing, especially because it seemed rather irrational.

Touching him hurt him, but now that both Percy and Nico had left his side, he felt horribly empty and would kind of rather bear with the pain than suddenly be all alone.

He gazed at Jason pleadingly.

'Don't leave me', he tried to say, but all that made it out was a weak sound that sounded like he was dying.

Oh gods, this was not only horrible, this was also mortifying.

Jason's eyes widened slightly, but at least he didn't leave, staying right there next to him, looking around to probably watch Percy hurrying out of the bathroom, if the noise and the footsteps stood for anything.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,…" Percy chanted, and now Will wanted to kill him just so he'd shut up, sending Jason an urgent look.

"Percy, shut up. Apologize to him when he can talk back. Will, do you think you can sit up?"

Hell no.

There was no way he was going to be able to move any part of his body for the next hundred years, and by then, he'd be dead.

Will decided that if he ended up in the Fields of Asphodel before he managed to move again, he'd break out, tramp to Elysium, and beat Percy up, anyways.

That thought managed to cheer him up somewhat, until he started thinking of the complications of his plan.

Plus, it wasn't as if he _really_ wanted to harm Percy.

Rattle and shake him for being an utter idiot? Yes.

Yell at him for good measure? Absolutely.

Not speak to him for the rest of the day and let him try everything in his power to get back into Will's good graces? You could bet on it.

But actually harm him in any way? Nah.

He weakly managed to shake his head, then had to close his eyes and work a shaky, pain-laced breath through his burning lungs as hundreds, thousands of needles pricked his skull in response to his movement.

"Do you want us to help you up? Do you want to drink? Just blink once for yes, twice for no. Unless it's too painful." Jason said quietly, and Percy looked like he was going to cry, which hurt Will more than any physical pain ever could.

He blinked once, though he wasn't sure whether he was really ready for the pain that was bound to come along with them moving him, especially since mere touching already seared his skin.

But he knew he needed liquid.

Both for his throat and the rest of his body.

When was the last time he had drank anything?

Damn it, there went his plan of drinking more a day, since he usually liked to forget that (typical of him, making sure everybody else got the liquid they needed, but forgetting all about himself. Meh.).

Jason waited for another moment, then nodded.

"Alright. Percy, help me. He's light, so we need to be super careful not to be too harsh."

Hey, what did that mean, he was 'light'?

His BMI was _perfect_! He was _normal-weighed_! Not '_light'_!

The _insolence_!

He made a small, indignant sound in the back of his throat, not even regretting the pain that much, because – _hello_? – he was NOT light!

Jason looked at him almost exasperated.

Will went through the effort of glowering at him.

Jason sighed.

"You have issues, Will, I'm just saying. Alright, Percy, he's completely not-light and weighs a shit ton in his mind, but let's still be careful in hoisting him up, right?"

Will wanted to grumble, but his throat wouldn't allow it.

Percy was worrying his bottom lip, more than apparently not following the conversation whatsoever and stuck in his own head, else he'd have laughed or smiled for sure.

They took hold of Will's sides, right under his armpits, and Percy's other hand was at Will's head, while Jason's was on his back.

It hurt, but it was bearable, especially because he thought he could feel the usual comfort of their touch under all the pain, which made it all a bit less horrible.

Then, Jason said he'd count down from three, to give Will a chance to get mentally ready for the pain he'd be going through in a moment.

"Ok, ready? Three…" Will closed his eyes, trying to make himself not tense up the way he did.

But then Percy and Jason were already moving.

So much for counting down.

_Jason, you ass!_

He gasped and whined in terror, pain searing through him, tearing him apart, everything inside him on fire, _excruciating fire_.

Choking back a dry sob, he felt himself slumping forward, his body like jelly.

Or a noodle, maybe.

A wet, soggy, ugly and unloved noodle.

Wow, he was really into boosting his self-esteem today, wasn't he?

Percy cursed and Will's hand reached out automatically to touch his hand, though it felt like the effort would kill him any moment now.

"Are you sure you want to attempt drinking, Will?" Jason asked, concern written all over his face as he ever so gently tilted Will's head up.

Will wanted to say no, but then weighed his options.

He was already up.  
His body needed water.  
He'd have to drink something sooner or later…

Will sighed inwardly.

Better do it now, then.

He concentrated on blinking once, very slowly, so Jason would know it to be his answer, and felt Percy taking hold of his hand where he was touching his still.

It felt weird.

But it didn't hurt all that much anymore.

Then again, he was fairly certain, that, with the pain currently coursing through his body, something simple like that touch was bound to feel like nothing in comparison.

Or maybe he was getting better already.

Wouldn't that be something?

"He's sending over somebody who might be able to help. Also, Demeter told me to make you eat this as soon as you are capable of eating. I think it's porridge. I'm not entirely sure, though." Nico's voice sounded and Will's eyes searched for him confused, until Nico came into view behind Percy, holding out a bowl for him to see, holding what looked like murky, brown goo.

Nice.

He wrinkled his nose, then scolded himself, because it should be a privilege to have the gods personally care enough to send food for him.

Or something.

Percy's hand was still clasping his, making him painfully aware of Percy's quickened heart rate, the guilt, the worry, the fear and uncertainty, everything rushing through him rushing through Will as well.

But he couldn't make himself pull back.

When Jason lifted the glass to his lips, he had a last chance to say no, but didn't.

Yeah, well, maybe he should have.

The moment the first drops of water hit the inside of his mouth, he wanted to cry out and sob and thrash and cry and die.

Pain.

_Pain!_

Was this _fire_?

_Lava_?

Somebody just shoot him!

Gods, he was going to _slaughter_ Percy!

If Percy _ever_ dared to leave _any _freaking room_ ever again_ for _anything_ _stupid_ _just because_, then Will would _find_ _out_, and he'd _find_ _him_, and he'd _strangle him_.

Some of this must have shown on his face, or maybe it was because he was now crushing Percy's hand, but all three of the guy's looked pained and sorry and guilty and miserable, wincing at his pain in sympathy, though he noticed with a slight sense of gratification that Percy actually winced because he was really in pain (probably because Will was still crushing his hand).

The water made its way down his throat, and it burnt as if he was drinking pure acid, making him want to pull back and spit it all out again, together with any other liquid still left inside his body.

But it was Jason who was right in front of him, and Will didn't want to spit on him, so he forced himself to cope, his body shaking and trembling, his insides tearing him apart.

If he was going to die like this, he was going to kill Percy.

Alright, how many times had he thought that now?

He should work on his anger management.

No. He was in pain. He was allowed to be murderous as long as he didn't follow up on it.

Was he making up excuses now?

Ugh, what was becoming of him?

For a moment, he wished he was back at Camp, with his siblings around him, the sunlight and warmth outside…they'd probably be able to help…and who knew, maybe his powers would help him then, too…

To be honest, ever since entering the Underworld, he couldn't even feel his powers, and he had no idea whether he could still contact his sorry excuse for a father for any healing help.

He had been quite glad he hadn't had to find out yet, either.

But self-healing was a lot more difficult, anyways.

He hadn't done that in years, only ever using it to get rid of-…whatever.

As the last drops of water made it down his throat, he choked, and Jason immediately pulled the glass back, helping him lean over, while Nico put down the porridge (?) and hurried over, stroking over his back slowly, soothingly, not daring to pat to prevent causing even more pain for him, which Will found kind of sweet.

Percy was still clasping his hand, his thumb brushing over his fingers, and Will didn't have to look at him to know his gaze was worried and guilty and desperate.

He coughed and sobbed at the pain without tears, unwilling to show the guys just how bad it was so they wouldn't worry even more, but it felt like they knew, anyways.

"Want to lay back down?" Jason asked, caressing the side of his face gently, but Will shook his head.

It was getting better slowly, right?

Or maybe he was getting used to the pain.

He wasn't sure.

Percy opened his mouth to say something, but right then, it knocked on the door, so Nico hopped off the bed to get it.

"Oh wow. Seriously? Oh well, what did I expect? Alright, Will, don't freak out." He heard Nico say exasperated and managed to move his head upwards on his own, watching how what undoubtedly seemed to be a zombie made its way into their room, closely followed by the ghost of a very angry and disgruntled looking at least 200-years old man that appeared to be a doctor (at least he assumed so).

Oh.

Yeah, well, he guessed that was to be expected.

If he survived this, that was probably something to brag about.

'I got medical treatment by a zombie and the ghost of a doctor.'

Yep, he was so going to tell his siblings that in case his body ever stopped burning up from the inside.

Nico eyed him worriedly, as if expecting him to be scared or upset, so Will attempted a smile, which made his entire face tingle and prick horribly, but at least he had tried.

Percy looked like he wanted to argue about letting a zombie anywhere near the bed, but then didn't, though he kept holding onto Will's hand, and Will was glad for the body contact, since it gave him something else to focus on other than the pain.

"I'll be the translator for what they say, if that's ok with you. Else, I'll ask my dad to grant you temporary permission to hear the Dead, which isn't advisable, but he told me he'd do it if it made you more comfortable." Nico explained and Will considered it for a moment.

Hearing what a ghost and a zombie had to say did sound fairly interesting, but the way Nico had said it indicated he was very reluctant about it, so Will guessed it really wasn't all that great.

Deciding he wanted this over with fast, and without causing too much trouble, he blinked twice, and Nico gave a small nod.

Then he took a deep breath and turned to the two dead (undead?) men, and Will's treatment started.

.

Next to the fact that Will was dying, Nico was pacing like crazy and Percy (who had finally stopped chanting 'I'm so sorry' every few seconds, thank the gods) was sitting next to Will staring off into space apathetically, the day was going pretty well, Jason guessed.

No, truth be told, everything was a mess.

He hadn't been stupid enough to believe Will would be utterly fine after that stunt Percy had pulled yesterday (seriously, Percy, what the hell?), but he had also not thought it would be this bad.

Well, it was.

At least Will could talk again – though that was only a mild plus, because the blonde had promptly started arguing.

No, not with Percy.

Not with Jason or Nico, either, gods no.

Nope, Will was that typical 'go big or go home'-type of person, starting an argument with none other than the ghost in charge of helping him back to his feet.

Which basically meant Nico had to keep translating what the ghost said, and Will was busy ranting, which riled up the ghost in turn, which then riled up Will, and so on and on.

Jason sighed, watching how Percy tried to shut him up as inconspicuously as possible with shoving porridge (at least they guessed it was porridge…) into Will's mouth whenever he tried to retort something.

Nico seemed sick of translating the ghost's nonsense, too, but he was also too agitated and worried to really do anything but keeping up his pacing through the room, repeating what the ghost was rambling.

Jason wasn't even sure what it was all about.

It had started back before Will had been able to talk again, with the ghost saying something, and Will all but leaping off the bed, expression absolutely furious, blinking a felt hundred times, signaling a screamed 'NO!' – just to then groan loudly and fall back into Jason's hold, body trembling, breathing strained.

The ghost (who still hadn't given them his name, now that he thought about it) had apparently taken that as challenge, because everything else he had said past that point had riled Will up one way to another, until he had finally been able to speak again.

And then, drama had started.

All Jason had gathered was that it was about vaccination in the beginning, and how the ghost had 'outdated, old-fashioned and absolutely ridiculous views' on the matter, which had obviously affronted the ghost, and led to an entire debate about substances Jason had never ever even heard of before.

But by now, they had covered at least a textbook full of topics, ranting and bickering and lecturing each other, Nico the poor soul in the middle, because sometimes, the ghost didn't completely understand Will, either.

Yeah…it was a mess.

But at least he was alive and…yeah, alive.

With his limbs like jell-O still, it would be kind of wrong to call him 'well'.

Jason took a deep breath and sat down at Will's other side, trying to ignore that Percy was still holding Will's hand.

Was he wondering why they were holding hands? Yes.

Was he going to ask? Nope.

Nico didn't seem to care or feel bothered by it whatsoever (or maybe he was simply too fed up by now to care), so Jason wasn't going to be the one bringing it up.

Instead, he gave Will his best exasperated gaze.

Then he leaned over, getting closer to Will's ears, and Will froze.

"Will, I don't want to rub you the wrong way, but you are arguing with a dead person who will not make any difference in this world anymore. He died stupid, and even if he gets it now, it won't change what has happened. I am absolutely certain that Nico, Percy and I all share your views, you are absolutely right, could we please drop this and talk about something else?" He whispered as quietly as he could muster, and felt Will shiver, which instantly made him draw a sharp, pained breath.

Oops.

Right. Sensitive ears.

Jason pulled back, and Will looked at him with wide eyes and a small blush on his face, which made Jason frown slightly.

Had he even heard him?

A moment later, Will blinked and cleared his throat.

"Oh. Right. Yeah, that makes sense. Nico, you can tell him I don't give a damn anymore."

Percy looked up, and Nico stopped pacing, both of them staring at Will surprised.

"Wait, what did you say?" Percy asked, looking at Jason, and Jason shrugged.

"The truth."

He only noticed a moment too late Percy might misunderstand the vague reply as a blow at him for pestering them about the bath – it had really only been because he didn't want to tell a ghost it was dead and made no difference to the world anymore.

Percy, however, obviously didn't know that, and instantly shrank back, the momentary curiosity in his eyes wiped away, replaced by guilt again.

"Oh. Right. Yeah, ok."

Jason sighed.

It wasn't as if they didn't know he was a curious person, and it wasn't as if they wanted him to stop asking.

They had just wanted to make a point about privacy and what really wasn't any of his business, damn it.

He gave Will a pointed look, and Will nodded, turning his head towards Percy.

"If you want to know, you gotta come closer, else I can't tell you, you dork." He declared, and Percy looked up surprised, eyes hushing towards Jason as if checking whether he had permitted it.

Oh gods, this was going to take a while.

It was good to know he had learned his lesson, but bad to know he was taking it way too seriously now.

Then again, he was fairly certain Percy would be alright again, given some time.

He watched how Percy leaned forward, expression curious again, and smiled to himself at the sight.

He had never noticed before how eager Percy always looked, eager to know, eager to act, eager for anything, apparently.

Kind of weird, because, now that he thought about it, Percy really had always been like that.

Oh well, sometimes people had to lose something to value it.

Like in that one saying: 'You don't realize what you have until it's gone'.

Apparently, one day with Percy being all depressive and down was enough to show them (or him, at least) to value Percy's usual easy-going, cheery character.

Good to know.

Percy and Will giggled, though Jason could clearly see Will wince in pain, but luckily Percy didn't notice, or he'd get all serious again (and mopey. _Especially_ mopey).

He looked around, just to see Nico talking to the ghost quietly, looking exasperated and annoyed, though Jason could hear his tone was still polite.

Jason was just looking around for something to do, something to talk about, but then it knocked on the door.

"Huh?" Nico asked, actually excusing himself from the ghost to answer the door (seriously, Jason wasn't sure even he could still be kind and polite to somebody as rude as this ghost had been so far, especially not after having to repeat everything the guy had said).

"Erm…Jason?"

Oh no, not again.

Jason groaned, and both Will and Percy looked around at him instantly, both of their hands on his own.

"Jason?" Both of them asked at the same time, but he was too perplexed by their hands, really.

"Do you want me to tell him you can't come today?" Nico asked from the door, but Jason shook his head with a sigh.

"No, it's ok. I have no idea what to do or say, but I guess it's better if I try, than if I just don't appear at all. Else I might lose my chance entirely." He said half-heartedly and urged himself to get up, which made Will and Percy pull their hands back slowly, almost reluctantly, and made his heart flutter.

Since when were they so touchy-feely?

And he could tell Will was still hurting every time he moved, why would he do that just for him?

"I'm sure you'll be able to think of something." Will said, for once not teasing him, instead opting for a reassuring smile, while Percy nodded energetically.

"Absolutely. And tell us about how it went this time, will you? That way we might actually be able to help you." Percy added, and Jason gazed at them both in amazement.

Since when were they so…well, like this?

Well, alright, they were kind of always like this, but not with_ him_.

With Nico? With each other? Yep.

But with Jason…not really.

He smiled and made his way to the door, wondering whether the skeleton was the same as yesterday.

It was kind of hard to tell, since, well, it was a skeleton.

"Will do. See you, guys." He said, lifting a hand as if to wave, but then Nico held him back by the door, taking hold of his arm.

"Don't let him give you a hard time. If you come back cursing, I'll boycott dinner." He muttered darkly, and Jason blinked.

Then he chuckled, mussing through his hair.

"Don't worry, yesterday was a one-time thing."

Yesterday, they had all been a bit crazy, after all.

Today was still crazy, but with Will stuck in bed mostly immobile and in pain, there was no way Jason would be able to concentrate properly on Hades, anyways.

He looked back at those three once more, his insides turning all warm and jittery as they met his gaze with gentle smiles of their own.

Then he followed the skeleton to meet Hades once more.

As if yesterday's talk hadn't already been bad enough.

Jason sighed, making his way down the dark corridor.

True, he should tell the guys about that tonight as well, while he was at it.

Gods, the conversation had gone so terribly.

He still remembered how Hades had sat in his throne, his chin resting on one hand, gazing down at Jason expectantly, while Jason had had no idea what to say or do, so he had just started explaining the whole procedure and what the peace contract was for.

After that, he had told Hades about the gods he had approached so far, and what they had demanded, to then proceed to explain how he was going to fulfill those demands, hoping against hope it would somehow show Hades he would make sure to keep his word, which might just be able to make him comply easier.

Yeah, well, it hadn't worked.

At all.

Hades had heard him out, then proceeded to tell him, that, basically, all of that was very nice, but he didn't see what that had to do with him.

The Underworld was its own place, and he had no business with the upper world, and couldn't care about it whatsoever, either (which Jason had already assumed in the first place).

Hades had no interest in the quarrels and drama the other gods had, and he had even said he could ensure Jason now he would not wage war on the other gods – but he had also said he had no interest in coming to their aid at all.

Jason had tried his best to find something to appeal to him, anything at all, but it had been fruitless.

In the end, after Hades had tortured him for hours on end with refusing anything he had come up with, lastly even letting Jason just stand there for the two whole hours _in utter silence_, Hades had finally had the mercy to dismiss him, and Jason had stormed back to their room in shame.

Yeah, that had definitely been horrible.

And now, it seemed like Hades was ready for a repeat.

Great.

But Jason couldn't even make himself be truly upset with Hades for it.

After all, no matter what Hades might do to him and how much he might want to humiliate him (or whatever he was trying to achieve), he had still instantly sent a zombie and a ghost medic (though an annoying one) to help, not to mention that they had found out he had made the room nightmare-proof for Will somehow.

So, no matter how he might be towards Jason, he was still a pretty decent guy (not that he hadn't known that before, of course).

Though he'd have preferred it greatly if the gods had just told them about that in the first place, back when they had come here.

Seriously, all that would have been necessary was a 'Hey, by the way, we jinxed your room so Will won't have any nightmares anymore. But you might want to keep him in there, because else you'll be setting him up for torture and endless pain. Enjoy your stay, bye.'.

It would have certainly saved them a lot of trouble, because Jason was a hundred percent certain Percy would have not run out of the room last night if he had known that.

Or at least he'd have probably dragged Will back in there instantly.

Or Jason would have dragged him back.

Or Nico.

But, of course, the gods hadn't said a thing, so Percy had stormed out of the room in his fit of jealousy and unnecessary rage; Will had stormed after him blindly; and Jason and Nico had let it happen.

He sighed.

Then sighed again as he realized they probably even had to thank Percy to some extent (which they of course wouldn't do, but technically speaking).

Because, if it hadn't been for him, then they probably still wouldn't know.

Which meant gods knew what could have happened.

What if they had had a fight and it would have been Will running off, and nobody following him?

He'd have collapsed and suffered somewhere all by himself, the full force of his nightmare hitting him, with none of them there to cool him down or calm him or wake him up or anything.

In the end, he could have burnt up.

Or gotten hurt in a different way.

Or what if they then couldn't have found him, and with him unable to move, he'd have had to keep lying somewhere in the Underworld, alone and weak and defenseless, without voice and working limbs?

Jason didn't even want to think about it.

He shook his head, noticing he was already in front of the throne room again.

Well, he had already guessed he'd end up not concentrating much on the peace matter today.

Looked like he had been right.

Marius – he was just going to assume this was the same skeleton – looked around at him as if in question, then the doors opened, and Jason sighed a last time, trying futilely to have a super-quick last minute idea that would be brilliant enough to get Hades to agree.

If he thought of something quickly, he could get back to the guys quicker.

He searched his brain for anything useful, but all he came up with was the image of Percy, Will and Nico back in Nico's room, looking at him with gentle expressions on their faces.

Adorable.

But sadly no help right now.

.

Soon after Jason left, Will started fidgeting.

It started with him shifting slightly and wincing, then moving his head about, then shifting again, disregarding the pain.

Nico watched this going on for some time, wondering what it was, what he was thinking about, whether there was a problem, but Will didn't really say anything.

The ghost doctor and zombie had left for now, telling them they'd return in an hour or so to check up on him again, so it wasn't as if Will still had some sort of issue with anybody in the room (at least Nico hoped so).

Will started moving his hand over the blanket over and over almost nervously, looking conflicted.

"Will, is everything ok?" Nico finally asked when he couldn't take it anymore, sitting down on Will's other side, glancing over to Percy's and Will's joined hands for a moment.

How he was feeling about that? He had no idea.

It made him nervous, and a part of him even felt a little queasy with unease, but it wasn't as if he had never held anybody else's hand other than Percy's before.

It wasn't as if it had to mean anything.

He had held Hazel's hand, for example.

Or Reyna's.

Bianca's hand he had held plenty, too, but that probably didn't count because he had been a kid back then, so that was different.

No, but just because Will and Percy were holding hands, that didn't mean anything.

Not that he really was worried.

Well, maybe a little.

Their kiss-dare flashed through his mind, with Percy shoving Will against the wall, lips mashing together as if it was all they had ever wanted, ever needed, as if they had waited all their lives just for this.

He pushed the image out of his mind.

It had been a dare.

They might have gotten carried away, but who could blame them?

Nico knew Percy was a great kisser, he got to kiss him all the time, after all; and he could still remember how Will had kissed him back in the clearing (though he probably should finally forget about that…ugh, if Percy knew, he'd be so upset for sure).

Anybody would get carried away.

Nico would have gotten carried away, too, probably, if it had been him to kiss Will (not that he had hoped for it…oh gods, he was pathetic).

They hadn't acted any different ever since, what with them still either bickering horribly or being astoundingly nice to each other, and they had never even mentioned the kiss again.

So, really, this probably didn't mean a thing.

It certainly didn't mean Percy wanted to break up with Nico.

He was probably just still feeling all guilty for getting Will into this state, and was trying to show he was serious about his apology, and that he cared, and that he was there for him.

Yeah, that was probably all there was to it.

Percy was a touchy-feely person, after all.

If Nico was bothered by him holding somebody else's hand, he'd have to ask himself why it hadn't been a big deal when Percy grabbed Jason's butt without reason.

That should be far more worrisome, yet Nico could only roll his eyes at them for that.

Maybe it was because Will seemed interested in Percy to some extent.

The amount of times they seemed that way had lessened lately, or maybe Nico had been seeing things in the first place, or maybe he hadn't, but had gotten used to them so close, so he didn't notice it as strongly anymore, but he still thought Will liked Percy, more than platonically.

Though he didn't seem to realize it himself, so maybe it was just because the four always spent so much time together, and some boundaries had simply shifted.

Anyways, what did it matter, Will wasn't going to try and steal his boyfriend, he was sure.

Plus, Percy didn't seem to be-…well…wait, no, Nico really should stop pondering that.

"Oh, it's…well…you know…no, I'm good…I guess…" Will mumbled, effectively pulling Nico back into reality (he wished that could have happened a bit sooner, but still).

Will looked sheepish, still shifting, and Percy and Nico exchanged a questioning glance.

"What is it?" Percy asked, and Nico could see his thumb stroking over the back of Will's hand.

"I…well…" Will started, not meeting either of their gazes, his face turning red. "I…well, I need to go to the bathroom…"

Oh.

_Oh!_

Oh gods, how had they not thought of that?

It was noon already, Nico didn't even want to know how long Will must have been holding it in already without saying anything.

Percy's face fell, too.

"You should have _told_ us! Hang on, how are we going to do this?" He asked Nico, and Nico couldn't do much more than shrug helplessly.

"How much can you move? Can we carry you there and you'll be good?" Nico asked Will, finding him flustered and apparently embarrassed.

"I…I think so, yeah. Sorry…"

Percy threw him an incredulous look.

"What are you sorry for? No, you know what, I don't even want to know, because it's bound to be something stupid you shouldn't need to be sorry for. Alright, Nico, you reckon piggyback or princess-style?"

Will scowled, then winced at the pain, flinching back, and Nico had his hand on the blonde's cheek in an instant.

"It's ok, Will. We don't mind at all. Now, does it hurt more to move your body or to feel pressure on your body?" He asked, lightly stroking over Will's hot and flushed skin.

"I…moving, I think." Will mumbled, meeting his gaze for a moment with his bright blue eyes, then looking away again, clearly uncomfortable.

Nico had never seen him like this before.

He knew Will didn't like having to ask for help, preferring to be the one helping, instead, and unwilling to be a bother to others.

His nightmares alone had shown that more than anything.

But shouldn't Will know better by now?

They loved it when they could be of help.

Especially Percy, even if he was trying not to let it show.

"Alright, then I'd say piggyback. It's basically the same as sitting, but with pressure on your chest and your legs bent. If you carry him princess-style, you'll run risk of moving him around too much, I think." Nico said to Percy, and he nodded seriously, getting up and (finally) letting go of Will's hand.

"Ok, then we'll do that. Can you help me get him onto my back?"

"I love how you just decide that for me like that." Will grumbled, but Percy threw him an amused glance.

"As if you had seriously wanted me to carry you princess-style. The last time that happened, we were chased by harpies and you still insisted you hated me for it."

Will flushed a bright pink. "Don't you dare remind me of that! I swear, if anybody had seen-…"

"It was the middle of the night, who could have seen?"

Were they…what were they doing?

And what were they talking about, anyways?

Nico had no recollection of Percy ever carrying Will anywhere.

"What?" He asked confused, and both boys looked around.

"Nothing." Will insisted, looking flustered.

"You remember when-…" Percy started, but Will interrupted him with a grunt.

"We're not talking about this, Percy. It never happened. Now, am I getting carried to the bathroom or will I have to-…

"Oh, right."

Percy and Nico moved, and with some struggling, Nico managed to get Will onto Percy's back, cringing every time Will shuddered or let out a small gasp – the only sound he really let out, though Nico knew he was hurting badly, could see it in the tension on his face and hear it in the way he forced his breath out in shaky, but somewhat even breaths.

Percy took a few tentative steps, with Nico right behind to catch Will or adjust him in case he should fall off, because they didn't dare touch him even more than necessary.

"Good to go?" Percy asked cautiously, and Will let out a small grunt.

Was that a yes?

They were just going to assume it was a yes.

Making it to the bathroom in one piece wasn't as difficult as they had feared, but getting Will down off Percy's back was, because they found out the hard way he didn't seem capable of standing properly yet, his legs instantly giving way and almost sending him crashing into the ground if both Percy and Nico hadn't reacted in time.

Though Nico's heart dropped at the small cry Will let out as they grabbed him under the arms and held him upright, his face scrunched up for the splint second he let his pain show.

"I'm sorry." Percy muttered quietly, face full of guilt again.

"Shut up. I'm fine." Will pressed out, and they could feel him trying to put weight on his legs again, sucking in a sharp breath.

"You're very clearly _not_ 'fine'. How are we going to do this? Nico, any ideas?"

Nico shook his head helplessly.

What was Percy asking him for?

Nico had no clue what to do!

He wished once again that Jason was here, cursing his father's horrid timing.

Or maybe Will's, because he definitely should have said something sooner.

Then again, knowing Will, he had most likely tried to push it off for as long as possible, probably hoping he'd be able to make it work without needing their help.

_Idiot_.

Will Solace was an idiot.

They were _all_ idiots.

Right, back to the matter at hand.

"I'm good, guys. I can handle this. Just get me a step closer to the wall, then you can let go and get out. Pick me up in a few minutes, will you?" Will tried to sound exasperated, but the tension in his face made it near impossible for him to come across right.

Nico and Percy shared a small glance, then Percy sighed.

"Fine, have it your way."

They let him take the two steps towards the wall with support, Nico's chest clenching painfully at the gasps coming out of Will, but he did manage to do it without his legs giving way, and when they let go, he did manage to remain upright.

"See? Almost good enough for a shower, don't you reckon?" Will tried to joke, but both Percy and Nico merely sighed.

"Don't push it. If you need anything, call for us, ok? I'm serious. If I find you on the floor or something because you didn't open your mouth, you'll regret it, Will." Percy warned, and Nico knew he was being serious.

Will knew, too, judging by the way he looked away with a stern face.

"Right. Thanks, guys. Now, get out."

Nico was about to turn away, but then caught Will looking down at his pants rather miserably when he thought they were both not looking.

Oh.

Button.

"Let me…" He mumbled, instinctively reaching out and opening Will's pants, tugging the zipper down.

Then he froze and blinked at himself, pulling his hands back quickly and looking up at Will's face worriedly for a moment.

What was he doing?

He couldn't just do that!

Especially not without even warning Will first.

Will stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.

"Ah…sorry…" Nico muttered, feeling stupid, but Percy laughed.

"What are you apologizing for? Great, I'll never hear the end of this. Want to bet he's going to brag to Jason that he got you to open his pants for him? I'm surprised he's not already wriggling his eyebrows at you."

"Oh shush. I would hit him up if it wasn't for the fact I am one second away from peeing my pants. Now, get out, you jerk. And Nico, you too, love." Will said with a small wink and Nico rolled his eyes, relaxing again.

"Right. Percy, you heard him."

"Why am I the jerk and you are love? How unfair is that?" Percy wailed, but Nico dragged him out by the arm, knowing that Percy would still be in there in an hour at this rate.

They closed the door and waited, with Percy still complaining about how he always came up with such nice nicknames for other people, while they always insulted him, which Nico could only sigh to.

Though, in a way, Percy did have a point.

He did have pretty nice pet names for Nico, while Nico generally only called him 'Percy' or, if he was feeling cheesy, 'Sea Prince'.

The rest of the time, he kind of just resorted to calling him 'dork' or 'idiot', which really might not be that nice, now that he thought about it.

"I'm sorry…erm…_darling_?" He mumbled awkwardly, though it sounded weird and unfitting on his tongue.

Percy stopped dead in his tracks, head shooting up to stare at him.

"Oh gods, no, I didn't mean _you_, sweetheart! It's not that, really, I swear. I was just whining around. You don't have to give me pet names or anything…" He instantly cried alarmed, coming closer and wrapping his arms around Nico, tugging him closer.

Nico rolled his eyes.

"It's not like I don't like it. It's just…unusual, I guess. More…well, intimate. To me, at least." He tried to explain, but was apparently doing a bad job at it, because Percy instantly stiffened.

"You don't like it when I call you pet names around others?"

"No! No, I like it. Love it. It's just…you make it sound so special and loving, even if we're around people. I'm just not sure I'll be able to say it like that, too, because to me, it still makes me feel weird, and I don't want you to feel stupid, or as if I'm forcing myself. So…yeah…I just want it to be special for you, too." He admitted sheepishly, feeling utterly ridiculous with his face burning.

But when he glanced up to check Percy's reaction, he was met with a gentle, loving smile.

"Well, I can ensure you it's special to me. Very special. You're special. This is it. Let me give the most amazing boyfriend ever a kiss." Percy declared, then swooped down and pressed his lips onto Nico's.

Nico grinned against his lips.

What a dork.

He kissed back, changing the angle slightly to deepen the kiss, and Percy sighed against his lips happily.

Thinking about it, this was the first kiss they had shared today, other than a quick peck on the forehead or something.

Kind of weird.

They usually kissed a lot more.

Then again, Will wasn't usually stuck in bed and immobile with pain.

So, yeah, it was understandable.

Coming to think of Will…

Nico stiffened and pulled back.

"Percy! We closed the bathroom door!"

Percy looked confused for a moment, then his face fell.

"Oops."

The bathroom was sound-proof, how were they supposed to hear Will calling for them?

"How long has it been?" Nico asked, staring at the door as Percy reached out with a shrug, opening it an inch or so.

"Are you still alive?"

"_I hate you_!" Came a wail from the inside, and they both made a face.

Oops.

.

When Jason came back three hours later, he found Nico, Will and Percy sitting on the bed next to each other, with Will in the middle, Nico's laptop on his lap, all three of them fast asleep.

Jason smiled.

Now, that was a sight he wouldn't mind coming home to everyday.

He could just so picture it, the four of them living together in New Rome, and Jason coming home in the evening, just to find the three of them snuggling together on the sofa, dozing.

Jason shook his head.

What was he even thinking?

This was it, he was going crazy.

Then again, anybody would go crazy after staring at Hades' robe for an entire hour in silence, resorting to counting the screaming faces to make the time pass by faster – which really hadn't helped.

He really had no idea how he could have ever managed to get the other gods to sign the contract so far.

Talking to Hades felt like talking to a brick wall.

Well, not exactly.

He had the feeling the brick wall would give in faster.

Ugh.

He sighed, closing the door quietly and making his way over to those three, eyes landing on their joined hands.

His heart stopped for a moment.

Wait, wait, wait, what had he missed?

Had he missed something?

When he had left, only Percy and Will had been holding hands, and that had already been weird enough.

But now Nico was holding Will's other hand, both Percy's and Nico's heads resting on Will's shoulders.

Wait, could it be…?

No, they wouldn't.

He had only been gone for three hours.

They couldn't just…or maybe that's all they had needed?

What if Percy had said something?  
What if Will had admitted to his feelings for him?  
What if Nico had suddenly mentioned something and they had kind of picked up on something?

No, Jason had to be rational about this.

Jason really wasn't.

Panic spread through him and he had half a mind to shake Percy awake and ask him what the hell was going on.

But then he took a deep breath and focused his attention on the laptop.

Maybe that would give him a better idea of why exactly they were holding hands.

Because one should never jump to conclusions like that, one should never just go and assume something without proof.

He kept telling himself that, leaning over Percy to look at the screen.

What…?

Percy shifted, suddenly sitting upright with a yawn, blinking his sea-green, drowsy eyes at him.

"Oh, hey, man. We were waiting for you. Damn, we must have dozed off. Sorry about that. How long have you been back already?" He asked amiably, moving his free hand through his hair and looking around at Will and Nico with a gentle expression.

"It's fine, I just came back. What have you been up to?" Jason tried as innocently as possible, trying not to look back down at the hand that was holding Will's, nor at Will's other hand clasping Nico's.

"Oh, you'll love it. Nico and I had to help Will to the bathroom, but then we kind of messed up and he was really pissed off at us – it was understandable, though. So we helped him back to the bed, and Nico started talking about this one movie he'd like to see, and you know how Will can never deny Nico anything, so of course he went with the conversation reluctantly. Well, long story short, we ended up looking up all the films that are going to come out this and next year, and we made a list with when we'll watch what. There are still some trailers open, too, if you want to watch. We're currently trying to decide who'll pay for which movie, though Nico insists to pay for all the snacks at the very least." Percy babbled, his voice becoming less sleep-laced as he went, and he tugged the laptop off Will's lap onto his own, navigating his mouse with his left hand, just so he wouldn't have to let go of Will's.

Jason was too occupied watching him (and wondering whether those three were dating now or not, not to mention he wanted to specify what they had messed up with in the bathroom, and curse himself for not thinking of getting Will to the bathroom before he had left) that it took him a moment longer to let the information sink in.

Then he frowned.

"What?"

Did Percy just say they made a list of movies they were going to watch over the course of this year and next?

No, he must have misheard.

That'd be absurd, after all.

Chiron would skin them alive if they intended to leave the Camp on a regular basis just for the sake of movies, not to mention that the way Percy said it made it seem like he intended to take Jason and Will along, too, which really wasn't what people did when they had the option to go on dates with their significant others.

Well, in that case, taking Will along would probably make sense, but not _Jason_, too!

Not to mention he would most likely not even be at Camp most of the time, anyways.

Percy clicked around a bit more, then turned the laptop for him to look at better, looking all smug and proud.

That dork.

Jason leaned down with a sigh, but had to sit down when Percy impatiently tugged on one of the belt hoops on his pants.

"See? The ones with the blank spaces next to them are the ones where we're still debating who pays." He explained, and Jason's eyebrows shot up.

Oh.

Apparently, he really hadn't misheard.

Could anybody believe these guys?

"You must have been pretty bored while I was gone." He remarked drily, scrolling through the movies they had picked out.

They hadn't even yet watched all the films this room had to offer, how could they already look for new ones?

He was never going to understand them, that much was for certain.

"Yeah, kinda. So, how did it go? I mean, it can't have been as bad as yesterday, because you didn't storm off to the bathroom yet…"

"Don't even start that, Percy. At least I stormed into the bathroom, unlike a certain somebody else." Jason pointed out and Percy instantly shut up, making a face.

Next to them, Will shifted and grumbled something in his sleep, then dropped against Percy – which made him wince in pain and jolt upright, wide awake.

"_You can't eat that, Percy!_" He called out, startled, then blinked and looked around at them in confusion.

"What? Can't eat what?" Percy asked taken aback, while Jason frowned.

Will looked at them befuddled for another moment, then his face darkened and he grumbled something, turning his head towards Nico before snuggling closer to the Italian, tugging him against him further and getting comfortable, apparently ignoring the pain.

"What? What did I do?" Percy asked, and Jason noticed he was sticking his bottom lip out, looking at his now empty hand, apparently more concerned about the loss of Will's hand than the fact Will was currently using his boyfriend as a pillow.

Go figure.

"You are impossible, Percy." Was all Will grumbled that they could understand, and Jason had a hard time not laughing at the utterly indignant expression on Percy's face.

Nico shifted and sighed, rubbing his cheek against Will.

"Yeah, but that's what makes him Percy. You know you love it." He muttered quietly, then seemed to be right back asleep.

Will huffed. "Don't I know it."

Jason's gaze hushed to Percy, but Percy was still pouting.

Idiot.

And they had just said…ugh, whatever.

He sighed, adjusting his position next to Percy, and tugged the laptop closer.

Percy was still moping, now looking at his hand again.

Jason rolled his eyes.

"Want to hold my hand? Will that make it better?" He offered with a raised eyebrow, and Percy glowered at him.

"Ha-ha. Very funny. Shut up." He snapped back, then grumbled some more and crossed his arms in front of his chest, pushing back into the hundreds of pillows behind him (Jason still had no clue where they had even come from. Suddenly, they had simply been there when he had come back yesterday).

Jason chuckled, then started reading through the list.

Just when he reached half, Will moved in his sleep, making them both look around.

Then, his arm snaked out, hand finding Percy's and squeezing it, the blonde grumbling something else in his sleep.

Jason sighed, watching Percy's face light up.

Right.

Well, that settled that matter.

Percy caught his glance and grinned.

"Aw, want to hold my other hand? Will that make it better?" He used his own words against Jason, and Jason gave him an exasperated look.

But then, he smirked.

"Yes. Absolutely."

As expected, Percy's expression morphed to stunned surprise.

Then his face flushed red and he looked away.

"You're an idiot." He uttered, but without any bite.

Jason chuckled. "I know."

For a moment, there was silence, and Jason returned to reading through the list.

Then, he felt Percy's left hand touching his, though Percy wasn't looking at him, and Jason's heart stopped for a moment.

"Percy, you know I was joking, right?" Jason muttered, slightly alarmed when Percy's hand actually _took_ his.

"Shut up." Was all Percy replied, and Jason did, because he had no idea what to say, anyways.

Well, if anybody now asked him what the weirdest thing was he had ever done, Will's bath surely had a rival now.

He looked down at his lap, trying to ignore how warm and…well, _nice_ Percy's hand felt.

Instead, he tried to concentrate on something else, anything else.

"Hey, can you remind me later to tell Nico that Hades said we can go visit Elysium when Will is all healed?" He asked, remembering only now that Hades had mentioned that during their hour of silence – the only thing he had said, probably just to draw Jason's mind off his robes, right when he had felt like he had almost been done counting.

"Really? Cool. How did the talk go?" Percy asked, his voice almost sounding normal, though he still wasn't meeting Jason's gaze.

"Well, I now know he got a set of twins at the hem of his robes that cut grimaces at each other when they aren't screaming bloody murder."

Percy snorted and looked up. "What?"

Jason shrugged. "We were kind of done talking after two hours, because I seriously couldn't think of anything else anymore, so he let me stand in front of him for another hour and I started counting screaming faces. Those two irritated me beyond belief, because the first two times, I thought I had miscounted and had to start all over again, until I realized they looked identical." He explained, and Percy stared at him in disbelief for a moment.

Then he frowned.

"You just stood there for an hour, staring at his robes? Why didn't you just ask to leave?"

Jason shrugged again. "He decides when I come, he decides when I go. How do you think yesterday's talk went?"

Percy's eyebrows shot up.

Then he grinned and shifted closer, letting their shoulders brush together either intentionally or by accident.

Jason wasn't even sure why he was suddenly so aware of that, anyways.

Must be because Percy's hand was still holding onto his resolutely.

"Apparently horrible. Tell me."

It wasn't exactly an order, but it wasn't a request either.

Jason sighed, glancing past Percy at Nico and Will, but they seemed to be utterly knocked out.

Well, he had already decided before that he'd tell them at some point.

Who cared who he started with?

"Alright, it went like this…"

And just like that, he started recounting his meetings with Hades, and Percy held his hand all the while, which didn't leave Jason's mind for even one second while he talked, nor after.

Yeah, Will's bath definitely had competition now.

Jason didn't like it.

.

"No, this is it. I'm taking a shower."

"Will, you _can't_ take a shower, you can barely remain upright for five minutes." Nico tried to reason, but Will was already fighting his bed sheets.

"No. I stink. I am disgusting. I am taking a shower."

Stubborn idiot.

"Dude, I can't even smell you. Seriously, Jason smells worse, and he took a shower today." Percy tried, but all that earned him was a stern glance from Jason.

"Oh? Well, if you say it like that, I suppose I could take Will and take a shower with him, if I so-…" Jason started, and Percy's head shot around at him in an instant.

"Don't you dare, Grace."

Nico sighed.

Those dorks.

Then he noticed Will had made it out of the bed.

"Will, no!" He called, barely able of catching Will before he lost his balance.

For a moment, there was silence, only broken by Will's quiet cursing.

Then Percy groaned.

"Fine. Jason, come with me. Will, sit. We're getting a bath ready. You giant crybaby."

What…?

Will looked as dumbfounded as Nico, but Jason seemed to catch on, following Percy into the bathroom.

"I am not taking a bath with you guys in the room!" Will then yelled after them, and Nico sighed again, helping him sit down at the side of the bed.

"Well, suck it up, it's either that bath or you reeking of…of…of I don't know what you think you're reeking of." Percy called back unimpressed, though he faltered for a moment.

Nico moved his nose closer to Will, trying to discern what the hell Will was even talking about.

"Don't you dare sniff me. I swear, Nico." Will said warningly, apparently catching the movement.

Nico acted innocent.

Really, Will didn't smell that bad.

A bit sweaty, and slightly Underworld-y, but nothing compared to how Nico usually reeked after an hour of training.

"Did you just tell Nico not to sniff you? That's a first." Percy asked, appearing in the doorway, looking smug.

Will scowled at him, while efficiently moving a few inches away from Nico to avoid his nose.

Hmpf.

"He can sniff me all he wants when I'm clean."

"Yeah, yeah." Percy rolled his eyes, and was about to come over, when Jason's – surprisingly sheepish – voice sounded.

"Erm…Percy? Could you…come back here for a moment? I think I…well…just come…please…"

Percy frowned, disappearing out of sight.

"Holy…how did you…that's…"

Nico's alarm bells rang.

What?

What was going on?

Will and he exchanged troubled looks.

"Guys?" They called at the same time, but there was silence.

Then, Percy whooped.

"Awesome! Guys, you gotta look at this!"

That…was still very cryptic, in Nico's opinion.

Percy appeared in the doorway again, and Nico thought he might be able to catch a glimpse inside, but Percy tugged on the door, efficiently leaving him in the dark as he came over with a wide grin.

"Oh, guys, you're going to love this."

"What is it?" Nico asked skeptically, but Percy merely winked, moving over and putting his hands on Will's shoulder and under his knee.

"What do you think you're- Percy! NO!" Will yelped as Percy hoisted him up princess-style.

"What? You were all smug about _walking_ to the bathroom, so you'll survive this, too." Percy retorted nonchalantly, stomping off to the bathroom unimpressed, while Will wailed all the while, making Nico blink and follow with a sigh.

When the door swung open at Percy's nudge, Nico found himself face to face with a _Jacuzzi_, right where the rectangular shape in the ground had been before.

Oh.

Well, that was unexpected.

"Isn't this awesome? I had no idea we had that! I also have no idea how Jason made it show up. But, come on, we got to try this out, right? Please?" Percy exclaimed, looking almost pleadingly at them all in turn, right after setting Will down gently on the toilet seat.

Nico hesitated.

_Try it out?_

As in, _together_? _Now_?

Jason looked doubtful as well, but when Percy turned to him with a puppy face, the blonde sighed and looked away.

"Don't look at me, Percy. It's Will's bath, so you'll have to ask him."

"Will?" Percy instantly turned to Will, batting his eyelashes at him.

Will tore his gaze away from the whirlpool, looking at Percy warily.

"No way."

"Pretty please?"

It was astounding how pleading and desperate Percy could look.

Nico knew he'd have already given in by now.

Will sighed. "Fine."

"YES!" Percy whooped loudly, making both Jason and Nico jump, while Will buried his face in his hands.

Nico stared at the Jacuzzi, then at Percy, then at Will, and lastly at Jason.

Seriously?

Jason gave a small shrug and let Percy drag him away to do gods knew what, but Percy seemed to know what he was doing, anyways.

Nico sighed.

Apparently, their event of the night was decided.

He smiled.

That was bound to be fun.


	25. Chapter 25: A Day Like No Other

**A/N:** I have literally finished this chapter no ten minutes ago, please have mercy on me x_x

I have never finished a chapter so quickly, though, because I literally wrote over 3/4 of this story yesterday in a rush of 'Holy sh*** I need to upload this and it's not done what the f*** am I going to do!'.

No, for real, over 40k words of this was written yesterday and throughout the night up until now. First thing I'm going to do once this is upped is drop dead into bed.

At this rate, I am not certain I'll make it for next week's update, like, chances are very slim, so don't count on it, though I'll give my best as usual.

There'll be another note at the end of this chapter, because I don't want to spoil anything beforehand, but there was this one issue I was having because of FFnet regulations.

Hope you enjoy this chapter, Cupcakes.

As I've warned before, A LOT is happening in this chapter. I wanted to split it at first, but the cut wouldn't have made any sense anywhere, so, yeah, long chapter ahead.

Alright, I'm dead now.

Tári over and out

P.s.: Oh yeah, please point out any mistakes, because I am not trusting my proofing skills right now (like, even less than usual x_x), I'll read over this the next some days some more times to try kill all the errors I can find.

* * *

**Chapter 25: A Day Like No Other (or: When it rains, it pours)**

Three days later, Will was deemed fit enough again to get Nico to give his ok with taking them to Elysium.

Jason had to admit he was very curious as to how that would go.

It would definitely be interesting, that much was for sure.

Since they didn't know how long they'd be gone, they had decided to have breakfast with the gods, instead of dinner as usual (though with Will out cold, they hadn't even spent dinner with them anymore until yesterday, and only because Will had insisted he was capable of walking there – which he had, and which had ultimately resulted in them realizing he was already pretty much back to normal health…somewhat).

That was also when Jason had realized he might not even be able to come along to Elysium, because Hades might wish to torment him for another three hours, as he had done the past days.

He was seriously at a loss as to what to do with the god.

Seriously, he had tried everything by now, he must have.

And Nico, Percy and Will hadn't been able to come up with anything, either.

Well, Percy had suggested (as Jason had already assumed he would) that he should offer Hades some earplugs, so he wouldn't have to hear Charon's whining for a pay rise anymore - but for obvious reasons, Jason hadn't followed up on that.

But, yeah, other than that, his friends hadn't been able to offer anything, either, though he knew they were pondering the matter whenever they could (they were awesome like that).

Still, he kind of doubted they'd really find anything.

Nor that he would.

Jason was so not looking forward to his next conversation with Hades.

Luckily, Hades had decided to let him off for the day, though.

Well, at least he had said 'I shall see you all tomorrow again, then. Have a nice day', and since he had looked at Jason, he was going to take that as a 'Yes, you may go with them, but expect to be mentally tortured once more by my stubbornness come tomorrow'.

He sighed, staring at Will's back and concentrating on the way he walked, checking for any signs of weakness, but he seemed fine for now.

Good.

Maybe the baths truly had helped.

Jason wasn't sure what he should think of those, either, but he certainly added them to his list of weirdest things in his life.

Though he had realized lately that there should be quite a few things on there that were technically weird, but he had gotten so used to them he didn't even realize it wasn't _entirely_ normal.

Like snuggling up to the guys at night.

How was he ever going to sleep on his own again?

He already had trouble sleeping nowadays when he didn't get the chance to wrap his arms around somebody, and that was with the three of them still in the same bed/area.

If this ever ended and he'd have to make do in his empty, cold cabin all by himself, he was probably going to die.

But, yeah, the Jacuzzi baths he still wasn't used to, so they were right at the top of the list.

After Percy had insisted and begged and pleaded on trying out the Jacuzzi together until Will had eventually relented, they had found out the warm water with the bubbles on lowest setting was perfect for Will to relax a bit without being in too much pain, too, which had resulted in all four of them relaxing and leaning back and have the weirdest conversation about bath soap, and whether or not one should attempt a bubble bath in a whirlpool (even though Percy had been all for it, they had convinced him not to try it. Will's little story with the bubbles in the Big House was still fresh on his mind, and he wasn't keen on having that or any similar incident in any way here - because bubble soap and Jacuzzi just had to equal trouble).

In fact, when they had gotten out, he had seemed a lot better already, so Percy had seized the chance to get them into that thing the past days, too.

Though they still took separate showers (except Will until today), which Jason was immensely grateful for.

He did need some privacy, after all, especially when he spent the rest of his time in such close proximity to Nico and Will, now even less dressed than before.

Also, Percy and Nico prove to get touchy-feely if they didn't get some time to themselves at least once a day.

And with touchy-feely, he meant their hands became very, _very _careless, even with Will and Jason literally _right next to them_, so private showers for them were an absolute must.

Will stumbled, and Percy and Nico instantly reached out to steady him, walking to the left and right of him.

"I'm fine, guys! I just tripped." Will instantly exclaimed with a huff when they looked at him worriedly, almost stopping in their tracks.

Yeah, he definitely didn't like being in need of help.

(Will referred to it as 'babying', though they really weren't. He and his stupid pride.)

Percy huffed an irritated breath, but kept his comment to himself, while Nico frowned slightly, leading them along the narrow path towards the gates that separated the Underworld from Elysium.

The smells and the light and warmth radiating from the place was astounding, though.

It seemed like such a joyful and happy place, like paradise.

And that was just Elysium, not even the Isles of the Blest.

He sighed, and Percy glanced around at him in question for a moment.

They gazed at each other for a split second, then Percy turned his face away again quickly.

Yeah.

Well.

At least they hadn't attempted to hold hands anymore.

THAT was certainly in the top three of his list of weirdest-things-ever.

Maybe it even came before the bath with Will, because that hadn't been half as awkward, for some reason.

Yeah, Jason wasn't going to attempt that ever again.

Not that he had, in the first place.

That had been Percy's doing, for inexplicable reasons.

Jason still couldn't wrap his mind around it.

He hadn't done it jokingly enough for it to come across as just another stupid idea he had come up with.

Instead, he had acted sheepish, almost embarrassed, which meant it had meant...something.

But nothing they _ever_ did meant _anything_.

It made no sense.

They could fist bump in the weirdest ways, grope each other's butts, talk about the weirdest things, sleep snuggled up next to each other, perfect their Shakespearean speech for no real reason other than their amusement - all without meaning a thing.

But suddenly, Percy took Jason's hand all seriously and awkwardly, as if they were...well, Jason had no idea.

Percy was confusing.

Percy was _always _confusing.

It was one of his most defining character traits, really.

Unpredictable like the sea.

They reached the gates, and for a long moment, just stood there, waiting.

"What..." Percy started, but right then, the gates started glowing, then slowly opened.

"It takes a moment to open, because it's kind of sending the information to my father that somebody wishes to enter, and he has to give permission." Nico explained with a shrug.

Oh, well, that made sense.

As they stepped through the gateway, though, everything stopped making sense, and Jason momentarily felt overwhelmed by the sensations rushing through him at the sight, the scent, the noise, the feel of the place in front of him.

Well, first things first, the place was a whirl of colors and everything looked different wherever you looked, it was both amazing and very confusing.

In fact, he already felt lost, and they had only just set foot in here.

He was just done looking at a rather modern looking house, when he found himself face to face with what looked a lot like a medieval castle, just standing there.

Jason blinked and looked around, wondering how that could even _be_ here, this was bound to take up way too much space, but the moment he took his eyes off it, he laid eyes on a small mountain lodge, right next to what appeared to be an entire hotel, and he decided space didn't make sense in here.

"Whoa." Percy mumbled next to him, and he could completely relate to his astounded tone.

Yeah, 'Whoa' summed it up, alright.

And that was without even starting on the people.

Because there were people _everywhere_, some chatting amiably, others running and jumping around, playing games or sitting somewhere reading, everybody apparently enjoying themselves.

Some were in groups, others were by themselves, and the first thing Jason noticed about them was that none of them seemed to give a damn about any differences.

There were two men in chitons, one with blonde hair almost like Will's, but longer, and the other with dark brown hair, both of them with their arms around each other, laughing at something a woman in a pink jumpsuit with a phone in her hand said.

No three steps away were two women in full battle armor clapping each other on the shoulders with gleeful grins.

And right next to those was a man randomly running around in nothing but a loincloth, yet he could see nobody pointing that out nor looking his way in particular, and if, then with nothing but a friendly smile.

Was this place for real?

He looked around at Will, and found Will gaping at one of the houses, roughly triple the size of the Big House, which should have taken up all the space in here, but for some reason didn't – which was very confusing, and led Jason to quickly avert his eyes again, looking at Nico instead.

Nico was standing next to them with a small smile, watching them with that gleam in his eyes that told Jason he had been here plenty times before and had just known they'd react this way - and was utterly liking it.

Jason smiled at him, then glanced at Percy…just to find Percy rushing past him with a small gasp, followed by a loud outcry of a name Jason couldn't catch.

He looked around, startled and surprised, and found a girl running towards them – or towards Percy, better – laughing and grinning so bright it almost competed with Will's genuine smiles.

Then the two met next to the giant grill (probably the reason for the strong Barbeque smell here), colliding and wrapping their arms around each other, Percy spinning her around with a hearty laugh.

Well.

Apparently, they knew each other.

Nico chuckled. "Yeah, I thought so." He muttered, then motioned for Will and Jason to follow as he made his way forward through the crowd.

Another thing Jason noticed was the fact that all of them looked around at Nico, but none of them with any apprehension or fear, but more with delight, most of them greeting him with small waves and calls.

"I've been here a couple times before. Also, I brought a few of them here, myself, so…yeah…" He explained sheepishly and Jason and Will shared a fond smile.

Then, Will's eyes drifted back over all the people around them in wonder, and Jason gazed at him for a moment longer, checking his footing again just in case, before turning back to Percy – who was still holding that girl in a tight embrace.

His mind was spinning, trying to pinpoint who she was.

Since Percy hadn't told him of any other ex-girlfriends, and Nico didn't seem bothered in the slightest, he was guessing she was a close friend, but sadly, that didn't help much, what with Percy having a lot of friends and two wars taking plenty of lives.

Still, it felt like he should know her.

Percy caught a glimpse of them from over her shoulder and beamed at them, a single tear running down the side of his face, and then the two finally let go of each other, and the girl turned around.

She was beautiful.

Like, stunningly beautiful, reminding him a lot of Piper, and made his alarm bells ring, yelling 'Venus' for some reason (though that was stupid, it would be Aphrodite, at any rate).

She had long, black hair and rather pretty blue eyes, gleaming with joy and intelligence and warmth, and instantly making him like her for some reason, though he usually wasn't quite that trusting.

"Nico! It's great to see you, again, too. And Will! Oh gods, how long has it been? How have you been? Oh, I just knew you'd come by again, Nico. And you brought Percy and Will! And…erm…oh, I'm so sorry. I am Silena. I wouldn't know whether you've heard of me, but…" She babbled excitedly, and the moment she said her name, it clicked.

Silena.

Percy had told him about her before.

She had been the girl that had gotten the Ares cabin to fight against Kronos in the war, bringing Clarisse around to take their side and charge into battle, though it had cost her her life.

A good friend of Percy and Annabeth.

He smiled at her, taking her offered hand.

They had even shown him a picture of her, how could he not have recognized her instantly?

"Of course I've heard of you. Silena Beauregard, right? I am Jason Grace. I wouldn't expect you to know me, I originally come from the-…erm…" He hesitated for a moment, looking around at Nico in question, uncertain whether the people here were allowed to know about the Roman gods.

"He's from the Roman camp. You remember?" Nico supplied, grinning at Jason in amusement, and Jason sighed.

Apparently, the Dead were allowed to know.

Go figure.

"Oh, where you left Hazel? Actually, I think you mentioned a Jason Grace before. Tall, handsome, blonde leader of a legion or something? It would match, at least." Silena said with a wink, nudging Nico's arm with a knowing giggle, and Jason blinked, his eyebrows shooting up, while Nico flushed bright pink.

Will next to them burst out laughing.

"Hey, you never told me you visited Silena…" Percy moped in the background, moving around to wrap his arms around Nico from behind, while Nico had started sputtering something incoherent.

The moment Percy buried his face at Nico's neck, Silena froze.

"Wait…you two…"

She looked confused from Percy to Nico and back, then, she glanced towards Will and Jason, with a befuddled frown, but Jason had no idea what that meant.

"But…" She started, but then something flashed across her features and she shook her head, just as Percy looked up sheepishly, not letting go of Nico, while Nico was still bright red and stuttering.

"Yeah, we're dating." Percy clarified with a smirk, and Silena stared at him stunned for a long moment, glancing around at Will and Jason once more.

Then, she laughed.

"Oh my gods, I _knew_ it! See, Nico? _See_? I _told_ you he's bisexual! Everybody knew, what, with him ogling Luke like that _all the time_! And there you were, telling me he had found his happily ever after with Annabeth. Pah! You little gnat had me worried…" Silena exclaimed, then made for Nico, who made a startled sound and jumped back and out of Percy's hold, just to hide behind Will.

Silena didn't seem to mind at all, instead wrapping her arms around Will and tugging him against her before he could even open his mouth, looking surprised and as lost with the conversation as Jason felt.

Percy had never told him he had had a crush on that Luke guy.

And Percy had told him a lot.

Much more than he probably should have shared, really, but Percy was pretty talk-active when either excited or bored.

"Will, it's so good to see you again, too. How's life going for you? Oh, you guys just wait until Charlie sees you. And Will, your-…"

"You called?" A low, deep voice asked behind them and Jason turned his head, catching sight of what definitely had to be a Vulcan- no, Hephaestus - kid, at least judging by his built.

Charlie Beckendorf, right?

If Jason remembered correctly, he had indeed been a child of Hephaestus, and Silena's boyfriend.

The boy looked mature for his age, and his eyes were alert and intelligent as he walked towards them with a smile, which only seemed to widen as he got closer to Percy, who looked slightly conflicted for some reason.

Jason searched through his memories for an explanation, then remembered how Beckendorf had died in that explosion.

Oh.

"Percy, it's great to see you alive and well! You can't believe how relieved I was when I found out you had made it out alive back then. Would have been a real waste, otherwise. Silena, why don't we take them home? They aren't used to this place like Nico is, so I'm sure they can use a break from all the impressions, at least for now, let them settle down a bit." He suggested, and Silena nodded, entwining their hands.

"Yes, yes. But did you hear? Percy and Nico are _dating_!"

She sounded so happy and excited about it, too.  
"I heard. Congratulations, by the way. You have no idea how badly she was rooting for you two. It made her crazy, because she kept wanting you two to end up together, but at the same time couldn't bear to wish ill on Annabeth and you. I'm glad that drama is solved." He explained good-naturedly, doing a fist bump with Will, both of them with matching grins.

"Oh, Annabeth is dating Piper. She's actually one of your half-sisters, Silena. You'd love her. She's great. And her Charmspeak is even stronger than Drew's. Oh yeah, she completely kicked her butt, by the way. I don't know how much Nico…" Percy started talking, telling them of the Aphrodite cabin, of the Roman Camp, of his going missing…he kind of told them everything, really, all shortened rather impressively, as the six of them made their way through the place, past other people and plenty of houses.

Jason glanced around at Will, and found him smiling at Nico and Percy, who were both holding hands, with Nico grinning broader than he had in a while, his face still slightly flushed, making him look like an overjoyed little kid on Christmas Eve.

So adorable.

He sighed, looking around at their surroundings once more, trying to take it all in, but it was sheer impossible.

Elysium surely was a strange place.

But he had to admit he kind of liked it here.

He wasn't sure whether he'd end up here after his death, but he decided that he completely wouldn't mind.

Especially with his friends around.

And it looked like the other people here were all great, too, so that was another plus.

In a way, it even kind of reminded him of New Rome, just a lot more…peaceful.

New Rome was full of demigods, but it was still life, normal life, with duties and responsibilities and work.

Here, all of that didn't seem to exist.

And even though one might expect things to be weird, because everybody seemed cheerful and happy, and that couldn't possibly be right permanently; it still felt genuine.

The people here seemed like they really were happy, not just acting the part.

He really liked that.

He really, really did.

.

Silena's and Beckendorf's place was a nice and comfortable, small house, and Will seriously wasn't surprised.

What he was surprised about, though, was his own stupidity for being surprised about Silena and Beckendorf being here.

He had kind of not thought they'd be meeting any former campers, for some reason that now eluded him.

Of course there'd be campers here, both recent and from the last hundreds of years.

He seriously had no idea what he had been thinking.

Maybe he had subconsciously thought they'd have chosen rebirth or something.

He had no idea.

But it was great, being here.

Their house wasn't as spacious as some of the others seemed to be (there had been a mansion. A _mansion_! Right next to what had looked like the entrance to a small cave or something, which had been right next to what had looked like an _igloo_. This place literally made no sense whatsoever. Will loved it), so Will felt a lot more at ease in here than outside, especially because space didn't seem that dodgy when you were inside and refused to look out of the window.

It looked almost normal, really, and he could so picture himself living here after his death (could he say that in this context?) with the guys.

Not that they'd really live with him, but one could dream.

Still, he was more than determined to seriously change something in his life so he'd end up here, too, instead of the Fields of Asphodel, because this seemed a thousand times better, especially up close.

Percy and Nico told the couple pretty much everything there could possibly be to tell, and Silena and Beckendorf sat through the entire mess of a story with genuine excitement and curiosity, soaking up all the information they could get on how things were in the upper world.

Then, once Percy was done answering all the very detailed questions on certain campers (Will had helped with that, because Percy had proven once more not to pay that much attention to anybody but Nico), Silena and Beckendorf had told them some of their stories in return.

Like how they had been judged, Beckendorf first, and how he had had the choice for Rebirth, but had decided for Elysium instead, hoping Silena would someday join him – which she had, much too soon in his opinion, because 'she deserved so much more life than what she got', in his own words.

They looked so happy, though.

Will was almost envious.

But they deserved it, they really did.

They sat together around the kitchen table, with mugs of hot chocolate in front of them (Nico had assured them they could consume drinks in here. Good thing, too, because Beckendorf could make one hell of a hot chocolate, that much was for certain), chatting and laughing and having a good time, and Will wondered why Hades had waited so long in granting them permission to come here.

Alright, he could understand they weren't exactly supposed to be here, being alive and all and with it uncertain whether they'd ever end up in here after death, but Hades had almost made it seem like it would be such a bad thing for them to come here, as if he thought something would happen.

Well, other than them wanting to stay here forever, he couldn't see what that might be.

Will glanced towards Percy, who was almost glowing with joy, and he felt his lips twitching.

Then he caught Jason looking at him and winked at him, unwilling to let himself feel anything but relaxed and joyful right now.

Jason blinked, then looked back to Beckendorf as he explained the cohorts to him quietly, and Will could see his ears turning slightly pink.

Aw, cute.

Glancing towards Nico, he found the Italian looking between him and Jason with a frown, apparently having noticed the brief exchange.

So Will winked at him, too, wriggling his eyebrows slightly.

Nico snorted and shook his head, looking away again.

There, now he wouldn't assume anything weird.

"But Will, I have to say I'm so glad you've found yourself a better boyfriend. I really didn't like the last one you had." Silena said next to him, and his head shot around.

What?

Silena, not now! Not here!

Wait, _what_?!

"B-Boyfriend?" he sputtered, looking alarmed, and she blinked.

"Wait, you two aren't dating?" She asked perplexed, gesturing between him and Jason, who had stopped mid-speech to stare at her, as well.

"No!" Will explained aghast, feeling his face heating.

There went his composure.

Yes, so much for 'relaxing and joyful', alright.

"What? But I thought…I mean…I thought I could feel…ok, now I'm confused." Silena stuttered, and Will's heart sank.

True, Silena was a kid from Aphrodite, she had always been able to tell when somebody was in love and with whom and such.

Of course she'd pick up on Will's emotions (not that he was in love with anybody other than Nico-…wait…well…_ugh, whatever_), and pair him up with the only other 'single' person in the room.

"Only Percy and Nico are dating. Will and I are single. We're the third-wheelers, you know? There to cockblock them at all times." Jason explained quietly, his voice composed as usual.

Silena sighed, leaning back against her chair.

"What a shame. You two would have been so cute together. Well, maybe one day." She said with a shrug, and Will wanted to make her shut up.

"I don't think so. I'm not exactly his type, you know?" Jason replied calmly, and Will couldn't believe they were actually talking about this.

He also couldn't believe _of all the things_ Jason could have said (starting with a shocked/disgusted 'NO!', and ending with a three-hour explanation of why Jason would never ever want to date Will), he had chosen _this_ as his retort.

Silena snorted.

"And what would his type be in your opinion, then?"

Percy and Nico were looking around now, too, and Will was surprised to see the unease in their eyes, as if they liked the idea of Will and Jason dating or talking about dating as much as he did – which was to say not at all.

Though he just didn't like it because he knew it couldn't be.

Which was depressing.

He was not going to think about this.

He was also not going to let them talk about this.

The moment he wanted to open his mouth to end this discussion, though, Jason spoke.

"I'd say dark hair, with a weird humor, and a good amount of obliviousness. Especially the oblivious part. Will likes things difficult for himself." He said with a shrug, and Will gaped at him.

"Excuse you, I do not _choose_ to make things difficult for myself!" Will snapped back, but Jason didn't even look at him, that bastard.

Silena snorted.

"Are you crazy? His last boyfriend was dark blond, had no humor I could detect, and was pretty damn straight-forward if you ask me. I really can't see what you ever saw in him, Will, I really don't."

Will's stomach turned and he felt the urge to lean over the side of his chair and heave up his breakfast.

"Really?" All three of his friends asked, but Will found himself getting up.

He did not want to talk about this.

Not now.

Not here.

Not ever.

"Stop it. That's in the past. I don't want to talk about it." He forced out, glad his voice wasn't shaking like the rest of his body was trying to.

Gods, was he glad for his self-control by times.

Silena looked at him startled for a moment, but she couldn't possibly know a thing, so he wasn't all that worried.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know your breakup was that bad."

Will snorted.

If only she knew.

Nope, it was a thousand times better that she didn't know.

"Will? Are you ok?" Nico asked cautiously, and Will only now noticed he was still standing.

"I'm great. Just getting bored of not using my legs. I only just managed to use them again, after all." He said in a light tone, hoping it would be enough to throw them off his case.

"Oh, do you want to take a walk? We can show you some of the best places and meet some of the others." Silena offered quickly, though looking puzzled (then again, she didn't know Will had been stuck in bed the past days with aching limbs, so her confusion was understandable).

"No, it's ok-…" Will started, not wanting to actually bother them.

He had only said that as an excuse, after all.

But Percy, Nico and Jason were already getting up.

"Sure! I'd love to see more of this place." Percy exclaimed, dragging Nico after Beckendorf towards the door, while Jason rounded the table and stopped next to Will, studying him quietly.

Will didn't meet his gaze.

"Well, I guess we're taking a walk." He mumbled unnecessarily, and tried to walk off towards the door, just to promptly stumble.

_Ugh, great._

Jason caught him by the arm, keeping him upright.

"Seems like it. Just don't overdo it, will you?" He said quietly as he let go of Will again before Will could even rant at him for babying him again.

Will bit back his retort.

It wasn't Jason's fault.

Nothing was Jason's fault.

And that Will kept falling over his own feet wasn't Jason's fault, either, and Will should be happy Jason was always there to catch him.

"I'll try. Though, even if I do, you'll just end up carrying me back to Nico's room, so I'm not all that worried." He replied with a shrug as they moved towards the door, and Jason all but froze in his tracks, staring at him in stunned surprise.

"What? You would, right?" Will knew he was talking rubbish, but he was kind of desperate to get his mind far away from where Silena's words had taken him.

Jason studied his face again, and he had the hardest time not flinching back, not averting his gaze, not doing anything overly suspicious and stupid and unnecessary.

"Of course I would. I'd carry you anywhere, with reason or without."

Will blinked, torn out of his thoughts.

_What_?

Jason was still studying his expression, and Will could see his shoulders relaxing slightly.

Then he smirked, holding open the door for him and Will felt his face heating for inexplicable reasons as he stepped outside.  
"Right…" He mumbled, unsure what else to reply, and then his gaze met Silena's, who was standing right outside, waiting for them, while Percy, Nico and Beckendorf were already three houses down, looking around at them almost impatiently.

She studied him similar to how Jason usually did, but there was a small frown on her face, and he liked it even less than when Jason did it.

Probably because Jason couldn't possibly know of the mess inside him, while he had the funny feeling Silena could pick up on his maybe-not-so-entirely-small crushes on two certain demigods that were as utterly off-limits as Nico was.

He definitely didn't like it, because he absolutely did not need her judgment on that.

Trying to hurry to the other three, he found himself stumbling again, pain shooting up his right leg, though he tried to ignore it.

When he had said he was glad he could use his legs again, he hadn't been lying, after all.

"Will, you just said you'd be careful." Jason chided, though he at least let him catch himself this time, falling into step next to him, close enough to reach out and grab him should the need arise, but far enough away not to make Will feel uncomfortable.

Jason was amazing like that.

"I am, I am. No worries."

Will sometimes wondered whether Jason had a sort of ability just like him, that he could pick up on people's emotions and such a bit, and know when he was getting too close.

But it was probably just because he always paid so much attention to everyone and had them all figured out to some extent – which was a special ability by itself, already, anyways.

Will sighed.

Why exactly was he thinking about this?

"Hey, you ok, sun-bug?" Percy asked once they caught up, and Will realized he must be letting everything show on his face again.

Splendid.

_Good job, Will._

"Sun-bug?" Silena asked, and Will wanted to not only bury his face in his hands, but also his body in the nearest graveyard (he'd probably have to keep looking for a while for that, though).

"Don't interpret too much into it, we all have pet names for each other." Jason explained for him and he had half a mind to kiss him out of gratitude – which would be pretty bad.

Seriously, what was wrong with him today?

Alright, somebody had just been mentioned whom Will tried to ban from his mind and existence always and forever, permanently and without exception, but he should not be this…restless.

Not to mention desperate, apparently, if he was thinking of kissing Jason out of gratitude.

Maybe coming here hadn't been such a great idea, after all.

Who knew, maybe Hades had had a hunch things would end like this.

Will snorted inwardly.

Right.

He highly doubted the God of the Underworld would care either way.

Though Will had to admit Hades was a super cool guy.

(His own father should follow his example by times, it might make him grow up a bit and act more responsible by times.)

"That sounds…nice." Silena commented, looking between them so oddly again.

But then she merely smiled and started showing them around.

They met a lot of people, too, all of them knowing Nico, which made him smile again.

It was simply too much like Nico to actually bother getting to know the Dead when he brought them to their respective places, or to really go and talk to people in Elysium, giving them updates on whatever was happening in the world, and quenching their thirst for information.

It was just like him to care about them and show them the respect they probably wouldn't have received from other living beings.

"Oh, and over there is Julia. She's adorable. You should meet her girlfriends." Silena told them, pointing over to a girl that sat by the water, maybe a few years older than them, if even.

"Girlfriends?" Nico asked perplexed, emphasizing the plural form.

Will raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised as well.

Silena laughed.

"Of course. The three of them have been together since they were kids, but as they grew up, their parents and society of course told them they needed men to be happy, and all that rubbish. Christine, as daughter of Aphrodite, knew love was boundless, but Julia and Anna were a bit more apprehensive, which was why it took them _years_ to really work things out between them. But, in the end, it was totally worth it. They lived in the mortal word for a long time, disguising their relationship as friends that lived in a shared accommodation, until they were killed by some monsters. Well, Julia died first. Christine and Anna followed soon after, though." Silena explained with a shrug, as if talking about death was utterly normal.

Well, maybe, once you were dead, it might just be 'normal'.

"And they found back together here." Nico summed up thoughtfully, and Silena nodded.  
"Yeah, they are one of the best examples for true love being boundless. Oh, there are Christine and Anna, see?" She said, nodding towards the water again, and they looked around to see two other girls moving towards the first with warm smiles, followed by the three of them hugging and kissing, sitting down at the water together.

For some reason, Will swore he could actually _feel_ the happiness and a sort of inner peace radiate from them, making him himself feel at ease, as strange as it was.

"It's just another example that Plato wasn't all that wrong." Beckendorf agreed, and they started walking again.

"Plato?" Percy asked confused.

Silena nodded.

"Yes, you know the story, don't you? About how humans were originally born with four legs and arms, and a head with two faces, but Zeus split them out of fear of their power, and they have to search for their other half all their lives?"

"Yeah, but how does this apply here? Isn't that usually used for straight couples?" Nico asked with a frown.

Silena snorted.

"Rubbish. It applies to every true couple, no matter the gender, or the amount of people involved. The splitting Plato talked about wasn't as much of a physical, but more of a symbolical thing. Zeus split the person itself, not their physical form – or do you not see our bodies being complete on their own? Exactly." Silena explained, and they shared a small glance.

Will had to admit he still had no idea where she was going with this.

Was she trying to tell them Percy and Nico were meant for each other?

Well, they all already knew that, alright?

"So, it's more as if the soul got split. Just imagine, you are one whole, and then you get split into two or even more parts. Yes, sometimes, that happens, too. Such cases aren't even that uncommon. There's been people who had their partner, and they just knew it was right, but something was still missing, and they could never explain it. Sometimes, it simply takes more than two people to form a whole. While other times, a person didn't seem to be split at all, and all it took was for them to realize they were happy on their own. You don't always need to find happiness with somebody else to be complete, after all, same as you sometimes need more than one person with you to feel that sort of completion. This is just another example of that." She explained quietly as she led them on, and Will found himself blinking.

What was she talking about?

"What I'm trying to say is that, sometimes, things aren't as they seem, and one shouldn't dwell too much on what society deems correct and what it deems wrong. Every person is different. And sometimes, there is a person that has already found their partner, and is happy, but then there is suddenly another person, and they feel confused why they find themselves in love with both of them. More times than not, it will end with the person deciding for one of the two, ashamed of the way they are feeling. But that isn't always the right thing to do. One can't just choose how they feel, whom they love. There are times when two people love each other, and that's ok. There are times when three people love each other, and that's ok. There are times when two people love the same person, and are ok with the person loving both of them, even if they don't love each other, and that's ok. There are people who don't love anybody, and that's ok. There are times when there are four people in love with each other, but two of them are already in a relationship with each other, and don't know what to do because the four of them are hopelessly pining for each other – and that's ok, because they will end up together once they get their issues sorted out. Anything and everything is ok, love is universal and can't be pigeonholed. As long as everything happens with consent, and the people in question talk it all out, everything will work out fine." Silena told them, the excitement and passion in her voice growing as she continued, and there was a fire in her eyes.

Will stopped, stunned and slightly freaked out.

With four people, was Silena referring to _them_?

His gaze hushed to Percy and Nico, and he found Percy staring right at him, an almost yearning expression on his face that made Will's skin tingle, and he quickly forced his gaze away towards Nico, but Nico was staring down at his feet, his bangs hiding his face from view.

"All in all, I think she means to say everybody has the chance to be truly happy with the people they are meant to be with, no matter if it's one or more or no person at all, and that they just have to try and make it work." Beckendorf summed up with a smile, putting an arm around Silena, who was nodding vigorously.

"Yes. Absolutely. It might not be the simplest fate to choose, but in some cases, it just needs to happen for them to be complete. Just imagine what would happen if there are four people who love each other, but are too scared to risk it, so they keep dancing around each other all their lives? Do you really think they'll be happy? No, they won't be. But if they gave it a chance, and found out how they simply fit, like a perfect match, you bet they'd be happy. And just imagine what it could mean if they are demigods! The powers they could unleash as one whole, instead of separate parts! Love is the most powerful emotion in the world, after all, and you all know how strong it can make somebody. Now imagine that times four, their powers combined, same as their hearts and souls. You want to bet they could take on hell itself and make it through."

Will made a face and looked down.

Ok, she was definitely not talking about them, because he had no such powers, so that was out of the question.

Would have been too nice.

For a moment, he might have even let himself wonder whether she could have sensed all their emotions, and whether it meant he might have a chance, after all.

But that was stupid, of course.

She was simply very passionate about this.

"But how would you know?" He heard Percy ask, and he looked up to find him looking at Silena almost desperately.

"How would you know you belong together with more than one person? How would you know it's not just something you're confused about?" Percy asked more detailed this time when Silena turned her face to him in question.

Will's heart started beating faster.

Wait, wait, wait, why was Percy asking this?

Had he missed something?

He glanced towards Jason, and found him kicking at some invisible dirt, his expression tense again.

What?

Will looked towards Nico, and found him looking around at Percy in alarm, his face turning pink.

What?

_What_?

"You don't ever completely know. Would be too easy. But, my advice is this: If it feels right, then go for it." Silena replied with a shrug, and Will wondered how she could possibly make it sound so simple, because he was utterly certain it really wasn't, in no case, ever.

"Why don't we all go on? There was this one house I _really_ wanted to look at…" Nico muttered hurriedly, looking flustered and disturbed, and Will could see Percy practically deflating almost instantly, looking conflicted and guilty.

What was that about?

He didn't understand.

Frowning and with his mind whirling, trying to make sense of this whole…whatever this was, he moved forward – and winced as pain shot up his right leg again, making him stumble and fall forward before he even realized what was happening.

"Will!" "Freckles!" Both Percy and Jason exclaimed in shock, and before he hit the ground face-first (_why_ exactly had he had the bright idea to put his hands into the pockets of his jacket?), he felt two sets of arms grabbing him and pulling him up.

He blinked, finding himself face to face with Nico, who instantly cupped his face and let his eyes scan over him urgently.

"Are you ok? Want to sit down? Are you in pain?" He asked, the worry clearly audible in his voice, and written all over his face.

Percy and Jason were still holding onto his sides, though he was standing again, but he couldn't make himself brush them off this time, too glad he hadn't face-planted into the ground.

Alright, maybe moving so much right away again had been a stupid idea.

"I'm good. Sorry about that…erm…thanks." He mumbled awkwardly, and could feel them all relax slightly.

"Do you want to go back? Oh wait, I have a better idea. There's a place close by we can go to, it's like a café, you can sit down there if you need to." Silena offered, looking concerned as well, but he shook his head.

"Really, I'm good. I just…"

"You did _not_ stumble." Jason and Percy both said at the same time and he made a face.

"Café sounds great, Silena. Will, can you-…" Nico started, then hesitated, expression conflicted, as if he wasn't sure whether he should really ask, and something inside Will clenched painfully.

What was he doing?  
Why was he even pushing them away all the time, anyways?

_This was stupid._

He knew they cared, and while he hated being in need of help, he knew he needed it, and if he kept up acting like a dick, they were going to get fed up with him, tired of him.

Not to mention it would make it a lot more difficult to take care of them when _they_ needed _him_, because then they might act that way towards him, too.

And he didn't want that.

"I can walk. It's just…" He started, hesitating a moment longer, but then he pushed his apprehension down.

"It's just my right leg. It's acting up a bit, but nothing serious. I'll say if I can't walk anymore, ok?" He tried, and wasn't looking at them for a long moment, trying to push down the panic rising.

Damn, one mention of _him_ and everything went down the drain, huh?

And there Will had thought he was stronger than that.

How pathetic he was.

It wasn't even funny.

It was just pathetic.

"Just tell us when it's getting worse, don't even let it get to the point where you can't walk anymore. Guys, let's still stop by at that café, I didn't get to see that the past times I was here." Nico said quietly, and Will could feel Jason and Percy slowly letting go of him.

Nobody was laughing.

Nobody was teasing him for needing help.

Nobody was taunting him for being weak.

Will shook his head to himself.

Of course they wouldn't do that.

They were his friends, his best friends, (his crushes), of course they wouldn't do anything like that.

"Alright, café it is, then." Percy agreed easily, moving forward with a last clap onto Will's shoulder.

It felt a bit like a 'Good job'-pat, though that wouldn't make any sense, so Will decided to just accept it without questioning it, nodding quietly and following Percy, Nico and Beckendorf, knowing full well Jason and Silena were still watching him intently (though he was fairly certain Nico and Percy were still glancing at him out of the corners of their eyes, too. He could swear he felt their gazes, at least).

He kept his head low, and his face down, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, and trying half-heartedly to follow the conversation Beckendorf was having with Percy, asking for the differences between Hephaestus kids and Vulcan kids.

Jason stuck to his side, though he didn't attempt to touch him, and didn't point it out when Will stumbled once more (this time for real, too. Where had that root suddenly come from?).

Since nobody was asking him anything, he focused more on calming his nerves.

Everything was ok.

Of course everything was ok.

Why wouldn't it be?

He was in the Underworld, with his three best friends by his side, what could possibly not be ok?

Coming to think of it, he was probably even safer here than back at Camp, so that was even more of a reason to be utterly fine.

Ugh, what was his problem, anyways?

The past was in the past.

It didn't matter anymore.

It was over, and he had survived, and he was fine now.

He was over it all.

It didn't affect him anymore, in no way whatsoever.

Yeah, right.

Which was so the reason why he was still freaking out internally over it, even after all this time.

Ugh.

It wasn't as if remembering meant it would happen again.

It wasn't as if Silena saying anything would make…would make _him_ come back.

Where was he, anyways?

Coldness and fear ripped through him and his breath hitched, bringing him to an abrupt stop.

No.

No, thinking of _him_ was not a good idea.

In fact, he should do anything but.

Where had that question come from, anyways?

Questions like that meant he was consciously thinking of _him_, and he had sworn to himself he'd never let that happen ever again.

It was like a jinx.

A curse.

You think of the person, and suddenly they appeared, and Will didn't want that person to ever appear again.

Who gave a damn where _he_ was?

As long as it was far away from him, it didn't matter.

"Will? Are you ok" Jason asked, and Will's head shot up, looking around at Jason in shock.

For a moment, he had completely forgotten where he was.

Apparently, he had stopped walking.

Oops.

"Ah, sorry, I was lost in thoughts right-…" He started in a light tone, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, but then choked on his words as his eyes settled on a person some feet in front of them, who had stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of him, too.

No.

"Will?"

No.

"Oh gods, it's you!"

No way.

Why was SHE here?!

"L-Leah…" He heard his own voice, a mere whisper, full of disbelief.

_Why _was she_ here?_

She was supposed to have chosen rebirth…she had _told_ him she would, if she ever…if she…

She started forward, towards him, and everything flashed across his mind again.

Their time together, their games, their sleep-over's in the stables when he couldn't bear going back to his cabin, their arguments, their time with her trying and failing to teach him how to fight with a javelin, their bickering, _her death_.

His breath hitched, guilt cutting through him like a knife, terror filling him to the core.

_Why was she here?_

"Will…?" Jason asked next to him as he took a step back, and Will knew he must look like a ghost, could feel his face blanching, could feel his body trembling.

"No…" He whispered, and yet she wasn't disappearing.

Instead, she was still moving towards him.

No.

Why was she here?

It made no sense.

He wasn't ready.

He wasn't ready to see her again.

He wasn't ready to face what he had done.

_His fault._

It had all been his fault.

She was almost at him now.

Why was she here?

Why was she smiling?

She should hate him.

She must hate him.

She had to despise him.

His fault.

All his fault.

A small sound escaped his lips, then his mind seemed to shut down, making way for pure instinct.

And instinct told him to run.

.

"Will!" Jason called in shock when Will suddenly bolted.

_Bolted._

He had just barely been able to _walk_ properly, yet he suddenly turned and ran like he was a professional runner.

The girl, whoever she was, stopped, looking confused for a moment, before her face cleared.

"Solace, you_ idiot_! _Get your ass back here_!" She yelled after him, but all they could see was a blonde mop of hair disappearing into the distance.

He should follow him.

He had to follow him.

What if he tripped, what if he fell, what if he got hurt?

"What the _fuck_ is going on?" Percy called agitatedly, as he and the other three came running over, since they had kept moving on after Will had suddenly stopped walking.

"Where is Will?" Nico asked, looking around, and Jason realized that, therefore that Will was in the Underworld, wasn't the fastest in the first place _and_ was weakened as it was, he surely could run fast when he was running away from whoever this was.

"He ran away, that ass. You'd think he'd come hug his best friend after so many years." The girl snorted, crossing her arms in front of her chest with an indignant huff.

Percy scowled at her.

"Hey, miss, excuse you, but last time I checked, Will didn't run away from any _friends_ of his. Mind introducing yourself and explaining why he apparently took off at the sight of you?"

Jason inwardly cringed at Percy's harsh bluntness, not to mention the way everything in his demeanor said 'Fight'.

The most disconcerting about this was the fact that the girl looked around unimpressed, her expression and posture saying '_Sure, fight me, bitch_', and he definitely didn't want to see that.

"Are you the bubbles girl? Bathtub, Big House, any chance?" He asked quickly, trying to sort her to anything Will might have mentioned at any point, but this was the only thing he could think of.

Will had never said how she looked, so her dark blonde hair and brown eyes didn't exactly ring a bell with him, though she was rather slim, so it might just be her.

Especially because there was a small bracelet with a charm that looked like a little dancer on her wrist.

Her head shot around, and she gave him a slow once-over.

"The one and only. I didn't expect him to share that story, though. Well, whatever. I'm Leah, child of Ares, Will's former best friend before I snuffed it in the battle against Kronos." She introduced herself with a cocky grin and a shrug, and Jason could definitely see her being a friend of Will's.

"That still doesn't answer why he ran away at the sight of you. What did you do?" Percy asked suspiciously, though he shot Jason a confused look, forming the words 'bubble girl?'.

True, Percy wouldn't know.

The girl – Leah – rolled her eyes.

"I didn't do anything. He is simply being an idiot. Don't worry, he'll come back when he stops feeling sorry for himself."

"Hey. Watch it." Percy snarled, but Nico put his hand on his arm to calm him.

"Now's not the time to fight."

"But Will doesn't just run away like that from friends." Percy insisted urgently, and Jason inwardly agreed.

Something definitely wasn't right.

The girl studied her fingernails, clearly unimpressed.

"If he thinks he killed them, he would." She said quietly, and Jason could swear his heart stopped beating.

For a long moment, there was silence.

Then Nico groaned.

"You're the one he couldn't save, aren't you? The one he tried to heal with his own powers instead of Apollo's." He asked, his voice small, shock in his gaze.

Jason couldn't blame him.

"Yep, that's me. He was so stubborn, so stupid, not wanting to let me die. I tried to stop him, but he just wouldn't listen. And then, he just passed out. I thought I had killed him. Let me tell you, it's a horrible feeling to die thinking you were the reason for your best friend's death. Can't tell you how glad I was when I showed up in the Underworld and couldn't find him anywhere. Gods, I'm going to kill him when he shows up." She started ranting, looking off to where Will had disappeared to.

Nico raised an eyebrow at her.

"What? Not _literally_, of course. Come on, let's go to my place. I have to let the other two know. They'll be thrilled." She said, motioning for them to follow.

But how would Will know where to go?

"The other two?" Percy asked dubiously, and she chuckled.

"You'll see. Come on, now. He'll probably end up near the water, so I'm absolutely certain he'll find us."

Jason looked around skeptically again.

Would Will really be ok?

He should have followed him right away.

He didn't even know why he hadn't.

It was just…the way he had looked, and how he had whispered that 'No…'; and it had been so difficult for Jason to hold back from tugging him closer, from getting between Will and the girl, from doing something stupid.

And then Will had spun around and run and Jason had just…been too slow to react.

"What makes you think he'll go to the water?" Percy asked skeptically, though they started following her, anyways.

She shrugged. "It's always the water. I don't know, guess he feels safer there."

"Safe from what?" Nico pried with a frown, but she didn't reply.

Jason's alarm bells rang.

Was there something they didn't know? Something important?

Will had never exactly mentioned any fear of anything.

He ran away from his problems by keeping them locked up inside him and acting like he was fine, and Percy had hit it spot on with his whole 'living in denial' thing.

But Will had never _actually_ run away from anything, and had never seemed particularly…scared.

He exchanged a glance with Percy, and they both shrugged slowly, deciding to let it drop for now and trust her.

Though he still had half a mind to take off after Will to look for him, just to make sure he was ok and wasn't laying around somewhere because his legs gave up on him or anything.

They stopped at a place near the water, with perfect view of the Isles of the Blest, and Jason instantly knew what made her think Will would find it.

It looked exactly like the Ares cabin.

"Welcome to my humble home – or the only place I've ever known as 'home', anyways." Leah grinned as she said it, though it didn't sound like anything people would usually smile about.

Then she opened the doors and they filed in, Silena and Beckendorf oddly quiet.

"Hang on, I need to give the guys a quick call. Make yourself comfortable, it won't take long." She said as soon as they were inside and looked around.

Yes, this was the Ares cabin, alright?

Just…without any other kids.

Kind of…empty.

They looked at each other uncertainly, while Leah walked off to a phone at the opposite wall, reminding him faintly of the phone at Camp Half-Blood.

Jason heard her dial, then wait for somebody to pick up.

"Hey, yeah, it's me. I know, I'm calling early. Guess who's here? No, not he. What? No! Of course not! Gods, you're such a prick. It's your baby brother….nope, not that one, why would he come to me? Idiot. No, come on, guess again…yes! Yes, it's-…_no_, _he's_ _not_ _dead_. Not yet, at least. Yeah? Splendid. No, of course he wasn't happy to see me, he ran off. Yes, I completely agree, he didn't get any smarter. No. No, his boyfriends are here. Oh yeah, that Percy guy is here, too. Yeah? Yes, tell him, please. I know for a fact he'll definitely want a word with Will. Gods, he's going to murder him. Absolutely….nope, he deserves it. He ran off without ever giving him a chance to explain himself. Yes, Will and his assumptions. Want to bet it still didn't get any better? He looks a lot better now, though. He grew quite a bit. Yes, I know, right? _Hey_! Don't you dare go there, young man! I could still beat you in a fight….yeah? You know what, fight me. Get your ass over here, you half a portion, you!"

Jason watched her hang up without another word, smiling to herself as if she had just talked to her lover and they had exchanged gentle 'I love you'-s.

Sometimes, people were really strange.

"Done flirting?" Percy asked unimpressed, and the girl glared around at him.

"Got a problem?"

"Plenty." Percy growled back, and Nico and Jason both put their hands on his shoulders to stop him from doing something stupid.

Alright, this definitely proved it Percy was protective of Will.

Not that Jason hadn't known that before, but it was interesting when one knew how trusting and laid back he was when it came to Nico.

Silena sighed.

"Well, this isn't going all too well, huh? How about I go look for Will, that might speed up the whole-…"

"No, let him be. He looked shocked, but he was already looking scared before he saw me, so something else is bothering him. He'll need a bit to come back to himself. Just give him some time." Leah waved off, and Jason tensed.

It was true, Will had started acting oddly even before he had seen Leah.

In fact, he had been acting oddly ever since Silena had mentioned his ex-boyfriend – whoever that might be.

Jason had never heard of Will dating anybody, though it was obvious he would have dated before, given that he kept bragging about having experience.

But he had also never heard him talk about any person in particular, and the description of 'dark blond hair and no humor' wasn't exactly one he could use to narrow it down much.

Plus, he had no idea whether the person in question was even one from Camp, nor whether they were still there.

Still, all of those questions were fairly unimportant compared to the question of what had happened.

Had it been a bad break-up?

Was Will still hung up over the guy?

He certainly didn't seem as fine and unbothered by it as he'd have liked to make it seem.

But he was so utterly into Nico (and Percy), there was no way he was still harboring feelings for anybody else, right?

Maybe it was an older guy and he had left Camp to live in the mortal world, and Will was still worried about him and where he was now, but tried not to be, because they had split up?

It made no sense.

Nothing really did.

Will was a mystery.

How had Jason ever fallen in love with him?

It felt like he barely even knew him.

But that was a lie, wasn't it?

He knew Will, knew who he was, he just didn't know his past.

And if one thought about it, that wasn't even all that unusual.

He hadn't known Piper's past, either, after all.

Or Reyna's.

Or anybody else's, really.

He knew snippets of it, but far from everything, so there was no way he could just expect Will to spill everything about himself, especially since he seemed so reluctant to share.

Though, some snippets would be nice.

Like when they had taken that bath together and Will had told him the story of the bubble bath in the Big House.

Jason had just felt so horribly happy that Will had actually told him that, that he had willingly shared a bit of his past with him, letting him know something he didn't just tell anybody.

It had been pretty pathetic of Jason to feel that way, but still, it had felt as if he had gotten to know Will a little bit more that day, in that moment, and he had really, really liked that.

In fact, he wished they could repeat that, take baths together, just the two of them, so that Will might do it again, tell him something, anything.

Jason would so listen.

No matter how weird it was and how little he understood of what Will was actually talking about, he would listen.

The girl sighed, brushing her hair back, and scratched the side of her neck absent-mindedly as she looked around thoughtfully.

"Why don't you just sit down on one of the bunks? Silena, Beckendorf, you can sit, too. Or would you rather leave? You usually don't like being in here, after all." She said quietly, looking at Silena in particular, and they looked around at her in question.

She did seem a bit sheepish.

"It's ok if you want to go. We're not going to hold you back. Want us to come by again later, before we go?" Nico offered, and Percy nodded with a small smile (though he instantly looked back at Leah dubiously. Apparently, he really didn't like her).

Silena hesitated for a moment longer, then she gave a small nod and moved towards the door, closely followed by Beckendorf, who looked around at them with a grateful expression.

"Thanks, guys. I hope everything works out with Will. Should I see him, I'll let him know where to find you, though, ok? And, Leah, don't be too harsh on him."

"Yeah, yeah. Get out, you two. Go make out in the kitchen again, but make sure to at the very least close the damn windows this time, alright?" Leah snorted and Beckendorf looked around aghast, eyes wide.

Silena stopped in the doorway, but instead of looking shocked, she sent Leah a cocky grin.

"You know you liked what you saw."

Ok, Jason did not want to know any more.

"Out!" Leah exclaimed, and there was the faintest blush on her cheeks as she glared at a laughing Silena and an obviously flustered Beckendorf, before they filed out the door and shut it behind them.

Right.

"Alright, so that's one worry less. Don't mind her, she's always like that. Not that you wouldn't know already, of course. Well, Percy, maybe. Thinking about it, I didn't catch your name yet, Mr. Nice Guy." Leah said with a huff, turning towards them again and staring at Jason at the last part.

Huh?

"I'm Jason." He replied hurriedly, wondering why she was studying him so intently.

"Jason? Funny name. Reminds me of Jason and the Argonauts. And you're what exactly? Son of Hermes, maybe? Or unclaimed?" She guessed, and he frowned.

True, she probably knew even less about the happenings in the upper world since her death than Silena and Beckendorf, especially since he had no idea what Silena shared with Leah from her conversations with Nico.

"He's son of Zeus." Nico said quickly, nudging Percy as he frowned and opened his mouth to undoubtedly talk about the Roman gods.

"Zeus?" Leah asked, looking taken aback and studying him again.

"Well, to keep it simple, yes. But Silena will probably tell you more, later, and explain everything in more detail." Nico replied with a nod, shooting Jason an odd look, as if checking whether he was ok with it.

Jason shrugged slightly.

He honestly couldn't care less, though he did have this weird feeling in the pit of his stomach, that made him want to somehow…impress Leah.

Not to impress _her_, per se, but to make her…sort of…approve of him?

Not that he needed her approval for anything.

"Hm, well, you better not be some cocky ass like Percy here. It's already bad enough Will is showing his usual shitty taste in men again with picking a guy like him. But if he has two halfway sensible boyfriends along with that, I guess I can overlook that little issue." Leah said with a shrug, looking around as if searching for something.

"I…what?" Jason started, then stopped confused.

What was she talking about?

"I am not a cocky ass." Percy huffed, looking genuinely hurt, and Nico patted his shoulder with a frown.

"Leah, we aren't Will's boyfriends, if that's what you're thinking. We're just friends."

"Though Nico and the cocky ass are dating." Jason put in very helpfully, and Percy scowled around at him, while Leah's eyebrows shot up.

"Oh really? Could have fooled me. Well, then I'm taking it all back. You wouldn't be good enough for him, anyways."

Wow.

That stung.

A lot.

Percy's scowl turned into a snarl, but Nico nudged him pointedly.

"Hey, don't take it personally, guys. But he was always like a little brother to me, so nobody will ever be good enough for him in my eyes. Oh, where did I put the bloody thing…" She said distractedly, now beginning to rummage through the big wooden chests that were lined up at the walls between the bunks instead of cupboards.

"Right, that is such a great excuse for continuously insulting me." Percy sulked, and Jason sighed.

Well, Percy _did_ have a point.

Still, now wasn't the time to argue.

"It feels good, though. Back when I was still alive, I'd have never dared. You were unreachable for us. The hero, all high and mighty. You had your friends, people you cared about and talked to, and then there was us, nameless faces in a crowd, people you protected because we happened to live in the same place by chance. Can't blame you, of course, because everybody is like that, but you can't seriously expect me to like you just because you're Percy Jackson. If you want my respect, you'll have to earn it. And so far, all you've done is attack me."

"You made Will bolt like you were a drakon, not a friend! And I think he'd even have stayed if you had been a drakon!" Percy exclaimed, and Nico let out a small sigh, looking pleadingly at Jason.

What was he supposed to do about this?

"Did you just compare me to a giant, ugly, serpent-like monster?" Leah asked positively offended, turning around from the last chest and looking at Percy outraged.

To Jason's horror, Percy looked like he was going to agree with that, too.

"What he meant to say, was that Will seemed scared out of his mind, something that we can only put into context with monsters, because Will has never shown any fear towards anything yet. He didn't mean it personally." He said quickly, grabbing Percy's hand and squeezing it in warning where it was between them on the bed.

Percy made a small, startled sound in the back of his throat, and Jason could feel him stiffening to a board beside him, but at least he stayed quiet.

As long as he stayed quiet, everything was ok.

Leah sent him another skeptical look.

"You're good with words, huh?"

Jason blinked, uncertain whether that was a compliment or not.

"I don't like it. Seems too manipulative." She then said, more to herself than him, and he had his answer.

Great.

She turned her back to them again, closing the chest with a loud bang, then she sighed loudly and shook her head, staring at the ceiling in thought.

"You know what I don't understand? Why was Will so surprised when he saw you? He has told me of you before, and he was there when you died, so why would he be surprised to meet you here?" Nico asked carefully, and Percy instantly looked up, eyeing her skeptically all over again.

Leah sighed.

"We…we talked about it, sometime before the war. And I asked him what he'd choose, if he had the choice between Elysium or Rebirth. Sneaky bastard got all evasive, asking me for my answer first. So, I said Rebirth, saying I wanted to be born as a normal mortal, with him as my baby brother or something. You know, something like that. I swear, it almost made him cry. Then again, he was having a bad day, so it's understandable he was more emotional..." She trailed off, shaking her head to herself, guilt and hurt flashing across her features for a moment that instantly made Jason's insides clench and his alarm bells ring.

What sort of 'bad day' was she talking about?

"What do you mean?" Nico asked, and Jason could see him and Percy sitting up straighter, their expressions as alert as Jason was feeling right now.

But Leah only gave them a sad smile.

"It was a bad day in a bad week of a bad month, but that's not a story for me to share, especially because I didn't know about…everything…until after my death. Anyways, I told him that, and we told each other we'd try for Rebirth in case we died. I would have done it, too, but then, while I was waiting for judgment, there was…" She started, then trailed off again, blushing slightly.

"The guy on the phone?" Percy guessed wryly, and Leah made a face at him, which made them both scowl at each other again.

Jason sighed, exchanging a small glance with Nico, who sighed as well, looking miserable.

Then Jason looked out the small window.

Hopefully, Will would show up soon.

Not to mention that Jason hoped he was alright.

His stomach clenched painfully, along with his chest.

Will had barely been able to walk properly anymore, he couldn't even begin to fathom in how much pain running must put him.

Especially since Will always seemed to cover up all his pain, so if he had to let it show, it just _had_ to be absolutely horrible and unbearable already.

Jason really hoped he wouldn't just drop somewhere.

_Please let him be safe._

_Please let him come back soon._

He wished he could go looking for him, but he had the horrible feeling Leah was right with saying Will needed a moment to himself.

_Please be ok._

.

Will kept running and running, though his legs were hurting, right along with his lungs, his heart, and pretty much everything else that was him.

But he kept on running.

Right until he all but ran into the gate, banging his fists on it, dry sobs racking his body next to the frantic tries of his lungs to supply his body with enough air, making him almost dry heave with the effort.

"Hades…open…up…!" He yelled between pants and sobs and his banging on the gate, the corners of his eyes burning, but he pushed it down, unwilling to cry.

Guilt gnawed on him like a parasite, making him scratch at his arms in an attempt to scratch his skin off, scratch the itch off, scratch the guilt away.

No, he shouldn't do that.

He banged against the gate again.  
But it didn't budge.

Why didn't Hades let him out?

Couldn't he tell he _had_ to leave?

He couldn't stay here.

Not with Leah here.

_Why was she here?_

She had told him she'd choose Rebirth.

It had been all the comfort he had had, knowing she'd be dipped in the Lethe and forget everything, and get a chance to start over new, in a new life, with a new chance, hopefully as a normal mortal.

Will couldn't count the amount of times he had laid awake at night after the war, after her burial, after it had finally sunk in she was gone; how he had pictured her new life over and over again, how she'd be born into a wonderful, loving family, with a few siblings, and some pets, and how she'd grow to be this amazing person with all those great friends, how happy she'd get to be.

It had been the only thing easing the pain, guilt, sorrow and loneliness inside him enough to grant him at least some sleep, enough to get him through the days of healing and working and fixing the damage that had been dealt.

It had been the only thing that had made him pull himself together long enough to put on a bright, but empty smile to everybody around him, trying with all his might to cheer everybody else up and be there for them, knowing they needed it.

Though he had wished so many times somebody could have looked through the mask and be there for him like that, too.

He knew his siblings had cared, and there had also been Lou Ellen and Cecil, but they had only then really gotten closer.

They had been friends before, of course, but not as close as they had gotten after the war, after Leah, after everything.

Another sob racked his body.

"Please…let me out…" He pleaded, knowing the god had to hear him.

He couldn't stand it.

He wasn't ready.

He'd never be ready.

Not for this.

Not now, not ever.

But Hades didn't seem to care, because the gate remained unforgiving and closed.

What was he supposed to do?

He couldn't even bear the thought of talking to her.

What would she say?

She had run towards him, and her expression hadn't been negative at all, something that deeply confused him.

Had she forgotten?

It made no sense.

Nothing made sense.

Will pushed away from the gate, kicking at it out of frustration.

A new stab of pain shot through his already aching leg and he winced, losing his balance and falling to the ground with a small groan, instantly inhaling dirt and coughing, which stung and burnt even more.

Ugh, this was horrible.

He remained on the ground for a moment, tempted to curl into a ball and cry, waste away here at the exit of Elysium.

But then, he pushed himself up off the ground, ignoring the jabs of pain and brushing off some of the dirt off his clothes.

No, he couldn't do that.

His friends would be worried about him.

And if they went to look for him - which they would undoubtedly do if he didn't show up again - and found him in a heap on the floor, he knew he'd never hear the end of it.

It wasn't much of an excuse, but at least it was enough to make himself move, force himself to walk blindly into the direction of water.

Water.

Water meant life.

Water meant hydration, meant the possibility of food, meant people.

Where there was water, there were always people.

And where there were people, he was safe.

He started walking, his thoughts trailing off to the periodic table, going through all the possible scenarios of what would happen if he mixed water with any of the other elements.

Anything to get his mind off the pain and guilt slashing through him with every step, with every breath, like a knife, like two knives, like a hundred knives.

Why was she here?

She had promised she'd choose rebirth.

Why hadn't she?

She had always dreamed of a normal life, of going to school, of becoming a professional dancer, of being a star.

She had been great at dancing, too.

The other Ares kids had never understood what she liked about it, but Will had understood, and he had let her abuse him as a dance partner, forcing him to learn the steps faster than he should have been able to, but it had worked out.

A smile hushed over his face as he recalled the countless times he had let her dance with him in the most various places while playing his self-preservation game, just to cheer her up.

It had always worked, too.

Then he saw her on the ground, covered in blood, and heard his own voice choking out her name in terror, rushing forward to see whether there was anything he could do to save her, and his smile died, guilt flooding through him again.

There was a splashing sound, and for a moment, he thought it was her blood as he had dug the claw out of her chest to stop the poison from flowing free in her veins even more; thought it was the sounds of the surrounding battle.

But it was just the water.

Will could feel it soaking his shoes and socks, moving up his legs like hands as he found himself stepping further into the water.

It felt cold, but the sting seemed to numb the rest of his pain, so he continued on, his mind still far away, back in the middle of the battle, with Leah on the ground, and him holding her hand, trying to find a way, any way, to save her.

How he had pleaded.

With her, with the gods, with anybody who would listen.

How many prayers had he uttered?

How badly had he begged his father to come and help him, telling him he'd do anything?

How much energy and breath he had wasted on that sorry excuse of a father?

Bitterness flashed through him, and he swallowed the disgust rising inside him.

If only he had been stronger.

If he had been stronger, more of a man than the kid he had been back then, he might have been able to save her.

He wouldn't have wasted all that time sitting there uselessly, trying with petty prayers and desperate sobbing to save her, no.

He'd have dipped into his own powers right away, would have closed her wounds, would have healed her up from the inside, and she'd have been fine.

She'd have survived.

She'd still be alive now.

But she wasn't.

Will stopped, realizing he was in the water up to his thighs now, and the numbness was such a wonderful change, he was tempted to just stay here forever.

He wondered faintly how the guys would take that, finding him this deep in the water and refusing to get out.

It was enough to make him move half-heartedly.

Not to get out, no, but to walk along in the water, just to somewhere, just to keep moving.

Else his body would probably cool down too much.

He could already sense his values going down the drain, a cold making it his way at this rate, but he couldn't make himself care.

Instead, he started thinking of Leah again, of her last words he had heard, of her pleading to just let her die and save himself.

He hadn't listened.

Of course he hadn't listened.

How could she have expected him to?

She had been his best friend, how could he have possibly just let her die?

No matter how futile it had all seemed, no matter how badly he had known it was pointless, had felt her slipping through his very fingers, he had just had to try.

_But it had all been for naught._

He had used up too much of his energy, and dropped onto her like a sack of potatoes, useless and weak and pathetic, just like he always was.

And when he had woken up again, she had been gone, and his brothers had had to heal him additionally to the other wounded campers, the battle still ongoing, though for Will the world had ended the moment he had realized she was gone.

Truth be told, he probably would have stormed out and thrown himself at the next best monster if it hadn't been for the thought of Nico di Angelo, actually.

Kind of pathetic now, but back then, Nico had been this amazing beacon of light for him, ever since he had first laid eyes on him.

Nico had been so cheerful and wonderful and perfect, so full of life and emotions and passion, his eyes gleaming with excitement and amazement at the world around him.

Will had been a lost case since that very first moment he had seen him, seriously.

And it had been a good thing, too, because it had finally made him fight back, had made him want to reclaim his life and set himself free of anybody and anything holding him back, had made him fight _him_.

Of course, he hadn't dared speak to Nico.

Nico had been perfect, and he wouldn't have wanted to mess up the first impression Nico would get of him.

He had wanted it to be utterly perfect.

And for that, he'd have had to be better, stronger, he had to be worthy first to deserve Nico di Angelo's attention, and have him like him.

But before he had been able to get there, Nico had disappeared, and Will had momentarily been thrown back, the rumors getting to him more than they should have, and _him_ being unforgiving as ever.

Yet Will had kept fighting, and had started changing, and now, looking back on it, that had been the best decision in his life, and the best thing he could have possibly done.

Leah had never known what had motivated him, but he had always had the hunch she might have guessed it to a certain extent, though she couldn't have possibly known it all, because he had never told her about what _he_ had done, and he had tried never to mention Nico as to stop her from doing anything stupid.

Though, maybe she had figured it out all by herself that it was Nico that had caught Will's attention, because he still clearly remembered that moment when he had laid eyes on him once more in the battle against Kronos, side by side with his father, and Will at the side gaping at him, feeling an entire battalion of butterflies soaring through him.

Because that had also been the moment when Leah had laughed and nudged him in the side with her javelin-free hand, telling him to stop being so painfully obvious with his crush and go talk to him once the war was won (she had been positive like that).

And he had brushed her off, telling her he had no idea what she was talking about, probably blushing like an idiot, too.

Gods, he had been so stupid.

That had been the moment he should have grabbed her and dragged her to safety, maybe even knock her out since she'd have never come along quietly.

Anything to save her from the fate she had met.

But he hadn't.

Instead, he had lost her, and then he had felt more alone than ever before.

And all that had kept him going was the thought that Nico was still out there fighting, even after losing his sister, even after the Camp had all but turned against him due to all the dark rumors.

He had kept going, healing and helping where he could, running out into the battlefield whenever he could, just to see whether Nico was anywhere, scared he'd lose him, too.

Lose him before he'd ever even get a chance to introduce himself properly.

Will wished he could laugh at how pathetic he had been.

How pitiful.

Sadly, he couldn't make himself do it.

He waded through the water, feeling it move against his drenched legs like a caress, and he wished it wasn't quite that cold, then he could just let himself drop into it without making it look like a suicide attempt.

Will had no real intent to kill himself, after all.

He had gone through too much and made it out alive to give up now, no matter how horrible he was feeling.

Plus, Nico would kill him if he died.

Will sighed, surprised to notice his breathing had evened out considerably, his heartbeat also slowly returning to normal, and his pathetic sobbing had stopped, too.

And, once more, he wondered what he was supposed to do now.

Since Hades had made it quite obvious he wasn't going to let Will out, he'd have to wait for the guys to come and pick him up, but at the same time, he didn't want to force them to really go search for him.

Not to mention they must be worried.

If not even angry.

He had kind of just run off without explanation, without warning, without anything, really.

They'd probably be furious, alright.

But they'd also be worried, because they always worried.

They always worried so damn much.

He smiled to himself, leaning down slightly to splash the water around a bit with one hand.

It still felt cool, but the numbing had stopped, and it took him another long moment to realize his hand came out dry.

Then, he looked down, moving his toes in his shoes that had been drenched only minutes ago.

He was _dry_.

_Percy_.

Realization washed over him.

Of course.

Water.

Percy must have sensed him when he had entered the water.

Wow.

Well, that explained how Percy knew how warm Will took his showers.

Wait…Percy was checking what he did in the shower?

_Oh gods._

It certainly wasn't anything he should be thinking about, especially not with the severity of the situation he was in, but for some reason, it managed to ease the knot inside him all the same, making him walk towards the shore again.

If Percy had sensed him, that meant he knew where he was, and Will knew that if they had wanted, they'd have shown up to get him.

Since they hadn't, it was like a silent order for him to go and get back to them, himself.

He didn't want to, of course, absolutely not.

But he wouldn't want to risk their wrath.

Plus, if Leah was still anything like before, she'd have taken them into custody right away, so he should really go and get them.

Even if it meant facing Leah.

Even if it meant facing his guilt.

His wrongdoing.

_It had all been his fault._

And now, it seemed to be the time for him to face it.

He couldn't expect her to forgive him, but he had to apologize, all the same.

Yes.

With new determination, he stepped out of the water, feeling it run down the side of his ankle gently, like a soft, reassuring stroke, telling him it was alright.

It made him feel warm and protected for a moment, though there really wasn't any reason to feel that way.

But he didn't mind.

It was nice.

And it gave him the willpower to press on, making his way back towards the houses.

He wasn't worried about not finding them.

Knowing Leah, she'd have one of the most bizarre places there were, and even though there were a lot of those around, he just had a hunch he'd recognize it once he saw it.

Will was still thinking of what he'd actually say, trying to form phrases in his head to convey how sorry he was, how much he regretted prolonging her death, that he hadn't meant to hurt her, that he'd do anything to turn back time and save her – but then he laid eyes on the place next to what looked like a chapel and choked.

Was that…that just _had_ to be her place, alright?

No other person in their right mind would choose to stay in the _Ares cabin_ for eternity.

He stopped and stared at the place for a long moment, before catching himself and moving forward again, his mind working furiously on what he could possibly say, his body tired, exhausted and utterly worn out.

He wished the water could have numbed him to the pain a bit longer.

But he guessed he had brought that upon himself, and he really didn't have to force his body through a cold just because he couldn't cope with the situation right now, not to mention that Nico, Jason and Percy would probably catch it as well, and he was absolutely certain he didn't want to force them through that.

Will had just decided he'd try to be as quiet as possible, drag their meeting out for as long as he could, in order to think of something, anything, to say, when he promptly tripped over the first step on the staircase to the door, resulting in him falling forwards, up the stairs, and hit his head on the door with a loud thud, sending another jolt of pain through him and making him groan out, feeling dizzy.

So much about dragging anything out.

He could instantly hear noises from the other side of the door while he let out another low groan, holding his head and trying to get up again as fast as possible, but then the door was already getting ripped open and both Jason and Leah came rushing out.

"Will, are you al-…" Jason started, helping him up with concern written all over his face, but before Will could even as much as lie, Leah shoved Jason aside, grabbing Will by the shoulders and shaking him vigorously.

"_You_! How _dare_ you run away? Is that how you greet your best friend? First, you ignore my pleas to let me die, risking your own damn neck because of me; then you show up here, looking like death, not even bringing me chocolates – and you have the indecency to turn and run? _I did not have a coward as my adoptive baby brother_!" She ranted, and he scrunched his eyes shut at the pain from both her shaking and her words.

Before he could find anything in his very helpfully empty mind that he could reply with, though, she suddenly pulled him into a bone-crunching hug.

"Gods, Will, I'm so glad you're alive. I hate you. Down with you. Plead for mercy at my feet, you good-for-nothing idiot. I missed you so much, you absolute ass. You had me so freaking worried, I thought you had died, I thought I had…you asshole. Bastard. Fuck you." She started muttering more and more insults into the side of his neck, but he merely hugged her back, hiding his own face in her hair as he felt his eyes stinging with tears he knew he wouldn't be able to hold back.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered, all he could force out before his throat clogged up again.

She was sobbing and only squeezed him harder, whispering some more curses and insults.

He heard footsteps coming towards the door slowly, but didn't look up, knowing it had to be his guys.

"Well, now I know where he got it from to curse people when he has to show some emotion." Percy remarked drily, and Will wanted to glower at him, but with the tears making its way down his cheeks, he rather hid his face further in her hair instead to keep it hidden from view.

"Shut up." Both he and Leah said at the same time, sniffing barely audibly, but because it just had to be quiet around them in that moment, the others obviously heard.

Jason shifted next to him, and for one fleeting moment, Will could feel his hand stroking over his arm ever so timidly, as if Jason wanted to reach out for him.

But then he didn't, pulling back hurriedly and stepping back.

Will squeezed Leah harder, though every inch of his body was protesting, aching horribly again, but at least it wasn't as bad as the first day.

Then, just as he managed to reign himself back in somewhat (at least enough to stop the tears), Leah pulled back, shaking him again.

"I swear, I wanted to kill you, you bastard! How dare you scare me like that?" She exclaimed, a tear still running down her cheek, and he cupped her face with his hands, stroking the tear away, along with the traces of the others.

"What did you expect me to do? I didn't want to let you die! I _couldn't_ let you die!" He argued, his voice cracking again, though he tried to push it down half-heartedly.

Leah glowered at him, though her lip was quivering.

"You're an idiot. The worst. I don't see why I ever hung out with you in the first place." She retorted, but without any venom.

It was Leah's way of saying 'I love you'.

"I love you, too." Will said, even daring to smirk slightly, and she growled, pushing his hands away and punching his shoulder.

"No. Don't even think about it. I hate you. Absolutely. Endlessly. You're the worst."

"So that's where his denial issues come from…" Percy muttered under his breath, and Leah and Will both looked around at him with glares.

Percy lifted his hands as if to surrender, though his eyes instantly hushed over Will's face, studying him like Jason usually did, as if to check whether he was ok, and Will had the strong impression he had only said that to get him to look at him.

Will could see Jason and Nico looking at him in concern as well, and was suddenly all the more aware of how he must look, what with him both kissing the ground at the gate and running headfirst into the door, not to mention the tears.

Quickly averting his face again, he started rubbing at his face the same moment Leah did next to him, apparently uncomfortable with the attention as well.

"How about you two go back inside? I can imagine you have quite some catching up to do." Jason said gently, and Will blinked down at his hand.

Wait, that sounded like…

"Oh yeah? Then what about you guys, Mr. Nice Guy?" Leah asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to look something along the lines of cocky or intimidating, but with her eyes red from crying and her nose still running, it didn't work out that well.

Will risked raising his head a bit more to glance at Jason, and found Jason looking at him, his expression so soft and caring, it made Will shiver.

He could barely resist the urge to reach out, even though he had no idea what he'd do if he did.

He felt so raw and open, and he didn't like it whatsoever.

But there was nothing he could do, no way he could push his emotions down, no way he could just swallow it all and act fine.

Not right now.

And he hated it, because he didn't want them to see him like this.

"We'll wait out here. Or maybe check out that café? You know what, let's check out that café. Would you two like anything?" Nico chimed in, stepping forward and pulling Percy along with him, who didn't even argue, though he still looked at Will worriedly.

Will opened his mouth, wanting nothing more than to say he was fine, to reassure them, to ease their worry…but he couldn't.

It was already difficult enough not to start crying again, especially with Leah standing right here in front of him.

"No, we're good, but thanks." Leah replied for them both, and Will saw Nico and Percy nodding quietly, while Jason studied Will a moment longer, then walked past him, his fingertips brushing across his hand as if in reassurance.

Will shivered at the touch, his fingers reaching out to stroke across Jason's automatically, as if pleading for more.

Jason hesitated for a moment, and Will knew he was looking at him, but he couldn't bear to meet his gaze, instead pulling his hand away again.

He wasn't himself right now.

But even if he craved all the comfort, warmth and reassurance in the world right now, it wouldn't be right to ask for it from the guys.

They were in no way obligated to do this, after all.

A knuckle stroked across his cheek and he flinched surprised, looking up to find Percy on his other side, gazing at him with both affection and concern.

"You'll be fine, right?"

Any other day, any other moment in his life, Will would have felt annoyance and indignity rushing through him at those words, would have huffed and growled and cursed Percy for asking dumb questions, for babying him, for looking at him like he was weak.

But right now, he could only feel his shoulders sagging, wanting nothing more than to break down and cry and hope for somebody to hug him and hold him tight.

Of course, he didn't.

Good thing he still had his pride.

Instead, he gave a small nod, leaning into the touch ever so slightly when Percy brushed across his cheek again.

Then he was gone, same as Jason's fingers stopped brushing against his hand, and Will's jaw set, trying to focus on the ground instead of Leah.

It wasn't as if he wasn't happy to see her.

It was just that everything seemed to be happening at the same time, and he just…couldn't cope.

The running away had helped to sort himself out somewhat, but not enough to deal with the actual confrontation, even though it didn't seem like it was going to go all that bad.

It was simply too much on the emotional side.

Nico stopped in front of him last, hands moving to cup his face, and Will was reluctant to raise it, knowing full well he was paler than usual, and his eyes must be red from the tears.

"We'll be back soon and wait out here, ok? Take your time. And Will? We're here for you. Don't forget that."

Nico's voice was gentle, soft, and Will relished in the warmth of his touch, of his words, a shiver running down his back.

He couldn't bear to look him in the eyes right now, so he settled for gazing at Nico's collarbone instead, nodding meekly.

Will knew full well this was exactly what would give him away.

Because he'd never let them talk like this, act like this, do these things, if he wasn't utterly beside himself.

But they didn't call him out on it, didn't make fun of him, didn't run him into the ground.

Of course they didn't.

They were the best guys in the world, after all.

Nico studied his face a moment longer, then he glanced at something behind Will, as if to check something.

And then, Nico leaned forward and _kissed Will's cheek_.

Just like that.

Will stiffened to a board, his mind instantly blank, his eyes wide and his mouth falling open slightly to stare at Nico in stunned surprise, but Nico merely gazed at him with a small smile, squeezing his hand he must have grabbed at some point.

"Everything will be fine." He said quietly, then pulled back slowly, moving past him towards Percy, who was smiling at both of them with a small nod.

Jason smiled as well, hands in his pockets, gazing at Will in that soft, reassuring way as well that made Will's heart flutter even more than it already was.

"Thanks, guys…" He managed, though it came out as barely a whisper, but their expressions told him they had heard.

He felt Leah's hands grabbing hold of him, and could hear her saying something, or several things, but he was too busy gazing around at his guys, watching them standing there, ready to go, but not quite going.

He was too busy trying to make sense of what had just transpired.

With Jason, with Percy, with Nico.

The unusual physical contact.

The genuine concern and affection in said physical contact.

The kiss on the cheek by Nico.

Especially the kiss on the cheek by Nico.

Leah tugged him forward, and he followed, letting her pull him into the cabin, though his eyes were still on the guys, and they were still there, gazing back at him.

Then the door fell shut, and he blinked at the shift in lighting, focusing back on his best friend, who had an eyebrow raised at him.

"And there Nico insisted you four aren't dating. Are you quite sure about that?"

He blushed and stammered, then cursed himself for being able to act like a flustered idiot, but not being able to get a grip on himself for anything else.

She chuckled, then guided him over to one of the beds, which made him aware of the pain in his body all over again.

It wasn't as if he had forgotten about it (how could he? It was that pulsating sort of pain that shot through you over and over again, so there was no way one could just _forget_ that), but the happenings around him had momentarily pushed it aside and had demanded all of his focus and attention.

Now, however, it was slowly coming back, making him stumble slightly, though she held him.

"You're hopeless. What happened? Your not-boyfriends you're crushing on were worried sick about you. Tell me everything. Especially about them." She ordered, pushing him into the bed and sitting down beside him, hands instantly moving from his arms to his face, to his hair, back down, over his front and side, as if she tried to make sure he was real – which was ironic, because he should be the one doing that with her.

His eyes hushed to the door worriedly at her words, hoping against hope the others hadn't heard what she had said.

"Shh, not so loud. Also, I don't have any idea what you're talking about. I'm _not_ crushing on them. I'm still head over heels into Nico, though." He insisted hurriedly, but judging by the face she gave him, she wasn't fooled.

"Of course. Still, tell me everything. When you're done, I'll tell you what's going on here. Deal?"

He shrugged, the knot in his stomach only slowly loosening up.

To be honest, he still wasn't sure what exactly was going on, nor how things had ended up this way.

But Leah was here, she was fine, she seemed happy, even.

She was dead, but at the same time, she seemed more alive than ever, her eyes blazing, her demeanor headstrong and determined as ever.

Oh, how he had missed her.

The guilt was still there, her death fresh in his mind no matter how long ago it had been, but it seemed to slowly get better.

So he tried to collect his thoughts, feeling her hand clasp his, same as they had done it back when she had been alive, every time she had felt lonely in her overfilled cabin because nobody shared her interests, every time he had felt horrible and worthless and had needed comfort.

The touch was different now, because he couldn't feel her values, couldn't feel her emotions, couldn't feel anything, reminding him all over again she was dead, but it was as if his body remembered her touch, remembered the comfort the touch had given him before, and was doing the same now, even though it shouldn't be possible.

But he still felt the warmth, and could feel himself calming down, his jumble of emotions and thoughts settling down a bit.

He soaked it all up, shuddering slightly and clasping her hand tightly, and she leaned against him, reminding him of the countless nights they had spent in the stables, huddled together behind one of the pegasi for warmth and comfort, mostly because of him, though she had never questioned it.

"Talk." She ordered again, though her voice was gentle.

He looked down at his lap, trying to decide what to tell her, where to start, how to start, but then his mouth already opened and he started talking, words tumbling from his lips without him realizing it was him speaking them, without even knowing what exactly he was saying.

But he was, and as he told her about the days after her death, the weeks after her death, the months after her death, the happenings around Camp, the happenings in the infirmary, the happenings everywhere…he started feeling better.

The tension left his shoulders, his body, and the words came easier, this time consciously and deliberately, not the jumbled, barely intelligible mess that had escaped his lips until then.

And Leah listened.

She just sat there and listened, her head against his shoulder, their hands clasped together, and he felt at ease.

Almost like how he felt when he was around his guys nowadays.

Though she was like a sister to him, while the guys…well, they definitely weren't.

What he felt for Leah was strictly platonic, had always been (though he had wished countless times they could just fall in love with each other romantically and be done with it), while what he felt for the guys was as far from platonic as it could get.

But now was not the time to ponder that.

Now was the time to tell her about the Advent Calendar and how he had lost his chance with Nico, which would definitely make her rant at him.

The thought made him smile, and she squeezed his hand slightly, as if sensing his mind drifting.

So he squeezed it back and talked.

And talked.

And talked.

And then, what felt like an eternity later, his story was finally finished, only interrupted by her ranting at him for being an idiot over and over again (as expected).

Will smiled, sighing quietly and feeling…kind of good, actually.

He was just about to think that this day might not be that bad, after all, when Leah pushed herself up and gave him a stern look, and he just _knew_ the next words she was going to utter would probably turn his world upside down again.

"Well, that's all very nice, but definitely not everything. Seriously, Will, why did you never tell me about what he was doing to you?"

Bingo.

If Will's entire body didn't freeze up and if his heart didn't drop to his toes; if his face didn't blanch white as chalk, and if he didn't feel his pulse stopping and his skin itching and tingling and prickling; if his mind wasn't supplying a thousand images, memories, scenes, moments…then he might have actually laughed at his spot-on intuition.

But he did freeze up.

His heart did drop.

His face did blanch chalk-white.

Everything inside him did stop.

His skin did itch and tingle and prick, like thousand poisoned needles probing for the best spot to inject their venom.

His mind did supply all those thousand images, memories, scenes and moments.

_Bingo._

.

"Do you think he'll be ok? He was so pale…" Nico muttered worriedly as they stood in front of the café, their drinks already in their hands for ages, though they were reluctant to return just yet.

It had been half an hour already, but who knew how much time those two needed?

Will had looked so exhausted, though.

So defeated, so guilty, so exhausted, so…weak.

Not weak as in 'weak', but weak as in _weak_.

Nico couldn't even begin to fathom for how long Will must have carried that guilt inside him, for how long it must have torn him down.

And he had never said a thing.

Nico had never noticed.

Guilt shot through him, remembering the time in the training area, when he had tried to summon his powers and had…kind of had that panic attack, as embarrassing as it was to admit to now.

Will had told him, hadn't he?

Had told him of his friend, of Leah, though he hadn't said her name.

Had told him of trying and failing to save her.

Why hadn't Nico picked up on it?

He had noticed Will seemed to be bothered by it, but not to this extent.

He had thought Will had felt bad for not being able to save her, yes, but he hadn't thought Will would _blame_ himself for her death, would see her death as _his_ fault, would let it _tear him down _like this.

Gods, Nico had been so stupid.

So, so stupid.

"I think he hit his head on the door. When we tore the door open, he was just trying to scramble off the ground. I don't know about his inner state, but I know for a fact his body is more than exhausted. He was already stumbling before, after all." Jason said quietly, gazing off into space without meeting their gazes, his drink still untouched, though he had gotten a cold one in the first place, so there was that.

"He must be in so much pain…" Percy whispered, looking haunted and miserable, and Nico reached out to take his hand, squeezing it gently.

"I'm going to carry him back, that's for certain." Jason stated, and Nico found Percy nodding.

"Definitely. I'd say we put him straight in bed, but he'd kill us if he doesn't get his shower, so I say another bath in the Jacuzzi. If…if you want to be alone with him, though, then…" Percy started, then suddenly turned sheepish, and Nico blinked.

As did Jason, looking up with a frown.

Then his face cleared and he rolled his eyes.

"No, I think that'd be a bad idea. He needs to relax, to calm down, but not in a way that will make him uncomfortable and stuck in his head. A bath in the Jacuzzi with all of us should at least keep his mind occupied, and he did seem to enjoy it. How about you massage him? You said your massages were good, Percy."

Nico's eyebrows shot up.

Wait, wait, since when were they on such good terms again?

And since when did they willingly let each other have any sort of contact with Will without somehow turning it into a mute battle between them?

Seriously, Nico wasn't stupid, he could see the glances they shot each other whenever Will was with one of them, could see the triumphant gleam in Jason's eyes when Will fell asleep curled up around him, and could see the distaste and annoyance in Percy's gaze in response.

And the way Jason had acted after the kiss-dare had been more than a little obvious, too.

So, this was kind of new.

Not that he really minded, but it was…strange.

"Well, I guess? I think so. Why not you?" Percy asked, sounding hesitant, and Nico blinked, now even more confused.

Since when did Percy let a chance pass to brag about anything he could do?

Plus, he did give nice massages, something Nico was certain he had mentioned quite a few times, too, and something Percy himself had stated more than once.

Jason shook his head.

"I tried, but I'm not sure I was very good at it. He did seem to like it somewhat, but I wouldn't say it was good enough to not do more harm than good."

Percy blinked surprised, then looked down at his feet, kicking at some dirt.

"If you…if you want…I could…you know…teach you…I mean, teach you what I know…which isn't much, of course, gods no! But…yeah…"

Since…since when was his boyfriend stuttering like that with _Jason_?

Jason looked down as well, his ears turning pink; and Nico was fairly certain if he raised his eyebrows any higher, they would disappear into his hair (plus, it got to the point where it was almost painful, so he should probably stop, though he absolutely couldn't).

Ok, what was going on?

Those two were not acting like they usually were, whatsoever.

"I…that would be nice. Thanks, Percy."

"No problem…Jason."

Wouldn't Percy have usually said something like 'Sure thing, bro', with a cocky smile and eyes gleaming with smugness at knowing something Jason didn't?

Nico was confused.

Maybe he had missed something.

Thinking about it, they had been acting strange all day long already, anyways.

Well, they had been acting weird ever since the Truth or Dare game, but the apprehension (not to mention Jason's clear dislike for Percy for a long while) had finally disappeared the day Will had taken a bath with Jason.

As weird as that had been.

But he wasn't going to question it.

Those two had said nothing had happened, and even though he didn't believe a word of it, he had to believe it, because they had said it and he had to trust their word.

Well, anyways, Percy and Jason had seemed to be back to talking terms after that, at any rate.

Somewhat.

But this awkwardness between them was new.

He had never seen them quite like this.

As if on cue, both of them looked around at Nico, and he momentarily panicked he might have said anything out loud.

"Hey, how about you do Will? You're great at it, after all. Plus, he'd love that more than anything or anyone else, that much is for certain." Percy exclaimed, and Nico needed a moment to realize what the hell he was even talking about, and what in the name of Hades he was just insinuating.

Oh wait.

_Massage_.

Right.

He shrugged, and Percy nodded, looking back towards Jason, though Nico noticed those two weren't exactly looking each other in the eye.

"So, we'll take a bath together, and Nico will give him a massage, which leaves us to pick a good movie and organize his favorite food. You pick the food, I pick the movie?"

Jason nodded.

"Deal. Though, I think he really wanted to watch those horror movies, so maybe that might be a good idea. We can put him into bed with Nico on one side and you on the other, and-…"

"No way. You're going on his other side, mate. He's sleeping curled up around you for a reason, you know." Percy interrupted, and Nico wasn't sure whether that was supposed to be a blatant hint at Will liking Jason, or not, though he wouldn't know what else it might be, either.

"Ha-ha. He won't be as comfortable with me next to him than if it's you."

"You're cooler than me."

"He likes you more."

"In your dreams." Percy snorted, though he looked almost bitter as he said it, which didn't sit well with Nico whatsoever.

"How about I give him that massage while we're watching the movie? That will make me sit behind him, and you two can sit to his left and right. Problem solved?" He put in hurriedly, then frowned at himself, because he had the sudden feeling of a déjà-vu right there.

Hadn't he said roughly the same thing to Will and Jason back when Percy had had that talk with his dad?

When they had decided that Nico would sit between Percy's legs, with Will and Jason to his left and right, so Percy could just lean back and relax?

Weird.

The two looked around again, seemingly pondering that option for a moment, before nodding slowly.

"Yeah, ok. If you're ok with that. Now, how are we going to do it, though? I mean, if we just start doing that as soon as we're back, he'll think we're babying him again or something…" Percy said uncertainly, and Nico stared off into space in thought, watching two guys in chitons walking hand in hand and making their way past them slowly, just to then stop, with the blond man reaching out to stroke through the dark hair of his partner, whispering something undoubtedly reassuring, while the dark-haired man muttered something Nico couldn't catch, other than the name 'Thetis'.

He frowned, then shrugged, trying to think of something that could help their situation with Will.

"To be honest, I don't think that will be that difficult, Percy. Did you not notice?" Jason asked quietly, and Nico looked around with a frown.

What?

Noticed what?

Percy let out a pained sigh.

"Of course I did. But I was thinking he might be better later." He muttered miserably, and Nico's frown deepened.

"What do you mean?" He asked when it didn't look like they were going to explain.

"He let me touch him. You know how sensitive he is about stuff like that, especially when he's not feeling well, how he likes to lash out at anybody but you. Yet he let me touch his face, and he didn't behead me when I asked him whether he'd be fine. He just…he just nodded." Percy muttered, shaking his head and dropping his gaze to the floor again.

Oh.

That.

Yeah, Nico had noticed that.

He sighed.

"I think…I think it's all a bit much on him right now. He didn't think he'd ever see her again, so meeting her here without warning must have turned his world upside down and bring everything back that had happened back then. Of course he'll let you touch him and fuss over him right now. He's in shock. Plus, I think that…that he's actually…well…"

Alright, how was he going to say this?

Percy and Jason both looked at him questioning, and he took a sip of his drink to buy himself another moment.

"Well, have you noticed, how, every time something happens to any of us, the first thing he thinks of is to put us into bed with tons of pillows and blankets and smother us in affection and warmth; and to reassure the hell out of us? I was just thinking, that…well…usually, people mirror the things _they_ need…so, I thought that Will…might actually really need this sort of…well, _affection_ right now…the reassurance…the comfort…even more than we would…" He tried carefully, and both their faces cleared at the same time.

"Oh gods, you're right." Jason muttered, putting his face into his free hand in an almost defeated way.

Percy nodded quietly, staring at his cup.

"Maybe we should go back. I know he wouldn't want us to be there, because it's clear as day he doesn't want to talk about his past at all, but maybe we should…you know…show him that we care? We will just wait outside the door, and once they are done talking about whatever they need to talk about to get him to be ok again, we can be there for him, so he won't have to wait for us and...you know..." His boyfriend said in a small voice, so unlike him it really started to worry Nico now.

"Maybe you should have given him a kiss on the cheek as well." Jason muttered, and Percy looked up confused for a moment, as if trying to discern whether Jason was being sarcastic or serious.

Nico didn't need to look around to know he was serious, so he just took another sip of his drink, trying to make sense of how he felt about that rather direct hint at the growing…'something' between Percy and Will.

Percy sighed, shaking his head and downing his drink in one go.

Nico guessed it either wasn't that hot anymore, or Percy hadn't thought that through completely.

Judging by the pained look crossing his face a moment later and his coughing, it was the latter.

Jason held his cup out to Percy wordlessly, and Nico watched him take it with a weak 'thanks', taking a sip of the iced coffee, just to breathe out in relief.

"Thanks, man."

"No problem."

For a moment, the two looked at each other with grins as they usually did, and Nico wondered whether that meant everything was good again.

But then, they both blinked, and Jason averted his gaze quickly, his ears turning pink again, while Percy looked down at the cup in his hands intently.

Alright, not good again, then.

"Let's go back. We wouldn't want Will to think we left him here, after all." He suggested after silence settled over them, and they both nodded hurriedly, Percy throwing away his old cup, closely followed by Jason's as he downed it quickly, just to then grab Nico's hand again.

Nico squeezed his hand gently, and Percy squeezed back, a small smile hushing over his face for a moment, but then he glanced at Jason again and he lowered his gaze, looking uncomfortable again.

Nico really didn't know what was going on.

This was highly unusual, especially for those two.

He tried to catch Jason's gaze to maybe find out more, but Jason was staring off into space, his hands at his sides – until Percy's hand brushed against his by apparent accident.

The reaction was almost immediate, with both of their arms flinching back as if stung, and they both pushed their hands into their pockets instantly, looking anywhere but at each other.

What…?

"Are you two ok?" He asked, unable to push it off any longer.

Both of them looked around at him surprised, then blushed, nodding quickly.

"Yep, everything good. Right…bro?" Percy tried to sound carefree as usual, but faltered at the last part, making Nico frown in confusion.

Jason cleared his throat loudly.

"Absolutely…bro. Erm, how about we discuss what food we're going to get him? It has to be his absolute favorite, because I noticed he doesn't like to eat when something is bothering him, so I wouldn't be surprised if he won't want to eat anything at all today." He said hurriedly, and Nico eyed them both skeptically.

What was going on with those two?

He didn't understand.

Then again, he also didn't understand Will.

But if none of them wanted to talk, there was nothing he could do but support them and be there for them in any way he could, right?

"Yes, and we need to make sure he drinks. He barely drinks. Talk about being a hypocrite. He makes _me_ drink tons of water, but he seems to forget that he needs liquid, too. Can you believe it?" Percy ranted a tad too passionately to seem just talk.

Nico couldn't help but smile.

Once more, he realized just how close the four of them were, not to mention how they watched out for each other, and over each other.

And they cared about each other so much.

Maybe too much.

Nico sighed, and they walked on, with Jason and Percy discussing various dishes and trying to settle on one meal, while Nico watched out that they didn't blindly run past the cabin, since Elysium was pretty confusing, even to him.

They walked past building after building, and Nico was surprised to see how quickly Percy and Jason seemed to have gotten used to the bizarre surroundings, not to mention the little issue with dimensions.

He had still not been used to that until his third visit, actually.

And even then, he had dodged buildings unnecessarily or gotten lost quite easily, still.

Nico spotted the Ares cabin from afar, and all his questions from earlier came rushing back through his head, all the things that still didn't make sense, all the things that he still didn't know.

The only reason he hadn't asked, was because it had seemed like the wrong thing to do.

He didn't know why, but it hadn't felt right to ask Leah anything about Will or their relationship when Will wasn't there.

But it also felt wrong to ask about it when he _was _there.

Seriously, though, what were those two?

Or what had they been?

Will had only referred to her once, and back then, he had said 'friend'.

And Leah herself had said she had been/was his 'best friend'.

Yet...he wasn't sure.

It just felt weird.

He felt weird.

About them.

It was wrong to feel that way, of course, not to mention utterly irrational.

Of course they were close, even if they had 'only' been friends.

And Nico definitely had no business feeling upset in any way just because Will had actually showed emotions for once, yet tried to push it all down at the sight of _them_ again, while making it seem like it was completely ok if _she_ saw.

Nope, he was definitely not upset about that whatsoever.

It didn't mean anything, after all.

Especially not that Will didn't trust them enough, or that he wasn't comfortable enough around them, or that they hadn't shown him they wouldn't judge him, but would always be there for him.

Nope, it definitely didn't mean any of that.

Nico sighed.

Who was he kidding, of course it meant something like that.

Still, it shouldn't peeve him as much as it did.

They simply had to show Will he could trust them.

Which obviously meant leaving him alone, so he could get himself back in order - that way he might realize they wouldn't push themselves onto him.

He sighed again, gazing at the cabin thoughtfully, while Percy and Jason started bickering about whether Will would want to 'sin' and eat something unhealthy for once (Percy's idea), or whether he'd want to keep to his usual diet (Jason's assumption, though he did say something about brownies and/or dessert being ok, maybe).

Nico was about to participate in the conversation, saying that Will would definitely not want Percy's blue pizza (where would they even get that from?), but offering they could take him to the kitchens to check what else there was, when he choked on his not yet formed words, eyes glued to the window.

He even stopped dead in his tracks, though Jason and Percy didn't seem to notice anything was amiss, simply stopping as well and continuing their argument, but Nico was too busy staring to really hear them.

Alright, Will and Leah were _just friends_, right?

So...Leah and Will on one of the beds together with their arms flung around each other and, like, no physical space between them whatsoever...that was _totally_ platonic.

Nico felt his chest clenching painfully, irritation spreading through him quicker than ought to be possible as he saw Leah's hand stroking over Will's back, her face hidden from view behind Will's hair.

Then he started feeling hot and cold and sick, watching her hands moving up and to apparently cup Will's face.

Wait, wait, wait.

They wouldn't...they wouldn't _kiss_, right?

They couldn't!

_They were just friends!_

He held his breath, feeling everything inside him burn with completely irrational dread and _anger_, having to fight the urge to rush in and interrupt whatever the hell was going on in there.

"Nico? Hey, you ok?" Percy asked worriedly, and Nico's head snapped around in surprise and shock, having momentarily forgotten everything around him except

Will and Leah right there - including Percy's hand, which he was currently crushing.

"Oh gods, Percy, I'm so..." He started, quickly letting go, but before he could finish, his eyes fixed on something entirely different.

_Oh no._

He started forwards, towards the demigod that came rushing towards them at top speed, but as he opened his mouth to call out, the boy already bounded past him and up the steps to the cabin.

"WILLIAM SOLACE!" Lee Fletcher yelled, and Nico winced, his insides a mixture of guilty satisfaction at him doing the interrupting instead of Nico, and sympathy for those two, because he could see them jumping apart and off the bed, Will with an utterly horrified, shocked expression on his face, while Leah looked as if she had half expected this.

Percy, Jason and Nico stared, watching transfixed how Lee practically threw himself at Will, making him stumble backwards several steps, his face paling and turning even more shocked, which struck Nico as odd.

This whole situation was odd.

Something was definitely wrong, though he couldn't yet tell what or why.

Nico didn't want to admit to it, but he really didn't like not knowing.

He was about to ask whether they should go interfere, when something - _somebody _\- whooshed past him and the guys, making Jason and Percy cry out in surprise and jump to the side, grabbing hold of each other automatically in their shock, while the person bounded up the steps just as Lee had done.

"_YOU_!" The newcomer exclaimed, and the last thing they saw before the door banged shut, was Michael Yew tackling Will, who looked as if he was going to pass out, not looking happy whatsoever.

If anything, he looked petrified.

They could hear a small 'M-Michael?' escaping his Will's lips, then the door was shut and any noise was muffled.

"What...was that...?" Percy asked, looking as taken aback as Nico felt.

Nico had no answer.

"I...I think they need another moment..." Jason mumbled, blinking at the closed door, a light frown on his face.

"Another _long_ moment..." Percy agreed slowly and they slowly let go of each other, though it didn't look as if they had actually noticed holding onto each other in the first place.

Nico was only half paying attention to them.

The other half was too occupied thinking of the way Will had looked.

He had looked so shocked.

And not in a positive way.

Was he alright?

Will had never said anything about his relationship to his two deceased brothers.

And, well, frankly, Nico had never pried, because it wasn't any of his business.

Plus, one didn't just walk up to their friends and asked them 'Hey, how did you get along with those two brothers you had that died?'.

Yeah, no.

But Nico _did_ remember Will telling them about Michael and Lee before, always with a smile on his face, always with that hint of awe that said he had looked up to them in a way.

So, their relationship couldn't have been that bad, right?

Well, whatever it was, Nico dearly hoped it wasn't that Will blamed himself for _their_ deaths, as well.

That would be more than stupid.

And Will wasn't stupid.

Stubborn, yes, and a bit delusional, not to mention crazy, sometimes, but not stupid, no.

"What should we do? Just wait out here...?" Percy asked, and Nico realized with a jolt both Percy and Jason were staring at him, as if waiting for his permission.

Erm...what?

He looked back at the cabin.

Truth be told, he didn't want to wait out here.

He wanted to go in there and check that Will was ok, pull him close and keep him safely in his arms, away from harm, away from anything or anyone that seemed to upset him so much.

Nico even had to admit he didn't care as much as he should whether Will would be ok with that or not.

He'd simply do it, anyways, because it felt like Will needed it.

But Nico didn't do it.

Instead, he sighed.

No, he had to be rational about this.

Michael and Lee were Will's brothers.

Of course he'd be upset about seeing them, it had to be like seeing their ghosts, getting confronted all over again with the realization they were dead.

Nico himself had had trouble dealing with that in the beginning, too, after all, back when that thought had crossed his mind whenever he had seen somebody dead that he had once known.

And no matter how close or not close Will and his brothers had been, they were family, and Will was bound to have a special sort of bond with them.

Maybe not as strong as Nico had had with Bianca, but one could never compare such things, because they were unique for every person, and every person coped with such things differently.

Of course he'd be upset.

But this was probably really important to him, even if Nico didn't want to see it yet.

It was important, and it was Will's moment, and they had to give him a chance to let his emotions show without them around, making him uncomfortable with their gazes (or whatever else it was that made him uncomfortable. Nico was dying to know).

Nico sighed again.

"Yeah, let's just-..."

"No, you DON'T! You DON'T get to say 'It's ok'! It's NOT ok! It's _horrible_, it's _despicable_, and I should have _seen _it! I'm your big brother, I should have-..." Michael exclaimed loudly close to the window next to the door, the one that was slightly ajar and had so far only let out muffled voices.

"_Shh_! Michael, I told you, it really wasn't..." Will hissed back, appearing at the window, glancing around at them for a moment with a pale face and wide eyes, closing the window hurriedly and tugging Michael away from it as he pulled the curtains shut and the noises disappeared completely.

Nico's chest clenched painfully, annoyance flaring through him.

Oh, how he _hated_ not knowing.

Especially since everything inside him tingled in this weird way, like a premonition, as if this – whatever it was Will didn't want them to know so badly – was something really important.

He wouldn't judge him.

He wouldn't ever judge him, no matter what it was, why couldn't Will see that?

"Well, that was pretty direct." Percy grumbled, crossing his arms in front of his chest with an indignant huff, though Nico caught the way he glanced towards the window worriedly, frowning ever so slightly, which showed Nico he was more concerned than upset.

He sighed, and found Jason doing the same.

"Percy, this is _Will_. What did you expect?"

Nico made a face.

True that.

Percy huffed. "Oh, I don't know. So, blue pizza or not?"

"Not." Both Nico and Jason sighed, and Percy made a disappointed noise, pushing out his bottom lip and letting his shoulders sag.

Both Jason and Nico instantly averted their eyes, instead studying houses very far away from Percy, knowing full well what he was trying to do.

No way.

Percy whimpered lightly, and Nico inwardly groaned.

He so knew what was about to come.

Percy's fingers started brushing up and down Nico's arm, trying to animate him to look around, but Nico pursed his lips, staring resolutely at a girl down the road, just to realize it was one of the girls Silena had told them about.

He couldn't tell whether it was Anna or Christine, but it had been one of the two that had come to join Julia at the water earlier.

Yeah, he had no idea what to think about Silena's little rant about love and…well…

Nico swallowed, still unwilling to look at Percy, but now also unwilling to have him look at him so intently when his mind was going into rather dangerous territory.

"I…why don't you ask Jason?" He forced out quickly, feeling his face heating as Silena's words shot through his head again.

Had she meant _them_?

And why had Percy…why had he asked that?

Did he think that was what Nico wanted?

_Was_ it what Nico wanted…?

Percy made a small, despairing sound, but turned around to the blonde, and Nico could see Jason looking around with an alarmed expression, which immediately made him gaze at Percy's puppy face, and Nico had a hunch they were going to end up getting that pizza, no matter the cost.

Was it what Nico wanted, though?

Dating…not just Percy?

_He couldn't._

Of course he couldn't.

That was _crazy_.

As if on cue, he remembered that evening on the train, when Will had stated Percy would be so needy if Nico ever shared him, telling him of threesomes and the like.

He had made it sound so _normal_, as if there was nothing unusual about it whatsoever, as if it happened all the time, and Percy and Jason hadn't even blinked an eye, either.

Nico knew society's view on homosexuality and the like had improved ever since his childhood, yeah, but did that…did that include…_this_?

He couldn't picture it.

But, even if, that didn't mean he wanted this.

His dreams came back to him, what with their ever so unhelpful timing, and now he felt his face burning, staring down at the ground.

_No_.

That was wrong.

He was dating _Percy_.

And he _loved_ Percy.

Even if he loved Jason and Will as well, he…that…no, he couldn't.

He couldn't just expect them to just…no.

He pursed his lips.

Exactly, they would never be ok with that.

There.

Hell, Nico didn't even know whether they liked him like that in the first place.

And even if, there was no way they'd actually…well…_do_ that.

Gods, what was he even thinking about?

Well, he knew _what_ he was thinking about, but…_why_?

Why was he thinking about this?

Damn Silena and her speech, making him all confused and fidgety and weird inside.

And damn Percy for actually…actually asking…what he had asked…

_Why had he done that?_

Had Nico let it show too much that he still had feelings for the other two?

Had he realized Nico just couldn't get over them, no matter how hard he tried?

Had Nico made him feel like he wasn't good enough for Nico? Like he wasn't _enough_?

That couldn't be, right?

Nico loved him.

He really, really did.

And he was happy with him. He absolutely was!

Percy was the best boyfriend he could have ever wished for, and Nico didn't doubt for one second that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him, if Percy so let him.

But…Will and Jason…Nico kind of…well…

He kind of…maybe…wanted them there, too.

For the rest of his life.

With him.

With them.

Something inside him clenched and he bit his lip.

He shouldn't be thinking about this.

He really shouldn't be thinking about this at all.

Ever.

Instead, he should be thinking of how he could tell Percy it was ok, that he was ok, that Percy would never have to force himself to be ok with…with Nico being so…so _selfish_.

Gods, Nico was such a horrible person.

How could he even think about all this, how could he even _hope_ for all this?

It was bad enough if he ended up _dreaming_ of forbidden touches and heated kisses that should never ever happen, of escalating situations that would have Percy cringe in horror if only he knew, of cuddles that would even make Will blush and fan his face like Hazel did, of conversations that would render Jason speechless without any words of comfort or reassurance left anymore, of all those things that happened in his dreams that would most definitely change any- and everything the guys thought of him.

Yes, because Nico was horrible like that.

And his only excuse was that he didn't really have control over his dreams, though that wasn't entirely true, and he knew it.

But even then, those dreams were just that. Dreams.

Once he woke up, he could pretend they had never happened, because they had never happened in real life.

Nobody had to know about them.

Nobody had to know how messed up Nico was.

Nobody had to know how perverted he was, thinking of his _friends_ like that.

And Silena had been right in saying it was ok for people to love more than one person, yes.

She was absolutely right about that.

But that didn't mean it was ok for Nico to love Jason and Will.

Hell, he had eyes in his head!

He could _see_ how Jason looked at Will, and he could _see_ the way Will gazed back at him whenever Jason wasn't.

He could see the way those two had begun to act around each other, and he could see how comfortable and close they had gotten.

Will had made it a habit to _fall asleep curled around Jason _before the incident with Percy, gods be damned!

Nico _knew_ how those two started feeling for each other, no matter whether he liked it or not, no matter whether he wanted to admit to it or not.

Sure, Will seemed interested in Percy, but one would have to be very delusional, not to mention stupid, not to realize just how infatuated he was with Jason.

And the feeling was more than reciprocated, he was absolutely certain – and no matter how bitter it made him feel, he knew it was true.

So, yeah, he knew thinking about…about the four of them…like that…it wouldn't get him anywhere.

It wouldn't make anything happen.

It wouldn't get them all to be like that.

All it would achieve was that Nico would be heartbroken once those two got over their issues and started dating each other.  
All it would achieve was that Percy would be heartbroken once he realized how Nico really felt, and what the hell he really wanted.  
All it would achieve was that he'd be bitter and desperate and hurt and most likely alone, because there was no way he could force Percy to be ok with that.

So he really shouldn't think of this.

He couldn't think of this.

He could only hope his feelings would change somehow, that he could see his friends the same way they saw him, that he would get over his crushes, that they'd be fine again, that it all would work out somehow with them as just friends.

Nico didn't want to lose them.

And letting them find out about how he really felt was bound to make him lose them.

No, he couldn't risk that.

He thought back to the urgency in Percy's voice when he had asked Silena about how one knew.

Maybe he had hoped Silena could say something that would make Nico realize he was just confused.

Maybe he had hoped Nico could somehow use this to get over himself.

Or, maybe he was worried and hoped Nico would reassure him if he let it show a bit that he was concerned about them, that he was worried Nico would want a foursome.

Nico _didn't_ want a foursome.

He _didn't_ want a threesome.

Nico was surprisingly good at lying to himself.

But, in a way, it wasn't that much of a lie, actually.

He didn't really care about the sexual aspect (not that it hadn't been on his mind at all, though, the dreams were proof enough of that…though nobody was ever allowed to know that).

He wasn't really _lusting_ after Jason and Will (much…).

But he did…he did love them.

He wanted them with him, like…like boyfr- no.

_No!_

He had JUST said he WOULDN'T think about that!

Jason groaned next to him, and Nico's head shot up, catching sight of Percy holding onto Jason's arm, his face inches away from Jason's, giving him his absolutely best puppy face, with his pupils wide and his eyes looking like he was about to cry, his bottom lip stuck out just the right way for maximum effect.

Even his hair seemed to be a tad flatter than usual, as if it was trying to emphasize just how down and desperate Percy was.

Jason was looking right at him, too, so Nico was absolutely certain the blonde had no chance to escape Percy's charm.

"Percy, where would we even get blue pizza from? We're nowhere close to your mother, and no place is going to sell that stuff to you." Jason tried to reason, a tinge of pink creeping up his neck as he frantically tried to look anywhere but at Percy, but was absolutely failing.

Because nobody could evade Percy's baby seal face when he was that close, not to mention that determined.

"We'll make it ourselves. Hades showed us the kitchen, remember? I bet if Nico asks, we'll be allowed in there. I know how to make pizza. I'll prepare the batter, then we'll take the bath and get him all nice and relaxed, and then I'll say I'll get us some food or something. Nico and you can stay with him, and I'll go and dump everything onto the pizza I can find, then shove it into the oven and wait until it's done. Come on, he'll have self-made pizza, that's got to be the best thing in the world." Percy rambled, batting his eyelashes at Jason, his hands now moving to his shoulders, keeping him there as Jason tried to apparently run away, if the look of mild panic in his gaze stood for anything.

Then, Nico could swear he saw his fingers stroke ever so gently over Jason's skin, still while batting his eyelashes at Jason, and Nico wondered for a moment whether Percy knew it looked as if he was trying to seduce him.

Judging by the way Jason leaned back slightly, his face paling as he swallowed hard, _he_ at least noticed.

"Percy…" Nico started hesitantly, though he wasn't entirely sure what to say.

'You're kind of molesting Jason'?

'Maybe you shouldn't touch him like that'?

'I think you're making him uncomfortable'?

'We're in the middle of the road, I don't think you two should be doing this here'?

Before Nico could make up his mind, though, Percy moved even closer, now moving his arms around Jason's neck, while lowering his head slightly, which made him look up to Jason even more than before, sending him a pouty, heart-wrenching look.

"Please…?" He asked innocently, and Nico could see Jason swallowing again.

Though he could also see the way Jason moved his hands to Percy's hips apparently without noticing, instead of shoving him away or anything.

This was also what made Nico halt and frown, now hesitant about interrupting.

If Jason was that uncomfortable, he would push Percy away, or brush him off at the very least.

But, he was kind of keeping him there now.

So…was this ok, or not? Should Nico come to his aid or were they having some sort of moment right there?

Wait, this was his boyfriend, why was Nico thinking they were having any sort of moment?

Then again, just because _Nico_ was perverted and weird, hoping for more, that didn't mean _Percy_ _and_ _Jason_ had to think the same way, so this probably didn't mean anything, anyways.

At least that's what he thought until he saw Percy's eyes most definitely dropping to Jason's lips, and saw Jason's doing likewise.

Wait, wait, wait.

All his alarm bells rang, though he stayed rooted to the spot, staring, his heart racing in his chest, anticipation and dread surging through him (which made something nag in the back of his head, though he couldn't pinpoint it).

What was going on?

Percy stiffened slightly, and Nico realized it was because Jason's hands had moved from his hips to his lower back.

Nico of course knew he was sensitive there, but Jason either didn't know or must have forgotten about it.

However, Percy's sudden reaction was enough to snap Jason out of whatever sort of moment he was having, because the next moment, he pulled back abruptly, moving his hands to Percy's chest and pushing him back ever so gently.

"Fine. Whatever. Right. Good. Pizza it is. Alright." Jason uttered, his face turning a darker shade of pink as he turned away and took a deep breath, putting his hands into the pockets of his oversized hoodie, while Percy blinked and blushed a bit, himself, eyes hushing over to Nico almost instantly, as if checking whether he had seen all of this.

Nico had no time to fix his expression, realizing a moment too late he was still staring at them a little bit shocked, with one eyebrow raised, and all he could do was close his mouth hurriedly, hoping it merely looked as if he had been about to say something, instead of having openly gaped at them.

Percy looked almost panicked for a moment, but then he seemed to realize what Jason had just said, his face clearing, and a broad grin making its way onto his face.  
"Yes! Blue pizza it is! You guys won't regret it!" He exclaimed, moving over to Nico to wrap his arms around him, burying his face at the side of his neck.

Nico merely raised an eyebrow again, patting his back.

"Got enough of trying to seduce Jason?"

It slipped out.

It really did.

Nico had _not_ meant to say that.

He seriously, absolutely hadn't.

Percy stiffened, and Jason's head shot around in alarm, expression aghast, while Percy pulled back, eyes hushing between Nico's, taking in his expression, as if fearing he'd be angry or something.

Nico snorted.

How was he supposed to react when they both looked so struck and adorable?

He could see Jason's shoulders relax instantly, apparently understanding he wasn't mad or anything – but therefore, Percy didn't seem to interpret his snort as an amused one at all, but more as an upset one, looking even more worried.

"N-Nico, I would never…that's…Jason's my _bro_, we don't…Jason, back me up!" Percy exclaimed, and Jason's expression became blank.

Apparently, now that he knew Nico wasn't upset, he wasn't worried or bothered whatsoever anymore.

"What? Forget it. Do you have any idea how close you just got to me? You were _so_ trying to seduce me, man. Couldn't wait to get into my pants." He said drily, smirking rather un-Jason-like and maliciously as Percy whipped his head around with a small cry.

"What? I would never…that…_you wish_!"

"Oh, Percy, I have far better things to wish for than you in my pants. Having you inside my sweater was already bad enough."

Wait, were they starting to bicker just like Will and Percy usually did?

No way.

Percy gaped at Jason.

Then his head shot around to Nico, looking urgent and pleading.

"Nico~, I swear, I was just trying to get him to agree to the pizza…"

Nico tried to fight it, but he ended up laughing, anyways, tugging Percy closer by his belt loops and wrapping his arms around him, leaning upwards to place a kiss onto Percy's nose.

"_I know_. It's ok, calm down. I was only teasing, you dork." He said with his lips still twitching, and Percy instantly seemed to relax, leaning down ever so slightly.  
Nico knew what he wanted.

So, with a small smile, he leaned up again, giving him a small peck, and found Percy smirking against his lips, his demeanor all soft and gentle and affectionate again as he chased after Nico, pressing their lips together again.

And again.

"Oh wow. Percy, now I'm hurt. Since you can't get into my pants, you're trying to get into Nico's? You hurt my feelings. And there I thought I meant more to you than that." Jason sniffed next to them, almost coming across authentic if it wasn't for the fact Jason would never say anything like that and not in that tone of voice.

Percy, however, pulled back anyways, looking confused and alarmed, frowning at Jason with a taken aback expression.

"You…_what_?"

Nico bit his lip to suppress the chuckle that was trying to make its way out his mouth, and Jason's eyes were equally full of mirth.  
Percy seemed to catch on, his confusion making space for a pout.

"You guys are so stupid." He sulked, and now it was Nico's turn to make a face at him.

"Why am _I_ stupid, too? It wasn't _me_ who tried to undress Jason with my eyes. I mean, nothing against you, Jason, I would totally-…erm…"

Oh shit.

Why had he even opened his mouth in the first place?

Jason's eyebrow shot up, but he was still smiling, waving off slightly as if to tell him he knew how it was meant, but the way Percy's eyes widened slightly didn't sit well with Nico whatsoever.

Hadn't he decided just earlier that he'd reassure Percy he was his one and only?

Well, _this_ was _not_ how it was done.

He cleared his throat hurriedly, looking away from both of them, instead staring at the Ares cabin.

Alright, how to save himself?

There was no way he could save himself.

He cleared his throat again.

"Well, whatever. I'm dating Percy, so he'll be the only one I'll be undressing. And I'm quite glad about that. Yeah." He muttered, feeling his face heat and his chest clench.

Right.

Somehow, that had sounded a lot more convincing in his head.

Jason chuckled, and Nico could see him rolling his eyes amused out of the corners of his eyes, so he guessed that was ok.

He wasn't prepared for the way Percy's shoulders slumped, though.

Shit, had he said it wrong?

Had he phrased it badly?

But how else was he supposed to say it?

What was he supposed to say?

Damn it, he wished he was a bit better at this whole reassuring-thing.

Why couldn't Jason reassure Percy for him?

Oh, wait.

Yeah, ok, never mind.

"Hey, how about we knock on the door? I mean, it's been a while already, so maybe we should let them know we're still here." He suggested quickly to get away from the topic, and caught Percy looking down at the ground a tad down, instantly making him feel even worse.

But what was he supposed to do?

What was he supposed to say?

Nico swallowed, reaching out to clasp Percy's hands quickly, giving him a quick peck.

At least Percy didn't brush him off or anything, merely looking at him slightly confused.

"I love you. Now come, let's go." He said hurriedly, hoping Percy wouldn't misunderstand his confession.

But Percy looked more confused than anything, though he let Nico tug him forward, and held his hand as usual, even squeezing gently, though it felt more as if he was asking Nico whether he was ok, instead of reassuring him it was ok.

Nico squeezed back, though maybe a tad too hard.

He absolutely _sucked_ at reassuring _anybody_.

.

After standing in front of the door ignored and forgotten, they had waited another fifteen minutes before Percy had barged into the place, fed up with waiting.

He _knew_ Will needed his time, and the reunion with his brothers _was_ important for him, he knew, they knew, _everyone_ _knew_, but could they at least have the decency to acknowledge their existence?

That had been what was going through his mind, at least, when he had ripped open the door, unwilling to stand around outside with Nico still so weird and Jason just shuffling from one foot to the other.

But they hadn't found Will on one of the bunks crying with his brothers or reminiscing about the good old times - nope, they had found Will _running away_ from Lee and Michael, while Leah had stood in the middle of the room yelling something and holding up a weirdly shaped something.

Yeah, it had been quite the chaos.

(Perfect to distract Percy from his horrible train of thoughts, though.)

Percy didn't regret rushing in and ranting at the lot whatsoever, especially not after Will had run straight for them after spotting them, and had let out that weak and pleading 'Nngh!', as if begging for help without actually screaming 'Help!' (which sounded _exactly_ like something he'd do, to be honest).

He had been so out of breath, not to mention in so much pain, even though he had tried so hard to not let anything show as usual, but...well, he had kind of given himself away with small things.

Like the fact that he had let them touch him, had let Nico tug him closer and away from his brothers, had let Jason and Nico help him over to one of the bunks.

He had let Percy rant on his behalf, telling Leah and the other two exactly _what_ he thought of their great idea of terrorizing his Will, and Will hadn't even _tried_ to put up a fight when Jason had pushed him down into the bed, even letting Lee take a look at his leg without comment, even though Will usually loathed any sort of action that made him look weak or in need of help.

Lee might not have been a healer, but he had helped out in the infirmary by Will's side often enough to know what he was doing, so Percy, Nico and Jason had let him do as he pleased, while keeping a watchful eye on Leah and Michael, who had flat out glowered at them.

But, well, things had somewhat worked out.

Percy sighed, glancing sideways at Will, who was gesturing with his arms wildly as he told Michael and Lee how Octavian had catapulted himself into oblivion, making him almost fall backwards off Jason's back.

Yeah, because _Jason_ was allowed to carry him without problems, while Percy had had to endure tons of whining and complaining whenever he had as much as attempted to carry Will to the bathroom the past days.

Mean.

Oh well, therefore he was carrying _this_.

Percy looked down at the guitar he was holding.

_Will's_ guitar.

Apparently, Jason hadn't been joking when he had told them Will had told him his guitar had caught fire, since Leah had told them the exact same thing.

She had apparently been the 'friend whom Will had tried to cheer up' - at least that was what Jason had muttered under his breath right next to Percy.

So, anyways, because it had apparently been her fault, or she had felt partly responsible for the whole dilemma, at any rate, she had actually gone through the trouble of getting a replacement.

How and why and where and _how_, she hadn't said, though the way she had looked exhausted by the mere memory alone showed him that she must have gone through quite a bit, which proved she must have genuinely cared.

Percy also had the feeling that this was the sole reason Will had finally accepted her gift, though his demeanor still was more than reluctant.

Nobody seemed to know why, though.

Michael, Leah and Lee all claimed that he had been a decent player, maybe not one of the best, but pretty good, anyways, so it wasn't as if Will could really say he was too bad to deserve a new guitar (or his old one. Or whatever. Percy had no idea what this was, but it was a guitar, and it supposedly looked the same as his old one, so that was all he needed to know).

And Percy, Nico and Jason had asked Will before whether he had enjoyed playing, and Will had agreed, so Percy really couldn't see what his problem was.

But, still, he had taken it, so Percy guessed whatever it was couldn't be that bad.

Plus, Will definitely glanced around at it every here and there, and though those glances had been filled with apprehension and uncertainty at first, he seemed to slowly accept it, his expression more changing towards curiosity than anything else, really.

So, yeah, Percy wasn't all that worried.

"You guys definitely have to come by again before you leave the Underworld, I'm just saying." Michael said sternly, and Will's expression turned from initially eager at those words, to suddenly conflicted and uncertain.

Hm, interesting.

Nico looked around at them in turn, his gaze stopping on Percy for approval, probably because Percy had been picking fights with the lot all the while (so not his fault!), so he shrugged quickly, and Nico gave an approving nod before turning back towards Michael, telling him they'd try.

He didn't exactly care.

Elysium was a very, very strange place, but not in a bad way, and the people here were cool, too.

Except Leah, of course.

He didn't like Leah.

Percy guessed he might have liked her, if it hadn't been for the fact she had freaked Will out so badly.

Seriously, he still had no idea why Will had reacted the way he had.

He understood the blaming-himself-for-her-death-part, of course, but still, Will seemed so oddly…_off_, still.

It wasn't as if he was unusually brooding, but it was just…he seemed so adamant about acting 'normal' – or, well, _Will's_ version of 'normal'.

To be honest, it kind of reminded Percy of how _he_ tended to act whenever he tried to be as carefree as everybody told him he was, mostly just to cover something up that was bothering him.

And it bothered him, because Will always tried to push everything down and keep everything inside.

That couldn't be good.

Plus, if _Percy_ could tell that Will was acting, and Will was actually freaked out enough by whatever it was that was getting to him that his _acting_ was affected, then it had to be something absolutely horrible.

Percy wished he could somehow help him.

He wished he could show him he could trust him, trust them.

Enough to let them be part of whatever it was that was getting to him so badly.

But Will wasn't, and Percy knew better than to push it – especially after having just thrown an unnecessary fit three days ago that had resulted in Will being in pain even now.

Yeah, Percy was definitely going to reign in his curiosity for the next thirty years, if not even a lifetime.

(Well, then again, he was a demigod, so thirty years might as well count as lifetime, really.)

He huffed out a breath, catching sight of the gate from afar.

Automatically, he turned his head to look towards the water, where the Isles of the Blest were, though he wasn't looking at them, his thoughts drifting back to earlier, when he had sat on Clarisse's bed (well, the bed that would have been Clarisse's, at any rate) and felt Will stumbling into the water.

It had been so weird.

Leah had told them Will would run towards the water, though Percy had greatly doubted that – but then Will had actually really done it.

Why?

If anybody would have asked Percy where Will might have gone, he'd have had to shrug.

He had never thought he knew _everything_ about Will, but he had kind of thought he'd know him better than…well, this.

But now, it kind of made him wonder what he did know about the blonde.

It wasn't much.

Percy didn't even know Will's favorite color.

How pathetic was that?

And he wanted to be Will's best friend.

Right.

He remembered how Will had walked further and further into the water, apparently utterly ignoring the almost icy temperatures, and how he had stopped at one spot for forever, just standing there, letting the water flow around him.

Percy wasn't even sure how he had known it was Will.

He wasn't even sure how he could have felt the water, anyways.

He couldn't feel anything in their bathroom, after all, unless he was inside or the door was open wide – though now he had the distinct feeling that was because of Hades and whatever magic he was using on their room.

But still, feeling the waters in Elysium was definitely weird.

Though Percy wasn't going to question it now.

No, instead, he thought of the way Will had seemed to calm down slowly, even splashing in the water a bit, which had made Percy smile slightly, ignoring the skeptical look Leah had sent him almost instantly.

Instead, he had dried Will, letting him know he knew where he was, hoping inwardly it would get Will to come back.

_And Will had actually come back._

He had actually gotten out of the water – not hurriedly as if freaked out by Percy's 'presence', or too slow as if too scared or freaked out still, but more like a person who had decided to stand up and fight, ready to face their fears – and he had come back to them.

Well, ok, Will had ended up apparently running into the door or something, and his reunion with Leah had been more than a little odd, but it had still been a relief to Percy to have him back.

Not to mention it had shown him quite a bit he'd have probably never found out otherwise.

Then again, today was one of those days where it felt like one found out more things about themselves and the universe around them in just that day than the entire rest of the year.

Which reminded him of Silena's words.

Percy let out another sigh, this time more pained than the others.

_It had sounded so perfect._

The way she had said it…he had just so hoped she had meant _them_…

But he guessed he must have misunderstood.

Maybe he should really drop this whole 'I want everybody happy'-issue.

He seemed to be the only one thinking like that, anyways.

But he had so hoped…

Percy glanced sideways at Nico, remembering how dismissive he had instantly reacted, how he had tried to get as far away from the topic as possible, as if the mere notion was too much to bear for him.

Maybe it really was just Percy, after all.

Maybe he had interpreted too much into everything, and Nico didn't want that at all.

But Percy had been so certain.

It was _obvious_ Nico still liked Jason and Will, anybody and everybody could see that, one just had to look at all the times people had referred to the four as boyfriends by now.

_Of course_ Nico still liked them.

But then why was he so against the idea?

Was it morals? Was it because of the way he had been raised?

Or maybe he simply really didn't want that, and Percy was reading too much into everything.

What if all of this was nothing but a mistake?

What if Percy's constant hoping for something like this would result in everything falling apart?

He couldn't tell.

Back then, he had had half a mind to ask her straight out whether she was talking about the four of them in particular, had wanted to turn to Nico and ask him whether he'd want to give it a try, had wanted to plead with Jason and Will to back him up.

But then doubt had sneaked back in and he had asked her for help instead, hoping she would say something that would clear the mess inside him.

How would he know whether they belonged together, whether they could make it work, or whether he was just fantasizing about something stupid and crazy that nobody but him even wanted?

How badly he had hoped she'd be able to give him a hint, an idea.

But she hadn't.

And then Nico had reacted so negatively, Percy had felt as if somebody had punched him in the gut, the momentary flame of hope that had flared up inside him instantly extinguished.

The other two hadn't looked particularly interested in the idea, either.

Jason had looked tense and unhappy, and Will had looked more confused than anything, as if he hadn't understood why they were talking about this in the first place.

Apparently, it really was just Percy thinking like this.

Which meant he probably shouldn't.

If they weren't interested, there was no point in continuously pondering it.

A relationship.

Well, it wasn't as if he hadn't reached this point before.

And his views and worries on the matter still hadn't changed, either, of course.

But that didn't really stop him from still hoping.

Though he wasn't sure what he was hoping for and why.

Before, he had wanted nothing but their happiness, and Nico's happiness, especially Nico's.

And it had struck him that, for that, he'd need the other two around.

But now…now he had to admit it wasn't all just Nico's happiness anymore, nor was it only the guys' happiness.

It…might actually include his own, too.

He was happy with Nico, of course.

More than happy.

Nico was amazing, doing the impossible of being even better than anything Percy could have ever dreamed of.

And it wasn't as if anything was missing, or wrong, or not good enough, or whatever.

It was just…oh, whatever.

It was like the painting all over again, and Percy hated it.

Hated it, because it _did_ feel as if they belonged together, as if they _did_ fit like those puzzle pieces Silena had talked about.

Hated it, because even if, Percy had no idea what to do about it.

He wished Nico had had the idea with the four of them.

Or Jason.

Or even Will.

Somebody who had a plan, who had an idea on what to do with all this, with them.

Nico could have voiced it out, and Percy would have immediately went with it.

Jason could have talked to Percy about it and backed him up.

Will could have brought it up in Truth or Dare or something and convince them all it was a great idea, just like he convinced them eating fish wouldn't kill them.

But what was _Percy_ supposed to do?

Nico already showed what he thought of the idea, Jason would only be even more upset for reasons Percy didn't understand, and Will would probably laugh and think he was crazy.

"Hey, so, what's the plan? I'll let my dad know you want to use the kitchen, and then what? Will you need us? Do we take a bath first? Do we watch a film?" Nico asked, tearing him out of his head back into reality.

Or, well, Elysium, which seemed too surreal to count to reality.

What? Oh, pizza, right.

Pizza!

_Blue_ pizza!

Hell yes!

"I'd say I excuse myself as soon as your dad gives his ok, to then go and prepare the dough, which hopefully shouldn't take all that long. In the meantime, you, Jason and Will can look through the films and decide what you want to watch later. Then, once I'm back, we can go and take that bath, to get him all relaxed and amiable. That should give the dough plenty of time to prove. Once we're done with the bath, I'll leave to turn the dough into a super yummy giant pizza and put it into the oven, and then all we'll have to do is wait for it to finish. Good?" He murmured excitedly, hoping he was loud enough for Nico to hear properly without Will overhearing.

But Will seemed too busy telling Michael and Lee about the infirmary at Camp Jupiter, explaining the differences in methods and technology with almost as much passion as Percy had just shown towards his pizza.

He should probably ponder that sometime.

Nico's lips twitched, and his hand squeezed Percy's gently, making Percy's insides feel all warm and fuzzy and content again.

"Perfect. I'll send a message to my dad as soon as we're past the gate."

"What are you two talking about?" Leah asked next to them, and Percy had half a mind to turn towards her with a scowl.

But, well, she _had_ given him Will's guitar, which he supposed did count as some sort of try for peace.

Somewhat.

And she _was_ Will's best friend (or had been. Will had _them_ now, after all! Not that Percy was jealous or anything…), so he guessed he should at least give the truce a try.

"Just about what we're going to do to make the rest of the day enjoyable for Will, because he'll definitely be stuck in the bed the moment we get back to our room." Nico told her and Percy nodded.

With the way Will's face scrunched up every here and there in pain, he was absolutely going to stay in bed for the entire rest of the day, right after their bath.

Gods, that hot tub, though.

It was amazing.

If Percy ever got to live in his own place with Nico, he was so going to have one of those.

And then, he'd invite Will and Jason over (because they insisted they didn't want a shared accommodation, those meanies) all the time.

Hell yes.

Leah raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Well, make sure to take good care of him. He's still a bit out of it, but who can blame him? I guess he wormed his way out of a real talk with Michael, but that'll simply have to wait for another day. Do make sure to come by again, will you? At least once more? And get him to play the guitar again. He really enjoyed that. I still can't believe he really stopped playing altogether. I clearly remember him playing once more at the Camp Fire a few weeks later, on one of the other guitars, and I so thought he'd stick to it. Wonder what _he_ did that changed his mind."

Percy frowned slightly, her phrasing seeming odd.

What did she mean, what did Will do to change his mind?

Well, she tended to talk weird, so there was that.

Oh, he couldn't wait to hear Will play, though.

He was absolutely certain he was good at it, especially after these three had claimed so, as well.

And there Will had tried to make them believe he was no good.

Right.

"Will do. And as I said, we'll try to come by again. It's my father's decision in the end, of course, but I'm sure we'll manage somehow. Though I want Will to be back to perfect health before then, so don't expect us tomorrow or anything." Nico replied calmly, and Percy nodded once more.

He had a lot he wanted to say, of course, but after his rant in the cabin and Leah's mute try for peace with handing the guitar to him by Will's request, he had decided to rather keep his mouth shut around her to avoid any more conflict.

Not that it would last, but at least he was trying.

Leah eyed him with an odd expression, but at least she didn't comment on it.

Yeah, he might just make it out of here without starting another fight or anything.

"Well, alright, then. Take as long as you need. I'm putting my trust in you, Nico di Angelo. Keep him safe."

Hey. Percy was still here, ok?

Was she implying she didn't think he was capable of taking care of Will?

Nico sighed, squeezing his hand again as if he could hear his thoughts.

"We'll take care of him, don't worry."

She didn't say anything to that, instead eyeing Percy so oddly again, moving her fingers through her hair.

That was probably what let him catch sight of her bracelet, or to be more precise, the little dancer on it.

"You're the one that taught him how to dance."

It wasn't a question. It was more of a statement, really.

A shocked, stunned, taken aback statement.

Of course he knew for certain now that she was a friend of Will's and everything, maybe even his best friend, but somehow, he kind of hadn't linked her with the mysterious friend that Will had talked about back when they had danced, whatsoever.

So, the realization kind of just struck him.

But how could it be her?

She wasn't anything like how he would have pictured that friend to be like.

She was an Ares kid, why would she care much for dancing, anyways?

It made no sense.

At least not to him.

Leah looked stunned, and Percy could see Nico frowning confused out of the corners of his eyes, realizing all over again he still hadn't told him about that dance.

Oops.

Well, it wasn't as if he was any good at it, and he probably wouldn't even be able to do it anymore by now, but he had kind of intended to brag maybe a little bit to Nico about learning a dance.

But now, that wasn't important, anyways.

"He told you?" She asked, eyes hushing over to the blonde, who was putting his chin on top of Jason's head, listening intently to something Lee was telling them, while Jason practically beamed (that dork).

Percy shrugged. "He taught me the Hustle, and said that 'a friend' once told him something like, erm…'secrets shared during a dance are the ones that bind people together and make the world a brighter place for both of them'." He repeated, remembering only too vividly how Will had swirled him around, and how he had returned the favor.

Alright, their 'dance' had most definitely been a mess.

But it had been so much fun…

Nico made a surprised noise next to him.

"H-He did? When was that? You never told me…"

Percy heard the hint of alarm in his voice, and instantly turned to look at his boyfriend, squeezing his hand gently.

"Remember when I had that talk with your dad? When you were sleeping, Will wanted to cheer me up, so he taught me how to dance. I wanted to brag to you and get you to dance with me, but then got discouraged. Plus, Will was supposed to teach you the dance first."

That traitor.

What if he had waited on purpose so Percy would forget his steps again until Nico learned the dance?

Nico's eyes widened slightly, though he still looked confused, while Leah looked him up and down again.

"I have to admit I'm surprised. I didn't think he'd share that. Hope you made the secret worth it. And the Hustle? Really? I'll have to take him aside sometime and ask him whether he's out of his mind. There are hundreds of awesome dances, and he goes for _that_? Well, at least it wasn't the Waltz, so there's still hope for him, I guess…" She trailed off, gazing off into the distance distractedly, as if thinking of all those hundreds of dances.

Percy merely shrugged again.

"He said the Waltz is boring, and that the Hustle was fun and one of his favorites. What would you have advised, then?" He asked, seizing the chance to attempt getting onto her good side.

If she was the one that had taught Will how to dance, they must have been super close (not that she hadn't claimed that before, but this was the ultimate proof), so he might not want to get on her bad side if he didn't want Will to permanently be upset with him (though Will hadn't exactly said anything negative about him ranting at her whatsoever up until now – then again, Will really was still out of it, mostly).

"Hm, good question. Something exotic, to keep it interesting. Then again, that might have been too difficult for you to pull off on a whim – don't take it the wrong way, but there are very complex dances. Hm, other than that, maybe Tango. Or, no, better, Rumba. Yeah, Rumba for you two. That would have definitely gotten things moving." Leah mused thoughtfully, then put on a knowing smirk again, even though he had no idea what she was talking about.

Instead, he frowned, thinking to himself Will had said something about Rumba before, though he couldn't remember what it had been.

Nico stiffened next to him, his gaze snapping back from Will towards Leah, expression alarmed.

"Why the Rumba?" He asked, and something about his tone was off, as if Rumba meant something Percy didn't know.

What had it been that Will had said?

There had been…something…ugh, whatever.

It was just a dance!

How important could it be…?

Apparently, very, because he definitely knew he'd ponder this for a very long time.

Leah shrugged, a cocky expression on her face once more.

"Oh, you know. Just because. I like the Rumba. And he's the best partner for it. Seriously, I wonder if he's still as flexible as back when we danced. Damn, it's been way too long…"

Nico still looked slightly worried, but didn't say anything else, and Percy left Leah to reminisce about the past, instead squeezing Nico's hand once more.

Was he ok?

Was he upset about not knowing about the dance?

Percy guessed he should have told him.

But it just…it wasn't really one of those things you could just bring up out of nowhere.

When was he supposed to tell him? When they were beating each other at Mario Kart?

'Oh, Nico, by the way, Will taught me how to dance the Hustle.'

Yeah, no.

During dinner with the gods?

'Hey, Hades, I know you don't think I'm suitable for your son, but, you know, Will taught me how to dance. Cool, right?'  
How about no?

They finally reached the gate, and Percy found himself looking back around at the place, at the odd buildings, and the people walking around chattering and laughing.

He still remembered the first time he had seen this place from afar, and thinking to himself he'd do anything to end up in the Isles of the Blest, which had looked so alluring back then.

Now, he wasn't all that sure anymore.

Sure, it sounded like an awesome place, even better than Elysium, but...how could that be? Here, he had his friends, he could practically 'live' here after his death, with Nico, with the other two, and have it be like a New Rome life in the afterlife.

How could anything possibly top that?

No, by now, he was fairly certain he wouldn't aim for rebirth.

Unless Nico chose rebirth.

If Nico decided he wanted to get reborn, then Percy would do so, too, and hope the Fates had mercy on them for once so he could find him again.

Yeah, that would be exactly what he'd do.

He glanced towards Jason and Will.

Would _they_ choose Elysium? Or would they choose rebirth?

He kind of hoped they'd stay with them.

If not...he wasn't sure.

Would he try to convince them to stay?

Would he go after them if they didn't?

Finding one person in another life was already hard enough, how likely would it be he'd get to find the three of them once more?

Ugh, he didn't even want to think about it, it already sounded impossible, even to him.

No, he dearly hoped they weren't ambitious enough to aim for the Isles of the Blest - which was a very selfish wish, but, well, Percy had never claimed to be anything but, anyways.

"So, Freckles, ready to go?" Jason asked, still practically glowing - all happy just because Will let him carry him without one word.

If that wasn't the sweetest thing Percy had ever seen, he didn't know what was.

Jason was so precious, seriously.

Not that Percy hadn't known that before.

Jason had always been this way, after all.

Well, at least with Nico, though Percy wasn't surprised in the least to find him now acting the same way with Will, since everybody could see he was clearly utterly in love.

'Maybe interested' be damned.

Not to mention the 'I'm not going to make a move on him' part.

Jason seemed to be constantly making moves on Will in Percy's opinion.

"Yeah, yeah. Guys, I'll see you some other day, then we'll continue this." Will promised/threatened, wriggling his eyebrows at Lee, though the three kids looked back at him rather unimpressed.

"Right. And you'll be having a little chat with me next time, too. You won't get around this, Will." Michael retorted quietly, and Percy watched Will's face fall, panic in his gaze for a moment, making Percy wonder what all of that was about.

"Hey, no threats here. First we have to get Will back on his feet before even attempting to show up here again. You could have had your little 'chat' if you hadn't made him run so much, you know." Percy stated drily, glad to find he was capable of holding in his protective growl.

Seriously, for today it certainly had been enough stress on his Will, he wasn't going to permit any more freaking him out whatsoever.

He absolutely hated it when Will looked so vulnerable and practically scared.

He also hated not having one damn clue what it was that freaked him out so bad.

And another thing he hated was how Will just hung his head slightly, expression conflicted for a moment, before he heaved an exhausted sigh and buried his face at the side of Jason's neck, muttering something quietly enough that the others couldn't hear, though Jason seemed to hear it.

He hated that, because it showed just how horrible everything must be for Will right now, and how beside himself he must be.

To permit Percy talking like that about him.  
To permit Percy talking like that to his brothers and best friend.  
To permit Jason carrying him.  
To permit them seeing him like this.  
To permit himself letting it show just how exhausted he was.  
To permit himself getting closer to Jason like that, keeping is nose pressed against Jason's neck with his eyes closed, as if he was trusting Jason entirely, not even bothering to make up excuses for his behavior whatsoever.

Yes, Will was utterly beside himself.

And Percy didn't like it, because he wanted Will happy and carefree and bickering and normal.

He could be nice and touchy-feely and tolerant of them arguing on his behalf, no problem, but Percy wanted that to happen out of his own free will, not because he couldn't cope with it all anymore.

"You don't even know what we're talking about. Though, Will, I still think you should-…"

"Don't." Will replied sharply, his voice so contradictive to his defeated, tired demeanor.

Michael opened his mouth again, but Leah cut in.

"Well, until next time, guys. And, Will, try out the guitar. I tried to tune it, but you know how bad I am with such things, so you'll probably have to redo it. Do tell me how it worked, though, ok?" She rambled, mussing through his hair before he had the chance to pull his head away – though he ended up just staying where he was, making a noncommittal sound.

Leah seemed to take that as affirmation, though, so everything was good.

Jason gazed off into space for another moment, looking as if he was pondering something.

Then he turned his head whispering what probably was some sort of reply to whatever Will had muttered to him.

Will gave a small nod.

The next moment, Jason looked up to meet Percy's gaze, and Percy got the message, nudging Nico.

"Alright, it was nice meeting you all again, and it was somewhat nice meeting you, Leah. Hopefully, our next meeting will go better than this one." Percy said hurriedly, and Nico and he made his way over towards the gate, which was already opening, as if Hades had been waiting for his cue all along.

Percy thought he could see Will scowling slightly at that, though it might have just been his imagination, for the next moment, he buried his face at the side of Jason's neck again, who still looked so disturbingly proud.

The others muttered their replies and goodbyes, and Nico was the first to step through the gateway, instantly moving over to the side towards a skeleton that had appeared out of thin air, conversing with it in a quiet, hushed voice.

Percy's face lit up.

Pizza!

He shared a glance with Jason, trying to mutely convey this to him, so he wouldn't worry about another meeting with Hades, but found Jason already rolling his eyes with an amused twitch of his lips, as if he already knew.

Will didn't even seem to notice anything.

Good.

At least they'd be able to utterly surprise him, then.

Percy only hoped he'd like the surprise.

Alright, Will wasn't that much of a fan of pizza, but come on, who could resist self-made pizza?

And Percy could make good pizza!

Plus, it would be _blue_!

Well, for Will, Percy would probably dye the pizza in any color he'd want, but since he still had no idea what his favorite color was, he was just going to stick with blue.

Or maybe he shouldn't dye it, after all…?

What if Will thought the idea stupid?

What if he didn't like it?

Before Percy could stop himself, doubt started gnawing on him, making him worry his bottom lip until Nico nudged him in the side pointedly.

"Percy, my dad gave his ok, he said you'll find all you need in the cupboards and fridge. You want to go now, or…?" He asked quietly, and Percy quickly nodded, leaning down to press his lips onto Nico's.

"Yes, to prepare everything." He muttered against his lips, giving him another soft peck, feeling Nico's hands stroking against the front of his sweater gently, making him shiver in response.

"Alright. Good luck…honey."

Percy halted in his movement, blinking at Nico surprised, but Nico was staring down at the ground, a blush spreading on his face.

Had he just…?

Had Nico just called him…?

He had, hadn't he?

Unable to stop himself, Percy found the biggest, creepiest grin spreading on his face, and he couldn't resist leaning forward to press his lips against Nico's forehead.

"Hopefully I won't need it, sweetheart. Guys, listen, I'm going to…organize some, erm, snacks. I'll be back in a bit, yeah? So, go on ahead without me. Pick a good movie, will you?" He cursed himself for not thinking of a good excuse beforehand, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

He also off-handedly noticed that, therefore that Jason and he had decided Percy would pick the movie and Jason would pick the food, it now looked a lot more like Jason would pick the movie, while Percy would make the food.

But, well, he wasn't going to complain, especially not because it guaranteed him self-made pizza.

Will looked up with a frown, undoubtedly wondering why Nico couldn't just request snacks like before, but then he merely nodded.

Percy waved at the lot, sending a last gentle smile towards Nico, who still looked slightly flustered at using a pet name on Percy just like that.

Percy loved it.

Nico looked so utterly, ravishingly adorable.

He was so going to ravish him tomorrow in the shower, that much was for certain (they usually stuck to hands mostly, not daring to try actual shower sex just yet, because Will had warned him about the positions and comfort level months ago, and Percy wasn't going to attempt anything too stupid just yet. Though, he had to admit, he was tempted almost daily).

But now, it wasn't Nico-ravishing time.

It was pizza-making time.

He grinned to himself, resisting the urge to walk backwards in order to look at his guys for as long as possible, instead aiming for getting to the kitchen asap.

Now, the most important question was: Should he make the pizza blue or not?

.

Jason carried him as if he weighed nothing.

Will wished he could make himself care.

Instead, he just let him do as he pleased, burying his face at the side of his neck, inhaling his scent and trying to ignore the throbbing of his limbs and the onslaught of thoughts and dread and fear and horror.

Leah. Lee. Michael.

Three people he had been so utterly certain to have chosen rebirth, but instead, they were there, in Elysium.

Why?

How?

_Why_?

And why had Michael…why had Michael told them…?

Will had confided that to him, hanging onto the hope Michael wouldn't tell _anybody_!

How dare he betray him like that?

And what was there to talk about?

It was all in the past, Will didn't want to ever talk about that again.

He couldn't even bear the thought of _thinking_ about it, how was he supposed to talk about it?

Not to mention he didn't see a reason why, nor what Michael would really wish to discuss.

Alright, Will had run off right after telling Michael, but he simply couldn't take the horror-struck expression on his face.

He hadn't been able to bear it.

He had thought it might not be all that bad, that Michael could help him, that everything would work out somehow.

But, well, it hadn't.

Then again, Will probably could have chosen a better time, instead of a mere day before the big battle against Kronos.

But it had been the only moment he had had both the chance and the courage to say it all out loud, both to himself and a person he could trust – or thought he could trust, at any rate.

Who else had Michael told?

It couldn't have been anybody still living, or Will would know.

And Silena and Beckendorf had seemed clueless.

Maybe it had 'just' been Lee and Leah.

He hoped that was the case, even though that was already bad enough as it was.

Why did Leah know?

Will hadn't wanted her to know.

Gods, this was going to haunt him forever, especially the talk she had tried to have with him about it.

And he had actually given in and cried.

He still couldn't believe it.

He. Had. Cried.

For real.

In front of her.

Gods, how pathetic was that?

How pathetic was he?

He was over all that, damn it!

It was behind him, and it was never going to happen again, he had to believe in that.

Right.

He sighed, noticing Jason talking to him and Nico quietly, telling them of the time when he had met Thalia again for the first time in forever, and how Leo had made some bridge melt or something with being 'too hot' (which would probably have Leo cracking jokes right now and wriggling his eyebrows at the lot).

Will had to smile despite the jumble of rather depressing thoughts, unable to not picture that scene unfolding.

And Jason was so nice and cool, too.

Maybe Will should out-power himself more often, if it made Jason carry him around like that.

That was a lie, of course.

He'd never let anything like this happen again.

Showing weakness like this once was already bad enough as it was.

But Jason didn't seem to mind whatsoever, anyways.

Again, he carried him as if he weighed nothing, and the emotions Will could make out through the whirr that were his own, only indicated some sort of pleasant calm, a good amount of concern and worry, and an odd sort of…pride? Smugness?

Will wasn't sure, but as long as Jason seemed cool with carrying him around, he wasn't going to complain about whatever Jason might be feeling.

He glanced up, just to see Nico's room coming closer.

Oh, they were this far already?

Somehow, it hadn't felt as if they had been walking for very long at all.

He glanced sideways at Nico, wondering faintly how long Percy was going to be gone.

Getting snacks.

Right.

Will had no clue what he was up to, but he was a hundred percent certain he wasn't getting snacks.

"You thought of a film yet that you'd like to watch?" Jason asked curiously, but Will shook his head lightly, glad it didn't send a too bad jolt of pain through him.

At least he really was better than three days ago.

It wasn't much of an improvement, but better than nothing, he guessed.

Good thing he could tell this was just from overexerting himself, though, else he might have worried his sprint through the Underworld back with Percy might have done permanent damage.

But he did know, so he knew that wasn't the case, thank the gods.

"Nope. With you and Percy around, there's no way we can watch the horror movies, after all, or you'll be having nightmares." He replied with a wry smile, and Jason turned his head slightly to send him an unimpressed look.

Will ignored the way their faces were so close, in favor of leaving his chin on Jason's shoulder.

"If you say so. I actually thought we'd watch one of them, at least. Sure you don't want to?"

Will thought of the rows of horror movies their room had to offer, contemplating the option for a moment.

Then he noticed he was nuzzling his face against Jason's shoulder absent-mindedly (again.), and huffed out a small breath, shaking his head.

"Nope, don't want to. How about something funny, instead? Wasn't there this one film Percy wanted to watch so badly?"

"Finding Nemo?" Jason asked with an alarmed look, and Will snorted.

"I'm not watching that ever again, forget it. No, I meant that other film, the comedy with this one actor…what was it called…"

Nico chuckled. "I just love how Jason asked you what you want to watch, and you start talking about what Percy wanted to watch. Isn't there any movie you really want to see?"

Damn.

Nico had looked through him.

To be expected, he guessed.

Will sighed, noticing Jason glancing at him ever so inconspicuously trough the corners of his eyes, making Will all the more aware of the attention on him.

"Well…" He started hesitantly, and could practically feel Nico and Jason listening intently to his every word, zoning out everything around them.

Dorks.

"There might be a movie, but I'll have to read the back of it once more to make sure it's worth it. After all, it seems like you're willing to watch anything to appease me, so I better choose something good." He declared smugly, and both Nico and Jason chuckled, Nico opening the door to let them in.

As soon as Will crossed the threshold, he felt tons better already, a small weight lifting off him.

He didn't say anything, though, trying to enjoy every last second of Jason carrying him with ease, maybe even slightly mourning the loss once Jason let him down at the edge of the bed.

"Here you go. How is your leg? Are you good to move, or would you prefer to sit or lay down right away?" The blonde asked worriedly, and Will knew under normal circumstances, he'd scowl at him and snarl he was alright.

But these were no normal circumstances, so instead he moved his leg tentatively, wrinkling his nose when it still hurt quite a bit.

It was bearable, but had the nasty side effect of ruining his good mood he had just reacquired.

Nico sucked in a sharp breath and turned to hurry over to the shelf with the DVD's.

"That was a 'I want to stay in bed'. So, which film did you mean? Or want me to bring a few over?"

Will didn't immediately reply, too busy letting Jason fuss over him with getting him into the middle of the bed with a few pillows behind him – Jason even managed to arrange them in a remarkably similar way to how Will had done it for himself before, which showed once more how attentive Jason actually was.

The guys were so nice.

So kind.

So caring.

So considerate.

Will knew they had tons of questions, he could see them burning in their eyes whenever he held their gazes for longer than a few seconds, yet none of them had voiced any of them out, instead apparently universally deciding to leave him in peace and decide for himself whether he wanted to talk or not.

He really liked that.

Of course, it would probably be easier to tell himself he _had_ to tell them because they'd be upset otherwise, but he also knew he'd hate being forced to talk about it, even if it was he himself who was forcing himself to speak.

Not even about _that_.

Nope, he was never going to talk about that.

But the least he could do was telling them about Leah, and maybe even some safe-to-tell bits from his past.

He knew they were dying to know more about him, even though he generally didn't like to share any of that.

But these were his best friends, (his crushes, _cough_), so, if anybody deserved to get at least some answers, it was them.

"Actually, I was curious about the film 'Book of Life'. Cecil said it was pretty decent, but I never got the chance to watch it." He said quietly, hoping Cecil hadn't lied to him, or he'd have his head.

There was no way he'd waste this perfect chance to pick an awesome movie to watch with his guys with listening to Cecil and deciding for a shitty movie.

Nope, not going to happen.

Jason climbed into bed next to him, and Will decided to use the shift in weight on the mattress as an excuse to drop ever so subtly against Jason.

Hey, he was having his weak moment, ok?

And he was craving physical contact right now, sue him.

Will felt the soothing cool of Jason once more, instantly feeling a lot more at ease, though it hadn't even been two minutes yet since Jason had put him down in the first place.

Jason's emotions hadn't changed, nor had his values, and Will found himself breathing out in relief slightly, glad that at least Jason wasn't going to freak him out with any weird, unexpected revelations or changes.

Jason shifted, and for a moment Will worried he had been too obvious with his desperate wish for closeness, after all.

Then Jason worked an arm around him, tugging him closer slightly, and Will knew he had been too obvious – but Jason more than apparently didn't mind.

"This one? I didn't even notice this before. Well, it looks interesting, I guess. What is it about?" Nico asked, bringing over a DVD and climbing into bed to settle down on Will's other side, leaning against him as he passed the case.

Nico felt so nice and cool, too.

A different sort of cool from Jason, but still so, so nice.

His emotions were much more of a jumble than Jason's, though.

While Jason was generally as collected as he looked (with some few exceptions), Nico had the ability to look entirely impassive and unaffected, while his insides was the absolute opposite.

Right now, it wasn't _that_ bad, but he was still a whirl of emotions, ranging from affection over worry to _dread_, though it was impossible for Will to figure out more.

For that, he'd need to regain control over himself, first, then get Nico somewhere nice and quiet to have a talk and figure out roughly what might be bothering him to what extent and why and how.

But, yeah, they weren't going to do that, and Will was happy if he managed to make it through the day without breaking down crying again, so there was that.

"Well, let's see…" He murmured, turning the case around, hoping against hope he was at least collected enough to read it out loud properly.

Then again, if Percy managed to write love notes every morning for the Advent Calendar, Will had to be capable of reading the back of a DVD case out loud on a bad day.

"Hmm? 'Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart, embarks on an adventure that spans three fantastic worlds where he must face his greatest fears'. That sounds cryptic. I like it." Jason read out before Will had the chance, and Will could feel him inching closer, placing his chin on Will's shoulder, hand reaching out to take the case from Will to look at the front again.

Nico came closer from the other side, too, leaning his head against Will's shoulder/arm.

"Sounds good. What do you think?" The Italian asked and Will wanted to shrug, but with both guys so close, he couldn't.

Not without shaking them off.

And there was no way he was going to do that.

Gods, this felt amazing.

They had come closer the past days, too, of course – especially whenever Will had seemed extra down about not being able to get up and _do_ anything.

But not like this.

This was the best thing ever.

So, instead of shrugging, he admitted defeat, clearing his throat.

"I suppose it sounds interesting. If you're up for watching…"

"Sure." Both guys instantly replied, and Will could swear they exchanged 'I told you so'-glances, though when he looked at them in turn, they were both gazing at him with gentle smiles.

Which was already pretty disturbing, because those two did not look at him like that usually.

Nico looked at Percy like that sometimes, yes, and Jason tended to look at Nico like that whenever Nico wasn't looking; but they didn't look at _Will_ like that!

(Though he had to admit it made him feel rather warm and fuzzy and he couldn't deny he liked it – even if it was slightly unnerving, still.)

Will found himself relaxing slightly, which clashed greatly with the fact he was feeling more self-conscious than ever.

But he still slumped back into the pillows behind him, the two instantly coming closer from both sides, snuggling up to him.

"Then it's settled. Now, we just have to wait for Percy to come back." Jason said quietly, his breath tickling Will's ear, which made him close his eyes for a moment.

"Yeah, but that shouldn't take too long. He's just getting snacks, after all. I hope he won't overdo it." Nico muttered against his other ear.

Cruel people.

Maybe Will should reconsider telling them just how sensitive his ears were.

Nico's hands started stroking over his arm slowly, gently, while Jason put his on Will's thigh.

Hm, maybe not.

That was bound to make them move, and at this rate, Will so didn't want them to move.

"Is he really getting snacks?" He asked instead, and both of the guys were quiet for a long moment, very subtly confirming his suspicion.

"I'm sure he'll bring some." Jason said at last, and Nico nodded hesitantly.

Will snorted.

"Right. So, I'm not allowed to know?"

"It's a surprise." Both guys said quietly at the same time, and Will sighed, opening his eyes again to look up at the ceiling.

A surprise, huh?

What could that be?

Especially if _Percy_ was the one doing it.

Or working on it?

Making it?

He had no idea.

Will pondered what it could be for a while, relishing in the closeness and the gentle caresses from the guys – until he realized with a jolt he was dirty as hell and must reek from all his running and hitting the ground.

He stiffened to a board, and both guys instantly pulled back, looking worried and surprised.

"You ok?" Nico asked tentatively, and Jason even took his hand off Will's thigh, which made him instantly regret thinking of this.

But now, he definitely couldn't let them that close anymore.

What must they be thinking of him, pushing them to get that close, when he was all nasty and eww.

"I...nothing. I just realized I must reek. I'm definitely taking a shower later, don't even think about stopping me. Nico, don't you dare." He added when Nico's face became blank and he leaned forward slightly as if to sniff him, same as he had done the last time Will had complained.

Jason snorted (aww, cute, he was copying Will's dumb laugh – Will wished _he_ would sound at least half as adorable as Jason whenever he did that) and buried his face in his hands.

"Of all the things that could have bothered you, _this_ is what you choose to be bothered about? Will, you are…wow, I can't even say I'm surprised. This is just like you…you absolute dork..." He claimed, then, to Will's absolute _horror_, Jason dropped back against him, burying his face at the side of his neck.

"J-Jason!"

Nico dropped against his other side with a small chuckle.

"Nico!"

They both ignored him, wrapping their arms around him and coming super close, as if trying to crawl _into_ Will or something.

Will wasn't sure what to do.

Should he push them away?

Should he let them stay this close?

"Relax. We don't care. Also, Percy wanted to convince you to take another Jacuzzi bath with us, anyways." Jason murmured into his sweater and Will blinked.

Then he felt Nico stiffening.

"Weren't we supposed to get that ready by the time he comes back?" The Italian asked hesitantly, though he didn't move his face away from the side of Will's neck, inhaling his scent probably just to tease him.

Jason stiffened.

"Shit, you're right."

Will raised an eyebrow.

That had to be the first time he heard Jason saying 'Shit'.

Then again, Jason had proven capable of cussing worse than Percy, Will and Nico combined, so he guessed 'Shit' was nothing in comparison.

Nico made a small sound, as if trying to say 'Of course I am' without actually saying it.

Then there was silence, in which they both rubbed their faces against Will's shoulders.

"So…who's going to get the water running?" Jason asked quietly.

Silence.

Will raised an eyebrow.

Both Jason and Nico raised their heads slightly, in favor of staring at each other, and Will's eyebrow raised even higher as he took in their expressions, what with Nico beginning to glower at Jason and Jason looking almost pleading.

"Aw, you're so cute. Enjoy snuggling up to me so much?"

It had slipped out.

Really, he had had no intention of teasing them like that.

He half expected them both to pull back now and deny it, but instead, they both shot him unimpressed glances.

"Yes." They both claimed, as if it was the most normal thing in the world – and Will found himself blinking, his face burning.

What?

Jason and Nico returned to their staring contest, and Will watched them with a wildly beating heart.

Of course, this didn't mean anything.

But damn, how was he supposed to keep telling himself that when those two were this close and more than unwilling to pull back whatsoever, even saying they liked snuggling up to him.

At long last, Jason groaned frustrated and pulled back.

"Fine. But you owe me, Nico."

Whoa, since when was Jason not doing anything in his power to please Nico in any and every way he could, instead talking as if this was some major sacrifice he was making?

Nico grinned triumphantly, though he hid his face from view the moment Jason glanced around at him skeptically once more.

Then the blonde climbed off the bed with a sigh, disappearing into the bathroom.

"Cuddling with me isn't all _that_ great, you know…" Will muttered awkwardly, still feeling his face burning.

Nico snorted, his hand stroking over Will's arm again.

"It kind of is, you know? You're so nice and warm and comfortable. Plus, we want to show you we're here for you. You don't have to, of course, but we just want you to know that, if you want to talk, we'll listen. All of us. Each of us. And we know today must have been quite a shock to you, so we kind of want to…you know…make you feel better." Nico explained quietly, putting his head back against Will's shoulder again, and Will found himself moving automatically, letting his own head lean against his.

"You don't have to. I'm…coping." He said in a small voice.

He couldn't exactly lie in this case and say he was 'fine', and he was fairly certain Nico would have his head if he even as much as attempted to, so he wasn't going to risk that.

Nico sighed.

"Shush. We aren't doing this because we have to, Will, and you know it. Just let us spoil you for a bit. Do you have any idea how badly Percy and Jason wanted to have an excuse to smother _you_ in affection for once? It's always you taking care of us, so let us take care of you for once."

Now not only Will's face was burning, but his entire body seemed to be tingling and getting hot – even worse than usual.

What was Nico saying?

That was…oh gods…

Will stayed quiet, trying frantically to control his face muscles as the most stupid grin tried to make its way onto his face.

For a moment, there was silence, then Nico lifted his head with a frown, probably wondering why he wasn't replying.

When he caught side of Will's face, though, he snorted out a laugh.

"Oh gods, you're so…" He started, but then trailed off, shaking his head firmly and leaning forward – and for one fleeting moment Will almost thought Nico was going to kiss him.

Well, it was more like the thought crossed his mind for a split second but common sense shoved it away instantly again.

Then, Nico surprised him with actually really kissing him – onto the cheek.

Which felt just as good, to be honest.

This was the second time Nico had done this today.

Will could absolutely get used to that.

"Aww, look at that happy smile. Seems like _somebody_ is enjoying your display of affection, Nico." Jason teased as he came walking back over from the bathroom, grinning at Will, who tried and failed to stop himself from smiling so broadly.

But he just couldn't help it!

Nico chuckled, stroking up and down his arm again, while Jason climbed back into the bed and settled against Will's side again.

"Water is running, I made it a bit warmer than usual so we won't have to get in right away, since I have no idea how much longer Percy is going to take." He explained, getting comfortable; and this time it was Will who put his arm around the blonde, tugging him closer.

He didn't even notice what he was doing until he felt the slight surprise coursing through Jason.

Oops.

Will was about to pull back, mortified by his own actions, but then Jason already had his arm around him and let out a small, content sigh.

"This is so nice. We should do this more often." Jason said quietly, and Will inwardly agreed, though there was no way he could say that out loud.

Nico chuckled against his other shoulder.

"We already do this more than we probably should. I don't think friends usually get this close, not even nowadays."

True, true, absolutely true.

Jason huffed.

"So? You know you like it. Who cares what others say? Will, back me up." He ordered, and Will opening his eyes again, blinking at the blonde.

Erm…what?

He did want more of this, yes, but…well…Nico did have a point…

Jason raised an eyebrow, and Will cleared his throat.

"You're absolutely right. If something feels good, why would you obey the standards society pushes onto you? We're all consenting to this, so I see no reason why we can't…erm…do as we please…" He babbled, trying to not feel too proud and pleased with himself when Jason gave a satisfied nod, stroking over his thigh again so gently and nicely and _mmh, it felt so good_.

Nico sighed, stroking his arm up and down, and Will closed his eyes again, relishing in the caresses once more.

"Guess you're right. I hope Percy comes back soon, though."

Will snuggled against them, starting to feel somewhat sleepy due to the comfort.

The events of the day had taken quite the toll on him, after all.

"Yeah, else he'll come back to a flooded bathroom and us fast asleep. Will, just so we have the same story, it was all your fault because you didn't let us out of the bed." Jason declared and Will let out an indignant huff.

"Yeah right. Percy is going to look right through that in an instance. I'm not exactly in any shape to hold anybody back, so how would that even work out? What am I supposed to do? Smother you in heat and tickle you into submission while the bathroom is happily getting flooded?"

"Yes." Both Jason and Nico agreed instantly and Will snorted.

For a moment, there was silence, in which all three of them grinned stupidly, though they all tried half-heartedly to suppress it.

Then Nico started laughing, and Jason joined right in, forcing Will to give in and laugh out as well.

"You're such dorks." He commented wryly, glad that laughing wasn't hurting him at all anymore.

Now that he had calmed down a bit, most of the pain had lessened, the only real thing left being a dull throbbing in his leg, but that was more than bearable by now.

Nico and Jason poked his sides simultaneously, and he let out an utterly embarrassing squeak.

Both Nico's and Jason's eyes widened, a dangerous gleam appearing in them.

Oh no.

No, that looked like they were totally thinking about something Will was not going to like whatsoever.

"Guys…" He muttered warningly, pulling his arms up as if to defend himself.

Dangerous smirks appeared on both their faces, and Will swallowed.

"Nico…" Jason said quietly, ominously, as if talking in some sort of code language.

Nico's smirk widened. "It's a deal."

Will whined, already knowing his fate was sealed.

And the next moment, both guys were on him, with Nico tugging his shirt up as Jason's hands immediately went under and to his sides, tickling mercilessly, both of them letting out war cries, while Will wailed.

No~!

And he had _so_ enjoyed the soft and gentle touches and the closeness and the peace!

He tried to keep it all in, tried not to let Jason's touch affect him whatsoever, but he didn't even last half a minute, the laughter already bubbling up inside him, and soon making its way out, only adding to the noise.

Oh, how he hated being tickled.

Oh, how he loved it.

Cruel, cruel world.

.

"Aww, come on, Will, it wasn't that bad." Jason cooed as Will let out another indignant huff, letting himself sink into the warm water of the Jacuzzi, and sticking to Percy's side, as if Percy could/would protect him.

Then again, Percy probably would.

Seriously, those three.

There he left them alone for _five_ minutes (it had been twenty-five, but same difference), and he found Jason and Nico all over poor, defenseless Will, tickling the hell out of him and making him almost sob as he pleaded for mercy, his laughter even audible in the corridor outside their room.

"That's what you get for mistreating him. And there I thought you'd make use of him so amiable and snuggle up to him and get all touchy-feely, Jace." He teased and Jason gave him a very subtle kick underwater.

Percy kicked back.

Hey.

"We did. But then we figured some laughing wouldn't hurt him…" Nico said with a small shrug, and the moment Will glanced around at him, he put on his best sad and disappointed face he could muster, gazing down at the water as if he had just gotten rejected.

Percy watched in amazement.

So, therefore that his boyfriend was even more oblivious than Percy himself was, he apparently knew just fine how to wrap them around his finger.

Good to know.

Will's expression softened and he sighed quietly, showing Percy Nico had won.

"I suppose it wasn't all that bad. Next time, I'll do the tickling, though. That will make me much, much happier, I'm just saying."

Jason and Nico exchanged a long glance, as if debating this option, and Percy rolled his eyes with a grin.

"Right. So, how high should I set the bubbles this time? We have the low setting…" Percy started, working on the buttons of the Jacuzzi, which was officially his job since the first time they had gotten into the tub.

"Then, we have this…" He continued, increasing the speed.

He felt Will leaning back next to him, eyes half closed, clearly enjoying the sensation.

Percy increased the speed some more and adjusted the spray of the nozzles, until all three of them let themselves fall back with expressions of bliss on their faces.

"I think this is good." Will mumbled quietly, and Percy grinned to himself, lowering himself completely into the water again.

Yes, perfect.

Oh, how he loved this Jacuzzi.

He was most definitely going to get a thing like this in Nico's and his apartment in New Rome, that much was for certain.

Best case scenario would of course be that they'd have a pool, anyways, but Percy kind of doubted that was going to happen – the Jacuzzi was an absolute must, though.

Silence settled over them, but it was a comfortable silence, so Percy left it at that, enjoying the warmth and the flow of the water, working its magic on his muscles.

And he wasn't even having any issues as it was.

He hoped this felt as good to the others as it did to him, seriously.

Though their expressions certainly made it seem that way, so he wasn't all that worried.

"This really rivals actual baths." Jason muttered quietly, almost complete submerged in the water, which made Percy smile to himself.

"Yeah, but you can make super amazing bubble baths in normal bathtubs…" Will pointed out, sounding somewhat drowsy, and Percy turned to glance at him, only to find him shuffling in the water, leaning against him slightly.

Will was so open with his need for physical contact, Percy wasn't sure whether he should find it worrying or endearing.

"We can take one of those, too. The bathtub is big enough to-…"

"No." All three of them immediately interrupted him, and Percy huffed out a disappointed breath.

Aw, and he was so certain it would be fun, too.

"Why don't you take a bath with Nico, Percy. Baths are there to lay back and relax – or to have sex. I'm not going to take a bath with all of you guys. It will ruin it for me forever. Just imagine, me in ten years, in my own place, just taking a bath to relax – only to remember you guys being crazy as usual. I'm going to get all nostalgic and depressed, instead of nice and relaxed. Not going to happen." Will put in sulkily and Percy made a face.

He ignored the sex-part, and had half a mind to ignore the rest of it as well, but then couldn't, because, seriously, Will, what the hell?

"Well, then you'll simply have to come over in ten years and tell us we should take another bath together, just like in old times. Or, even better, how about you and Jason just come and-…"

"We're not going to move in with you. Forget it, Percy." Jason interrupted him before he could finish, and Percy now definitely sulked.

Why not?

How were they supposed to end up together if those two were so freaking stubborn?

Wait, that so wasn't why he was doing this, at all.

He didn't have ulterior motives or anything.

But it would make everything so much easier, and couldn't they see how well they worked out together?

They enjoyed hanging out with each other like this, there was no way they could deny that.

So why would Jason and Will insist on their own place so badly?

They could have their own rooms!

That ought to be good enough.

It would save rent, and they'd be bound to see each other lots, and be bound to do lots of stuff together, and everything would be cool and perfect.

"But we're kind of living together here, too, and it's working out great." He pouted, and Jason and Will sent him exasperated glances.

Nico remained quiet, studying the water and staying out of the conversation, same as he had done the past times this had come up.

Percy wished he knew whether that meant Nico wanted the guys to come live with them but didn't dare speak up as to not force them; or whether it meant Nico didn't want the guys to come live with them and Percy was being delusional again.

"It's only working because we give you and Nico some privacy in the bathroom, though you seem keen on taking any sort of privacy from us. Plus, I highly doubt you'll want to keep us in the same bed with you two once you live in New Rome. Nico's already hoping for more action, even with you two taking showers alone every day, what do you think will happen if we impose on you for the rest of your lives? He'll go mad." Jason insisted, and both Percy's and Nico's heads snapped around.

"What?" Percy asked, looking towards Nico with wide eyes, searching for confirmation.

Nico stared at Jason in alarm, his face turning scarlet, and stammered a weak 'What the hell, Jason! I'm NOT!', though it sounded more like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar and was trying to come up with something to play it down.

Will chuckled.

"Seems like a certain somebody is neglecting Nico's needs…"

"Will! He's not! It's…he's…we're _great_, I'll have you know!" Nico insisted with a bright red face, but Percy already turned to Will with an indignant scowl.

"Well, _you_ were the one telling me I shouldn't attempt shower sex with him anytime soon!"

Nico wailed and buried his face in his hands, while Jason slapped his hands to his face, muttering something unintelligible.

Will stared at Percy blankly for a moment, then he groaned.

"Percy! That was _months_ ago, and I only meant you shouldn't try it _before you actually did have sex with him_! Oh gods! You're such an idiot. Nico, I feel so sorry for you, I swear. Also, why the hell don't you just take baths with him, then? There are _tons_ of ways you can have sex in the bathtub, for gods' sake!" He exclaimed, and Nico whined softly in his corner of the Jacuzzi, and Percy noticed the bits of his face he could make out through his hands were a dark shade of red now.

"Well, why didn't you tell me that before, you ass!"

"What, that you can have sex with Nico? Or that there are plenty of way you can have sex in the bathtub?"

"Both!" Percy exclaimed, splashing water at Will, who immediately splashed back.

"Well, _excuse you_, but I thought both of them were obvious! Even _Jason_ knows that!"

"Hey, what are you bringing _me_ into this for?" Jason sulked, peeking at them through between his fingers.

Will turned to look at him instead of glowering back at Percy.

"Handsome, I didn't mean it bad. I'm just hoping to wake some sort of competitive sense in Percy, so he'll start using his brain for once."

"Guys, just…shut up…" Nico exclaimed meekly, and funnily enough they immediately fell silent, looking around at the Italian, who had pulled his legs up and wrapped his arms around them, his face hidden at his knees, which looked really weird with the bubbling water surrounding them.

Will let out a loud sigh, letting himself sink back into the water, apparently trying to relax and forget this conversation ever happened.

But then, he suddenly laughed.

"I can't believe you just told us you haven't had sex with Nico ever since we got into the Underworld. Damn, Percy, and the bed is so comfortable, too."

"Will!" Nico wailed, but Jason's snort was louder.

"I wouldn't complain if I were you, Freckles. We sleep in that bed, too, after all."

"True that. Which brings us back to the point that you will not want us in your bed when you live in New Rome. Case closed." Will agreed, rolling his eyes and sinking into the water up to his nose.

Percy was tempted to let some water splash into his face, just for being so freaking mean.

And there Percy had seriously been reigning himself back in all this time, keeping it to hands and mouth only!

Damn it all.

Well, he _had_ decided earlier he'd so try his best to take it further tomorrow morning, but seriously?

He could have done this so much sooner!

But he didn't splash water into his face.

Instead, he leaned back and pushed out his bottom lip, wondering faintly what would happen if he just told them he wouldn't mind sharing a bed with them for the rest of their lives.

In this context, they were bound to understand what he meant to imply by that, after all.

But he didn't.

Instead, he merely sulked.

"Aw, now you broke his heart, Will. Fix it." Jason insisted, and Percy could feel him nudging Will with his foot, making sure to get his left leg, and not the problematic right one.

Will made a face.

"What am I, Fix-it-Felix?" He complained, and Percy looked down at the water with a pout, sinking back into the warmth and trying to stop picturing them all living together (not to mention _being_ together).

For a moment, there was silence.

Then Will let out a low groan, and Percy could feel him moving closer, though he wasn't thinking too much into it until he felt Will's hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, Percy, I'm sorry for giving you incomplete information. Will you forgive me?" He asked, though he didn't sound sorry at all.

With his acting skills, one would expect he could get a fake apology across much better than that.

Percy shook his hand off, turning his back on him.

"Whatever."

"Percy! Don't be like that. Come on…" Will tried, putting his hands on Percy's shoulders again, kneading gently.

Percy sent him a wry glance.

"If you're trying to buy me with massaging my back, it's not going to work. You cost me tons of sex with my boyfriend."

That wasn't really the issue here, but it was certainly one of them.

Will huffed, though he didn't pull his hands back, anyways.

"Right. How about I give you some pointers for future reference to make up for it?" He tried tentatively, instead, and Percy grumbled.

He'd much rather have Will offering to overthink his offer with the four of them living together.

Or at the very least consider an actual bath with them all.

Though, Will probably _did_ have a point with the whole privacy-issue…

"So, where to start? Let's see…though you might think doggy would work well in a bath, I wouldn't advise it. It's said to be rather painful on the knees for both partners, you know?" Will started in a light voice, and Nico made a sound as if he was tempted to drown himself, while Jason let out a small sigh, as if not surprised whatsoever.

"'It's said to be'? So you don't know?" Percy asked with a frown, and felt Will stilling behind him.

"Well, excuse you, but there are things even I did not do, you know?"

"Oh? That's new. Usually, you brag about all the experience you have." Percy commented wryly and Will pinched his back.

"Shut up. I didn't do anything in any bathroom. In which one would I have? The Apollo cabin has a puny bathroom and tons of kids in it, and, back then, all the other cabins were kind of overfilled, too. I don't know about you, but I don't fancy getting locked up in the public bathroom, thank you very much!"

Percy felt Will tense behind him almost immediately after he had finished speaking, though he had no idea why.

Instead, he lifted his arms lightly in a defeated motion.

"Alright, alright. Calm down, I wasn't attacking you. So, what else do you know?"

"Percy! You can't seriously just-…wait, have you two done this before?" Nico started out in a meek and quiet voice, but then suddenly sat up straighter, eyeing them oddly.

Jason snorted.

"Why do you think Percy went to him for blowjob-advice? Percy has been abusing Will for any sort of advice he could get since day one."

"Jason! That is so not true!" Percy insisted indignantly, while Will laughed behind him.

"Yeah, right. Keep telling yourself that, Gorgeous."

"That's cheating." Nico suddenly exclaimed, splashing water at them both and looking upset, which made all three of them freeze.

Wait, what?

"W-what?" He asked aghast, over at Nico's side in a heartbeat, though the Italian only scowled at him, his face scarlet, splashing water at him again and unceremoniously pushing him away as he moved over to Jason's other side, away from Percy.

"That's _cheating_! I didn't have _anybody_ help me with _anything_, and you just go and ask Will? How mean is that? I was freaked out about doing anything wrong, even more so because you always seemed to know what you were doing, while in truth you had help!"

Oh shit.

He seriously seemed upset.

"Nico…" He tried meekly, but Nico looked positively _betrayed_.

"Hey, it's not like I really helped him much, Neeks…he just didn't want to hurt you or do something horribly wrong…" Will put in quietly, looking concerned, but Nico brushed him off, too, when he tried to come closer.

"Yeah, well, _I_ didn't want to hurt _him_, either, and nobody gave _me_ any advice or offered me help."

Uh-oh.

"I didn't know you wanted help! Plus, it's not like I went out of my way to offer Percy any advice, he just kind of barged in and demanded it!"

Thanks, Will.

Good to see you saving your own skin, really.

Nico sulked, crossing his arms in front of his chest and scowling down at the water.

"I was a virgin, of course I wanted help. Being from a different time fucking _sucks_."

Holy-…had Nico just said 'fucking'?

Oh shit, he was mad, alright.

Percy looked around at Will panicked, but Will seemed as much at a loss as he was, so they both turned towards Jason with pleading looks.

Jason seemed to feel their gazes, glancing around at them for a moment – just to scowl and roll his eyes.

But then, he sighed and moved closer to Nico, who actually let him come closer just fine.

"Nico, you know neither of them meant any harm. And hey, I'm still virgin, and I'm from this time, so you're certainly more experienced than me by now."

"_You are?!_" Percy, Will and Nico asked, heads snapping around at Jason, who gave them each a blank look.

"What part of 'I'm demisexual' did you guys not understand? The furthest I went was-…no, I'm not going to even bother telling you that."

Percy, Nico, and Will exchanged stunned glances, the argument a mere minute ago pretty much forgotten.

Alright, that was new.

Even to Percy, and he liked to think Jason had told him more than others, because they were, well, closer.

His brain supplied a very unhelpful image of them awkwardly holding hands, which he firmly pushed out of his mind.

Nope, now was not the time to think about that.

That had been a grave mistake, and Percy was now much smarter and would never attempt something that crazy ever again.

Alright, he might have had the sudden urge to show Jason he did want him along in their little group, and he hadn't wanted Jason to feel left out again in any way, and maybe he had felt as if it was slightly unfair if everyone was holding hands but Jason, but that had still been the stupidest thing Percy had ever freaking come up with – and he had come up with plenty of stupid things before, everyone knew that.

So, yeah, he was never going to attempt that again.

Ever.

For a long, very long moment, there was utter silence in the room.

Then, Will dropped back into his corner of the Jacuzzi, huffing out a loud breath.

"You guys are going to be the death of me one day, I swear. So, does anybody want any advice on shower and/or bathtub sex, or not?"

Percy sighed. "No…"

"Yes." Nico instantly insisted.

"Sure." Jason shrugged.

His head shot around, staring at Nico, who stared him down determinedly, settling against Jason's side and making it more than apparent he _was_ still upset about the whole advice-thing.

But Percy hadn't meant to upset him with that!

He had only not wanted to do anything super wrong!

Ugh, he was going to get this back somehow, he could already feel it.

Then again…Nico getting some advice might make him be more dominant and take control of the action.

He had to admit Nico _had_ gotten a bit more…well, _pushy_ the past days, whenever they had taken a shower together, and he couldn't deny he loved it when Nico looked at him like he was the most alluring thing in the world, not to mention the way Nico tended to kiss his way down Percy's body nowadays, pushing him against the shower wall, and…well, let's just say Nico was already showing he could be dominant and confident when he wanted to be.

Ever since the Truth or Dare, he had started actually voicing out what he wanted, too, which Percy absolutely loved, as well.

He really should have told him sooner about the whole top-bottom thing.

If only he had known that had been the issue.

Will chuckled. "Well, alright. So, how's that going to work out? Will Percy have to cover his ears, or is he permitted to listen in, too?"

Nico sent Percy a pointed look. "Cover."

Ouch.

Percy made a face, but moved his hands up to cover his ears, trying to ignore Will's absolutely amused expression.

He could still hear their voices somewhat muffled, though he hoped they'd let it pass.

They didn't.

Instead, Jason had to move over and behind Percy, putting his hands over Percy's and muffling the noise even more, so he could more hear them talking because of the way it made the water vibrate than anything else, but not distinguish any words.

Will and Nico studied him quietly for a moment, then both of them said something that made Jason snort, but Percy couldn't hear a thing, so he merely stared back blankly.

This was so mean.

Then again, he guessed this was how Nico felt about being left in the dark for so long.

Sighing, he leaned back against Jason, just to jolt upright again.

No way.

He was not going to get snuggly with Jason Grace.

Nope.

Jason huffed, but other wisely remained quiet – or at least that's what it felt like.

Ugh, he hated seeing Will starting to talk but not being able to make out any words.

Torture.

Absolute torture.

Percy sulked, trying to find comfort in the pizza dough that was happily waiting for further action in the kitchen.

Even though Will seemed in a great mood again already, the pizza was bound to make him feel even better.

And now, it might just cheer Nico up again, too.

Yeah, he absolutely had to believe in that.

Until then, he'd simply have to suck it up and watch how Will seemed to give the best freaking advice in the universe, while Percy couldn't understand a thing.

Payback was a bitch.

.

When Percy left because he had supposedly 'forgotten something', Will was seriously wondering what the hell the guy was up to.

When Percy had come back no ten minutes later, looking sheepish and desperate, asking the other two to come with him for a moment, he was ding to know what _they_ were up to.

Plus, he wanted them back.

Desperately.

He hated being alone, and being alone in bed after just relaxing once more (finally) in the Jacuzzi was even worse.

Gods, that had been one weird bath, though.

It had already started weird.

Then Percy had to go there and tell them about Nico's and his sex life (though, of course, Will knew he hadn't exactly meant it that way nor had meant for that to happen in the first place).

And Nico had thrown a fit about having to figure everything out on his own (that pure, sweet, innocent angel, bless his soul).

Just to then have Jason top everything by announcing he was a virgin.

Just…what.

That had been so unexpected, Will still wasn't over it.

Out of all of them, Jason had struck him as the most mature, and, well, he couldn't deny it, he had kind of thought he'd have the most experience, actually.

He had already been stunned when he had found out Piper had been the first person Jason had kissed, but he had kind of thought…well, he had no idea, actually.

He really didn't have a clue what he had been thinking, but it definitely hadn't been Jason being a virgin, that much was for certain.

Wow, Percy had beaten him to that.

Will completely wouldn't have guessed.

Now, the question was whether that meant Jason saw that as personal victory or defeat.

Oh well.

Will let himself fall back into the mattress, huffing out a loud breath and staring up at the ceiling.

Ugh, he hated being alone.

Especially today.

Especially after Elysium.

He closed his eyes, turning sideways and tugging his legs up slightly, trying to go over the conversation he had had with Jason and Nico about shower sex.

Seriously, those guys.

Hopefully, Will hadn't told them any rubbish.

Then again, he supposed he had warned them that he had nothing to back it up, so there was that.

Seriously, that Percy had just had to pick up on that.

It was so unfair, he was usually the most oblivious person ever!

Will rolled over, then rolled back, then started shifting on the bed some more, waiting impatiently for them to come back.

Then he groaned and sat up, looking around the room.

Maybe he could start up the movie?

But the guys had made him swear he wouldn't get up.

It was only a small distance, though.

And he was certain he could put weight on his right leg again no problem, too, especially after the warm water and the spray set right between gentle and forceful, the perfect middle, absolute heaven on his muscles.

He contemplated the option a moment longer, but then discarded it.

Even if he was to make it without problems, the guys would still be upset, and that wasn't worth it, he guessed.

So he looked around the room once more.

Playing a game was out of the question, since the TV's were all turned off and the controllers far out of his reach.

The board games weren't even an option, because, what would he play with himself?

Yeah, no.

His eyes fell on his guitar, leaning against the end of the bed.

No way.

Why had Percy even put it there, anyways?

No.

Not going to happen.

Will had stopped playing ages ago, he wasn't going to ever start again.

The mere thought put the hairs on his arms on end.

No.

A memory shot through his mind, and he winced, feeling as if he was being torn open from the inside.

No, he wasn't going to play again.

But it absolutely had nothing to do with what had happened back then.

He had sworn to himself to never let anything _he_ had done affect him ever again.

That absolutely included this.

He snorted at himself.

A dry, bitter sound, conveying just how much he believed himself right now.

Yeah, right.

If it hadn't been for that, he'd probably still be playing, though, and he knew it.

But, well, one was only punished once like that to never risk it again.

Gods, how he hated his life sometimes.

He couldn't even count the times he had wanted to switch with somebody – anybody – else, seriously.

But then again, he couldn't really make himself wish for that, because that meant somebody else would have had to go through all of that shit, and he wouldn't have wanted that, either.

So, yeah, he was stuck with his past, and it was apparently going to haunt him forever, even if he tried to tell himself it wasn't, and that he was over it, and that he was fine.

Will sighed.

Somehow, it felt as if he used to be better at this whole lying-to-himself-thing.

He glanced back at the guitar, this time letting his thoughts deliberately stray, just to see how bad it was going to get.

Memories came crashing over him, making him flinch and wince and curl back up into a ball, feeling the terror, the fear, the pain rip through him as if that hadn't happened years ago, but mere minutes ago, or maybe was even still happening right now.

That thought made his breath hitch, and he shot up to look around, though common sense told him to snap out of it, that he was getting too deep into it again.

Nothing was happening to him right now.

He was safe.

Absolutely, utterly safe.

And his friends were going to return any moment now, he was certain.

He looked back at the guitar, swallowing hard.

Then, against all his better judgement, he moved forward, towards it.

It looked exactly like his old guitar.

Which was good, because the last time he had played, he hadn't used his guitar, since it had already been burnt and broken and gone by then.

So Will started focusing on his guitar as his hand wrapped around the neck of it, lifting it and moving it closer ever so slowly, ready to throw it across the room should anything happen or anybody walk in now.

But nothing happened, and nobody came in, so he took a deep, forcefully even breath and changed his position, settling the guitar down in his lap to look at it.

It really looked exactly like it.

Will flipped it to the side, just to see the little sun-sticker with his name scribbled onto it – because his siblings had kept manhandling his guitar back when he had gotten it, and then claimed they weren't at fault because he simply should write his name on it, but he hadn't had the heart to really scribble onto the body of the guitar, itself (his handwriting sucked).

It even felt the same way in his hands as it had back then – maybe even better, because he had grown since then, and it didn't seem that big anymore.

Will pushed the images aside that tried to push themselves to the front of his mind once more, instead tentatively turning it back and adjusting his grip on it, letting his hand move over the neck and body of it, feeling strangely comforted by the almost familiar feeling of the wood under his fingertips.

Yeah, this was his guitar, alright.

He let his finger move over the strings, just to check whether it would even work.

The sound that came from it made him cringe.

Gods, Leah!

He had shown her _plenty_ of times how to tune a guitar!

This was…no, he couldn't leave this like that.

If his siblings ever picked up this guitar, they'd probably think he had done this and was going tone-deaf or something.

Shaking his head to himself, he shifted in his position, beginning to work on the turning keys and plucking some strings, trying to fix whatever Leah thought she had done to his guitar.

Seriously, that girl.

Will hummed the different notes to himself as he worked, getting completely absorbed in the task, and even his brain shut up for a moment as he focused on the job.

Of course, it didn't take that long, but still longer than he would have liked, which he blamed on his refusal of using any sort of instrument ever since…well, since the last time he had played guitar.

But he was in a cabin full of instrument-playing kids, so he really should have been faster and better than this, seriously.

At least the job was done.

Will huffed triumphantly to himself, plucking some strings just to nod contently.

Yes, much better.

He even played a quick tune, just the first thing that came to mind – and kept playing it, frowning slightly to himself.

Was it normal for people to remember how to play an instrument the moment they picked it up again, even if they hadn't played in forever?

No, no, it wasn't.

It must be his dad.

One of the talents kids of Apollo probably inherited.

Great.

So, Will couldn't beat monsters in battle and be of any help to his friends, but, hey, he could still play any instrument they wanted him to play as soon as they gave it to him.

Very useful.

No, seriously, Will was absolutely _thrilled_.

Will smiled drily at his own sarcasm, then sighed, playing another tune on the guitar.

He wondered…

Curious, he thought of a song, any song, settling for a kid's melody, and hummed it to himself, trying to play it from the top of his head.

At first, he messed up a few times, but after a few moments of trial and error, he got the hang of it.

Yep, definitely his father.

He felt a weight settling down on the bed next to him and his head shot up, staring at Nico wide-eyed, who had a gently smile on his face, his eyes gleaming.

Shit, when had he come back?

Will completely hadn't noticed!

He looked around, but couldn't detect Jason or Percy, so he guessed at least they hadn't heard this fiasco.

Since when had Nico been back, seriously?

Will was about to open his mouth to apologize, ready to fling his guitar across the room in mortification, but Nico shook his head, still smiling so softly.

"Don't. That was nice. Can you play some more?"

W-What?

Will felt his face heating, along with the rest of his body, and his first thought was to still fling the guitar across the room and yell 'No!'.

But instead, he swallowed, looking down at his guitar again, his fingers moving on their own accord, just playing random notes for the hell of it, apparently.

He pursed his lips.

Could he…?

If he did, he was bound to embarrass himself beyond belief.

No, he really shouldn't.

Sadly, lately he rarely did what he should.

Because, instead of shaking his head and stopping, he gave a small, hesitant nod, keeping his gaze on his guitar as he started up that kid's song again, while racking his brain for something better to play.

Nico was sitting next to him quietly, but then he started moving to behind Will, with his back against Will's back, which was great, because it took some of the tension out of Will, not making him feel so watched.

He started up another kid's song, then one of the songs usually played at the Campfire, which he still remembered playing on his old – this – guitar all those years ago.

Nico remained quiet, though Will could feel a sort of contentment and happiness surging through the Italian, which also calmed him immensely.

He played and played, and then there was this one song coming to mind, a song that was older, but not old, a song that had accompanied him for a long time, a song that he had sung to himself countless times, a song that he had always wanted to play at least once, but had never been able to get himself to actually try, out of fear of failure.

Could he really?

It wasn't a kid's song, and it definitely wasn't 'easy'.

He was bound to make mistakes.

Then again, what could possibly happen?

This was not _him_.

This was Nico.  
And Nico wouldn't punish him for anything, especially not messing up a few (or a hundred) notes.

Nico probably wouldn't even make fun of him or tease him about it.

Will hesitated for a moment longer, then pursed his lips, taking a deep breath.

Well, if he was already playing, he might as well take it all the way.

Who knew when he'd have the courage to pick it up again, after all.

He started humming the song he wanted to play, trying to get the right key down, because, well, it had been a while, alright, and even his father couldn't make miracles happen out of nowhere.

Not that Will would even want him to, in the first place.

Not this time.

This was his.

Not his song, but _he_ wanted to play this song, and he wanted to be the _only_ one playing it now, without his father's powers or presence or whatever.

Will closed his eyes, solely concentrating on the strings under his fingertips, plucking and strumming, getting comfortable with the tune, still humming it for reference.

Then, he started playing it whole, though slow at first, trying to work out all the flaws before attempting to really play it.

He knew it was mostly his father playing right now, and while he hated that, he comforted himself with the knowledge that at least a part of this was him, just him.

And his dad couldn't take that from him.

So he kept playing, humming until the song was over, just to play it again.

And then, he cleared his throat.

He could do this.

How long had it been since he had sung to an instrument?

Years.

The last time he had sung at all had been to the radio back on his date with Nico.

Or, well, if you so wanted to let that count as actual singing, back during their travel to Camp Jupiter when he had laid face down in the dirt, striking up 'Love is in the air'.

He wasn't even sure whether he could even _sing_ this song!

Though that was a lie, because with his inherited talent for music, he was bound to make it work if he put his mind to it – which he certainly was right now.

Will closed his eyes, getting ready for his cue, taking a last deep breath.

And then, he started singing.

His voice cracked slightly as he started out, and he wanted to cringe every time he messed up, but he didn't stop, determined to see this through.

He was over _that_.

It wasn't going to hold him back anymore.

Leah had gone through the trouble of getting him his guitar back, and he wasn't going to let that go to waste.

No, he was going to make it through this, because he wasn't the weak, pathetic boy he had been back then.

He was his own person.

He belonged to nobody.

He still might be the weakest demigod out there, especially compared to Nico, Percy and/or Jason, but he was stronger than back then, and he wasn't going to let anything tear him down right now.

Especially not his past.

Not now.

Not for a long time.

He played and played, knowing he was playing and singing this sound slower than the original, but it didn't matter.

It felt right.

The song felt right.

The speed felt right.

The guitar felt right.

The feeling felt right.

Will kept his eyes closed, singing softly, wishing he had his guitar picks to make things a bit easier, though he didn't mind all too much.

He _was_ playing this song slower, after all, so his fingers would forgive him (hopefully).

Nico leaned against him further, the silent joy coursing through him egging Will on to continue giving his best - not that he had ever intended any different.

It just all felt so right.

Seriously, why had he ever stopped playing?

This was _amazing_.

It felt as if he could just reach out through this song, let people know what he was feeling, though it wasn't even just the words that carried a message, it was the entire song.

The tune, the speed, the way he felt himself getting lost in it.

He reached the end of the song, and reluctantly let it happen, his voice trailing off, the music slowly fading.

Then, he let out a long breath, feeling surprisingly at peace with himself and the world.

When he opened his eyes, he was surprised how not-surprised he was at finding Percy and Jason sitting to next to him where Nico had sat before, gazing at him with gentle expressions and soft smiles.

Nico rubbed the back if his head against Will's slightly.

"That was beautiful." The Italian whispered, and Will for once didn't try to suppress the giddy smile spreading on his lips.

Jason and Percy both beamed at him, a gleam appearing in their eyes, as if they were feeling the joy he was feeling right now.

He looked down, fingers caressing the body of his guitar slowly, deliberately.

"Well…you know, child of Apollo and all…" He muttered in reply, because he still didn't want them to think he was some sort of wonder kid that could just pick up an instrument and play it.

But Percy shook his head.

"Nah. The beginning might have been influenced by your dad, but…"

"…the rest was entirely your own." Jason finished for Percy, and Nico nodded vigorously, coming back into view as he crawled over to Will's side, between him and Percy.

"Absolutely. In the middle I actually thought I could _feel_…well…you…" He started off excitedly, but then trailed off, blushing slightly.

Will found his heart beating faster, the smile still not leaving his face as he put his guitar down on his other side, doing something he had never ever thought he'd do – which wasn't the first time today, and probably wouldn't be the last time, either: He spread out his arms tentatively, mutely asking for a hug.

He wasn't really surprised to find them complying, nor was he surprised by the stunned looks he received for a moment before they did.

What he was surprised about, though, was the speed in which they complied, all but lunging forward and wrapping their arms around him, making him fall backwards into the mattress.

Will laughed, feeling Nico squeeze him tightly, then they were getting crushed by Percy and Jason, as if they really intended to break him with their intensity.

He laughed at the ticklish sensation of Nico's face against the side of his neck, and he laughed at the way Percy beamed down at him with so much affection in his gaze Will thought he'd start crying, feeling his heart thump loudly and in tune with their hearts.

He laughed at them bumping their shoulders into each other trying to get the most of him, and he laughed at the way Jason still held them all tightly in a bear hug, his hands moving up Will's back as if he was claiming him.

He laughed at it all, and he was fairly sure he sounded ridiculous, too, especially when the tears finally did come, running down his cheeks, his laughter now interrupted by small sobs.

But nobody pointed it out.

Instead, they held him tightly, smothering him with all the affection and warmth and love he could possibly want, need, ask for, receive.

It was the best thing in the world.

They weren't staring at him, weren't even looking at his face, giving him some peace as he sobbed, out of pain and sorrow and guilt from seeing Leah, Michael and Lee again; out of pain and fear and dread from remembering _him_; out of relief and gratitude and amazement at having such wonderful friends; out of love and affection and devotion that they were them and they were here and they would never, ever let him down.

He felt Nico placing a soft kiss to his exposed shoulder, like a soothing 'it will be alright'.

He felt Percy pressing his lips to the side of Will's neck, like a promise of 'we'll be here for you'.

He felt Jason shifting, gazing down at his tear-stained face with a soft expression, as if looking straight past all the walls Will had built around himself for so many years, and saw the real him behind all that – and accepted him just like that, leaning down to give him a kiss on the forehead, like a quiet 'we love you'.

Will closed his eyes, soaking it all up, clutching his guys as tightly as he could, and they held him back.

They remained like that for what might have been minutes, though it could also have been hours.

It was just one of those things that felt like forever, yet ever lasted long enough.

And he just let himself enjoy it, letting the tears fall and dry on his skin until Jason's hand moved up without even looking, brushing them away gently, while Percy's hands stroked over his back gently, and Nico nuzzled his face against Will's sweater.

Oh, how he loved these three guys.

There was absolutely no denying it anymore.

He was screwed, of course, because he was so setting himself up for failure, but, gods, he loved them so, so much.

How that had happened, he had no idea.

But it didn't matter, either.

His sobs finally diminished, yet they still stayed like that, even if the position wasn't the most comfortable, even if his arms had long fallen asleep, and he could tell Percy's legs and Nico's arms and hands had done the same, and Jason was doing a pro but uncomfortable job of balancing himself on top of Percy and Nico, but none of them complained.

"I don't want to say it, and I know I shouldn't say it, but this is, hands down, the best thing in the world." Percy whispered against Will's neck, and Nico, Jason and Will hummed in agreement automatically, not even bothering to think about what the hell they were even really saying.

It didn't matter, because it did matter, and it was the truth, and they knew it was the truth, which was why it didn't matter that it mattered nor what it was.

"I love you, guys…" Will breathed, knowing they'd interpret it as platonic, anyways, though his feelings were far from platonic.

But this was the closest he could ever get to confessing to them, and it just felt right to tell them now.

The three hummed in agreement, making him smile and wish inwardly they'd love him like he loved them.

Who knew, miracles sometimes happened, right?

Then, Percy pulled back slightly to study his face for a moment.  
"Don't fall asleep, though, sun-bug, you haven't tried the pizza yet, after all."

Will frowned slightly, though he was still smiling stupidly.

"What pizza?"

"Aw man, Percy, now you gave it all away." Nico chided with a quiet chuckle, pressing another kiss to Will's shoulder that made his skin tingle.

Gods, even though he absolutely hated today (the worst day in existence), he certainly loved today (the best day in existence).

He most definitely loved all the kisses they were giving him.

But, wait, what about pizza?

"And you were hoping so hard on surprising him with that." Jason sighed, shaking his head slightly, while Will watched realization flash across Percy's face, closely followed by a small pout.

"Aw, damn. And it was going to be such a great surprise, too."

"What pizza?" Will asked again, intrigued.

"Percy baked you a pizza." Jason and Nico explained, and Will blinked, taken aback by those news, and he looked back at Percy for confirmation.

Percy looked slightly nervous, a tinge of red spreading on his cheeks as he muttered something unintelligible, all sheepish and adorable.

"You did?"

"Yeah…it's blue."

The way he said that, as if it was something he was both proud and uncertain about, made Will smile even more, moving his head up to bump foreheads with Percy ever so gently, nuzzling against him slightly, since he couldn't use his hands right now.

"Really? That sounds amazing. Can't wait to try it."

If he had thought Percy's smiles had been radiant before, it was nothing compared to the smile that spread on Percy's face now, and even Nico shifted and turned his head as if he could feel it, laying his head onto Will's chest in order to glance up at Percy, too, smirking at him with a gentle expression, while Jason beamed down at them quietly.

Gods, therefore that this was the worst day ever, it really was the absolutely best day ever.

Will loved it, even though he also loathed it.

But right now, he solely loved it, because he solely loved them, and nothing could take that away from him.

.

An hour later, they sat huddled together on the bed with Nico's Christmas blanket thrown over them, devouring the best pizza in the world and watching 'The Book of Life', which was turning out to be a pretty good movie.

Nico leaned against Will a bit more, taking a bite off his piece without thinking when Will offered it distractedly, eyes glued to the screen.

Jason was sitting to Will's other side, chewing as well, his free hand under the blanket, undoubtedly stroking up and down Will's thigh, because Nico was doing the same thing with his free hand, and every here and there he could sense Jason's hand close by.

Originally, Jason had wanted Percy to sit next to Will, but Percy had blatantly acted deaf, placing the giant tray full of delicious, blue pizza in front of Will and nudging Nico into place next to him, just to then settle down next to Nico before anybody could say or do anything.

Stubborn dork.

Nico knew he wanted to get close to Will just as much as Nico and Jason wanted to.

Well, Nico was going to help out with that in a moment, but first, _pizza_.

Seriously, he had had no idea Percy could even cook at all, so the fact he had been able to bake pizza was more than surprising, especially since it wasn't just edible, it was freaking delicious.

Even if it was blue.

Maybe because it was blue.

Who knew, maybe the color blue had a flavor, and was doing magic to pizza.

Nico decided not to ponder that for too long, instead nudging Will's shoulder pointedly with his nose, to get the blonde to hold out the pizza to him once more distractedly.

Of course, Nico knew he could technically take another piece from the tray, but then he'd have to either pull his right hand away from Percy's, or his left hand back from Will's thigh, and he absolutely didn't want to do either right now.

"This is the best pizza I've ever eaten…" Will mumbled as he took another bite, just to hold it out to Nico again, this time glancing at him with an amused smirk, but Nico didn't let that deter him from taking another big bite.

Gods, this pizza was so freaking good.

Seriously, when Percy had shown up in the room no ten minutes after leaving to get the pizza done and in the oven, Nico had at first panicked and thought he had messed up somehow and that he had accidentally burnt down the kitchen, or summoned a demon, or the dough had suddenly come to life, or whatever.

But as it had turned out, Percy had freaked out because he hadn't been certain whether or not to dye the pizza or not, and because he hadn't been sure what exactly to put on it, especially for Will.

So Jason and Nico had helped as best as they could, helping Percy spreading the dyed dough on the tray and adding the seasoned tomato sauce to it, just to then dump all sorts of things into their square of it, working as one on Will's bit, and hoping against hope it would turn out alright and in a way Will would like it (because, again, they hadn't even been sure Will actually really _liked_ pizza).

Needless to say, Will's square had turned out the best of them all, at least in Nico's opinion – another reason to keep stealing bits of it by repeatedly nudging Will.

But Will didn't complain, and didn't seem bothered whatsoever, sharing with him willingly, and at one point even holding out the piece to Jason, who instantly went for it, looking like a kid on Christmas.

Alright, Jason was being rather super-obvious with his crush on Will, but in a way, they all were, right now.

Will was too out of it to notice anything, anyways.

Plus, he clearly enjoyed the amount of affection they were showing him, so it wasn't as if they were going to stop anytime soon.

Will had opened up so much to them, today.

He hadn't really talked, and hadn't told them a thing about what had transpired between Leah and him, but at the same time, he had shown them so much more of himself than ever before.

And he had played the guitar.

Just like that.

Nico thought he knew the song he had played, having heard it on the radio once or twice before, but truth, be told, he'd have never connected that song with Will whatsoever – until he had heard Will sing and play it.

It had fit so well, it had almost been scary.

And it had held so much emotion, as if Will sort of identified with it, as if it was a part of him, as if he was showing a part of him through that song – and it had felt so palpable to Nico, as if all he had to do was reach out and he'd hold Will, the real Will, without all the mysteries and questions and secrets.

It had felt as if he was partaking in something special, something that wasn't happening just any day, something that was rare and pure and beautiful, a once in a lifetime thing, that Will let them be part of.

And then, Will had even let them hug him, let it show he needed them, let it show he wanted them to be there for him, without any harsh words or trying to push them away in any way, without making up excuses or cursing or acting as if he didn't want anything, as if he was fine on his own even though they all knew he wasn't.

He had let them hug him, had let them squish him, had let them show they cared for him and loved them each in their own way, and he had taken it all without a single complaint, without a single joke, without a single bad word or any sort of excuse, not justifying anything, not trying to make sense of anything.

He had just let it happen, and Nico had never felt closer to Will than at that moment, pressed against him with Percy and Jason over him, his arms wrapped tightly around him, his lips pressing against Will's shoulder.

How badly he had wanted to kiss him, telling him everything would be ok.

But there was no way he could have done that, so he had settled for that, hoping Will would receive his message.

It had felt like he had.

Nico was just going to cling to that.

Finally more than just a little overfilled, he let his head drop against Will's shoulder completely, staring at the TV, watching the happenings on the screen.

This movie really was pretty good, though.

How come he had never heard of it before?

He especially loved how the woman actually stood up for herself and wasn't a damsel in distress like in all the other movies out there.

Stupid stereotypes, anyways.

And stupid men for thinking women were weak and needed to get protected by tall and strong men.

Rubbish.

These were the same women that gave birth to children all on their own, and that had to grow up with men breathing down their necks and still making a stand all their lives already, may it be in jobs or just their normal daily lives, walking down the street just to get catcalled.

(Nico was never going to understand that, either. What was the point of it? What did those assholes think they'd achieve if they yelled stuff like that at girls in passing? Did they think the girl would stop and be so sexually interested in them for saying that, that they'd immediately want to hook up? How delusional was that? No, Nico completely didn't understand - and didn't even want to understand how twisted somebody's mind must be, to think they were doing anybody any good with such shitty behavior.)

Women were not weak.

His sister hadn't been weak.

And his mother certainly hadn't been weak, either.

So, yeah, he really liked this one.

She was cool.

Percy squeezed his hand, eyes glued to the pig.

Of course, the pig.

Why wasn't Nico surprised?

Actually, he could so see Percy trying to save pigs from slaughter now, too, and trying to adopt one.

Oh, hell no.

He had to get that idea out of his head before it even started forming!

He could save all the pigs from slaughter he wanted, but they were _not_ going to keep one!

"You think a pig would make a good pet?"

Hell no.

Nico was about to rant, but then realized in shock that it hadn't been Percy asking – it had been Jason.

_Jason!_

Why Jason?

"Actually, I once heard pigs are very clean animals. They're also supposed to be quite a bit like dogs." Will supplied ever so unhelpfully, and Nico turned his head slowly, just to see Percy's eyes gleaming.

Oh no.

No, no, no, no, no.

"No." He said calmly, but definitely, and Percy glanced at him.

"I didn't even say anything yet." He complained, but Nico shook his head.

"No."

"But Nico…"

"No."

"It does sound interesting, though." Jason muttered, more to himself than them, and Nico scowled at him for indirectly supporting Percy here.

"Don't even think about it, Jason. You're not getting a pet pig." Will said sternly, and Nico resisted the urge to hug him in gratitude.

At least he was backing him up, here.

"What? Why not?" Jason wailed, sounding _a lot_ like Percy, and Nico wasn't sure whether this was the first time he saw Jason actually pout, but…Jason was actually _pouting_.

"Yeah, why not?" Percy chimed in, and both Will and Nico exchanged a long glance.

If Percy ever got himself a pig, Nico was absolutely certain it would end in disaster.

Not only would Nico probably end up being the one taking care of it, because Percy would probably be too occupied with other things, but he would also undoubtedly spoil the animal whenever he had the chance, and Nico could imagine a pig eating quite a bit.

He didn't even want to think about what the pig would eat if both Percy and Nico would be at work.

He also didn't want to know how their place would look like at the end of the day.

No, that was so not going to happen.

Will's expression told him he was thinking something along those lines, as well.

"Just. Not going to happen." They both said at the same time, and both guys let out a disappointed sigh.

Then they returned their attention to the movie, watching with great interest.

Good.

Still no pig, though.

Will and Nico exchanged another glance, then Nico realized he had wanted to give Percy a chance to get closer to Will, too, which reminded him…

"Hey, Will, would you like me to give you a massage?" He asked, only wondering a moment too late whether that might be a tad too sudden and out of nowhere.

Will's gaze snapped back to him from the screen, a frown on his face.

"Huh?"

Yeah, a tad too sudden, definitely.

Nico cleared his throat hurriedly, gesturing with his hands.

"Well, you know, I was thinking that you're always the one massaging us, so I thought I could do you – I mean, give you a nice massage. Percy says my massages are somewhat decent-…"

"Your massages are amazing, babe, don't sell yourself short. Sun-bug, you're going to love it." Percy said distractedly, eyes glued to the screen still as he grabbed another piece of his square of the pizza, taking a big bite from it.

Will looked at Nico with big, round eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Nico felt his face heating slightly.

Yeah, maybe this hadn't been such a great idea, after all.

"A-Absolutely. If you want to, sure. I don't…sure. Go ahead." Will babbled, looking flustered, and while Nico didn't understand why, he certainly sympathized with him, feeling the same way right now as he nodded slowly, starting to climb behind Will as the blonde shuffled forward slightly to give him the necessary space.

Percy immediately inched closer to Will's side, glancing back at Nico with a soft smile, as if either saying thanks or telling him mutely to relax and enjoy himself, Nico couldn't tell.

So far, he was far from relaxed, nibbling on his bottom lip as he stretched out his arms to touch Will – just to notice he did not want to do this while Will was still wearing his sweater.

"Off." He ordered, then realized how that must have sounded, and he promptly blushed.

Damn, maybe he should stop being so demanding whenever he was alone with Percy in the bathroom nowadays.

Since those were the only instances he ever told anybody to get undressed, he had kind of accidentally slipped straight into what he usually said to Percy.

Luckily, Percy didn't seem to notice, eyes glued to the happenings on the screen, and Jason and Will didn't turn to look at him oddly, either.

Instead, Will huffed out a small chuckle and tugged his loose sweater (was he trying to imitate Jason's horrid fashion style? Please not.) off over his head, letting Jason take it from him to fold it together and drop it next to the bed.

Alright, now he had the naked upper body of Will right in front of him.

Splendid.

Nico cleared his throat, though he had no idea why, since he sure as hell wasn't going to say anything right now.

Placing his hands gently on Will's shoulders, he felt Will shivering slightly, probably because of the coldness of Nico's hands, such a strong contrast to Will's natural warmth.

Yeah, well, not everybody could be a sunshine like Will.

Or a sun-bug.

Nico smiled to himself at that, beginning to massage slowly, increasing pressure and speed as he went, trying to figure out what Will liked and how he liked it.

Sadly, since they were watching film, Will wasn't exactly talking or making any sort of sound, so that was a rather tough job on Nico's part, used to Percy's rather expressive nature.

He massaged up and down Will's back, playing with the pressure and the movements, hoping Will was enjoying the experience somewhat.

At least he wasn't shifting uncomfortably or stopping him in any way.

If anything, he was holding extra still.

After a while, Percy glanced sideways at the blonde, just to stop in his movement of turning back, a broad grin spreading on his face as he looked over to Nico with a twinkle in his eye.

"_Somebody_ seems utterly blissed out by what you're doing, Nico. Told you your massages are magical." He said with a wink, and Nico blinked, wondering whether he was just saying that or whether it was the truth.

Jason looked around as well, an amused smile on his face as he took in Will's apparently rather interesting expression.

"Aww, Percy, don't tease him. He looks so utterly gone."

Nico frowned.

For real?

But Nico wasn't even doing anything special, he was just working by trial and error right now!

Will was bound to be used to much better massages, really.

"Will?" He asked cautiously, guessing that either both of the guy were trying to fool him, or that Will was distracted by something and was thus looking in a way that made the guys assume something wrong.

But Will didn't reply, instead letting out a small gasp, closely followed by a soft moan, as Nico let his thumbs stroke downwards along his spine with a tad more pressure than before.

Will shuddered, and, maybe it was just Nico's imagination, but he thought he could feel him leaning back into the touch ever so slightly.

Well, he was just going to pretend he hadn't imagined it and take it as a sign to continue with that.

"_Nngh!_"

Both Jason's and Percy's eyebrows shot up, and they were rather quick in returning their attention to the TV, both their ears turning a dark shade of pink/red, while Nico felt his face heating at Will's reaction.

Well, apparently, he really was enjoying this.

Rather proud of himself, Nico continued, and soon noticed that Will reacted the best when he was either super gentle, with his fingertips barely brushing his skin – which made Will shiver and huff _very_ nicely – or when he was applying more pressure than usual, moving more demanding and confident – which more often than not lured soft moans out of the blonde, but had the unfortunate side-effect of setting Nico's insides on fire and making his stomach knot up with desire (which should absolutely _not_ happen).

He kept the massage up for the entire rest of the film without even noticing that was probably a weird thing to do, though nobody said anything or seemed to particularly care.

The moment the movie was over, though, Will all but fell forward, and Percy barely had the time to pull the tray with the last two small pieces of pizza out of the way.

At first, Nico thought Will had either fallen asleep or had absolutely enough of Nico's massage, but then he realized it seemed more like mute, yet hopeful plea for him to continue.

So he did, climbing on top of Will and returning to his massage, and Will was suddenly a lot more responsive than he had been during the movie, his moans louder and more distinctive, his shivers not only rippling down his back, but apparently through his entire body, something Nico hadn't noticed before.

Jason and Percy exchanged knowing smirks, leaving them to themselves as Percy left to put the pizza in the fridge for tomorrow, and Jason went to turn off the TV and put the DVD back into its case and place it back in the shelf, in the row they had made for the films they had already watched.

Then, he quietly excused himself to the bathroom, and Will and Nico were alone, though they certainly didn't mind.

"Percy was right, you give amazing massages." Will said softly, and Nico stroked down his spine again with a small smile, feeling warmth and satisfaction and even a hint of pride surge through him at the compliment.

"You think so?"

"Absolutely. Trust me, I'm a doctor." Will replied, and Nico didn't have to see his face to know he was grinning broadly.

"Right. I bet you're used to much better massages, though. Don't deny it." Nico insisted, but Will shook his head.

"Actually, I barely get massages. You're spoiling me. Know what, I think I'm addicted. Guess you'll have to keep giving me massages now, Neeks."

Nico snorted. "Sure. I don't really mind, you know? And, well, I think you could do with some spoiling every once in a while."

Will huffed, sounding doubtful.

"Yeah, right. You do know I'm not Jason, right? He's the one who deserves to get spoiled."

Well, Nico couldn't deny that.

"I think we all deserve to be spoiled every now and then. But, you know what, I think he'll enjoy you spoiling him much more than if I were to do it." Nico said carefully.

He still didn't really want those two to end up together.

But at the same time, they'd deserve it.

And Nico couldn't stay selfish forever.

Now, it was Will's turn to snort. "Dream on, love. Anyways, how about we split the spoiling? We're four guys, there's bound to be a way for this to work."

For a moment, Nico's heart seemed to miss a beat, only to then stat beating a felt hundred times faster, Silena's rant appearing out of nowhere at the front of his mind, making his skin tingle and his hands halt in their movement as he imagined what Will's statement could have implied, if only this was a different world.

One in which the four of the could be together, and make _this_ work.

Then, reality hit him again and he let out a small chuckle, resuming his kneading and swallowing the bitter taste in his mouth the disappointment left in him.

"Maybe."

Will stiffened slightly under him, turning his head to gaze up at him quietly for a moment, studying him.

Nico kept his gaze fixed on Will's back, resisting for the hundredth time to start counting the freckles.

So many freckles, though.

Nico loved those freckles.

He kind of wanted to lean down and kiss every single one of them.

Not even out of ulterior, sexual motives, but just for the hell of it.

Maybe to get a laugh or two out of Will.

Or maybe just to get him to accept that his freckles were freaking beautiful and special and a part of him he should be proud of, instead of trying to hide them and looking bitter whenever he looked into a mirror (yes, Nico had noticed that).

"What are you thinking about?" Will asked quietly, curiously, and Nico felt his face heating even more.

He wondered faintly whether Will could feel his rapid heartbeat, or whether he could pick up on anything else even though it was Nico touching him, and not him touching Nico, but he guessed it didn't really matter, because his face was bound to give him away, anyways.

"I'm just…thinking about your freckles." He replied vaguely, deciding he wouldn't go into too great detail right there.

"My freckles?" Will asked, sounding taken aback, and even tried to apparently turn his head enough to glance at the freckles on his back, which obviously didn't work.

Nico hurriedly nodded.

"Yeah, I just thought they're really cool. Percy insists I have freckles, but I think they're too light to really be noticeable at all, so I really have no idea how he keeps finding them, anyways." He babbled, tapping some of Will's freckles as if to emphasize his point (though, really, he was SO tempted to try and count them).

Will's eyebrows shot up, his ears turning scarlet, but then he only made a small, noncommittal sound and turned his head away again.

"I'd love to switch with you. Your freckles are cute, at least."

Nico rolled his eyes, letting his fingers tap Will's freckles as if he was playing the piano or something, grinning to himself at the thought.

"You know, I think you aren't giving our freckles enough credit. In fact, I think they're kind of hot."

Had Nico ever stated just how much he hated it when he blurted things out without thinking because his mind was somewhere else?

Because he absolutely did.

Will froze beneath him, though he didn't turn to look at him or anything, so he couldn't see the vivid blush that was undoubtedly adorning his face right now, judging by the burning of his face.

"I…I…I mean…" He stammered mortified, wondering faintly whether there even was a way to get himself out of this, but realizing a moment too late there really wasn't.

But Will shook his head sharply, anyways.

"Don't."

What?

Will turned his head around, sending Nico a look he completely couldn't place, but Will's eyes seemed practically on fire, the different shades of blue all whirling and swirling and beautiful and stunning and breathtaking, and Nico had trouble keeping _his_ breath from hitching.

"Don't take it back. Please. Just…leave it."

Nico blinked, then gave a small nod, noticing how his hands were still tapping freckles, so he started up his kneading again, instead, and Will studied him a moment longer, before finally looking away again, and Nico relaxed minimally again.

"I…wouldn't have taken it back, anyways." He admitted quietly after a long moment of silence, and he could feel Will shift slightly.

"Thank you."

He sounded so sleepy.

Nico smiled to himself, lessening the pressure on Will's back, now moving gently over his shoulder blades and sides and down to the waistband of his sweat pants, his movements becoming slower and slower, and he could practically feel Will beginning to doze off.

It had been a very tiring day for him, Nico knew.

Tiring, shocking, exhausting…

Will certainly deserved some rest.

He was tempted to wish him a 'Good Night', but was fairly certain it would make Will try to stay awake for longer.

So, instead, he leaned down over Will, placing the gentlest kiss he could muster on Will's right shoulder.

"I'll keep massaging you until you're asleep, ok?" He breathed against his skin, and could feel as well as see Will shiver slightly.

Then, the blonde hummed contently, murmuring something that sounded a lot like another 'Thank you', accompanied by something else Nico couldn't quite catch.

Olive hue?

Didn't make sense.

Nothing round them was even green.

Well, except bits of the Christmas blanket, he guessed.

Nico kept stroking over his back, trying to sneak a glance past Will at the patch of blanket he was laying on.

That was _not_ olive.

That was dark, rich green.

Maybe Will needed glasses.

Or he was colorblind.

Shaking his head to himself, Nico decided he must have definitely misheard.

He kept up his 'massage' until Jason came out of the bathroom, mainly because, with Will snoring softly, Nico kind of lacked an excuse to keep going.

Though he certainly wouldn't have minded staying up all night to stroke over Will's back until he woke up again.

Which was wrong, and he should definitely work on himself about that, but he had kind of told himself that so many times today, he doubted his mind took him seriously anymore, seriously.

Jason and he maneuvered Will under the blanket carefully, deciding to leave him facing the wrong way, since Jason was already kind of getting under the blanket that way, and Nico so wasn't going to stop him.

Instead, he left for the bathroom, leaving the door unlocked for Percy to come join him once he came back, which happened no five minutes later, resulting in lots of gently kisses along his neck and shoulders as he brushed his teeth, making him smile to himself, leaning against Percy.

"I love you." Percy whispered, and for a moment, Nico noticed how similar it sounded to what Will had mumbled.

But then he shook the thought off, spitting out the toothpaste and returning the declaration gently, already looking forward to tomorrow, when he'd be able to ravish Percy in the shower or have him ravish him instead.

Who knew, maybe he'd even try out one of the things Will had told him about.

Grinning to himself, he turned and wrapped his arms around Percy, nuzzling his face against his boyfriend's now bare chest affectionately, feeling so, so tired.

Percy chuckled softly, placing a gentle kiss on the top of Nico's head.

"Aww, you seem tired. Come on, give me a moment, then I'll take you to bed, ok?"

Nico grinned against his skin, nipping on it slightly.

"Only if you carry me." He stated, more as a joke than anything else, and was rewarded with a light laugh from Percy before he started brushing his teeth, too, not in the least perturbed by Nico still standing so close and leaning against him, head against his chest, arms around his midriff.

Nico closed his eyes.

He could so stay here forever. In Percy's arms.

He also knew he'd be happy, and Percy would let him only all too willingly.

But then his thoughts drifted back to the two blonde's in his bed in the other room, and he couldn't help but think that he could very well picture himself staying in that bed forever, too, with his three favorite guys right there with him, knowing he'd be just as happy in their midst as he was here.

It seemed like the same thing, in a way, yet it was completely different.

Because this here was possible, and that over there in the other room…that wasn't.

And Nico's heart would certainly do well in finally getting the gist of that.

If he kept thinking this way, after all, he was bound to set himself up for hurt and heartbreak.

_Olive hue._

Something nagged at the back of Nico's mind, but he couldn't quite grasp it.

Sighing frustrated, he nipped on Percy's skin again, making him huff indignantly as he tried to apparently hurry up, which wasn't exactly possible when one was brushing their teeth.

But Nico liked to watch him try, anyways.

Percy could make anything impossible possible, after all.

He thought of his other two best friends in the other room.

Well, _almost_ anything impossible.

Nico sighed, rubbing his face against Percy's chest, wishing his life was easy for once.

Just one time, that was all he was asking for.

But maybe he was asking for too much.

.

Jason woke up in the middle of the night to find Will clutching him tightly, his fingernails digging into Jason's shoulder blades, his body shaking and trembling, burning hot with ice sweat, small whimpers escaping his lips.

His first thought was '_Nightmare!_', but then he realized that wasn't possible, so he instead thought 'Nightmare! _Shit_!', which might not have sounded very different in his head, but was worlds apart, anyways.

He sat up in bed, noticing that Percy and Nico were an entangled mess of limbs next to them, completely out cold.

Well, that was to be expected.

Jason looked back down at Will, who was now clinging onto his midriff with a look of panic and dread on his usually so wonderfully relaxed face.

That…was kind of to be expected, too, in a way, though Jason had hoped it wouldn't happen, anyways.

One always had to think positively, after all.

He moved back down, wrapping his arms around Will softly, cautiously, and tugging him closer, stroking over his back and beginning to whisper gentle words of reassurance into his ears, ranging from 'You're safe here', over 'We're here for you', to 'Everything is going to be ok'.

Which was lame, he knew, but he had no idea what else to do.

He tried to wake him at one point, but Will all but freaked out even more at his gentle shaking, so he quickly abandoned hat idea, instead wrapping his arms back around him and keeping him close, wishing he could sit up and pull him onto his lap to rock him back and forth soothingly, but, again, Will practically freaked out the moment he was moved too much, whispering 'No!' and 'Please, please don't' in a desperate, pleading voice over and over again, which made absolutely no sense to Jason whatsoever.

But keeping him close only kept him from thrashing, and didn't really solve the issue, either.

Jason sighed, stroking up and down his back gently, trying to imitate how Nico had done it earlier when he had come out of the bathroom.

But if Will stilled at all, it wasn't noticeable whatsoever.

"Will…please, calm down…" He whispered against his ear, and found Will's breath hitching, a shiver running down his back.

And, for a moment, there was silence, and Will stilled ever so slightly, turning his head as if looking for something, or maybe waiting for something.

Jason blinked, and was about to wonder whether it was over now, but then Will tensed up again, and it started all over again.

Oh.

Would have been to simple.

Though, what had made the difference?

He highly doubted Will had just randomly decided to listen to him like that, and he had asked him to calm down just a few minutes ago without getting any reaction whatsoever.

"Will…" He whispered again, and felt Will shiver again., a small gasp escaping his lips this time.

What?

What was he doing differently?

He frowned, something nagging at the back of his mind, but he only realized what it was when he blew out a small sigh and found Will tensing in his arms, quieting down once more.

_Oh!_

_Sensitive ears!_

Jason could slap himself for being so stupid.

Then again, it was the middle of the night, and he wasn't wearing his glasses (which obviously had _everything_ to do with his intelligence, of course), so he wasn't all that surprised it had taken him a while to figure out.

He moved his hands up Will's back to his neck, then towards his ears, at first intending to focus on the visible one alone, but then Will was turning his head slightly already, shivering in what almost seemed like anticipation, and Jason decided to try for both.

The reaction was immediate.

The moment he touched Will's ears, the wailing and crying stopped, replaced by small gasps; and his thrashing stopped, Will's fingers digging into Jason's shoulders once more, his body stilling almost entirely.

Damn, Will seemed to _really_ have super sensitive ears, that much was for certain.

It kind of made Jason wonder just how intense that one Dare must have been for Will, though, right now, Jason should seriously focus on the task at hand, instead of reminiscing about how nice and soft Will's skin had felt when he had pressed his lips against it.

He continued massaging Will's ears gently, moving him back against his chest and burying his face in the blond curls, sighing quietly and beginning to whisper soft reassurances again, though he wasn't even sure Will could even hear him.

Not to mention he had no clue whether it really made any difference at all.

But it felt like the right thing to do, even if only to let Will know it was him and why he was doing it, should the blonde wake at all.

He stroked the outer shell of his ears gently, squeezing it gently between thumb and index finger, and promptly drew a low moan from Will's lips.

Hey, actually, that sounded a bit as if Will was…

Will's hands moved down Jason's back to his hips, grabbing hold of them in a rather wanting, demanding way, and the next moment, the blonde nudged his own hips forward, something unmistakably hard thrusting against Jason's thigh, and he froze in his movements, his face beginning to burn.

Oh.

_Oh_.

Well, that…explained a lot.

Ok, not really, but it certainly explained the moans, and the way Will had always tried to make him stop while not wanting to make him stop, before.

Yeah, thinking about it, Jason had been kind of very stupid right there, it seemed.

He tried to pull his hands back, not wanting to take advantage of Will in any way, but Will rutted against him again, his hands shooting up to clasp Jason's tightly, more than apparently demanding him to continue.

Erm…what was he supposed to do now?

Could he really just…well…_continue_ that?

It had seemed to help Will get out of his nightmare, yes, but…well, Jason hadn't exactly intended to _turn him on_ in the process.

He hesitantly kept his hands on Will's ears, trying to touch him so lightly he should barely notice it – which turned out to be a grave mistake, because that made Will flat out _moan_, and that rather _loudly_, and his hands shot down to his hips again, continuing his desperate rutting against Jason's thigh, which made Jason's face burn and his groin twitch dangerously.

No.

No, he was not going to react to this in any way.

Most definitely not.

This was definitely not consensual in any way, and Jason was _not_ going to get affected by anything Will was doing _in his freaking sleep_.

He pulled his hands back determinedly, and instantly found Will whining, sobbing, even, inching closer and making Jason cringe at the despair in his voice.

The fact he kept humping him needily, now in circular movements, and rubbing his hard-on against Jason's thigh, wasn't helping his determination, either.

Gods, how badly he wished something like this could be happening when Will was actually awake and aware of his actions, that way Jason could just go right along with it instantly

"Will…wake up…" He tried tentatively, and Will didn't freak out when he touched his shoulders carefully, shaking him ever so gently as to not wake him too rashly.

But Will merely whimpered again, his hands moving from his hips to his backside, and Jason stiffened slightly as Will started kneading his butt wantonly.

Shit…that…actually felt kind of good.

Alright, he definitely had to stop and wake him.

Now.

He shook him gently again, and Will grumbled, furrowing his eyebrows and shaking Jason off in what almost seemed like annoyance.

Then, another needy gasp escaped his lips as he rubbed against Jason's thigh more and more, and Jason was stupid enough to move his leg slightly, which made Will groan and thrust against him again, nails digging into his skin.

Shit, _Will_!

Jason let out a small gasp, hating himself for letting this affect him in any way.

He had to be rational about this.

This wasn't Will.

It might look like him, but it wasn't him consciously doing this, so it wasn't him.

It could be Leo lying next to him right now, for all the difference it made.

That thought helped.

Though not for very long, because the next moment, Will gasped again, and let out a needy '_Jason!_', which set Jason's body and soul on fire in a way that would probably make Leo's flames feel like nothing but a breeze.

Not that Jason was thinking of Leo at all, anymore.

There was only Will.

Will, who had just said his name in his sleep, while rutting against his leg needily.

Will, who still had his fingernails digging into Jason's skin, making him shiver and pour all his mind into resisting temptation, resisting everything, resisting Will.

Gods, what had he done?

He would never ever be crazy enough to try anything with Will's ears anymore.

Absolutely not.

He wanted to wake him, wanted to stop this, but at the same time was scared of what would happen if he did.

What would Will say if he woke up rock-hard and rutting against Jason's leg like a maniac, with his hands on Jason's backside, and Jason just lying there and letting him do all that?

And, well, even worse, getting hard from it?

Will would slaughter him.

And the day had gone way too well (at least the rest of the day after the fiasco in Elysium) for Jason to get slaughtered now.

But even if Will didn't, he was bound to be upset, especially once he found out it had been Jason's fault in the first place.

He hadn't meant it that way!

He had only meant to soothe Will's worries and ease him out of his nightmare!

He hadn't meant to…well…to get to him…like this…

Jason felt his face burning and put his hands onto Will's arms resolutely, pushing him back gently, but firmly, trying not to cringe too much at the small wail Will let out in reply.

Instead, he detached his leg from between Will's (when had Will wrapped them around him, anyways?), taking away any form of friction from both Will and himself, making both of them shudder.

Before Will could do anything to get closer again, Jason turned him around hurriedly, putting his arms around him tightly to keep him from going after Percy or Nico, though he was careful not to let their lower bodies touch.

He was not going to freak Will out by making it seem like he was going to molest him in any way.

Which was kind of ironic, because Will had most definitely just molested him.

But that hadn't been consciously, so it didn't count.

That was what Jason kept telling himself, at least.

Will's hands moved upwards, and for a moment, Jason thought he'd fight against his hold on him and try to turn around again, but instead, he wrapped the around Jason's arm, holding onto him, and pulling his legs up slightly as if to get into fetal position, curling around Jason's hold, a last, small whimper escaping his lips, as if mourning the loss, yet accepting it somewhat.

Jason wished he could just accept the loss and be done with it, too.

He sighed, trying to think of anyone and anything else instead to calm himself down again, to get his mind off the way Will had breathed his name, and how amazingly hot he had felt against Jason, and how-…yeah, this was exactly what he wasn't allowed to think about.

Ugh.

Jason buried his face in Will's hair, swallowing the frustrated groan.

Instead, he concentrated on his breathing, and on Will's breathing, and on the way he snuggled back against Jason's chest slightly.

Just when he felt the heat and want slowly subsiding, though, drifting off into sleep lightly, Will jumped, shoving his backside straight into Jason's groin.

Holy-!

Jason groaned, but then he felt Will shifting, winding out of his embrace and sitting up, a series of curses flying from his mouth.

Oh shit.

Oh shit Will had woken up.

That was probably why he had jumped.

Oh no.

"Just what the…I have never…this is…shit…" Will exclaimed under his breath, sounding annoyed, angry, flustered, mortified.

Jason was about to open his mouth, to apologize, to explain, but Will already shoved the blanket off him and climbed out of the bed, muttering and cursing and grumbling and hissing to himself, stomping off to the bathroom.

Guilt spread through Jason, and he sat up as well, wondering what he was supposed to do.

Should he go after Will and explain?

Just as he thought that, the bathroom door flung shut and he could hear the click of the lock.

Well, he guessed he'd have to wait for him to come back.

That would probably not take too long, anyways.

Unless Will was…

Jason felt his face heating and his dick twitching.

Rubbish.

Will knew Jason was here, there was no way he'd do anything like _that_ right now.

Though he had been kind of hard.

Like, _very_ hard.

And who knew when Will had last been able to…well…do anything like that.

Especially since his only privacy the past days had consisted of getting carried to the bathroom and picked up again after set times, and the quick shower he had taken in the morning, in which Jason doubted he had touched himself in any way, because he had looked happy enough to be able to stay on his feet.

So, yeah, given that, he could totally understand if Will indeed decided to…erm…relief himself.

It probably wouldn't be all that bad, either.

Alright, what the _hell_ was Jason even thinking about?

This was none of his business.

And seriously, Jason should be ashamed of even thinking like that of Will.

He cringed, cursing himself for letting things get this far in the first place.

Lying back down, he stared at Percy's back, both glad he and Nico had stayed asleep, and cursing them for it.

Maybe, if they had been awake, too, this wouldn't have happened at all.

Next time, he should probably wake them first.

Yeah, definitely.

Jason closed his eyes with a sigh, calming his nerves forcefully and trying to think of what the hell he was going to say to Will once he came back (he tried very hard to avoid thinking of what exactly Will was doing in there, though it didn't work half as well as he might have hoped).

But, by the time Will came back, Jason was already dozing off, so he barely noticed Will climbing back into bed between him and Percy, though sticking more to Percy this time, much more space than usual between him and Jason.

The last thing he felt was Will's hand on his cheek, though, stroking over it gently, and the last thing he heard was a small 'I'm so sorry, Jason', which didn't make any sense, and Jason only managed to frown in response and make a questioning sound.

But then, he was already asleep, dreaming of Elysium, of Silena's words, of Nico's gentle touches, of Percy's hand holding his, of Will breathing Jason's name in a needy, urgent plea.

And he hummed, wishing he could turn some of his dreams into reality as he drifted further and further away.

* * *

**A/N:**

Hi ;3 Hope you enjoyed it~

Before I hit the bed like a log, I just wanted to let you know, that, for the song Will was playing on the guitar, I kept thinking of 'The Sound of Silence' by Simon &amp; Garfunkel (but slooooooow).  
Of course, you can think of any song you want, but this is the one I was listening to while writing that bit because it kind of felt like it fit.

That was what I originally wanted it to be, at any rate, and I would have named it explicitly with Will actually singing the first two lines, but due to FFnet regulations that completely forbid lyrics in fanfictions, I couldn't be bothered making two seperate versions for FFnet/AO3.

(Sorry, but I'm lazy, and it was 3:34am in the morning x_x)

Good night, cupcakes~


	26. Chapter 26: Pasta

**A/N: [Edited]** Happy Holidays :)

* * *

**Chapter 26: Board Games, Pasta, and lengthy (yet meaningless) pillow talks**

When Percy woke up the next morning, he had his arms flung around Jason and was drooling into his hair, with Jason's face squished against his chest.

His first thought: Man, Jason's face felt _a lot_ more angular than it looked.

His second thought: Weird, he could have sworn he had fallen asleep with Will and Nico next to him, and Jason somewhere behind Nico.

His third thought. _What the fuck?_

The last made him tear his eyes open and sit up slightly, earning him a rather disgruntled sounding grunt from the blonde.

_What?_

_Why_ was he hogging Jason?

And _where_ were Will and Nico?

He looked behind him with a frown, but couldn't detect either of the two there, either.

Had they gotten up already?

He frowned, stretching backwards off the bed to snatch the alarm clock and check the time.

7am.

Who the hell woke up at _7am_ in the morning?

His boyfriend certainly didn't.

And Will tended to sleep in in the Underworld, too, since there was no sunlight to wake him here.

His frown deepened, and he flopped back down into the bed, feeling too sluggish still to get up and stay up just yet.

Jason's arms reached out, his cool hands moving over his side slowly, reminding him a bit of Nico – just that Jason's hands were roughly twice the size (that giant).

Percy huffed, letting Jason pull him closer and bury his face at his chest again with a content sigh, merely patting his back.

Yeah, yeah.

That still didn't answer the question where Nico and Will were, though.

He glanced towards the closed bathroom door.

Were they _in there_ together?

Or were they somewhere else entirely?

But where would they go?

What would they do?

Maybe Will had had trouble moving again, and Nico had helped him to the bathroom?

Then again, they kind of always had the bathroom door closed, so it wasn't even certain they _were_ in there.

But where else would they be?

He bit his lip, pondering his options.

If they were in there together, what would they be doing?  
Should Percy get up and check? Knock? Possibly interrupt something he wasn't meant to interrupt?

Wait, wait, _wait_.

This was _Nico_ and _Will_.

They wouldn't do anything that Percy could really 'interrupt'.

Nico was an angel, and Percy had only yesterday decided that Nico most likely didn't even want to get…well…_romantically or sexually involved_ with Jason and Will next to Percy.

Or…something.

And Will would never do anything that could possibly upset anybody in any way.

So, yeah, not going to happen.

Which only made him wonder even more what they were doing, where they were, whether they were in the bathroom, and why the hell they weren't in bed with Jason and him anymore.

Just as Percy finally decided he had had enough of the absurdities his mind was coming up with, he heard a loud snort and some chuckling from the far corner of the room.

Confused, he turned to push himself up on his elbows slowly, careful not to hurt Jason or push him away again.

No, Percy was operating by stealth right now, and that meant no excessive sounds – like Jason grumbling again.

He peeked into the direction the noise had come from, just to blink surprised.

_Pillows_.

All the smaller pillows from the bed.

All piled up neatly on the floor in the corner with the board games, as if to make it nice and comfortable and inviting.

And, in the middle of all that, were Will and Nico, facing each other, with Nico on Will's lap, facing him, their arms and legs wrapped around each other, a blanket lying around them, but not covering them (anymore?).

He couldn't see much of Nico's face, what, with his back to Percy and everything, but therefore, he could see bits of Will's face, at least what wasn't hidden in Nico's hair.

And Will looked so _happy_.

He was _beaming_, a light pink adorning his cheeks, and he was whispering something into Nico's ear, which had Nico giggling and snorting and being utterly adorable.

Percy found himself grinning, lowering himself as slowly and inconspicuously as possible again, as to not disturb them.

_Aww_.

And there Percy had thought he'd find them doing something…less appropriate.

Seriously, Percy and his befuddled brain sometimes.

He watched them quietly for a while, smiling to himself at the way they seemed so absolutely at peace with each other, comfortable and affectionate, without any walls up or any sense of awkwardness between them.

They looked so…at ease.

As if they had never been anything but.

As if it was the most natural thing in the world.

As if they belonged together that way.

Percy smiled bitterly to himself.

They kind of did.

Same as Nico and Jason kind of belonged together.

And Jason and Will.

Gods, why couldn't Percy be in that mess, too?

He'd be fine with just getting _accepted_, he didn't even need to be _liked back_!

Percy sighed, tugging Jason closer to have somebody to hold onto.

Thinking about it, what were those two doing over there, though?

The pillows indicated those two had been up for a while already, and the way they were all close and cuddly indicated they had had lots of time to get comfortable.

Percy was going to make a wild guess and assume Will had wanted to attempt 'warming' Nico in his own, special way – thus the weird position with Nico on his lap and the blanket lying around them.

That had probably been wrapped around the two at some point, Percy was sure.

Will whispered something else into Nico's ear, and Nico giggled again, the sound muffled, as if he was either laughing into his hands or Will's shoulder, Percy couldn't tell.

But it sounded so adorable.

So happy.

Will always managed to make all of them so happy.

While Jason managed to make everybody feel better when they were down, and reassure them and give them a boost of self-confidence and a new perspective; Will more managed to rampage through your mind until there was nothing left but joy and happiness, until you felt like you could take on the entire world with just the smile on your face and your heart soaring, full of love and hope and a sense of invincibility.

Percy sighed quietly, closing his eyes again and squeezing Jason tightly, who merely huffed and wrapped his arms around him even more, nuzzling his face against Percy's chest as if to say 'No worries, everything's gonna be fine, man'.

He smiled at the thought, trying to put his nose into Jason's hair like he usually did with the other two, but it didn't really work all that well, because Jason's hair was still quite a bit shorter than theirs, and completely straight, which somehow felt entirely different from Nico's and Will's hair.

But it was ok.

It was Jason.

With Jason, things were always a bit different, but never _bad_ or _wrong_.

Simply _different_.

And, more often than not, Percy actually kind of liked that.

It made things easier between them, because things were different between them than how they might have been with others.

Except the handholding.

That was something that had been _bad_ different, because that had felt nothing like Percy had expected it to.

He had wanted it to mean _something_, yes, but…more along the lines of a subtle 'By the way, I was thinking…you and us…you know…'.

Instead, it had kind of been as if he hadn't only grabbed Jason's hand, but simultaneously _punched himself in the gut_ to wheeze out a very painful and obvious 'Man, let's be more than bros, like, right now'.

Yeah, that had _not_ gone as planned.

Plus, Percy didn't even want to be more than friends with Jason.

At least…he thought so.

Then again, he'd have been fine with a foursome, with the idea of Jason and him kind of…dating…maybe…?

Though, just because Jason might want to date Nico and Will, that of course didn't really imply he'd date _Percy_ in any way, even if there had been the possibility.

Thinking about it, Percy had never really thought of what Jason and he would be in any scenario with the four of them.

Kind of weird, because Percy was fairly certain he had always kind of pictured Jason to just…be there, too.

Hm.

But, oh well, it didn't matter, anyways.

Because Percy had decided yesterday not to act on it, no matter how much he might want to.

Nico had made it more than obvious that he had no interest whatso-…well…he kind of _was_ snuggling up to Will right now, wasn't he?

And he had seemed so utterly taken during the massage he had given Will, too.

Maybe there was still hope?

Maybe Nico was simply uncertain?

Or was scared like Percy to get rebuffed?

Or maybe he thought Percy would mind?

Or…maybe he really just wasn't interested…

Percy sighed again, pushing his nose into the small space between pillow and Jason's hair.

That was better.

Yeah, that could work.

Wow, at least _one_ thing that worked.

Percy wished all the problems he had could be solved with simply turning his head slightly.

Would certainly make everything a lot easier.

He heard Nico say something, and the next moment, Will laughed.

A real, genuine, hearty laugh.

Jason's hands flinched on Percy's back, and the blonde squeezed him slightly, sighing and mumbling something under his breath hat sounded a lot like 'Why he gotta be so cute'.

Yeah, why, indeed?

Percy smiled, sighing once more before he succumbed to sleep again, glad for a dream coming his way, hoping it would get him out of the confusion in his head for a little while longer.

Plus, he _really_ didn't want to disturb Will and Nico in any way, but if he stayed awake any longer, he would have to go to the bathroom.

So, yeah, sleep it was.

Good thing Jason was at least somewhat comfortable.

It kind of felt better to snuggle up to him when Jason was behind him, spooning him, to be honest, but Percy wasn't ever going to tell him that.

That would only make things weird and complicated again.

And he had enough weird and complicated things in his life already.

Didn't need that as well.

Nope.

.

Nico had forgotten how much fun it could be to wake up early with the guys around.

Back in December, that had been different, because he had had the gifts and the notes to keep him from going back to sleep out of anticipation and the giddy excitement and wonder.

Plus, the guys had always picked him up for breakfast, so he hadn't had much choice but to get up early.

Since they had come to the Underworld, however, he had kind of started sleeping in, like, _a lot_.

But today, he had woken up at 4am for no real reason, and had had every intention of falling back asleep…until he had noticed Will was awake, too, looking confused and disturbed and conflicted, drawing patterns onto the pillow distractedly.

Nico had no idea what that had been about, but he guessed it must have something to do with yesterday.

Would have been too nice if any and all issues could have been solved in just a few hours.

So, upon finding out Will was awake and clearly bothered by something, Nico had done the obvious: He had opted for a very subtle '_Can't sleep?_', which had promptly made Will all but jump out of the bed in startled surprise and terror.

Yeah…next time, Nico would make a show of waking up, so he wouldn't freak him out again like that.

But…even with that rather rough start, the morning had been absolutely great.

At this rate, he so wouldn't mind getting up that early every day.

Alright, at first, conversation had been somewhat awkward and hesitant; but then, Nico had had the brilliant idea (yes, he was going to be smug about this, because, seriously, that had been the best idea in his life) to look through the box of the board games, thinking of Jason's wistful glances at it the past days, though the blonde had never actually said anything, instead waiting ever so patiently for them to finish their video games or get bored of them.

So, what had started as them getting up more or less reluctantly to leave the warmth and comfort of the bed behind them...had quickly turned into them ferociously (yes, _ferociously_) grabbing all the small pillows off the bed and throwing them into said corner, just to then spread them out and create _the best pillow fortress in existence_.

Gods, that had been more fun than it probably should have been, given their age and all.

Especially when Will had promptly tripped over one and fallen onto the rest, obviously tearing Nico down right along with him, resulting in panicked hisses and squeaks, lots of giggles and snort-laughs because of said squeaks, and then super cruel and horrible tickle attacks (mainly because Nico had mostly been on the receiving end. Mean. Probably revenge for yesterday, though).

So, yeah, that had already been pretty awesome, not to mention that it had melted the ice between them entirely, getting the broody look off Will's face once and for all.

After that, Will had tugged Nico onto his lap, facing him, using the great excuse of 'Don't want you to catch a cold'.

Yeah, right.

Nico knew he had just wanted to get close to him, probably still craving physical contact and reassurance and comfort after yesterday.

Not that it mattered, Nico would have let him do it, either way, too high from all the giggles and laughs to truly care, and it wasn't as if he minded.

It was just, that, when he was sane again, the guilt would haunt him, because he knew it was wrong to feel the way he felt.

But that was an entirely different story and was going to be entirely ignored right now, because, well, letting Will snuggle up to him like that had had had another major advantage - next to the fact that Nico indeed had gotten and stayed warm and toasty, especially with the blanket wrapped around them for the longest time.

No, next to that, and much more importantly: Will had actually started talking.

It wasn't much, of course.

But he had told Nico of how he had first met Leah, the Ares kid with a big mouth but a kind heart, different from the other kids because she had had a passion for dancing and music, instead of war and warfare.

He had told him that without Nico asking for it, had told him that just like that, drawing patterns onto his back and stroking over his bare skin gently, his voice maybe hesitant by times, but always calm and steady at his ear, showing he was _willingly_ talking, not forcing himself to.

And Nico couldn't help but feel...happy...excited...giddy...kind of _honored_, in a way, that Will would tell him that, that Will would trust him enough to share even just that bit with him.

But Will hadn't stopped there.

After that, he had started telling him one story after another, telling him of the accident with his guitar that he had told Jason before, countless stories of 'dancing lessons gone horribly wrong', the (apparently very shortened; since Nico had no idea how that had happened, still) story with the bubbles that Jason had referred to before...in other words, Will had done his best to keep Nico smiling and giggling and chuckling and laughing.

In fact, he had had to muffle his laughter so many times against the side of Will's neck, he was still surprised Jason and Percy hadn't woken up from it.

Not to mention that the corners of his mouth had started twitching, along with a muscle in his face he had conveniently forgotten about since the last time he had overdone it with the happiness.

But, seriously, Will had done that on utter purpose, he'd bet his sword arm on it!

He had just kept going, telling him one funny story after another, tugging him closer, chuckling against his ear - _biting his shoulder_ whenever Nico let out a sarcastic comment (and there had been_ a lot_ of opportunities for those – which Nico had all made use of, of course) -and nuzzling his face against the side of his neck in affection.

Seriously, Nico could have stayed like that forever.

It had been so nice, so warm, so comfortable, so at ease, so _nice_.

He had never wanted it to end.

Of course, he knew Will was only telling him selected bits, nothing of importance, and nothing that told Nico much about what might have transpired back then.

He knew there was still plenty Will had kept to himself, even of those bits, but at the very least it had been a start.

Nico was grateful for each and every single syllable Will trusted him with.

He wasn't going to ask for more.

No, but he would definitely cherish everything Will had told him.

He sighed, smiling to himself for a moment, before reality caught up with him again.

Yeah, because everything had gone perfectly fine, even after Jason and Percy had woken up and Will had reluctantly let him out of his hold.

Everything had gone perfectly fine as they had all gotten ready for the day in the bathroom simultaneously, deciding to push back their showers until later, Will and Nico too giddy and awake for one, and Jason and Percy too sluggish and tired still to be bothered.

Everything had gone perfectly fine as they had made their way to breakfast, Will and Nico chatting, Jason gazing at Will with an odd expression Nico couldn't place, and Percy hanging onto Nico's arm, smiling tiredly and trying to follow their conversation while staying far away from Jason (at least that's how it had looked like to Nico).

Everything had gone perfectly fine...until they had opened the door to find _the gods_ sitting in their usual places, even though they hadn't told them they'd have breakfast together.

And nobody hadn't told them they'd be there.

That...had kind of ruined it all, truth be told.

Good thing they were at least somewhat presentable…well…emphasis being on the 'somewhat', really.

They were all kind of in their sweatpants and with normal shirts/sweaters, their hair only brushed through once half-heartedly.

But, hey, they hadn't exactly expected to be ambushed like this, so it so wasn't their fault.

He sighed again.

Well, it wasn't as if the gods particularly cared, anyways, by the looks of it.

Nico looked up from the glass of orange juice he was half-heartedly nipping on, both watching and listening to the heated conversation Persephone and Demeter were having…on whether or not to _adopt Will_.

Yes.

That was it.

They were discussing _this_.

At breakfast.

In front of them.

Just. Like. That.

Percy kept shifting next to him, looking uncomfortable and confused, while Jason still looked mortified at being in sweatpants and the baggiest pullover he probably owned (and, seriously, there wasn't even a _name_ for this color. It looked horrid. The whole sweater looked utterly horrible. Nico loved it.), and Nico had caught him glancing at Hades nervously over and over again.

Nico guessed he was worried it would somehow influence his father's decision on the peace issue, but since Hades didn't even look at Jason much, instead watching his wife with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, Nico kind of doubted it.

And Will…Will was sitting between Percy and Jason with a bright red face, stuffing as much eggs and bacon into his mouth as he could to have an excuse not to look up.

He had at first looked utterly dumbfounded when Persephone had leaned forward, inspecting him intently, even touching his cheek again with one hand, just to then turn towards her husband and snap at him, saying she had known all along everything would go well, and that Hades should have known better by now than to doubt her word.

This had been instantly backed up by Demeter, only to be followed by her shoving cereal towards Will, which he had actually eaten, though he hadn't looked all that happy about it, at all.

(Nico had to admit he was amazed to see Will eat this much, anyways. He must have eaten more than Percy by now, and nobody ever managed to do that.)

Hades had merely sighed and shrugged, letting his wife rant – until she had suddenly flung her arms in the air and exclaimed they could very well adopt the blonde, because of reasons she 'couldn't say with the kids (them?) around'.

Adopt. Will.

That was just…Nico had no words for it.

He also had no idea where Persephone thought she was going with this.

"But _Hera_ got _her_ hero. Why can't _I_ have one, too? He could be mine, that way he won't even be some sort of step-brother of Nico's…well, I suppose he kind of would be, but not as badly as if _you_ adopted him…"

_Eww._

No.

_Stop._

Nico did NOT want Will to be _any_ sort of brother to him.

It was already bad enough thinking of them all as _cousins_.

He was _not_ going to explain to anybody he was in love with his step-brother.

Wait, he wasn't ever going to say anything along those lines, anyways.

Nope, he was absolutely happy with the way things were right now.

But he still didn't want Will as his step-brother.

"Dear, we've had this talk before." Hades said quietly, putting his elbow on the table and his head to his hand, gazing at his wife as she kept gesturing and talking.

(Nico faintly wondered whether that was affection in his gaze, or whether Hades was merely amused by all of this – Nico certainly didn't find it amusing at all.)

And, wait, what did he mean, 'they had talked about this before'?

What had they talked about before?

Adopting Will?

_Please not._

Nico sighed again and shot Jason a mournful look, who had automatically turned his face towards him, as if he was attuned to his sighs and could detect them miles away.

He probably could.

While Percy tended to make the impossible possible without even planning; Jason was that sort of person that could do all those other things that one wouldn't even think of – things that seemed unimportant and trivial, but at the same time weren't.

Not really.

(And Will was the one who plowed right through impossible and/or possible and tore people out of anything and everything until the impossible seemed obvious and the possible far-fetched.)

Yep, that summed them up, alright.

Splendid.

_Nico had no idea what the hell he was even thinking about_.

Jason gazed at him quietly, as if debating something in his head, and Nico stuck out his bottom lip, trying to tune out Persephone's exclamation of Will taking up her cabin back at Camp Half-Blood and planting some nice spring flowers outside.

He didn't _want_ Will to move to the Persephone cabin.

Then he wouldn't cuddle with them anymore.

Plus, Will didn't seem particularly interested, anyways.

Then again…Will kind of didn't seem to be on good terms with his dad.

Maybe he'd actually wish for something like this to be possible, to switch godly parent, even if just by 'adoption'? (Was that even possible?)

Now Nico felt selfish for wishing so vehemently that they would all just shut up about the whole issue and let Will be his Will and nothing but.

He looked down at the ground with a miserable face, and could see Jason jolt slightly out of the corners of his eyes, making him frown up at him again, but Jason was already leaning forward, clearing his throat.

"So, Lord Hades…"

"Call me Hades during meals, kid." Hades deadpanned, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms in front of his chest, looking mildly amused.

Meanwhile, Percy dropped what must have been the hundredth bun with jam (Nico had the impression he was trying to stuff his face as long as Will wasn't paying attention. Or maybe he was as desperate as Will to keep his mouth full as to have an excuse not to talk. Both options kind of sounded plausible), head shooting around at Jason in stupor, as if he couldn't believe Jason was actually attempting a conversation _now_.

And Will…Will looked slightly green in the face, staring down at his plate with a hint of disgust on his face, apparently utterly oblivious to his surroundings by now.

Maybe Nico should have stopped him from eating so much.

Persephone halted in her speech, blinking at Jason for a moment, as if she was as surprised as them that he had spoken up.

But then, she collected herself and rolled her eyes, turning towards her husband.

"Oh, please, he's only going to ask about the stupid contract, anyways. We talked about this last night, dear, and I told you he wasn't going to figure it out until-…" Persephone started, but then was promptly interrupted by Hades, right when Nico's eyebrow shot up.

Wait, wait, what was Jason going to figure out when?

"Yes, yes, I know. But who am I to deny him to speak to me, Persephone, dear? I do not want them cowering in fear in front of me, just because I could incinerate them on will. No, they can speak to me all they want. Sun-boy and Nico manage, after all. Perseus, though, I kind of prefer him to remain quiet, so-…" Hades interrupted her, just to then get interrupted by Demeter.

"_The impudence_! Always picking on _my_ favorites!" She cried out, slamming her hand on the table so hard the four of them jumped startled, while she merely turned and rounded on her daughter once more.

"See? This is _exactly_ why I wanted you to pick that other guy! The handsome one in the coat that would have helped you with your garden, and-…"

"Mother! I am _not_ going to have this conversation with you again!" Persephone exclaimed, looking positively furious, while Hades very blatantly rolled his eyes, burying his face in his hands for a moment, which made him look pretty…normal, actually.

Like a regular human father that was at his wits' end.

Well, his own fault.

"Percy is my boyfriend." Nico muttered sulkily, intending to keep his voice quiet enough for nobody to really hear him.

But, instead, there was a collective sigh from everybody but him, Demeter and Percy.

"Don't I know it." Jason, Will, Hades and Persephone said simultaneously, while Demeter leaned back, looking smug.

"Damn right. Now then, I have had enough. It was nice dining with you, children. But now, I must go back to work. Persephone, you got your check-up on the kid as you wished, so I'm expecting you to come and help me in ten minutes time. Hades…" Demeter started, but then merely eyed Hades like a bug she wanted to squish.

Then, she let out a rather derisive sound and got up, nodding at Nico and the other three before vanishing into thin air.

Well, apparently, that dislike between Demeter and Hades was never going to subside, huh?

Kind of a shame, since they made a really good team whenever they did work together (which had only happened a handful of times throughout history, as sad as it was).

Hades rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in front of his chest again and giving Persephone a pointed look, looking a tiny bit like a sassy teenager.

"Well, there go the plans for the morning." He remarked drily, a suitable comment to accompany the look on his face.

Persephone made a face, her jaw clenched, her expression sour.

"Don't blame me for it. If you just stopped pouting about your son's love life, I wouldn't have had to-…"

"Says the one talking about nothing else all the time." Hades mumbled under his breath, and Nico frowned.

Alright, they had bickered a few times during the meals, but this seemed more along the lines of _ridiculous_.

Usually, his father didn't behave like such a child.

Why was he so sulky?

Nico didn't understand.

And what the hell did they mean, _his love life_?

That made it sound like he was some lovesick fool that was pining for his friend or something with no real chance at-…oh…no, no, that couldn't be it.

They were just being stupid, or whatever.

Yeah.

"I do _not_! I only said I would have liked if they had shown up once more, so I could have picked out some more clothes for them! Dressing them up was so much fun, after all, I couldn't help but wish I could have put them into some more different outfits. And it's not _my_ fault my mother is still set on cock-blocking us. May I remind you it was _you_ who pissed her off in the first place with picking on poor Perseus – _again_? I bet if you hadn't, she'd have forgotten about getting me to help her out, and you could have gotten lai-…"

Jason cleared his throat loudly, and Nico's face was burning, his hand clenching Percy's, who had stiffened to a board next to him and was studying the jar of jam very intently.

_Oh gods._

How could they just…the other three were literally _right here_.

Why would they…why…this was…

Nico had no words, not even inside his head, mortification coursing through his body.

Alright, knowing one's godly father was having…sex…with his godly wife was one thing.

Having them _discuss_ this at _breakfast_ with Nico's friends _right there to hear every word_…that was an entirely different thing!

(And catching them at it once by accident was something he wasn't even going to put out there, because, seriously, he didn't ever want that happening again in his life, so he wanted to pretend it had never happened in the first place.)

For a moment, there was silence.

Then Jason straightened up slightly, clearing his throat once more, but more quietly this time.  
"Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering whether or not there will be a meeting today again?" He asked, and Nico was glad for the change in topic.

Gods, Jason was the best.

Though he knew Jason hadn't really wanted to ask anything.

He just did that for them.

And Nico was eternally grateful.

Persephone shot Hades a telling look, then put a finger to his lips before he could reply to Jason's question.

"No, we have decided the next meeting will be when you feel ready to give us a suitable offer." She answered for her husband, and Jason gave a small nod, though he looked at Hades uncertainly, as if half expecting him to argue.

He didn't.

Instead, he merely gazed at his wife amused.

Then, Will suddenly groaned loudly, slumping forwards and clutching his stomach, making _all_ of them jump in surprise.

"Hey, you ok?" Percy asked instantly, his hand reaching out to touch Will's shoulder, but Will merely groaned again, his forehead dropping onto the table.

Nico exchanged a worried look with Jason.

Too much food?

"I ate too much. Like, _way too much_. I don't think I've ever eaten this much. I'm going to explode…" Will mumbled weakly, his voice sounding strained.

Yep, too much food.

Will whined quietly, and Nico watched Jason and Percy both rubbing his back gently, both looking concerned, yet both their lips were twitching slightly.

_Hey, this wasn't funny._

He felt his own lips twitching at the absurdity of the situation, but pushed it down, instead getting up with a sigh.

"Alright, I'd say we're going back. Thank you for having breakfast with us, and thanks for letting Jason off for now." He said hurriedly, and Jason and Percy nudged Will gently to get him to get up, but that only made him groan loudly and miserably.

Poor guy.

Maybe Nico really should have stopped him.

Persephone and Hades got up as well, sharing a quick, amused glance, though they both nodded, watching how Will finally forced himself up, looking green in the face still, his freckles lightening and almost disappearing.

"Perseus, don't touch me, your values are all messed up. What the hell did you eat? Ugh, no, don't tell me. Jason, I'm going to _die_." Will cried quietly, and Nico watched Percy's face fall as he was so cold-heartedly rejected, while Jason started grinning from one ear to the other, getting closer to Will and telling him it would pass soon enough, because, if _Percy_ managed to eat that much all the time and not explode, _Will_ was going to be just fine.

Nico patted his boyfriend's shoulder in consolation as he turned to him with a small pout.

There, there.

(That's what he got for stuffing his face like that the moment Will wasn't looking. Though Nico still wasn't sure whether that really had been the reason behind it, so he decided not to say anything.)

"If you boys want to use the kitchen again, just tell us." Persephone called after them as they started for the door.

"Will do. Thanks." Nico called back over his shoulder, putting one arm around Will gently and threading the fingers of his other hand into Percy's.

Will slumped against him like a log.

"_I'm going to die_."

Gods, even though it really shouldn't be funny, even Nico found himself grinning.

Inwardly, at least.

He managed to force his face to remain as neutral as possible.

Still…Will was kind of adorable right now.

Dying from overeating himself?

Right.

And then people called Percy dramatic and clueless.

Then again, who knew, maybe Will wasn't actually feeling all that bad, but was hoping for them to make a quick escape before Persephone and Hades talked about getting laid again?

Because Nico for one could really do without knowing about things like that, thanks.

Then again, he kind of _did_ want to know what that other stuff was all about.

Like, what was Jason supposed to figure out when? And how? And why?

And what were they talking about with Nico's love life? (and _why_?)

And what had Persephone meant when she had said she wouldn't have had to do 'something' (whatever that may have been), if Hades had simply stopped worrying?

Nico didn't understand.

"Sports. We need to do sports." Will mumbled, and Nico frowned.

True, they were seriously slacking off lately.

Then again, they had been slacking off ever since Nico had started spending more time with them.

Before, Nico had trained pretty much daily, because there had kind of not been much else to do, and the other three had come and gone, Percy to train, Jason to chat and maybe train, and Will to remind him to take breaks and pick up food with him.

Gods, that seemed so very long ago now, even though it had technically only been a few months ago.

Weird to think it was March already.

Soon, he'd be dating Percy Jackson for three months.

_Three months._

Oh gods.

It felt like so long, yet also felt like nothing.

It felt as if he had already spent a lifetime with Percy in just this short amount of time, yet it also felt as if all that time had passed in the blink of an eye.

Astounding.

Nico wondered whether he'd still feel this way once he was dating Percy for three years.

Gods.

_Years_.

It was probably a lot too early for him to think about that.

Which didn't stop him, of course.

He was just beginning to wonder whether Percy would remember their one year anniversary (since it was kind of an easy date to remember, after all), and whether/how they'd celebrate, when he realized how badly he had gotten distracted from the matter at hand.

Oops.

Also, there was no saying they'd even last that long.

Who knew, maybe Percy would get bored of him…ugh, that was horrible.

Nico didn't want to think into that direction whatsoever.

Shaking his head to himself, he glanced sideways at Will, who still looked miserable.

Sports, huh?

"Well, we could do some stretching if that helps. I mean, if you wanted to train, I could ask my dad for some skeletons to fight, but actual sports…I don't think the room is laid out for that sort of exercise, and…well…outside…"

Outside was risky because of Will's already weakened state.

Alright, he wasn't in any pain anymore (at least that's what he had claimed), and he was able to move around just fine, but he _had_ just pushed himself past the edge first thing yesterday, so Nico wasn't going to let him repeat that in any way anytime soon (or ever, for that matter).

Will's face darkened, the greenish tint momentarily disappearing, and Nico knew Will had picked up on what Nico had wanted to say.

Nico inwardly winced at his reaction, knowing Will despised being treated as if he was 'weak' or not perfectly able of taking care of himself well enough, and that Nico's unspoken words probably counted to both – at least in Will's mind.

But then, before he could say anything to make him understand that wasn't how he had meant it, Will's expression cleared again, and he green came back as he groaned again, clutching his stomach.

"I suppose you're right. Stretching it is, then. Though not right now. Now, if I'd stretch, I'd retch. Hehe, that rhymed." Will chuckled slightly at that, then suddenly looked struck.

"Damn, that means I _would_ retch. Oh man, and there I thought I was joking."

Nico frowned at him slightly, the absurdity of it all striking him once more.

Will was weird today.

He was always weird, ok, but usually not quite like this.

First, there had been that brooding, conflicted expression on his face when Nico had watched him today in the morning, as if he was debating something in his head.

Then, there was the fact he had tugged Nico closer, making him laugh and telling him of all those things he usually never let them know of.

Now, he was acting so dramatic over eating too much, talking nonsense or things like these that didn't quite make much sense (at least not to Nico, anyways).

Was this Will's way of coping with the issues in his life once he couldn't pretend they didn't exist?

Maybe he still was a bit too out of it.

He had only met Leah and his brothers again yesterday, after all.

If that had been Nico meeting Bianca and his mother again after forever, he'd have probably reacted even worse, and locked himself in the bathroom for the rest of the week, in terror, guilt and shock.

So, yeah, he couldn't exactly blame Will for needing more time.

He caught Jason gazing at Will with a gentle smile on his face, and was about to look away again, his heart throbbing painfully at the obvious affection in his gaze, when Jason's expression suddenly shifted and changed, turning conflicted and somewhat…uncertain?

Then the blonde blushed and looked away hurriedly, studying the hall intently.

Nico frowned.

What?

What was that about?

Did something happen between those two?

He glanced back at Will, but the blonde wasn't looking at Jason, or any of them, instead staring down at the floor miserably.

Poor guy.

Nico really felt bad for letting all of this happen.

Maybe he could have prevented it by simply speaking up and telling Persephone to drop it.

He probably should have.

What a shitty friend he was.

"I'm sorry." He muttered quietly, so quietly he wasn't even sure he was heard at all.

But Will shook his head.

"Not your fault, love, it was I who ate that much, not you. I don't know, guess the conversation got to me a bit."

Percy snorted. "You weren't the only one, sun-bug. Seriously, that was weird. I mean, I suppose it must be nice to know they care, but…" He trailed off, shaking his head slightly, and Nico inwardly agreed with him.

"I know, right? I mean, I like it here, and I do admit I feel honored she'd seriously consider taking me in, but…" Will made a face, looking close to disgusted. "I'd really be something like Nico's step-brother, what with Persephone and Hades married and all, and that's just…"

"Don't. Don't remind me. Just…no." Nico muttered curtly, making a face as well.

Jason snorted. "You're already technically cousins, you know?"

"_Shut up._" The both cried in unison, and Jason cackled rather fondly, which shouldn't even be possible.

But, well, _Jason_.

Yep, that explained it all.

Nico huffed indignantly.

Seriously, though, why did Jason have to keep bringing that up every here and there?

Nico did _not_ have a thing for his cousins!

Percy chuckled next to him.

Well…_Meh_.

They finally reached his room, and the first thing Will did was fall backwards onto the bed with a long, loud groan, one arm over his eyes, the other stretched out on the sheets, same as his legs.

He looked so done with the world.

"Food coma?" Percy asked, dropping onto the bed on the other side, so their heads were kind of aligned.

"Oh gods, Percy, don't make the bed bounce like that. Just…let's all just _not move_, ok?"

"And there I always thought Percy was the melodramatic one." Jason muttered amused, and Will put his middle finger up, even though he was more pointing it towards Nico than Jason, since Jason was by now standing next to the bed to Will's left, and he was kind of pointing into the vague direction of the door.

"Wow, rude." Jason commented unimpressed, reaching out and tickling Will's foot the moment the blonde kicked off his shoes half-heartedly.

Will all but shrieked, a burst of laughter escaping his lips before he half hoisted himself away from Jason and almost collided with Percy, if he hadn't seen it coming and rolled aside just in time.

"Jason! I can't believe you just-…" Will started, then broke off, slumping back down into the bed like a log, a loud, low groan escaping his lips.

"_I'm going to die._"

Nico rolled his eyes.

"Guys, leave him alone. Jason, we were thinking of trying out the board games today. How about you pick out what you'd like to play first? Then we- Percy, _don't_." He added warningly when he saw Percy's eyes gleaming with mischief, his hand moving dangerously close to Will's side, while the blonde had his arm back over his face and was groaning weakly a bit more.

His boyfriend pouted, but then sighed and climbed off the bed, which promptly made Will curse him again, along with everything else in existence except Nico, whom he proclaimed was still the 'best thing ever'.

Yeah, Nico kind of doubted he was being serious.

Though he found his heart beating faster at the words, anyways, and he could even detect a hint of smugness popping up out of nowhere inside him when he saw both Jason and Percy huffing with small pouts.

But then he pushed it all down, instead getting them over into the awesome pillow corner he and Will had made, so they could check out the games.

He glanced back at Will, finding him flashing him a small smile and a wink, which let him know Will knew he was doing this so he'd have his peace for a bit.

Nico smiled back, then focused back on his guys, who were already going through the board games, Percy mildly interested, and Jason utterly euphoric, if the fire in his eyes stood for anything.

Such adorable dorks.

Nico had absolute faith in the day turning out as well as the morning had promised.

Will was bound to be back on his feet in no time, after all, so all he had to do was get Jason and Percy to decide on a good game, and they were bound to have another one of those best days of his life, that he was never ever going to forget.

Maybe he should take some more pictures.

It felt as if most of the pictures lately had been taken by either Will or Jason, and they usually only consisted of Percy and Nico, or Percy or Nico, or maybe the two of them and one of the other two.

Nico kind of wanted more pictures with the four of them.

And some more with Percy, Will and Jason on them.

Yeah.

That'd be cool.

He also wanted to take a shower/bath with Percy.  
_Oh yes._

He'd _so_ do that later.

After all, he had a lot of things he wanted to try out, now that Will had given Jason and him all those pointers.

He could barely wait to see how Percy would react.

Would serve him right for letting Nico figure everything out by himself before.

Nico huffed to himself, then smiled as Percy and Jason started arguing about _Scrabble_ versus _The Clue_.

This was going to take a while.

He glanced back towards Will, just to find he had dozed off, his eyes closed, his lips slightly parted, still all sprawled out on the bed.

To be expected.

Though it had been rather quick, indicating Will must still be pretty tired.

Nico wondered how much sleep Will had even managed last night, what with him being awake at 4am already – and it hadn't looked as if he had only just woken up, either.

Well, they had all the time in the world.

At least as long as they were here.

It kind of made him wish they could just stay here forever.

Though he knew that wasn't possible.  
They had probably already stayed a lot longer than they probably should have.

Persephone and Demeter were bound to leave soon, and Camp Half-Blood would want their medic and their sword master back.

And Jason had all those other gods he still had to meet.

Nico made a face.

Yeah, he wasn't going to dwell on those things for now.

For now, he was just going to enjoy this.

"Guys, stop flirting and pick a good game." He teased and instantly found both their heads shooting around, scandalized expressions on both of them, both of them sputtering and turning red/pink.

Hehe.

Adorable.

Yeah, Nico was so going to enjoy every single moment of this carefree world that consisted of only these three guys, him, and this room.

_Perfect._

.

"Am I pretty?" Percy asked, trying for the hundredth time to somehow manage a look at his own forehead - or better said, at the sticky note sticking on his forehead, with a name on it he was supposed to be.

Had he ever told anybody he hated this game?

He hated this game.

_A lot._

He hated it, because he was bad at it, and the fact that the guys were grinning and chuckling and giggling and laughing wasn't helping, either.

"Well...you're not bad, I suppose." Jason muttered, giving him a slow, teasing once-over, and Nico and Will held onto each other as they giggled into each other's shoulders like little kids, tears appearing at the corners of their eyes.

Percy was tempted to throw the pillow at them that he was currently clutching.

But, well, since he was currently clutching it, he wasn't going to throw it anywhere.

Instead, he shot them an evil glare, then scowled at Jason.

"Ha-ha, very funny. Alright, am I female or male?" He asked, and instantly got a 'Male' as reply from all three of them, Will and Nico still laughing and close to sobbing.

Great.

Well, at least they were enjoying themselves. At his cost.

_Hmpf_.

Now he kind of wished Will would have had an upset stomach for a bit longer than the half an hour it had taken for him to nap and be back on his feet again.

Then again, he supposed he was glad about it, too.

Percy decided once and for all he loathed it when anything was wrong with Will, especially when it was something he couldn't help with in any way.

Then again, he loathed it when _any_ of them were in any sort of pain or had any sort of issue, especially if he couldn't help.

He also loathed this game and how bad he was at it.

Couldn't they have just continued their normal game of _Guess who_?

Or maybe returned to _Monopoly_?

Even though Nico had rocked that game and Percy had been last every single time, he'd much prefer it to _this_.

Why did Will have to find the sticky notes and get the bright idea to play this, instead?

And why did Jason and Nico have to agree instantly?

And why did Percy have to go first?

So mean.

"Alright...am I blond?" He asked, hoping to narrow it down somewhat.

So far, either his questions had been shitty, or their replies (had to be their replies, of course), because he still had no idea whatsoever, and if he tried to think on what things he _did_ know so far, he kind of came up blank.

Damn.

Will snorted, scrunching his eyes shut.

"No, definitely not."

Percy glowered at him.

He was the one who had picked whatever name it was on Percy's forehead, so he deserved most of his wrath.

"Alright, I'm not a _jerk_, then." He remarked sourly, and Jason chuckled, while Will snorted out a 'Mean.', and Nico shot Percy a chiding look.

"Well...that's debatable." Jason mused with mirth in his gaze, and Percy halted.

"Wait, am I a bad guy?" Percy asked, trying to think of anyone who fit the description - just to realize he didn't even have a description.

"No." "Nah." "Well, you're annoying by times, I guess." Came the very helpful replies from Nico, Will and Jason.

"Aw, Jason, that's mean." Nico chided, turning his head to shoot Jason a disapproving look, though he still giggled.

Will snorted again. "Maybe obnoxious every here and there, too."

Percy glared at the lot, huffing indignantly.

"What, am I Jason's dad or something?"

Now Jason scowled at him.

_Ha! Take that!_

"Not that bad, but it's a near thing." Will said with a wink, and Nico nudged him.

"Hey, now that's a lie. Come on, he's not that bad. He has a lot of likable qualities."

Oh? Somehow, that only made Percy feel queasy and uncertain, instead of reassure him.

Did Nico _like_ this guy?

Why was he defending him like that?

"Do I know the guy?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows and looking at Jason, hoping he might slip up somehow.

But Jason merely grinned at him.

"I'd hope so."

Man, that was a shitty reply, what was he supposed to do with that?

And why did the three keep chuckling and laughing, anyways?

"I'm an idiot, aren't I?" He asked with an exasperated sigh, and wasn't surprised in the slightest to find Will snorting out another laugh, chuckling and giggling so much he had to hold onto Nico to remain seated upright.

Idiot.

"Yes." "Absolutely!" "_No_!" Jason, Will and Nico replied, Nico looking slightly alarmed.

Will and Jason both turned their faces towards the Italian, raising their eyebrows.

Nico blushed slightly, looking down at his lap.

"Alright, maybe a _little_ bit. Sometimes. _Maybe_."

Percy felt his insides clenching.

Alright, who _was_ this guy?

If the guys had said he was a blonde, he'd have guessed it was one of the two, but since it wasn't, Percy was seriously starting to get worried, here.

Nico _definitely_ seemed to like the guy.

He racked his brain for somebody Nico had talked about who wasn't Will and Jason, somebody he might have mentioned at any given point.

Sadly, there was only one person coming to mind, and that didn't bode well with Percy whatsoever, though he almost hoped it was that person, because then he might still find some sort of excuse…

"Leo?" He asked hesitantly, and now Will did fall over, clutching his stomach and laughing, while Nico looked absolutely scandalized.

"Percy, _no_!"

"Not quite. But, 'you' do have dark hair, and a weird sense of humor, I suppose." Jason said thoughtfully, a small, knowing smirk tugging on his lips.

Percy slumped back, glowering at his hands in his lap.

Not Leo, then.

If it had been Leo, he might have thought Nico was just talking like that to tease or to not be too mean, since Leo was quite a good friend of them, after all.

Now, it sounded like he was actually serious.

Which didn't sit well with Percy at all.

Not well whatsoever.

That Nico liked Jason and Will, he could live with.

It might not be the norm and he probably shouldn't be as fine with it as he was, but who gave a damn? He certainly didn't.

But somebody else?

No.

No, Nico was his.

Theirs.

Who was that guy?

Percy was going to find him and show him just how much Nico was his.

Theirs.

_Whatever_.

He grumbled, feeling miserable, and he could hear Nico and Will talking in hushed voiced about whether or not to give Percy a clue.

Jason let out a small sigh, nudging his knee with his own.

"Hey, how about you ask something that will actually get you somewhere?" He asked, half teasing, half serious, and Percy wasn't sure whether he deserved a glare for it or not.

He glared at him, anyways.

"Yeah, like what?"

Jason shrugged.

"There's plenty you could ask. Eye color, actual hair color, demigod or mortal, what godly parent, whether he's in this room or not..." Jason started counting off on his fingers, and Percy made a face.

Then he frowned.

"'Whether he's in this room or not'? What sort of-..."

"Yes." Jason replied instantly, and Will shot him an exasperated look.

"Oh man, Jason, you're spoiling all the fun." He sulked, while Nico merely rolled his eyes.

Percy, however, didn't understand a thing.

What?

How could that person be in this room, there was only the four of them here…?

The three of them gazed at him expectantly, as if he was supposed to know exactly what name there was scribbled on his forehead (or the sticky note, at any rate).

Yeah, well, he didn't.

"Hades...?" He asked awkwardly, and watched their faces fall.

Will smacked his hand to his forehead, groaning loudly, while Jason shot Nico a long, telling glance.

Nico merely stared at Percy, lips slightly parted, his expression practically screaming 'Are you kidding me?'.

"And there you said he's not-..." Jason started pointedly, a small grin spreading on his face.

"Don't. Don't say a word. I take it all back." Nico interrupted Jason, putting his finger to the blonde's lips without even looking at him, his gaze fixed on Percy.

"I take it I'm not Hades." Percy remarked drily, shifting uncomfortably on his pillows.

There went his hope Nico hadn't been gushing about and defending a mysterious crush of his, but acted out of respect for his father.

Also, there went all his dignity, since it was apparently something super simple and he was too dumb to figure it out.

But seriously, who was he supposed to be?

Nico?

Nico wouldn't talk like that about himself.

Plus, nothing fit, because Nico was a sweetheart and not stupid at all, and the guys would never talk about him like that, not to mention he wasn't annoying or obnoxious, either.

That was Percy's job.

Wait...

Oh...

_Oh!_

Percy's head shot up, his gaze zeroing in on Will.

"You wouldn't…Will, you're the _worst_! How was I supposed to guess I'm _myself_, you butt?" He exclaimed, and Will cackled loudly, winking at him.

"You figured it out! Finally!" Jason exclaimed, clapping his hands exaggeratedly.

"My _dad_? Seriously?" Nico asked with an exasperated huff, tugging the sticky note off Percy's forehead carefully as to not rip out any hairs.

And on the note, in a rather curvy, fancy handwriting, it said '_Percy J._'.

Percy felt his face heating.

Oh, so there wasn't another person Nico fancied.

That was good…

Though Percy had to admit he felt more than stupid now for not figuring that out, sooner.

He glowered at Will again.

"I thought it was in the rules that you can't pick the actual person as the person they're supposed to be!" He argued, though he highly doubted there was such a rule.

He just wanted an excuse for his stupidity, ok?

Will merely kept cackling, but then transformed it into cooing as soon as Percy pushed out his bottom lip, which gave Percy a surprising sense of gratification.

"Aww, I'm so sorry, Gorgeous, don't pout, ok? You did _so_ well. It only took you forever. I especially loved the jealous expression on your face when Nico started defending you. I could practically see your thoughts, all-..."

"'Who's this guy?', 'Will I have to fight him?' and 'I don't care, I'll do it anyways!'?" Jason offered before Will could, and the two grinned at each other knowingly, then wriggled their eyebrows at Percy, who felt his face heating up even worse as he scowled at them.

"Shut up! You guys are the worst!"

"What...?" Nico asked perplexed, frowning at the three, and Percy made a face.

"Nothing, sweetheart, I was just..."

"He was worried you fancy somebody other than us." Will explained very unhelpfully and Percy pulled his leg out from beneath him in order to kick the blonde (lightly, though he wished he had kicked harder to get that dumb smirk off his face – that was a lie, he liked Will's smirk way too much to want it gone. _Damn it all_).

"I was _not_!" He insisted, his face burning, and Jason rolled his eyes, crawling out of the way in order to stay safe (that traitor).

Nico's eyes widened in surprise and he looked at Percy oddly, as if searching his face for something.

Percy shook his head insistently.

Nico still seemed to look right through it, though, his gaze softening as he moved over, letting his hands trail from Percy's thigh up his front to his cheek, which sent shivers down Percy's back, relishing in the intimacy of the touch, even if it seemed innocent enough.

"There's nobody else. Just you." Nico said quietly, almost a whisper, and Percy felt insides fluttering and warming.

Then he frowned, slightly confused.

Wait, '_just him_'?

What was _that_ supposed to mean?

What about Will and Jason?

He glanced at Will out of the corners of his eyes, but Nico's hand on his cheek twitched slightly, and Percy hurriedly looked back into his chocolate-colored eyes.

Nico looked hesitant, conflicted, but then a determined expression settled on his face and he leaned forward, pressing his lips onto Percy's for a chaste kiss.

"_Just you._" He repeated firmly, and Percy searched his face, confused and slightly alarmed.

Was Nico serious?

Had he just...had his feelings for Will and Jason really changed?

But today in the morning...with Will...that had seemed more like...

And what about last night, with the two of them so…

_What?_

He didn't understand.

Was Nico trying to reassure him because he thought it bothered him?

Should Percy say it didn't?

But what if Nico was serious?

What if his feelings had somehow changed, or what if he had truly, once and for all, decided he wanted to stay with Percy and Percy alone?

What if the thought of a poly relationship had somehow freaked Nico out and he had decided he didn't want that, instead hoping for a strictly exclusive relationship with Percy alone, as society wanted them to believe was some sort of 'norm'?

It wasn't as if Percy would truly mind living his life with Nico alone and having him to himself.  
It wasn't as if he wasn't utterly happy with Nico, after all.  
He loved Nico, and he was fairly certain he'd be nothing but happy being with Nico and Nico alone for the rest of his life.

Something nagged at the back of his mind.  
Something with a dream and different paths, but he couldn't put his finger on it.  
It was all just flashes of impressions and emotions and color, all out of his grasp, all too fast and unfocused to make sense of.

He opened his mouth, still trying to make up his mind about what to say, but then he saw the hurt in Will's gaze out of the corners of his eyes, as the blonde turned his head away from the two, and something inside him snapped.

"It'd be ok, you know? If there were others. I don't mind." He blurted, too loud, too fast, the words a jumbled, incoherent mess.

_Curse his tongue.  
_Curse his habit of speaking too unintelligible when he was anxious and scared to miss his chance to speak at all.  
Curse the fact he just _knew_ Nico hadn't caught a single word of what he had just said, his eyebrows scrunching together, confusion filling his gaze.  
Curse the fact Jason had just _had_ to understand every single syllable, of course, because Percy could tell by the way his eyes widened and his head snapped around towards Percy that he had most definitely heard.  
Curse the fact that Will looked around confused as well, maybe hearing a part of it, maybe not, and Percy hated, hated, hated it.

Hated that he had said anything in the first place.  
Hated that Jason had heard, but Will and Nico hadn't.  
Hated that he knew he wouldn't have the courage to say it again.  
Hated that he was in the same place he was a minute ago, just that now he had an even more furiously beating heart and all three of them were looking at him weird, Will and Nico confused, and Jason in this really weird, slightly alarmed and uncertain way.

He hated it all.

"What?" Nico asked, tilting his head slightly in that absolutely adorable way of his, and Percy felt his confidence fly out the window into the darkness of the Underworld, the doubts and uncertainties and 'What if'-s coming crashing back over him, so he merely shook his head, placing a quick peck on his lips.

"Nothing, sweetheart. I love you."

Will threw him a last, confused glance, but Percy didn't look at him, feeling somewhat…ashamed, actually.

What was his problem, anyways?  
Why couldn't he just say it again?  
Why couldn't he just fling the cards onto the table and see what was going to happen next?

He handled every other aspect of his life that way, after all.

_Just rush into it and work your way around._

Well, with every aspect except Nico.

Because he loved Nico, and he didn't want to upset him, and even though things between them weren't exactly 'fragile', or anything, he just…he just couldn't risk it.

In other words: Percy Jackson was a _coward_.

And, by the odd look Jason was giving him, he had a witness.

Percy cleared his throat, only noticing now he had moved his hands to Nico's hips when his boyfriend had moved over to him, so he quickly let go, instead making for the sticky notes.

"Hey, who's next? Nico, you want to?"

"No way." Nico instantly retorted, flopping down on the bed beside him, and Percy wasn't sure whether he loved the closeness or wanted to flee from it, because his heart was still thumping loud and fast in his chest, and he didn't want Nico to notice.

Percy still couldn't look at Will, so he turned to Jason instead, who was still studying him quietly.

They stared at each other for a long moment, then Jason's expression softened, and he put on a small smile that almost looked reassuring.

Percy felt the bizarre urge to rush forward and into his arms, wishing for comfort and reassurance, though he wasn't sure why or what for.

Of course, he didn't move.

"Sure, do me." Jason suddenly said lightly, shifting closer with his legs still crossed, his hand moving to Percy's knee, and Percy felt his shoulders relaxing, and the hint of a smile hushing over his face, just from that simple, yet definitely reassuring/comforting touch.

"Oh man, Jason, that sounded _so_ wrong." Will commented with a chuckle, nudging Jason, but Jason merely winked at him.

"Or maybe it sounded exactly how I wanted it to sound."

Had Percy ever mentioned that Jason was the best bro ever?

Because he absolutely was.

Will gaped, and Percy found his gaze automatically flying to his face, gazing at the glowing freckles fondly, unable to keep in the chuckle that so badly wanted to escape him – which only worsened once he saw Nico's slightly scandalized face.

He grinned at Jason, who wriggled his eyebrows at him in an utterly uncharacteristic way, and Percy wriggled his own back at him, before the two broke off laughing.

For a moment, Percy was tempted to put his hand onto Jason's, though.

He really was.

Just like that.

But he wasn't stupid (at least not _that_ stupid, at least).

He knew that would only make things awkward again.

In fact, he wasn't even sure why he'd want to do that, anyways.

It was just one of those things like grabbing hold of Will's hand sometimes; or stroking that rebellious strand of hair out of Nico's face – it was an automatic sort of response, something that simply happened, something that just felt right.

But Percy wasn't going to let things get awkward between Jason and him again.

His hand found Jason's, taking it firmly into his own, and he inwardly face-palmed at himself.

_Well, so much about that._

Apparently, he _was_ that stupid, after all.

Jason stilled for the fraction of a moment.

Percy could clearly feel it.

He could also feel what undoubtedly had to be Jason pulling back.

He looked down at the sticky note with fake concentration, unable to meet Jason's gaze, and tried hard to not let the obvious rejection get to him too much.

But Jason didn't pull away.

Instead, he merely turned his hand, grabbing hold of Percy's and giving it a light squeeze.

"Hurry up, bro. You can just pick anybody, you know, or we'll still be here tomorrow while you think of somebody who could possibly come close to my awesomeness." Jason teased good-naturedly, and Percy's head shot up, knowing the surprise was clearly visible on his face, though that was entirely because of his hand, not because of his words.

The words he knew were fake, because Jason didn't talk nor think like that.

The hand-holding part didn't feel fake, though.

He heard Will and Nico saying something, and then the three of them started a conversation about something Percy wasn't paying attention to, his gaze moving back down to the Sticky Note in his hands.

That's when he realized he still had a job to do.

Oh, a name.

Who could Jason be?

There were a lot of options, of course, ranging from funny over boring to straight out mean.

But, somehow, Percy didn't want to use any of them.

Which was stupid.

It was just a dumb game, the name wasn't supposed to mean anything, in the first place, and Percy had no business putting so much thought into it.

Annoyed at himself, he scribbled the first name onto the note that came to mind, then stuck it to Jason's forehead before he could peek.

"There you go." He said quickly, feeling stupid and weird, and only noticing a moment later that was because he had let go of Jason's hand.

Damn.

Well, it was probably all for the better, though.

He should be glad Jason was such a great bro not to let this get between them in any way.

Will and Nico both leaned together to look at the name scribbled on Jason's forehead, their eyebrows shooting up.

Jason tried to peek in a similar fashion Percy had tried earlier, and Percy found himself nudging his knee with a smug grin.

"Hey, no cheating. So, ask away, babe."

Jason raised an eyebrow at the 'babe'-part, but other wisely didn't comment, instead looking back at Will and Nico, who were exchanging telling glances.

What?

His name was _perfect_!

It conveyed…ok, it conveyed nothing, really, but meh.

On the sticky note, in Percy's messiest handwriting, it said: '_Cerberus'._  
Well, it had been the first thing that had come to mind in the fraction of a second he had had before the pen had touched the paper, ok?

Actually, he half expected the other two to say something against it, since Cerberus wasn't technically a 'person', but they didn't say a word, so he took that as a sign they were just going to roll with it.

Awesome.

Jason studied his face, then Nico's and Will's once more, and lastly sighed.

"I have a feeling you chose something really stupid."

"Oh, he did, trust me. You won't figure this out any time soon, I can tell you that much." Will stated with a wry smile, and Nico shook his head with a small sigh.

"Well, this is going to be interesting, to say the least."

Oh yes, it would be.

"And there I thought we were best bros, Percy. You disappoint me." Jason commented with a fake pout, but Percy merely patted his shoulder with a comforting grin.

"You still are, Jace. Take it as payback for the dog slobber."

Well, one could say it was an indirect hint.

Jason sighed heavily.

"Really? That, still? And there you insisted you're not one to hold grudges."

Aww, he looked so adorable with that fake pout, though.

Percy was suddenly very aware Jason had never given them the puppy eyes look.

Kind of made him wonder how that'd look.

"I'd _never_!" He exclaimed, gesturing dramatically, just to then wriggle his eyebrows and wink; and Will snorted, while Nico chuckled quietly.

Well, let the fun begin.

.

They only stopped playing games when Will's stomach started grumbling, which funnily enough seemed to surprise him more than them, but Jason somehow wasn't surprised at that at all, instead chuckling to himself when Will stared down at himself in utter disbelief.

He could be so adorable sometimes (_always_. Jason had simply been blind before).

Especially his 'You gotta be kidding me, how can I possibly be hungry again? I ought to be full for the entire rest of the week!', in that scandalized tone of voice - though Jason had an inkling he might have acted at least half of it, in order to get out of his turn of the _Memory_ game they had been playing up until then.

Because, the next thing they knew, Nico was offering making pasta for them all.

Nico. Cooking pasta. For them.

Needless to say, they had been in the kitchen no more than ten minutes later, and Nico had reluctantly relented to letting them help out.

So, yeah, that's how the four of them now found themselves in the kitchen they had only yesterday been in with Percy, back when he had panicked about the pizza and required their help for Will's piece (that dork. As if Will would have seriously complained about whatever they could have possibly dumped on that thing. Everybody could have seen how happy he had been by the mere _notion_ of Percy making pizza for him.).

"Percy, I told you to _cut_ them, not-...never mind." Nico started, then broke off with a small, defeated shake of his head, and Jason looked around at the mess Percy had made of the various fresh herbs and vegetables.

Oh.

Man, and he had been keeping an eye on him up until now, too, making sure they'd end up with somewhat same-sized bits, since Jason was doing the other half of them, while Will was grating the cheese and Nico was supervising everything and taking care of the rest, acting adorably concentrated and focused and professional.

Jason could so picture him in a nice, small place in New Rome, rushing about the kitchen, trying to fix them pasta, while Percy would be trying to help but end up causing havoc, and Will would stand at the side and laugh and take pictures, leaving it to Jason to fix the mess, should anything escalate.

Yes, that was exactly how-…what exactly was he thinking about?

Well, whatever it was, it wasn't helping the current situation.

"Not good?" Percy asked with a pout, looking like a kicked puppy, and Jason saw Nico's expression becoming conflicted.

"Nah, it's perfect, Perce. Just like your bandages." Jason put in quickly with a wink, saving Nico from either breaking Percy's heart or lying cruelly.

Jason liked to think it was a sort of redemption for…well, for last night.

It might not have been Nico he had accidentally taken advantage of, but it had been Jason doing it, anyways, so it felt as if he should try his best to be nice to all of them and take anything they threw his way without complaint, to maybe somewhat make up for…_that_.

He glanced sideways at Will for the fraction of a second, then hurriedly looked away again, fighting the heat trying to make its way up his neck to his face.

No, he should quickly forget about all that, again, instead of continuously thinking back to it.

But, gods, how Will had all but _whimpered his name_…

Jason was _never_ going to forget that.

Mostly because he couldn't make himself _want_ to forget that.

Seriously, he was the worst.

He had practically _taken advantage_ of Will while he had been _asleep_!

How could he have done that?

Alright, he hadn't done it on purpose, and had had good intentions, in a way, and, well, _he hadn't known,_ but…

It was still weird to think about it.

But, apparently, Will had either forgotten all about it, or hadn't realized it had been Jason's fault.

Because, otherwise, Jason was fairly certain he'd have been dragged into a private corner by the blonde and beaten to a pulp (at the very least _verbally_…).

Instead, Will had acted quite like his normal self.

Maybe a tad more touchy-feely than usual still, and a tad louder and forcefully cheerfully than usual, but, well, who could blame him, after yesterday?

Who knew, maybe he really had forgotten.

Or maybe Jason had just dreamed it all, and nothing had really happened at all.

Yeah, right.

Because that would have so happened in one of Jason's dreams.

Not really.

In his dreams, Will would have definitely been awake and much more responsive, not to mention consciously willing to be touched (and touch Jason back…_yes_…).

Not that Jason really ever dreamed of things like that.

He usually more dreamed of cuddles and warmth and comfort, to be honest.

Kind of boring, probably, but he much preferred waking up with a sense of fulfillment, happiness and peace, than the rush of hormones and adrenaline and horniness in every fiber of his body after getting hot and bothered by (and with) dream-versions of people he liked.

Especially when he was cuddling with the guys.

Yep, Jason loved being boring.

Percy looked around at him, and for a moment, he looked confused, probably trying to figure out what bandages Jason was referring to.

Then, his face cleared, making way for an exasperated, unimpressed look.

"Sometimes, I hate you, man."

Jason chuckled.

"Yeah, right. You know you love me."

Percy flipped him the bird and turned away, waging war on the vegetables once more, and Jason heard him mutter a derisive '_You wish_' under his breath – though he also noticed how the tips of his ears had turned pink, so he was fairly certain Percy wasn't all that upset.

He rolled his eyes and turned back to his own work - just to catch Will stealing some of his perfectly diced tomatoes.

_Hey_!

He raised his eyebrows at the blonde, and Will froze in his tracks with the piece of tomato inches away from his parted lips, before hurriedly putting on an innocent smile, batting his eyelashes at Jason, as if that was going to get him to turn a blind eye.

Shamefully enough, _it worked_.

He rolled his eyes pointedly and looked away - not for very long, but long enough for Will to let out a triumphant snicker and undoubtedly nick some more tomato bits, before scrambling back to work.

That dork.

"Alright, does anybody want anything else with it? Percy, are you sure this isn't too much food coloring? Will, can you try this real quick and tell me whether I need to add more salt? Jason, bring over your part of the vegetables, I'll get started on that already so we won't be in too much of a rush." Nico rambled, his back to them, and Jason, Will and Percy smiled softly at the Italian.

He was so adorable, all invested and absorbed in his work.

"Yes, sir." Will saluted with a wink, hopping up to Nico's side and letting him spoon-feed him, while Percy rolled his eyes and checked the pot with noodles, shrugging at the content.

"Looking good. I'd say it's a good amount, yeah."

"Tastes delicious. Though I bet you'd taste better." Will uttered with a suggestive wriggle of his eyebrows, and Jason and Percy shot each other telling looks, while Nico blinked and frowned, but apparently decided not to comment on it, instead returning his attention to his work with a small nod.

Aww, such a cold-hearted rejection.

He shot Will a sympathetic look and shrugged slightly as the blonde looked over to him with a pout, then Will reached out and stole another piece of tomato as Jason brought his finished vegetables/herbs over to Nico's other side.

"Hey, stop eating all the tomatoes, Will. We need those." Nico chided, even though he hadn't even looked around at them; and Will looked surprised for a moment – but then, he merely put on an innocent look.

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about. Jason, really, stop urging me to eat your tomatoes. Tsk, can you believe this guy?" He exclaimed with an indignant shake of his head – while his hand reached out and stole another cube behind Nico's back.

"I saw that." Nico commented, and Will chuckled, grinning cheekily while he hurried back to his still not finished job of grating all the cheese.

"Really, Jason, shame on you, putting the tomatoes right in my face."

Jason rolled his eyes.

Yeah, right.

Still, he merely sighed instead of saying anything.

After all, he still _was_ trying to make up for last night, after all. Especially with Will.

Though the blonde really didn't seem to remember.

Or maybe he hadn't known it had been Jason's fault?

If so, should…should Jason _tell_ him?

Yeah, no.

No, Jason was definitely not going to say a thing.

If Will didn't remember, all was great. If he remembered but didn't know it had been Jason's fault, then…wow, that was mean.

Guilt flashed through him, but at the same time, there seriously was no way he'd walk up to Will or take him aside and tell him 'Oh, hey, by the way, I accidentally sexually molested you with massaging your ears in an attempt to help you through your nightmare. I'm really sorry you ended up hard and horny and rutting against my leg like a mad man, won't happen again'.

_No. Way. In. Hell._

Maybe Will would brush it all off as a weird dream or something.

Or maybe Jason's massage had actually not turned him on all that much at all, but catapulted him into a different, much better, and much more sexual dream, and _that_ had ended up turning Will into the hot mess he had been.

_Gods, his voice._

The way he had whimpered Jason's name.  
The way he had moaned out of lust rather than pain as he had during his nightmare.  
The way he had-…alright, this was seriously not the time for thoughts like these.

He was in a kitchen, helping Nico prepare the sauce for their pasta, and Percy and Will were literally right next to him, too.

Definitely not the time and place for these thoughts.

Glancing at Will out of the corner of his eyes, he found Will glancing back at him in a similar fashion, though they both hastily looked away again.

No, things were good between them, he wasn't going to ruin that with saying something stupid that might only end up making things unnecessarily awkward and weird.

He was fairly certain Will would greatly prefer if Jason acted as if last night had never happened, anyways.

So, yeah, that was what he was going to do.

He caught Percy frowning at him, glancing between him and Will with an odd expression, and for a moment Jason panicked that he might have seen something last night, that he had woken up at some point or anything.

But then he discarded the thought again, because he was 100% certain Percy would NOT be acting this way now if he knew.

In fact, Jason was absolutely sure Percy would have torn them apart instantly, ranting and undoubtedly waking Will up with all the noise, just to then blame it all on Jason and forcing them all into separate beds from then on.

Or Jason would have found himself pressed against the wall with Riptide against his neck and a very furious Percy trying to skin him alive.

But he hadn't.

He hadn't even glowered at Jason today in the morning, even though Jason had (for reasons that utterly eluded him) been acting rather possessive of him, keeping him abnormally close so he could squish his face into the small space between Percy's chest and the bed (Jason really had no idea why he had done that, in the first place, but he had to admit it had kind of been quite comfortable).

Percy hadn't even complained, to be honest.

So, yeah, there was no way Percy knew.

"You know, maybe I'll cook you guys something tomorrow. I mean, yesterday, Percy made pizza, and now you're making pasta, so how about I make risotto tomorrow? I'd say ratatouille, but I don't think you'll eat that, Percy, so there's that…" Will trailed off, looking thoughtful as he ate some of the grated cheese, which instantly made Nico snatch the bowl away from him and get it to safety.

"Sounds good to me. And…I suppose I would give it a try if it's homemade. Though, no lie, I'd prefer the risotto." Percy instantly replied, and Jason shrugged, as well.

"If you want to. I can't cook for the life of me, but I do have a pretty good brownie recipe, so, if you guys want, I could bake that." He offered hesitantly, thinking back to the recipe Leo had given him from Aphros, the merman from 'Camp Fish-Blood', as the Latino had called it.

"Yes." Nico, Percy, and Will instantly blurted, looking around at him with expressions that all but yelled he wasn't going to get out of this one even if he wanted to.

Oh well, hopefully, he wouldn't mess up, then.

Wouldn't want to disappoint these dorks, after all.

"Alright, Percy, your share of the vegetables has to go in, now, too."

"What? But it's not-…"

"It looks great, Perce. Put it in." Will cut in, moving next to Percy and winking at Jason when he stole a piece of oddly-cut tomato, while Percy and Nico were too occupied trying to coordinate themselves.

Jason merely rolled his eyes and shook his head, stepping forward to help somehow.

At least Will seemed alright.

Last night aside, yesterday really must have been horrible for him, so it was good to see him attempting to be his usual self, instead of an emotional wreck, brooding and worrying by himself in a corner or the like.

Though Jason knew he was far from over it all.

He could see it in the way the smile slid off his face the moment the others didn't seem to be looking at him anymore, or the way his gaze became unfocused and faraway every now and then, his expression almost blank.

He could hear it in the way his voice was a mere tad higher than usual, and his laughs and chuckles just a tiny bit too forced, too strained, though they sounded fairly authentic when Jason wasn't paying them all of his mind.

He could sense it in the way Will was unusually touchy-feely still, brushing his head against one of their shoulders here, or hanging onto somebody's arm slightly, there.

Not to mention the fact he had been holding Nico's hand 'for medical reasons' earlier, after he had woken up from his nap again and feeling a lot better already, though not completely fine, yet.

So, to 'heal up correctly', he had clasped Nico's hand tightly, telling him feeling his values would normalize his own and he'd be doing him such a great favor in letting him hold his hand for a while.

Jason knew he had only said that as an excuse for Nico to use, though, because Nico hadn't made a single move to pull his hand back whatsoever, which Will probably knew would worry the Italian immensely once he noticed.

All in all, Jason had noticed Nico seemed a tad…different, lately.

He used to not tolerate any physical contact whatsoever before, but then had warmed up to them and permitted them closer, to the point where they had started sharing a bed together (he was still absolutely certain this was all Percy's doing, bless him) – though he had always made a point to only get really touchy-feely with Percy, not with Will or Jason.

Holding hands had been something he had only been doing with Percy, same as leaning against him (other than that one time he had leaned against Jason on his birthday, when they had been surprised by Hades), or climbing onto his lap.

Yet, now, he had been holding hands every here and there with Will the past days, when Will had been stuck in bed; and he was leaning against any of them, depending on who was closest and who seemed to be the most comfortable at the time.

He had also been on Will's lap today in the morning, the two of them all close and wrapped up and, gods, Jason had to admit he had been so jealous – of both of them, which had sucked.

He had even kissed Will on the cheek yesterday (twice).

And on the shoulder (plenty of times).

But, even though he did all that, which indicated what Jason had been expecting all along – that those three would end up together – he had been the one who had insisted earlier that Percy was his 'one and only'.

And Jason knew he had been dead serious.

Nico might have hesitated, and had seemed slightly conflicted, but he had still said it with a straight face and firm voice, the honesty in his words unmistakable.

So, yeah, Jason was going to make a wild guess and assume Nico was a tad freaked out after Silena's words yesterday, not to mention confused about his own feelings – which Jason could only understand all too well, since Nico had had troubles with that before already, after all.

He pictured it pretty difficult to deal with being attracted to more than one person after only just getting used to the fact that one was _gay_, which already made one different from others - especially since Nico came from an entirely different time and upbringing.

Jason really couldn't blame him.

Maybe he should sit him down some time, though, and try to talk it out, just so Nico wouldn't attempt to shut down his feelings and start hating himself, again.

He had made such great progress in accepting himself, after all, it would be a shame to have that ruined, just because Nico might be scared of what would happen.

Of course, Jason had full faith in him.

Plus, they had kind of talked about it before, hadn't they? Back during their trip here, in the park.

When Nico had sort of admitted to having feelings for Will, even though he was with Percy.

Thinking back to that, Jason wished he had reacted differently, been more supportive, maybe.

He should have encouraged Nico to talk to Percy about the issue, or maybe even straight out told him to maybe consider a threesome.

Damn, he really should have done that.

Sure, he'd have regretted it for the rest of his life, because he'd have successfully catapulted himself out of their perfect, little group, but at least those three would be happy together by now, instead of Nico apparently trying to act like nothing was different whatsoever, Will living in denial, and Percy…

Yeah, well, he had no idea what to think about Percy, to be honest.

This had been the second time Percy had said something that was bound to change everything, and again he had backtracked almost instantly.

'_It'd be ok, you know? If there were others. I don't mind_.', he had said.

Jason's insides churned, his chest clenching painfully.

So, Percy really was ok with the prospect of a poly relationship, huh?

He had already guessed, of course.

Jason couldn't even count the amount of times he had thought he'd tell one of them, because those three truly seemed to belong together, anybody could see that.

And yesterday, Percy hadn't exactly been very subtle, either, what with him practically pleading with Silena to reassure him in his belief they belonged together.

Gods, Silena.

Why had she not just said it how it was?

And why had she even bothered trying to include Jason?

That must have been the one thing throwing Percy off.

Seriously, on one side, Jason had been glad she hadn't spelled it out for him, but on the other side, he kind of felt annoyed about it, all the same.

At this rate, those three would keep dancing around each other all their lives.

Unless Jason did something about it.

And he couldn't.

He simply _couldn't_.

He'd love to.

He'd love to help them, to get them together, to be that supportive, selfless friend who could step back and let them be happy.

But he just…he couldn't.

It had already been difficult enough to be supportive when Nico had first shown signs of interest in Will, not to mention when Jason had realized he wasn't over Percy as much as he had claimed.

But Jason had managed, because he knew he had been a mere friend to Nico, one of the only ones he had had, and he had wanted to be there for him in any and every way possible.

He had been surprised when Nico had started showing interest in him, as well, but had refrained from asking him out, especially with the whole peace-business and all.

But now, things were different.

The four of them were close.

Closer than ever before.

Closer than they probably should be.

And Jason loved it, loved it so much, and he never wanted it to end, though he knew it'd have to someday.

His feelings for Nico hadn't changed, they had merely intensified, same as his feelings for Will had manifested and anchored themselves inside him, torturing him with flashes of hope and wishful thinking.

But he knew it was pointless.

He knew it was futile.

What was he doing, trying to be quiet and maybe even hope Percy wouldn't say anything anymore, just drop the topic and leave Will to him?

_Will didn't want him._

If he didn't get to be with Percy and Nico, he'd probably stay by himself, and the two of them would remain friends forever, with Will heartbroken because he couldn't be with the two men he loved.

How cruel was that?

Was that really how Jason was?

Couldn't he just step back again, as he had done so many times before, and let them be happy?

They deserved it, after all.

Hell yes, they deserved it.

They deserved it all.

Will's hand brushed against his, and the blonde halted for a moment, a frown building on his beautiful face as he watched Nico work on the sauce.

Then, his hand closed around Jason's, holding it gently in his own, his thumb stroking over the back of his hand, as if trying to comfort him.

And the knot in Jason's gut loosened.

_This_ was why he couldn't do it.

This very thing.

Helping them out in getting together, that meant Jason would have to absolutely give up on Will.

Giving up on Nico had already been the worst thing in his life, tearing him apart from the inside every time he realized the Italian would never be his boyfriend, would never look at him the way he looked at Percy, would never grasp his hand like that, would never moan his name against his lips, would never…well, would do none of those things, or anything alike…

Giving up on Nico had also been futile, because Jason was as infatuated with him as ever, but now he knew for sure there was no chance for them, so it wasn't as if he was particularly delusional or anything.

But giving up on Will…?

He wasn't sure whether he could really just do that.

If those three got together on their own, that was different.

Then, Jason would have no other choice but to give up on him and wallow in self-pity and shame and heartache, but that would be it.

Now, even though he knew Will didn't like him back like that, he still couldn't help but _hope_ that that might change one day, no matter how unlikely it was, no matter how many miracles it might take.

To step forward and say 'I give up on this chance, no matter how small it may be'…that was impossible.

It was like working one's way to the Isles of the Blest, until all you'd have to do was set foot on it – just to then stop and say: 'Oh, hey, I changed my mind. I'll give up on this surreal dream of paradise and live in hell instead. Bye-bye.' and just to turn around and leave again to walk straight into Tartarus.

Though he knew that was a rather bad analogy to make, since he was a lot further away from his surreal dream than just that small step.

But it didn't matter, the gist was the same.

Will's hand squeezed his gently, as if it was asking what was wrong.

But Jason could only shake his head ever so slightly, letting out a small sigh.

This wasn't anything anybody could help him with.

He'd have to think it through once more later.

Maybe-…_wait_.

Will was holding his hand.

_Jason's_ hand.

_Will was holding his hand!_

How? Why? How had that happened?

And how come Jason was reciprocating the gesture?

Was Will consciously aware of what he was doing?

Did he not realize this was Jason, not Percy or Nico?

Well, he'd think so, since Will was currently standing right next to Nico, and talking to Percy, who was to Nico's other side, so he should have perfect view of them.

He looked around at the blonde in a mixture of surprise and shock, just as Will stiffened next to him, glancing around at him with a frown.

'What?' He mouthed, instead of asking out loud, and Jason blinked at him, surprised, confused, disturbed - and horribly jittery.

Gods, he didn't even want to think of what Will had to be thinking right now, what with him being able to sense his emotions and all.

His values were probably all over the place, too, what with his hammering heart and a giddy warmth spreading through him.

Oh, and his hands were getting sweaty.

_Smooth, Grace._

Very smooth, indeed.

Not only was he giving himself away, he was also behaving like a teenage virgin.

_Oh wait._

Yeah, ok, whatever.

Will sent him another confused look, his frown deepening, his hand squeezing Jason's again.

This…this was the worst.

This was even worse than when Percy had grabbed his hand.

Why was Jason so sensitive to such things?

It wasn't fair.

"Ok, I'm going to take the pot over to the sink now to pour out the water." Nico announced, and Will pushed into Jason to move him out of the way with him, tugging their joined hands up and against Jason's chest, while looking back at Percy and Nico over his shoulders with a small smile.

"Alright, then I'm going to set the table." Percy decided, probably referring to the small kitchen table against the other wall.

"And I'm going to die from hunger in the meantime. Guys, remember I want to be incinerated, not buried. Jason, please tell my siblings I love them and that I want my guitar pick collection to be burnt along with me. Because I know for a fact Alec won't treat them right. He broke so many picks already, it's not even funny. What does he do with them? Eat them? I have no idea. So…where was I going with this?" Will rambled, then blinked and looked at Jason's chest quietly – or better said, at their joined hands, which he still pressed against Jason's chest.

"What? Sun-bug, you only just ate a few hours ago, you'll survive five more minutes. What are you two doing over there, anyways?" Percy asked, nodding towards them with a small frown.

Jason would like to know that, too.

Nico glanced over, caught side of their hands, and looked away again with raised eyebrows, instead focusing on the pot in his hands.

"Hm? Oh, I'm warming Jason's hands. Come hold them, Percy. Ice cold. I don't understand. His values are great, why are his hands always cold?" He lamented, and Jason stared at him, taken aback and stupefied.

What?

First of all, how could he just go and tell them he was holding Jason's hand as if it was nothing, when he usually didn't even dare brush their shoulders together?

And second, how could he manage to make it sound like it was for medical reasons in a matter of seconds, making it sound completely acceptable and not weird or unusual whatsoever?

"Yeah, I know, right?" Percy agreed with a small chuckle, and Jason noticed in alarm how he actually _came over_.

No, Percy, that was _not_ a good idea!

Hadn't they only just held hands earlier, after Jason had felt the need to at least reassure Percy to some extent, after he had seemed so down and upset and desperate when he had backtracked from his 'I'm fine with a threesome! Sign me up!'-statement?

Apparently, it really only seemed to be Jason who had a problem with holding hands, because the next moment, Percy clasped his other hand with both of his own, rubbing it ever so gently, as if he was seriously trying to warm it.

And Jason merely stood there, staring at the two in utter disbelief.

"Maybe he needs you two to hold them more often, then." Nico commented distractedly, merely glancing over at them as he carried over the pot to the table, putting the noodles onto their plates.

Jason's eyebrows shot up.

So did Will's, the blonde looking as surprised as Jason, while Percy froze, his head shooting around to look at Nico wide-eyed.

Jason had no idea how to read his expression.

Aghast? Disturbed? Put off? Intrigued? Hopeful?

Nope, he had no idea.

Nico put the pot back on the stove, then halted, a frown appearing on his face.

Then his eyes widened, and he looked around at them aghast his face flushing crimson.

"I- I meant…I didn't…that was…" He sputtered, looking nearly horrified – then he stopped, staring at them, for once taking in the scene in front of him.

Jason couldn't blame him.

This just had to look weird.

It certainly _felt_ weird.

What, with Will standing right in front of him, both hands around his left hand, holding it to his own chest now instead of Jason's; while Percy was holding onto his other one with both of his own, still rubbing and massaging gently.

He could feel the heat creeping up his neck, and decided _this_ was most _definitely_ the most awkward thing that had ever transpired in his life.

A lot more awkward than the bath with Will.

And even more awkward than the handholding incident with Percy, which he hadn't thought possible.

For a long moment, there was silence, in which Nico stared at them, Percy stared at Nico, Will stared at Jason's hand in his own, and Jason stared at the three of them in turn.

Then, Nico chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"You're such dorks, you know that?"

Well, at least _he_ could laugh about it.

Will snorted. "You're just jealous cause you can't hold Jason's hands, because he only has two. Really, Jason, shame on you. Nico, come switch with me, I'll do the sauce."

Wait, wait, what?

Jason was about to protest, and tell them that this really wasn't necessary – he wasn't even feeling cold whatsoever, after all! – but Nico was already moving closer, blinking as surprised as Jason felt; and Will tugged him closer, passing Jason's hand to him and letting go with a last, rather suggestive wink into Jason's direction.

Wait, what was Will trying to play at?

What was this?

Jason tried to make sense of what was going on.

He had been feeling horrible, ok, and Will had probably gotten worried that it was something serious.

He could somewhat understand that, yes.

Then Will had grabbed his hand to comfort him, apparently.

Strange, but ok.

Then, instead of pulling back and acting like nothing had happened, because he must have known Jason was fine again (more or less), he had kept holding his hand, getting Percy involved for whatever reason.

Nice, but even more strange.

And Percy, the crazy dork he was, had of course jumped right away and taken his other hand to help Will 'warm' it.

Right. Bizarre and weird, but strangely…_normal_.

For Percy at least.

So, then, instead of stopping, they had somehow just stayed like that, and now Will had had the bright idea to switch with Nico, so Nico got to hold Jason's hand instead – as if Jason didn't already feel fuzzy and flustered enough as it was.

Oh wait.

Was Will doing this to cheer him up?

He was probably thinking Jason must be upset about something, so, the oblivious fool that he was, he'd put Percy and Nico up to the task.

Nico because everybody knew Jason loved him, and Percy because nobody could remain upset or down with that guy around.

_Of course._

How had Jason not seen this coming, anyways?

He huffed, glancing over at Will, and found him sending him a cheeky grin, carrying over the sauce and cheese.

"Your hands really _are_ rather cold. Maybe we should get you gloves." Nico mumbled, pulling the sleeves of his sweatshirt over his hands to attempt to warm him with that instead.

"Or more body heat." Will called over, wriggling his eyebrows when Jason sent him an unimpressed look.

"Well, body heat doesn't seem to be helping much, does it now? I've been rubbing his hand, and it's still not much warmer than before." Percy complained, and Jason pursed his lips.

"Guys, I'm really ok, you know? My hands are always cold, I don't know it any other way. There's no need for you to-…"

"Oh, shut up and enjoy it, Handsome. You know you love it. Also, holding hands is healthy. I'm a doctor, I have to know. So enjoy it while it lasts." Will insisted, grinning at him, and Jason rolled his eyes.

Yeah, yeah.

Was he trying to pull the 'Doctor's orders'-thing on him?

He felt Percy moving, and the next moment, his hand was getting tugged down and…under Percy's shirt…

His head shot around, half a mind on asking Percy what the hell he thought he was doing, and half a mind on flinching back from the sudden burst of heat coming from Percy's bare skin, his hand getting pressed against Percy's lower stomach.

What.

Just. _What_.

Percy glanced up at him sheepishly, his lips still in a sort of half-pout.

"Does that help?"

Will and Nico both looked past Jason at what Percy was talking about, and while Nico merely closed his eyes with a defeated look in his eyes, Will snorted out a loud laugh, giving Jason a pitying, yet utterly amused look.

"Well, that's got to be the sweetest and best concealed 'Jason, please touch me, I'm yours!' I have ever witnessed."

_Thanks, Will._

Jason closed his eyes, sighing in defeat as Percy started sputtering something along the lines of 'Oh, shush, Will. I'm not the one crawling into him every night.', which obviously led to a whole other argument between those two dorks, while Nico groaned, burying his head at his shoulder.

"What are we going to do with them?" He heard and felt the Italian murmuring into his sweater, and couldn't do anything but shrug.

"Just take them as they are, I guess. Think you can get your boyfriend to take my hand away from his abdomen, thought?" He whispered back, and Nico chuckled lightly, peeking with one eye towards Percy – and Jason's hand under the sweater, still resolutely pressed against his skin by Percy for whatever crazy reason.

"Nah, I don't think so. But if you manage to move your hand further towards his right hip bone, you can give him a poke and make him jump. That will definitely make him let go."

Jason raised an eyebrow amused.

Oh really?

He glanced back towards Percy and Will, but they were busy bickering, Will with his arms crossed, standing next to the table, a teasing gleam in his eyes; and Percy next to Jason, keeping Jason's hand under his shirt and ranting back with a half pout, half scowl, his face still red.

Neither of them seemed to notice Nico and Jason talking, or maybe they didn't care.

"Tempting offer. Though you know he'll call me a backstabbing traitor for that, right?"

Nico shrugged.

"Guess it's either your bromance or lunch, Jace. You know how those two get."

_True, true._

"But you poured so much love into the pasta!" Jason wailed quietly, though there was a small smile on his face as he nuzzled his face ever so slightly into Nico's hair.

"Percy is pouring a lot of love into warming your hand, too." The Italian pointed out mercilessly, and Jason made a face.

"Percy doesn't love me."

"Hey, now that's _harsh_." Percy exclaimed, pushing Jason's hand off his lower stomach and away, giving him a stern look.

Then he blinked. "Oh, wait, what sort of love are we talking about?"

Will started laughing uncontrollably in the background, and Nico and Jason merely stared at Percy, uncertain how exactly to feel about this.

Then Jason noticed his hand was (finally) freed – mostly because the air seemed a lot cooler on his skin than before.

(He even somewhat missed the warmth, but that was kind of to be expected, he guessed.)

"The sort of love where I'm slowly undressing you to 'Skin' by Rihanna, Percy. Come on now, let's eat, else the food is getting cold."

Percy (who had only just regained his natural skin color again) blushed all over again, looking at Jason scandalized, while Nico snorted and pushed away from Jason with a chuckle, shaking his head and tugging Percy away and towards the table.

"Oh? Well, would you look at that, Jason already has a song in mind to set the mood, Perce. I'd say your seduction methods are _top notch_." Will teased mercilessly, signing the 'OK'-sign for emphasis, grinning from one ear to the other and wriggling his eyebrows at Percy, who took one of the napkins of the counter on his way to the table and threw it at the blonde.

"Shut up! I'm not trying to seduce _anybody_."

"Not?" Nico asked, looking around with raised eyebrows, and Percy's mouth fell open.

"Not you, too, Nico! How can you just betray me like that?"

Jason chuckled, moving over to the small table himself, flopping down onto the chair next to Will, who was still grinning and wriggling his eyebrows at him.

"And? Feeling better?" He asked quietly when Jason turned away to focus on the food instead of the guys, and Jason halted, blinking slowly.

So Will really had done that just to cheer him up, huh?

He wasn't sure whether to feel touched, flustered or disturbed by that, especially since Will apparently thought _this_ was the best way to cheer Jason up.

A simple, normal conversation that would have gotten him out of his head would have done the trick, too, you know?

He let his hand drop to his side, brushing his knuckles against Will, establishing the physical contact the blonde would need to feel the jittery feeling, the mortification, and the disturbing sense of contentment Jason was currently experiencing (for whatever reasons) surging through him, and could feel Will stiffen next to him momentarily.

Then, a small, but genuine smile spread on his face, his eyes gleaming.

"Mission accomplished, then." He said softly, and Jason rolled his eyes with a small shake of his head, noticing Nico watching them with a small frown, eyes hushing between their faces.

So he quickly pulled his hand back and went to try the pasta, noticing that Percy was already busy devouring his.

After taking the first bite, he completely understood why.

Will moaned.

"Best. Pasta. Ever." He breathed, and Jason and Percy nodded in agreement, while Nico blushed slightly and looked flustered, yet pleased.

Jason blessed the moment Percy had had the grand idea of making them pizza, which had made this moment possible.

Because self-made food simply had to be the best thing in the world.

.

Evening came way too soon.

Will didn't like it.

The day had been fine – great, even, if one forgot about the fiasco at breakfast – but Will did so not look forward to the night.

Last night had been…well, there was no other way to say it: It had been _horrible_.

He didn't understand.

Yesterday evening, he had felt absolutely _great_, feeling Nico's hands on his back, more comforting than massaging him, and he had drifted off into sleep feeling safe, protected, and maybe even loved.

And, in the beginning, everything had been fine.

He had started dreaming of nothing in particular, changing shapes and colors and sweet nothing's, finding a sort of peace he had so badly craved all those weeks full of horrid nightmares and an exhausted body and mind.

Then, the bad dreams had started, and he had seen Leah die, had seen Michael, Lee, Leah, all those other kids he had let down, all the kids he hadn't managed to save – they had all been there, sneering at him, scowling at him, blaming him, shaming him, shunning him.

He had seen their deaths, though he hadn't even been there to witness most of them in real life.

He had heard their anguished cries, and felt their pain as if it was his own.

Then, _he_ had come, and even though it should have been impossible, the horror inside him had multiplied indefinitely, making him lose all sense of reason.

He had known he was dreaming, yet he couldn't wake up, and the irrational fear of having to stay there, in that dream, of not being able to get away, of being stuck in there somehow, had ripped through him, making him want to break down and cry.

But right when he had been about to give up hope, preparing himself for the terrors that were undoubtedly going to come, what with all his usually suppressed memories…it all had stopped.

Just like that.

The sense of panic and dread had left him like a puff of smoke, and all the darkness around him – not to mention, _he_ – had disappeared, making way for light and colors and a tingling in his lower stomach, pleasant and light and _nice_.

Then the darkness and the horrors had come back for short flashes of time, confusing him, freaking him out, but then the light and peace had come back, and had finally decided to stay at some point, to the point where he had stopped panicking and dreading for the terror to come back.

He had relished in the comfort and the sensations rushing through him, letting himself getting carried away by it, feeling that tingling spreading throughout his body.

And then, the tingling had become stronger, nicer, more and more _pleasant_, making him shiver and moan and want _more_.

More of whatever it was that was working its magic on him.

He had forgotten everything prior that tingling, had let his body and soul focus only on the pleasure and lust it caused, and then, he had started dreaming again.

Of the guys.

Of _Jason_.

Will didn't know why.

The fact he was dreaming of Jason wasn't all _that_ surprising, alright (though he didn't really want to admit to that, either), but it had all started feeling so _real_.

And dream-Jason had touched him so nicely, too, focusing on his ears, driving him crazy.

Gods, if he concentrated now, he'd probably still remember exactly how dream-Jason's hands had moved around the shell of his ear, teasing, massaging, kneading.

But, yeah, he wasn't concentrating on that, because he was currently sitting on the bed playing the last game of _Acquire_ (for the day, at least) with the guys.

Still, it had been terrific.

Amazing.

_Perfect_.

He had wanted nothing more than to throw himself at dream-Jason and crash their lips together, letting their hands run wild on each other's bodies, finding each and every sweet spot, touching every single inch of his skin, exploring, teasing, caressing, marking…gods, Will had wanted the opposite of nothing – he had wanted it all, everything, right then, right there.

With Jason, dream-Jason, his Jason.

And because he knew it had been a dream, he had reacted accordingly, letting it all happen, turning into mush under the touch, letting out moans he would have other wisely suppressed at any cost, grabbing hold of dream-Jason and demanding him closer, showing just how _desperate_ he was.

Desperate for the touch, desperate for relief, desperate for love.

And dream-Jason had given him what he had wanted.

In the beginning, at least.

Will couldn't even say how long he had been permitted to enjoy the sensations surging through his body, whether it had been a minute or hours, but it didn't matter, either, because either way, it had been way too short.

All too soon, dream-Jason had suddenly pulled back, and Will completely hadn't understood why, pursuing him, trying to get him to continue – _desperate_ to have him continue.

And he had felt the confusion, the hint of amazement, the definite presence of arousal coming from dream-Jason, had felt the hesitation as he had started touching Will again, softly, gently, as if he didn't want to hurt him.

The thought alone had been laughable.

'Jason' and 'hurting Will' in one sentence was as sensible as saying humanity could live without the sun.

It just wasn't possible.

But Will sure as hell hadn't complained about the way he had touched him.

Because, gods, he died for those super gentle touches.

His body was numb to most touches that could set anybody else on fire with lust, especially his upper body, so if one truly wanted to get to him, they'd either have to be exceptionally rough and use more pressure than usual – or exceptionally soft, more teasing his skin than anything else.

He loved that.

Though dream-Jason hadn't known that, judging by his surprise, so Will had tried to tell him, but he hadn't been able to speak, which he rarely could in his dreams, anyways.

So he had tried to show him, instead, moving closer and pushing their bodies together, trying to lean into the touch as much as he could, trying to let dream-Jason feel him, see that he was perfectly fine with this, wanted this, wanted it as much as he could feel dream-Jason wanting it, though he still seemed so, so reluctant.

_Why had he been so reluctant?_

Will had gotten so desperate, it hadn't even been funny.

In fact, it was mortifying now to think back on it at all.

Then again, the entire thing had been mortifying – worse than mortifying, even.

Because, well at some point…Will had woken up.

He had woken up, because dream-Jason had suddenly turned him around, deciding he apparently rather wanted to cuddle than sex, so Will had had to give up, confused and disturbed, which had ultimately led to him jolting awake - just to realize he hadn't just gotten closer to dream-Jason, no.

He had also gotten closer to the _real_ Jason.

Because real-Jason had him in the exact same hold dream-Jason had had him.

And Will had been clutching his arm the exact same way he had had I his dream.

He had been just as hard, too, and it hadn't taken long for him to realize he must have rutted against poor real-Jason's leg shamelessly, too, because why else would Jason feel the need to turn him around and hold him so tightly, keeping him from moving?

Horrified and disturbed and absolutely _shocked_, Will had disentangled himself from the blonde and rushed to the bathroom, locking the door and checking said lock a felt hundred times, his heart beating a hundred miles an hour, his breathing ragged, his dick throbbing in his boxer shorts.

Seriously, it had been _horrible_.

_He_ had been horrible.

He _was_ horrible.

How could he have just…why had he…it just couldn't _be_!

Will had never ever woken up that horny before, no matter how hot and bothered he might have been in his dreams (and compared to what he had dreamed of before, this dream with Jason was nothing in comparison, just saying).

And how could he have just…moved?

Like that?

Towards Jason?

With Jason?

Gods, he was so freaking grateful Jason had managed to stay asleep.

He hadn't even been sure at first, what with dream-Jason still unhelpfully fresh on his mind, and him running off to the bathroom the instant he had realized what the hell was going on.

But when he had come back, the first thing he had done (after establishing enough distance between them to not risk any more bad surprises), was making ever so innocent physical contact with the blonde, just to be sure.

It had been a light sleep, but sleep all the same, and Will was grateful he had been spared the mortification and embarrassment of being caught doing…_that_.

Not to mention it went against everything he valued.

Like consent.

Gods, he had practically _assaulted_ Jason.

Just like that.

Because of some messed up dream his subconscious mind must have sent his way to fuck him up even more than any nightmare probably ever could.

He wanted to die from shame.

Of course, after that horrid start into the day, he hadn't been able to close his eyes for even a minute, panicking each and every time that he'd end up rutting against an oblivious and innocent Jason again.

He had tried sticking to Percy and Nico, but then had worried he'd end up rutting against those two, as well, so he had instead given up, staying awake and trying to find out just _why_ that had happened in the first place.

But he hadn't found an answer.

He still didn't have an answer.

His best guess was that he was sexually frustrated, since it had been a while that he had had some privacy to himself in the shower, what with the drama with his sprint through Underworld and his poor constitution making it impossible for him at first to shower at all, and then not without him supporting himself and keeping his hands against the shower walls to keep himself upright.

Which obviously didn't make for great release for his pent up sexual desires.

That wasn't an excuse, of course.

Nothing was.

But at least it was something he could work on, could _fix_ somehow.

And hopefully _had_ fixed.

It might not have been all that satisfying, but he had taken care of the issue at hand in said bathroom in the morning, and that ought to be the end of it.

Will simply would have to watch out in future to not let it all dam up this much again, then he should be good.

Or at least he hoped so.

He really, really hoped so.

Though, at the same time, he somewhat hoped dream-Jason would visit again sometime, though.

It had just felt so _real_, it was both amazing and torturing, and Will still couldn't tell whether he loved or hated that.

But for now, he focused on pleading with any god who might be around right now (hopefully none, though if they were, they'd better be helpful!) that tonight would go smoothly and without any…accidents.

Dream-Jason could still visit him in a week or so, when things had normalized for him again, and he might be able to behave himself, instead of humping innocent, unsuspecting people in his sleep.

"Will, are you even still trying?" Percy asked with a frown, tearing Will out of his thoughts back into the here and now – and making him realize he was somehow worse than Percy right now, which shouldn't have been possible, because Percy absolutely sucked at the game, while Will had been somewhat decent up until now.

Well, then again, with his thoughts, he wasn't exactly surprised.

"Maybe we should just call it a night and go to bed." Nico suggested with a yawn.

"Probably. You are going to win again, anyways. Seriously, you're too good at this game." Percy commented with a huff, though he looked more amazed than annoyed, leaning over to place a kiss to Nico's cheek, who was grinning at him – before suppressing another yawn.

"I do what I can. Jason? Will? Want to call it an end?"

Will shrugged, glancing towards Jason, who was staring at the board unseeingly, his eyes glazed over and seeming tired.

Was he even still awake?

Will nudged him gently, and Jason jolted up, his eyes wide and alert.

"What? Sorry, I think I was spacing out."

Yes, that he was.

Will patted his shoulder, feeling a faint sense of exhaustion and sluggishness coursing through the blonde, though he seemed rather fuzzy and contented at the same time, so things were good.  
Unlike earlier, when Will had had to find out the hard way just how good Jason was at concealing his inner turmoil.

Seriously, he still had no idea what that had been about.

Jason had seemed perfectly alright up until then, and then, out of nowhere, his mood had dropped, all the giddy excitement and happiness making way for despair and hurt and anguish and bitterness, confusing the hell out of Will.

Though he had managed to get him out of his head, which he was still slightly proud of.

He might not have been able to do it quite how he had wanted to, but things had worked out, anyways, and that was all that really mattered.

If things had gone the way Will would have liked them to, though, then he'd have been able to cheer Jason up by himself, find out what was bothering him, reassure him, comfort him, be there for him…just how Jason usually was with them when they needed help.

But this had been ok, too, even if Percy had had to be an idiot again.

A cute idiot, of course, but an idiot all the same.

Though Will had the slight suspicion that Percy had somehow noticed something had been off with Jason, himself.

It had just been the way Percy hadn't argued about the actual things he could have argued about, instead focusing on petty things that either went straight past Jason's comfort zone and thus tore him out of his thoughts; or at the very least got his attention, even if it was just a scowl or weak glare.

The best thing had been the moment he had put Jason's hand under his sweater.

Seriously, Jason's face had been hilarious.

And it had been obvious just how done with the world he had been.

Will was glad it had helped, though.

He had a hunch that Percy had thought Jason needed physical contact, just like Will always desperately sought whenever he was down.

Well, Percy wasn't exactly _wrong_, either.

But, rather than physical contact, Jason needed to be _integrated_ more.

The fact they had all fussed over him had gotten to him twenty times more than the handholding, no matter what Jason might think, himself.

And it made sense, too.

Jason was always the first to pull back, the first to detach himself from the group, the first to let somebody else take his place, and/or the first to take one for the group.

He was always the one who made sure they were all good, watching over them in his own, special way, and comforting them and being there for them when they needed it, but other wisely leaving them alone, trying his best not to pressure or bother them.

And since they were all a bunch of idiots, they tended to take him for granted, glad he was there, but not exactly showing it.

When was the last time Percy had really gone and done something with Jason alone, after all?

Before, one could always find those two hanging out together, chatting, training, laughing, being bros.

Now, nobody really did that anymore.

Well, they were all one big group now, yes, but in Will's opinion, the probably didn't pay all that much mind to Jason anymore.

He was no exception.

The day they had come here, the very same day, he clearly remembered spotting the box with the board games and thinking 'Jason would love to play these'.

Yet, it had taken _all this time_ and _Nico_ pointing it out, for them to actually go and do it.

Jason had never said a thing, never made it known, _never bothered them about it_, just letting them continue with their video games, even though Jason sucked at most of them and was last in pretty much all the High Scores (if he even made it there…).

Will had to admit he was feeling somewhat ashamed for letting things go that way.

After all, that Percy and Nico would forget the world around them and more concentrate on each other than them was understandable.

That Will neglected his best friend like that just because he had personal issues with his life (and his crushes), was not.

So, yeah, long story short, he had learned his lesson, and would try to get Jason into the group some more in future.

Even if he had a feeling that was going to make him leave his comfort zone quite a few times.

Will decided to simply see it as a form of redemption for sexually harassing Jason last night.

Ugh, he still couldn't believe he had done that.

Will shook his head to himself, slumping against the blonde, who leaned against him in turn with a small sigh.

"Guys, don't fall asleep _here_. Come on, off to bed." Nico muttered, nudging and poking them insistently, until they groaned and stretched and got up.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on, Handsome. How about you're sleeping in the middle tonight? You're never in the middle." Will suggested – partly, because it would get Jason to get snuggled up to from two sides instead of one, for once; and partly because it meant Will couldn't take advantage of him again in any way.

"That's because Jason's so _big_." Percy grumbled, and Will snorted, shoving him away slightly when he wrapped his arms around Will instead of Nico for reasons unknown.

"What, jealous because he's bigger than you?" He teased, and Percy pinched his side.

"Shut up. You're such a pervert, Will. Alright, this is it. Jason, you're sleeping between Nico and me tonight. Will has to be punished for this." He exclaimed, and Will snorted out a laugh.

Yeah, right.

"I have no idea what you mean, I was referring to height, how is that perverted?"

"Shush. It is decided. Sun-bug, you'll have to make do with my back tonight." Percy declared, ushering them into bed.

"Percy, you can't just punish him for telling the truth. Everybody knows I'm bigger than you." Jason pointed out with a cheeky grin, and Will cackled quietly, winking at him.

Percy huffed indignantly.

"You're all such kids, guys. How about we switch things up a bit and have Jason spoon Percy, Will spooning Jason, and me spooning Will? I'm always the one snuggled up to, it's about time I do some snuggling, myself." Nico suggested and they all looked around at him, just as they were somewhat settling into the bed, the blanket half-heartedly thrown over them, though they knew it'd end up at the end of the bed in no time.

"Eh?" "What?" "Huh?"

Was Nico serious?

Apparently, he was, because he pushed himself up and sent them pointed looks.

"Yes. Move it. The Ghost King has spoken."

Will chuckled at that, taking in Nico's tired complexion as he got up, himself.

Oh really?

Somebody was getting into a mood again.

Gods, how much would he give to be able to kiss and tease Nico right now.

Percy did that for him, though, leaning forward to press his lips to Nico's.

"Whatever you want, babe."

Pah, Will would have teased him more than that, make him show his dominant streak some more.

"Wait, that means I'll be spooned by Jason." Percy suddenly seemed to realize with a jolt, just as they were getting into position.

"Aww, you poor thing." Jason cooed with an utterly straight, unimpressed face, and Will rolled his eyes.

"Percy, we both know you're only complaining because you know you'll love it. Jason knows what he's doing, after all." He said suggestively, wriggling his eyebrows at a now scowling Percy.

"Are you trying to set my boyfriend up with Jason?" Nico asked with a frown next to him, and Will made exaggerated 'Shh'-ing noises.

But then, Percy merely huffed. "Yeah, right. But, you know what, I bet you're just jealous because he won't be spooning you tonight."

Fat chance.

Will was more than glad about that, to be honest.

Though the fact he'd have to be behind Jason – which would make humping him a lot easier, too – was bothering him slightly.

No, everything was going to be ok.

Maybe he should have taken a shower earlier.

None of them had taken showers, to be honest.

They had wanted to, but then somehow hadn't bothered.

Eww, did that mean he stank?

Oh gods, he probably did!

"Oh, shush, Percy. Stop trying to get him to switch places with me, just because you want him more than me." Jason chided, and Percy let out a slightly alarmed sound.  
"I…that's…wait, _what_?"

Will rolled his eyes.

"Dude, you're his bro. He _adores_ you. Plus, you know as well as I do that he only tends to complain if something gets under his skin. So, babe, sorry to say, but Percy has a thing for being in your big, strong arms."

Nico wrapped his arms around him from behind, burying his face at the back of his neck.  
"Will, stop trying to set them up, I swear. If Percy breaks up with me because you made him realize his long time crush on Jason, I'll blame you for it."

At that, Percy let out a high-pitched squeak, while Jason started laughing, and Will's eyebrows shot up.

"Hey, it wasn't my idea to have Jason spoon Percy."

"Would you two shut up? We're right here, you know?" Percy exclaimed, turning his face to them and looking so utterly adorably flustered, it was almost painfully comical.

"Oh, I don't mind. As I said, Perce, 'Skin' by Rihanna. Sweet dreams to you." Jason deadpanned, pushing Percy back down and wrapping his arms around him tightly, moving back towards Will to get them all closer together.

Will chuckled at the small wail Percy let out, and could feel Nico's sigh at the back of his neck, though he couldn't sense anything negative in the Italian whatsoever.

"Thanks, man. I swear, if I'm going to end up having nightmares, you better be ready tomorrow."

"Ready for what? Breakfast in bed?" Will teased, and Jason had to tighten his hold on Percy to keep him from turning around again.

"You better be quiet, sun-bug. As I know you, you'll wreak havoc on us in the middle of the night, anyways, trying to get _your_ Jason away from us to keep him all to yourself."

So not true.

Though he wouldn't mind taking dream-Jason someplace far away to keep him all to himself.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Percy. If I could take anybody anywhere, I'd take Nico in the bathroom for a nice, long, hot bath."

Nico groaned behind him.

"_Shit_, I wanted to take a bath with Percy today."

"We didn't even take showers…" Jason mumbled sleepily, and Will found himself rolling his eyes.

It wasn't as if Jason even smelled bad in any way, what was he sounding so upset about?

"Well, we could always fill up the Jacuzzi, but at this rate, I have a hunch we'll all fall asleep in there." Percy muttered, and the three groaned.

"Percy, nobody was talking about actual hygiene, here. Nico wanted to bang you in the bathtub, and Jason…actually, I take it all back, I think Jason just wanted to shower to get clean." Will started, then backtracked, and Jason snorted, while Nico and Percy seemed to freeze.

"I…oh gods, _really_? Nico, we have to take a bath. _Now_." Percy exclaimed, trying to struggle against Jason's hold, but Jason kept him right where he was.

Nico made a small, squeaking sound, and Will could feel the mortification and embarrassment coursing through him.

"Forget it, Perce. It's too late for a bath now, no matter how desperate you are to get laid. Nico will have to satisfy your needs tomorrow."

Percy wailed.

So did Nico.  
"Shut up, guys! You can't just…just talk about this…seriously, _what the hell_? And, Percy, we're taking a bath tomorrow. Go to sleep."

Will grinned, and found Jason turning his head to him with the sole purpose of grinning broadly and wriggling his eyebrows the way Will usually did.

Will had to bite his lip to refrain from laughing out loud.

"Will, _don't_. I can feel you trembling. If you laugh or say anything right now, you'll find yourself _sleeping in the bathroom_." Nico warned, and Will bit his lip even harder, while glowering at Jason, because that stupid expression on his face wasn't helping his resolve one bit, either.

"And Jason, don't even try to egg him on, or you'll be sleeping with him." Nico pointed out mercilessly, and Jason hurriedly turned away again, making Will pinch him for being both traitor and coward - which got Jason to jump so lovely, rocking into Percy, who had only been letting out small wails so far, but was now cursing again.

"Nico, that will not be punishment. Who knows what they're going to do in there?"

"Do you want to sleep with them to find out?" Nico asked pointedly.

"Only if you come with me."

For a moment, there was silence.

Then Jason snorted.

"So, in other words, if Will laughs right now, we'll all end up sleeping in the bathroom?" He asked, and Will had to admit the sudden responsibility over their fate didn't do one bit to make him stop wanting to burst out laughing.

His body really did tremble horribly by now, too.

"You're such dorks. Go to bed, damn it." Nico ordered, but there was no annoyance inside him.

Only embarrassment and fluster and a sort of exhaustion from the day.

Not to mention a rather surprising, fluttery, warm feeling Will wasn't sure what it meant.

He snorted, clutching Jason's hip harder to bring him closer, and Jason instantly complied, pushing their bodies together and tugging Percy with him, who for once let him without complaint, apparently finally too tired to care.

"We've never had more trouble getting to sleep than today." Nico complained behind him, and Will had to inwardly agree.

Usually, when they decided to call it a day and go to bed, they got all serious, snuggled up to each other quietly and went straight to sleep, not wanting things to get awkward.

Now, it seemed more like 'going to bed' solely existed to play around and tease each other and attempt to make things as awkward as possible without crossing the line.

Though, hey, there had been a few occasion where they had bickered or teased each other a bit, so this wasn't all _that_ new.

"It's because we're all in this together, and if there's one who has a problem or who isn't feeling too well, it sloshes over to all of us, setting us all on edge with trying to make everything ok again." Percy very wisely summed up, and Will stiffened.

Was he trying to say Will was 'setting them all on edge', because if the drama yesterday?

He had tried to act like it didn't bother him anymore as best as he could.

Of course he knew they wanted to know more, and he had sworn to himself he'd tell them at least _something_ (starting with Nico today in the morning, which had been _amazing_, by the way), but so far he simply hadn't been able to bring himself to really talk about yesterday again, nor tell them anything other than the selected bits he had shared with Nico alone in the quiet hours of morning.

Yesterday had been a day of weakness, in which he had completely let himself go for once and let down his guard for a little while, and he might have seriously considered letting them in at least a tiny bit more.

Then, last night had happened, so, yeah, he was fairly certain he _wasn't_ going to let his walls crumble again anytime soon.

No thanks.

Also, he didn't want the guys to think he was some sort of crybaby.

Not that they really seemed to care/mind either way.

But he cared/minded.

"Excuse me for being a bother, then." He mumbled, trying not to feel too hurt, but the guys instantly stiffened.

"That's not what he meant, Freckles. He's saying we care about each other very much, and we understand that yesterday must have been very stressful to you, so we want to show you we're there for you, but at the same time don't want to smother you or pressure you. I think the 'setting us all on edge' is more referring to us worrying while knowing we don't have to worry, because we know you're stronger than that and can decide for yourself when you want us to be there and when not." Jason explained quietly, and Nico nodded against the back of his neck.

Will felt his face heating, his fingers still clutching Jason's hip tightly.

"Thanks, Jace. You're always a hundred times better with words than I am. We really want to be there for you, Will. We also want to be there for you, Jason. Right, Angel?"

"Of course." Nico instantly replied, and Will chuckled at the flash of surprise rushing through Jason.

"Me? What do _I_ have to do with anything?"

"You were acting all upset earlier. Also, I noticed you sneaky bastard have been trying to exclude yourself from our awesome group. Didn't you guys want to make buttons to avoid anybody being left out?" Percy asked, and Will snorted into Jason's shoulder, something that he noticed made Jason's heart flutter.

Was he _that_ ticklish?

If so, Will hadn't noticed before.

He'd have to check that later sometime.

"True, we did. Want to make buttons tomorrow, Handsome?"

"Didn't we all decide we were going to sleep?" Nico mumbled, and Will could practically hear the frown he knew was on Nico's face right now.

"We are. Just some last minute flirting in a moment of weakness." Jason supplied, and Percy and Will groaned.

"_Shut up._"

Jason cackled, then snuggled into Will's hold on him, and Will found himself smiling against his will, stroking over Jason's hip bone with his thumb, while Nico sighed softly against the back of his neck.

"Good night, guys."

"Night, _angel_." Will said, the same moment Jason said: "Good night, _Angel_."

"Fuck you, guys. He's _my_ angel." Percy complained, making the two of them chuckle.

"You're all idiots. How did I ever find the three dorkiest people in the world? It's beyond me." Nico grumbled, though he seemed more flustered than anything else.

"Birds of a feather flock together." Will supplied cheekily, and Jason snorted.

"Then Percy is the-…"

"Don't even start, Jace. _You _are the official mother hen, so whatever you want to say, forget it. It's irrelevant."

"Hey, you can't just invalidate Jason, that's just harsh."

"Stop defending him all the time, Will. He's my bro, I'm allowed to invalidate him, because he does it with me all the time."

"Excuse you, when do I _ever_ invalidate you? I _always_ make a point to honor your opinion. See, Will? I told you he's always mistreating me, and then tries to tell everybody I started it."

"_What_? I do _not_!"

Will rolled his eyes.

"Guys, you know you love each other. Go kiss and make up and let's go to sleep, I'm dead tired."

"Will. Stop trying to set them up. Though he's right, guys. Kiss and make up, then let's go to bed."

Will's eyebrows shot up, and for a moment there was silence, in which Percy and Jason both turned their heads around to look at Nico behind Will.

Even Will turned his head slightly.

Nico gazed at them blankly out of tired eyes, a small frown appearing on his face as he noticed they were staring at him.

"What? Oh…wait…ugh, _whatever_. Just go to bed, you bunch of idiots."

"Harsh." Will complained, but Nico merely pinched his side.

"Shush, sunshine. Go to sleep."

"Yes, yes, whatever you wish, oh mighty Ghost King." Will retorted with a grin, rolling his eyes and getting comfortable again.

"Good night, guys. For, like, the hundredth time." Jason said, and Percy sighed.

"I swear, therefore that we're all dead tired, we're still way too awake."

"That's because you're lacking physical exercise. Your mind is tired from brainstorming all day, but you have been neglecting your training, so your body is starting to complain, demanding some action." Will explained with his eyes closed.

"For a moment, I couldn't tell whether you were talking about training or sex." Percy mumbled, and Nico sighed pained behind him.

"Both. But both will have to wait until tomorrow, sweetest. Now, go to sleep or Nico will skin us all alive."

Nico made an affirming sound.

Then, finally, silence settled over them, only disturbed by some shuffling or shifting every here and there, including the moment Nico suddenly grabbed hold of the blanket and ripped it off them with a grunt.

_Bossy._

Will grinned into Jason's shoulder, his thumb still stroking over his hip bone.

Alright, this really was the first time it had taken _this_ long for them to settle down.

In a way, Will kind of liked it, though.

It made this all somewhat more…real.

Kind of like how he pictured things to be like if they were boyfriends.

He smiled bitterly to himself.

_Now, wouldn't that be something, huh?_

Percy started snoring softly, snuggling back into Jason's arms slightly, and Will grinned even more, feeling Jason shifting with a small sigh, stroking over Percy's side.

See? He had _known_ Percy would like it.

Who wouldn't like to be held by Jason?

Nico nuzzled his face against the back of his neck again, slowly drifting off into sleep as well, feeling oddly happy and pleased.

Will hoped they'd all have nice dreams.

He also hoped he wouldn't end up having _too_ _nice_ dreams, but he had the small glimmer of hope, that, if he didn't consciously think about it anymore, he might forget the whole thing altogether and that would be the end of it.

Hope died last, after all.

* * *

**A/N: [EDITED]**

Thanks for allt he support, cupcakes. You're the best.


	27. Chapter 27: Dream-Jason

**A/N:** I'm aliiiiive~ *insert Mushu from Mulan here ;)*

Hello Cupcakes, first of all, I wish you all a Happy New Year, and hope you had some lovely holidays!

Second of all, I want to thank you all for your support and all the kind words I've received, they helped a lot.  
I'm a lot better now, and will hopefully manage to update regularly again.

Though I'll tell you now that weekly updates are still out of the question for a while, big sorry.

Third of all: I hope you enjoy the chapter!  
Special thanks here go to my lovely beta-reader(s), who found mistakes I'd have never found in years!  
(Best. Help. Ever. I owe you.)

I hope you guys will enjoy the chapter, and hope it was worth the wait.

Wish you all the best, thank you again for all the support.

Enjoy~  
-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 27: Dream-Jason, more board games, and unexpected nightly adventures**

When Will woke up that night, he had one leg and one arm thrown over Jason and was thrusting his pelvis against his hip as if it was all that was keeping him alive.

Cursing and pushing away rather harshly, he collided with Nico, but the Italian merely grunted in his sleep, wrapping his arms around him tightly and tugging him away, muttering something against the back of his neck that sounded a lot like a soothing 'It's gonna be ok, go back to sleep, sole mio'.

_But _nothing _was ok!_

Will cursed again, working himself out of the rather tight and protective hold and stomping off to the bathroom.

.

The next night, he woke up in Jason's arms _again_, even though he had taken special precautions, falling asleep behind Nico, with Percy to Nico's other side, and Jason forced to sleep behind Percy once more (which had caused quite some dispute, because Percy couldn't seem to be able to decide whether he loved or hated Jason spooning him).

But somehow, he must have moved again, and Jason must have, too, since he was turned away from Percy now, instead facing Will, holding him gently in his arms and snoring softly.

At least he was asleep.

How he could sleep with Will violating his thigh was beyond him, but he wasn't going to ask, much less complain.

Instead, he shoved the blonde away, which made Jason let out a startled sound and collide with Percy, who growled in his sleep and wrapped his arms tighter around Nico, as if protecting him.

Yeah, he should protect Jason, too.

From Will.

Seriously, _what the fuck _was wrong with him? He couldn't just..._do this_?!

He stumbled off to the bathroom, first to rant and glower at himself in the mirror, then to take a two-hour long shower, during which he pondered any and every possible reason behind this.

Somehow he wasn't surprised in the slightest when he came up blank.

Every night it was the same thing. It started with him dreaming meaningless rubbish, which would change to him re-living bits of his past he didn't want to think about.

Then that warm, fuzzy feeling would start spreading through him again, numbing him to the horrors of his past, replacing the fear with pleasure, and_ freaking driving him crazy_!

The worst thing about it was that he couldn't blame anything or anyone other than himself.

When he came back out of the bathroom, he noticed Jason slumped, partially upright, against the headboard, snoring softly. He must have woken up sometime during Will's shower, sat up then fallen back asleep.

Poor, clueless guy.

Will felt a pang of guilt flash through him, along with mortification at his own doings.

He put the blonde back into bed carefully, trying his best not to wake him.

Then he crawled between Nico and Percy, who accepted him instantly, wrapping their arms around him with matching sighs and engulfing him in their warmth and scent, easing the knot inside him a bit.

But only a bit.

Will didn't sleep much that night, either.

.

The third night, Will caught himself crawling over a groaning Nico to get closer to Jason, who seemed like a beacon of smoothing coolness and comfort in the whirl that was Will's subconscious mind and dreams.

He caught himself being practically _pulled_ towards Jason, like a moth to the flame, feeling a sort of comfort radiate from the blonde. Will wanted the comfort, he craved it so badly that he couldn't find it within himself to _resist_.

Before he knew it, he felt Jason's strong arms around him, tugging him closer and keeping him there. Jason breathed a small sigh in his sleep, as if he had already expected this to happen.

He probably had.

Will struggled against the sleep, trying to wake up enough to fight back and move away, determined not to let it end like it had the past nights.

But then, he felt Jason's lips against the side of his neck, giving him a small, ever so gentle peck.

"Sleep." The blonde murmured, his voice raspy and beautiful, and Will felt a shiver running down his back, the eyes he had struggled to open the fraction of an inch falling shut again.

Instead, he snuggled into Jason's arms, and allowed himself to fall asleep, feeling utterly at peace.

What could possibly happen?

This time, things were bound to be fine.

.

An hour later, he woke up just as he was pushing Jason down in order to thrust against him better.

Seriously, _what the fuck_?

He cursed, untangling himself from the blonde. He was grateful that Jason seemed utterly fine and unperturbed – not to mention completely asleep.

For one frightening moment, he could have _sworn_ Jason had been about to wake up.

Or maybe he had been awake and had just fallen asleep again…

No, that couldn't be, else Will would have found himself kicked out of the bed, for sure.

He _highly_ doubted Jason would appreciate finding Will humping him in the middle of the night for _no real reason whatsoever_!

Seriously, what was _wrong_ with him?

He had _never_ done this before!

At least…not that he knew of…

Will climbed off the bed, stormed off to the bathroom and slammed the door behind him in utter frustration, which promptly made him wince and hope he wasn't actually waking anybody up.

But seriously, the days were going so _great_!

Why did this keep happening?

Ever since that day in Elysium (which had been both the worst, yet best day of his life), it was as if Will's mind was teasing him on purpose, first tormenting him with images and flashes from the past, just to then suddenly, _randomly_, change to that pleasant, blissful feeling that made him all warm and fuzzy – and wanting and _freaking turned on_.

It wasn't even as if he was having any sort of wet dream anymore, or was even picturing anything at all, not even dream-Jason (though he _did_ show up every here and there, that traitorous figment of his imagination) it was just sensations and–…Will shuddered, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the bathroom door, trying to ban it all from his mind.

Every time, it felt as if he had been _touched_.

But he knew there was no way for that, because, well, _who would touch him_?

_Stupid_.

The guys were asleep, and, seriously, even if they weren't, there was _no way_ they'd touch him in any way that would actually turn him on, was there now?

He shook his head to himself, unwilling to give in to the need and want bubbling inside him, this time.

This was _stupid_.

He usually had complete control over his body, over his sex-drive, over _everything_.

He had made a point of getting off in the shower before bed nowadays, so that his libido wouldn't get him into trouble.

He got off regularly, he remembered it, he was _there_.

Otherwise he'd have thought it was because he was putting off masturbating for too long, and his sex-drive had just randomly decided to act up a bit.

But he _did_ do that, so he absolutely _didn't_ understand!

Why was he like this?

_Why?!_

Seriously, at this rate, Will seriously would have to sit Jason down and apologize for his subconscious horniness, because, if Jason ever woke up and caught him rutting against him like that, he was bound to be beyond freaked out.

Will hated it.

He absolutely, utterly, completely _hated_ it.

_And the days were going so great, too!_

It was so depressing.

The past nights, he hadn't exactly been able to go back to sleep, too energized after a rather unsatisfying trip to the bathroom to satiate his needs, so he had generally been in a bad mood in the mornings, angry at himself and the world for being so unfair.

But the guys had always managed to pull him out of his bubble, being all nice and kind and considerate and amazing, the best friends he could have ever wished for.

Seriously, the past days had been filled with nothing but laughter and joy and playing around, he completely couldn't see why this was happening!

There was _nothing_ that made him uncomfortable, _nothing_ that triggered him in any way, _nothing_ that set him on edge or could possibly turn him into some sort of nasty, disgusting pervert, who molested Jason out of nothing better to do.

Seriously, he _knew_ he had a highly functional sex drive, but he had _never ever_ felt _any_ sort of impulse to push himself onto _anybody_!

The mere _thought_ was laughable, given his past.

Will cringed, slamming his head back against the door harshly to pull himself back into the here and now.

His hard-on was still there, pushing against the fabric of his boxer shorts, but he blatantly ignored it.

That could wait until his shower later.

It certainly didn't deserve any attention now, what with all the trouble it was causing.

Will huffed to himself in frustration again, staring off into the distance and catching sight of himself in the mirror.

Great.

He looked as pathetic as he felt.

Nice.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and thought of the past days with the guys, wondering if there had been _anything_ there that could possibly be the cause for this mess.

But he came up blank.

They guys were great, but not overly touchy-feely, if one ignored the handholding.

And that wasn't exactly turning Will on, it was more making him feel warm and fuzzy and loved and safe (something which the guys were never allowed to know, because that was bound to make them stop, and even though it hurt him to know they didn't mean it that way, he still didn't want it to stop. Ever).

The visit to Elysium wasn't that fresh on his mind anymore, either, so that couldn't function as any excuse.

Will sighed.

Maybe it _was_ the way those three were so close to him.

Maybe it set him off more than he thought.

Or maybe it simply was dream-Jason.

But dream-Jason didn't even show up until he was already horny and wanting!

Will groaned in frustration, smacking his head back against the wood again for good measure.

Seriously, what was _wrong_ with him?

He had had dreams like that before, and certainly not only with Jason, and yet he had never found himself waking up dry-humping anybody or anything.

Hell, alright, _fine_, he had had _a lot_ of dreams like that with _Jason_ before, especially back when the four had started spending their nights together – but he had not molested him before…_right_?

Doubt settled over him like a cloud, remembering how he had woken up with his hands moving down Percy's front to play with his waistband.

Jason _had_ mentioned Will had done that before.

Had Will…done anything else?

But it didn't make sense!

Will would _never_ do _anything_ without consent!

He had the strong urge to either smack his head against the door some more, or slide down to the floor and cry.

What was he supposed to do?

He had no idea.

Frustrated, he pushed himself away from the door and opened it again, noticing that he hadn't even locked it.

Nice.

Good thing he hadn't decided to take care of his not-so-little problem.

He huffed out an irritated breath, making his way back over to the bed and climbing back onto it, hesitating for a moment as he tried to decide on whether he should snuggle up to Jason again or sneak in between Percy and Nico, knowing he'd be able to get away with it.

Will only needed a second before deciding for Percy and Nico, crawling between them and instantly feeling them both wrapping their arms around him.

There was no way he'd risk having the others wake up in the morning just to find him rutting against Jason's leg.

Yeah, no.

But why only with Jason, anyways?

If it was some sort of libido-issue, he'd be having that regardless of who he was snuggling up to, right?

Plus, he was kind of attracted to all three of them, so there was that, too.

He didn't understand.

If he remembered correctly, this whole 'trying to get into somebody's pants while he was sleeping'-thing he had had back before he had been ambushed by horrid (and apparently god-related) nightmares, had started out with Jason, yes – but it hadn't been solely Jason, which seemed to be the case now.

Why?

Back then, Will hadn't even been _that_ attracted to Jason, so he couldn't even claim he had been pining so hard for the guy he had forgotten himself in his sleepy state or anything.

Now, that might be a supportive factor, though, come to think of it.

Unwillingly, Will pictured Jason in that punk outfit again, and, for a moment, he could completely understand why he'd love to ravish Jason at any given time.

Then he scolded himself for having such thoughts in the first place, burying his face into Percy's chest, who mumbled something along the lines of 'No worries, I'll leave you some cake…', and tugged him slightly closer.

Will couldn't help but smile at that.

Aw, how nice.

Will could so do with some cake now, to be honest.

Though he kind of doubted Percy was talking to him in particular in whatever strange dream he was having.

Still, that didn't stop him from snuggling closer to him, smothering him in his heat mercilessly, because Percy and Nico had long abandoned the blanket, anyways.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard rustling and movement behind him, identifying it as Jason, because Nico was too close for him not to feel it if it was him moving.

Then, he heard a small, rather sad sigh.

_Oh._

Well, true, Jason had been somewhat awake when he had wrapped his arms around him before, after Will had climbed over Percy and Nico to get to him.

Of course he'd realize Will had cruelly abandoned him again for reasons Jason, luckily, didn't know.

Guilt gnawed on Will, and he turned his head, just as Jason gazed at him with his blue, blue eyes.

Great.

Now he knew he was awake.

Jason blinked slowly, his expression unchanging, and it took Will a moment to realize he probably couldn't see Will's face properly, since he wasn't wearing glasses.

So, that meant he didn't know Will was awake?

Will hesitated, contemplating his options.

He could technically act asleep until he'd actually fall asleep, which meant he'd be safe for the rest of the night (hopefully) from molesting Jason again.

Or he could actually make his wakefulness known, and…and then what?

Talk to Jason?

Snuggle up to him again?

No way, what if he started molesting him again?

Also, he had settled down between Percy and Nico for this specific reason!

"Hey…can't sleep?" Will asked, then cursed himself for never doing what he was supposed to do.

Jason jumped slightly, seeming surprised, and Will could see him squinting slightly at him, just to then move over, closer to Nico, and putting an arm around the Italian with a sigh.

"Just woke up. You ok?"

Will swallowed.

What did he mean by 'you ok'?

Why would he ask that?

Had he noticed something?  
No, then he'd surely say anything but 'You ok'.

Will nodded hastily.

"Yeah, I'm…I'm good. Had a weird dream."

Jason gave a small nod, not meeting his eyes all of a sudden, instead staring at Nico's hair with great interest.

"I…noticed. You moved in your sleep again. Climbed over Nico at some point past 2am."

Will cringed.

So Jason had even been awake enough to check the time?

What if he _had_ noticed something?  
No, then he wouldn't be this calm and collected and unbothered.

"Yeah, it's weird, isn't it? Sorry for always moving over to you. I…erm…I really don't want to take away your chance to snuggle up to him, you know? So I switched back as soon as I noticed…" He mumbled lamely, hoping Jason would buy the excuse, anyways.

The blonde merely shrugged.

"I don't really mind."

Well, if he knew how desperately Will was humping his leg every night nowadays, he'd definitely mind, alright.

Silence settled over them, and Will tried frantically to think of something smart to say.

Something that didn't involve embarrassing hard-ons in the middle of the night; or waking up with the need to either masturbate or punch himself in the face; or anything that could lead to either of those two once more.

"I really liked that game we were playing yesterday." He said lamely, and Jason blinked slowly at him, apparently trying to remember what game he was talking about.

"You mean '_Operation'_?" He asked dubiously, and Will's face fell.

Really?

That had been _boring_.

Will completely couldn't understand how Percy had failed over and over again to get the pieces out without touching the sides.

Seriously.

"_No_! I meant the other one. What was the name…_Carcassonne_? Something like that."

Jason chuckled.

"Oh, that. Yeah, we both rocked that game, didn't we?"

They absolutely had.

"Sure did. But let's never play _Monopoly_ again. That was horrible."

Jason grinned, rubbing his eyes with one hand, looking a bit more awake than a few minutes ago, the usual gleam returning to his eyes.

"You only disliked it because Nico ran us into the ground mercilessly every single time we played."

Will huffed.

"So not true. I was second in the last two games, or did you forgot? Though I know now that Nico is definitely never going to have money problems in his life, no matter if his dad helps out or not."

Jason grinned. "What, you didn't know that before?"

"Oh, shush, or I'm playing _Scrabble_ with you, next." Will threatened in a light tone, moving his hand to poke Jason's forehead – mainly to touch him, craving the feeling of being in his arms, all snuggled up and safe.

Jason acted aghast.

"You _wouldn't_! No~, the alphabet is my _one_ weakness! Don't do that to me!" He wailed quietly, but dramatically, and Will snorted amused, feeling Percy's grip on him tightening slightly, grumbling something into the back of his neck sternly, as if scolding him.

"Nah, I really wouldn't do that. But only because I'd be shooting myself in the leg with that. I mean, I know all these awesome medical terms and such, but I have _no idea_ how to spell them correctly, so I'd go down like nothing else." He admitted, and Jason grinned at him.

"Of course. Want to bet Percy would surprise us all and get the most words down correctly?"

Will huffed. "Probably. But only because he had practice during the Advent Calendar."

Jason shrugged, glancing at the corner that held the board games, probably thinking of what they could actually play later.

Will tried and failed to stifle a yawn.

"Still tired? Want to go back to sleep?" Jason asked softly, but Will shook his head, snuggling back into Percy's chest slightly, who let out a content sigh (probably wishing he was Nico – poor guy, Will had to admit he felt more than slightly bad for abusing them like this and ruining their chances at romantic and loving snuggles).

No, he had given up on sleep by now.

With Jason awake, and Will letting him know he was up, there was no way he could go back to bed in any way (though that also didn't mean he'd get up. Ugh, anything away from Percy and Nico was bound to be so _cold_, after all.).

"Nope. You? If not, we could play something, I guess."

Had he already mentioned how much he hated that his thoughts and actions never seemed to match?

"Sure, what would you like to play?" Jason asked almost immediately, turning around to search for his glasses on the bedside table.

Will watched the muscles in Jason's back flex as he stretched and reached out in such an odd way, that Will was almost certain he was doing it for the sole purpose of showing off.

Though he knew Jason would never do that.

Jason would also not offer to play games with him if he knew, that, not twenty minutes ago, Will had wanted them to 'play' in an entirely different way.

When Jason turned back around with his glasses on his nose, Will gave him his answer in a noncommittal shrug.

"No clue. Your choice."

Percy grumbled again, probably because Will was moving too much.

Meh.

He should enjoy Will being here for as long as he could, because, by the looks of it, they were going to get up any moment now to sit down in another corner of this cold, cold room.

(At least Percy would get his chance at a romantic and loving cuddle with Nico, apparently. See, that was Jason for you, enabling romance and love wherever he went – without even noticing, of course.)

Jason blew out a long breath, looking back towards the games.

"Hm, how about _Battleship_?"

"Again? No way, you always find my ships way too easily." Will complained, and Jason grinned.

"Can't blame me if you always put them into the same places, and all of them huddled together. I don't think ships are meant to cuddle, Will."

Will huffed indignantly.

"Shush. How about we play that detective game?"

"No way."

They suggested games back and forth, but at last, they settled for _Battleship_.

Mostly because they had already played a lot of the other, smaller and shorter games, and that one was the most enjoyable (even if Jason kept sinking his ships, that bastard).

But the other two were bound to wake up soon, so it made no sense to really start a big game, since they most likely would want to join in.

Or they'd rush off to the bathroom first.

Man, Will was _so_ envious that they had each other to get rid of their horniness with, and in the most satisfying ways ever!

If he had somebody like that (which was to say: a loving boyfriend), he'd probably stop molesting Jason in the middle of the night, too.

Seriously, at this rate, things were bound to escalate beyond his control, beyond repair, and he did _not_ want to see that go down.

Jason got up, then shivered and flopped back down on the bed, grabbing the blanket and wrapping it around him

Aww, cute.

"Cold?" Will teased as he worked himself out of Percy's hold, who absolutely didn't like that at all, growling at him and tightening his grip instead, but Will merely huffed and tugged Nico closer, making Percy hold onto him instead of Will to get away.

Jason made a face.

"Not everybody is a walking furnace, you know."

"I know. Awesome, isn't it? Come on, leave them the Christmas blanket and take the normal one instead, else they'll cry once they wake up." Will said with a smirk, and Jason glanced down at the blanket he had wrapped around him, apparently only now noticing it was Nico's special blanket.

Then he looked up with a pout – and damn, what an adorable pout it was!

(Who'd have thought Jason actually _could_ pout?!)

"But this one is already warm."

Will snorted, grabbing the black blanket that was in a heap at the end of the bed, and throwing it towards Jason so he'd move it.

"Aw, want me to warm you?" He asked with a very suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows, though he absolutely didn't intend to follow up on that whatsoever.

He was glad when he was as far away from Jason right now as possible (though that had nothing to do with Jason, per se, but more with Will's lack of control over his hormones).

Then again, Jason definitely knew he was playing, so he wouldn't take him up on it, anyways.

In other words, Will was completely safe.

"Yes." Jason retorted curtly, and Will promptly stumbled over his own feet, hitting the ground next to the bed.

_What?!_

Jason made a surprised sound, hopping off the bed hurrying over to him, but Will was already attempting to scramble off the floor, trying to regain his composure.

"Hey, you alright? See, this is what happens if you guys leave your clothes lying around everywhere. Just _what_ am I supposed to do with you?" He chided, and Will felt him tugging him up by his arms, which worked a lot faster than his frantic tries to use his legs before using his brain to coordinate them properly.

Right.

This day was off to a good start, that much was for certain.

First, he woke up molesting Jason, now, he kissed the ground.

What was going to come next? Percy beating him at _SingStar_?

He sighed, letting Jason tug him over to their amazing pillow corner (the best idea ever).

Jason pushed him into the pillows, and for a moment, Will wondered how it would feel like if Jason pushed him down right now, getting on top of him, sealing their lips, his hands-…Will shook his head firmly to himself, cursing himself for not giving in earlier and jerking off in the bathroom when he had had the chance.

Then he wouldn't have such thoughts, for sure.

But _no_, he had just _had_ to be stubborn.

Jason dropped the blanket onto him unceremoniously, oblivious to the indecent thoughts swirling around unhelpfully and unwantedly in Will's mind, moving over to the box full of board games and rummaging through it.

Will sighed, closing his eyes and wishing he could be a bit more like Jason sometimes.

Calm, collected, the master of the situation, no matter the situation.

And Jason always seemed to have such a perfect control over himself and his body.

He'd certainly not get random hard-ons in the middle of the night and hump other people, that much was for certain.

Oh, how Will envied him sometimes.

"You sure you don't want to try sleep some more?" Jason asked right next to him, before flopping down rather close, tugging the blanket around himself, as well.

Will huffed and was torn between leaning against the blonde, and turning away from him.

The past days had been strange, regarding closeness and physical contact.

Which was to say, there had barely been a moment in which Will hadn't had some sort of physical contact with at least one of them.

In the beginning, it had been because he had needed it, had craved the comfort of touch in order to get out of his head and get over the happenings and the shock from Elysium.

But then, as he had started feeling fine again (at least by his definition), the guys hadn't stopped, and it had kind of become…well, not 'normal', but…it had become _something_.

It wasn't normal.

Not in the sense that they were used to it, and it meant nothing anymore.

They were careful with their touches, unwilling to go too far, yet unwilling to rein themselves in either, letting it show when they wanted to get closer, and permitting his getting closer, too.

It was still special.

Will liked that.

Will liked it all.

Though, at the same time, it was torture.

Not that that should surprise him in any way.

Seriously, apparently, he _did_ have some sort of masochistic streak, even though he hadn't thought so until he had gotten to know these three guys.

Which was strange, because Will loathed any sort of pain.

At long last, he sighed, giving into temptation.

"I'm sure. Now, still cold? Or will you be alright? I don't know how you intend to have me warm you while playing _Battleship_ without cheating, but if you find a way, I'm up for it." He stated with a shrug, fairly certain there _was_ no way to go about this, though he would not have Jason believe he was chickening out by pretending he had never offered, especially since Jason had clearly said 'yes'.

He half expected Jason's face to fall or to have him shrug and thus bringing forth the end of the matter, but instead, he seemed to ponder his options for a moment, leaning against him as he opened the small box, taking out the pieces for the game.

"True, true. And back to back wouldn't really help much, either, I guess, because of the blanket and our legs…hmm…"

Wow, was he _seriously_ giving this so much thought?

Apparently, Jason really _was_ cold.

Will sneakily moved his hand closer to the blonde's side, trying to check his values, since shoulder against shoulder didn't really give him a lot of information, especially not this early in the morning and with his mind still in the gutter.

"Oh, I know something!" Jason suddenly exclaimed, jumping slightly and promptly moving out of Will's reach, making him look up in a mixture of surprise and irritation.

Jason glanced around at him with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, but then he halted, seemingly contemplating it some more and becoming more hesitant.

"Ah…never mind…you probably wouldn't want to do that…" He then said quietly, waving off, and Will made a face.

_What_.

Jason _knew_ this would only make Will curious and annoy him because he knew he'd end up doing something stupid just to show Jason he was wrong.

Will knew Jason knew.

Still, he couldn't help it.

"What is it? I bet I'd be up for it, if it isn't anything stupid." He stated with an unimpressed, skeptical glance at Jason, but he merely waved off again, turning away slightly.

"Nah, it's ok. I'll be good."

"_Jason_."

Jason halted, and Will noted smugly how surprised Jason seemed whenever Will put some authority into his voice

Then, his smugness evaporated as he realized he was _so_ giving into Jason's game of getting him to do something stupid.

Oh, damn it all.

This day surely was starting out lousy.

Jason hesitated a moment longer, but when Will gave him a stern, expectant look, he finally let out a 'defeated' sigh – Will could totally see the corners of his lips twitching.

That bastard knew _exactly_ what he was doing.

_Ugh_.

"Well, you remember what you did with Nico a couple of days ago? With him on your lap, facing you? If…if you got onto _my_ lap, I could wrap the blanket around both of us with our legs still covered. That way, we'd both stay warm, and you wouldn't be able to cheat." Jason explained, gesturing and looking partly hopeful, partly hesitant, but Will merely scowled.

Oh.

_That_.

Great, how had he not thought of that?

Just great.

"Wait, what do you _mean_ 'so I couldn't cheat'? I do _not_ cheat. _You're_ the cheater!" He exclaimed indignantly, but Jason merely chuckled, already tugging on his wrists to get him to move onto his lap, even if Will hadn't exactly agreed to anything, yet.

Not that he'd ever not agree to getting closer to Jason.

But Jason shouldn't know that.

Will had half a mind to tell him off, anyways, but then didn't, instead making use of the moment to check Jason's values.

He did seem somewhat chilled, that sort of chilled where you still get warm but kind of keep feeling cold.

Other than that, Jason seemed perfectly alright, so Will really couldn't see why Jason insisted on having Will this close right now.

Though Will definitely felt a sort of triumph and smugness coursing through his body, too.

Jason knew _exactly_ what he was doing, that sneaky bastard.

"See? Perfect." Jason stated quietly once Will was on his lap correctly, with his legs wrapped around him and his arms between them to guarantee at least _some_ space.

"Yeah, yeah. So needy." Will teased, trying to ignore how fast his heart was beating in his chest, and hoping against hope Jason wouldn't notice.

He probably would, though.

But maybe Will would be lucky and Jason would think he was merely annoyed or something.

Wait, that was mean.

Jason had already been having odd moments the past few days, with him withdrawing into himself and turning all brooding and seeming somewhat troubled – though Will had usually managed to cheer him up again somewhat (Percy and Nico had always helped, too, as if they knew Will was sensing something being off with the blonde. Must be one of the perks of being best pals with those dorks).

It would be unfair to make him think he was annoying Will by seeking closeness, just because Will didn't want to admit he was enjoying it.

Plus, it wasn't as if Will hadn't been the one initiating most (if not all) physical contact these past few days, so he really wasn't anyone to talk.

But still, this seemed kind of…_different_.

Again.

Whenever Jason and he were alone together, things changed in this really weird way, making it all seem more intimate, more meaningful.

Will wasn't sure whether he wanted to like that just yet.

He already liked way too many things he shouldn't like, after all.

"Yes, I am. It's freezing cold in here without a blanket." Jason retorted with a straight face, and Will gave him an unimpressed look.

"You do know I'm not a blanket, right?"

Jason rolled his eyes for a moment, then he put on an exaggerated, scandalized expression.

"No? _Oh gods_, and there I always thought you were. No, I swear, I went through _all_ the requirements, and you fulfilled them all, so I never questioned it."

Will huffed.  
Oh really?

Jason had to be the worst actor ever.

It got close to Percy's level, to be honest.

Then again, both of those dorks could actually do a scarily good job at acting if they truly wanted to, so there was that.

"And what would those requirements be?" He asked dubiously, leaning back a tad further so as to not bring their faces oh-so-close together in a heat-of-the-moment thing.

He was still hung up on waking up rutting against Jason's leg not even an hour ago, after all.

A very nice leg, that was currently under him, feeling nice and cool against his own body heat, and only clad in purple boxer shorts.

Not that Will was paying attention to Jason's legs.

"Well, for starters, you _warm_. You get warm, you are warm, you warm others, so that already makes you a blanket. Then there's the fact you smell and feel nice, which are both great qualities of a blanket, too. _And_ you tend to wrap yourself around people – which also indicates you're a blanket. Plus, people are bound to try to take you anywhere with them, just like how you want to take a blanket with you anywhere, for comfort, warmth, love and protection from whatever may be lurking in the dark. See? You're a blanket." Jason explained, tugging him closer mercilessly in order to pull his hands up behind Will's back to count off his points on his fingers.

Will stared at him (or at least the bits of his face he could still make out this close and from this angle).

First in startled surprise at him tugging him closer without warning, bringing their bodies dangerously close together; then in confusion as he made sense of his words.

Then he sorted out a disbelieving laugh.

Seriously?

"I guess I'm a blanket."

"Yes, yes you are." Jason claimed, nodding determinedly.

"I think you're just trying to find an excuse for getting me as close as possible to you." Will teased, giving in and putting his arms around Jason's neck, bringing their chests together.

This was so much like the morning with Nico, yet nothing like it.

Then again, back then it had been Nico on his lap, not he on Nico's, so that might make a bit of a difference, too.

But that had felt entirely different from this.

Though not bad different.

Well, neither felt bad...

It was just that Will couldn't decide which one he liked more.

"That, too." Jason stated with a shrug, and Will rolled his eyes.

Right.

"Didn't you want to play that dumb _Battleship _game? Pass me my board." He ordered, trying not to shift on his lap all too much and instead poking him in the back to make up for his own discomfort (which had nothing to do with Jason being uncomfortable, because Jason was _disturbingly _comfortable).

Jason flinched and winced, then chuckled, leaning forward and tilting Will back slightly - which made him wonder all over again just how it would feel to get pushed down by the blonde.

Of course, given their proximity, he didn't ponder that for long, instead distracting himself by thinking of how high the electricity bills in the Underworld had to be, if there were any in the first place (there probably weren't. He couldn't picture Hades paying electricity to anybody. He also couldn't picture Hades paying taxes. _Shocking_.).

"Just make sure you don't make all the ships cuddle again." Jason said in a light voice as he held out Will's part of the game, and Will made sure to pinch him in the side again with an indignant huff.

"Shush. Stop cheating, then I'll beat you without problems."

Jason flinched so wonderfully again, then sighed, resting his chin on Will's shoulder, just how Will was doing it with Jason.

Their height difference showed quite a bit in this position, and Will would have been tempted to tease Jason about having to slump so much in order to put his chin on Will's shoulder, if it hadn't been for the fact it was because Will was so short in comparison.

Then again, Nico was shorter than him.

Thinking of Nico, it would probably look really cute if Jason ever took him on his lap like this.

Will would have to make sure to have the camera ready should the day ever come.

"Do you want me to give you a hint on where I'll place my ships? You know, just so we have a fair start." Jason mused next to his ear, and Will scowled, more than tempted to bite his shoulder.

Or his neck, for maximum effect.

He still hadn't forgotten that Jason seemed to have a thing for that.

Damn, wait, he shouldn't be thinking about such things when he had just gotten out of bed after humping Jason's leg like mad.

Especially since he hadn't gotten off in the bathroom.

Yeah, that was really beginning to seem like one of his worst decisions yet.

"Shush, Handsome." He huffed, pinching his side once more while placing one of his smaller ships around the lower right corner.

Nobody would put anything there, right?

Yeah, he was going to win this game.

Totally.

He set some more ships, deciding to keep them around the top left corner, because, _who would ever guess he'd put them there_?

"Alright, I think I'm done." He exclaimed, but the frowned as he saw one of his ships so far away from the others.

Maybe…

Will moved it sneakily closer.

There.

His ships weren't _really_ touching, so it should be good.

"Are you sure?"

Will nudged the side of his head against Jason's neck/jaw area.

"Stop mocking me, Jason. I'm going to beat you. You'll be begging for me to go gentle on you."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Will frowned at himself for wording it that way.

Great.

Then again, it wasn't as if Jason was going to pick up on anything…

"Or I'll beg you to go harder."

Will froze, both at the words, and the nonchalant tone Jason was using, with the faintest hint of amusement in his voice.

That...he…that _bastard_!

"_Jason_!" He exclaimed, burying his face at Jason's neck as he tried to push down the heat and want coursing through his body as images, fantasies and dream-Jason shot through his mind, unbidden and unwanted, yet ever so evident and vivid.

Jason chuckled, absolutely oblivious to Will's body, emotions and soul going for a roller coaster ride.

"Yeah, yeah. Alright, you start."

Easier said than done.

First, he had to remember how to play the game again.

He should have definitely gotten himself off in the bathroom when he had had the chance.

What had he been thinking, putting himself up for this torture?

"B2." He blurted, looking down at his own board and swallowing, banning any and all pictures of Jason underneath him (maybe or maybe not wearing clothes) from his mind forcefully.

He had a game to play, after all.

And he was going to win this game.

Yes. He had a game to win.

Priorities.

The most important thing in life.

Sadly, Will had more than apparently missed that lesson, because he _definitely_ was still thinking of a hot and bothered Jason underneath him, and no matter how much he tried to deny it and push his thoughts into a different direction, he still caught himself pondering just what_ sounds_ Jason would make if Will touched him at various spots he most definitely wanted to touch.

Oh yes, he was.

"Miss. My turn. How about A1?" Jason asked, successfully pulling Will out of his clouded mind.

Right.

A game to win.

Win, win, win.

He looked down at his grid.

Then he scowled.

"_How dare you?!_"

Jason groaned. "Will, I told you the last time already, nobody _ever_ puts their ships on _A1_!"

Will flushed a dark red, all thoughts of moaning and panting and gasping Jason's forgotten, replaced by the urge to push Jason down and shake him through a bit for obviously being unreasonably _mean_.

"Just say the next one, damn it." He exclaimed, making a face and looking down at his grid.

Well, as long as Jason would stay out of that corner, everything was going to be fine.

"B1 then."

"Jason!"

Jason groaned, burying his face at the side of Will's neck.

"You're hopeless, you know that?"

"Shut up. I'm awesome. You can go and kiss my ass."

"As much as I'd love to, Percy and Nico will be up soon, so I fear I can't take you up on that offer. How about you move all your ships out of that corner and spread them over the grid some more?" Jason suggested pointedly, rubbing his face into Will' neck some more, which made all the hairs on his body stand on edge and gave him goose bumps.

Then again, so did his words.

_That guy._

Maybe Will should let it slip that he was trying to ravish Jason every night.

That might make Jason overthink his words in future.

He sulked, taking out his little ships and reluctantly moving them over a bit more, instead putting his biggest fleet next to his small one-piece near the right, lower corner.

Now that Jason knew he had put most of them up in the left corner, he was bound to think Will would spread them out everywhere.

Not going to happen.

Will was so going to win this time, damn it!

"I bet you simply peeked, that's how you knew." Will insisted, though they both knew Jason hadn't done anything of the sort.

But Jason merely sighed, taking a deep breath, his face still buried at Will's neck.

He seemed tired.

Well, Will wasn't surprised.

But hey, it had been Jason's idea to do this, so at least it wasn't Will's fault.

That sadly seemed like the only thing that wasn't his fault.

"How about we start over again and you start?" Jason offered, and Will shrugged lightly pouting against Jason's shoulder, still.

"F5."

"Nope. A2?"

"Jason. You just made me move all my ships, why would anything be there?" Will asked sulkily, knowing full well Jason was trying to suck on purpose.

He wanted to win, but he wanted to win fair and square.

Jason sighed. "Fine. G6."

Will looked down at his grid.

Then he wailed.

"_Jason_!"

He _hated_ playing _Battleship_.

Somehow, Jason was way too good at this game.

It just wasn't fair.

..

Why was it that every time Percy woke up, Will was all snuggly and lovey-dovey with somebody other than him?

Seriously, Percy was having some sort of déjà-vu here, watching peeved how Jason kept Will in a tight embrace as Will flailed and ranted in a hushed, yet clearly audible voice.

Why was Will never doing this sort of thing with _Percy_?

Not that he was jealous or anything.

_Jason_ could do something of the sort, as well, after all.

Percy scowled.

Ok, that wouldn't be the same.

He wanted _Will_ to wake up with him alone one morning and decide to go play games or snuggle up somewhere else or just huddle together and chat.

All Percy got in the mornings – if Will was even still in bed when he woke up – was a grumpy Will not meeting any of their gazes, and rather short and odd replies to any questions they threw his way.

Mean.

Though, to be fair, it would also really be nice if Jason ever came around and wanted to hang out with Percy alone again, sometime.

He kind of missed those times, to be honest.

He also missed trash-talking to Jason about everything and nothing, not to mention the deeper conversations they had had before.  
Jason was pretty easy to talk to, after all.

But, yeah, right now, Percy wanted to kick Jason out of the room and be the one to have that bundle of sunshine on his lap, with his arms tightly wrapped around him and his face buried at the side of his neck.

He bet Will was so nice and warm, too.

He looked like he was practically _glowing_, which was just _bound_ to mean he was in heater-mode.

Percy made a face, reaching out for Nico and tugging him closer, who surprisingly enough stiffened to a board.

Oh?

Apparently, Percy wasn't the only one awake and watching the spectacle as inconspicuously as possible.

He halted for a moment, then started tugging on Nico again, who let him drag him closer and put his arms around him.

Their eyes met for a moment, and Percy was surprised to see apprehension, uncertainty and _guilt_ flashing through Nico's gaze.

If they weren't in the middle of what appeared to be another one of those stealth-missions Percy had assigned himself to more and more the past days, he'd try kiss those doubts away from Nico's face in an instant.

But they _were_ on a self-assigned stealth-mission, so he instead tugged the Italian against his chest, burying his face in his hair for a moment to place the faintest kiss to the top of his head.

Nico's hand moved over his chest - gently, but way too timidly still to show he was completely ok, as he was apparently trying to make Percy believe.

Then he pulled back slightly, and the two started shifting a bit and getting comfortable in a position that would allow them to at the very least sneak a few peeks at those two blondes in the board game corner.

"I can't believe you beat me _again_! Jason, you're cheating. Cheating, cheating, cheating!" Will exclaimed, poking Jason's lower back over and over as he ranted, looking utterly disgruntled and upset as he stared down at what appeared to be the most evil card game in the world.

Jason let out a long sigh.

"That's what you said during the six rounds of Battleship, too. Why don't you just admit you suck, Will?"

"I do _not_ suck. You might wish I did, but, for that, you lost your chance three games ago." Will retorted with an indignant huff, then Percy watched him frown and scowl at his own words, apparently.

"Yeah, yeah. You know, you're acting all upset, but you haven't tried _once_ to get away from me, so it can't be _that_ bad." Jason said in a matter-of-fact tone and Percy bit his lip as he watched Will making an incredulous face, seeming speechless for once.

For a moment, Percy half expected him to make a scene or throw a fit, or both, with lots of struggling and complaining and Will running away again.

But that didn't happen.

Instead, Will's gaze became almost entirely blank, and he merely put his chin on Jason's shoulder with a sigh.

"Meh, I suppose so."

Whoa, wait, hold up, what was going on?

Nico stiffened in his arms, turning his head a bit more to get a better view, and Percy could see the concern in his eyes.

"You ok? I told you, you should have gone back to sleep." Jason said, turning his head slightly.

But Will merely looked off to the side with an odd expression on his face.

"Nah, I'm good."

Yeah, well, he didn't look it.

"Don't tell me you're turning all grumpy again, now."

Will didn't reply to that, instead moving his face so his nose was at Jason's shoulder now, and Percy watched as he closed his eyes with a sigh, looking so, so tired, even though he had said he wasn't.

What was wrong with him lately, anyways?

He always seemed so…_annoyed?_...in the mornings nowadays.

Maybe he was sleeping poorly?

If so, Percy hadn't noticed a thing.

Next to Will's usual urge to climb over them a thousand times per night, that was.

Seriously, why didn't he just go to sleep next to Jason if he adored him so much?

Percy made a face, feeling bitter all over again, same as he had done the past days whenever those two seemed to get all close and lovey-dovey again.

Ugh, it was only a matter of time until he would lose them.

Wait, no, not 'lose' them.

It was only a matter of time until they'd _get together_.

He wouldn't lose them because of that.

They'd all still be friends and hang out together…maybe…eventually…sometimes…

Percy made a face, trying not to let the matter get to him.

It was futile, of course, but who cared?

Jason sighed, and Percy watched him shift and move, the muscles in his back rippling and shifting, capturing his eye.

Just as he wondered what he was even doing, staring at Jason's back like that, Will's finger started tracing a few of the lines, seemingly as distracted as Percy for a moment.

Then, Will groaned and simply slumped forward and against Jason even more, grumbling something indistinguishable to himself.

Well.

That _definitely_ showed he wasn't all that well.

"Yes? Want me to carry you back to bed?" Jason offered, and Percy was surprised by how gentle his voice sounded.

He never talked to Percy like that.

Then again, he also didn't offer to carry Percy to bed, nor any other place (how mean.).

Seriously, the perks of being the object of Jason's affection seemed awfully awesome, if Percy might say so.

"No." Will growled, and Percy knew from the way he saw Jason's arms moving that the blonde was stroking over Will's back soothingly.

"Want to play something else?"

"No."

"Want to talk about what's bothering you?"

Will's head shot up, an incredulous and alarmed expression on his face.

"_Over my dead body!_"

Well, that was pretty direct.

Now, Percy _definitely_ wanted to know what was wrong.

But Jason, the ever so kind soul, didn't press on.

Damn it all.

"Can't have that. How about we play some _Carcassonne_ instead?"

"No."

"_SingStar_?"

"It's 7am in the morning, Jason. Nico is going to skin you alive if you make a ruckus this early." Will remarked drily, putting his head back on Jason's shoulder and thus hiding his face from view once more.

Jason shrugged, which made him grumble again.

"He'd forgive me if he knew it was for the greater good. Though, you'd be making all the ruckus, to be honest. I can't sing for the life of me."

Will lifted his head again, and Percy could see the gleam in them even from this far away.

Ah, the old Will was coming back.

Good job, Jason.

Though Percy would have gone about it in a completely different way, which would have definitely worked much faster.

Not that he was bragging or anything.

"Oh really? You know, everybody says that, especially those who actually _can_ sing. Makes me wonder what hidden talents you've got up your sleeve." He said with a small smirk that Jason couldn't see.

The blonde chuckled. "Will, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not wearing anything with sleeves. Though, that answers your question, too. I have as many hidden talents up my sleeve as can possibly fit. Which is to say: _none_."

Will rolled his eyes, poking Jason's side again.

"Aw, Handsome, don't say that. I bet Percy didn't know he had a hidden talent for dancing. What's telling you there's no hidden talent for singing slumbering inside you?"

Wait, he had a hidden talent for dancing?

Last time he had checked, he had barely managed to keep himself from tripping all over himself.

Plus, he had already forgotten how the steps started, which was pretty pathetic and didn't exactly speak for any talent, hidden or not.

In his opinion, at least.

"Oh, I wouldn't know. Maybe the fact that _I can't sing_?" Jason mused sarcastically, and Will's smirk broadened, which made it look a lot as if he was holding back from laughing out loud.

Somebody was enjoying himself, alright.

"We'll have to verify that later."

"Please don't. You'll cry." Jason muttered bitterly, and Percy's and Nico's eyebrows shot up, now definitely intrigued.

And he could tell by the way Will smirked that he was more than curious to find out just how bad Jason truly was, too.

Come on, they were pretty much alone here, just the four of them.  
They wouldn't judge Jason, even if he ended up making the light bulbs explode or something.

Percy couldn't sing, either.

Though, for _SingStar_, he'd probably give it a try, even if only to attempt beating Will.

Of course he knew that would be impossible, but maybe Will would sing shitty to spite his father, which might just give him a chance.

Hm, now that he thought about it, could Nico sing?

Percy remembered how Nico had blatantly refused to sing back when they had tried to get into the Underworld.

He guessed not.

Or maybe Nico was simply shy?

He had such a nice voice, after all.

"Come on, you can't be _that_ bad." Will snorted, now drawing circles onto Jason's back and shaking his head to himself.

"I am. Trust me on that. Though I'm sure Percy would be delighted to sing with you."

Nico stiffened again, and Percy frowned.  
What?

Well, Jason was right.

Percy might suck at singing, but he was so up for playing _SingStar_ with Will later.

Plus, that might actually show the blonde Percy was fun to be around with, too, instead of just Nico and Jason.

Then again, Will was kind of crushing on those two, so he guessed it was understandable he'd rather spend his time with them.

Well, it wasn't as if he _never_ spent any time with Percy, or particularly with him, while leaving the other two to themselves.

But the past days, it had been more than obvious Will was either glued to Nico during the day, or Jason during the night.

Percy…not so much.

Maybe that also had something to do with the fact that both Nico and Jason kind of seemed more than a little attached to the blonde right now.

Who could blame them?

Will might seem somewhat fine again, but he certainly still seemed bothered about 'something' – whatever that might be.

Percy was _dying_ to know.

The blonde had actually started talking a bit, at random times during their games.

Mentioning small things every here and there, like how he had played Truth or Dare for the first time with his siblings back when he had come to Camp.

Or how he had taken revenge on the Stoll brothers with Leah, after those two had spread the false rumor that Will and her were dating.

(That story in particular had reinforced his belief that he never wanted to end up on Will's bad side, by the way. He had never heard of bandages being used that way, and he never wanted to hear it again, nor risk being on the receiving end. Also, Leah seemed a lot scarier than she looked, but that shouldn't have surprised him, he guessed.)

Well, in other words, Will was telling them tidbits of his past, though so far it had only been fairly 'meaningless' things.

Nothing that would give them any clue as to what had freaked him out so much back in Elysium.

But still, Percy decided to see it as a start.

Maybe, if Will realized they wouldn't press him and enjoyed him confiding in them – no matter how unimportant and trivial the information may be – then maybe he'd decide to share the important parts, too.

Wouldn't that be something?

"Oh no. No, no, no. I had that thought earlier, and the way the day is starting, I am running no risks of Percy beating me at _SingStar_. My pride won't allow it. Nuh-uh." Will retorted and Percy raised an eyebrow.

For a moment, he had thought Will was going to say he didn't want to play with Percy because he wasn't Jason or Nico.

This was much better.

This meant he'd play if he won.

Not that Percy would let him win.

Now, he really wanted to play that game.

And win.

Apparently, he had good chances, after all.

Though he had no idea what Will meant by 'the way the day is starting'.

Did something happen?

If so, Percy would have woken up, right?

Or Nico, at the very least, but the Italian was merely frowning slightly, so it didn't seem like he knew anything, either.

Hm, strange.

Jason chuckled.  
"You're going to break his heart if you play _SingStar_ and won't let him join in, you know that, right?"

Yes. Percy wouldn't let Will rob him of his chance to beat him fair and square in a game Will should be able to win effortlessly.

Especially because Will kept beating him in all the other games they had played.

Except the board games.

With board games, they seemed fairly levelled.

Which was to say, Nico and Jason ran them both into the ground mercilessly all the time.

Even though there were a few exceptions (like Will rocking at _Operation_), the other two really did win the majority of the time.

Jason, because he loved board games and seemed to know most of them by heart.

Nico, because he was simply a genius, and because he more than apparently didn't like losing whatsoever, though he wasn't exactly a sore loser, more like a very determined winner.

He watched Will making a face, then the blonde huffed out a loud breath.

"Meh. Guess you'll be free for another day, then. We can't have a heartbroken Percy, after all. Seriously, that time with the brownies was the last time I ever want to have witnessed Percy so devastated."

Percy scowled, looking away and wrapping his arms tightly around Nico, who shifted as well and stroked over his side as if to comfort him.

_Not the brownies!_

That had been _horrible_!

Well, the brownies had been good.

_Jason's_ brownies, that was.

They had of course wanted to help, so, while Jason would have been happy with just having them pass him the ingredients, they had obviously done the crazy (and in hindsight: _horrible_) alternative of splitting the recipe and each preparing their own batter.

Bad idea.

At least for Percy.

Because Percy apparently could make great pizza, yes – but no brownies.

Absolutely not.

How the other three could insist on brownies being one of the easiest things in the world to make…it was utterly beyond him.

In the end, they had still put his horrid mixture on a tray and dumped it in the oven along with their much better looking creations.

But…well…let's just say his batch definitely hadn't been edible.

He wasn't even sure what he had done wrong.

Which was to say, there were way too many possibilities, because he had mainly been looking over to the other three and their work, while working more or less blindly on his own.

Yeah, as he had said, that had been a _bad_ idea.

_Very_ bad.

He still felt utterly mortified, actually.

Of course he had tried not to let them try any, but they had done it, anyways, deciding it probably 'couldn't be all that bad'.

Yeah…well…it had been.

"True, true, that was really bad. I don't think I ever saw him more upset, either. Seriously, I think I was even considering eating that whole piece he had given me, just so he wouldn't look so disappointed." Jason mused, and Percy buried his face at Nico's shoulder, while his boyfriend comforted him silently.

Could they just stop talking about this, please?

He _knew_ he had messed up!

Nice to know that Jason would have made that sacrifice, but, seriously, it wasn't very appreciated right now!

"Trust me, you weren't the only one."

"I know. I saw you eyeing the tray and counting the pieces. You'd have eaten them all if he hadn't grabbed the lot and thrown them in the trash fast enough." Jason replied with a small chuckle and Percy could hear Will huff.

"Well, I simply don't like seeing people sad, ok? As a son of Apollo, I shouldn't really get food poisoning, so I'd have been fine." He insisted, and Percy frowned slightly, still feeling utterly mortified and ashamed, but now also confused and a tiny bit flattered that Will would have apparently actually done that for him, just so he wouldn't feel all that bad.

Not that he'd have let him in any way.

Over his dead body.

"Oh my, such devotion. Wish Percy knew how loved he was." Jason remarked drily, and Nico stiffened in Percy's arms.

What?

"Ha-ha. Shut up, Handsome, or I'll leave you to yourself in this cold, cold room." Will exclaimed, his voice a tad higher than a moment ago, which didn't seem to make much sense.

What? Had he missed something?

Nico shifted, and Percy looked down just in time to catch a glimpse of the conflicted looking expression on his face, before Nico hid it at Percy's chest once more.

What was wrong?

Did Jason say something weird?

Come on, everybody knew he was just joking.

Will didn't _love_ him. Not like that, at least.

Probably like a good friend, which should be perfect and more than enough, and Percy would never ask for more.

Yep.

"You wouldn't. Come on, you can't punish me for saying the truth…" Jason teased, and Will huffed loudly.

"Hey, I think I can hear the shower calling. Guess I gotta go…" He started, but then Jason was already wailing dramatically (and utterly over exaggeratedly, which meant they were merely playing) and Percy could hear shifting and rustling.

He risked a peek, just as Nico was also moving to look up, and they both caught side of Jason flattening Will, having thrown them over and into the pillows, apparently.

Hey!

Jason had said he wasn't going to make a move on Will!

_Hey!_

_Damn that guy!_

Percy gritted his teeth and looked away stubbornly, catching Nico looking struck and almost devastated as his eyes hushed between the two blondes.

Oh.

His frustration and jealousy evaporated instantly, and he reached out to Nico, trying to comfort him if possible.

He had no idea whether Nico knew Jason and Will were utterly falling for each other, no matter what they might be insisting all the time.

So, he also had no idea how much this would get to Nico.

Then again, did this mean Nico still felt something for them?

Was there a chance for them all, after all?

Or was this just a sort of panic about all the things that might change once those two would work things out between them?

"Gods, Jason, what do you think you're doing? Get off me, you dork!" Will wailed, though the first part came out a lot more like a huff/pant, instantly making Percy's chest clench as he wondered what that might mean.

What would happen if Jason decided to kiss Will now?

He had been wanting to kiss him, after all, Percy knew that.

Would Will kiss back?

Would those two just go and make out?

Would they start dating?

All in a matter of a few hours alone in the morning?

His hand touched Nico's arm, and his boyfriend flinched hard, his gaze snapping around to Percy, with pain and guilt flashing through them.

What?

Jason chuckled, and they both found their gazes hushing back over to the two blondes, where Jason had pushed himself up slightly, looking down at Will with a gentle, but most definitely _hungry_ expression, Percy could see that from here.

And he wasn't talking about food-hungry, that much was for certain.

"Sorry, couldn't resist."

"Yeah, yeah. Shoo with you. Off, _off_." Will grumbled, though he looked more flustered than annoyed, his freckles glowing again.

"Don't act like you're completely innocent, you were the one letting yourself fall and tugging me right along, you know? I definitely felt that." Jason remarked, poking Will's side, and the blonde all but squeaked.

"_Jason_! Wait…I…I did no such thing…" He insisted, though the way he turned his head away and turned an adorable shade of pink told Percy there was at least some truth to that.

Well, good to know Will still liked to deny _something_ every here and there.

That meant his old Will was coming back.

Percy had the feeling he'd soon regret feeling this relieved about that.

Jason snorted, poking his side again.

And again.

"Sure you didn't."

Percy didn't like how Will started squirming under Jason, biting his lip as to not laugh out loud, his expression a mixture between indignity and restraint.

He especially didn't like it because, while it looked as if Will was trying to get away, he wasn't even putting up that much fight, not pushing Jason away in any way, not flailing, just lying there and writhing so very nicely, it was disturbing.

Anyways, why couldn't Jason just finally get off him, at any rate?

He could still tickle him while being next to him, he didn't have to lean over Will all that much and so close and ugh, Percy was definitely jealous, wasn't he?

Why was he jealous?

He had no right to be jealous!

He had decided to drop the matter of them all dating, and he was **not** going to give in to any more wishful thinking until Nico stopped sending mixed signals.

Percy glanced sideways at his boyfriend, just to catch him scowling at the two blondes, looking bitter.

To avoid making him look all guilty and haunted again, Percy acted as if he hadn't seen.

He wished there was a guide out there that taught one how to approach such matters.

He'd even _read_ a freaking _book_, if only it could have step-for-step instructions inside that he'd merely have to study and internalize, so all his problems would be solved once and for all.

Maybe he should look that up on Nico's laptop sometime.

Who knew, there was some crazy stuff out there, maybe there'd be something like 'How do I ask my boyfriend whether he still likes those two other guys even though he's dating me – while not making him feel horrible or stupid or guilty or whatever else and letting him know it's ok, because I kind of fancy them, myself?', as well.

Yeah, somehow, he doubted it.

If Jason and Will weren't part of this mess, he'd so take them aside and try to consult them about the matter.

But, yeah, for obvious reasons, he couldn't do that.

He didn't want to scare them away or give them false hope at dating Nico.

Plus, he had no clue how they even felt about the possibility.

In the end, they'd avoid them solely because Percy had freaked them out too much.

Wait, no.

They had talked about this before, back in New Rome.

And Jason and Will hadn't reacted all that badly.

They had even seemed somewhat curious, right?

Percy sighed, watching miserably as Jason started tickling Will in earnest, while Will tried to keep in his laughter, wailing quietly – but wrapping his legs (pretty legs with freckles all over them. Seriously, so many freckles. Percy had never seen so many freckles) around the blonde, contradicting his pleas for Jason to stop.

Somehow, he had the feeling there was no point anymore in pondering a poly relationship, because those two were so into each other, and so very _obvious_ about it, it seriously was only a matter of time until they'd be up and gone, wrapped up in each other and happy and _blah_.

Not that Percy was bitter about that.

They deserved it, of course.

They deserved their happiness, and they deserved it now, not when Percy finally got his shit together and managed to find out once and for all whether _they_ could be or not.

They definitely deserved better than to hope and wait and hope and wait forever, just to in the end, end up alone and miserable and heartbroken, after all.

What a shitty start into the day.

Those two should finally get back into bed.

Though he highly doubted they would.

By the looks of it, Will was either going to pass out, or those two would make out, or they'd be so loud Nico and Percy couldn't possibly get away with acting asleep, or some other similar scenario.

Well, nothing for it.

All he could do was tug Nico closer slightly, kissing the side of his head, while Nico turned towards him again, burying his face at Percy's chest, his body slumped and defeated.

Percy held him tightly, giving him another small peck.

Love was so difficult.

If this was how it felt for _Percy_ to watch Jason and Will, how must it feel to _Nico_, who had had a crush on them (that might or might not be over now)?

And just how must it feel to _Jason and Will_ to see Percy and Nico like that _all the time_?

Percy made a face, now feeling guilty, himself.

Because it seriously felt pretty shitty.

Love was so, so difficult.

..

"I say we play _Monopoly_ again." Nico suggested, but Jason and Will wailed.

"No~, not that game!"

Nico was way too good at that game.

He won every single time, just how Jason won every time when playing _Battleship_ with Will.

"Then how about _SingStar_?" Percy suggested with a glance towards the microphones.

Jason frowned for a moment, wondering faintly where exactly Percy had gotten that idea from, whether he had just randomly thought of that, or whether he had…oh.

Well, that might explain a few things.

Like the very unconvincing way Nico and Percy had made a show of waking up, which Jason had thought quite unusual already.

He raised an eyebrow at Percy, but Percy wasn't meeting his gaze, instead staring Will down, who was openly scowling at him.

"How about no? Didn't we all agree to stick to board and card games?" The blonde huffed, and Jason couldn't say he was surprised.

Percy opened his mouth to argue, and Jason sighed.

Should he stay out of it?

Or take sides?

He should probably take sides.

He was going to take Will's side.

Because he still owed Will, though the blonde didn't know it (yet).

Plus, Jason would have to sing as well if they ended up playing that game, so there was no way he could let that happen.

"How about we play this?" He asked hurriedly, putting his arm into the box of board games next to him and taking out the first game he could reach, without even knowing which one it was.

Not a very smart move.

There was no way the guys would want to play _Say Anything_, after all.

"What's that about?" Nico asked curiously, more than apparently trying to avoid a _SingStar_ battle, as well.

"Really? That game? It's been ages since I've last seen that. Travis used to bring it every time there was a secret sleepover somewhere. Do _not_ play that with the Athena kids, I'm just saying. Most of them get _way_ too offended." Will said seriously, shaking his head to himself as he seemed to be lost in memories.

They looked around at him, wondering what the story behind that might be, and whether Will would actually share it.

He told them tidbits every here and there, after all.

Jason loved it.

What he didn't love, was the fact that Will still slept lousily at night.

After the first night, and Jason accidentally turning Will on in some weird way, he had sworn to himself not to touch his ears _ever again_ (unless Will would want him to, of course).

Sadly…things hadn't quite worked out that way.

The following night, Will had somehow gotten right back into Jason's arms, and once more he had gone through some sort of nightmare or bad dream - not thrashing around, but whining and whimpering in his sleep, looking pained and tense and making Jason inwardly cringe.

He had tried waking him, but apparently Will was un-wake-able, because he had merely started clutching Jason and clawing his back slightly, while sobbing into his chest without tears, begging him to stop whenever Jason tried to wake him by touching or shaking him gently, making Jason die a little on the inside.

So, well, he had tried to comfort him in any possible other way, starting by very, _very_ slowly stroking up and down his back, his sides, his arms, all the while whispering soothing words and trying to show him he was no threat, that Will was safe - but trying to stay away from his ears, all the same.

It hadn't done much good.

In the end, Jason had told himself it might all not have been him touching Will's ears, after all, and that it had all just been a bad coincidence.

So, he had hesitantly started massaging Will's ears again, just to check whether that would actually help.

It had.

Almost instantly, too.

Well, not all _that_ instantly.

But Will had fairly quickly stopped his sobbing and indistinguishable whimpering, and his body had relaxed pretty fast, too.

Jason had kept going for a little longer, then quickly stopped, just to make sure it wouldn't all end up like the night before again.

And…well…yeah, Will had seemed a bit touchy-feely and close and his breathing had been somewhat ragged, but he hadn't moaned or humped him, so Jason had figured everything was ok – and gone back to sleep, himself, just to find Will in an utterly bad mood the following morning.

That _had_ made his alarm bells ring.

But, well, Will hadn't said anything, and had kind of seemed fine again in no time; too busy cooking the best risotto Jason had ever had the pleasure of trying, (though he hadn't eaten a lot of risotto throughout his life, so there was that. Then again, it had been made by _Will_, so that alone already made it the best risotto in his life.) and trying to beat Nico and Jason in the various games they had been playing.

So, Jason had kind of not thought too much of it after a while.

But the following night, Will had slept that poorly _again_, and Jason had once more taken care of it the only way he knew of right now.

And he had seriously thought everything was ok, after all, that it had all just been a coincidence that first night, that Will must have had a weird dream or something and that _that_ had been at fault for his needy, wanting mewls and his actions…but then he had woken up to the bathroom door slamming shut, and he had just _known_ that nothing had been a coincidence _ever_.

This time, he had tried to stay awake and wait for Will to come back, to explain, to apologize, to do _something_.

Instead, he had fallen back asleep, of course, and Will had been in a bad mood that morning, again.

Jason had wanted to tell him, but…there hadn't been much of a chance for that.

Taking him aside without Percy throwing a tantrum was basically impossible, and Will had been glued to Nico most of the time, too.

Plus, Jason had no idea what to say, anyways.

'Hey, sorry if you're still waking up all hot and bothered in the middle of the night, that might or might not be because I'm fondling your ears to get you out of your nightmare.'?

Right.

But, well, he had to think of something soon.

This morning would have been the _perfect_ chance for him to speak, but, of course, he hadn't found it within him to come out, so he had instead opted for a somewhat nice and pleasant start into the day to make up for it.

He wasn't sure whether he had succeeded, though.

Next time, he _probably_ shouldn't suggest _Battleship_.

He also _probably_ shouldn't push Will down into any pillows, no matter how much he might want to do that.

Though, in his defense, he had only intended to tip the blonde back - it had been Will who had let himself fall all the way and tug Jason down along with him.

(Even if Will was still denying it.)

That had been so nice, though.

Will had felt so nice beneath him, and the way his arms had still been wrapped around Jason in the beginning, not to mention the way his legs had still been somewhat around his hips…gods, it had been so perfect.

Jason couldn't even begin to describe just how badly he had craved to lean down and kiss Will right then and there.

That had been a dangerous thought, of course, given their proximity and physical contact.

Because Will surely wouldn't only have felt the rush of lust through Jason's body under the influence of such thoughts, but the way his body reacted to said thoughts, as well.

So, he had done the best and easiest thing that had come to mind and turned it into a perfectly respectable tickling-attack.

Will surely had complained, but that had been the point.

Jason knew he had loved it, anyways.

After all, he hadn't tried to get away in any way, and the way he had remained all open and spread out beneath him had shown him he couldn't be all that uncomfortable.

Will had still felt so nice beneath him, though.

Jason shouldn't ponder it much, because he knew even if, one day, in an alternate universe, the two of them would somehow manage to make things work between them, Will would still not let him push him down.

After all, Will was pretty insistent on the whole top-bottom issue.

Well, Jason didn't particularly care.

He was pretty certain it would feel great to be beneath Will, as well, so there was that.

Now, if only Will realized that, along with the fact that Jason liked him, and that they'd make a good couple, and that Jason would be there for him, forever and ever more and cherish him and treat him well, and do anything he could to make him happy – and if Will could feel the same way for Jason, at least a tiny little bit…then that would just make pretty much everything utterly perfect.

But, yeah, not going to happen.

Percy huffed out a loud breath, looking disappointed, but seemingly admitting defeat, anyways (that was quick. Percy seemed to either be growing up, or he was feeling guilty about eavesdropping/spying on them in the morning, which Jason was utterly certain had happened, by now. Jason was also fairly certain it was the latter).

"Fine, we can play that. But tomorrow, you're _mine_."

Wow, so subtle, Jackson.

Jason inwardly rolled his eyes as he watched Percy's eyes widen with realization at his own wording, while Will's ears turned red ever so faintly, though he other wisely didn't let anything show on his face.

Nico, however, did let a fleeting look of uncertainty cross his features, his eyes darting between Percy and Will nervously again.

Yeah, Jason had noticed that was happening more and more often lately.

He had a hunch he'd better take Nico aside soon and look if the Italian would want to confide in him, before things got too bad and might unnecessarily affect/burden his relationship with Percy.

After all, if there was one thing all of them universally wanted, it was seeing Nico happy.

And a worried, scared, withdrawing Nico in a mess of emotions and doubts was most definitely _not_ a happy Nico.

"Cool. Will, can you help me with setting up the game? It's been a while and I totally don't feel like reading through the manual." Jason explained as he opened the box, and Will instantly moved closer, taking out the pieces with him and passing out the variously colored cards, which immediately led to Percy loudly announcing he wanted the blue ones.

To be expected.

He saw Will roll his eyes with a small smile tugging on his lips, then the blonde passed Percy the blue cards, Nico the green ones and Jason the purple ones, even though neither Jason nor Nico had even said anything yet.

Though Jason really couldn't care less about what color he had, anyways.

Even if it struck him as odd that Will would give him the purple ones.

Was that supposed to indicate his connection to Camp Jupiter? That he was originally Roman, not Greek?

Maybe Will thought he was still part Roman?

He watched with a frown as Will kept the orange cards for himself, setting up the rest of the game and getting the pens ready, explaining the rules for them in a tone that showed he had played this game _many_ times before.

Orange, huh?

Like Camp Half-Blood?

Or was it just Will's favorite color?

Jason was probably overthinking things.

He caught himself pondering the faint possibility it could be another sign from Will that he didn't want to get too involved with Jason, because he saw himself as the personification of Camp Half-Blood, and Jason of Camp Jupiter, and all the differences between them, starting with the Roman/Greek issue…then he shook his head to himself sternly, knowing he was _definitely_ over thinking things now.

"Alright, who wants to start? I'd say Jason, because purple always went first whenever we played. They said it's because purple stands for royalty, and as royalty, it would only be right for that person to draw the first card." Will explained with a grin and a wink into Jason's direction, and Jason felt both confused and at ease at the same time.

Oh. Will was used to there being a purple player.

That explained it all.

Of course he wouldn't want to go first, because that would look like he was cheating or trying to get something out of it, so he'd give that color to Jason.

Duh.

And there Jason had been hopelessly over thinking things again.

Ignoring Percy's complaints about 'Jason always going first', he shrugged and picked up the first card, scanning the questions.

_What job would be the most physically exhausting?_

That would only make Will and Percy come up with something perverted.

_What's the coolest new technology?_

They'd probably fight over who got to choose the IM-ing device.

_What's the strangest aquatic animal?_

He really didn't want to pick that one.

Jason sighed, pondering for a moment what direction he'd like the game to take.

Certainly not perverted, that much was for certain.

He also really didn't want them to fight in the very first round.

Jason glanced down at the last question again.

Would it cause a fight?

He looked at Percy, going through the most likely scenarios.

No, probably not.

"What's the strangest aquatic animal?" He read out loud, and Will's eyes widened with a mischievous gleam, his gaze instantly snapping towards Percy, as Jason had predicted.

He wasn't surprised in the least to find Will scribbling 'PERCY' across his card as fast as his hand allowed.

He also wasn't surprised to find Percy throwing Will an exasperated, almost offended look, even though he hadn't even seen his name on the card yet (he probably guessed it already, anyways).

And he was also not surprised to find Nico rolling his eyes and looking between Percy and Will with that odd look again, before bending down to write his own answer down.

Yeah, well, this game was off to a good start.

Jason wondered faintly what would happen if he chose Will's answer.

Should he risk it?

Well, he guessed he'd wait to see what the other two would write down.

At least he hadn't gotten any awkward questions.

Though that meant they were still in that stack somewhere, which meant there was a pretty high chance they'd end up with quite a few of those, especially if Will or Percy got them.

He was so not looking forward to those.

..

"Oh, this one's gonna be fun: If I could have a "big" anything, what would it be?" Will read out aloud and wiggled his eyebrows at them with a broad grin.

Nico rolled his eyes, while Jason and Percy threw each other challenging glances, both bending over their cards to scribble their answers down (Nico had a pretty good hunch what they both wanted to write down, that much was for certain).

Those two, always so competitive.

Almost like Will and Percy, just that those two generally bickered, while Jason and Percy somehow managed to mysteriously work _with_ each other while working _against_ each other.

They often wanted to write the same things down, but managed to work it out with just a pointed look or a small frown, never actually needing to really speak up.

Also, more often than not, whatever they said seemed to be completed by the other, it was really strange.

So entirely not how Will and Percy were, yet unnervingly similar.

Nico sighed, shaking his head to himself as he leaned down and wrote 'House' on his card (he was very bad at this game. Apparently, he really didn't know them all that great, and he sucked at assuming things).

They had definitely been playing this game for too long if he started pondering their weird relationships with each other to this extent.

Though he absolutely couldn't deny all the time invested into this game had been time well spent.

Granted, a lot of the questions had made Nico blush, but that was to be expected, especially with Will and Percy in the mix.

Like the time Percy had asked the question 'How would I most like to spend my weekend?', and Will's reply had been 'Inside Nico'.

Luckily, Percy hadn't actually _chosen_ that, though Will had bet on it, anyways, and claimed Percy was lying to himself when he had picked Jason's 'in bed with all of us' instead.

Though Nico wasn't sure that answer had been that much better in any way, because it could be misunderstood quite easily, especially with Will's reply right next to it.

Still, the game was coming to an end, anyways.

At least they were through all the cards, soon.

They had already changed the pointing system up a bit in order to get more turns out of it for each, but none of them wanted to go through the same questions twice, so they had all universally decided to stop once the last card was played.

Which would be after Will's turn, actually.

Nico had to admit he was both glad about it and disappointed, because it _had_ been fun, after all.

Still, he was the worst player, so he absolutely didn't mind it being over soon.

His replies usually sucked, even when he didn't have to 'assume', and even _Jason_ used more innuendo than he did, but he simply didn't dare to make as provocative remarks as Percy or Will, even if he had had the same, if not more interesting, ideas more than a few times.

For him, it would simply come across entirely differently, because Percy was bound to think he meant it, and Nico had meant it when he had said Percy was his one and only.

At least he wanted to mean it.

He would make himself mean it.

Definitely.

Percy threw his card on the table, which unsurprisingly read 'Dick' in his scribbliest handwriting ever (Nico had a hunch he was getting tired of writing, since his handwriting had steadily gotten worse throughout the game), while Jason followed with 'Bathroom' a moment later.

Jason's reply confused him for a moment, but judging by the gleam in Will's eyes and the way he shot Jason that teasing smirk, it was something entirely plausible.

Good to know.

Then again, Jason mostly had the most accurate replies (which didn't surprise Nico one bit).

"Aww, how nice. I just knew you would write that, Perce. Ready to bet?" The blonde asked with a light punch to Percy's shoulder, who merely cackled quietly and winked at him.

"Don't forget you have to bet first, again, Will. You're one big cheat, trying to wait until we decided what to bet on just to choose something entirely different."

Will threw Percy a pointed look.

"Yeah, right. If you're referring to the round where I asked 'If I could put any sign on my door, what would it say', then I must tell you I still can't believe you seriously thought I'd choose 'Sun-bug HQ'. That's like…I wouldn't even put that on my door if I was getting _paid_ for it. Well, maybe if it was _a lot_ of money, but seriously? Of course I was going to go for Nico's very loving 'Keep out, Doctor's orders!'. That was cute. I'd totally put that up on my door."

The only round Nico's reply had actually ended up being right for once.

Percy rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, dropping back into the pillows behind him with a huff.

"Right. I think you simply can't take the awesomeness of my suggestions."

Nico glanced towards Jason, who was shaking his head with a fond smile, watching those two bicker.

He wondered what the blonde was thinking right now.

Of those two, of them, of the game, of the bickering that still started every here and there again, but seemed somewhat gentler than before, though the words were harsh as ever.

It was all so weird, in Nico's opinion.

Though he couldn't deny that he himself was being weird, too.

He stuck to Will a lot more than necessary ever since Elysium.

He wasn't sure why, but it just felt right, and once he and Will were all huddled up somewhere, it seemed exceedingly hard to pull himself away from him again.

Especially because he _really_ didn't want to pull away whatsoever.

Which was kind of a problem, since it contradicted his resolution in proving Percy he was over the other two.

"Alright, put your bets up, babes." Will called, grinning cheekily at the lot of them, and Nico placed both of his chips on Jason's card.

Jason did, too.

Percy…put one on Nico's and one on his own.

To be expected.

Will gave him an unimpressed look, showing his own answer – which was Jason's, big surprise.

"Sorry, Gorgeous, but I must disappoint you. My dick is already big enough, thank you very much. And while I wouldn't mind a big house, I'd _die_ for a big bathroom." Will explained with a shrug and a small smile and wink into Jason's direction, while he marked down their points.

Percy started complaining, but Nico could see his lips twitching, so he knew his boyfriend was only making fun, and by the way Will was replying, he could tell he knew it, too.

Jason sighed next to Nico, and the two of them exchanged telling looks.

At least Will was getting better.

His bickering with Percy was a lot gentler than usual, and still didn't happen nearly half as much as before, but he guessed they should be glad about it.

It seemed to be some sort of coping mechanism for both of them, after all.

At least they always seemed so much more relaxed and amiable when/after they bickered.

That made zero sense, of course, but Nico wasn't going to question the facts.

Instead, he leaned forward and against Percy's side, placing a peck on his boyfriend's clothed upper arm.

"How about we finish up the game and get some food?" He suggested softly, and Percy instantly shut up, turning his head towards him, his expression all gentle and soft and affectionate.

"Sounds like a plan. And once we're back, how about a nice bath…?" Percy asked tentatively, shuffling closer slightly and putting his arms loosely around Nico, who got comfortable between his legs and leaned against his chest/shoulder some more, smiling to himself and at Jason, who gave him an appreciative look as he nudged Will and muttered something about counting the so-far-accumulated points.

Will also immediately dropped the bickering and went to help the blonde, looking relaxed and rather pleased with himself and the world.

Nico was never going to understand the three of them.

"A bath sounds great. Though I have a hunch you just want to get into my pants." He teased quietly, hoping the other two wouldn't overhear them right now, though they seemed busy enough.

Percy chuckled and stroked over Nico's side, burying his face at the side of his head.

"Me? _Never_. Whatever gave you _that_ idea? As if I'd ever want to get into my boyfriend's pants…"

"Percy, stop lying, we all know you're desperate to get laid." Will called over, throwing a pillow their way which smacked Percy right in the face.

Nico snorted out a laugh – then Percy acted as if he was going down, tearing down Nico right along with him and dropping on top of him like a log, making him giggle and laugh.

"You're just jealous, Will. As if I need a bath to get laid." His boyfriend stated drily, and Nico felt the heat rising in his face.

Will snorted behind them somewhere.

"Right. Was that our cue to leave the room? Want some time to yourselves?"

"As if I care whether you're there or not." Percy mumbled, his hands now moving up and down Nico's sides and over his arms, his lips finding the side of his neck.

Hey, wait, not _now_!

Nico started squirming, kind of enjoying the way Percy's hands felt on him, but at the same time very well aware now was _not_ the time.

Apparently, his plan to get Percy and Will back to the ground had backfired into getting molested by his boyfriend (not that he was complaining, not really).

Percy started nibbling on his neck a bit, lowering his body once more onto Nico's, this time rubbing against him slightly and making him want to purr at the sensation.

Maybe…for just a little while…five minutes…yes?

Suddenly, a hand grabbed hold of his foot, pressing down on that _one_ spot he loved and hated at the same time, and Nico choked out a moan while jumping in shock and surprise.

Percy instantly let go of him, looking around with a half exasperated, half surprised expression towards Will, who sat behind them with a dirty grin.

"I'll make you care, then. Come on, we all agreed on you two not making out with Jason and me in the room. Stick to the rules, Gorgeous."

For a moment, Percy looked as if he was going to say something, and Nico had a hunch it wouldn't be anything like 'Of course' or 'Sorry', which instantly made his insides churn with anticipation and dread.

But then, Percy glanced towards him, his gaze hushing over Nico's face, and his shoulders slumped slightly.

"Yeah, yeah. It's not as if we were seriously going to _do_ anything." He muttered with a huff, and Nico found himself relaxing, though he also couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed at not finding out just what Percy had wanted to say.

It probably would have been something stupid, anyways.

Percy climbed off him with a last regretful look up and down Nico's body, as if he had _so_ planned on doing something, no matter what he had claimed, and Nico had no idea what to think about that, either.

He forced himself to move and sit up again, though he would have greatly preferred tugging Percy right back down instead.

Not even for anything sexual, but just for comfort and gentle touches, some intimacy.

But, yeah, not going to happen.

His eyes locked with Jason's for a moment, who was eyeing him oddly, seeming somewhat confused.

What?

Jason still stared at him, then seemed to realize Nico was meeting his gaze, because he quickly looked away, clearing his throat with a light blush on his face.

Huh, weird.

"What?" Will asked, apparently noticing Jason's odd behavior as well, and the blonde shrugged, waving off slightly.

"Ah, nothing…I was just…erm…what did you just do? I just…I never saw Nico react that way…?" He mumbled awkwardly, and while Will's and Percy's face lit up, Nico started scowling, trying to get his feet under him as fast as possible, because he definitely knew he was about to be ambushed.

Sadly, he wasn't quick enough, because Will all but tackled his legs and grabbed hold of his foot, making him fall backwards into the pillows again with a high-pitched squeak that was quickly muffled by the grunt he let out as he landed.

"Oh, true, you weren't there. Back when I gave him his whole body massage, Perce and I found one of Nico's good spots. Look." Will exclaimed, and Nico cringed, mortification surging through him at having Jason find out about this, too.

As if it hadn't already been embarrassing enough for him to have Percy and Will know.

"Will, you really don't have to…" Jason started, concern in his voice, but then Will already pressed down on his foot.

Nico _groaned_, half-heartedly trying to kick Will in the face as payback, as he only _just_ managed to bring up his arms to hide his face in his hands, want shooting through his entire bod and setting him on fire.

_Why_ did he have to have that damned spot, anyways?

Who needed such a sensitive spot _on their foot_?

Was this some sort of cruel joke?

And why did Will have to show this – show _him_ – to Jason like that?

"Will, stop molesting him, or he'll kick you." Percy warned, while Nico tried to tug his foot away, just to have Will tickle the underside.

Nico jumped and wailed loudly, trying to pull away in earnest now, but then Will was already letting go with a small chuckle, and Nico wasted no time to get behind Percy, hoping he'd be safe there.

Idiots. The lot of them.

Cruel, cruel idiots, sharing all his secrets with each other.

"Yeah, yeah. I just wanted to show Jason. I still think it's amazing. Just you two wait until you get your whole-body massages. Can't wait to see where I'll find _your_ good spots." Will declared, and Nico wasn't sure whether that was supposed to be a promise or a threat.

Given that both guys shot each other alarmed looks and suddenly looked the tiniest bit uncomfortable, they certainly took it as a threat.

_Good_.

Served them right.

Soon, Will could press down on their good spots all the time and leave Nico well alone with his messed up body and mind.

Gods, why did it have to feel so _good_, though?

It was still just a simple touch, and he hadn't even been turned on much.

Still, he couldn't deny his heart was still thumping considerably faster in his chest, and he kind of yearned to get touched again, _there_, no matter how embarrassing and mortifying it might be.

But there was no way he was going to let Will touch him there again, especially not now, not like this, not anytime soon, and not with everybody else around, too.

He also couldn't get away with dragging Percy to the bathroom right now, at least not without making it plain obvious just how much he enjoyed getting that spot pressed.

And he could certainly make do without Will getting cocky about being able to turn him on.

Plus, that was bound to make Percy think he wasn't over Will yet.

Which he totally was.

Maybe.

One day.

Nico's jaw set, and his mind very helpfully supplied the image of Will and Jason all huddled up together and in love from today in the morning.

There.

They were utterly infatuated with each other, Nico had no business liking them.

They'd start dating at some point, and kiss, and make out, and do all the things Nico wanted to do…and they'd be happy, just like they deserved it – which was what Nico wanted, of course, so he was all for it.

Yes, he completely supported them, and stood behind them like the good friend he was meant to be.

Absolutely.

"I so hope you're making good use of that spot, Percy. All the orgasms Nico could be having…it would be such a waste if you didn't…" Will marveled, and Nico could promptly feel his face heating all over again.

_W-What?!_

Nico was glad when Percy left his feet well alone!

Alright, it might feel amazing and all, but it was still mortifying as hell!

Percy stiffened to a board in front of him, suddenly very intently studying one of the pillows.

Nico could only pray Will wouldn't pick up on that.

Sadly, Will _absolutely_ picked up on that, a scowl forming on his face.

"Seriously? Oh gods, Percy, what the hell? It would be so _easy_ to-…"

"Well, I can't really grab his leg randomly and push around on his foot, so I only managed, like, once or twice!" Percy interrupted him, defending himself, and Nico groaned, hiding his face in his hands all over again.

Why?

Why did they always have to talk about this?

His orgasms weren't any of Will's business, anyways!

Plus, he had plenty of those, even without Percy manhandling his feet.

Will facepalmed.

"Percy, you can't seriously tell me Nico always has his feet far out of your reach."

Percy seemed to think otherwise, opening his mouth to complain, but then Will cut him off, moving forward and pushing Percy back unceremoniously.

"Look, if I'm getting the right vibes here, you'll mostly be in this sort of position, yeah? Now, tell me I can't freaking grab hold of your foot without going through some super bad hassle." The blonde ranted, pushing himself between Percy's legs and moving them up a bit, making it look _a lot_ like how Nico and Percy usually were positioned during their.

Percy stared up at Will, his eyes wide, his mouth hanging open.

But he didn't fight one bit, just lying there beneath the blonde, his arms at his sides, his eyes glued to Will's face.

It…it did seem pretty weird…to see the two of them like this…

Nico kind of…didn't like it…very much.

It seemed…intimate.

"And even if you're more along the lines of this…Percy, move!" Will ordered as he started shifting and shuffling, moving Percy around as well, though Percy seemed to be too stunned to cooperate and help in any way.

Nico watched in amazement how his boyfriend started blushing, letting out a small squeak and letting Will mishandle him, pushing him further back, raising his legs further, pushing them back down, moving through positions as if it was the easiest and most normal thing in the world.

"See? It still works. Plus, this…" Will started, then pushed Percy's legs up towards his torso for Percy to hold onto. "…makes for a _much_ better angle, anyways. Now, turn over, I'm going to show you how to freaking get to his feet when you're doggy-ing him."

If anybody asked Nico what the weirdest thing in his life had been that he had had to witness, Nico vouched it was this.

Could anybody believe this was happening?

And why was he even letting his happen?

That was his _boyfriend_!

_And Will!_

And it was about _Nico's_ _feet_!

He didn't even want his feet touched, what did they need to go through this for?

Why did he let this happen?

He looked around at Jason, utterly lost and confused, but found Jason staring at Percy and Will with a similarly stunned expression, his body entirely still, his eyes glued to them, his lips slightly parted.

Percy turned around without a single word of complaint, nor any sound, no matter if exasperated huff or embarrassed squeak.

He simply did what Will told him, and let Will push him down and adjust his position with ease, still seeming stunned and surprised, but not put off or disturbed or averse whatsoever.

In fact, he almost looked as if he…was kind of liking it…

Nico managed to snap his mouth shut, noticing that he was now running risk of drooling - much to his confusion, since his mouth had felt like sandpaper a mere moment ago.

Will huffed out an irritated breath, his eyebrows seemingly permanently furrowed together as he muttered something under his breath, pushing his leg between Percy's to move his knees further apart, pressing down on his back to get his upper body down into the pillows, doing all the things that looked utterly wrong right now, with Jason and Nico right here, watching.

Even though this didn't mean anything, per se, it still felt so horribly intimate?

Could Nico feel embarrassed for one of their sake's, at least?

If this was him on either end, he knew his entire body would turn scarlet and he'd probably die of either mortification at being so exposed to Will (in Percy's position), or stutter like an idiot and mess up and have a heart attack out of mortification and dread at what was undoubtedly going to follow such brashness (in Will's position).

"And now…see…if we are assuming you'll move like this…then you can still do…this…" Will explained, jerking his hips forward a few times, though making sure they didn't actually have any real physical contact, while his hand moved ever so faintly and gently from Percy's hip down his thigh to his calves.

There, he halted, 'humping' Percy once more for emphasis.

"And now, you can decide whether you want to lean sideways or back, which wouldn't be very comfortable, but poses a nice and convenient way to prolong your lovemaking in case you're getting close but don't want to blow – or you continue like this…" Will said, moving back up from where he had leaned back to 'show' what he meant (even though Percy couldn't even see half of what Will was doing, since Will had pushed his face down into the pillows), just to move his arm around Percy's midriff and tug him backwards, letting himself flop back into a sitting position and getting Percy to move right along with him, practically sitting on his lap.

"See? Now, not only will this give you a moment to catch your breath instead of doing all the moving yourself the entire time, but it will also give him a chance to set the speed and depth of your thrusts. Not to mention – _ta-dah_ – you can now successfully get to his foot again with absolutely no effort whatsoever."

Percy turned his head, and Nico wasn't surprised to see his face all flushed and pink, but the intensity of the color surprised him slightly.

He couldn't remember ever making Percy blush quite that hard.

Also, he hadn't really thought it was possible to do so, either.

"I…ok…"

He had never heard Percy's voice quite that high, either.

The two guys stared at each other, Percy still with that utterly adorable blush, looking more than a little flustered, and Will with a somewhat blank expression, blinking slowly as he took in Percy's expression, one arm still wrapped around his midriff, holding him on his lap.

Then, his blinking got faster, and the tips of his ears started turning red.

_Somebody_ was finally realizing what the hell they were doing.

Nico glanced back at Percy, but Percy's eyes were glued to…Will's lips?

It looked as if he was ogling Will's lips.

Was he ogling Will's lips?

Nico couldn't be sure, but it certainly seemed that way.

Nervousness and unease spread through him, and he shifted slightly, only to notice Jason was, too, sending Nico an almost panicked look.

Nico wondered faintly whether Jason was as worried about what was going to happen next as he was.

It didn't seem possible, but he wasn't going to put it past _Jason_ to manage, either.

"That…good. Splendid. Hope you'll remember all of that, because I'm not going to show you again. Now, get off me. And freaking use your brain next time, you giant doofus. Seriously." Will exclaimed, shoving Percy off his lap unceremoniously, who squeaked and promptly fell face-forward into the pillows.

At least that managed to get Nico and Jason out of their trance, both of them moving a bit more and exchanging uncomfortable glances again.

"I…that…was that really necessary?" Percy asked, probably trying to sound upset as he pushed himself back up and looked around, but his voice was still a lot higher than usual, and his breathing was ragged and irregular, causing huffs between the words.

Not to mention his face was still burning.

Will was looking at anything but Percy, moving back to Jason's side while trying to look unbothered and indifferent, but his freckles were most definitely glowing bright against quickly reddening skin.

Apparently, he was finally realizing just what he had just done.

About time.

"You know you liked it." He snorted with fake derision, anyways, though _everything_ about him betrayed the confidence in his words.

Percy didn't say anything to that, instead shuffling over to Nico with a burning face, and Nico found himself reaching out automatically at the sudden insecurity in Percy's gaze.

"Hey…" He greeted his boyfriend softly, softer than he would have thought he could speak, and it struck him as ironic that he'd manage to say anything at all, much less this soft, because he was internally anything but composed enough to even as much as form a coherent train of thoughts.

But his body seemed to know what it was doing, because Percy visibly relaxed, moving to right next to him and snuggling against his side slightly, wrapping his arms loosely around Nico and burying his face at his shoulder.

"Hey…"

Nico could feel the wild beating of Percy's heart against his elbow, and found himself swallowing.

What…was he supposed to do?

What did this mean?

_Did_ this mean something?

He looked up to see Will staring transfixed at Percy, an odd expression on his face, while Jason's eyes kept hushing from Will to Nico and Percy, looking…sad.

Disappointed, maybe.

Definitely somewhat hurt, too.

Nico couldn't take it.

He cleared his throat, drawing their attention, and hoped against hope his voice would come out steady and confident.

"You know…that was all kind of pointless, though. I am not going to let Percy at my foot, do you have any idea how embarrassing that is?" He forced out in a hopefully light, but slightly accusing tone, though it did sound a bit odd, even to his own ears.

But at least it managed to make the pain disappear from Jason's eyes as the blonde blinked and frowned, while Will opened his mouth to reply with a similar frown, just to then scowl.

"_Nico!_"

Nico stiffened slightly at the intensity Will was all but yelling his name with, but then they were all distracted by Percy snorting out a weak laugh against his shoulder, chuckling against his bare skin with his eyes closed and that adorable flush still on his cheeks and ears and neck, though it was slowly subsiding now.

Will shook his head, throwing his arms up in defeat, though the glowing of his freckles showed he was far from annoyed.

"I am _so_ done with you guys. Seriously! Nico, next to the fact that there is absolutely _nothing_ 'embarrassing' whatsoever about having your boyfriend give you the best orgasms you're ever going to get…if you were really against it, why in the name of Hades did you _not_ tell me that _before_ I manhandled Perseus?!"

Nico felt the heat rising in his face at the mention of his orgasms all over again.

Seriously, this was nothing of their business!

Did other people talk about their sex lives with their best friends?

Well, some of them probably did, but not to this extent, right?

_Right?_

Nico felt as if he was slowly losing his faith in humanity.

Not that it really mattered.

Then again, it wasn't as if he _minded_ advice (the tips for the bathroom had been more than just splendid, after all…mmh, yes, such advice was _certainly_ appreciated), but…this was…it seemed so…well, next to the fact it was so very _random_, it also seemed so…_intimate_.

Private.

Not for others to discuss.

Especially not with Will (nor Jason), because Nico was over them, damn it, and having them discuss this so openly, so freely…it didn't _hurt_, but it certainly felt _weird_, and he didn't like how he was sometimes liking it!

And why did they always only talk about Nico and his sex life, anyways?

It was always about what Percy did with Nico, whether Nico was liking it, that Nico wouldn't get hurt, that Nico got the most out of everything, Nico's orgasms, Nico's sex-drive, Nico's everything.

Why couldn't they talk about Percy, instead?

Or even better, about Will and/or Jason for once?

There, that thought alone already made him cringe and feel awkward and flustered and disturbed at _deliberately_ picturing them in _any_ sort of sexual activity.

Didn't they at least feel this way a tiny little bit when discussing him in such context?

Or was this just because he still kind of liked them a bit more than he should?

Nico frowned slightly to himself at that thought, trying to picture this sort of conversation with somebody other than these three, just to feel even more disturbed, and not in a good way, either.

There was no way he'd ever talk to anybody else about anything remotely sexual, and he seriously couldn't picture any of his other friends, female and male alike, to ever strike up such a conversation, themselves.

So, wait, this was one of those things that only existed in their little happy-go-lucky group, wasn't it?

It probably was.

"Jason, I swear, I hope you'll use your brain more than Percy. Because I'm definitely not going to hump anybody else for any sort of clarification." Will declared sulkily and Nico glanced towards Jason, suppressing a laugh as he saw the almost incredulous expression on the blonde's face.

But then, Jason put on a pout.

A pout.

Jason.

Percy stiffened to a board next to him, making a startled sound, and Nico knew he was looking at Jason, too.

How?

How had Nico never seen Jason pout before?

How had he never even thought about Jason pouting?

Damn.

Was this because of the glasses?

It had to be the glasses.

Jason was sitting there, his shoulders hunched, his head tilted downward, his eyes gazing at Will from just the slightest bit over the edges of his glasses, the blue seeming richer and deeper than ever before, and his bottom lip stuck out the faintest bit, not excessively yelling 'puppy face', but…it was perfect.

Utterly perfect.

Nico felt like even eating a brick wouldn't get rid of this cringing feeling inside him at the sight, not to mention the urge to rush forward and wrap his arms around the blonde.

He also had the distinct urge to yell at Will and tell him to back off and apologize for whatever he must have done to bring forth this expression.

Or maybe Jason wanted something?

In that case, Nico would make it possible.

No matter what, no matter when, no matter how, he wouldn't rest until he had Jason happy and content.

"Aw, and there I was hoping…pretty, pretty please…?" Jason muttered softly, barely audibly, pleadingly – and Nico could feel goosebumps appearing all over his body, the need to wrap Jason up and keep him safely tucked away somewhere only getting stronger.

Will had so far not looked around at the blonde, so Nico wasn't surprised to find him beginning to rant in a rather unimpressed voice.

Then, however, mid-sentence, Will turned to look at Jason – and froze, the words dying in his throat.

For a long moment, there was silence.

Then, Percy of all people moved forward, throwing himself at Jason and catapulting him back into the pillows.

"Jason! _Stop it_! You're making me all crazy in the head, damn it!" He wailed, and Nico and Will both shook themselves out of their trance, blinking at each other in confusion for a moment.

Jason laughed loudly, permitting Percy flattening him for a total of five seconds before he grabbed hold of his hips and lifted him right off with utter ease, though Percy wasn't discouraged, poking his side over and over with a disturbed, sulky expression on his face.

What…?

_Gods, these guys._

Nico shook his head to himself.

Just what was he supposed to do with them?

He looked down, just to see the scoring board of the _Say Anything_ game.

Well, apparently they weren't going to play the last round, after all, huh?

He wasn't surprised.

He also wasn't surprised to see that Jason had won by quite the margin, with Will and Percy going head to head next, and Nico the sore loser.

Nico glanced back to the three guys, where Will had now moved closer to Jason and Percy, rambling about how they thought they could just get him to do whatever they wanted if only they tried hard enough – which made both Jason and Percy deny the statement very loudly, insistently – and utterly _unconvincingly_.

Well, he wasn't surprised about losing at this game.

He absolutely couldn't make sense of them, after all.

Though he was kind of glad they seemed to know each other so well by now - plus, it was absolutely awesome that they got along this well (he especially loved that).

Even if that also made him worry slightly, wondering if maybe they _were_ getting a tad _too_ close.

But was that even possible?

And would it really be all that bad?

He'd have to wait and see, he guessed.

For now, he first had to find a way to get the three back to the ground and get them to pick up some food with him, because he certainly was starving.

And he still _really_ wanted to go to the bathroom with Percy.

Damn that spot on his foot, seriously.

There was _no way_ he'd let Percy do anything with that.

Nope.

..

The rest of the day mostly passed in a blur, at least that's how it felt like to Will.

After that little scene with Percy, they had gone to pick up some food, just to then return to playing various card games, wasting away uselessly as usual.

Well, ok, Nico and he had done some rather nice stretching exercises, showing him all over again just how wonderfully flexible the Italian was - it was such a shame Percy was most likely not making proper use of that, either.

Tsk, that guy.

Still, there was _no way_ Will would _ever_ repeat what he had done earlier.

Gods, what had he been _thinking_?

He utterly _hadn't_ been thinking.

Will hadn't even had any ulterior motives or anything, he really had only meant to show what he had been talking about, since words had utterly failed him in that moment.

But how could he have simply gone and grabbed Percy and pushed him around like that?

And how could Percy have just let him do it, gazing up at him with that befuddled, confused, taken aback – but by no means averse or irritated.

If anything, Will might even go that far and say Percy might have even liked it.

Not _him_ doing that, per se, but being the passive one getting pushed around and sort of dominated by somebody who knew what he was doing.

It showed all over again that Percy had that wonderfully alluring submissive side to him that Will had glimpsed a few times in the past.

He could only hope Nico would have mercy on him and actually explore, if only for Will's sake.

Because he'd die to do it.

He'd also die to have Nico under him in Percy's place, just to see how differently he'd react, to find out everything there was to find out about him, to show him all the things that could make him feel good if only he let Will show him, to…ok, Will really shouldn't ponder this right now.

He huffed out a small breath, glancing around at Jason out of the corners of his eyes, who was lying on his back in midst all the pillows, staring up at the ceiling with a distracted expression, as if lost in thoughts.

It didn't matter what he wanted, anyways, because neither Percy nor Nico would ever let him do any of that – they had each other, after all, and seemed more than content with that.

Will huffed again, looking around at the bathroom door and wondering how much longer they'd be in there.

Not that he wanted to rush them or anything, but he maybe should have used the bathroom before they had announced they'd take a bath.

Bad planning all over again.

Like his non-existent shower.

Ugh, he so badly needed a shower, it wasn't even funny.

And that wasn't because he was particularly dirty, mind you.

Will huffed again.

"That makes it three times. Alright, what's wrong?" Jason asked, and Will looked up, watching the blonde sit up with his hair sticking up rather stupidly in the back, instantly waking the urge inside Will to move his fingers through Jason's hair.

Not going to happen.

"Nothing. Just thinking." He muttered evasively, but made the mistake of glancing towards the bathroom again.

Jason instantly noticed, of course.

Because what did Jason ever not notice?

Well, next to Will's crush on him (hopefully), of course.

"What, worried about them making use of your advice?" Jason seemed to half tease and half ask in genuine concern, but Will merely snorted.

Yeah, right.

"I'll be glad if they do. Just pitying the fact Percy has no idea of what he's doing most of the time."

Like not making use of Nico's flexibility.

Gods, Nico was a piece of art, seriously.

Perfect in every way, in every aspect, in every angle.

Now, wait a few more years for his growth spurt to finally show up (Will just knew it was coming, though it certainly was taking its sweet time), and for him to gain some more confidence, and Nico was bound to be the hottest freaking thing walking this earth.

And Percy would be right by his side.

Wasn't that sweet?

They could be perfect together, and Will could watch and fantasize from afar.

Nice.

Will grumbled to himself, letting himself drop backwards into the pillows with a grunt.

Was he bitter?

Absolutely.

He also needed to use the toilet.

And take his shower.

He _definitely_ wanted to take that shower.

Preferably now.

What was taking them so long?

"_Somebody_ seems grumpy. You know, if you ask me, I think Percy is doing a pretty good job, though. Even if he doesn't make use of all the things you would. Nico seems to be enjoying it, anyways, and that's what counts, right?" Jason said quietly, and Will made a face.

Yeah, yeah.

He knew.

Of course he knew.

He was all for it.

No, seriously, he knew Percy wasn't bad or anything, and that Nico was more than pleased with him.

(Will was reminded of that every time they touched after Nico came back from a shower/bath with Percy, even if Will always tried to refrain from any physical contact for as long as possible after those. Afterglows really were beautiful, though, weren't they? Will needed his shower...)

It was just that he kept thinking he could show them so much more, and make them feel even _better_.

But he couldn't, and that was annoying and mean and cruel and unfair.

Not to mention _infuriating_.

Man, Will seriously needed his shower.

"I know. It's not that. I just…they're taking too long in there." He brushed Jason off, turning away from him as Jason leaned forward, with his elbows on his crossed legs and his eyes so fixed on Will, making him self-conscious again (another infuriating thing), looking at him with that small smile as if he knew exactly what was going on inside Will's head.

Which he luckily (_hopefully!_) couldn't.

"Too long? What, do you need to…oh…"

Great, please announce it to the world Will Solace needed to pee.

He kept his back turned to Jason, instead staring at the bathroom door and cursing the fact it was sound-proof.

Who'd have thought there could be a downside to sound-proof bathrooms?

Well, then again, Will could think of quite a few of those, especially when locked up in one, but nobody was going to do that, so there was no point pondering that.

"Wow, so that's why you're so grumpy? I'll have to remember that. Hey, did you know, there was this _one_ time Percy convinced me to wait for Nico with him, back after the war was over, and he dragged me to these bushes next to Nico's cabin, forcing us both to camp there for ages. So, here I was…" Jason started talking, and Will frowned to himself, turning his head a few inches to steal a glance at Jason out of the corners of his eyes.

What?

Why was he telling him this?

That was random.

Especially for Jason.

The blonde was watching him, gesturing with his hands the way Nico usually did.

The sight made Will's lips twitch, right before he turned his head away again with a scowl.

Wait, he knew what Jason was doing.

He was trying to distract him from his misery and cheer him up and make him feel as if nothing in the world could ever be wrong.

Wait, that was actually kind of sweet, wasn't it?

Well, it didn't matter, Will was still going to be unwilling to cooperate.

He wanted Percy and Nico to hurry up in that bathroom so he could get in there, use the toilet, and then take a three-hour shower just because he could.

Then he'd probably come out to find a grumpy Jason waiting desperately for his turn, though.

Actually, that thought wasn't half bad.

Kind of amusing, really.

Gods, apparently, Will was a pretty horrible person, thinking of doing this to somebody innocent like _Jason_.

"…so I really needed to use the bathroom, but Percy was oblivious to my many tries to hint at it or excuse myself in any other way. It was _torture_. And then, to make matters worse, the moment I _finally_ decided to just up and leave, Nico just _had_ to throw the door open and trudge out all grumpy and adorable as usual, and Percy promptly dragged me off after him. Nico was faster, though, and by the time Percy and I would have caught up, he was already in the dining pavilion, and you know how much he liked to be interrupted back then." Jason kept talking, and Will rolled his eyes to himself.

Oh yes, back then, Nico loathed people interrupting him during his scarce meals, especially the three of them, since Percy and Jason had tended to invite themselves to his table (and thus draw more attention that Nico didn't want), while Will tended to lovingly criticize his food and try to get him to change his nutrition (looking back on it now, he could tell that had been the wrong way to go about the whole thing. Oh well).

Astounding what one Advent Calendar (and a very determined Percy) could achieve, though.

Will was never going to get over that.

"So, Percy made us hide out next to the pavilion for Nico to show up again, and, I'm telling you, I was getting _desperate_. Percy _finally_ caught on to something being wrong when I started fidgeting and shuffling to the extent I was almost hopping on the spot, and I really thought he'd _finally_ realize what was up and that he'd let me off so I could just, you know, _go_. But, you know what he did?"

Will didn't want to admit it, but he _did_ want to know.

He turned his head slightly, unable to resist, and glanced towards Jason again, who sat there, staring at him while shaking his head with a loud sigh, looking utterly exasperated at the mere memory of what must have transpired back then.

"What?" He finally gave in, too curious to resist and keep moping.

Jason flashed him a small grin, then turned all serious and devastated once more.

"He started cracking _dam jokes_. Can you believe it? That cruel ass. There I was, almost peeing my pants, and he told me _dam jokes_ to 'lighten the mood' - and then proceeded to tell me of what felt like a _thousand_ different things, that all _miraculously had to do with water_!"

Will snorted out a laugh at the way Jason said the last part, watching the blonde gesture with his hands and looking so adorably upset.

Yeah, he could _so_ picture Percy doing that, though.

Jason looked at him with a definite hint of triumph in his eyes and smile, but Will didn't care, instead chuckling and turning around to face the blonde properly.

"Aww, how _atrocious_. You _poor_ thing. What did you do then? And, damn it, where was I?"

He'd have certainly laughed his ass off if he had seen Jason hopping around on the spot while Percy was cracking dam jokes.

Jason's lips twitched before he adapted his overly exaggerated aghast expression once more, gesturing wildly.

"I did what anybody would have done: I held it in! The entire time! And we stood there, waiting and waiting, for Nico to come back…just that he wasn't going to come back out on that side of the pavilion, because _you_ – yes, this is the part where you come in – decided this was the perfect moment to ambush him and drag him off to help you in the infirmary. Do you have any idea how long it took us to realize Nico was already up and gone for forever, while we were standing/hiding at the foot of the stairs, ready to drag him off and keep him to ourselves? I have never felt more betrayed. _My bladder_ has never felt more betrayed!"

Will tried to keep his laughter in, he really did.

Of course he failed miserably, though, instead laughing loudly and holding his stomach, trying very hard _not_ to picture how positively offended Jason must have looked once he had found out he had had tormented himself for nothing.

Oh, how badly Will wished he could have seen.

How badly he wished he had known.

Jason put his elbows back onto his crossed legs, placing his chin on his hands while watching Will with a soft, satisfied smile, and Will let him look his fill of his success.

Fine, he had managed to get him out of his grumpy mood.

No need to be so smug about it.

Then again, Jason wasn't even acting smug.

More pleased with himself.

So it was ok.

Will would let him have that victory.

"And what are you two doing?" Percy asked behind them, and Will looked around surprised, to find Percy and Nico leaving the bathroom in fresh underwear and practically glowing with satisfaction and contentment.

(Show-offs.)

"Nothing much, just hardcore pining and some subtle flirting. The usual." Jason stated with a shrug, and Will almost choked on his (still embarrassing) snort-laugh as Percy shot them an almost scandalized look, promptly tripping over his feet and almost crashing into the ground, if it hadn't been for Nico walking right next to him, catching him with his eyebrows raised high, his gaze hushing between Will and Jason so skeptically again.

_Oh, Nico, if only you knew._

As if there'd ever be more between Jason and Will.

Will rolled his eyes to himself, unwilling to let the smile slide off his face until he was in the shower with his back against the wall and his hands down his then non-existent pants.

That thought made him remember he needed a toilet.

Not that he had stopped _needing_ it, and laughing so much hadn't helped whatsoever, but somehow he had just started feeling so…sort of comfortable…that he wouldn't have minded pushing the trip to the bathroom off for a while longer.

Not going to happen, of course.

"Yep, that sums it up alright. You should listen to his dam pick-up lines, Percy. Might learn a thing or two." He claimed with a wink in Percy's direction, which earned him a chuckle from Jason and a wiggle of his eyebrows – which should probably not make him feel as smug as it did.

Will winked at him, as well, then turned to leave for the bathroom, only hearing a last "I bet those were MY pick-up lines, Jason. How _dare_ you? _Cheater_.," from Percy, which only made him roll his eyes and grin to himself.

_Dorks_.

_His_ dorks, but dorks all the same.

Locking the bathroom door behind him, he let out a loud sigh, deciding it was time to face the serious matters in life once more.

In other words, it was time for his shower.

Because tonight, he so wasn't going to end up humping Jason.

He'd make sure of that.

Absolutely.

..

That night, Will's dreams started as usual.

Which was to say, meaningless and stupid, because his dream seemed all about Nico, Jason and Will sitting on a sofa together in an apartment he had never seen before, and Percy coming home from work to gaze at them affectionately, before practically throwing himself at them to cuddle and shower them in kisses.

Very nice.

Now, if only this was reality, Will was certain he'd be the happiest person alive.

But since he knew this was nothing but a dream, it was more depressing to watch than anything else.

It didn't really matter, though, because the dream quickly changed towards even more depressing – and a lot less pleasant – things soon enough, same as it had done the past nights.

He could feel the doubts tearing him down, his fears coming back to the surface from where he had banned them to, noises and voices and thoughts cutting through his mind that he had long forgotten/forced himself to forget.

He was back at Camp Half-Blood, only just having arrived there after losing his mother, young, confused, hurt and heartbroken.

He was at Camp, trying to get over the loss and find new friends, feeling unclaimed and unwanted, and ever so confused.

He was at the Camp Fire after a horrible day of trying to find out what he was good at, to maybe find out where he belonged, who his godly parent might be, what he was supposed to do now, his fears and doubts and worries showing pathetically plainly on his face.

He was at the same Camp Fire when _he_ came up to him, comforting him, reassuring him, telling him everything would be alright.

Everything inside Will twisted at the sight of _him_, and he tried to turn away, tried to make it stop.

He would not let _him_ into his dreams.

He would not think of _him_ again.

Will had let his thoughts stray dangerously close ever since Silena, or maybe even before that, but he wasn't going to let this happen.

Never.

Not in his dreams.

Not in his thoughts.

Not at all.

Ever.

Will struggled, trying to force himself to wake up, but he couldn't, because he only ever could wake up on demand when it was either morning or he was merely 'resting'.

More memories started crashing through his mind, the sensation almost as painful as the images themselves.

_No_.

He didn't want to think of that.

He didn't want to dream of that.

He didn't want anything to do with that.

Those things were long gone and forgotten, they didn't have any right to come back to him now.

He didn't want them.

It was better to pretend they had never happened in the first place..

Will struggled even more, trying and trying to fight the flashes of images, sounds, scenes, _horrors_.

Something – or someone – grabbed him by the shoulder, the touch so sudden, it shook Will to the core, and he panicked, dread rushing through him instantly, and he tried to escape that, too.

He was always trying to escape these days, it seemed.

Where to, he had no idea, and it didn't matter, either.

Anywhere was fine, as long as it was far away from _him_, where he couldn't find him.

Why was Will still at Camp Half-Blood, anyways?

He should have left ages ago.

What if _he_ came back?

What if everything would happen all over again?

Will wasn't strong.

He hadn't changed at all, other than the fact he was even more outgoing and smile-y than before, to not have anybody ask bad questions.

What if _he_ came back and Will would be too weak to fight him, too weak to make him stop, what if he overtook Will all over again and-…

Something surprisingly warm and pleasant shot through his body, and his mind went blank for a moment, everything inside him and around him stilling.

_Pleasure_.  
Sweet, warm, soft _pleasure_.

_Mmh, it felt so nice._

Will loved it.

He found himself relaxing, concentrating on the wondrous feeling that had miraculously appeared out of nowhere again.

Not that he particularly cared where it was coming from, but after the past nights, he kind of _did_ want to know.

Though that was only a small part of him that was quickly diminishing as the warmth spread through his body more and more, his heartrate picking up, his body moving on its own accord closer to whatever was causing these amazing sensations.

And then, there was dream-Jason.

Will wasn't sure where he had suddenly come from, maybe he had been there all along at the edge of his mind, but that didn't matter, either.

What mattered was the way his dream-Jason's hands – those wonderful, amazing, cool hands – started moving over his body so hesitantly and softly.

What mattered was the way dream-Jason had his face buried at the side of Will's neck, kissing the shell of his ear before gently nipping on it, making him moan softly and snake his arms around the blonde.

Gods, _yes_.

Will knew he probably shouldn't let this happen, no matter if in his dreams or not.

Seriously, he wasn't even sure how this had started, anyways.

What had he been dreaming about earlier, again?

Somehow, he couldn't remember right now.

It didn't matter.

All that mattered was the way dream-Jason hesitantly shifted closer at Will's insistent urging, and how nice it felt when Will let his fingertips trail over his cool and smooth skin.

Gods, he wanted to touch real-Jason like this.

He'd _die_ to touch real-Jason like this.

"Jason…" He panted when dream-Jason gently bit his ear again, then licked over it.

Will had no idea which sensation he preferred, the biting or the licking, but ended up deciding for both to simplify matters.

Because, right now, he wanted his mind anywhere but pondering something so stupid and trivial.

It would only distract him.

He got his own hands to move over dream-Jason's body hungrily, needily, desperately, getting his fill of the amazing sensations the physical contact sent through him.

Oh gods, he _so_ wanted to do this with real-Jason.

Feel his skin heating under his fingertips, feel his responses, his emotions, for real, not just what Will's befuddled and sleeping mind seemed to come up with…

He wondered whether Jason would ever feel this compliant and wanting when getting touched by Will.

Probably not, which was why he quickly discarded that thought again.

Instead, he concentrated solely on how dream-Jason was feeling, maybe slightly confused as to why he was feeling actual emotions and reactions from this figment of his imagination, but, well, he so wasn't going to complain.

It felt so wonderfully _real_.

Dream-Jason's hands started moving again, and it took Will a moment to realize the blonde had held him close in what had almost seemed like a possessive, _claiming_ sort of way – which made him moan softly at the mere thought.

Dream-Jason's lips were still near his ear, and Will realized this was where that soft and warm and pleasing sensation had been coming from all this time.

_His ears._

Of course.

Trust dream-Jason to know about that.

Which reminded him that real-Jason didn't know about that.

_Good._

Gods, that would be so awkward, especially given that Jason had teased his ears before, already.

Ugh, now really wasn't the time to ponder that.

Now was the time to-…Will _moaned_ as Jason nibbled on his earlobe, and his hips bucked forward on their own accord, smacking against Jason's thigh that had so conveniently moved into the way.

_Mmh, yes!_

Jason's hands settled on Will's hips, holding him in place to prevent more thrusting, so Will guessed he didn't like that.

Meh, fine enough.

He didn't want to wake up rutting against real-Jason again, anyways.

Well, in fact, he never wanted to wake up again, really.

Could he just stay asleep forever, with dream-Jason right here to satiate his needs for the rest of his life?

Well, dream-Jason wasn't really satiating anything right now, because he was definitely letting go of his ear now, pulling back slowly.

No!

Will heard himself mewling rather embarrassingly, but, hell, this was a dream, he guessed he could let himself go here, at the very least.

It wasn't as if dream-Jason was going to judge him – and if he did, Will would make him disappear in a puff of smoke and there'd be that.

Dream-Jason stilled in his movement, and Will could hear him sigh, his shoulders sagging a bit.

It seemed like a pretty defeated action, and Will absolutely did not like that.

What?

Did Jason not like this?

His hands moved from where he had had them on the back of Jason's neck, one hand moving to the blonde, way too straight hair, the other one flying down to clasp Jason's wrist, trying to get a gauge on the situation.

No, as far as he could tell, Jason seemed to love this.

Though there was a not-too-small amount of guilt and hesitation in him, for reasons unknown to Will.

What was there to be guilty and/or hesitant about?

Couldn't dream-Jason tell how much Will _loved_ this?

Couldn't he tell how much he _needed_ this?

Or maybe it wasn't this his dream-Jason was disliking, but the fact Will wasn't giving anything back?

_Oh_.

Yeah, that might be a very possible possibility.

Once the thought was formed, Will already found himself moving forward, back closer to Jason from where the blonde had frozen, inches away from his face, as if he hadn't been able to decide whether to pull away or come back close.

Yes, Will had to give something back.

After all, he was meant to be the top here.

No matter if dream or not, there was _no way_ Will would let anybody get away with anything else.

He'd definitely make sure dream-Jason would feel better than ever before.

Who knew, maybe that would solve all of Will's issues.

It would most definitely boost his ego, that much was for certain (plus, it would be a lot more satisfying than another trip to the bathroom, too).

Even if this was only a dream.

Damn, couldn't he just forget about that already and just enjoy this to the max?

Will wrapped his arms tightly around Jason, feeling the pillows under them shift as he tugged him closer, burying his face at the side of Jason's neck, his lips finding the sensitive, flushed skin.

Why were there pillows?

Will so wanted to do this on a bed - Nico's bed, maybe.

It was so nice and comfortable, after all, even more comfortable than the pillow-corner they seemed to be in right now, by the feel of it.

Or they could be back at Camp, in Jason's cabin, after having sweetly confessed their undying love for each other and going out, which was by far the cheesiest and most unrealistic thing Will had come up with so far (which was kind of sad, given that he was currently kissing down the side of Jason's neck – which should definitely be a lot more unrealistic than anything else).

But he'd be lying if he said he didn't love that thought much more than he should.

Jason was absolutely still, not stopping him in any way – but also not encouraging him to go on.

Will frowned, pressing his lips harder against the wonderfully soft skin, marveling in the detail the dream was granting him.

He could _feel_ Jason liking this, why wasn't he showing it a bit more?

Sure, Will kind of liked having to actually think and concentrate on whether or not Jason was enjoying something, but did he have to be so…unresponsive?

It was _Will_ dreaming here, not Jason.

He bit down at a softer spot, and instantly felt Jason flinching, his hands moving from his hips back up his sides towards his back, tugging him closer again as he huffed slightly.

Yes, _better_.

Will grinned smugly, nuzzling his nose against Jason's skin as he kissed the spot he had just bitten.

Jason shivered in response, and Will could feel warmth and a sort of fluttery feeling rushing through the blonde.

Somebody liked it intimate and affectionate, huh?

Will could do that.

Will would love to do that, actually.

He smirked and nuzzled against Jason further, peppering his neck with kisses once more as he pushed their bodies against each other more, wanting to get as much skin-to-skin contact as possible.

The sensations were far too amazing to pass up the opportunity to feel as much of this as he could.

Gods, if this already felt so great, how would it feel to do something like this with real-Jason?

Will bit down on the base of Jason's neck and sucked gently, and Jason stiffened to a board, letting out a low, long _groan_.

Will was _in love_ with the sound.

Gods, he wanted to hear it again.

_Had_ to hear it again.

Record it somehow to have something to play to himself when in the shower.

Why couldn't people record sounds in their dreams?

_Best. Thing. Ever._

He could feel his own breathing hitch as he licked over the spot, not wanting to leave a hickey – not this time, at least.

Instead, he started working his way back up, gently biting Jason all over his pretty neck.

Jason _loved_ it.

Apparently, after letting go enough to let out that groan, he seemed to have no problem in relishing in Will's touches now anymore, instead he was panting openly and presenting more of his neck to him.

_Perfect_.

Will smirked against his skin again, tentatively thrusting his hips forward ever so lightly, to check the waters.

Jason all but hissed, his hands flying down to Will's hips to hold him, but Will had already felt what he had wanted to feel, and he needed to feel _more_.

His hands flew to Jason's chest and he pushed him back, away from him and down onto his back into the mass of pillows beneath them, just to then crawl right after him and practically drape himself all over the blonde, feeling their hard-ons rubbing against each other a tad too intensely before Jason gasped and shifted, taking some of the pressure off as they more aligned next to each other now.

Will didn't particularly care, instead searching for Jason's neck again blindly.

Yes, this was _a lot_ better.

He could access much more skin now, and not just one side of that beautiful throat.

Keen on making use of the new freedom, he started licking towards the front of Jason's throat, and Jason let him without complaint, though he seemed so, so tense, still.

Why was he so tense?

Will was going to make him relax.

He wasn't sure how yet, but he'd find out.

He knew he could probably just ask what the problem was.

Jason would reply for certain, because he was Jason.

But he kind of liked it this way, to be honest.

He also wanted to know whether he could really do it.

Will nipped at the sensitive, vulnerable skin and Jason gasped and groaned again, his hands flying up to wrap around Will, a need crashing through the blonde that momentarily stunned Will.

But then he merely grinned and continued, relishing in the knowledge he could make _Jason_ feel this way.

It wasn't much, especially since he knew this was nothing but a dream, but that didn't deter him in any way, either.

Instead, he simply continued, letting his hands travel up and down Jason's sides in slow, soothing strokes to show him he wasn't going to harm him and wouldn't make him regret trusting him this much in any way.

Then he tentatively thrust his hips forward again.

Jason instantly stiffened to a board again, even though his breathing hitched and a small gasp escaped him right next to Will's ear (which felt lovely, might he mention).

_Oh, come on._

He could _clearly_ feel he loved this and wanted this, what was he so reluctant about?

Will huffed irritably, grazing his teeth along the front of his throat once more and eliciting another small moan from Jason, then he nuzzled his face against him again.

It had the desired effect of getting Jason to relax again and tighten his hold on him ever so slightly, making Will feel strangely triumphant and happy.

He turned his head slightly to give Jason proper access to his ear again, hoping against hope Jason would finally have mercy on him and get him off.

Wasn't it kind of cruel how not even a figment of his imagination was willing to give him what he needed?

Maybe he truly was part masochist or something.

Then again, this kind of made it all a lot more…realistic.

Jason hesitated, and Will nudged the side of his face against him, half in question, half in demand.

_Please!_

"Please…" He whispered against Jason's neck, and Jason flinched slightly, but then his mouth found his ear no second later, gently nipping and tugging on it.

Will moaned more than a little breathlessly, momentarily not thinking about how slutty he must sound like, especially because of his volume.

This was a dream, Jason wasn't going to judge him.

Hell, probably not even real-Jason would judge him, since Will had kind of told him of that before, hadn't he now?

Well, ok, he kind of hadn't, but if Jason was smart (which he was) he'd have figured it out by now, anyways.

He could feel Jason shiver under him, his hold on Will tightening once again, his hands clutching him rather possessively, as if claiming him, telling him he was _his_.

Oh, how badly Will wished that was true.

Fuck reality and all the thousand reasons of why they couldn't be, Will wanted this guy so freaking much, none of it mattered.

He rubbed his body against Jason's, loving the way Jason panted and gasped beneath him, his lips still against his ear, their chests roughly aligned so they could feel each other's wild and erratic heartbeats.

Jason felt so wonderful, so perfect, his hand finding Will's on his own accord to squeeze it as their groins rubbed against each other mercilessly, creating more and more heat, more and more friction, more and more _everything_.

Will loved it, loved this, loved Jason, loved it all.

And the sensations and emotions surging through Jason only made it even better.

He moaned, nipping at Jason's neck once more, intent on getting him to feel as good as Jason was making him feel, and Jason trembled wantonly almost instantly, tugging on his earlobe.

"You're going to kill me once you wake up, Will." Jason whispered, the sound and sensation of his voice against Will's ear momentarily making Will shiver, before he caught on to the meaning of the words.

What…?

Hm, didn't matter.

Of course he'd kill dream-Jason if he woke up now.

That would be just cruel.

"Then don't let me wake up…" He mumbled back, biting down at the base of his neck and making Jason gasp so wonderfully again, his fingernails digging into Will's back ever so lightly, sending shivers down his spine.

Oh gods, Jason was so very perfect.

He thrust his hips down against Jason's, luring another low groan out of the blonde, though this time it was accompanied by one of his own.

Gods, _yes_.

This was a dream, but it felt so wonderfully real, with all those amazing details.

Like the way Jason's body was heating up due to what they were doing, and Will's own body heat.

Or the way Jason shivered so wonderfully and wantonly, digging his fingers into Will's back possessively – something Will would have never thought he'd manage to make up in his dreams, though it felt so, so like something Jason would do.

Or the way Jason panted so beautifully against his ear, so eager, yet also so reluctant to please, as if doubting this was a good idea (it probably wasn't, but who cared. This was a dream).

Not to mention all those wonderful emotions.

Or the way he was still holding onto Will's hand like that.

Would real-Jason hold his hand, too?

Or was that just wishful thinking, because Will needed the reassurance he was making Jason feel good?

He wasn't sure.

It didn't really matter, either.

He could still ponder this later.

"I probably should…I definitely should…" Jason breathed as Will started grinding their bodies together again, intent on getting as far as possible before dream-Jason could change his mind – which he seemed to currently be doing.

"Don't you dare, Jason." Will grumbled, biting down harder at his new favorite spot on Jason's neck.

Just one hickey?

_Pretty, pretty please?_

No, he probably shouldn't.

Not even in his dreams did he have the right to claim Jason as his, after all.

Shame.

Jason gasped and squeezed his hand almost desperately, and this time it was Jason who thrust his hips upwards helplessly, making Will want to groan if it wasn't for him being sort of busy quickly licking over the heating skin to avoid bruising.

Eh, it would probably bruise, though.

Oops.

Well, he could always heal it later…never mind, this was a _dream_, he didn't have to heal _anything_.

Then again, this felt nothing like a dream, so he couldn't really blame himself for thinking like this.

One would guess a dream would get down to business faster.

In his usual wet dreams it certainly did, after all.

By now, they should already be naked and Will would make best use of the privileges of dreams, like the unnecessity of lube.

That thought made him grind his pelvis down against Jason's again, and he could _definitely_ feel a promising twitch in those boxer shorts of his.

Would dream-Jason actually let him do that?

It was odd that Will had to question this, but dream-Jason wasn't exactly like anything or anyone else he had ever dreamed of.

Maybe it was because Will now knew he was a virgin, so he automatically tried to be more careful and not overrun Jason so much, to make it a tad more authentic.

Whatever, what did it matter, anyways?

Will started grinding down a bit more, entangling their legs and feeling Jason actually helping him a bit with that, though he instantly felt the reluctance rise within the blonde once more.

"Will…" He whispered against his ear, sounding partly like a question, partly like a plea, and mostly like a breathless pant that merely egged Will on further.

Yes, he wanted Jason to say his name.

A lot.

Even better, he wanted him to _moan_ Will's name.

Gods, this felt _so good_.

Will rolled his hips and he continued moving against him and getting them hot and bothered until the pressure inside him got too much.

He was getting close.

How embarrassing was that?

They hadn't even done that much, yet.

Damn, Will really had to work on his stamina again at some point, if this bit of messing around _in a dream_ managed to almost get him off already.

He was about to pull back to get more out of this, when he felt Jason rutting back against him with a helpless gasp, and Will realized with a jolt he wasn't the only one close to blowing.

His hand let go of Jason's to fly down to their groins, and Jason hissed as Will touched him through the fabric of his boxer shorts.

Holy…yes, this felt so freaking real, Will was going to cry.

Or die.

Or both.

In no particular order.

That made no sense.

Well, who cared, nothing made sense right now, anyways.

"Will…" Jason gasped against his ear, and Will shivered, keeping his eyes tightly shut as he concentrated on how nice it felt to touch Jason this intimately, no matter if dream or not.

"Ok…ok you need to _stop_. You're going to murder me. I should have never…_ah_…" Jason panted against his ear, the words making no sense to Will for the longest time, though he could clearly tell the urgency from the tone of his voice.

What?

Stop?

_Why now?_

"Will, please…" Jason pleaded, and everything inside Will short-circuited at the need in his voice, though he had no clue whether Jason was begging for him to continue or stop.

He was kind of sending mixed signals.

His voice and the way he had started almost _writhing_ under Will, not to mention the ominous twitching of his very hard and rather responsive dick, indicated for him to continue, but the hands against his chest trying to push him away ever so gently and the fact Jason wasn't ravishing his ear anymore indicated he wanted to stop.

Not to mention the definite guilt, uncertainty and reluctance that was washing over Jason all over again.

Why couldn't Will even have him in a dream?

Why did this have to feel so freaking real?

Real.

Something nagged in the back of Will's mind, and he made an irritated sound, letting go of Jason's dick and moving his arms back around Jason instead, concentrating on his throat again.

_Fine_.

If Jason felt like this was going too fast, Will would have to accept that and adjust, no matter how badly he wanted to see this through _now_.

Jason moaned, torn between shoving him away and pulling him closer, so Will took the liberty of making the decision for him, grinding against him and entangling their legs more.

"Will…"

Gods, his voice sounded so wonderful.

How was Will even capable of coming up with this in his dreams?

It felt so authentic, so real.

_So real_.

Will kissed his way to the side of Jason's neck again, then felt for the spot he had bitten earlier, feeling it still being so wonderfully hot, indicating it would indeed bruise.

He licked over it gently once more.

All these details.

Will loved it.

So freaking real.

_Real._

Real…

Jason cursed softly under his breath, and Will frowned as he started wondering just _why_ there were so many details, _why_ this felt so real, _why_ he could actually pick up on rather real feeling emotions and sensations rushing through Jason, his Jason, the actual Jason…or maybe it was just dream-Jason and he was overthinking things?

He frowned even more as he bit down at a different spot on Jason's neck, thoughts and questions and doubts zigzagging through his mind as he realized he wasn't even actually _looking_ at Jason, his eyes tightly shut, more sensing and feeling Jason than seeing him.

Usually, he was all for seeing his partner, after all, and Jason was definitely somebody he'd love to practically _stare to death_ in this sort of situation, keen on committing each and every little thing to memory.

Why did he have his eyes closed, anyways?

And why didn't this cross his mind before?

It was odd, wasn't it?

Will sucked gently on the spot and Jason gasped, burying his face at the side of Will's head, his ragged breathing still right against his ear.

He could feel each and every single gust of his breath against the over-sensitive shell of his ear, could feel every single strand of his hair tickling against his skin in response, could feel the goosebumps on Jason's skin against his own.

Could feel the shifting of Jason's soothing cold to the lusty and wanting warmth that seemed even more alluring than anything else, nothing compared to Will's own heat, but so unmistakably different from Jason's usual temperature, making Will crave to find out all the other things that changed when Jason got turned on.

He felt Jason tremble and his breathing hitch, then Will pushed his pelvis down again, and Jason groaned so beautifully again, trying to wrap his already entangled leg around Will's even further, though it didn't seem possible.

Not that Will cared, feeling way too smug and proud of himself for getting Jason this far.

He started up a rhythm in moving against Jason, realizing he should have done this much sooner to get Jason hot and bothered, because, apparently, Jason had a thing for some sort of pattern.

At least that's how it felt to Will when he started rubbing against Jason and pushing down in a steady rhythm, while his lips pressed against Jason's neck, twice in a kiss, third time a gentle bite.

Circular rubbing motion.

Kiss. Kiss. Bite.

Thrust.

Repeat.

Jason picked up on it instantly, his fingers clawing Will's back again and all but moving in sync with him, while Will's hands started moving down Jason's sides to his hips, this time resisting the urge to palm him through his boxer shorts, though the temptation was definitely not to be underestimated.

The blonde cursed under his breath again.

"Will…" He breathed, like a silent plea, but Will didn't understand.

What?

Gods damn it, _what_?!

He thrust his hips down and Jason groaned, this time louder than before, and…and Will opened his eyes.

Wait.

Wait, what.

Wait, no.

Wait…

_Shit_.

Will froze, several things suddenly making _a lot more sense,_ even though his mind needed another long moment to make the newly gathered information available to the rest of him.

Blond hair.

Jason's neck.

Will's lips on Jason's neck.

Their bodies pressed against each other tightly.

Especially their groins.

Their legs an entangled mess it was almost painful.

Jason's ragged breathing against his ear.

Jason's arms tightly wrapped around him.

Jason's heart thumping loudly in his ribcage against Will's chest and equally erratic heartbeat.

Lust. Want. Need. Despair. Affection. Reluctance. Guilt. Fear.

Emotions that weren't entirely his, but Jason's, clearly palpable to Will even with his dazed mind, probably due to this much physical contact.

Jason.

Will.

Here.

Now.

In the pillow corner.

For real.

_Real_.

"Holy fucking-…" Will cursed, his heart stopping in his chest as he tried to push himself away, away from Jason, away from this, away from reality

_Shit!_

_Fuck!_

_Fuck shit!_

Getting away, as it turned out, was _not_ a good idea.

Jason and he groaned in unison as the sudden friction and pressure in their lower bodies increased, and Will found himself falling forward onto Jason again, his entire body trembling, while Jason's arms tugged him down with a needy gasp.

"_Don't_! Don't move…please…" He heard the blonde beg against his ear, his voice low and raspy and horribly wonderful, though Will definitely didn't have the time to appreciate it right now.

Instead, he tried again against his – their – better judgment, trying to untangle their legs to get away.

How the hell did they even manage to get their legs this entangled?

He knew he had long legs and was rather flexible, but wrapping them around Jason's _this_ much?

_Seriously_?

Jason hissed, and Will gasped and clutched Jason's shoulders desperately as his thigh moved somewhere between Will's legs, making him want to rut against him all over again until climax, anything and everything else be damned.

He was way too close, too.

Jason was, as well, but this was not the time to ponder that.

"Will! Don't…please…gods, _slow down_! Let me…" Jason forced out in between huffs, and his hands started moving down to Will's hips, making him tremble and close his eyes momentarily again as he resisted the urge to moan.

Jason's hands had no business feeling nice now.

Will's heart was beating a hundred miles an hour, dread, fear and uncontrollable want surging through him.

What had he done?

What was he doing?

Had…had everything…actually happened?

_For real?_

So, what, dream-Jason was actually real-Jason?

He guessed that would explain a lot, yet it also explained nothing.

_Shit._

Shit, he wanted to die.

And Jason was awake.

Jason had noticed.

_Jason knew._

Oh gods, somebody kill him now, please.

"I'm so sorry…" Jason whispered, the guilt inside him almost overflowing as he started gently untangling their legs as carefully and slowly as he could, while trying to work as quickly as possible, his hands shaking slightly.

What?

What was _Jason_ saying sorry for?

"I…I…" Will started, glad his face was hidden at the side of Jason's neck, though that only made him realize what he had been doing to said neck the past however-many-minutes-or-hours he had been molesting Jason.

He swallowed. Hard.

"I…I don't know why I…I'm sorry, Jason. I didn't mean…this is…this was…oh gods, I'm so, so sorry…" He started babbling desperately, but Jason started wildly shaking his head.

"No, no, it's my fault. This is all my fault. Will, I'm _so_ sorry. I should have never…I didn't mean to…well, I mean, I guess I _did_, but not like _that_, and it was just…you were…and then I was…and then we…" Jason rambled, the shame coursing through him making no sense whatsoever to Will, just like his words.

What?

"I…what? What are you even talking about? Jason, last time I checked, it was _I_ who molested _you_ in my sleep. Gods, this is so wrong. I would never…Jason, I really…this is…I thought it was a _dream_!" He tried to explain, though it merely sounded like some sort of weak excuse, even to himself.

Jason shook his head again, still untangling their legs, while Will found himself clutching Jason's shoulders.

Yes, that was exactly what he should be doing right now, holding onto Jason even more.

"I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to…" Will whispered again, finding his voice shaking all of a sudden.

Oh, cool. Was he going to start crying now?

_How pathetic could he get?_

"It wasn't you, Will. I…I kind of…well…you were sleeping poorly again, so I…I…"

Sleeping poorly again. _Again._

_Oh_ _gods_.

Will stiffened to a board, realization washing over him.

No. No, please.

Please.

Somebody tell him this couldn't be true.

_Please_.

There was no way Jason had noticed this before, right?

_Please!_

"I…I wanted to tell you! Please, I don't usually do anything like this! Please, don't think I'm…I would never…not against your will! Jason, really, I…" He started frantically, feeling hot and cold at the same time, his skin tingling as he felt the despair flooding through his system.

"No! That's what I'm trying to tell you! It was _my_ fault! I…in the beginning I didn't _know_, and then I thought if I didn't do it so much, you'd be _fine_, but I was _wrong_, and it's my fault!" Jason hissed insistently, but Will didn't understand a single thing.

"What?" He finally asked confused, and Jason let out a loud, despairing sigh.

"I…I kind of…turned you on? Accidentally? With…with your ears…? You wouldn't react to anything else, so I…oh gods, I _knew_ this would happen. I shouldn't have…I'm so sorry, Will, I should have told you…I've been meaning to tell you, but I just couldn't, because I knew you'd be upset, and I didn't…I just…" Jason trailed off, starting to curse under his breath.

Will…was frozen on top of him, eyes wide, the realization hitting him like a punch in the face.

Oh.

_Oh!_

"You…you _what_?!"

Suddenly, _a lot of things_ made sense.

Like the fact he could have sworn he had been touched, or the way his dreams had suddenly changed and turned all hot and wanting.

Well, _duh_, if Jason had started ravishing his ears!

Jason.

Ravishing his ears.

His. Ears.

_Oh gods._

And Will had let it happen, had let it get to him, had let Jason see just how much it was affecting him, had spurred him on to do more even though Jason must have wanted anything but.

Oh gods, what had they _done_?!

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to assault you, I really don't…I would never…I'm so sorry! Please…" Jason exclaimed, and Will off-handedly noticed he had never felt Jason in such disarray as right now.

He had also never witnessed Jason losing his cool this much.

Then again, he himself was no better, still panting and his heart beating wildly in his chest, a chest that was still pressed against Jason's, so he'd feel it too, same as he could feel Will's hard-on against the side of his own, and this was the worst, this was awkward, and embarrassing, and horrible, and wrong, and Will had let it happen, and no matter what Jason said, he knew it was still his own fault, not Jason's.

Jason had clearly meant no ill, only caring about Will's wellbeing and trying his best to make him feel better in any way he could think of.

It was Will's fault that he had let it happen, had let it get to him, had let it escalate, had let himself molest Jason out of his own desperate need, no matter where it had come from.

He tried to push away again, to at the very least not have their groins this close anymore, and they both hissed, Will clutching his shoulders again while Jason held onto his thigh, as if he wanted to drag him back closer again for a moment.

But then, they both shoved each other away insistently, surging into opposite corners of the pillow corner, both panting and breathing heavily, eyes wide, staring at each other with flushed faces and tented boxer shorts.

Free.

His body instantly craved for the feel of Jason's, but he pushed it down, swallowing hard and finding Jason doing the same, lowering his gaze instantly and staring down at his own lap in apparent shame.

"I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have…I know I should have stopped after the first time, when I realized how it affected you. I really didn't mean to do this to you, Will. I'm sorry…"

Oh gods.

It shouldn't be Jason apologizing.

It really shouldn't.

Will swallowed, shaking his head and lowering his gaze as well, noticing Jason's glasses in front of him between two pillows.

Gods_, the pillow corner_.

How had he _not_ realized this was really happening?

He had fallen asleep in the pillow corner last night in a faint attempt at sleeping by himself to at the very least leave Jason alone for one night.

How could he have known Jason would stay with him?

And where were Percy and Nico?

Just as he thought it, he could hear soft snoring from the direction of the bed, answering his question.

At least they weren't here to witness this.

If they knew about this, too, Will would seriously go dig a hole somewhere and bury himself in it out of shame.

"It's…not your fault. I should have told you about my ears. You…you didn't mean bad by it, so I really don't blame you. It's my fault for…for…well, for reacting like that. I'm sorry. I would never…"

What?

How was he ever supposed to put it into words?

He would never what?

Assault Jason?

Molest him?

Force himself onto him?

All of the above.

But he couldn't make himself say it out loud, instead gesturing vaguely.

Jason looked as uncomfortable as he felt.

Will took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment.

No matter how much they'd apologize, it wouldn't solve anything, though, would it now?

"I…I think it might be better if I sleep by myself from now on. Just so I don't…" He started, but Jason made a strangled sound in the back of his throat and Will's head shot up, seeing raw _pain_ etched on his face for a split second.

Jason looked as if he was about to say something, plead for something, even, but then he closed his eyes and averted his gaze, taking a deep breath and schooling a somewhat composed expression again.

"Don't. Please. It was my fault it happened, so there's no reason why you should sleep alone. I…I won't let it happen again? If you tell me how to wake you, or what to do, I'll do that so you can sleep, just…" His voice trailed off, and he swallowed, still not meeting his gaze.

Will had no idea how to react or what to say.

There was literally _no way_ he'd risk molesting Jason again, especially not after just now.

This hadn't merely been rutting against Jason like the past nights.

This had almost turned into _a lot_ more.

For _both_ of them.

And he wasn't going to risk that again, no matter how freaking amazing it had felt.

(It had no business feeling this amazing, anyways.)

Jason hadn't even _consented_ to anything.

Guilt flooded through him again, strengthening his resolve, and he shook his head.

"No, seriously, I think that's for the best. I can't guarantee it won't happen again, Jason. What if it's not just you turning me on with my ears, what if it's me just…being like that? What if you wake up one night and I'm not just nibbling on your neck, but sucking your-…" He stopped as his eyes found a _definitely_ bruising spot on Jason's neck.

_Oh shit._

Will cursed, and the next moment, he was in front of Jason, tilting his chin aside to get a better look.

Jason stiffened to a board, but let him touch him without complaint or even the slightest hesitation, keeping his face tilted as Will's finger moved over the dark red bruise to some lighter ones.

"Fuck, these are definitely going to be visible in the morning. Jason, I'm _so_ sorry. I really didn't mean to…you were just…gods, you were even so freaking uncooperative in my dream, I can't see how I _didn't_ realize this was real…" He mumbled absent-mindedly, pushing down the utterly _absurd_ urge to lean forward and leave even darker marks on Jason's neck.

He could feel confusion rushing through Jason, and saw him frown out of the corner of his eye.

"You…what? What do you _mean_, I was uncooperative _in your dream_?" Jason asked, and Will's heart stopped as he realized what he had just said, what he had just admitted, what this indicated, what this must make Jason realize.

_Oh shit._

No, no he wasn't ready for Jason to know of his feelings, yet!

He also wasn't ready for Jason to realize he was lusting after him in any way!

No!

"Ah…erm…nothing. Nothing at all. Listen, I'm just going to…" He started awkwardly, noticing with even more embarrassment that his voice was _a lot_ higher than usual, though there was nothing he could do against it.

Instead, he cleared his throat and made to get up, to leave that horrible pillow corner and get his medic pouch.

He knew he had to have _something_ in there that would help those bruises, so Jason wouldn't have to run around with those horrid, unwanted marks on his neck come the morning.

Will never managed to get away, though, because Jason's hand shot up and grabbed his wrist, insistently, urgently.

"_No_. Please…stay. Here. I swear I won't touch you…I mean…your ears…or anywhere else you don't want me to. I won't. But please, don't go. It was my fault, so don't punish yourself with trying to exclude yourself or anything."

Will blinked, half a mind on telling Jason he hadn't intended to 'leave'.

Though that was a lie, wasn't it?

He'd have treated Jason's neck, then escaped to the bathroom and not come out for the next century.

Maybe even sleep in the bathtub for good measure.

Now, however, he found himself confronted with Jason's genuine concern and all that honesty and care in those stunning, blue eyes (that had absolutely no business to gleam so vividly and beautifully in the dim light of the room).

What…what exactly was he supposed to do…?

He swallowed, and Jason tugged on his wrist slightly, indicating he wanted to pull Will down, so Will let him hesitantly.

Wasn't this too close, though?

They had only just woken up entangled and horny and-…well, _Will_ had woken up entangled and horny, Jason had kind of had to go through that all awake and conscious and everything, which Will was still feeling horribly guilty about.

Jason tugged him down slowly, gently, adjusting his position so they were both sitting cross-legged in front of each other, their knees touching.

Will couldn't help a fleeting glance downwards, both to check himself and to peek at Jason.

Well, at least their hard-ons were mostly gone.

That was a plus, he guessed.

Then again, that wasn't surprising, either, given the panic and shock and all.

Not to mention Jason probably had only gotten turned on in the first place because Will had started ravishing his neck.

Poor guy.

Getting turned on by a person he wasn't interested in, against his will, in the middle of the night, with no way out and too kind a heart to push him away.

Will pursed his lips and looked away, but then Jason's fingers found his chin and turned his face towards him again.

"Will…please…"

Gods, he had such a beautiful voice, so gentle and soothing and wonderful – and still a tad rawer than usual.

Will shivered slightly, but refused to look him in the eye.

"Don't." He breathed instead, his voice a mere whisper in the silence of the room.

He knew all of this was his fault, there was no reason for Jason to insist otherwise.

It would only confuse him more, not to mention make it all the harder to resist Jason again in case they fell asleep and he'd get carried away again.

And then how would he or Jason justify that?

Jason's shoulders slumped slightly, but then he moved his hand from Will's chin to his cheek, stroking over it gently, before moving both of his hands down Will's shoulders to his arms, to his back, wrapping his arms around him cautiously and pulling him closer.

Into a hug.

Now.

Was Jason _crazy_?

Will stiffened to a board, but let him tug him closer, and could even feel his own arms moving around the blonde slowly, though he definitely hadn't told them to.

Apparently, Jason _was_ crazy.

They were _both_ crazy.

Will started clutching Jason's shoulders, realizing all over again how nice and broad and wonderful they felt as he buried his face between Jason's neck and said shoulders.

Jason let out a small sigh, shuffling closer and moving them some more to get more comfortable.

"I'm really sorry, you know? This is so horrible…" Will mumbled against Jason's skin, and Jason momentarily stiffened, but then he shook his head gently.

"It's ok, Will. I know you'd never do anything like that. I don't blame you."

"Well, you should." Will grumbled, but Jason merely sighed softly.

Silence settled over them, and Will could feel the comfort of the hug, even though he didn't want to.

It felt as if he didn't deserve this right now.

Stupid endorphins and serotonin getting released into his bloodstream for no reason whatsoever.

"I could have raped you…" He whispered, his hold on Jason tightening momentarily.

In a way, this could already be considered rape.

But Will didn't do rape! He _knew_ rape, he would never _ever_ do that to anybody else!

No!

Jason shook his head again, tugging him down with him so they laid side by side, similar to how they had woken up, though Will wasn't half draped over him this time.

"You wouldn't have. I know you, Will."

Will wasn't all that sure.

"I'd never do anything without consent, either, yet here we are." He muttered bitterly, and Jason stiffened slightly.

"That…goes both ways, you know? I'd never do anything against your will, either, yet I fondled your ears knowing full well what it might do. My excuse of not knowing only works for the first night, after all."

Will groaned at the reminder that Jason had witnessed his past assaults, too.

"I'm so sorry. I really…gods, this is just so wrong. I don't even want to know what you thought when you found me rutting against you like an idiot…" He admitted meekly, scrounging up his face and hiding it at Jason's neck further, inhaling his scent to keep his heartbeat from picking up dramatically again.

Jason started stroking over his back soothingly, and Will could pick up on a sudden rush of warmth spreading through the blonde, indicating he was feeling flustered.

"I…well, I was surprised, I guess. But I'm not holding it against you, Will. You were asleep, you were probably dreaming, I was the one assaulting you, and it was really my own fault that you ended up…well…_horny_. I, on the other hand, don't have any excuse, do I now? So, yeah, there's not really any reason for you to feel bad or embarrassed, because that should definitely be me…"

Will frowned slightly, only half of Jason's words really making sense to him, though the ones that did made him feel even more flustered and embarrassed.

"What do you mean? It's not like _you_ were the one humping me in the middle of the night, Jason."

Just as he said it, the memory of Jason thrusting his hips upwards helplessly, needily, shot through his mind, and he felt his face heating.

Jason shifted uncomfortably next to him, probably remembering the same thing, as Will felt the embarrassment rushing through him even more.

Oh.

"Well…" Jason started, but then seemed to realize that wasn't exactly something he should probably admit to, because he instantly fell quiet again.

The damage was done, though, as Will's mind started working in a frenzy again, supplying him with all the memories of Jason moaning and gasping and panting and pulling him closer, of him reacting to his touches and kisses, of him moving in sync with him, thrusting their pelvises together to create friction.

He could also remember his own hand moving down to palm Jason through his boxer shorts.

Oh gods, that was real, too, wasn't it?

He had actually…touched…Jason's…

His face started burning and he pursed his lips, trying very hard not to let his thoughts drift into that territory too much – though he _had_ to admit he kind of pitied the fact he hadn't paid more attention to some more detail _there_.

Not that he wanted to know more of Jason's dick or anything.

Nope, he wasn't that perverted.

Will found himself clenching and unclenching his hand, wondering faintly about the girth.

Ok, maybe he _was_ that perverted.

He wailed, something that made Jason jump slightly and tighten his hold on him as Will rubbed his face against his skin helplessly.

"Jason, you should have just shoved me away or something, not actually let me…I freaking…_gods_…" He lamented, unsure whether he wanted to remind Jason that he had actually _touched_ him, or whether he'd do everything in his power to act like it had never happened in the first place.

"I…well, I didn't want to hurt you! And you were pretty insistent, so I kind of…well…I let you. _I'm sorry_. It's not like I didn't enjoy it, so-…wait, that sounds wrong. No, Will, I really didn't mean it like…" Jason said, then suddenly backtracked, but Will already all but choked, pulling back to look at Jason wide-eyed.

He…_what_?

_That wasn't something Jason should be saying about anything that had just transpired!_

Though, well, it wasn't as if Will _hadn't_ noticed he had liked at least _something_.

Anything dream-Jason had said and done and felt, the _real_ Jason had said and done and felt, after all.

The question was just _how much_ of that had been real and how much of it had been Will's wishful thinking and confused mind.

Jason's face was turning a dark shade of pink, and now it was he who wasn't meeting Will's gaze, instead firmly looking anywhere but, still mumbling excuses.

Then, he closed his eyes and took a deep sigh.

"That…ok, let's just…not talk about that. How about…erm…how about we talk about…about…"

Will waited for Jason to come up with something suitable, but, for the first time since he got to know the blonde, he seemed to be at a loss as to what to say.

Somehow, his helplessness pulled Will out of his daze, though, and he found himself clearing his throat, looking around.

"How come you're here? I mean, I know _I_ fell asleep here last night, but…well…I kind of thought you'd go to bed with the other two." He tried tentatively, and Jason instantly went with it, clearing his throat as well.

"Ah, yes. That's…well, when I came back from my shower, you were asleep, and Percy and Nico were arguing about whether or not to carry you to bed or whether we would all sleep here. For the record, Nico wanted you in bed, Percy insisted on sleeping here. I never thought I'd see them fight like that, and not about something like that. We tried moving you, but you started grumbling and growling, so I told the two to make the best of the night and sleep in the bed alone for once, while I'd stay with you, because you…erm…well…" Jason trailed off again, shuffling uncomfortably, and Will had the impression whatever he wasn't saying was going to make Will feel horrible all over again.

"What did I do?" He asked with a sigh, resigning himself to his fate, and Jason's hands started fidgeting slightly behind Will's back.

"Well…you were kind of…holding onto my arm…so…" He admitted, and Will closed his eyes, his jaw tightening.

Why wasn't he surprised?

Hadn't he allowed himself to fall asleep in this corner for the sole purpose of_ staying away _from Jason?

Why was it that his body went against him like that and kept none other than _Jason himself _here?

Great.

"Well, now you know why. I'm a pervert." He muttered miserably, but Jason instantly stiffened.

"That's not true."

"Jason, no matter what you say, I was molesting you in your sleep over and over again the past days. Do you-…"

"I wasn't asleep. Also, you know that was because I-…" Jason cut in, but Will didn't let him continue.

He didn't want to hear any more excuses for his own doings.

He also didn't want to be reminded that Jason had known all this time what Will had been doing.

"I don't care why it was. I still did it. And I'd so do it again. Do you have any idea what I would have done earlier, if I hadn't woken up? I'll give you a hint: If I had stayed asleep for only _a minute or two_ _more_, we'd both have blown before I would have even realized what the fuck was going on."

"Don't you think I know that? If you didn't notice, _I'd have let you_. It wasn't as if you actually did anything against my will, Will. I participated in that whole mess, after all, and I participated quite a bit, as shameful as it is to admit!" Jason retorted sharply, and for a moment, both he and Will held their breaths, silence settling over them.

He…what?

"You…you'd have let me…?" He whispered, though what he _actually_ wanted to do was yell 'Stop lying to me, I know I almost raped you, so stop telling me I didn't do anything against your will, because I totally did!'.

Jason swallowed, and his fingers started drawing circles onto Will's back awkwardly.

"Well…yeah…"

For some reason, that was the moment his up-until-then unhelpful brain decided to be even _more_ unhelpful and point out just how close they were to each other again/still, and how he was still partly hard (so not his fault), and how there was still this slightest hint of arousal in Jason, too - while supplying him with a fresh rush of memories of what the hell the two of them had done here no ten minutes ago.

(Truth was, he had no idea how long they had been doing said things, nor how much time had passed since he had woken up. In the Underworld, time was already difficult to tell, but right now, the concept of time was pretty non-existent and utterly unimportant, anyways.)

"Oh." Was all he managed to bring out, too occupied trying to resist the urge to do something _really_ stupid.

"Do you still…you know…?"

Wait, who had said that?

Oh shit, _he_ had said that.

Will felt his face erupting into flames, and he was once more eternally grateful he didn't possess Leo's ability to control fire, else they'd need a fire extinguisher right about now.

Jason froze, and Will wanted to sink into the ground in shame.

"Do I...what?" The blonde asked with definite hesitance in his voice, and Will tried frantically to think of something to say that _wasn't_ going to make this any worse.

Sadly, his mouth already started moving before he even managed to _begin_ his brainstorming.

"Ah…well…you know, I mean, I _did_ offer you some help in case you need any. Remember, back in the tent, ages ago, so long ago, what am I even saying, please kill me now…" He trailed off with a fake laugh, scrounging his eyes shut and feeling his shoulders tremble in utter mortification as he realized what the hell he was just telling Jason.

Why did these sort of things always happen to him?

Will wished faintly he could at the very least blame a god for this, but with Hades protecting the room, that was so wonderfully unlikely Will wanted to cry.

"You weren't yourself back then, though, else you'd have never offered that." Jason muttered cautiously, and Will was amazed at how collected the blonde could act, given that his heartrate had just picked up almost as much as Will's.

Will swallowed hard.

"Well, partly. I guess. You know, I would totally help, if you…wanted me to…I mean, I meant it, I don't do casual, but…well, in this case, it's kind of even my fault, so…yeah…but even if not, I'd…you know…"

Oh gods, couldn't he just shut up?

"Will…" Jason said quietly, and Will could feel his heart hammering in his chest, knowing full well Jason would hear it, too.

Hell, he'd probably even feel it, because their chests were almost touching, as it was.

"Yes?" He forced out, his throat suddenly feeling immensely dry.

"Shut up." Jason stated, and Will felt utterly grateful, because his jaw immediately snapped shut, giving him the peace he had hoped for.

He couldn't even make himself say 'Ok'.

_Oh gods, what had he even been saying all this time?_

Couldn't Jason have stopped him before he had started making a fool of himself?

Then again, when _wasn't_ he making a fool of himself?

"Don't offer such things, Will. Ever. Not to me, because I'll seriously take you up on them. Offer them to Percy or Nico, somebody where you actually mean it. But not me, ok?" Jason said, his voice sounding oddly strained, and now it was Will's turn to freeze.

First of all, how _dare_ he bring Percy and Nico into this!

Second of all: WHAT DID HE MEAN, HE'D TAKE WILL UP ON IT?!

This was it, Will would die. Right here, right now.

From shame, from embarrassment, from the completely inappropriate giddy sensation rushing through him, though that made as much sense as anything else that had transpired thus far (which was to say: _none at all_).

He wanted to say something, ask for clarification, admit to things he wasn't ready to admit yet, beg Jason to explain, he wanted to do _something_.

But he didn't, his jaw staying tightly shut, his face buried at the side of Jason's face again, or still, he couldn't tell, though he realized with a jolt that couldn't _possibly_ be comfortable for Jason.

Why did Jason never say anything when uncomfortable?

He swallowed, trying to get his mind off its current high with concentrating on Jason's values, but Jason didn't seem to care whatsoever about any sort of discomfort, by the looks of it.

He seemed to have other things on his mind, for which Will definitely couldn't blame him, given the situation.

"This has to be the most awkward moment in my life…" Jason admitted quietly, and Will couldn't agree more.

"I'm assuming we'll never speak of this again?" The blonde said hesitantly, and Will nodded resolutely.

_Damn right._

There was _no way_ a single word about this night was ever going to come out of his mouth again.

This time for sure.

He'd promise on the Styx first thing in the morning, or whenever else he'd manage to use his mouth for something else other than talking utter nonsense again.

Jason sighed slowly, tapping his fingers against Will's back again nervously, as if contemplating something.

"Ok…erm…Will?"

Yes?

Will wondered whether he should risk opening his mouth again.

With his luck, he'd offer Jason to suck his dick.

Well, that would probably be an interesting experience, but-…wait, no, he shouldn't even be _thinking_ that.

Good thing he hadn't opened his mouth.

He could feel Jason's heart hammering in his chest, nervousness filling every fiber of his body.

Huh?

Apparently, whatever Jason wanted to say, it seemed something big.

Will wasn't sure whether he really wanted to hear it.

Nothing came, though, and curiosity won over, after all.

"Yes? What is it? Rethought my offer?"

Will hated himself, by the way.

Jason shifted, and dread shot through Will.

Wait, _really_?

What would he do if Jason _really_ wanted his help?

Well, he'd do it, alright, but how was he supposed to look Jason in the eye afterwards?

He'd definitely do it with anything but platonic feelings, after all.

Back when he had first offered, he had kind of done it sort-of-platonic, after all.

"Well, I kind of…decided what I'd like to ask you for. For the wish, remember? And I just figured now might be the only time I can really…erm…ask you for it…" Jason said slowly, and Will started feeling hot and cold, anticipation and dread rising inside him.

Wait, what was Jason going to ask for?

It was the middle of the night, it was just the two of them, they had just sort of made out, Will had just offered his help again.

And Jason said he could only ask this now.

What did that indicate?

"Yes…? What is it?" He pried, pulling away slightly to look at Jason properly, but Jason wasn't looking at him, instead staring past him at nothing in particular, seemingly collecting his thoughts.

Will hated not knowing, by the way.

Curiosity killed the cat, yes.

He was the cat.

If Jason didn't tell him right now, he'd die.

That was simply how it was.

(Yes, that wasn't how the saying went, and it didn't work in this context, but with Apollo as his father, he couldn't care less, it simply worked for him right now and there was that.)

"Jason?"

Jason pursed his lips, then looked him in the eyes, swallowing once more before shifting, pulling up his hand.

"Well…I was thinking…I'd like to…erm…"

Jason had never stuttered this much before.

It was strange to see him like this.

Maybe, under any other circumstances, Will could have felt proud or smug about this.

But now, he just really, really wanted to know just what else was going to happen tonight.

Gentle fingers touched the side of his face, moving to his lips, same as Jason's eyes darted from his eyes down to them.

"I…I was hoping for…this. Just once. One time. You don't have to, of course. You can say no. I won't be upset or anything. Just…I just thought I'd try…" Jason mumbled awkwardly, and Will's eyebrows shot up.

Wait…

Wait, what?

Was Jason…what _exactly_ was Jason asking for?

His lips…just once…?

_A blowjob?_

_Now?_

Will's eyes darted towards the bed, where Percy and Nico were hopefully in deep, deep sleep.

"Here?" He asked hesitantly, thinking to himself that the bathroom would probably be a better place for that sort of thing, since it was soundproof and all.

Then, he frowned at himself for simply being ok with something like that.

How could Jason just ask for a _blowjob_ like that, anyways?

No wonder he had said he wasn't sure he could ask for that at any other time.

That was definitely something Will would have said no to in any other situation.

But right now…well…it wasn't as if he hadn't just offered his help in getting him off, in the first place.

What did it matter whether it was his hands or his mouth?

Though it still surprised him Jason was willing to let his mouth anywhere close to his dick.

Maybe he was curious as to how good Will was?

Jason had stated before to be curious just how much of Will's bragging was just talk and what was true, after all.

Plus, now that he thought about it, this might end up being Jason's first blowjob, since he had stated he was still a virgin, and judging by the way he had talked about the whole matter, he didn't seem to have a lot of other experience, either.

Maybe he wondered how it felt like and hoped Will would be as good as claimed?

Well, in that case, Will would certainly show him just how good he could be, alright.

"Unless you don't want to. Seriously, don't feel forced, Will. You don't have to." Jason said hurriedly, but Will shook his head.

"No, it's ok. Sure. If that's what you want. I was just wondering whether this was the best place for that."

Though it still felt weird, having Jason ask for something like this.

He didn't really seem the type, after all.

A blowjob seemed like quite the intimate thing, even to Will, so it really struck him as odd _Jason_ would ask for that.

But, well, sure.

He wasn't going to complain.

This gave him the perfect chance to first of all show off to Jason just what he was missing, and second of all, he'd not only get his hands on Jason, but a taste of him as well.

Not that Will was that sort of creepy pervert who'd commit all of that to memory for future reference.

Nope.

But, well, maybe he was, a tiny little bit, because he was _so_ going to use anything he learned tonight for his times alone in the shower.

Jason still seemed struck that Will had said yes, studying him nervously, as if trying to look through him and see what was going on inside him.

Ah, not a good idea.

"So, here?" He asked again for clarification, and Jason gazed at him uncertainly for another moment, then he nodded.

"Yeah."

Well, alright, if Jason thought he could control his sounds.

The pillows would be useful, he guessed.

Though they'd have to watch out for any mess, or they'd be dead by the morning if Percy and/or Nico noticed anything.

Yeah, he did _not_ want to get caught.

Alright, how was Will going to do this?

Just going down on him out of nowhere seemed kind of stupid.

Also, he hadn't lied when he said he was good, and that included some foreplay to the real thing, didn't it, now?

If Jason wanted a blowjob, Will would give him the most mind-blowing experience he could muster on such short notice.

Then again, there was no way he could have prepared for anything like this, anyways.

"Sure then, we'll just…" Will started, gesturing his ok and thinking he'd just start with nibbling on Jason's neck for a bit to get him into the proper mood, when Jason took a deep breath and moved forward, pushing their lips together.

Oh.

_Well_.

That was…definitely something.

Wasn't that a tad intimate?

Then again, it wasn't as if he had never fantasized about kissing Jason, anyways.

Though he'd have liked a bit of a warning, to be honest.

He made a surprised sound in the back of his throat, and Jason instantly stiffened, but Will got over himself before Jason could do anything stupid like pulling away.

If he wanted kisses, Will could _totally_ do that.

He wrapped his arms around the blonde, returning the rather chaste and shy kiss, trying to get him to put more into it.

He had seen Jason kiss Nico before, he knew he could do a lot better.

Jason relaxed minimally, and Will found himself smiling slightly as Jason's hands stroked up and down his arms, before pulling him closer and deepening the kiss slowly.

Actually…that…didn't feel half bad.

It felt nothing like Percy's dare-kiss, but it slightly reminded him of it, anyways, what with them both being a tad hesitant in the beginning.

Still, that was the only similarity he could detect, especially when Jason made an appreciative sound in the back of his throat that Will immediately imitated in agreement - and then, they were _both_ deepening the kiss, Jason taking the lead in licking over Will's bottom lip in such a way that made Will think Jason was trying to get a feel of the texture to imprint it to memory (which was stupid, of course, but that didn't stop Will's heartrate from picking up even more, anyways).

He let his lips part for Jason, permitting him just once to take the lead, because it was their first kiss, though he knew he wouldn't be able to let that continue for very long.

Jason all but sighed happily, his tongue immediately intent on exploring, and Will let him only all too willingly, meeting him with his own and wrapping his arms tighter around the blonde, letting him push him back into the pillows, drunk on the warmth and that sort of tingly, electric feel surging through him from their kiss.

He even found his legs parting to wrap them around Jason's hips, though he knew he _definitely_ shouldn't be doing that, especially since he was going to be giving Jason a blowjob, not have sex with him.

Not that there was any way he'd let Jason have sex with him.

Especially not with Will bottoming.

Nope.

(One could dream, though. In a different life, Will probably would have let him.)

He still couldn't help it for now, though, instead moaning softly and returning the kiss with all he had, relishing in the way Jason pressed down on him and claimed his mouth.

It felt _amazing_.

Jason's hands started moving up and down his side, trembling slightly with what Will interpreted as a sort of giddy joy, which didn't make much sense to him, but made him feel all warm and fuzzy, anyways.

Then, he slowly started taking over, first hesitant, to see how Jason would react, then more insistent once he realized Jason didn't seem to mind one bit, instead letting him willingly take the lead and push against him.

Perfect.

Jason wasn't as competitive as Percy, either, not fighting for the lead or trying to take over again in any way, instead letting Will push him onto his back and climb on top of him, his tongue playfully pushing Jason's down and teasing the roof of his mouth, luring another small moan out of the blonde.

Oh, he liked that?

He should wait until Will showed him just what he could do to his neck when he wasn't asleep and stupid.

Jason felt so wonderful beneath him, had he mentioned that before?

He probably had, but he was so going to say it again: Jason felt _wonderful_ beneath him.

Will pushed him into the pillows further, just because he could, and his kissing became more demanding, more wanting, egged on by the lust coursing through Jason.

If _one_ kiss could make him feel like this, Will wanted to find out just how much better things could get.

He pulled back slowly, but found Jason tugging him right back down, mashing their lips together all over again and putting his hands to the back of Will's head to keep him close.

Aw, how sweet.

Will smirked against his lips, only too willingly complying in the apparent desire for more kissing, making use of the moment to let his hands explore Jason's chest to his heart's content, moving over the smooth, once more warming skin, getting a feel of his muscles, appreciating his splendid physique.

Now was the only time Will could do that this openly, after all, and he wasn't going to let that chance go to waste.

Jason let him, his hands slowly moving from the back of his head to his cheeks, intensifying their kiss and shivering under him, though Will knew he was far from cold.

He did feel a fair amount of surprise and disbelief coursing through the blonde, though.

So adorable.

And there Jason was, asking for a blowjob, when he was already this stunned about a simple kiss.

Will was never going to understand him.

Oh. _Blowjob_. Right.

Will pulled back again, and Jason let him, his eyes opening ever so slowly, gazing up at him so wonderfully dazed and wanting.

_Oh gods._

If Jason hadn't asked for a blowjob in the first place, _this_ was the moment Will would have decided on one, anyways.

_Anything_ for him, really.

Jason opened his mouth as if to say something, but Will leaned down and gave him another peck, effectively shutting him up.

There was no way he'd let him talk right now, not when there was a job to be done, still.

Will smirked down at Jason, giving him another peck, feeling as if he could seriously get addicted to that.

Which was definitely not a good idea, but he pushed that thought far out of his mind.

Who cared what was a good idea right now?

This night was already the worst ever, full of bad decisions and drama and mortifying actions, as well as conversations, this was just going to be one of those things.

And tomorrow, they wouldn't speak of it ever again.

As simple as that.

Jason hummed contently, his thumbs stroking over Will's cheeks, which made him grin giddily all over again, though he tried to push it down, instead leaning down to kiss the side of Jason's face.

Then, he trailed more kisses along his jaw to his ear, then downwards to his neck, and Jason froze, instantly presenting more of his neck, though there was a renewed feeling of surprise rushing through him.

What? Did he seriously think Will was just going to kiss him a couple of times, then jump right too blowing him?

Nope, not going to happen.

He started placing open-mouthed kisses on the sensitive skin, finding the spot he had ravished earlier, and deciding to resume his work there.

Now that he knew what was going to come next, he might as well make the most of it.

He could heal him later, after all.

He'd have had to do that, anyways.

Jason gasped, still seeming so surprised, though he didn't stop Will in any way whatsoever, instead wrapping his arms around him and all but pulling him closer, tilting his head more for him to get better access.

Perfect.

Will smirked, tugging on the skin softly, his hands getting busy with their earlier stroking again, though now he settled on the sides, in order to rub their chests together.

Jason's hands started moving over his back ever so cautiously, seemingly wanting to touch, but unsure whether he could or should.

Will didn't mind one bit, nipping on his skin again and rolling his shoulder slightly to hopefully convey he could go ahead.

When Jason hesitated a moment longer, Will made an affirming sound as he licked over a newly forming bruise.

Instantly, Jason's hands started moving over his skin more intently, more wantonly, and Will let out a soft, content sigh, moving to the front of Jason's neck as he rubbed their bodies together, urging Jason to spread his legs with his knee.

It would be a lot easier to give a blowjob when he was between his legs, after all.

Much better access and playroom than sitting/laying/kneeling next to him, after all.

Jason hesitated for a moment, then let his legs fall apart, giving Will the room he needed to climb onto him properly.

Will instantly started peppering his throat and collarbones with kisses, satisfied to see Jason's lips twitching into a small smile in response.

Then, he moved back up to capture those perfect lips in another kiss, definitely realizing he might already _be_ addicted.

Sadly, he currently couldn't remember why that might be a bad idea.

He didn't care much, either, instead rubbing against Jason some more and tickling his sides teasingly a bit more, knowing the sensation would be anything but ticklish right now.

Jason shivered, a small moan escaping him.

Good.

Let's see what else Will could lure out of him.

He smiled, biting and tugging on Jason's bottom lip, and Jason opened his eyes the fraction of an inch to look at him half exasperated, half amused, before Will could feel Jason's hands cupping his face once more and pulling him down further to press their lips together again.

_Somebody_ enjoyed kissing.

Any other time, Will would have gladly spent the entire night doing nothing but.

But he had promised Jason a blowjob, and he was going to stick to his word.

(Technically, Jason had _asked_ for a blowjob and Will had _agreed_, but, meh, same difference.)

Weird of Jason to get so sidetracked, anyways.

Then again, he still found it weird _Jason_ would ask for that in the first place.

Oh well, learned something new.

He started kissing his way down from those wonderfully kissable lips to his throat again, but this time didn't stay, instead moving further down to his collarbones and chest, ravishing his skin with open-mouthed kisses that made Jason gasp and close his eyes.

So he liked that?

Will had to admit he rather liked how responsive Jason was, even if he wasn't making much noise.

It was simply the way he moved into the touches or kisses, the way he turned towards him or away in order to give better access to spots he liked, the way he closed his eyes with his face flushed so wonderfully, the way he panted and laid himself out beneath him as if it was all he ever wanted to do.

Will was surprised, anyways, to see Jason so willing to be pushed down.

He wasn't submissive in any way, but he also seemed to have no interest whatsoever in being dominant or telling Will what to do, much less take the lead in any other way, either.

He just accepted whatever Will was doing, as if it was the best thing ever and he couldn't believe his luck that Will was doing whatever he was doing.

Not that Will was complaining.

That was perfect.

If Jason had started pushing him around or issuing orders, he had no idea how well he'd have coped, after all.

But this, this was great.

He started using his tongue more than his lips now, moving over Jason's left nipple, but Jason didn't seem particularly interested in that, so he continued downwards, his hands already back at teasing his sides, just the right balance between stroking and tickling, his nails brushing over his skin and making Jason shiver and shudder over and over again, though not in a bad way.

"Will…" Jason huffed, and Will's eyes snapped up instantly, everything inside him _exploding_ in warmth and giddy joy at hearing his name from those lips, in that tone, with that voice, at this moment.

Jason was gazing down at him, wonder and surprise and adoration in his gaze, and Will found himself swallowing at the intensity.

Then, he smirked, leaning back down to lick over Jason's abs, and the blonde shivered, his eyes darkening, giving away just how much he liked _that_.

Yeah, Will had guessed he'd prefer this.

Grinning, he moved further down, alternating between open-mouthed kisses and straight-out licks, ravishing his skin and leaving wet trails in his wake that quickly cooled in the cold air around them and made Jason shiver and gasp more and more, slowly but surely beginning to writhe beneath him.

Will felt rather proud.

His hands started to move to Jason's hips, then down over his boxer shorts, ignoring the definite bulge in them in favor of moving down to his legs, deciding it was time for some more exploring.

So far, he knew the following:

Jason liked kisses – especially really intimate tongue-kisses that made Will's head spin.

Jason had a super sensitive neck - especially around his throat, and a few other spots (that were all marked now, by the way).

Jason enjoyed attention to his front, but not overly, especially not around the chest, and preferred tongue to lips.

Jason liked his abdomen to get played with, especially with tongue.

Jason adored fingernails scraping over his inner thighs lightly.

The last one, he was currently finding out, as he made to lift Jason's legs slightly to get better access, and tentatively tried it out.

He had to admit he had guessed this, though he wasn't sure why or how he had known.

It didn't really matter much, anyways.

What mattered was that Will couldn't decide whether he wanted to first get Jason's boxer shorts out of the way and then ravish his legs, or whether he wanted to ravish Jason's legs first to get him even more heated and wanting and then take off his boxer shorts.

Will decided to first finish his teasing of Jason's abs, tentatively grazing his teeth across and promptly luring a moan out of Jason as the blonde let his head fall back for a moment.

Oh?

Will repeated the motion, then smirked and started teasing him some more, playing with the intensity, and grasping his wrist to get a good feel of what was going on inside Jason to avoid any sort of discomfort or pain.

Jason immediately linked their fingers, as if he had just waited for this.

Will had to admit this tore him out of his flow for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure, continuing with his ministrations, instead of staring up at Jason in a mixture of surprise and gratitude.

Not to mention the giddy joy rushing through him once more.

It wasn't as if Jason was thinking straight right now, he was probably just doing this because it seemed like something Will might want to do (it was. No lie there).

Will shook his head to himself, concentrating back on that wonderful body of his crush, trying to commit not just the visual to memory, but also the texture, the feeling, the taste.

He could so do this all night.

But…he still had a job to do.

Sighing softly, he started letting his tongue trail down the line of blonde hair, gently nipping at the skin there, too, before reaching the very annoying waistband of the very annoying and unnecessary fabric of his boxer shorts.

Who needed boxer shorts, anyways?

Why couldn't Jason just sleep naked?

Why couldn't _everybody_ just sleep naked?

_Much_ easier.

Will had a hunch he was going to shake his head and wonder about his intelligence later because of this, but he didn't particularly care right now.

To his surprise, Jason stiffened slightly, looking down at him with a definite hint of uncertainty in his gaze.

What?

Had he changed his mind?

Will started placing soft kisses on the skin just above the waistband, deciding to give Jason some time to decide whether or not he was ok with this.

But Jason didn't stop him in any way, and as Will's hand started stroking over his thigh again and used his nails ever so slightly, Jason let his head fall back once more with a soft moan, his legs spreading the tiniest bit further.

To be honest, Will was surprised how far he had managed to move down in such a short amount of time, already practically laying between the blonde's legs, his head at perfect level with Jason's groin if he lifted it properly (he was currently ravishing Jason's left hipbone, though).

He waited another moment, then let go of Jason's hand to move both his hands to Jason's waistband, looking up at him in question.

Jason lifted his head, gazing down at him in a mixture of amazement and uncertainty.

Yes or no?

Jason had wanted this, had asked for this, yes, but if he had changed his mind, Will wasn't going to push.

Though he'd definitely question _why_ for the rest of his life, because Jason had most definitely enjoyed every bit of the experience so far, and the tent in his boxer shorts indicated just the same, as well.

"Yes?" Will asked, his voice sounding raw and entirely different from usual, but who could blame him?

He was drunk, high on lust and love and _Jason_.

Jason seemed to hesitate a moment longer.

"If…if you're…" He started, but Will instantly shot him a stern look.

Hey, he had already agreed, and he hadn't exactly given the impression he didn't want any of this, had he now?

Jason merely gazed at him with the same hesitant expression, and Will realized with a jolt he probably couldn't even see him properly.

Oh.

Oh, right.

He looked sideways, searching for Jason's glasses with one hand, finding them at the same spot he had seen them at earlier and holding them out to Jason, who blinked surprised but took them, putting them on.

Will winked at him with a cocky grin before schooling his glare again.

"Yes or no? I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't ok with it." He clarified, though he had to admit it took quite a bit to admit to the last part.

Well, Jason could take that as his consent to the matter, though his 'Yeah, sure' should have already counted as that.

It was cute, though.

That Jason would care so much about Will being ok with this.

It was a bit damped by the fact that Jason had asked for this _with his wish_ in the first place, because that showed he _knew_ Will would have never agreed to this under any other circumstances and his consent was thus already questionable, because he had promised before that he'd do 'anything', and Jason would of course know…but, well, whatever.

He still thought it sweet of Jason to care to this extent, anyways.

Jason looked at him, studying him, the hesitation still there, though less than before, and Will decided to take the risk and lean down to place a gentle kiss on the bulge, instantly feeling it twitch in response, and Jason's eyelids flutter.

"Yes…" Jason breathed, and Will could feel his own dick twitch in response to that _voice_.

He nodded and moved back, sitting up momentarily and placing a soft kiss to Jason's inner thigh on his right leg, which was still lifted slightly, since Will had placed it on his shoulder for convenience earlier, and Jason had never moved it.

He still wasn't, which indicated he either didn't notice, care, mind or simply liked it that way.

Will didn't mind any of those options, instead placing another kiss there and feeling Jason tremble.

He was going to enjoy this a lot.

Who'd have guessed the two of them would be this compatible?

Will thought this as his hands moved over Jason's thighs up to his boxer shorts, the touch demanding, claiming, promising, and he could feel goosebumps appearing all over Jason's skin, could feel the anticipation and nervousness growing inside Jason, could feel him shivering under him, though he wasn't cold.

Will smirked, looking up at him with a teasing sparkle in his eyes, and was met with Jason's dazed, still ever so disbelieving gaze.

Therefore that Jason had asked for this, he surely didn't seem to have expected to actually get it.

_Somebody_ understand this guy, because Will absolutely didn't.

His fingers curled around the waistband, tugging it down slowly, checking for signs of discomfort or Jason randomly changing his mind.

When that didn't happen, he tugged it down further, then off.

_Oh._

Oh, ok.

Remember when Will had said they were compatible?

They _weren't_.

Once more, the Fates had decided to point out just how much Jason was made for _topping_, and Will was ever so unable to let that happen.

Nice.

Well, one could always dream.

Will made sure to not let a thing show on his face, especially not his disappointment, since that would definitely make Jason think it was because of his dick, and that had to be the prettiest freaking dick Will had ever seen, so there was that.

Nope, he was just disappointed at himself for being so stupid as to believe there might be some odd way the two of them might have ever worked out.

Of course Jason would be big.

How had Will ever been able to imagine anything but?

Jason shifted awkwardly, and Will realized he must have zoned out a second too long, so he smirked up at him instantly, tugging the boxer shorts down and nudging Jason's leg off his shoulder to get them off entirely.

They weren't needed anymore, after all.

Jason seemed oddly flustered, a light blush on his face, neck and chest, which looked way too adorable for his own good.

Trust _Jason_ to feel self-conscious when he had a magnificent dick.

Will bet his medic pouch that Jason didn't even know what he had and was actually genuinely worried.

Jason seemed the type for that.

(He still didn't seem the type to ask for blowjobs, though. Will was never going to get over that. Shocking.)

He smiled at Jason, moving up to him to push their bodies back together and his lips onto Jason's, who funnily enough immediately tilted his head and met him, the kiss soft and gentle and timid, though it quickly picked up in heat and intensity once Will stroked over his cheek and pushed his body down further, letting Jason feel his own hard-on to show he was just as affected (though it was just a wild guess that this might worry Jason, too).

Jason's hands tentatively settled on his hips, and Will smirked into the kiss, rolling his hips teasingly and luring a groan out of Jason, which was luckily not as loud as it could have been, due to mostly being lost in their kiss.

"You like that?" He asked cheekily, repeating the motion, and Jason's eyes darkened considerably, his grip on Will's hips tightening to a rather possessive hold that made Will's heart race even faster than it already was.

Then, Jason's expression changed, and his grip loosened again, his fingers instead moving to his waistband, gazing up at him as if in question.

Oh.

Well…should he?

If he did, then, first of all, he'd be pretty exposed, and kind of for nothing, because this was _Jason's_ blowjob.

Nowhere in there did it say anything about Will getting off, after all.

He'd also really rather not, because else, Jason might assume more than Will was able to give.

Jason must have noticed his reluctance, because he instantly started stroking over his sides instead, his expression soft and accepting, showing he had no problem with that whatsoever.

Will smiled in gratitude, leaning down to place another peck on those wondrous lips.

Then, he rolled his hips once more for a last needy moan from Jason (he was most definitely addicted to those), before pulling back to get down to business once more.

Jason let him, spreading his legs further while Will got comfortable, and Will was glad Jason wasn't as self-conscious as Will himself was, because then this wouldn't have been half as easy as it was.

Then again, Jason didn't have anything to be self-conscious about, anyways.

Gods, why did he have to be so freaking _perfect_?

It should be illegal to look like this, seriously.

Will pondered this as he started trailing kisses over Jason's inner thigh, one hand wrapped around this leg, the other one stroking over the other, moving upwards towards Jason's pubic area at a leisurely pace.

He knew Percy and Nico were still utterly out of it because of the soft snoring coming from the bed, so he really wasn't all that worried.

If they decided to randomly wake up, Will would simply throw himself on top of Jason and act like he had just decided flattening the blonde in the middle of the night was the _one_ thing he had _always_ wanted to do.

Jason closed his eyes for a moment, looking as if he was thoroughly enjoying Will's doings, though he ripped open his eyes hurriedly no second later, giving Will the impression he definitely didn't want to miss a single thing of this.

Hehe, adorable.

Will licked over his skin and nibbled gently, causing Jason to huff so promisingly again, then he watched him snap his mouth shut and clench his jaw as Will's hand finally took hold of his dick.

Oh, it even _felt_ great.

Will wasn't surprised in the slightest.

Instead, he shook his head to himself, giving Jason's thigh another gentle kiss before moving forward slightly, unable to resist the temptation of getting his first taste.

Maybe he really should have ravished Jason's legs first and taken his boxer shorts off later.

It somehow felt as if he hadn't concentrated on his legs whatsoever.

Oh well, maybe later.

Because there was no way he'd move away after already getting this close to his goal.

His eyes shifted from that gorgeous dick back to Jason's face, who was watching him transfixed with a stunned, struck expression on his face that Will couldn't exactly place.

But it didn't matter, because it disappeared the moment Will let his tongue lick from the base to the tip in one long stroke.

"_Will!_" Jason gasped, his entire body shaking for a moment, his head falling back, and Will grinned triumphantly, repeating the action.

Gods, he loved it when Jason said his name, especially right now.

He moved closer, moving Jason's right leg back over his shoulder (where it belonged, in Will's opinion) and wrapped his lips around the tip, humming contently as he watched Jason all but falling apart beneath him.

Yes, this was definitely his first blowjob, alright.

Will could still feel the stunned surprise inside Jason, but now there was a new, additional sort of surprise at the sudden pleasure ripping through him from such simple actions.

Oh, Jason had no idea.

Will placed his hands on Jason's hips to prevent him from thrusting upwards, not wanting to take the risk, and hoping against hope Jason wouldn't have the bright idea to push his head down in any way.

He knew this was _Jason_, of course, and he knew Jason would never actually…do anything with the intention of _hurting_ Will, even without knowing about Will's…past…but that didn't mean Jason wouldn't try to take the lead at some point, since that was, of course, something entirely plausible and possible and acceptable, something a lot of people would even hope for and want.

Will, however, didn't want that, didn't like that, and tended to get anxiety attacks just thinking about the possibility, which was why he seriously hoped Jason wasn't going to try anything.

Instead, Will started focusing on the feel of Jason's tip in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it tentatively and making Jason gasp and stare at him in utter disbelief and awe.

He tasted…like nothing, actually.

Even with the tip already leaking the tiniest bit of pre-cum, he really didn't have a noticeable taste so far, though Will surely wasn't complaining.

As it was, he was a tad surprised as to how _clean_ it actually tasted, though he probably shouldn't be, given that Jason had taken a shower just like he had done last night.

He let his tongue flick over the slit, and watched Jason's jaw clenching again, his eyes falling shut as he seemed to have the toughest time holding in another moan.

Will _had_ asked him before whether he really wanted to do this here.

So not his fault.

_He_ would have taken this to the bathroom.

Then again, he himself wouldn't ever be able to get away with doing something like this _outside_ the bathroom _ever_, so there was that.

Another reason he was happy Jason had let him leave his boxer shorts on.

That might have only made Jason touch him, and then he had no idea how they would have managed to do this without Percy and Nico waking up.

Will moved down a tad further, sucking gently, relishing in both the feeling of Jason's dick twitching in his mouth, as well as the face Jason was making, seeming so far gone in pleasure, even though Will had only just started.

He was about to risk moving one hand towards Jason's, when Jason's hand already grabbed hold of his insistently, linking their fingers and squeezing tightly, urgently, desperately.

Will smiled inwardly and squeezed back, pulling off of Jason's dick in order to place a gentle kiss to the glans, then trail open-mouthed kisses down the shaft, using his free hand to start pumping him slowly, trusting his arms to be enough to hold Jason's hips down.

Though Jason made no move to thrust upwards, anyways, at least not out of anything other than reflex.

Will continued licking and kissing and worshipping Jason's dick all over, luring the sweetest sounds out of the blonde, before he started wrapping his lips back around the tip, swirling his tongue once more and making Jason groan so lovely again, closely followed by a breathless exclamation of his name.

Yes, he loved it when Jason said his name.

Feeling a pleased shiver running down his spine, he continued, moving closer slightly in order to get a better angle as he began moving down on Jason's dick tentatively, though he didn't move very quickly and didn't try rushing anything.

It had been a while, after all, so he wasn't going to overdo it accidentally and break off Jason's first blowjob because he gagged.

Jason didn't seem to mind whatever he was doing nor how he was doing it, more than apparently enjoying each and every single thing he did just the way he did it.

Will felt oddly proud of that, too.

He started moving further and further down, indulging him with his tongue whenever he moved back up, and teasing him with swallowing motions and his throat as he moved down.

Will wasn't aiming for deep-throating the entire thing anytime soon, though he decided to definitely give it a try at some point, fairly certain he should be able to cope, even with Jason's size and all.

His free hand was still pumping Jason's dick slightly, though his mouth was now doing most of the work, especially once he started sucking properly again, so he moved his hand down to fondle Jason's balls, instead, making Jason throw his head back and squeeze his hand urgently again, while his other hand flew up to hold his mouth closed.

Oh, he _definitely_ liked that.

Will started up a rhythm, consisting of him moving down three times, then pulling back to suck solely on the tip, while his hand stroked his balls in a similar pattern, increasing his attention to Jason's apparent favorite spots whenever he was at the tip.

Jason picked up on it in no time, and Will could feel him practically anticipating every single time he moved up to suck on his tip, each reaction sweeter than the last.

Will could seriously do this all night long, that much was for certain.

Sadly, he had no idea how much longer the night was, nor how much longer Percy and Nico would remain in such tight sleep, and, while Jason wasn't loud, he still made noises, same as Will's sucking of his dick made noises (noises which he was absolutely certain Percy and Nico could and would identify for what they were, should they wake up).

He started increasing his speed, and moved down further, breaking pattern when his hand moved from Jason's balls downwards.

He half expected Jason to freeze up or stiffen or at the very least hesitate, given that this could easily be mistaken for Will trying to get into his butt, but Jason didn't even flinch, instead moving his left leg further aside to spread his legs more and make anything Will could be interested in more accessible.

The trust Jason was putting into him was amazing, had he mentioned that?

Because it seriously was.

Will felt honored, though he had no interest in Jason's backside tonight.

(That was a lie, but nobody had to know.)

Instead, he focused on Jason's perineum, first stroking over it with one finger to indicate what he was doing, then adding his middle and ring finger to start up a gentle massage, knowing it would feel nice, though he was already looking for a certain different spot.

Jason didn't stop him in any way, simply panting so wonderfully and gazing at him with so much amazement, affection and wonder Will found himself swallowing, even though his mouth was currently wrapped around all but an inch of Jason's dick.

Jason's eyelids fluttered in response, so Will repeated the motion once more, before setting out to deep-throating.

Technically speaking, he was already deep-throating, anyways.

It was just the last few inches he had so far avoided.

He just had to manage once, he knew, then he could go back to how much he was taking so far, and increase his speed until Jason would be about to climax.

It always made for best effect if one combined deep-throating with the rest of the experience, after all.

How dare Jason have so much stamina, though?

Well, he was close, Will could tell, but not close enough to climax, which Will guessed had to be out of utter willpower, since he couldn't explain it any other way.

Apparently, Jason enjoyed this enough to try hold out for as long as possible.

Will added that to the list of things he was immensely proud of.

He smirked inwardly, slowly sliding further down Jason's dick, turning the missing inched into one inch, half an inch….

Almost…almost…

A hand touched the side of his face, and he jumped, pushing down and erasing the last distance between Jason's pubic area and his lips, shoving Jason's dick all the way into his throat.

_Holy-!_

He momentarily panicked about choking, about being pushed down, about getting face-fucked with a hand holding his head in place by his hair, about pain and pain and _pain_.

He closed his eyes to hide his panic, forcing himself to take a deep breath to both calm himself down and to keep his throat from clogging up, which would definitely make deep-throating a lot more difficult, as he stilled on Jason's dick, trying not to gag, and trying to not pull away all too suddenly as to not worry or alert the blonde.

Everything was good.

This was Jason, he wouldn't do any of that.

He would never hurt Will, he knew that.

Jason's hand had instantly removed itself from his face the moment he had felt him jump, though it was now returning hesitantly, a finger stroking over his cheek ever so gently, cautiously.

Will found himself relaxing ever so slightly, and he leaned into the touch as he pulled back a bit, though he moved right back down to get comfortable with the girth and length, his racing heart calming down a bit again.

He continued, trying to get his mind away from where it was currently lurking, and instead concentrating on Jason properly again, on that magnificent dick that seemed to love everything Will did.

Jason seriously was _big_, alright.

The blonde moaned softly, his hand trembling against Will's cheek while his other hand clutched Will's tightly, letting him feel just how good Will's ministrations were making him feel.

Will held onto that hand rather tightly, too, soaking it all up and feeling himself relax further, the shock slowly subsiding.

Not that he let that stop him from anything else, of course.

He had better things to do than let Jason notice anything, after all.

For example finding that damned spot.

Will sucked more insistently, his fingers against Jason's perineum returning to their search with more vigor, though it still took him another few moments until he found what he was looking for, knowing he had hit his mark when Jason jolted and moaned a bit louder than before.

_There we go._

Maybe not as intense as it would have been if Will had gone for butt-play, but he had no idea whether Jason would have actually let him do that, not to mention he hadn't felt like getting up and getting lube, in the first place.

This would do.

He started bobbing his head up and down Jason's dick again, not taking it all, but instead focusing on swirling his tongue around lots, and tightening his throat once he moved further down, aiming for speed and intensity rather than accuracy and depth.

The fact that his jaw was starting to act up indicated he should hurry up, too.

It definitely had been a while, ok?

Jason's hand dropped from his face to clutch one of the pillows next to them as his breathing hitched, his eyelids fluttering again before he closed his eyes and let his head drop back, making Will smirk inwardly and double his efforts, making a pattern once more.

Jason really liked those, after all.

Will couldn't say he was surprised.

He moved down Jason's dick with an insistent suck, repeating this twice.

Then he moved back up in one fluid motion, swirling his tongue around the tip, tasting another few drops of pre-cum.

Then he pushed back down, a tad further than before, while three fingers worked Jason's sweet spot from the outside, thanks to his perineum.

Jason picked up on the pattern after the second round, and Will could feel him tremble as he started shifting and writhing beneath him so wonderfully.

Who'd have guessed Will would ever see him like this in the first place?

If anybody had told Will this morning he'd get the chance to blow Jason, he'd have laughed and thought the person was crazy, because, hell, he couldn't even believe it now, and that was with Will actually still being right in the middle of it.

"W-Will…!" Jason moaned, gasped, breathed, groaned, and Will felt high just hearing his breathless voice like that, his gaze fixed on those wonderful, heavenly lips that kept uttering his name every here and there.

Did Jason know how much Will loved hearing his name from those lips, in that very way, at this very moment?

Or was it coincidence he kept indulging Will like this?

Jason clutched his hand tightly, and Will could feel he was getting close, so he started increasing his efforts, moving down all the way and swallowing hard to let his throat contract around his dick for maximum stimulation.

Jason seemed to love it.

At least he was keeping his hand pressed against his mouth to muffle his noises as he had his head tipped back, but tilted, his eyes only open the fraction of an inch, though they were watching Will intently.

He also kept getting closer to climax, Will could tell.

"Will…" Jason moaned again, and Will hummed in response, making him gasp.

Then, however, Jason suddenly moved, his expression becoming less clouded, and a lot more alert and hesitant, uncertainty washing over him that confused the hell out of Will.

"Will, s-stop." He panted, and Will immediately pulled off, even though he couldn't tell what could possibly be wrong.

He listened, but Percy and Nico were still snoring softly, and he was fairly certain there hadn't been anything that had caused Jason any discomfort or pain.

He had been so close, too!

If Jason had just randomly changed his mind, this certainly had been lousy timing for him.

"What? What is it? Did I hurt you?" Will asked, his voice a tad croaky, though that was to be expected.

Jason's face was quickly turning pink, and he shook his head hurriedly.

"No. It's just…I was about to…erm…I was pretty close."

Will stared at him blankly.

Then he frowned.

What?

He knew Jason had been close.

What did that have to do with anything, though?

"Yeah, I know. So?"

Wasn't it sort of the point of this blowjob to get Jason to climax?

Jason flushed a darker shade of red, looking more than a little embarrassed.

"Well, I…I didn't want to assume you'd…" Jason trailed off, gesturing vaguely, and Will's eyebrows shot up.

Wait…wait, was Jason trying to say he hadn't been sure whether Will would have been fine with swallowing, and had thus made him _stop_?

_Was this guy for real?_

Will rolled his eyes, his shoulders instantly relaxing, and he squeezed Jason's hand with a light chuckle.

"Jason, I'd have let you know if I wasn't comfortable with anything. Damn, you had me worried! I thought I did something wrong…"

Jason shook his head and squeezed his hand back, reminding Will for a moment of Percy and Nico, and how they'd sometimes do this sort of thing to reassure each other.

He now realized just how nice it felt, too.

"No, you were great. Are great. Amazing. Perfect. I just wasn't sure what you were ok with and what not, so I didn't want to just suddenly shoot and force you to somehow cope in one way or another…"

That…was so sweet.

No, seriously, Will was pretty certain he had never felt so flattered before.

And that praise was _definitely_ nice as well.

"Well, for reference, I'm fine with anything, though I intended to swallow, to avoid any mess. Is that ok with you?" He asked and Jason nodded, still looking mildly uncomfortable.

Will wished he could move up and kiss him, though he wasn't sure Jason would let him, and he wasn't going to try if there was a chance for ruining the entire moment.

Instead, he smiled up at him softly, moving back between his legs properly.

"So, with that out of the way, do you want me to continue?"

Jason nodded again, his eyes already fixed on his face once more, and Will winked at him with more confidence than he felt, before he leaned back down to wrap his lips around Jason's dick again.

He wasn't as close to climax anymore, but Will didn't mind, instead starting small once more and concentrating on the tip, using one hand to stroke his length up and down, and his other to fondle his balls.

Will could feel Jason tremble and heard him moan softly, and by the time he looked back up at the blonde, he had let his head drop backwards again, his hands clutching the pillows to either side of him.

Smiling inwardly, he concentrated on moving his tongue as slowly and teasingly as possible over his slit, and was instantly rewarded with a drawn-out moan.

"You love teasing me, huh?" Jason asked, his voice husky and beautiful and perfect, and Will wanted to record it and buy himself a mobile phone, set it as his ringtone and call himself all day long.

(This was, by the way, the moment Will realized he really was a pervert.)

He licked over Jason's tip once more, then pulled off to reply.

"Don't deny you love every bit of it." He stated cheekily and found Jason chuckling faintly.

"Wasn't planning on it."

For a moment, they grinned at each other, then Will wiggled his eyebrows again and moved back down to wrap his lips around that magnificent dick, and Jason's hand moved down to clasp Will's again.

Whether this was because Jason craved the touch himself, or whether he knew what it meant to Will, he wasn't sure, but he greatly appreciated the gesture, anyways.

Picking up speed and depth gradually, he soon had Jason close to climax again, and this time, Jason didn't interrupt him and tell him to stop, instead forcing out a weak 'I'm gonna…' maybe the fraction of a second before he actually blew.

Will absolutely didn't mind, too far gone in the sensation of feeling Jason's orgasm wash over him, while he made to swallow the cum shooting down his throat, trying to hold his tongue extra still as to not cause Jason any pain, sensing how overly sensitive he was right now.

Jason was pretty quiet, though Will had to admit he had assumed as much, already, since Jason generally wasn't very loud.

Therefore, he had been so wonderfully responsive, though.

Will loved it.

With Jason not saying much, one needed to look at him (or in Will's case ensure physical contact, though watching Jason was the best thing in his life) to know what he liked and what not, which meant Will had to pay him much more attention than if he was particularly vocal about anything.

Thus, he didn't have the time to let his thoughts drift all that much.

As Will had thought before, the two of them would be so, so compatible, if it wasn't for the fact that Jason would make such a wonderful top, while Will couldn't bottom.

And even if Jason now thought he could do without, or could concentrate on bottoming, Will felt that wasn't fair towards him nor anybody else who would be a far better match than Will.

Not to mention the fact Will didn't deserve him in the first place, because he could never treasure and cherish him the way Jason deserved, since he kind of fancied Nico and Percy, as well.

Will waited until Jason's dick stopped twitching, then he pulled off slowly, swallowing a couple more times to get most of the semen-taste out of his mouth, though that had never worked out before and probably never would.

He still liked to try, anyways.

"So, you liked that?" He asked with a confident smirk, though he really, really wanted Jason to tell him he had done a good job.

Of course he _knew_ Jason had liked it, but he still wanted to hear the words for real.

Jason was laying in front of him like a dead man, but his chest was heaving too much for him to be dead, so Will refrained from jokingly grabbing his wrist to search for a pulse.

Jason opened one eye, tilting his head slightly and shooting him a pointed look.

"Do you really have to ask?"

Will grinned.

He guessed he didn't have to.

"I fear I must." He heard himself uttering instead, but could merely manage to roll his eyes at himself inwardly.

Jason sighed softly, motioning him closer and spreading his arms, as if inviting him in for a hug.

Will all but threw himself on top of him – which was to say, he instantly started moving over and closer and lowering his body forcefully slowly and gently onto Jason – just to have Jason's arms wrap around him and tug him down insistently, crashing their bodies together.

"That was amazing. I have no clue how I deserved that, but I'm immensely grateful you did it, anyways." Jason muttered against his ear, and Will giggled stupidly, clutching Jason's arms and closing his eyes for a moment, wondering whether he'd get away with spending the rest of the night on top of Jason.

His dick started complaining about the hardness of Jason's hip bone, and he was fairly certain he had his answer.

Nope.

He'd have to take a shower soon enough.

"Do you want me to help you out, too?" Jason offered, sounding tired, and Will smiled at both his words and his voice.

How adorable.

But, yeah, not going to happen.

Will was way too loud for anything to happen here.

"I'm good, no worries."

"No, I'm serious, I'd love to help." Jason insisted, and Will could feel his ears burning, though that didn't mean his resolve lessened in any way.

"I'll just take a shower later. Enjoy your afterglow, you dork." He exclaimed, nudging his face against the side of Jason's neck, and the blonde chuckled quietly, turning his head to place a soft kiss to Will's forehead.

It was enough to make him blink and freeze up in surprise.

Jason shifted, one hand grabbing hold of Will's and tugging it up, placing a gentle kiss on it, first on his palm, then the back of his hand, making Will's ears flush a darker red and his eyelids flutter at the rather ticklish, but _very_ nice feeling that caused.

Nobody had ever done _that_ before.

"I could so kiss you right now." The blonde admitted as he reluctantly let go of Will's hand, in order to lean over and kiss the side of his face.

_Somebody_ was a cuddly and affectionate person during their afterglow.

Will usually was, too, though, so he wasn't one to talk, he knew.

He still chuckled. "I just had your dick in my mouth and swallowed your cum. I really don't think you want to kiss me right now."

For a moment, there was silence, in which Jason turned sideways and studied Will's face quietly, while Will gazed back with a raised eyebrow.

"I could so kiss you right now." Jason then repeated quietly, and Will rolled his eyes with a small laugh.

"Do it, then."

Jason did.

Apparently merely having needed the permission, the blonde moved forward, pressing his lips against Will's gently, and waiting for Will to return the kiss before deepening it in any way.

That dork.

Had he ever kissed somebody who had just sucked him off and swallowed his cum?

He was fairly sure the answer was no.

But, fine, if Jason wanted to try it, Will didn't mind one bit.

He thought that, yet it was he who hesitated when Jason nudged his tongue against his bottom lip, not exactly _demanding_ entrance, but…_requesting_ it.

Still, he did cave in, partly because kissing Jason was amazing, and partly because he was extremely curious as to see how Jason would react.

He hadn't tasted _bad_ (probably thanks to Will's nutrition plan for him. All hail him), but it still tasted like cum, so this was going to be interesting.

Jason was cautious, tentative, exploring Will's mouth while making it seem like he was simply aiming for a slow and gentle kiss, even though Will knew better.

Then, Jason stiffened slightly, his face scrounging up for a moment (Will had his eyes open a teensy bit to peek), and Will had to exert all his self-control as to not laugh out loud.

That made him a bit careless, though, and he didn't sense Jason coming closer and wrapping his arms around him, much less the way his leg was coming _dangerously_ close to his still ever so evident and heavily neglected hard-on.

In fact, he only noticed the danger when said leg was already pushing against said hard-on, and Will found himself groaning _loudly_, breaking away from Jason to let out a needy gasp and curl into himself to get his groin away from Jason and his torturing limbs.

Jason blinked, looking utterly taken aback, then realization washed over his features, and the next moment, the blonde was up and gone.

Will blinked, watching surprised how Jason slipped back into his boxer shorts (and trying and failing to not look at that formidable backside of his), and admittedly feeling a tiny bit hurt that Jason could just brush him off like that, even though Will knew it had been him to say he didn't want Jason to help out (which was a lie, but nobody had to know that).

He sat up, closing his eyes for a moment as he felt the fabric of his boxer shorts scraping against his hard-on in a very not-nice way, but he was intent on not letting anything show until he either managed to get to the bathroom, or Jason was back in bed, or wherever else he intended to go.

The next moment, though, Jason grabbed his hand and tugged, and Will found himself getting pulled up and out of the pillow corner, right towards – and into – the bathroom, the door falling shut behind him as Jason flicked the light on.

Then, Jason was pushing _him_ against the door, his hands cupping Will's face, and Will couldn't even ask the 'What?' that still laid on his lips, before Jason's lips kissed the unspoken question away insistently.

Gods, what was this guy _doing_?

Will returned the kiss almost instantly, his arms wrapping around Jason on their own accord, and he could feel that smug bastard smirking against his lips, triumph and joy rushing through the blonde.

_That guy_.

How dare he just do this to Will without warning?

Will should probably _bite_ him just to teach him a lesson.

Jason's tongue slid past his lips and he moaned, deciding the biting could wait until later.

Their bodies pressed against each other, and his breath hitched in his throat as Jason imitated Will's earlier movement and rolled his hips against him, making his dick twitch traitorously and everything inside him scream for more.

_That tease!_

How _dare_ he use Will's moves against him?

He made a sound of complaint, and found Jason chuckling in response, that evil ass.

"Sure you don't want me to help?" The blonde asked sweetly, and Will scowled at him, which didn't work half as well due to their faces only being mere inches apart.

"No. You're the worst. Shoo with you. Go wash your face and off to bed, you dick." He exclaimed sourly, though Jason didn't take him serious whatsoever, merely grinning down at him and nodding sympathetically with a playful gleam in his eyes, his body moving closer again, his hands dropping from Will's cheeks to his shoulders.

Will eyed him skeptically, wondering what was going to come next.

To fight him, of course.

Not because he was anticipating anything, or the like.

Jason came closer and closer, his gaze dropping to Will's lips, and he could see him licking over his own ever so quickly, indicating what he wanted to do.

Oh, Will was so up for more kissing, though something nagged in the back of his mind, telling him that was a very, very horrible idea.

Jason came ever so close, their lips only a mere inch apart, maybe, and Will found himself closing his eyes and tilting his head ever so slightly, moving up to meet him, with his heart beating wildly in his chest.

But then, Jason abruptly pulled back.

"Oh well, sure then. If you're going to be fine." He exclaimed lightly, and Will all but stumbled forward as he had utterly expected to be kissed, and had thus _maybe_ ever so slightly leaned forward a tiny bit too much.

He blinked surprised, his gaze snapping up to Jason as the blonde was at the sink already, smirking at him teasingly through the mirror.

Realizing he had been played, Will huffed indignantly, crossing his arms in front of his chest, though that only made him realize how much of his lower body was actually visible, especially his tented boxer shorts.

Great.

How embarrassing.

Will was about to cover himself up, but then decided against it on a whim, simply leaning back against the door with a sigh and moving his hands through his hair.

It wasn't as if Jason hadn't already seen, anyways.

Still embarrassing.

Whatever.

Jason didn't know he was self-conscious, and Will had no intention of changing that right now.

"Yeah, yeah. Tease me all you want, I'm not going to use my wish for that, forget it." He retorted, though he was fairly certain Jason would have actually done him that favor without him having to resort to his wish.

That would be unfair, though.

So, yeah, even though they were in the bathroom now, he still wasn't going to let Jason try anything.

Except kissing him, maybe, because he really liked that, and he so wouldn't mind if Jason always did that.

But, yeah, everything other than that was so not going to happen.

He could both hear and feel Jason coming closer again, his cold and _wet_ hands (seriously, Jason, what the hell?) settling on his sides, his lips brushing against Will's ever so softly.

"Can't remember asking you to use up your wish for this. I'd simply be returning a favor, no strings attached."

Will kept his eyes closed, smirking and moving forward to blindly find Jason's lips once more, getting him to kiss him again, and more deeply, this time.

"Now you sound like you're trying to sell me something, Handsome. But no, it wouldn't be fair. You used your wish up for that, it would be mean of me to demand similar services for free. Nope, not going to happen." He mumbled as Jason let go of his lips to kiss along his jaw towards his ear, making him sigh and tilt his head ever so slightly.

Jason's hands started moving from his sides downwards, beginning to play with his waistband as he stepped even closer, letting his body brush against Will's hard-on on utter purpose.

Will gasped, a shiver running down his spine, though he remained unmoving and with his eyes closed.

Then, however, Jason abruptly froze, stiffened, and pulled back, making Will blink startled and look up at Jason in question.

Jason looked…stunned?

Shocked?

Partly _scared_?

"Wait, what do you mean, 'demand similar services for free'? Will, you _do_ know my wish was for _a kiss_, right?" Jason asked, his voice more than just slightly alarmed.

Will blinked up at him, his dazed mind needing a moment to make sense of his words.

Once the meaning sunk in, though, he felt his heart dropping, and the heat rising in his face.

Oh.

_Oh!_

"That…actually explains a lot…" He mumbled awkwardly, feeling the mortification and embarrassment surging through him more intense than ever before, and wishing more than ever to sink into the ground and disappear.

Oh gods!

This explained _everything_!

And he had wondered all this time how Jason, his Jason, this wonderful, innocent dork could possibly ask for a _blowjob_.

_He hadn't!_

He had asked for…gods, how had Will _not_ realized that?

He had even wondered why Jason would get all intimate and why he didn't seem intent on stopping with the kissing.

Not to mention all the hesitation and reluctance and _surprise_!

_Oh gods, Will was such an idiot._

"Will!" Jason exclaimed, now definitely horrified, throwing his arms up in utter disbelief, before burying his face in his hands.

"Oh gods, I knew I should have stopped you! I thought…I thought…I have _no idea_ what I thought. Who cares what I thought? What were _you_ thinking? Will, I would _never_…that's…_oh gods_…what did I do…" Jason exclaimed, which really didn't help with Will's embarrassment whatsoever, merely making his face burn even more.

"I…I'm sorry, but it kind of…with us talking about…and then you going like…" He started, but then realized there was nothing he could say, because there were no excuses, or anything at all, really.

Jason had made it all so obvious, if only Will had been composed enough to see it.

Instead, he had been utterly beside himself with lust and anticipation and wishful thinking, so he had obviously assumed whatever the hell he had wanted, and refused to see reason.

"I was thinking something was odd when you started going down on me, but it wasn't until you were actually looking up at me asking for permission to undress me that I realized something seriously _had_ to be off, because you'd never…with me…_oh gods_. And I even _thought_ for a moment that there might have been a misunderstanding, but…well…_you asked for permission_, so I assumed you couldn't have possibly thought I was asking for a blowjob, because you wouldn't ask, then, would you?" Jason rambled, moving his hand through his hair again, and Will found himself doing the same, though he was fairly certain it didn't look half as hot as when Jason was doing it.

Not that now was the time to notice that.

"And I kept getting confused as to why you acted so surprised over and over again, so I thought you might have changed your mind and waited for your consent to proceed! Jason, you literally told me you can only ask me right then and there, so of course I wasn't going to think you'd just ask for one kiss! I'd kiss you anytime you want!"

Shit, had he just said that?

Jason pulled his hand down, sending Will first a surprised, then stern look, before huffing indignantly.

"Well, excuse _you_, but not everybody sees kisses as nothing special, ok? To me, kisses are a big thing, and I figured since _I_ wouldn't just kiss anybody out of nowhere and on demand, _you'd_ be the same! _Sorry for assuming_!"

Will would feel flattered, if it wasn't for the fact Jason was almost yelling, which seriously wasn't nice at all, and had the nasty effect on Will to make him even more defensive.

"I'll have you know I do NOT kiss just anybody, you _ass_! All you had to do was come out and say 'I want to kiss you, Will', instead of turning all mysterious and sheepish and acting like you're going to ask the world of me, just to then put your finger to my lips and say 'just once'! How did you _think_ I was going to interpret that?!"

"Like a person asking you for _one fucking kiss_ because I've been _begging_ the Fates for just _one freaking chance_, but have been robbed off the chance countless time because of fucking Percy Jackson and his horrible timing, his horrible competitive nature, his horrible obliviousness, and your absolute disinterest in me!"

Will stared at Jason, same as Jason stared at him, both of them breathless from their almost-yelling, both of them looking raw and exposed and embarrassed and vulnerable.

Then, Jason moved forward, and Will flung his arms around him, their lips crashing onto each other harshly, almost painfully, and his back smacked against the door once more, with Jason right there in front of him, pressing against him as if his life depended on it.

He gasped and tightened his hold, mashing their lips together, while his brain still tried to make sense of Jason's words.

Most of it didn't make sense.

None of it made sense.

Why would Jason want to kiss him?

What did he mean, Percy had robbed him off any chances at kissing him?

Why was this such a big deal to Jason?

Jason tugged on his bottom lip harshly, and Will let his mouth fall open, groaning loudly as Jason's tongue pushed past his lips demandingly, utterly dominating his mouth.

Right now, Will couldn't make himself care, so he let him, simply falling back against the door and moaning into the kiss.

Jason's hands started moving to his cheeks again, but then the blonde abruptly pulled back again, tuning away.

"I can't _believe_ I let you do that. I can't believe I _made_ you do that! Don't lie to me, Will, _I know you_. You'd say _yes_ even if you meant _no_, _just_ because you wouldn't want to disappoint, or appear 'weak', or make me feel stupid."

Will was too confused at the sudden loss of those lips to think straight, much less make sense of Jason's words, so he found himself following Jason the few steps he had taken away from him dazedly, turning his face back towards him and getting onto tip-toes to push his lips against his again.

Jason stiffened momentarily, then returned the kiss, his arms moving to Will's sides once more with a slow, low sigh.

"Will…"

Will shook his head slightly as their lips parted for the fraction of a second, before coming right back together again like magnets.

And again.

And again.

And again.

"You didn't make me do anything. It was my decision. I was ok with it." He whispered, the confession taking a lot more from him than he had first expected, though he wasn't surprised.

He was laying himself open right now.

If Jason laughed at him now or called him a slut, Will knew he'd break.

It was a risk he wasn't willing to take, but one that was necessary right now.

But Jason didn't laugh, and didn't call him a slut, instead pushing him against the wall next to the sink, though Will had no idea how they had even gotten there.

"Promise me. Promise I didn't force you, Will. Please. I'd never want to force you to anything. I love you way too much for that. Please." Jason breathed against his lips, though most of what he was saying was lost to Will, too far gone in the kisses and sensations rushing through him.

"Will…"

"I promise. You didn't…didn't force me…I wanted to do it…for ages already…what else were you saying…?" He asked, just as he was wrapping his arms tightly around the back of Jason's neck, pulling him down harsher to meet his lip more intensely again.

Jason nipped on his bottom lip, then slid his tongue back inside his mouth with a small 'Nothing important'.

Gods, what were they even doing?

Will had no idea.

What was this?

_Angry sex?_

He wasn't going to have sex with Jason.

Huh, maybe he should tell him that, given their apparent constant miscommunication all the time (wow, a coherent thought. That was a first.).

"I'm not sex." He heard himself muttering between kisses, and Jason pulled back to shoot him a confused look for a moment, before he rolled his eyes and went to attack his lips once more, his hands moving down to Will's legs, wrapping around his thighs and suddenly _lifting him off the ground as if he weighed nothing_, urging him to wrap said legs around his hips as he pushed Will's back against the wall, his kisses becoming demanding and hungry and relentless once more.

"Oh, you're sex, alright. But yes, we're not having sex, I know. Of course I know. _Gods,_ _Will_."

Will huffed indignantly into his mouth, biting his bottom lip rather harshly and tugging on it.

"Just trying to avoid any more misunderstandings. I don't bottom."

"I know you don't." Jason replied, his hands holding onto his sides resolutely as he started working his hips, thrusting and circling them and sending jolts of pleasure through Will.

"I never do." He breathed insistently, though right now he had to admit he was willing to do a lot more than he probably should.

"I know." Jason said honestly, continuing his rutting and moving one hand downwards to check whether there was a good way to get to his dick in this position, his intent quite obvious, so not even Will could mistake it for anything else.

"Not even for you." He whispered, though he more said it to reassure himself rather than Jason of his resolution, because his body was reacting way too much to Jason's rutting.

"I wouldn't want you to." Jason claimed, kissing along his jaw towards his ear and nipping on the shell.

Will _groaned_.

A loud, unfiltered sound of pleasure that reverberated in the giant bathroom, making him stiffen up and his face heat in mortification.

Trust him to feel self-conscious about his sounds when he had just sucked Jason off for no reason but his own satisfaction, and was currently busy getting ravished by the blonde.

Jason didn't stop, didn't make fun of the noise, didn't seem perturbed or bothered whatsoever.

Instead, he bit down on his ear again, licking over the shell and moving down to suck his earlobe into his mouth gently.

Will wrapped his arms and legs tightly around him, arching his back so hard he was momentarily entirely off the wall but for his head, his jaw tightly clenched in order to suppress the moan that so badly wanted to escape.

It didn't work.

The moment Jason's teeth grazed against his earlobe, the moan escaped along with a needy gasp, and Will found himself clawing Jason's shoulder slightly, desperately, needily.

To be honest, he had no clue how hard he was clawing Jason's shoulder, he just knew it did hurt Jason, because he could feel the pain shooting through him, though Jason didn't stop him, instead pushing him against the wall further, his hands moving over him in that wonderfully claiming way again that Will adored.

"You'd make such an amazing top." He blurted, wondering faintly what they had been talking about before, and whether he had been meant to answer anything, still.

If so, he had long lost track of that conversation.

Conversations were overrated, anyways.

Who needed them?

They were as unnecessary right now as his boxer shorts.

Why were people wearing boxer shorts, again?

Will had the impression he had just thought that already not too long ago, but he couldn't say for sure.

What he could say, though, was that Jason's lips against his ear were so perfect they should either be banned and declared illegal, or pledge their alliance to him and stay there forever.

There was no in between.

"Shame. I'm not interested. I much rather do _this_." Jason exclaimed, sounding high, or maybe drunk, and Will let out another one of those highly embarrassing unfiltered moans as Jason licked over his ear teasingly slowly, before nibbling on just the right places.

Trust that ass to pick up on his favorite spots after doing it, how many times?

Once? Twice? Three times?

Will couldn't count.

What did counting matter?

"Give me a warning, damn it! Do you know how hard it is to push down my sounds? I'm sorry I'm loud!" He ranted irritably, though he wasn't irritated at all, but utterly mortified and partly even ashamed of himself.

He had been punished for his noises way too many times to _not_ be ashamed when he slipped up (at least he wasn't scared anymore. Then again, he was fairly sure that was because this was _Jason_, and he was still sensible enough to know Jason wouldn't punish him for anything, other than maybe his stupidity one day).

Jason merely repeated the motion, and Will gasped, throwing his head back and almost smacking it against the wall behind him, if Jason's hand hadn't shot up just in time to protect him from the pain.

"Maybe I don't want you to push them down? We're in the bathroom, you can be as loud as you want, nobody is going to hear." Jason stated quietly, and Will swore that sounded like the best and most seductive thing anybody had have ever said to him.

Still, he was so not easily swayed.

"You'll hear." He pointed out, letting out a meek gasp as Jason kept ravishing his ear.

"Yeah, so? I like it."

Will wasn't sure whether Jason was serious, or whether he was just saying that to make him feel better, but his heart didn't seem to care, mercilessly swelling and sending waves of warmth and happiness and relief through him.

His dick didn't give a damn either, by the way, twitching happily against Jason's abdomen, where it was still confined in the prison that was Will's boxer shorts, though it was doing its best to attempt an escape.

From the way Jason turned his head sideways, as if peeking downwards, Will made a wild guess that Jason had noticed.

Please not.

That would not only be embarrassing, but…actually, that would only be embarrassing.

Jason thrust his hips against him again, and Will let out another moan, followed by a gasp as Jason tugged on his earlobe again, apparently trying to find a good pattern between thrusting against him and ravishing his ear.

Will wasn't sure that was possible, until he suddenly started gasping and moaning in a steady rhythm, clawing Jason's shoulders again.

"_J-Jason!_" He gasped, and found the blonde freezing with his lips still around his helix.

Jason hesitated another moment, as if waiting to Will to say more, as if expecting there to be more than just his name, but Will wouldn't know what to say, so he merely panted heavily, making use of the quiet moment to try to catch his breath – until Jason thrust his hips against him again.

Will gasped, throwing his head back once more with a loud groan in sheer, desperate _need_, and Jason caught him once more before he could get to harm, though Will only vaguely noticed, his eyes already shut, his hips already thrusting forward against Jason needily.

He could feel something shifting in Jason, an emotion changing to something else, something warm and absolute, but he had no idea what it was and what changed to what, too dazed to pay attention.

Then, however, Jason suddenly let him down.

Which was a horrible idea, really.

Because Will absolutely couldn't support himself right now, ok?

Jason had to find that out the hard way, with Will slumping against him like a log and his legs shaking worse than ever before, and Will wanted to feel embarrassed, he really did, but he absolutely couldn't.

The blonde held him with one arm, his other arm disappearing from Will's field of vision, though he had no idea what it was doing.

"Jason…" He heard himself whimpering desperately, craving his touch, _needing_ his touch, needing _Jason_, needing him _now_.

Jason looked at him, seemingly taken aback slightly, but before Will could mask his emotions on his face again or rant at him or do anything else to cover up, Jason was already pressing his lips against him in a demanding, passionate, _claiming_ kiss.

And Will let himself fall.

Quite literally, too, because he could feel himself sliding down the wall, but Jason was right there with him, pushing something big and soft under him that he identified as one of the big bath towels, so it was ok.

True, there had been one of those next to the sink, hadn't there?

He moaned into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Jason and letting his legs fall apart, practically inviting Jason to do as he pleased.

It didn't matter.

Nothing mattered.

Will had no idea how he had reached this point, whether it was Jason's touches, his kisses, the way he had shoved him against the wall earlier, all possessive and wanting, his caressing of Will's ear, or maybe just Jason himself, but it didn't really matter, either.

Right now, Jason could do anything he wanted, ask for anything he wanted, Will would do it.

Anything.

All.

Jason moved closer, kissing him, making a small, almost questioning sound, as if asking whether he was ok, so Will hummed dazedly in reply, nipping on his bottom lip, tugging him closer, trying to get more skin to skin contact.

Jason seemed to have other ideas, though, pulling back slightly, and Will let out another despairing whine, opening his eyes to look up at Jason, to plead, to beg, to do _something_.

Jason's gaze snapped up to his face almost instantly, his hands halting in their movement down Will's side to the waistband of his boxer shorts, apparently having had every intention of finally freeing him from the annoying fabric.

He stared at Will, transfixed, surprised, stunned, and something warm and fluttery and _amazing_ started to flow though the blonde, making Will shiver and let his eyelids flutter, which made Jason swallow audibly.

Will didn't want them to stare at each other.

He wanted to kiss.

Wanted to feel Jason against him again.

Wanted Jason.

"Please…" He begged, then immediately cringed, feeling the self-loathing rip through him like a knife at how pathetic and weak he was.

Again.

He didn't have very long to think of this much, though, because the next thing he knew, Jason was attacking his lips with his own, his hands clutching Will's back as if claiming him, yelling it to the world that Will was his, and his alone, and Will shivered as he realized that this possessiveness was not just wishful thinking, but actually coursing through Jason for real.

"Will…" The blonde breathed against his lips, and Will shivered again, trying to get closer, trying to get more of Jason, trying to find friction for his ever so neglected dick.

Seriously, he was so hard it started hurting, though he couldn't bear even just the _thought_ of taking his arms away from around Jason.

How would he be holding onto him?

Luckily, Jason finally seemed to understand his dilemma, his hands moving down to Will's legs – and Will, the idiot he was, _instantly let them fall apart again_.

It was a _reflex_!

There was nothing he could do against it, ok?

He half expected Jason to say something, to make a stupid comment or anything, but the blonde didn't, instead placing his hands insistently on Will's waistband.

"Can I?"

Will's eyes snapped open once more, staring at Jason in utter disbelief.

"Yes." He panted automatically, while his brain was still trying to process the fact that Jason Grace had just asked him whether he could take his boxer shorts off.

One would guess after Will's rather obvious and very pathetic display of need and despair, Jason would realize he could do anything he wanted right now.

But Jason had asked him.

Asked. Him.

Him. Will. The slut.

No, wait, he wasn't a slut.

Was he a slut?

"You're beautiful." Jason whispered, his lips pressing against Will's again as he coordinated Will's legs and lifted him slightly, apparently already in the process of taking off his underwear, though Will had been too distracted with his thoughts to notice.

What?

Beautiful?

"Me?" He heard himself asking confused as Jason pulled back to kiss along his jaw once more, pulling Will's boxer shorts off his right ankle and throwing them somewhere behind them, before tugging Will closer and all but onto his lap.

Jason chortled against his skin, a sound Will was fairly certain he had never heard before, though it sounded beautiful.

Beautiful.

"You have no idea, do you? Always bragging, yet you don't realize how wonderful you really are, do you now?" Jason asked, his voice soft, maybe a tad resigned, but definitely not teasing, though his words first made it seem that way.

Will had no idea what he was even talking about.

But his dick certainly loved the love, twitching traitorously just before Jason's hand wrapped around it.

Then, all Will could do was groan and cling to Jason desperately, as the pleasure ripped through him more intense than he could ever remember happening before, which might be because Jason was ravishing his ear while simultaneously working his dick, or might be because this was _Jason_ doing all that, he had no idea.

And, frankly, he didn't give a damn, either.

"_Jason!_" He panted, shaking like a leaf, too freaking close to blowing already because of all the intensity and the pressure building up inside him.

Jason trembled at the sound of his name, his breath hitching in his throat as he moved down Will's neck now, at least taking some of the pressure off, which Will was immensely grateful for.

Because this felt so amazing, he never wanted it to stop.

Also, it would be embarrassing if he didn't even last half as long as Jason, wouldn't it, now?

Though that only occurred to him a long moment later, as he let his head fall back with his eyes closed, giving Jason free access to his throat, showing him just how much he trusted him.

Jason's hand started pumping at a steady, but sower rhythm, his lips trembling slightly with suppressed desire as he started trailing soft kisses over Will's Adam's apple, apparently aiming to drag this out just like Will was hoping to.

"We're so compatible." Will whispered as Jason's free hand snaked around his lower back and pulled him closer, granting more skin to skin contact that had Will's insides overflowing with affection and love and lust and a thousand similar, warm, wonderful emotions, though it was hard to tell which emotions belonged to whom.

Will wasn't even trying, either.

"Hm?" Jason hummed against his skin as he started moving them again, tilting Will back further and further as he started trailing kisses over his collarbones and dipping his tongue into Will's suprasternal notch, which had him shivering pleasantly.

He wasn't scared of losing his balance, wasn't scared of falling, putting all his trust into Jason to hold him and keep him safe.

Which probably went unnoticed by Jason, but definitely not to Will, because that was a pretty big thing, and showed him all over again just how much he loved this guy.

"I said you're hot. _Wait_, no, I didn't." He tried to backtrack from his earlier statement, just to realize this might be even worse.

But he didn't particularly care, too occupied with feeling just how gently Jason placed him on the towel, making sure he didn't hit his head or get in contact with any of the cold tiles of the floor.

Jason was always so careful, so considerate, so wonderful.

"I love you." Will whispered, barely audible, right when Jason chuckled quietly.

And while Will stiffened in shock, dreading a reaction to his sudden and very unplanned confession, Jason continued laying down his body and nibbling on his skin ever so gently.

"You're hot, too. Quite literally, as well. I'm starting to believe the theory that there's a miniature sun inside you somewhere, Freckles." Jason breathed, then blew against his skin as if to prove his point, which horribly enough made goosebumps appear all over Will's skin and he gasped softly, shivering pleasantly.

Thank the gods, he hadn't heard.

But damn, he was going to find out Will liked that, and then…well, then what?

Let Jason find out everything.

Will trusted him enough to not make fun of him.

Jason's eyes widened slightly, and he repeated the gentle blowing against his just ravished and still slightly wet skin.

Will shuddered, a small moan escaping as he closed his eyes, shifting and exposing his body to Jason as if asking him to ravish him.

Because he totally was.

"Who says anything about a miniature sun…?" He asked dazedly, but Jason merely chuckled, attacking his skin once more, apparently keen on exploring.

Will found himself smiling to himself, one hand on Jason's upper arm, the other in Jason's hair, though he couldn't remember putting it there.

He also couldn't remember Jason letting go of his dick, yet he must have, at some point, because his hands were stroking over Will's sides and tummy, gently, yet insistently, making him shiver some more and a part of his self-consciousness come back, especially because of his tummy.

"You feel so amazing." Jason muttered against his skin as he kissed down his sternum, his hands moving wantonly over Will's stomach again, and Will could feel his face flush – and his dick twitch.

Why, oh why, had he never noticed he enjoyed praise a tiny tad too much?

Probably because he had never received any, especially not in situations like this.

Oh gods, Jason was going to be the death of him.

"So soft and wonderful." Jason continued, nipping at his ribs ever so gently, making Will's skin tingle.

Will was generally indifferent to any sort of touches due to his skin being numbed from…his past, he certainly had no difficulty whatsoever feeling Jason's ever so soft touches.

Then again, he was a sucker for the super soft touches, wasn't he?

That, or the claiming, harsh, possessive ones.

Jason shouldn't know that, though.

Jason also shouldn't know how much Will adored praise, yet here they were.

"You're…impossible…" Will gasped, ever so obvious about how far gone he was, while Jason started moving his hands up Will's chest and his tongue downwards towards his navel, the sensation feeling funny and way too nice.

Jason chuckled, and Will risked a peek downwards at the blonde, just to find him watching his face intently, his blue eyes seeming to be on fire, gleaming and burning vividly with desire, lust and want.

For Will.

He wanted Will.

Gods, this had to be the best night of his life.

He was probably going to regret all of this later, but, hell, he was going to enjoy every single moment of it until then.

Will had already sucked Jason off, after all, so it wasn't as if he wasn't going to hide under the blanket in shame once he was sane and awake and aware of everything in all its glorious detail again, after all.

Jason's hands moved dangerously close to his nipples, and Will shifted, feeling a pang of nervousness shooting through him.

He…didn't like that.

At all.

All he connected that with was pain, though he knew it felt great for other people.

It had once felt great for him, too, but that was so long ago he couldn't even remember it properly anymore, much less imagine it.

Jason seemed to notice, instantly changing course, and then switching to stroking over his arms ever so gently, making the hairs on them stick up at the overly light touches and sending shivers down Will's spine once more, making him relax again.

"Am I now? I think you're impossible. Impossibly hot. I could boil eggs on you right now." Jason said, and Will felt himself blushing until he heard the last part.

That made him snort out a small laugh, just before he was urged to let out another soft and drawn out moan as Jason used his fingernails to ever so gently scrape over his arms back to his collarbones and down his sternum.

Oh gods, fingernails, used like that – _heaven_.

"You're not boiling eggs on me, Jason." He mumbled warningly, and felt Jason halt at his lower stomach, before laughing softly and shaking his head, dropping onto Will's stomach for a moment.

Will peeked down at him again, just to find Jason nuzzling his face affectionately against the soft, squishy patch that resembled his stomach, gazing up at him with a soft, warm gleam in his eyes.

Jason was so affectionate, seriously.

It wasn't as if Will hadn't guessed, what with Jason being all considerate at kind all the time, but he had partly assumed Jason would be the utter opposite in bed, being more demanding, selfish, dominant.

And when he had pushed Will against the door, not to mention the wall, he had certainly given that impression, too.

Now, however, it was impossible to imagine Jason as anything but the gentle lover he was currently being.

"I'm not. I might try that one day, though. Until then…" Jason started, then suddenly peppered his stomach with kisses, making Will squeal embarrassingly (though luckily more or less quietly) and then moan, because Jason, that traitor, had utterly picked up on the thing with the fingernails, and was currently moving said nails down his sides to his hips.

By the time Will realized Jason had actually just said something that indicated this might happen again one day, the blonde was already moving that traitorous mouth along his lower stomach, right around the area between navel and waistband.

Wait, no.

There was that _one_ spot there Will definitely didn't want Jason to find!

Percy had found it before, by accident, but Jason was so not going to-…

Will moaned and let his eyes fall shut, spreading his legs automatically once more as Jason found his pressure point, of course promptly bringing up one hand to play with just how much pressure he applied, to find out what Will liked.

The joke was on him, because Will loved it all.

"_Jason!_" He gasped, his voice high-pitched and desperate and needy, and he could feel Jason tremble again, shifting down further, though his hand didn't stray.

It took a moment for Will to realize Jason had long since pulled back far enough to make Will lose his hold on his hair.

It took him even longer to understand that he could still feel so much of Jason's inner state because Jason's other hand was holding his own again.

Compared to that, it only took Will the fraction of a second to realize what Jason was going to do next when Jason's tongue licked over his glans.

_Holy freaking-…!_

"_Nngh!_" He pressed out through clenched teeth, desperate, needy, his mind short-circuiting again, his hand clutching Jason's for all he was worth, his toes curling.

_Oh gods!_

Then, just as Jason was about to do it again, Will shuffled away, his heart hammering in his chest, his eyes fixated on Jason's face in a mixture of shock, wonder, awe and amazement.

But there was no way he could let Jason do that.

_No way._

"Y-You don't owe me!" He exclaimed, just as Jason blinked confused, though Will off-handedly noticed how Jason had let him pull back instantly, not forcing himself onto him whatsoever.

He wasn't sure why this surprised him, because this was Jason, he knew it was Jason, Jason wouldn't do anything like that, Jason was amazing, he was wonderful, he was great, Will loved him, loved him so, so much, and-…wait, he was losing sight of the point again, wasn't he?

Jason looked even more confused for a moment, then his eyes widened in realization and he shook his head hurriedly, moving forward, after Will.

"No! No, I know. I'm not doing this because I feel indebted. Hell, I have never done this before, I'll suck, so that wouldn't even count as an _attempt_ to repay you. No, I _want_ to do it. I mean, if you let me. Want me to. I'd…it probably won't be any good, and you'll have to tell me what to do, but I'd…I'd love to try…" Jason exclaimed, first rather quickly, but then he started slowing, acting almost sheepish, flustered, his face turning pink, similar to how it had done back when he had stopped Will in the middle of his blowjob because of his (very adorable) concern for Will's preferences.

In other words, Jason was acting like the most adorable thing in the world again, and the traitorous twitch of Will's dick was bound to give this thought away, he was sure of it.

Of course, Jason's gaze hushed down, because Will never had any luck whatsoever when it came to subtlety and not letting others find out every single thing about him, but at least Jason had decency to not comment or joke, instead crawling up slowly, tentatively, giving Will all the time in the world to push him away or show any other sign of not being ok with anything.

Will obviously didn't, instead reaching out and wrapping his arms around Jason, already tilting his face upwards to meet his lips in a soft, but way too quickly intensifying kiss that first had him humming contently, then panting wantonly.

"So, may I? Or do you want anything else?"

Will's eyes shot open, and he eyed Jason, a new wave of uncertainty washing over him.

What exactly did Jason mean with 'anything else'?

Jason's eyebrows shot up, and he was quick to lean back down and give Will another peck.

Followed by a few more.

Not that Will minded.

He absolutely didn't.

"I meant hands or such. What were you thinking about?" Jason teased with a small smile, and Will shoved against his arm without any strength behind it, instead tugging Jason closer not two seconds later, rubbing his body (especially his hard-on, but he was hoping Jason wouldn't notice) against Jason's needily.

"Nothing. We'll never speak of this again, though, right?"

He just had to clarify once more.

At this point, it was already kind of too late, because even if Jason didn't get him off now, it wasn't as if that would make anything better or less awkward (not to mention shameful. They were acting like such overly horny teenagers Will was certain he wouldn't get out from under the blanket in shame for the rest of the day) later.

Jason huffed, momentarily seeming to contemplate something, studying his face.

But then he shook his head.

"Not unless you'll want us to, no."

Oh, Will would love to talk about this.

He'd also love to repeat this.

Every day.

For the rest of his life.

He nodded and pulled Jason back down to seal their lips, not trusting his mouth to not say anything that he'd absolutely regret later – even more than he'd probably end up regretting this, anyways.

Jason's hands went back to stroking up and down his body, though he quickly seemed to realize he was neglecting Will's dick again, because his right hand instantly went to wrap around it, making Will groan again and let himself fall back once more.

The blonde moved back down his body, mouthing at his skin and finding out to both his and Will's surprise that blowing cool air over his nipples felt surprisingly nice and made Will moan, even though he still instantly tugged Jason's hand away when he moved in that direction ever so faintly.

Jason got the message, and didn't ask, though he _did_ blow against them softly once more, and Will knew he had been more than tempted to lean down and try his luck with his tongue.

Will probably would have let him, if he could have made himself say 'don't use your teeth'.

But he hadn't been able to say it, had worried it would lead to questions in case Jason hadn't intended to use his teeth, had worried it would be weird, or make Jason wonder why, and thus he had been glad Jason hadn't persisted, instead moving back down to his stomach – where he had stayed embarrassingly long.

Somehow, he had the impression Jason might indeed _like_ his stomach, even though it wasn't trained and ripped and muscled like Nico's or Percy's (or Jason's, himself, of course).

All the while, his hand had continued with its slow and steady pumping on Will's dick - two long strokes, followed by a quicker, but shorter stroke and a squeeze just under his glans – which made Will wonder if he also did like a bit of a pattern.

He usually didn't like it when things were repetitive, and quickly started zoning out and drifting off in thoughts when he had figured something out and knew what would happen next.

But somehow, right now, he liked the security of knowing what was coming next, liked the predictability, and for whatever reason didn't find himself getting bored, but rather anticipating the next squeeze right under his glans, which meant he felt that moment of utter bliss, then the first stroke, which made him shudder, then the second, which made him shudder again but already think of that squeeze, and then the quick, shorter stroke that had him tingling with anticipation, as well as huffing in satisfaction – just to then groan with even more intensity at the squeeze itself, because even though he had known it was coming, it still felt so freaking amazing.

Maybe even more amazing because he was looking forward to it so much.

He wasn't sure.

It didn't really make sense.

Point was, he really, _really_ liked that.

"Yes?" Jason asked for permission once more, and Will forced himself to pry his eyes open and glance down, just to wonder why the hell he had closed them in the first place.

He never wanted to take his eyes off Jason kneeling between his legs, that much was for certain.

Nodding numbly, he watched transfixed how Jason's eyes gleamed with resolve as he leaned forward, swallowing visibly, parting those perfect lips, swollen slightly from all their kissing, moving forward, forward, towards his…

Will groaned in bliss, the sound reverberating in the giant bathroom all over again, loud and clear, but for once Will didn't feel ashamed, especially not because he could feel the pride and triumph surging through Jason.

That made him notice Jason was holding his hand again, though this time he thought it might have been him to initiate it.

If so, Jason didn't seem to mind, so Will didn't, either.

Jason's tongue licked over his glans, and Will shuddered, another moan leaving his lips, while his body started trembling and shuffling.

He always moved.

Maybe he should have warned Jason of that, because it certainly made him look up with a hint of alarm, probably fearing he was doing something wrong.

"G-Go on…" He panted, faintly remembering Jason saying something about having no idea what to do and hoping Will would tell him.

Or maybe he hadn't, and Will had misunderstood.

It didn't matter either way, because he could see Jason's shoulders relaxing again slightly, and the blonde started moving slowly, so he decided saying something had been a good idea.

Jason started exploring, experimenting, and Will let him, enjoying the various sensations and only speaking when truly necessary.

Jason might be new to this, but he wasn't stupid, and a quick learner, so, same as he had figured out just what Will liked with his ears and rest of his body, he quickly learned Will preferred a mixture between hand and mouth, with even, not too harsh strokes and not too rough movements around his glans, no matter if with hand or mouth.

He might not be a natural, but he was certainly far from bad.

Will also only had to hiss once for Jason to realize to really, _really_ watch his teeth.

He wished he could tell Jason that it wasn't because he had been too harsh or careless, but because Will was too sensitive – but he didn't, unwilling to give any more about himself away that could one day lead to Jason figuring everything out.

Instead, he encouraged Jason to swirl his tongue around more, which the blonde did only all too willingly.

Yeah, all in all, Jason was pretty good, and getting better by the moment.

Jason started sucking more, moving down on his dick further, to the point where Will found his free hand flying to his hair and tugging him back up, not going to risk him choking on his very first try at a blowjob.

It was only a moment later that Will realized this might a) hurt Jason's pride, b) make him feel like he just did something wrong, which wasn't the case at all, and c) make it seem like Will was going to control his movements with the hand in his hair – the very thing Will had been so afraid Jason might do to him.

Oops.

He looked down hurriedly, worried Jason might stop or look too upset, but instead found Jason pulling back slightly to focus on Will's glans again, not seeming perturbed whatsoever, his eyes glued to Will's face.

When their eyes met, the blonde even had the utter indecency to wink – which of course promptly made Will's dick twitch, because of _reasons_.

He bit his lip, but couldn't contain his moan, anyways, and all he managed to do was pulling his hand back out of Jason's hair as fast as possible, because he desperately needed to clutch _something_, and Jason's head was _not_ the something he wanted to clutch in this particular situation.

"J-Jason…" He moaned, then whimpered when the heaven that was Jason's mouth left his dick all of a sudden.

Jason instantly wrapped his hand around his shaft and started stroking, stopping Will's rather pathetic wailing effectively and making him utter soft moans once more, though he still opened his eyes to glower down at the blonde sternly for that very undeserved punishment.

"Sorry, I just wanted to say it's ok if you put your hand in my hair. I even want you to, actually. Stop me if you don't like something, show me when you do like something. I want to please you, Will." Jason said quietly, his voice so wonderfully hoarse.

For a moment, Will could only concentrate on how nice that voice sounded, his dick twitching traitorously once more, though he hoped Jason didn't notice, what with his hand wrapped around it, pumping in slow, even strokes.

Then, however, Jason's words sunk in, and he found his hand hesitantly moving back to Jason's head, though he was more than a little apprehensive about that.

One sentence stuck with him, though, and he was pretty sure he'd never ever allow himself to forget it:

_I want to please you, Will._

Gods, this was _definitely_ the sentence he wanted to record and put on his not-yet-existing phone and all.

He gazed down at the blonde, and everything inside him seemed to practically overflow with warmth and love.

For a moment, he was utterly aware that he was opening his mouth to say 'I love you', and this time, Jason was bound to hear it, and Will couldn't make himself care about what that might bring, what it could lead to, what would undoubtedly follow.

The moment the words were about to tumble out of him, though, Jason leaned forward and swiped his tongue over his glans, just as Jason's and pumped downwards, and Will gasped instead, feeling the pre-cum leak out of his tip in response, just to find Jason licking it away curiously.

Gods, that guy.

"I can't believe you even have freckles here, though." Jason stated suddenly, right before licking over his slit again, and Will let out another very loud and unfiltered moan as he had _just_ been about to reply.

_That guy!_

Plus, why did he have to mention Will's freckles _there_, _now_?!

The self-consciousness started welling up inside him again, making him look down and study Jason's face to see whether he thought it amusing, or weird, or freaky – just to find Jason nuzzling his face against Will's pubic area right next to his dick, placing a soft kiss against the base and licking over one of the small, darker marks on it.

Will shivered, both from seeing Jason acting so…intimate…affectionate…almost _loving_, even…and, well, from the sensation that brought forth.

"I like it. Your freckles are so cool. They're something really special, you know?" Jason said softly, though he was still gazing at Will's dick, which was more than a little weird and made Will's heart beat way too fast…and his dick twitch.

That traitor.

Jason grinned, then moved forward to start placing open mouthed kisses along the base, only slowly making his way up, and driving Will utterly crazy all the while.

Every time he thought he'd have a chance of saying something, Jason was sucking gently here, or licking rather alluringly there, luring way too many sounds out of Will that he was most definitely going to feel horribly embarrassed about, later.

By the time Jason reached the tip, Will had gone from 'I don't like them', to 'Nobody else ever said that', 'Only you think so', 'You can have them', 'I love you so much' and 'Never stop doing that', to the now desperately trying to escape 'Love me'.

But, well, now Will was keen on _not_ saying a thing, so he was glad to be robbed of the chance, anyways, when Jason's tongue started teasing his glans again, licking up the pre-cum that might or might not have collected there because of Jason's very tender treatment.

Will moaned, his hand moving back into Jason's hair, while their eyes locked.

Gods, Jason had such beautiful eyes.

And Will was so freaking close already.

It was so embarrassing, because, while Jason's ministrations just now hadn't even felt half as intense as the way Jason's lips felt wrapped around his dick, his tender kisses and gentle words had certainly affected Will on a more emotional side, and somehow pushed his orgasm a whole lot closer than it should have been.

Jason swirled his tongue around his glans, and Will's eyes narrowed as he gasped and groaned, but this time he kept them open, intent on watching Jason for as long as he could, because he knew this would have to end soon, no matter how much he _didn't_ want it to end, ever.

He should be glad he had gotten the chance to witness this at all.

And, by all the gods in the world, he was.

He was so, so grateful for this, though he knew he might end up cursing this moment later, when his brain was working again.

It didn't matter.

Because, just for this moment, just for the way Jason was looking up at him, just for that warm, affectionate gleam in his eyes as his head bobbed up and down on Will's dick – _Will's dick_ -, just for that, any of the consequences would be worth it.

"Oh gods, Jason…" He breathed as Jason moved further down, finally getting the hang of the swallowing motion, making Will break eye contact for a moment in favor of closing his eyes in bliss.

Then Jason started helping out with his hand again, and Will knew he was falling apart beneath him, but he didn't even attempt to cover it up.

It was almost unbelievable that this was Jason's first blowjob, he seriously managed way too well.

Though Will still blamed that freaking intimate, gentle moment for being so relentlessly close to climax already.

Because Will had never been treated like that before.

So gently.

So loved.

He started bucking his hips when Jason picked up speed and he moved his hand that was holding Jason's down to his hips to show him to hold him down.

Jason simply did it, no teasing, no question, no nothing, continuing the bobbing of his head unperturbed, his beautiful, wonderful, stunning eyes fixed solely on Will's face, his pupils blown wide, his expression hungry and intense, as if watching Will fall apart was all he had ever wanted to see, and he was going to watch every single second of it.

That thought should have probably made him self-conscious, but he couldn't focus on such trivial things as he threw his head back and started working Jason's head up and down slightly, tugging on his wonderfully soft feeling hair.

He would have never done this, if it wasn't for the fact Jason had permitted it, and because Will was so, so close.

He was as careful as he could, given his current state of mind, but his other hand was clasping Jason's hand on his hips tightly, so he would know if there truly was any discomfort.

But there wasn't.

Instead, Jason even managed to start a sort of pattern, even if it was Will moving him up and down, now.

Two pumps of his hand.

A swirl of his tongue.

Will's thrust down, with Will controlling how far it went and how long it lasted.

The swallowing motion.

Three pumps of his hand.

Will's thrust.

The swirl of his tongue and the wondrous tightening of his throat.

Repeat.

It took Will a while to realize there was a pattern, especially because it all happened so fast and fluidly, but by the time he did, it seemed to merge together even more, until all Will could feel was the steadily increasing pleasure from anything and all Jason was doing, and he couldn't, couldn't, absolutely couldn't hold back.

"J-Jason! I'm about to…" He gasped urgently, and let go of Jason's head and hand, needing his hands up in his face right now, unable to stop himself, to stop anything, though he tried so, so hard.

Fear welled up inside him stupidly, the thought '_Jason didn't allow it yet!_' coming unbidden to his mind, though he tried to force it down.

He heard himself whimper, felt himself moving, shifting, _writhing_ under Jason, wanting, begging, _needing_ to cum.

_Now!_

But he couldn't, unable to help himself, he tried to hold back, tried to stop his climax from approaching, tried to stop his body from trying to give in to it, feeling his entire body trembling with the effort, feeling the pain from trying to suppress it all with all he had.

He couldn't, couldn't, _couldn't_-…

"You're so beautiful." Jason suddenly said, much closer than he should be, and Will's eyes shot open, just to look up at clouded sky-blue eyes – then he let them fall shut again as he felt his climax hitting him, due to the distraction, due to Jason, due to his words, due to _Jason_.

The air was knocked straight out of his lungs as he cried out, feeling Jason tremble on top of him, his hand working Will's dick in all the right ways, while Jason's lips started peppering Will's face and neck with the sweetest kisses - and Will wasn't sure whether he might not have _died_, the pleasure and bliss too great for him to cope.

His entire body was tingling, from the tips of his toes to the roots of his hair, and he felt himself twitching and shaking, his dick shooting out strings of cum that probably mostly caught on Jason's abs and chest, since Will couldn't feel much of it on himself.

Waves of bliss, of utter, perfect bliss, washed over him, filling him with warmth and joy and giddy elation, along with utter, absolute _love_ for this crazy son of Jupiter/Zeus on top of him.

He faintly noticed he must have thrown his arms around the blonde at some point.

And wrapped his legs around him.

And had half lifted himself off the ground (that would explain the frantic, strained trembling).

Will panted, his face by now somewhere at Jason's neck, though he had no recollection of burying it there.

Jason was gently putting him back down onto the towel, lying down on top of him once he realized Will wasn't going to let go anytime soon, his lips pressing against the side of his face a few times, while he seemed to mutter something that Will couldn't hear yet, the pounding of his heart and the rushing of this blood too loud to make out anything but his own frantic breathing.

Should Will be surprised he had just had the most intense orgasm in his life?

Probably.

Should he let Jason know that?

Probably not.

"That was…I…dibs." He pressed out between pants once his voice seemed to be working again, but he instantly regretted it once he realized he made no sense.

Jason moved slightly, pressing his lips against the side of his face again and causing Will to close his only just reopened eyes once more to smile the stupid smile forcing its way onto his face.

"First catch your breath, Freckles. No need to rush, I'm not going anywhere." Jason's voice was soft, amiable, wonderful, perfect.

Will hummed, grinning to himself and nuzzling his face against Jason, feeling the afterglow making its presence known.

Jason stroked over his shoulders gently, starting to kiss him gently wherever he could reach him.

On the side of his forehead he could reach.

On is closed eyelid.

On his cheek.

On a spot right next to his lips.

Along his jaw.

On his ear.

On his neck.

Even on his shoulder when he dared to move slightly, though Will's grumble instantly made him resume his previous position with a low, soft chuckle.

Will hummed happily, copying him and placing soft kisses along his neck, making Jason tremble slightly and nuzzle his face against Will again.

"That was amazing." Will whispered, the confession not half as hard as he had expected.

_'__That was amazing._

_You and I, like this, in here._

_It is like a dream.'_

Will rolled his eyes at himself, pushing down the urge to say something so horribly sappy, not even knowing how his mind had come up with that in the first place - what was it, even? A poem? A haiku? How embarrassing.

Instead, he nuzzled against Jason some more.

Jason started kissing the side of his face again.

"Better than taking care of it yourself?" He asked, sounding half teasing, half genuine, but Will merely huffed with a broad grin.

"Yeah…"

The afterglow was such a beautiful thing, wasn't it?

Will had always been a sucker for that.

He also wasn't ever going to get up again, by the way.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Jason said softly, and Will inwardly rolled his eyes again, nuzzling against him further.

"Loved it. Calling dibs on you." He whispered, inhaling Jason's wonderful scent.

Jason chuckled quietly.

"That good? Well, I wouldn't mind. We could…you know…" Jason trailed off, but Will needed a few more moments to understand what he was talking about, too lost in the sensation of _Jason_.

He was also musing about Jason being a term for an entire universe – Will's entire universe – and how saying 'Jason' didn't just mean Jason, but, well, _Jason_.

In other words, his father was shining through, with his crazy philosophical nonsense – not to mention bad haikus, apparently.

"Hm?" He hummed, placing a gentle kiss to what seemed to be a hickey he must have left on Jason's neck.

"We could go out. You know? _Date_."

Will hummed quietly, only making sense of the first part of Jason's sentence and wondering where he wanted to go at this time of night, especially in the Underworld.

Maybe there'd be an Underworld theater?

Wouldn't that be cool?

He'd have to ask Nico that sometimes.

Wouldn't that be kind of like a date, though?

Will mused that for a long moment, before the rest of the sentence started making sense to him and also explained the actual meaning of the first part.

Oh.

That.

Will grinned stupidly, allowing himself to picture Jason and himself dating, just for a small, fleeting moment.

"Wouldn't that be something…" He mumbled tiredly, and moved his hands over Jason's back with a small sigh, relishing in the closeness, the proximity, the way Jason still laid on top of him without actually pressing down on him, keeping their bodies connected, but not overly so.

Was it weird that he could so picture spending the rest of his life lying on this towel (somewhat) on this rather cold and hard floor, with Jason on top of him, nuzzling his face against the side of his neck and acting so gentle and lovey-dovey, even though he had zero reason to?

Just because Will was experiencing the best afterglow of his life, didn't mean Jason had to comply to anything or support it in any way.

How did he know, anyways?

Maybe he didn't.

Maybe he just liked it.

He seemed to be the intimate type, after all.

Will loved it.

Will loved it all.

Jason halted for a moment, then pressed a kiss against his skin again, and Will noticed off-handedly that they were slowly cooling down again, same as his own body slowly stopped trembling so frantically, and there weren't any more spasms running through him, either.

There was nothing but the warm and soft feeling coursing through his veins, and he could so get addicted to that.

"You'd…would you? We could, you know. If you were willing to give me a try." Jason said hesitantly, and Will could feel the anticipation and dread and nervousness coursing through the blonde, making him frown and shuffle, turning his face to nuzzle his nose against his neck with a small sigh.

There was no reason for Jason to feel like that?

Maybe it was because of something he had said.

What had he said again?

Oh, right, he was asking…Will…out…oh.

Will frowned, opening his eyes the tiniest bit, gazing thoughtfully at a few strands of blonde hair pointing into his face.

To be honest, he had half a mind to say yes.

What was there to lose?

Jason was _offering_!

_Jason._

_Offering._

_Will._

_Dating._

It was a dream come true!

Thinking about it that way, Will might be dreaming still.

Maybe none of this had actually happened.

Maybe he was actually absolutely knocked out in the pillow corner with cum-streaked boxer shorts and an utterly satisfied but dumb grin on his face, while Percy, Jason and Nico were snuggling together in bed without a care in the world.

Will would love to believe that, but there were way too many details for this to be a dream, and the floor was becoming more and more uncomfortable by the moment, so, yeah, he was utterly certain he wasn't dreaming.

Still…dating Jason…

Why had he thought that would be a bad idea?

Will frowned, pondering that for a long moment with his dazed mind, staring off into space.

"You don't have to, you know…" Jason mumbled quietly, seeming slightly discouraged as he twirled one of Will's curls in his hands, right next to Will's ear, making his skin tickle.

Will shifted and sighed, rubbing his face into the crook of Jason's neck again.

Images flashed through his mind, of Percy, of Nico, of the Camps, of Jason.

What would happen if he dated Jason?

Well, first of all, Percy would slaughter them.

And if he and Nico ever found out what Jason and Will had done in the pillow corner, they'd probably get kicked out of the room, that was for certain.

But somehow, neither of those things seemed like any reason to say no.

Why shouldn't he date Jason?

Jason was great.

He was perfect.

Will loved this guy.

He was smart, he was strong, he was kind.

Considerate, careful, affectionate, loving.

Determined, lawful good, a fast learner.

He didn't push Will and didn't ask stupid questions.

He also didn't seem to have any interest in dominating Will, though he absolutely could if he wanted to…oh.

_That_ was one of the problems.

True, true.

How could Will have forgotten?

Just as he thought it, more flashes shot through his mind, dampening his peace of mind with a pang of old, long suppressed pain.

Oh.

Oh, true, there was that, too.

No, no.

And Will did like Nico and Percy.

No, they would never work out.

Jason would be so upset.

No, Will didn't want to be the cause of that.

Plus, Jason liked Nico, right?

Gods, he was probably just asking because a) Nico was taken, so Will was the next best choice, and b) because they had just hardcore made out in the middle of the night, and, no matter what Jason might insist on later, even if it had been Will's fault all of this had started, Jason had surely done his part to keep it going and see it through – which indicated at least some sort of interest and/or attraction, and would probably make the blonde think he had to own up to it or do the rightful thing of at least asking Will out.

Will frowned slightly.

Jason wasn't that sort of person though, was he?

Neither for push-overs, nor for asking people out without being serious about it.

Right?

He sighed again.

It didn't matter.

Even if Jason was serious, they still couldn't be, could they?

How depressing.

Will tightened his hold on Jason, resisting the urge to attempt crawling _into_ the blonde.

He'd still love to date him.

What wouldn't he give to be able to just say 'yes' and be done with it, consequences and reason be screwed?

He should have done that.

Back before he had remembered everything that spoke against it.

Disappointment flashed through him, and he forced himself to let go of Jason, knowing that now his afterglow was wearing off, he seriously had no right to claim him in any way anymore.

"I'm sorry, Handsome…" He started, and Jason moved back as he gently pushed against his chest, making him sit back up and look at him with blue, blue eyes, that horribly enough seemed to become _sad_, making Will have to resist the urge to surge forward and wrap his arms around him again and kiss that sadness away as best as he could.

"No, it's ok. It was just a thought. As I said, if you don't want to, it's fine." The blonde said in a light voice, his gaze hushing down Will's body for the fraction of a second, and his eyes widened in realization before he quickly averted his gaze and turned away, his hands moving searchingly over the ground behind him.

Will couldn't help but snort at his words, though, sitting up as well and off-handedly realizing how _naked_ he was – which was probably why Jason was patting the ground.

He was probably looking for Will's underwear.

How considerate.

"Oh, trust me, it's not that I don't want to. If I could, I would so date you, Jason."

The words were true, of course, but they definitely hadn't been meant for Jason's ears.

Though, oddly enough, Will only partly managed to care right now, still feeling rather sluggish.

Jason halted for a moment, a small frown showing on his pretty face.

Then he held out the boxer shorts to Will, studying his face uncertainly.

"You would?" He asked, his voice tentative, probing, as if he wasn't sure he had heard correctly, or wasn't certain Will had meant it.

Oh man, how badly Will wanted to scream yes and throw himself right back into his arms.

"I would." He clarified, grabbing hold of his boxer shorts and forcing himself to get up, though that didn't go half as well as he had hoped.

Jason opened his mouth to undoubtedly say something else, but then made a startled sound and moved forward, grabbing hold of Will's arms as he toppled over again, his legs apparently still a tiny bit shakier than expected.

"Careful! You really aren't good with your balance today, huh? Is your leg still affecting you? Come on, sit back down." Jason uttered worriedly, genuine concern in his voice as he urged Will back onto the towel, much to his frustration, because the cum streaks on his tummy were seriously beginning to itch, and he wanted to get back into his boxer shorts to cover up at least a little bit.

Still, he found himself flopping back down on the towel, too caught up in Jason's hands on his arms and his breath against his skin, wishing he could get away with sneaking in some more kisses and touches and embraces.

Then his words caught up to him, and he chuckled.

"I wish it was just my leg. Nope, I fear it's just because I just had a mind-blowing orgasm…at night."

How embarrassing.

How could Will just admit to that so openly?

One of these days he was going to understand the way his brain worked.

But today wasn't that day, so he merely grinned up at Jason, trying to act like this was the most natural thing in the world.

Jason had been moving to get up, but was looking back at him taken aback for a moment, before a small smile hushed over his face.

"Oh really?" He asked, getting up and moving over to the sink, while Will sighed and mourned the loss of that heavenly, exquisite physical contact they had shared up until now, and fought his way back into his underwear.

"Yep." Will replied, resisting the urge to add 'Don't tell anybody, else I won't be able to live with the mortification'.

Jason wouldn't tell anybody, anyways, he was sure of it.

At least he hoped so.

For his own sake as well as for Jason's, because if the blonde did speak of it, he was going to _murder_ him.

Which would be an absolute waste, because Jason was wonderful.

Suddenly, Jason was back, and Will just had enough time to look up at him in question, before a warm, damp cloth pressed against his lower stomach, effectively making his jaw snap shut as he blinked and stared.

Jason…was cleaning him.

Just like that.

The cloth moved over his skin gently, like a caress, and the excess water started tickling his lower stomach as it flowed down into his just pulled up boxer shorts, making his lips twitch.

He found himself leaning back slightly, not stopping Jason in any way, though he knew he probably should.

Will could do this himself, after all, and Jason really had no reason to do it for him.

But it felt so…intimate.

Again.

Everything Will and Jason did when they were alone seemed intimate and domestic, for some reason.

He was never going to understand _that_, either, though he'd probably never stop trying.

"Well, that's good to know, then. For a moment, I was worried I might have broken you. But if that's normal for you, it's all good." Jason said conversationally, a small smile playing on his lips as he wiped Will's stomach, then proceeded to dry it with another towel, just to stroke over it with gentle fingertips afterwards, making Will shiver and close his eyes for a split second, while trying to remember what Jason was even talking about.

Oh. His legs.

Right.

Oh wait.

_Hey!_

Will made a playfully aghast face.

"Break me? Dream on, Handsome. You were _good_, but not _that_ good. Not yet, at least." Will noticed his voice dropped considerably at the last part, and he wondered whether he was seriously just attempting to flirt with Jason in such a horrid way.

Apparently, he was.

Jason's eyebrows shot up, but then his lips twitched into an even broader smile, his eyes gleaming with mischief – which was pretty rare for Jason, but suited him unnervingly well.

"Oh really? Could have fooled me, what, with you falling apart so nicely beneath me."

Will gaped at him.

Whoa.

Whoa, that was _low_!

Will's face must have yelled the same, because Jason could only study him for a split second longer before erupting into laughter, the sound clear and surprisingly loud, given their before rather hushed voices.

The blonde moved closer apparently subconsciously, shaking his head while still laughing, and letting his forehead drop against Will's shoulder, and Will found his hands automatically moving to Jason's sides, just holding onto him ever so slightly.

Not that he was too stunned to make a face, though, he was pretty sure he had a pretty decent scowl right now to mask any confusion and fluster inside him.

"Gods, you should see your face, Freckles. I was _joking_. Though I do admit it was quite a sight to behold. I feel honored."

Will would have punched him in the shoulder (and not very lightly, either) for saying that, if it hadn't been for the last phrase.

That made him hesitate and unclench his half-formed fist again, instead placing his hand on Jason's shoulder/back area again – and noticing off-handedly that they were unnaturally close again.

They probably shouldn't be this close.

Maybe he should say something.

But it kind of felt nice?

"We should probably get back to bed." He mumbled awkwardly after silence fell over them again, unable to think of anything else to reply or retort with.

Jason didn't move for a long moment, just kneeling in front of him hunched forward, with his face at the crook of Will's neck.

Then, the blonde sighed, pulling back and gazing at him with those stunning blue eyes again.

Will gazed back, already forgetting all about what he had just said, instead letting his eyes hush down to Jason's still swollen lips for a split second, wishing they could just stay here forever and he could kiss them again.

Wouldn't that be something?

Oh, how he'd love that.

"I wish I could kiss you again." Jason said quietly, and Will's eyes widened, realizing he had started _staring_ at those beautiful lips, so his gaze snapped upwards hurriedly again, just to find Jason looking at him with a dark, hungry expression, reminding him faintly of how Percy sometimes looked at Nico.

He…what?

Why would Jason say that?

_How_ could he just say that?

"Why?" Will found himself whispering, and, damn it, his voice was still too loud, too serious, too full of emotions he hadn't wanted to show, too obvious about his wildly beating heart and the hope and the fear wreaking havoc inside him.

"I liked kissing you. A lot." Jason replied simply, his voice almost as quiet as Will's, and Will could feel Jason's fingers brushing ever so gently against his cheek, and could feel himself leaning into the touch automatically.

"Oh." Was all his befuddled, stunned brain managed to come up with, and his eyes hushed back down to Jason's lips once more, though he tried so hard not to.

"How about you?" Jason asked softly, his fingers trailing over Will's cheek to his lips, and Will's eyelids fluttered, wishing so badly it was Jason's lips pushing against his own, instead of his thumb.

"I liked it, too." He found himself replying before he could even attempt to think of what that might sound like, what he might be confessing, what Jason might think of him.

It didn't matter.

What mattered was that everything inside Will craved for just one more kiss.

Just one more.

"Can I kiss you again?" Jason asked, his voice soft and gentle and genuine, seriously asking for permission, his blue eyes glued to Will's face.

Will could pick up the anticipation, the dread, the hope rushing through the blonde, and a shiver ran down his spine as he found himself nodding, much too quickly, much too wildly.

Jason smiled, his shoulders relaxing immensely, but Will was already too busy gazing down at those oh-so-kissable lips once more, that were now slowly coming closer, as Jason's hands cupped Will's face properly, thumbs stroking over his cheeks.

Will wanted to say something, anything, ranging from 'I love you', to 'Just one more time', but then found he couldn't, instead already letting his eyes fall shut and his body move forwards.

Another kiss.

With Jason.

Now.

There was no excuse for this, nothing they could say later on to somehow make this less real, less meaningful.

And yet Jason seemed to want this just as much as Will.

Their lips met in what had to be the most chaste kiss Will had ever experienced, and he could feel everything inside him drown in warmth and butterflies and childish fantasies.

Jason let out a small, content sound, too light to even be a sigh, but it was enough to make Will's insides even more jittery, his hands moving up to Jason's chest, stroking over it ever so faintly as he moaned softly, leaning into the kiss further.

Oh gods, how he loved this.

How could one kiss ever be enough?

He needed a hundred, a thousand - _an infinite amount_ of these!

They kissed for what felt like forever, Will trying to imprint every single thing about this, from the texture of Jason's lips and tongue and teeth and mouth, to the small breaths Jason huffed out every here and there, the way he put just enough pressure on Will's lips to count as a real kiss, not soft enough for a childish brushing of lips, but not rough or demanding or passionate like all their former kisses.

The way his skin felt under Will's fingertips.

The way his heart beat in sync to Will's own.

The way his body came closer until they were embracing again, their bodies mere inches apart in some places, and not apart at all in other.

Will tried to memorize it all, tried to make the most of this moment.

Though he knew it was futile.

When they were pulling apart again after their forever ended, Will was already beginning to forget just how nicely the shape of Jason's lips had felt against his own, and how his tongue had made the roof of his mouth tingle so pleasantly.

He needn't have worried, though.

Because even before he could open his eyes and plead for _just one more kiss_, Jason's lips were back on his for another one.

And another one.

And another one.

Will felt the tears welling up in his closed eyes, and he swallowed thickly, wrapping his arms needily around Jason, who was holding him tightly, letting out small, desperate sounds as he kept kissing Will for all he was worth.

It was so good.

It was also so, so cruel.

Jason moved, and the next moment, Will felt himself getting lifted off the ground, Jason picking him up as if he weighed nothing.

Their kiss didn't even break as Will wrapped his legs around him automatically, and he permitted Jason to carry him through the room until they were at the door, all the while kissing and nipping at each other's lips as if this was all that kept them alive.

It was.

At least in Will's case.

Then Jason pressed Will's back against the door, and their kisses became one kiss again, longing and heart-wrenching, reminding Will all over again this would be over all too soon.

He didn't want it to be over.

He wanted to move into this bathroom with Jason, leave the door locked, leave the rest of the world to figure itself out, and have his safe haven here with Jason, where nothing could interrupt them, nothing could interfere, where Will wouldn't have to be scared, and Jason could have him any way he wanted for eternity (or however long Jason wished).

"We should stop…" He breathed against Jason's lips when they had to come up for air, both of them panting, but not excessively so, gazing into each other's eyes as if they could see the world in them.

Will knew he could definitely see the sky.

"We should." Jason whispered back, then their lips pressed against each other again, their arms tightly wrapped around each other, and Will mewled into the kiss desperately.

Neither of them attempted to stop.

Neither of them wanted to.

Will could feel the reluctance in Jason when he next pulled back for air.

"We have to get to bed. What if Nico and Percy wake up?" Will put in quietly, though he hated how his sense of reason had to come back right _now_, and why he had to make such a good point _right away_ to begin with.

Couldn't he have said something stupid like 'what if the bathroom door won't unlock by the time we're done making love in the sweetest yet strangest way possible?'?

Then Jason could have chuckled and pressed against him some more and said he didn't care, or that the door could stay locked for however long it liked, or something similarly dramatic and sappy.

But, _no_, he had just had to say something actually smart.

Jason seemed to think the same thing, sighing quietly and letting his gaze wander over his face again.

Then he slowly let him down, taking almost painful care Will would stay on his feet properly.

But Will didn't mention it, even though his legs felt utterly fine again.

"I know. It's just…you're so addictive. I don't want to stop." Jason admitted, sounding partly sheepish, partly like Percy when he was acting like a spoiled little brat.

Will found himself smiling softly.

"Me neither." He confessed, the words tumbling out of his mouth easily, and he was inwardly stunned at himself for a moment.

Jason's eyes darkened almost instantly, and he moved closer, their chests brushing, their faces inches apart, and his hands moving firmly over Will's sides to his hips, just holding him.

Not holding him there, not pulling him closer, just…holding on.

Will knew what Jason wanted to say, what he wanted to ask, could feel the timid hope coursing through the blonde, and he was quick to shake his head gently.

"We can't. I'm sorry, Jason. It's really…it's not…" He tried again, but once more lacked the right words to explain.

For a moment, he wanted to groan out in frustration and smack his head against the door, but he was fairly certain that would ruin this moment even more than his words already were.

Jason merely sighed, sad acceptance flooding through him.

"Ok, but…"

What?

Was he going to ask?

Was he going to pry?

Was he going to tell Will this was the only time he was offering?

Was he going to say something like 'Your loss'?

Was he going to make fun of Will now?

Was he going to call him a slut?

No. Jason wouldn't do any of those things.

Will was a hundred – nah, a _thousand_ – percent certain Jason wouldn't do that.

"…five more minutes?"

There.

_See_? He had _known_ Jason wouldn't-…what?

Will gazed up at Jason dumbfounded, at the pleading look on his face, his glasses crooked on his nose slightly from all their kissing and pushing their faces together.

Oh gods.

How was he to resist those eyes?

And those lips.

Will sighed softly, a shiver running down his spine as he reached out and adjusted Jason's glasses, taking his time in getting them perfectly straight (ha-ha. _Straight._) onto his nose and stroking through his hair.

"Alright. Five more minutes. But let me get my medic pouch so I can put something on your skin…" He conceded, then let his voice trail off as his eyes started hushing over all the dark marks on Jason's neck, moving down over Jason's torso to the waistband of his boxer shorts.

Gods, what had he _done_ to the guy?

Jason might have been gentle and timid with him, but, seeing this, Will realized _he_ certainly _hadn't_ been.

Jason chuckled quietly, glancing down at himself with something more along the lines of pride and appreciation in his gaze instead of shame or at the very least exasperation.

There was even a good portion of mirth in his eyes when he looked up at Will again, winking at him.

"What? Going to erase all the marks you left on me? Rude. You know, you're only slightly better, yourself."

Will's eyebrows shot up, and he found himself looking down surprised, for once checking on his own skin – and the light marks all over the place.

Alright, what had _they_ done?!

Seriously, good thing Will was a healer, or else it would have been _very_ interesting to see just how they would have tried to explain this mess to the guys in the morning.

Jason laughed softly, leaning forward to press a kiss to Will's forehead, before nuzzling his face against the side of his neck affectionately.

Such a cuddly person.

So intimate and affectionate.

Will loved it.

He was just getting ready for spending their last five minutes in here, when Jason suddenly unlocked the door and pushed Will out.

Well, he guessed he had missed the five minutes.

Damn.

Will bit his lip, taking a deep breath to try hold himself together and mourn the loss inwardly only – when he almost squeaked, because Jason followed right behind, nuzzling his face into the side of Will's neck, his hands moving over his sides, his chest pushing against Will's back.

"Jason!" Will hissed urgently, feeling the heat rising in his face out of nowhere again as his gaze hushed over to the bed hurriedly.

But luckily enough, Nico and Percy still seemed utterly knocked out, not even having moved from their original position, as far as Will could tell.

Jason hummed against his neck.

"You promised me five minutes."

"You're so _needy_." Will teased with a small, disbelieving laugh, and Jason huffed.

"Yes. I'm a big guy, I need lots of affection."

Will snorted at that, trying to make his way over to his discarded pants as unbothered as possible, though Jason glued against his back really wasn't anything he could really just 'ignore'.

Not that he wanted to, either.

He started giggling when Jason started peppering his neck and shoulder area with kisses, and halted and huffed softly when Jason gave his ear a gentle tug.

"Stop it, or I'll be dragging you off to the bathroom once more." He warned, though he had no intention of ravishing Jason again (that was a lie) nor letting Jason ravish him again (that was even more of a lie than the other one).

At least not tonight (also a lie).

He could feel Jason's smirk against his skin.

"Is that a promise or a threat?"

Will rolled his eyes.

"_Jason…_" He drawled, moving out of the embrace reluctantly to bend down and pick up his medic pouch.

He actually half expected Jason to do something stupid, like stepping up closer again or even going as far as pushing his groin anywhere he wasn't supposed to (technically), but Jason didn't, instead cackling quietly (which shouldn't be possible, still) and waiting for him to get what he needed, before wrapping his arms back around him and acting like a baby gorilla.

Will was fairly certain that, if Jason had been shorter and lighter than him, he'd have probably hopped onto Will's back and clung to him just like a monkey, too.

Luckily (or maybe not so luckily?) he wasn't, so he just held onto Will like this and made it awkward to walk, though they managed.

It wasn't as if Will really had a problem with this, after all.

He loved the intimacy of it all.

He also loved how things still refused to get awkward between them.

Will made for the bathroom again, but Jason ushered him into the direction of the bed, making him hesitate.

Was that really a good idea?

"If we go in the bathroom again, I won't let you out for the next some hours, and I don't even know what time it is." Jason insisted, and Will found himself wanting nothing more than to run to the bathroom at full speed.

Instead, he sighed and moved over towards the bed, sitting down on the edge, with Jason flopping down right next to him, watching him fiddle with the cream he had pulled out of his pouch.

It was self-made, but it was the only thing Will could think of that would work quickly enough, induced with a tad of nectar and a lot of hymns.

He hadn't used it in forever, but he generally used this one to make any sort of bruise fade quickly.

That's what he had made it for, after all.

But that wasn't something he wanted to think about, like, ever again, so he shoved the thought out of his mind as quickly as it had come.

Instead, he opened the tube and put some of the clear liquid on the tip of his finger, just to then look at Jason's torso again quizzically, and taking out some more, lathering up his hands.

Jason shot him an amused look, and Will made grabby hands at him for a moment to indicate what he was going to do, before frowning at himself for being an idiot and moving forward, gently placing his hands to the left and right of Jason's neck, beginning to rub in the almost oily mixture.

"It'll probably be a bit cold, but it's quick and efficient, so bear with it." He said, just as Jason shuddered and shot him a pointed look.

Yeah, Will guessed he _could_ have told him a tad sooner.

But, hey, he was _Will_, so of course he wouldn't.

"Only if I get another five minutes of being all intimate and affectionate with you."

Was Jason seriously going to haggle for more time to be intimate with Will?

Could anybody believe this guy?

"You do that. I suppose it's only fair, since I robbed you of your afterglow, didn't I?" He muttered, thinking of the way Jason had been all laid-back and pleased for a total of maybe one minute, before dragging Will off to the bathroom so he could take care of him (because Jason was simply such a sweetheart).

Jason frowned at him as Will worked fast and efficient, feeling the cream making his hands tingle, so he didn't even want to know how it would feel for Jason in a moment.

"What do you mean?"

Seriously?

Will rolled his eyes, sending Jason a pointed glance as Jason looked at him with a half amused, half confused expression.

"Well, you didn't have much time to enjoy it, did you now? Because you dragged me off to the bathroom. You should have spent that time laying back and bathing in your bliss. I could feel it, you know? So don't even pretend like it wasn't a big deal." He warned, and for a moment, Jason only looked at him blankly.

Then he snorted, chuckling to himself and shaking his head at Will.

"Will, I just got to kiss you and touch you and make your face twist in pleasure and your body writhe in lust. I am fairly certain that was the _best_ way to enjoy my afterglow, thank you very much." He stated drily, his voice low, though Will still glanced at Percy and Nico out of the corners of his eyes hurriedly to check whether they were really to a hundred percent asleep.

His face was burning, and he was pretty sure it showed.

"You…that…oh, shut up." He mumbled utterly flustered, and concentrated on getting some more cream onto his hands to rub them over Jason's sides and stomach, while Jason rolled his eyes amused and let him, even leaning back to give him more room.

"Alright, this is good. Unless you intend to get naked in front of the guys. I'm fairly certain I left some marks on your inner thighs as well…" Will informed him as he rubbed the rest of the cream onto himself quickly, instantly feeling the tingling there, too.

Jason opened his mouth with mirth in his gaze, telling Will whatever it was he was going to say next was probably going to end up being something with a lot more innuendo than possible – but then Jason's face fell, his eyes widening slightly as he sat up straighter.

"_Your legs_!" He exclaimed, looking utterly stupefied.

"What about them?" Will asked confused, glancing down at his perfectly fine legs.

What?

Was this about his inability to stand after climaxing?

That was mean! Seriously, it had never been that bad before, Jason didn't have any right to tease him about it!

"Your _legs_! I wanted to…I completely forgot! _Damn it_! My _one_ chance to touch you all over, and I didn't get to…_ugh_, I'm an idiot."

Will stared at the blonde blankly while he ranted quietly, smacking his forehead and looking utterly miserable.

What…even…

Will glanced sideways at the guys again, but they were still out cold, so he took his courage together and grabbed hold of the discarded Christmas blanket, contemplating what he was going to do next..

"Come on now, Handsome. If it helps, my legs aren't very sensitive. At least I don't think so. So you didn't really miss anything." He tried carefully, tugging the blanket a tad further away from the other two as to not interrupt them, and motioning for Jason to get into bed while storing away the cream in the nightstand.

Jason obeyed with a sigh, coming closer and waiting for Will to get under the blanket first, before climbing in after him and snuggling way too close.

"I don't believe a word of it."

Will rolled his eyes.

"You're such a sap, you know that? You're not usually this bad."

It was true. Jason was usually perfectly composed.

Right now, he more reminded him of a mixture between Nico and Percy, playful but careful.

Because Jason really still seemed to watch out he wasn't crossing any lines or rubbing Will the wrong way, still ever so attentive, it was almost unnerving.

"I know. I'm sorry, it's just…I kind of just need the closeness right now." Jason admitted, wrapping his arms tightly around Will and tugging him closer, but Will was already practically moving into him as it was, relishing in the intimacy of their actions once more.

"It's ok. It's not like I don't like it. It's just…unusual."

Jason sighed, and the two closed their eyes, snuggling against each other, and Jason nuzzled his face against the side of his neck affectionately, making him smile and turn his head more so Jason would be comfortable.

Silence settled over them, though they were in no way attempting to sleep, what, with Will shuffling every here and there and Jason brushing his lips against his skin every here and there ever so gently, a peaceful, content feeling spreading through him.

Will rolled his eyes inwardly, turning his head slightly and promptly getting the kiss he had intended to ask for.

"You know your five minutes are over, right?" He asked with his eyes only half an inch open or so.

Jason sighed.

"I suppose so."

They settled down again, neither of them moving away in any way, and silence once more engulfed them.

Then Jason started shifting, curiosity, anxiety and uncertainty rushing through him, and Will opened his eyes again, readying himself for the question he knew was coming.

"Will…when you said we…when you said that you couldn't go out with me…what exactly did you mean?"

Jason's voice was cautious, not quite asking, but more like…_probing_, testing the waters, trying to gauge whether this was asking for too much already.

Will knew he could just pretend like Jason hadn't asked, and Jason wouldn't pry again.

But that would be mean, and Jason deserved better (something that Will wished wasn't the case sometimes).

He sighed, then turned around to bring some distance between Jason's chest and himself, so Jason couldn't feel the rapidly increasing beating of his heart.

"It's nothing against you, Jason. I can assure you, I'd go out with you in a heartbeat if I could, I really would. I'd take you out on dates, watch some sappy movies with you, maybe hold hands and teach Percy and Nico how to act like a couple properly…" Will trailed off, getting lost in all the images of what could be.

But also what _would_ be if he gave in to temptation now.

Was he really willing to risk his friendship with Jason, just so they could have, what, a month of bliss?

Four weeks of butterflies and sweet nothing's that would never be enough?

Just to then quickly turn bitter and problematic once reality caught up to them again?

Will couldn't give Jason what he deserved.

He also couldn't give him what he was bound to want sooner or later.

Hell, he couldn't even give him anything he _already_ wanted, his little stunt earlier had shown him that all too clearly.

'_Jason didn't allow it yet_.'

Seriously, Will hadn't even known this would be an issue one day.

Granted, he hadn't dated anybody after _him_, too infatuated with Nico to even as much as try, but when he had gotten himself off before, he had had no problems whatsoever, even without anybody 'permitting' anything.

What would he do, sob to Jason about it and gross him out?

There was already no way Will would ever tell a living (or dead, for that matter) soul about his past, so there was even less of a way he would ever let Jason find out while they dated.

And, apparently, that would be more than impossible, since Jason was bound to realize it sooner or later – he was far from stupid, after all.

Plus, Jason was…Jason.

Didn't he love Nico, anyways?

What would he even want with Will?

Nico and Will weren't exactly very similar, after all.

If anything, Will would say they were polar opposites.

Nico was quiet, cute and adorable.

Will was loud, obnoxious and an idiot.

Plus, he did love Nico to bits, and he always would, so that would hardly be fair on Jason, either (he decided to pointedly leave out Percy, because, well, _reasons_).

Will sighed, shaking his head to himself and realizing he was drawing patterns onto Jason's chest with his fingertips.

He looked up to gaze at those wonderful, blue eyes, finding them looking right at him, and once more making him feel as if they could look right through him.

'Don't look through me, Jason. You won't like what you see.' He thought to himself bitterly, and shook his head, swallowing thickly.

"But I can't. It's…we…"

It wouldn't be right.

_I love you._

I wouldn't make you happy.

_I love you so much._

We wouldn't work out.

_Why couldn't things be different?_

Jason shook his head with a small smile and a sigh, stroking over his back and moving closer, placing a soft kiss to the top of his head.

"Hey, it's ok. You don't have to tell me. I won't ask again. Though…my offer still stands, Will. If you change your mind, about me, about us…just tell me, yeah?"

Will nodded, not meeting his gaze as he battled the urge to either cry or laugh, because there was nothing he could change his mind about.

He loved Jason, he'd love an 'us', but he simply knew it wouldn't work out.

So he wasn't going to set them up for the inevitable drama.

Nope, because Jason deserved better.

"Now, come here. One last kiss goodnight?" Jason said with a small smile, and Will studied his expression quietly for a moment, slightly confused on the inside, since Jason's emotions didn't match his expression.

But he guessed he wasn't surprised.

Jason could control his face again, after all.

A skill Will had recently lost, he was certain, since it felt as if his face showed all his secrets and worries and fears.

He leaned upwards, and their lips met for a gentle peck, not enough to satisfy either of them, to fill their need for affection, for love, for more – but it was all Will could allow right now, else he knew he'd never stop, and that would only hurt them both.

Then, he turned his back to Jason again and snuggled against him once more.

Jason put an arm around him loosely, and it took Will a long moment to realize this was how Jason _usually_ held him.

Somehow, he had already gotten used to the way Jason had held him five minutes ago, so quickly that this felt almost alien to him now.

He closed his eyes, trying to swallow the hurt, and instead telling himself it was all for the greater good, but it didn't work even half as well as he would have hoped.

"Jason?" He asked after what felt like forever, and if it hadn't been for the continuous shifting in Jason's emotions, he'd have thought the blonde was asleep already.

"Yes?"

"Can you…can you hold me again? I mean, like you did earlier. Just for a little while."

He felt horrible just for saying it out loud.

How could he ask this of Jason?

How cruel could Will be to both Jason and himself?

He half expected Jason to say no, or tell him it wasn't a good idea.

Maybe even tease him, because Will still kept thinking the worst every here and there, especially when laying himself open like this.

At the very least, he expected Jason to hesitate.

But Jason didn't, instantly moving his arm tighter around him and tugging him closer.

"Of course. Like this?"

"Yes." Will whispered quietly, and Jason's face moved back to the side of his neck.

"I had hoped you'd ask. How about we stay like this until we sleep? Tomorrow – or later today, for that matter, because it's already 3am in the morning, let me tell you – we can go back to normal best friends, ok?"

Will wasn't sure he had ever agreed to anything faster, but his 'ok' was already out there before Jason had even finished.

It was pathetic, really, but as the euphoria and elation surged through Jason, with him tugging him closer and letting him feel the smile against the side of his neck, Will thought it might not even be all that bad.

Maybe he should let himself fall a few more times.

At least around Jason.

Maybe.

They snuggled closer together again, and Jason's right hand found Will's, linking their fingers together.

Just for a tiny bit longer.

Just for the rest of the night.

Just until Will was asleep.

Will turned his head slightly, stealing a sideways glance at Jason, just to find him gazing back at him.

Just until they were asleep.

Jason smiled softly, and Will smiled back.

They weren't going to sleep tonight, were they?


	28. Chapter 28: Goodbyes

**A/N: **Hello Cupcakes  
Giant sorry for the VERY late update, this chapter was driving me crazy, and the more I pushed, the slower it went.  
(Work is killing me, please bear with me until it gets better - which SHOULD be soon!)

Big sorry to everyone who has messaged me and I haven't replied yet, I just couldn't find the time so far.  
(Thanks for the encouragement, though. It really helped a lot)

As for future updates, I can't vouch for things to go back to weekly updates anytime soon, I just know there will be updates, and I'll be as quick about them as I can be.

On another note, the chapter is finally done :D  
**Big thanks once again to my amazing beta-reader(s) :3**

Hope you'll enjoy the chapter,  
Tári

P.s.: There's Italian in this chapter, if anybody finds mistakes, please send me a note and I'll fix it. I did it to the best of my knowledge (which isn't much, I only picked up Italian last year and my understanding is limited to children's books...) and used google for comparison and help, but I know how that can work out sometimes (or rather, not work out)  
So don't hesitate to correct, no matter if it's wrong word usage, phrasing, grammar, or simply something no Italian would ever say that way because it's too English or whatever.

* * *

**Chapter 28: Good mornings, Goodbyes, and it's going to be ok**

When Percy woke up in the morning, Jason and Will were snuggled up under Nico's Christmas blanket, talking in hushed voices, and Jason had his face pressed against Will's skin, just between his neck and shoulders.

This wouldn't really have bothered Percy, if it wasn't for the fact that Will giggled quietly and let him, his freckles glowing and standing out golden against his tanned skin.

Alright, what had Percy missed this time?

Why was Will such a little ray of sunshine, and why was Jason all lovey-dovey?

Not that anything surprised him after having them snuggled up in the pillow corner yesterday morning already, and them both staying in the pillow corner alone last night (though that had been mostly Jason's insistence, since Will had been asleep at the time).

(So much for not making a move on Will, by the way, Jason. Were you even _trying_ to fool anybody with that?)

He wanted to huff indignantly, but stopped himself, instead deciding to watch them a tiny bit longer, in hope for answers.

Sadly, he could barely even hear them.

He thought he heard Will whisper, "You're such a sap, Jason. Go to sleep. We agreed two hours ago you'd go to sleep first." Percy squinted in the dim lighting and spied Will with a broad, giddy grin. His bright blue eyes gleamed with adoration and mirth, not seeming tired in the slightest.

Jason rolled his eyes, his glasses hanging so loosely on his nose it was a miracle they even stayed on his face, but he didn't seem to care. Jason's grin matched Will's, and he gazed down at the other blonde as if he was all the son of Jupiter ever wanted to look at.

Something inside Percy twisted and clenched, but he ignored it, instead trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Not that he really thought they'd notice him.

They were so close, and their eyes glued to each other; Percy doubted anything else existed in their little world right now.

So, they'd been up for a while already, huh?

And then they just started to get all cuddly and cute?

That didn't sound like a likely scenario for those two.

Especially not Will.

Plus, hadn't Jason insisted that Percy and Nico should keep the bed to themselves tonight?

If those two liked their pillow corner so much, why were they here now?

And why were they so far away from Nico and him?

If they already had to come here, they might as well come closer.

Percy made a face, scolding himself inwardly.

What was he, twelve?

He should be happy that Will was in a better mood.

Although, at this rate, he was certain he'd have preferred that good mood to come from playing board games with Jason again instead of being all over each other in bed, right next to Percy and Nico, no less.

"We agreed on no such thing. _You_ said I should go to sleep first, yes, but I told you there's no way I'll do that if there's a chance to…" Jason replied quietly, and Percy strained his ears to catch the rest, but couldn't.

Damn it, why did Jason have to bury his face in the crook of Will's neck so much that Percy couldn't hear anything more than incoherent mumbling?!

Judging by the blush spreading on Will's face, it was something important, too!

Why was Will letting that happen, anyways?!

Percy watched sourly as Will closed his eyes, grinning from one ear to the other and made a small squealing sound when Jason suddenly blew a raspberry on his neck.

Percy's scowl deepened when Will's hand moved to hold onto the arm Jason had wrapped around him tightly, keeping him there.

He looked so…happy.

Jason's glasses slid off his face, but neither of them picked them up when they landed next to Will on the Christmas blanket.

In fact, Percy wasn't even sure they had noticed in the first place.

What were they _doing_?

What _was_ this?

"You're impossible, Jason." Will muttered when the blonde stopped, but he didn't seem upset whatsoever, instead nuzzling his face against his skin affectionately once more.

He should have sounded exasperated or annoyed, but his voice was gentle, soft and adoring, as if he had just said 'I love you' instead – and Percy froze, staring at them, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

Jason lifted his head slightly, gazing at Will with the gentlest expression Percy had ever seen, a small smile playing on both their lips.

They looked so…in love.

What had Percy missed?

Had something happened last night?

Had they…were they…a couple?

"Talk about yourself, _Freckles_."

For some reason, the way Jason emphasized 'Freckles' made Will's face flush crimson, and he shoved him playfully with a small wail.

"Don't you _dare_, Jason! I swear, that's…you're…oh gods, you're the worst…" He whined quietly, while Jason let out a small, very uncharacteristic cackle and followed Will insistently as the blonde turned his back to him and started shuffling away, as if half-heartedly trying to escape.

"Aw, come on, I told you I liked it. I really don't see why you're embarrassed about _that_, of all things…" He cooed, wrapping his arms tightly around Will once more and burying his face at the back of Will's head, hiding it from view in the blonde curls, effectively making anything else he might or might not have said inaudible.

Percy frowned, at an utter loss. What were they were even talking about?

Will huffed indignantly, still looking adorably flustered when he turned his head sideways from where he had buried it in the pillow.

"Shush. I swear, if _that's_ what you're going to think about each time you call me 'Freckles', I'll _definitely_ not let you call me that anymore. Pervert."

_Pervert?_

Percy stared at them in an utter stupor.

_What?_

Jason chuckled, shaking his head slightly – or maybe he was merely nuzzling his face further into Will's hair, who knew.

"That's _mean_. You can't just expect me to _not_ think of that, Will, not after…"

Gods, _what_? What had happened?!

Percy inwardly grumbled and tried to move closer somehow. He was almost desperate to catch the rest, or get super hearing out of nowhere, _anything_ that would let him _hear_...

Will made a flustered sound that was something between a squeak and a hiss.

"Shh, keep your voice down, you crazy fool. Percy and Nico could wake up any moment. I can only tell how close they are to waking up when there's physical contact, Handsome." The blonde explained, and Percy momentarily panicked, letting his eyes fall shut and trying to act utterly asleep once more, just in case the two decided to come closer now.

So Will really could tell whether they were sleeping or not when he touched them?

Then what about the past times when Percy had acted asleep?

Oh, wait, Will hadn't exactly touched him then, had he?

"They're asleep, don't worry. They were so concerned about you last night that they only managed to fall asleep a few hours later, after acting asleep and watching my every move to make sure I didn't molest you. So, yeah, I'm fairly certain they'll be knocked out for at least another hour," Jason retorted, hoisting himself up slightly onto his elbows.

Will immediately let himself roll onto his back, gazing up at Jason with that warm, affectionate gleam in his eyes that made Percy's chest clench ever so painfully.

He didn't dare risk opening his eyes any further than the fraction of an inch, preferring to see blurred images of his friends rather than being found out and not being able to continue spying on them.

Percy so didn't want to be caught, after all.

And, wait, how did Jason know he and Nico had still been awake, watching the two of them in the pillow corner?

They had settled into bed utterly normally!

Alright, maybe they _had_ been ever so slightly tilted, to actually grant a good view of said corner, but, come on! They had done their best to be as inconspicuous as possible!

Jason shouldn't have noticed a thing!

And since when was Will comfortable with being _beneath_ anybody, _ever_?!

"Oh really? Well, they needn't have worried." Will muttered, sounding slightly bitter for a moment, and Percy frowned, opening one eye a _tiny_ bit further, trying to catch a glimpse of his face, but Will had turned his back to them, instead hiding his face at Jason's chest as Jason dropped back down.

Jason's lips twitched, and Percy could see the love in his eyes from here, no matter how blurry and small his vision was.

He could also see how Jason adjusted to the new position, his arm loosely around Will's side, stroking his back at a slow pace.

...Why didn't Will ever let Percy hold him like that?

Jason smirked at something else the blonde said, and inched even closer, entangling their legs.

_Show-off._

One day, Percy was so going to…to do what?

Hold Will like that?

Jason held him like a lover, how would Percy ever be able to do that?

Stupid him, getting all jealous again over things he shouldn't be jealous about.

"Go to sleep, Jason." Will ordered again, loud enough for Percy to hear.

"No. You go to sleep. I'm not going to waste a single second of this." Jason persisted, and Percy had no idea what 'this' was supposed to be, though he really, really was dying to know.

"You're crazy. Come on, I can feel you're tired. And I know you know I'm tired, too. Don't you want to make sure I get my beauty sleep?"

"Well, it's not like you need it. Look at you, all beautiful and stunning." Jason claimed, smiling a million dollar smile, while Will pulled back to look up at him with an expression that Percy assumed must be confused and/or incredulous, though he still couldn't see.

He wanted to see so badly, though. Why couldn't Will face him again?!

What was Jason _saying_?!

This was SO making a move on Will!

"You…that…I…oh, shut up. Stop saying stuff like that. Dork." Will exclaimed, and Percy guessed it must have been a flustered expression, since he definitely sounded flustered.

Jason's smile merely broadened.

"You know you like it. Who'd have thought you liked praise so much?"

What…?

Will made a high-pitched sound in the back of his throat and pushed Jason away insistently again, turning his back to him and thus granting Percy the much-yearned for glimpse of his face.

A very, _very_ flushed face, with his freckles standing out like the stars in the night sky on a clear night, far away from the city.

He looked absolutely _adorable_.

Percy caught himself wondering faintly whether he'd be able to trace star constellations onto his skin too, or whether he'd find entirely different patterns.

Sadly, it wasn't his fingers that gently stroked over Will's shoulder and neck barely two seconds later, but Jason's.

Percy was about to roll his eyes, but then he outright _scowled_ when Jason's face went back to its apparently new favorite spot in the crook of Will's neck, with Will _letting it happen_ without complaint.

He just huffed and muttered something under his breath that Percy couldn't catch, just like he couldn't catch Jason's reply.

Seriously_, what were they doing?_

Alright, the four of them had gone way past the point of society's general view of what friends did, but this was seriously a bit much, wasn't it?

Or maybe they _were_ dating.

Who knew what had happened last night?

Maybe Will had had a bad dream and only Jason had been there to comfort him, and they had ended up confessing their crushes on each other?

This was _exactly_ why Percy had wanted them _all_ to stay in the pillow corner with him!

He strained his ears as best as he could, but right when he thought he might make out a couple of words again, Will moved and turned his back to him. The two blondes put their heads together, only their hair visible, and their words were once more utterly indistinguishable.

Mean.

Unfair.

_Cruel_.

Percy was going to _die_ from curiosity.

What had happened last night?

What could possibly make them get so comfortable and lovey-dovey with each other?

Were they really dating now?

Please no...

Percy winced at his own thoughts, guilt gnawing on him.

No, wait, of course it would be _great_ if they were dating.

And finally happy.

Yes, yes, absolutely…

Percy wanted to behead some dummies.

Preferably a lot of them.

An army of dummies.

And some monsters.

Tons of monsters.

Yes.

Scowling, he turned his back to the two lovebirds and wrapped his arms around Nico sulkily, who sighed in his sleep and half-heartedly returned the hug, patting his side as if in reassurance.

Percy buried his face in his boyfriend's hair, trying to ignore the pain in his chest.

He wasn't very successful.

Maybe he should indeed have a talk with Nico.

Then again, if those two had found their happiness, there was no point in that whatsoever anymore, was there now?

Percy closed his eyes tightly.

Next time, he would insist on them all sleeping together, no matter where, no matter how.

But for now, he had to find something to do until Nico woke up, or until those two went back to sleep, or decided to get up, or whatever else they intended to do.

This day was off to a good start, apparently.

At least for Jason and Will.

.

"What do you _mean_, you're 'good where you are'? I thought it was _your_ idea to get breakfast!" Percy complained, and Nico closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.

_Oh gods, Percy, don't pick a fight with Will _now_._

The situation was already weird enough as it was, he didn't want to see Will getting pissed off.

Especially since he seemed in an utterly terrific mood.

A disturbingly terrific mood.

While being squished by a sleeping Jason, who was half draped over the blonde and had his head buried between his neck and shoulders, his fingers entwined with Will's in plain view.

No, Nico wasn't going to assume anything.

He also wasn't going to question anything.

He had woken up earlier to find Percy sulking and acting asleep, and Will staring up at the ceiling with one of the brightest smiles Nico had ever seen, so Nico had already done the unspeakable and asked 'What's up?' – which had first scared the shit out of Percy, then shocked them both into stunned silence as Will didn't seem startled whatsoever, instead turning his head to them with a big smile and wishing them a good morning.

No startled expression, no trying-to-get-away-from-Jason, no...nothing.

He hadn't even pulled his hand away from Jason's in any way or tried to cover anything up whatsoever.

Instead, Will had stayed exactly like that, looking happy and content and _happy_, smiling at them brightly, as if today was the best day in existence.

Nico was pretty sure that had been the most unnerving moment in his life.

Apparently, it had been the same for Percy, because his boyfriend had seemed utterly dumbfounded for a very long moment, before he had quickly proceeded with asking Will questions like 'What have you two been up to?' and 'Isn't that a bit close for platonic cuddling?'.

But Will had only replied with shrugs and 'This and that.', 'You think so?' and affirmative or noncommittal sounds, so…yeah.

All in all, Percy and Nico still weren't any wiser as to what had transpired to make him grin that brightly, not to mention why Jason was draped over him like that.

But Nico had decided to just accept it and drop the matter.

Unlike Percy, who kept trying to ask 'Are you two dating?' in the weirdest and most abstract ways possible.

Nico wasn't even sure how he knew, but he just _knew_ that was the question Percy was so desperate to get an answer to.

He didn't know why Percy wanted to know so badly, but at the same time, he kind of wanted to know, too, and Will's evasiveness (no matter if it was intentional or not) only unnerved him even more, so he let Percy ask away, hoping Will would have mercy on him at some point.

Because, come on, Will was _bound_ to have realized by now what Percy wanted to know, right?

Or maybe Percy should really just straight out ask him.

Or maybe _Nico_ should have mercy and ask for him, because he was fairly certain the only reason Percy _hadn't_ asked already, was because he had hinted at them dating and pissed them off plenty enough times to not dare ask in vain even one more time.

Good, at least he seemed to have learned his lesson.

But…that had been _then_.

_Now_, Will had told them breakfast would be great, and Percy had instantly jumped at the idea, getting up and urging Nico out of the warm and comfortable bed, too – just to find out Will seemed to have no intention whatsoever of leaving Jason's sort of embrace.

Alright, Nico could see why Percy was upset.

But…maybe complaining like this wasn't the best way to go about the matter.

Luckily, Will merely chuckled.

He really was in a splendid mood, huh?

"Perce, I said breakfast would be great, I never said _I'd_ get breakfast. How about you two go and get something? Jason only just fell asleep maybe an hour ago. I really want him to get some more rest and don't want to risk him waking up just yet. Plus, I'm perfectly comfortable here, it would be a shame to get up now."

Well, that was direct.

And wait, what did Will _mean_, Jason had only just fallen asleep _an hour ago_?

_How long had those two been awake?_

No wonder Percy was dying to find out what they had done, now Nico really wanted to know, too.

Then again, what would he do with that information?

It wasn't as if they would actually do anything that Percy and Nico couldn't guess, so, really, it wasn't a big deal, right?

They had probably just talked or played some games in the pillow corner.

Or had a pillow fight.

Or something similar.

Nothing big.

Nothing bad.

Nico should stop reading too much into everything for no reason whatsoever.

And by the looks of it, Percy should, too.

Then again, Will _was_ acting kind of strange, wasn't he?

He shook his head at that thought, deciding to wait and see – just as Percy opened his mouth with an expression that told him he was undoubtedly either about to complain even more or about to seriously start a fight.

"Come on, Percy. He's right, if Jason didn't sleep well last night, we should respect that. You know how light he sleeps, he'd wake up instantly if Will moved right now. Will, any particular wishes for breakfast?" He asked hurriedly, tugging Percy by the sleeve of the hoodie he had thrown on as soon as they had gotten out of bed.

Percy let him, his head shooting around to look at him with a momentarily surprised, then conflicted expression, as if he wasn't sure whether to go along with what Nico was saying, or continue complaining.

A moment later, though, he seemed to almost deflate, the fight leaving his eyes, and he gave a short nod to let Nico know he admitted defeat.

Nico felt a tinge of unease surge through him at the sight, something nagging at the back of his mind, and he let his hand slide down Percy's arm to his hand, tentatively taking hold of it.

He didn't want Percy to be upset.

He was just trying to avoid an argument…unnecessary drama…fights between them in such confined space, when things had been going too well the past weeks…

Percy instantly squeezed his hand gently, a small, yet still somewhat…sad?...smile hushing over his face.

"Hm…nah, anything will do. But get Jason something…hmm…actually, can you guys get us pancakes? Pancakes would be awesome." Will called over quietly from the bed, though he was staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully instead of at them, and Nico saw his hand now moving ever so gently through Jason's hair, stroking – no, _caressing_ – him.

Something inside Nico stirred again, but he pushed it down forcefully, his grip on Percy's hand tightening slightly, though he tried not to make it too noticeable.

But Percy still stiffened next to him, and he looked around hurriedly to check whether Percy had noticed, after all, and what he'd think, and whether he was going to be upset, or disappointed, or both, or-…

Percy was staring at Will's hand just as Nico had been, his expression between uncertainty and borderline panic, and, as ironic as it was, Nico found himself relaxing slightly.

Then he frowned, wondering what Percy's expression was for.

"Sure. Pancakes it is. That might take a while, though, just as a warning." He said hurriedly when he realized he was expected to say something, and he tugged on Percy's hand again.

He was eager to get out of the room and away from the weird scene in front of him, to think it over, to calm down, to talk to his boyfriend, to get his mind out of the hell it was working itself into.

"Take all the time you need. As I said, I want Jason to sleep a little while longer." Will said in a carefree, light voice, and Nico glanced over his shoulder one more time, catching sight of him with his eyes closed and an utterly content smile on his face, one hand still holding Jason's, and the other still in Jason's hair, now playing with a few strands.

Nico's heart clenched, and he swallowed. He turned away and ushered Percy out of the room, preventing Percy from turning back and commenting further on their friends' choice of sleeping arrangements.

"Come on, let's…let's give them some peace…" He mumbled stupidly once the door was shut, and Percy shot him an odd look, instantly scanning his face for an indicator to his probably more than apparent discomfort.

Worried Percy might interpret it the wrong way, Nico opted for a small smile, but he was fairly certain it looked more like a grimace than anything else.

Percy's expression instantly softened, his hand squeezing his again as they started walking away from his room.

"I suppose you're right. Though, I'm telling you, they had plenty of peace. I've been awake for a while already, and those two were wide awake for most of the time. I really wonder what happened last night. You should have seen Jason; he was all-…never mind. It doesn't matter, I guess." Percy started rambling, then suddenly stopped, looking so horribly uneasy again it made Nico's stomach twist.

He found himself moving closer slightly, pulling his hand out of Percy's in order to put his arm awkwardly around Percy's midriff instead, to get them closer as they moved down the long and dark hallway.

This made walking a lot more awkward and weird, but Percy's arm instantly moved around him as well, so he guessed it couldn't be all that bad.

"Jason was all what? No, tell me. I'm curious too, you know? I mean, last night Will seemed intent to sleep as far away from all of us as possible – what, with him almost _deliberately_ falling asleep in the pillow corner – and now, he's…like this."

He wanted to say 'glued to Jason', but he was worried that might sound like he was jealous, and he didn't want Percy to think that.

Plus, it wasn't as if he _was_ jealous.

The whole thing just made him…uneasy?

But it was nothing, it would pass, everything would be good.

"I know right? I mean, sure, we all got closer over the course of the past months, but this? Jason was all over him the entire time, being all snuggly cuddly, and Will just…just let him. Why is that? What could have possibly happened? Are they dating now?" Percy asked, looking slightly disturbed as he spoke, and Nico let out a low sigh.

"I agree, this does seem a bit odd. Who knows, maybe they are…dating…" He felt his chest clench again and cleared his throat quickly to keep his voice from cracking or otherwise betraying him.

"I mean, it's not like that would be a…a bad thing. They do seem to…erm…like each other. In a way. And…I'm sure they would…would make a good couple…" He added hurriedly, trying to sound as positive and unbothered as possible.

Percy came to an abrupt stop, staring at him in what could almost be considered shock.

"You…" He started, then his whole body seemed to slump in defeat again, realization washing over his features.

Nico could feel the dread coursing through him and he gulped, wondering frantically what Percy was going to say.

Had he realized Nico was still into them?

He must have.

Nico was always way too obvious.

"I…yeah. I suppose so. I mean, they sort of fit together, I guess? And Jason's a good guy, he'll…erm…" Percy tried, but then seemed at a loss for words, looking anywhere but at Nico.

Nico frowned slightly, trying to make sense of Percy's expression, his words, the way his body was hunched slightly, the way he seemed so…what was it?

Disappointed? Defeated? Heart-broken?

Did he know?

Or did he not?

If he knew, why was he saying this?

So he didn't know?

But then why did he look like this?

Nico didn't understand.

He also didn't like it.

His Percy should never look this crestfallen.

Shouldn't it be Nico's job to cheer him up and make him happy?

Wasn't that what boyfriends did?

Being supportive, attentive, comforting?

But how was he supposed to comfort Percy if he had no clue what he was so upset about in the first place?

If Nico started talking about his still existent crushes on the guys out of nowhere just because he assumed, and it then turned out that Percy _hadn't_ been thinking about that at all (maybe he had forgotten…though that was probably just wishful thinking on Nico's part), Nico didn't even want to picture that.

But there had to be a way to comfort him.

Nico should really ask Jason for help on how to best comfort Percy.

Which was pretty pathetic, given that _he_ was Percy's boyfriend, not Jason.

(Though those two _did_ have that bromance-thing going on that Nico was never going to understand.)

He pursed his lips and tried to collect his thoughts, stepping forward to put his hands on Percy's arms, gently stroking up and down awkwardly.

"I suppose. But let's not assume, ok? I mean…you know how they are. And Will _did_ claim hundreds of times there was 'no way' they'd end up dating. Let's just have breakfast, get some pancakes, wait until Jason wakes up…it's probably nothing. You'll see, in an hour or two, we'll be laughing about all this, yeah?"

He wasn't even sure what he was trying to say.

Did he even have a point?

Didn't sound like it.

But Percy did seem to relax slightly, and Nico could even detect the hint of a smile on his gorgeous face.

"Yeah, you're probably right. It's just…a lot would change, I guess…and…erm…you know…I was thinking…" Percy first started more or less confidently, but suddenly started looking uneasy again, and that conflicted look was back.

Nico really didn't like that.

Now he also finally figured out why.

It gave the impression Percy was scared.

Scared of how Nico would react, scared of saying the wrong thing, while there shouldn't be a wrong thing to say.

It just felt…wrong.

"Yes?" He asked, probing gently when Percy trailed off awkwardly, staring off into space as if contemplating whether he should really continue.

Nico started rubbing his arms up and down again, stepping closer, hoping to convey to Percy he could come out with whatever it was he wanted to get off his chest.

It wasn't as if Nico was going to get angry.

Seriously, he couldn't think of anything _Percy_ could possibly say that would upset Nico enough to justify this hesitation.

Unless Percy wanted to break up.

In that case, Nico would get upset, but not as in angry-upset, but as in devastated-upset.

No, he seriously hoped it wouldn't be that.

Percy let out a long sigh, his hands moving to Nico's hips as he looked down to meet his gaze.

"I was just thinking maybe we could make the pancakes ourselves. That way, Jason's sleep is guaranteed for another hour, unless Will wakes him up before then." Percy said with a small smile, though it didn't reach his eyes, and Nico had the very distinct feeling this was _not_ what Percy had been so hesitant about.

He halted for a moment, studying Percy's face and wishing he could be like Jason a bit more and know from just a glance what was wrong.

But he wasn't like Jason.

He had no idea what was wrong.

"If that's what you want." He said cautiously, and watched Percy's gaze flickering to the side for a moment, before he shrugged, moving his hands over Nico's sides gently.

"I don't really mind either way. Just thought it would be a nice idea. I also really like the idea of being alone with you for a while. Just you and me, in the dining room…" Percy's voice was quickly turning into a low purr, and Nico blinked at the sudden change as Percy's smile went from small, weak and fake to genuine and predatory.

Percy chuckled, and this time it sounded real.

"Don't worry, I won't try anything indecent. I really do like the idea of being alone with you for a bit, though. With the other two around all the time like this, one kind of starts to appreciate such small moments of privacy, huh?"

Nico raised an eyebrow against his will, resisting the urge to point out that it was mainly because of _Percy_ that the other two were around most of the time.

Percy caught his look and laughed.

"Don't say it. Just don't. I know what that face means. Come on, there's breakfast to get."

He still didn't seem entirely ok, his eyes still looked rather dull and sad, but Nico decided to drop the matter for now, letting Percy wrap an arm around his shoulders and tug him along towards the dining room.

He'd talk to him later.

Whenever they'd have a quiet moment, with just the two of them, and no pressure or growling stomachs.

Yeah, that sounded good.

Nico could sit Percy down and…talk?

Alright, he'd have to think that through once more, and ask Jason for advice beforehand, because just the thought of sitting Percy down and randomly beginning any sort of serious conversation seemed alien to him.

He didn't even start serious conversations when it was about himself, that was usually also done by Jason saying the right things, in the right way, to make him spill.

After all, he had tried this approach with mentioning his insecurities about 'what he was and wasn't allowed to do' to Percy, back when they had been in the car, all those months ago – and that hadn't really worked out as well as he had hoped, had it now?

So, how he was supposed to find out what bothered Percy was still a giant question mark in his head.

But he'd manage.

"I love you." He said quietly, but determinedly, and Percy glanced around at him surprised for a moment, before a soft smile spread on his lips, the same way it always did when Nico told him those three small words.

"I love you too, Angel." Percy replied gently, and Nico could feel his own lips forming the same smile he always had whenever Percy told him those words, too.

It was truly astounding how good three simple words could make you feel.

He doubted he'd ever get used to this.

They might not have been dating for 'long' yet, but…it had been three months already, and he still felt as in love with Percy as ever.

That had to count for something, right?

Which reminded him…

"Oh! Persephone leaves today, doesn't she?" He blurted without thinking, probably entirely ruining the mood they had just established.

Great.

Good job, Nico.

He looked at Percy apologetically, but his boyfriend was still too busy blinking at him, taken aback.

Then, he laughed, tugging Nico closer for a moment as they kept on walking.

(Percy looked so utterly beautiful when he laughed. Nico was never going to get used to that, either.)

Well, maybe Nico hadn't ruined the mood entirely, after all.

They started talking about Hades and Persephone, and how Jason still hadn't managed to find something suitable to offer Hades, and tons of other meaningless things, but it helped ease the tension between and inside them.

By the time they reached the dining room, Percy seemed utterly at ease again, laughing freely, and his eyes gleaming again so wonderfully, Nico found himself tugging him down by his collar to press their lips together in a quick kiss.

Percy grinned against his lips and hummed contently, gently stroking a wild strand of hair out of Nico's face when he pulled away again, his gaze warm and loving.

It reminded Nico a bit of how Jason looked at Will sometimes, though he wasn't sure whether those two were this far, yet.

Then again, he also remembered times Will had had a similar expression on his face when looking at Nico, so maybe Nico was interpreting too much into it in the first place.

"Do you think Will is going to play _SingStar_ with us today?" Percy asked thoughtfully, and now it was Nico's turn to blink confused at the sudden change in topic.

Then he laughed when he saw Percy making an incredulous face.

He leaned up to give him another peck, then he pushed the door open.

"I'm sure he will, darling."

For a moment, he halted, surprised at his usage of an actual pet name.

Percy seemed surprised, too, though his stunned look only lasted the fraction of a second longer, before he started grinning from one ear to the other, looking proud and smug and utterly adorable, his cheeks flushing slightly, and his eyes gleaming.

Nico was just going to assume this reaction came from his 'darling', and not from him reassuring Percy that Will was going to play with him.

"Good morning to you two, also. Had a nice sleep?" A rather bored sounding voice greeted them from the table and the two spun around.

They were surprised to find Hades sitting alone at his usual place, though he was wearing rather…normal clothes, for once.

"Dad?" He asked confused, while Percy muttered a quick 'Good Morning', looking mildly uncomfortable.

Even if things between the two had somewhat levelled out by now, they were still the ones that had the least conversations with each other – unlike Will, who had somehow managed to strike up conversations (as well as arguments) with all of them; or Jason, who was on fairly good terms with the three gods as well (except when it was for the peace-bringing business, apparently).

But, yeah, Percy got along well with the other two, as well. Just not with Hades.

Sadly, it seemed that Persephone and Demeter weren't around right now, for whatever reasons.

Had they already left?

But they had said they'd do so in the afternoon?

That was why the four of them had promised to have lunch with them?

Ugh, gods were so complicated, sometimes.

And why was his dad wearing jeans and a rather bland, dark sweater?

Not that the look didn't suit him, but…it was weird.

Nico had never seen him in anything but formal attire, always either in godly robes or a suit that seemed more expensive than what the richest lawyers could ever afford.

Hades waved a hand, motioning for them to get over there and sit down.

Nico and Percy exchanged a glance and walked over hurriedly.

"Did Persephone and Demeter already leave?" He asked, but Hades shook his head with a sigh, leaning back in his chair.

"No, they're _packing_. Don't ask me what or why, but that's what that _wonderful_ creature of a mother-in-law said, anyways." His dad said with utter distaste, making a face.

Nico stared.

As did Percy, for that matter, his eyebrows raised so high they were hidden from view behind his ever growing fringe.

(They should all seriously get a haircut sometime soon.)

His father was acting rather…strange.

So…human.

It was disturbing.

"Umm…ok." He said lamely, looking around at the dishes spread out on the table.

Seriously, though, what was he supposed to say to that?

'Sucks to be you?'

'Maybe they want to grab some of the decoration skulls to have something that reminds them of you?'

'Why don't you just kick Demeter out already and 'kidnap' your wife once more, if you're so desperate for some alone-time?'

Actually…

Nico glanced over at Percy, who was still staring at Hades with a stunned expression, though he did seem to feel Nico's gaze, as he met his eyes only a moment later.

Nico tried to have a silent conversation with him, the way Jason usually managed to do it.

Judging by the way Percy's stunned expression now turned confused, he was failing miserably.

Still, Nico tried his best, nodding his head ever so inconspicuously at Hades as possible, so he wouldn't notice.

_Come on, Percy, this is your chance!_

Percy looked between him and the god, his eyebrows still knit together in confusion.

Then, suddenly, realization flashed across his features – only to have him look even more confused, staring at Nico as if he was crazy.

What?

Ok, what had Percy understood?

Oh gods, he better not have _mis_understood anything.

Maybe Nico should have tugged him closer and whispered into his ear or something.

Then again, that would have made Hades notice and thus ruin the entire point.

Percy shot him a last dubious look, then he turned towards the god, clearing his throat.

"If you want, we could try to humor your mother-in-law for a while, to…you know…give you some time with your wife…?" His boyfriend, his wonderful, wonderful – _but so horribly STUPID_ – boyfriend suggested hesitantly, and Nico was fairly certain his head had never snapped around faster.

_What?!_

Percy,_ NO!_

_Why?!_

All Nico had wanted was for Percy to say something comforting, something to get Hades' good grades, to put them on better terms since they'd probably spend some more time down here…

Why did he have to offer…_this_?

This was _madness_!

Did he _not_ know what he was offering?

Had he seriously just said he'd try to keep _Demeter_ away from Persephone and Hades, so those two could do…whatever it was they wanted to do (Nico didn't want to know)?!

Demeter would _kill_ them.

And Hades.

And everybody involved except her daughter (though maybe her as well).

That was like…like…like telling Percy he'd have to spend a day by himself while Jason and Will kidnapped Nico to someplace secret and far away.

No, that wasn't quite right.

It would be like somebody telling Percy he'd have to spend a day by himself while that somebody kidnapped Nico, Jason _and_ Will and kept the three of them locked away somewhere.

Yeah, that was about right.

Percy would murder anything in his path to get to them, Nico was certain.

And Demeter would, too, once she found out they were just trying to distract her and keep her away from her daughter and Hades.

(No wonder Persephone had never had any children. With her mother around the entire time, Nico was surprised to have caught them in an intimate moment even once. Wow, now he almost felt bad for having interrupted them back then. Then again: _eww_.)

Hopefully, his father would say no.

Nico looked back to the god, but his hopes were instantly squashed as he saw his dad considering Percy with a doubtful, yet thoughtful expression.

Then the god leaned forward.

"You're aware of what you're offering, Jackson, right? Well, I must say, I'm surprised. At this rate, I might just have to overthink my opinion of you. Maybe."

Wait, what?

Did this mean Hades took him up on it?

No!

How were they even supposed to keep Demeter busy?

He looked back at Percy, and Percy was looking at him with big eyes, confusing him for a moment before he realized he had moved his hand to Percy's thigh and squeezed the hell out of it.

Oops.

He tried to look as inconspicuously urgent as possible, which apparently was impossible to do, since all it accomplished was making his face hurt, his dad smirk and Percy look at an utter loss.

"Erm…" His boyfriend said hesitantly into the silence, and Nico racked his brain for something to say or do to fix this in any way.

But with the offer already in the room, he as Hades' _son_ couldn't exactly say that wasn't a good idea and that they wouldn't do it.

In the end, Hades would make Percy do it on his own, and Nico intended to grow old with a _living_ Percy, thank you very much.

So, he had to find some sort of excuse.

Anything.

Nico concentrated hard.

Percy shifted next to him.

The silence stretched on.

Nico found nothing he could use.

_Ugh._

"Well, as Percy said, we can _try_. Don't expect too much, though. For all we know, she might expect something like that and not fall for it at all." He finally reasoned, looking at his father even though he really didn't want to.

Hades had his elbows on the table and his chin resting on his hands, studying them with a gleeful expression.

_Sadistic bastard._

Percy let out a breath he seemed to have been holding, relaxing slightly, though Nico wanted to glower at him for bringing forth this situation in the first place.

Seriously, that guy.

How had he ever survived the past years with the two wars and Tartarus and the impending end of the world?

Good thing everything was peaceful, more or less, right now.

Then again, now Percy also had Nico, Jason and Will with him, so they should be enough to avert any danger and damage…he hoped.

But with all the monsters lying low, and everything rather quiet, he guessed he didn't have to worry much about such things right now.

However, what he _should_ worry about, was how they were going to get out of this, else they'd both end up dead before their time had come.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll figure something out. In fact, I believe she has been meaning to have some time alone with you two, anyways. Something about 'preparing you for the real world' and 'you need to know how to grow your own crops if you want to get anywhere in life'. You know, the usual." Hades said with a dismissive wave of his hand, a definite hint of amusement and glee in his eyes, and Nico inwardly groaned.

Just great.

Percy now looked guilty, glancing sideways at Nico with a guilty puppy-eyes look that conveyed much more than the mute 'I am so sorry this is happening'.

Nico felt his expression softening, unable to be mad at Percy, even though this just plainly _sucked_.

He guessed it was partly his own fault, too.

Alright, he had only wanted Percy to say something nice and understanding to Hades to show him he cared, and thus show Hades what a great guy he was, but Nico guessed he should have went about letting Percy know of this great plan in a different way.

Meh.

He sighed, moving his hand back to Percy's thigh to stroke over it gently, hoping offhandedly that he hadn't actually injured him earlier.

"Oh. That's great, then. We'll let her know once we see her, then. And, well, we need to talk it over with Jason and Will, I guess."

Ha! Maybe they could get away if Will and/or Jason claimed they weren't feeling too well!

Nico just started feeling victorious, when his father chuckled quietly.

"I'm sure they won't mind you being gone for a few hours. It will give them some time to…sort things out." He said with a small (and rather creepy, yet disturbingly characteristic) smile and a knowing look that made Nico's skin tingle unpleasantly.

What?

Did Hades know about whatever had happened last night between Will and Jason?

Oh gods, he _did_, didn't he?

Why? How?

Was it something big?

Something important?

Wait, did this mean Will and Jason had actually _left their room_?

Had they been someplace in the Underworld?

Was that why they apparently hadn't slept?

And wait, did this mean they _were_ dating?

Hurt flashed through him and it took all his willpower not to wince, but then he was distracted by Percy stiffening to a board next to him.

"You…they…sort _what_ out, exactly?" His boyfriend asked, his tone not hesitant, but horribly _demanding_.

_Oh gods, Percy, no._

Hades raised an eyebrow at him, and Nico instinctively shifted closer, drawing his father's attention away from Percy, just to make sure there wouldn't be any accidents.

But Hades neither seemed surprised, nor perturbed by Percy's rather harsh tone, instead smirking ever so slightly.

Nico couldn't help but notice that Hades also suddenly didn't seem disgruntled or upset whatsoever anymore, either.

Great.

At least Percy and Nico had succeeded in lifting his spirits - _at the cost of their own peace of mind_.

(But that wasn't very surprising, considering the gods never particularly seemed to care about the humans involved in any sort of situation, as the past clearly showed.)

"You should eat your breakfast. It seems you'll have a busy day, and I'm sure you'll need the nutrition. Unless you wish to ruin your sun-boy's good mood?" Hades said, fixing Percy with a malicious look that made Nico want to groan out loud, especially when Percy looked like he was ready to pick a fight once more.

But before Nico could say or do anything, Percy let out a small sigh and looked around the table with a grumpy expression, grabbing a bowl and the cereal.

Nico wondered faintly whether Percy only decided to let this pass because he knew it would upset Nico, because Hades was Nico's dad and Percy wanted to rather be on these terms with him than worse – or whether it was the fact that Will _would_ be upset.

Not liking where his thoughts were going, he shifted and imitated Percy, grabbing some toast because it was closest.

"So, how are we going to let her know we want to…spend time with her?" Nico asked, maybe hoping faintly they'd have to wait for Demeter to show up, which might not happen until the two goddesses needed to leave, after all.

"I am sure she'll come if you call for her. How you go about it is your decision." Hades said with a shrug and Nico sighed.

To be expected.

"We wanted to cook pancakes." Percy mumbled, and Hades' gaze shot back to him, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

"Are you trying to talk your way back out of it?" He asked, not exactly sounding angry, but definitely challenging.

Nico once more groaned inwardly.

Just. Great.

Hades leaned back, adapting his earlier grumpy expression once more, undoubtedly about to act like a freaking spoiled teenager again – but Percy cut in before he could say anything.

"No. Of course not. I stick to my word." He said hastily, then added a 'Like I always do, if you haven't noticed' under his breath, which Hades either didn't hear (unlikely) or simply ignored (probably).

"Good, then. That means you'll-…"

"But we _did_ however already decide to cook Will and Jason pancakes, since they were busy doing _whatever-they-were doing all night long_, and now need to catch up on their sleep." Percy added pointedly, purposefully interrupting Hades, though the god let him, leaning back once more and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

He studied Percy with narrowed eyes, as if contemplating his words, and he might have looked imposing, if it hadn't been for that plain sweater that was still so very unusual for the god.

Nico looked back at Percy, who was watching Hades intently, pretty much _daring_ Hades to oppose him in some way.

But all that happened was that Hades' lips twitched in apparent amusement.

"Alright. Specially cooked pancakes for the two, it is. Very well."

Nico sighed, slumping in his seat and noticing he had put far too much jam on his toast.

He didn't even like jam all that much.

Glancing over, he saw Percy relaxing slightly and looking down at his untouched bowl of cereal with slight distaste in his features.

True, Percy didn't like cereal much.

Which was ironic, since Demeter had kept claiming he was the one who had eaten most of that stuff.

Probably thanks to his mother, Nico guessed.

Nico poked his thigh gently, and Percy glanced sideways at him with a questioning expression, so Nico motioned for them to switch food.

He didn't mind cereal, and as far as he knew, Percy liked jam, so why not make use of that and save them from an even more unpleasant breakfast?

Funnily enough, Percy understood _that_ just fine, unlike Nico's earlier try at a mute conversation.

Then again, he really couldn't blame Percy.

Not after thinking about it some more.

They switched, plate for bowl, and neither of them looked up to check whether Hades was watching or not, instead shooting small smiles at each other.

Percy's hand even stroked over his thigh ever so quickly, the touch tentative and timid, before he turned to start eating, and Nico mimicked him.

They ate in relative silence, only disturbed by Hades' sudden disgruntled huff as he complained about the 'discomfort of human fashion' – with which he meant his jeans.

_Jeans_.

Nico was fairly certain this was one of those moments Will would have loved to witness and record.

A god getting fed up with wearing jeans.

Nico glanced up at Percy, just to have him looking his way right in that moment, grinning and mouthing 'Will would love this' – showing they had probably thought the same thing.

Both bit back their chuckles as Hades shot them a stern, searching look, as if daring them to laugh at his dismay, though Nico could tell Percy wasn't going to hold out for long.

Once he was 'about to laugh', Percy generally did end up laughing.

So, Nico saved him from the looming early end that would await him should he succumb to his desire to laugh – which was to say, he leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek, effectively stopping the suppressed giggles as his boyfriend turned to look at him with surprised, wide eyes.

Though the expression quickly changed into a relieved, pleased one, and the next moment, Percy's hand was on Nico's thigh again, this time stroking over it the way he usually did, not like the hesitant, tentative touch from earlier.

He also leaned down as if to kiss him, but then seemed to change his mind with a quick glance sideways at Hades, settling for pressing his lips against Nico's forehead for the shortest second Nico had ever witnessed.

Meh, they'd make up for it later, he was certain.

"Don't you two have breakfast to finish so you can get back to your room to feed your boyfriends?" Hades said in a bored tone, and Nico felt himself tensing at the term all over again, while Percy merely looked unimpressed, though he did eye Nico with an odd expression a moment later, anyways

"They're not our boyfriends, dad. We're friends. I'm dating Percy." He grumbled pointedly, shifting and wondering faintly why Percy's shoulders slumped again the way they did quite a lot lately (though it might just be Nico's imagination, too).

Hades sighed. "I know. But one can always hope."

Nico glared at his father for saying something like that when Percy was literally _right there_, but Percy didn't seem bothered by the obvious I-don't-like-you-vibe Hades was sending out right now.

In fact, he found his boyfriend frowning at Hades with a puzzled expression, as if Hades had said something weird.

Hm, whatever.

His father was right.

They had a breakfast to finish.

Then they'd have to cook pancakes and bring them to Will and explain to him where they'd be for the rest of the day (or until noon, he had no idea, actually).

Oh, how Nico was looking forward to that.

Not.

He sighed, wishing they could have stayed in bed with the other two as well, maybe sneak closer to form their usual big bundle of heat and comfort.

Will had looked so nice and warm, too, he almost envied Jason.

Nico sighed wistfully once more, then drowned his sorrows in the bowl of cereal as he wolfed down his food, glancing sideways at Percy to see him turning his head away hurriedly, grabbing another slice of toast.

Well, this day was off to a weird start, that much was for certain.

Hopefully, things would turn out alright, though.

Maybe Demeter wouldn't come when they called, and they would get to spend the day in bed with the other two, after all.

One could always hope, right?

.

When they got back to their room after what Percy considered one of the worst and most awkward breakfasts ever, they found Will fast asleep with his arms and a leg flung around Jason, the Christmas blanket somewhere around their feet as if Will had taken personal offense at the fabric and kicked it there unlovingly and cruelly.

He probably had.

Percy huffed out a breath while placing the requested plate of pancakes on the bedside table to the right of the bed, letting his eyes travel over their mostly exposed bodies ever so quickly.

Just to check for any signs as to what had happened last night.

Not that Percy was overly curious or anything.

Well, yeah, he was.

He was _desperate_ to know.

Still.

Even though he knew he shouldn't be.

He couldn't care less, he just desperately wanted to know, and there was that.

But they seemed perfectly fine.

No hickeys, no bruises, no anything.

Other than some darker marks along Jason's shoulder blades, but, well, those weren't exactly new.

Percy had noticed the past days that Jason had been carrying marks like that, so he assumed Will must have clawed his back at some point.

Maybe while crawling over them all, since he tended to do that a lot.

Or maybe he _had_ had a bad dream and they all simply hadn't noticed, now that there wasn't that urgency anymore that had come with Will's horrid nightmares before.

So, yeah, Percy wasn't very concerned about those.

Plus, Will was so insistent on the top/bottom-issue, he was pretty sure it would be _Will_ having marks afterwards, since Jason would have to be on the receiving end (Percy wished that would rule out the entire option, but, well, he was pretty sure Jason would do close to anything and everything for Will at this point).

But Will was utterly unmarred.

Of course he was.

Why wouldn't he be?

It wasn't as if those two would actually _do_ anything, after all.

Percy felt his skin tingle and turned away, catching Nico eyeing the two with a definite hint of worry and discomfort in his gaze.

Percy wished he could say something comforting or reassuring, but sadly he had no idea what to say nor whether it would be appreciated.

Plus, he really had no idea what Nico was bothered about, since, again, his boyfriend seemed to enjoy sending out mixed signals.

Like earlier, with Hades.

Percy still had no idea whether Nico was actually angry at him or not.

He really hadn't said much, to be honest.

Then again, they hadn't had much chance to chat, what, with the god all sulky.

And on the way back, Percy had been too busy fuming and feeling disappointed, because…well…that god!

_Gods, that GOD!_

Not only had he shocked the hell out of Percy when he had just suddenly _been_ there, in the dining room, during breakfast, when they had _definitely_ agreed on _lunch_ together – he had also somehow managed to get Percy to completely misunderstand whatever Nico had tried to tell him (he actually still had no idea what Nico had actually wanted him to do), which had of course resulted in this mess.

And, not only did they have to spend the next however many hours with Demeter to keep her away from her daughter and Hades, no, but he had also ruined Nico's and Percy's morning plans with letting a couple of skeletons (or whatever else he had summoned, Percy didn't even want to know anymore) to make them the pancakes.

To 'speed things up a bit'.

Great.

That had been Percy's last hope to somehow get them out of the whole thing with Demeter.

They could have taken their time cooking, and then they'd have had to stick around to make sure Jason and Will ate up, and then they could have slowly made their way back, and maybe only spend an hour or so with the goddess of agriculture…but, of course, Hades had had other plans, and now they'd have to _suffer_.

Just great.

Couldn't Hades have just appreciated his offer but not actually taken him up on it?

Percy knew he had messed up.

One didn't just go around offering gods things like this.

But, well, he had thought…he had thought Nico had wanted him to.

It had made sense in his head, after all.

That Nico looked at him so urgently because he hoped Percy would offer help, be supportive, try to improve the fragile, kind of non-existent bond between his boyfriend's father and himself.

Apparently, he had been wrong.

More than apparently.

Obviously.

Gods, Nico probably really _was_ mad.

"How are we going to let them know where we are? Just write them a note?" Nico asked with a light frown, and Percy was torn out of his thoughts, blinking slightly.

True, with Will asleep, they couldn't exactly tell anybody they'd be gone for a while, uselessly risking their necks because Percy proved to be an idiot once more.

(He faintly wondered whether that would ever get better. Who knew, maybe he'd wake up one day and just…not be an idiot anymore? Oh well, one could always dream.)

"I guess so, unless you want to wake one of them…" He said with a shrug, and Nico instantly shook his head.

"No, let them sleep. They seem to…need it. Anyways, can you…you know…write it? I'll get changed into something more suitable, since I am fairly certain we'll end up somewhere far away from here, where it' probably going to be _a lot_ colder." Nico explained hesitantly, gesturing at the thin, black sweater and casual skinny jeans he had thrown on in a hurry earlier (he looked adorable and Percy wanted to touch and undress him slowly, letting his hands roam every inch of skin, push Nico down on the bed – or the pillow corner, Percy really wasn't picky – and…alright, those were not thoughts he should be nourishing right now).

"Erm, sure." Percy said hastily, as Nico already moved over to the wardrobe to pick out some clothes, then hurried off to the bathroom with a last ghost of a smile into Percy's direction.

Was he mad?

He probably was.

This was far from how he had probably wanted to spend the day, after all.

And now that the other two seemed utterly knocked out, they could have made such good use of the time alone to do some couple-y stuff.

Whatever that might have been.

But now, they had obviously been robbed off that chance.

Because of Percy, of course.

He sighed, waiting until the bathroom door closed with a small click, before getting up to collect pen and paper (he decided not to write with Riptide, not when the pens were right in the drawer next to the bed).

_Alright, what to write?_

Percy made a face, sitting at the edge of the bed and staring off into space, faintly remembering similar emotions rushing through him back in December, when he had written notes for Nico daily.

Just that this time, he wasn't leaving love notes.

Though he wondered faintly how Will and Jason would react if they woke up to something like 'Dear boyfriends from hell, I love you to bits, but you're cruel as fuck, freaking us out with only sticking to each other like that. Nico and I have run away in our pain and misery. You'll never find us. XOXO Percy'.

Yeah, no.

All jokes aside, though, what was he supposed to write?

Well, he knew _what_ to write, but how?

How should he even address them?

With Nico, he had opted for a somewhat formal 'Dear Nico', but that had been because he had been anonymous and not wanted to freak him out or sound weird.

However, he was pretty sure Will would make fun of him for the rest of his life if he wrote anything like 'Dear Will and Jason' (because Will would never stand for being named second, he was certain) or 'Dear friends'.

Percy sighed, turning the pen in his fingers and turning his head around to gaze at the two blondes.

They looked so happy and peaceful, it was heartbreaking.

Then again, it kind of wasn't, at all.

It was nice.

Percy liked seeing them so relaxed and at ease.

Their sleeping faces were so adorable, too.

Especially Will, with all his freckles (Percy still wanted to count those).

The heartbreaking thing was that they were like this with each other, instead of with Percy and Nico.

But, well, that was just Percy being stupid again.

He sighed once more, returning his attention to the paper before he did something even more stupid and crawled back into bed to those two.

Though he did wonder faintly whether they'd accept him and tug him closer, or reject him and shove him away to keep to themselves and their safe haven.

Percy dreaded the answer, so he pushed the matter aside for now, focusing on the structure – and the emptiness – of the paper.

Alright…what to write…

Percy clicked the pen a hundred times, then realized Nico could come out of the bathroom at any moment and would probably expect Percy to be done by then.

What was he even doing, acting like this was such a big deal?

He was just supposed to write them a simple 'We'll be back later', not some elaborate love confession or anything.

Annoyed with himself, he leaned forward and started scribbling, cringing at his messy handwriting.

Yeah, well, with Nico he had actually bothered writing readable, but that didn't mean he had to pour the same effort into something simple like this, right?

At least that's what Percy told himself, though he noticed he did make said effort and tried his best to write as clean and nice as possible.

'Hey guys,

I messed up. We have to keep Demeter from cock-blocking Hades and Persephone until noon.

Better don't leave the room.

Pancakes are on the nightstand, courtesy of Hades' staff (I took a bite to make sure they aren't poisoned, so you should be good).

Hope you get all the rest you need and that everything is okay.

Enjoy the peace.

Behave.

Don't do anything too weird.

Pray that we make it out of this alive (or I, at least. I think Nico is safe. At least I hope so. Yeah, pray for us both, just to make sure).

See you guys later (hopefully).

Your pal, Percy.'

He scribbled, wincing when he wrote 'boyf' instead of 'pal' at first, and crossing it out so hard the paper almost tore.

Yeah, he had a hunch that joke wouldn't be very appreciated by either Nico, Will, nor Jason.

Jason would slaughter him if he thought Percy was trying anything, after all.

Especially since things seemed so rosy between Will and Jason right now.

Yep, Jason would definitely slaughter him.

Not that he had any reason to.

Percy rolled his eyes at himself and read over the note once more.

Yeah, alright, seemed decent enough.

It did sound a bit too serious, though, didn't it?

He contemplated his writing for another long moment, then gave in.

'P.s.: In case I do meet my demise, please make sure my shroud is blue.'

It wasn't much, and he decided to leave out the obvious 'take care of Nico for me', because he knew they'd do that even without him saying something.

But, yeah, now it looked better.

Not all so serious.

Or maybe it still was, but in that case, at least he'd have a pretty shroud, he guessed.

He shrugged, folding the note in half and turning to place it in Will's hand – then he hesitated, wondering whether that might not come across wrong.

It had taken him three weeks to get up the courage to place a note directly in Nico's hand, and that had been a simple 'I love you'.

Not to mention it had been one of those heat-of-the-moment things, anyways.

This was like leaving a love-note with Jason and Will before embarking on some horribly dangerous quest.

Or a note with a telephone number after a one-night-stand (at least Percy had heard that some people did that sometimes).

In either case, it sounded pretty…domestic? Intimate?

Sure, Percy didn't mind one bit, but what would they think? And Nico?

Maybe he should put it on the pillowcase next to them.

No, that was just as bad.

The night-stand?

What if they didn't find it?

He could tape it to the door…no, wait, he couldn't, because they didn't have any tape.

Unless he wanted to rewrite everything onto one of the sticky notes.

Great, then he'd need three or four of those.

No, that was stupid, too.

Gods, why was this so _difficult_?

He huffed out an irritated breath and leaned over the bed, gently prying Will's hand open and placing the folded note in it, just to get the whole mess over with.

Maybe they shouldn't have written a note at all.

Who knew, they might actually be back before those two woke up in the first place, after all.

Percy wanted to pull back and get off the bed, but then got distracted by Will shifting and closing his hand around the note – stroking ever so gently over Percy's retreating hand with his fingertips.

He halted, watching Will shift some more and wondering whether he'd turn around or wake up.

But then, Will stilled again, tugging his hand away to bury it somewhere between Jason and himself, and thus taking the note right along with him.

_Well._

Maybe Percy should have placed it on the pillow next to them, after all.

Now, if Will let it go, they probably wouldn't even see it.

Percy contemplated for a moment whether he could somehow get his note back from wherever Will's hand had gone, but then he heard the bathroom door opening and decided against it, instead hopping off the bed just as Nico came back into the room, looking all dressed and nice…and a bit confused.

Oh.

He had probably expected Percy to hurry up and follow him.

Oops.

Great, this day surely was off to a horrid start for him, wasn't it?

First Jason and Will were acting like lovers, then Will was being extra cryptic on utter purpose (at least in Percy's opinion) and Nico acting weird, and then the whole issue with Hades, and them having to spend time with Demeter.

Ugh, Percy really just wanted to lay back down and wait for the day to be over, actually.

But, well, he supposed he had gone through worse, what, with the wars and all.

So he'd survive this easily.

"Did you write the note?" Nico asked, coming over and studying him from head to toe with a light frown, probably wondering what Percy had been doing all this time, since he hadn't even gotten changed or anything.

Yeah, that's what Percy got for racking his brain like that over something so simple and stupid.

"Yeah, all done. Sorry it took a while. I'll hurry up changing, then we can leave, ok?" He said hurriedly, pulling clothes out of their closet at random and trying to be as quick as possible.

For a moment, there was silence behind him, then he could feel Nico' hands on his sides, and halted.

"Are you ok?" His boyfriend asked, his voice oddly gentle, and Percy turned his head to glance at him.

"What? Yeah. It's just…I'm sorry for getting us into this mess, Nico. I really didn't mean to. I thought…I don't know." He started, then backtracked.

He wanted to say he had thought that's what Nico had wanted, but the more he thought of it, the less it sounded like something Nico would want.

Plus, it sounded way too much as if he was trying to blame Nico for it, and he really wasn't.

"It's okay. I'm sorry, too. I just wanted you to try sympathize with him so he has to admit you're a good guy. But, well, I guess I'm not as well-versed in wordless conversations as Jason is." Nico retorted with a snort, though the bitterness in his voice wasn't lost to Percy.

His eyes hushed over to Jason, who funnily enough shifted slightly and turned his head minimally at the mention of his name, though he still seemed to be fast asleep, his breathing even and calm.

What?

What was _that_ supposed to mean?

Jason and he didn't have any sort of 'wordless conversation'…oh.

Well, maybe _sometimes_.

But that was mostly because Jason tended to be able to look right through Percy, reading him like an open book and giving him these _looks_ that simply _couldn't_ be misunderstood.

Maybe it was because of their bromance.

Or maybe Jason was like that with everybody.

Percy's stomach churned and he had to control himself to not make a face at that surprisingly unpleasant thought.

He turned towards Nico completely, tempted to just drop the pile of clothes in his arms so he could tug him closer and kiss that expression off his face.

"No, you were great. I just had a stupid moment, that's all. You know how I am sometimes. I hope you're not too upset. I really didn't mean to get us into this…mess."

He was repeating himself, wasn't he?

Yeah, today wasn't his day, that much was for sure.

Nico shook his head, reaching out to stroke a strand of hair out of Percy's face, though his fingers almost got stuck in the unkempt hair.

"It's ok. I'm not upset. I admit I was, but more at myself than you, anyways. Hey, at least we'll have something to do to keep us busy while these two…sleep. Or something." Nico started, then trailed off awkwardly again, both of them looking sideways at the bed, where Jason and Will were, still all wrapped up in each other and oblivious to the world around them.

Percy still wished they could just crawl back into bed with them and be done with it all.

Nico's hand moved to the side of his face, stroking over his skin gently, and Percy leaned into the touch with a small smile and a sigh.

"Ok. Who knows, maybe it won't even be all that bad. I mean, sure, there's a high chance we're all going to die because she finds out, but, well, when are we ever safe from the gods?" Percy tried with a small chuckle.

Nico chuckled as well, getting on his tiptoes to give Percy a quick peck.

"That's the spirit. Now, go get changed, slowpoke. Unless you need me to help you."

Percy raised an eyebrow, already moving to go to the bathroom, but halting again at the last part, studying his boyfriend's face.

Then, his lips split into a broad smile.

"Oh, you know, some help might not be all that bad…" He started innocently, but then wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Nico sent him an unimpressed, but amused look, already moving to follow him.

"You're unbelievable sometimes, Percy." He stated drily, placing his hands on Percy's hips and ushering him towards the bathroom, making him grin even wider as his heart thumped happily in his chest.

"Only sometimes?"

Nico snorted, pushing him into the bathroom and closing the door behind them, before moving towards him again, barely giving him enough time to put his clothes down on the small space next to the sink.

"Always, but that's not something to be proud about, cuore mio." Nico whispered against his lips, before pushing him against the sink and tugging his face down to seal their lips into a much more satisfying kiss than the peck earlier had been.

Percy grinned triumphantly, instantly reciprocating and moving his arms around his wonderful, perfect boyfriend.

"I love you…wait, what did you just call me?" He asked with a light frown, pulling away to blink at Nico confused, while Nico's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed the prettiest pink yet.

"Ah…erm…nothing." He mumbled hastily, and Percy was all the more confused.

"Did you just give me an Italian pet name?" He asked, partly stunned, partly bewildered.

He barely even heard Nico speak Italian, where had the pet name suddenly come from?

Nico's blush deepened, and he avoided Percy's eyes for a total of three seconds (which felt agonizingly long, might he mention), before he gave a small nod.

Percy's heart seemed to leap right out of his chest.

"Can you say it again?" He asked, probably sounding way too eager, but he didn't care.

Nico still seemed adorably embarrassed, but when he looked at Percy and saw him practically pleading, Percy knew he had won.

Nico's shoulders relaxed, and his expression softened slightly as he smiled and gave another small nod, before leaning forward and giving him another small kiss.

"Cuore mio." He whispered against Percy's lips, and, while Percy had no idea what that meant, it sounded wonderful.

He loved it.

"Again?" He pleaded, trying to bribe Nico with a few more quick pecks and kisses, first to his lips, then the corners of his lips, then along his jaw towards his neck.

Nico chuckled quietly, his hands moving under Percy's sweater and over his bare skin, making him shiver and tremble even more.

"Ti amo tanto, cuore mio. Sono pazzo di te." Nico whispered, then moaned when Percy started nibbling on his neck, though he quickly turned the tables again, pushing Percy back and claiming his lips once more, his hands still roaming Percy's body insistently.

Had Percy ever mentioned how much he loved it when Nico was being more dominant and confident?

Because that was the best thing ever.

Same as hearing him talk Italian.

Gods, Percy had no idea what Nico was saying, but he was fairly certain Nico could cuss him out all day long and he wouldn't mind whatsoever.

Whatever it was he was saying, it was the most beautiful things he had ever heard, and he never wanted Nico to stop.

"Sei tutto per me. Sei tutto ciò di cui ho bisogno. Con te voglio invecchiare. Ti amo, cuore mio. _Percy_." Nico indulged him, making shivers run down his spine even more as they started kissing in earnest now, with Nico moving even closer and Percy wishing they could be the ones in bed right now, instead of Will and Jason.

"I love you. Ti amo. Love you so much, Nico." He whispered back, though it sounded lame.

But Nico didn't seem to mind whatsoever, smiling against his lips happily before deepening their kisses some more.

Maybe this day wasn't all that bad, after all.

.

"Oh, boys, it's so nice of you to help me out a bit with my work. So nice, indeed. Always knew you were a good kid, Nico. And you, Percy, this is _exactly_ why you are my favorite. Now, now, hurry on along, work doesn't do itself." Demeter chirped unusually happy and content, while Percy and Nico exchanged pained, miserable looks and tried to speed up their work on the giant, so far empty field Demeter had taken them to as soon as they had called for her and told her they wanted to spend some time with her alone before she had to leave with her daughter, and whether they could help her somehow (or at least something along those lines. Nico had ended up having to do most of the talking and buttering her up into believing them. Torture, but a necessary one).

Maybe they should have gone about this differently.

Who knew, maybe they could have said they needed her help picking out new cereal, or convinced her to take them to…a wheat museum or something (did something like that even exist? They wouldn't be surprised, that much was for certain.)?

But this…this was the worst.

And Demeter had ensured them she had plenty more fields that needed tending.

She supposedly wanted to teach them how to farm properly, so they wouldn't need to eat that 'bioengineered bullshit', as she had called it.

At any rate, it was freezing cold, and they were sweating due to the effort and strength they had to put into the whole ordeal of 'softening up the ground to plant the seeds better', which made them freeze even more and made them all the more miserable.

The fact that Demeter kept 'correcting' whatever it was they were doing didn't help improve their mood, either.

"Now, now, if you keep bending over like that, you'll have a bad back by the age of thirty, Perseus." Demeter called over from where she was hovering over the ground (which was already freaky enough), checking on their already worked on patches with a stern expression.

Nico glanced at his boyfriend, just to find him scowling deeply and glaring daggers at the goddess when she wasn't paying him any attention, mouthing what looked like 'Yeah, and you can suck my-…' – thinking about it, Nico decided he didn't want to know what Percy was saying.

As long as he wasn't saying it out loud, everything was fine.

And Nico had to admit he kind of enjoyed the view of Percy bent over like that, but he probably should neither look nor think that way right now.

"Was there something you wanted to say, Perseus?" Demeter asked, looking up from where she was inspecting an apparently overlooked patch of soil.

"Just that I should have made out with Nico much more back when I had the chance." Percy grumbled sulkily and Nico snorted and choked at the same time, looking scandalized.

_Percy_!

That was a _goddess_! She was bound to have heard that!

Percy looked scandalized for a moment, apparently realizing the same thing, and they both exchanged horrified looks, readying themselves for a undoubtedly shocked or disgusted or upset Demeter.

But, instead, the goddess of agriculture _cackled_.

"Should you now? Oh, I don't think so. You might think you have stamina now, young lad, but just you wait until you've been farming for real for a while, building up those muscles and getting in shape the _real_ way, not with flinging around your puny weapons. I know what you're thinking, that you're good now, and everything is great, but wait till you're rolling in the hay after a satisfying year with good harvest. I guarantee you, you'll not only feel ecstatic about your splendid crops, but also about your-…"

"Alright, alright! I understand, I'm sorry, I'm working!" Percy interrupted Demeter's speech hurriedly, bright pink in the face and looking more flustered than Nico had ever seen him, though he knew he looked no better.

Just…_what._

Demeter eyed them both with an amused and rather smug expression, and Nico had to avert his gaze hurriedly, feeling utterly out of his comfort zone.

Why…?

And Demeter, of all people.

This was just…

"What? Did you think I'd have a problem with your frickle-frackle? Boys, I'm centuries older than you, I've heard, seen and _done_ things you couldn't even come up with in your wildest dreams. So, take it from somebody who's been there, and-…"

Nico dropped everything he was holding in favor of burying his face in his hands, trying so very hard to ban the pictures from his mind.

He did not want to see his…grandmother?...in any sort of compromising situation with anybody or anything, not in his mind, not in real life, not anywhere, _not ever_.

Percy made a strangled sound next to him, apparently a reaction to whatever else the goddess of agriculture was saying, and Nico was immensely glad he was too busy trying to block it all out to really catch anything else.

"This is all your fault." He hissed over, and Percy made a small, despairing sound, looking at him with the most pitiful expression ever, apparently still listening to whatever Demeter was saying now (Nico was trying very, very hard to block her out, even half covering his ears and trying to solely concentrate on the ground in front of him and Percy next to him).

"I know. Please kill me now."

"Forget it. Suffer." He shot back with a snort, then caught what must be the worst euphemism for anal sex in the history of mankind, and considered burying himself in this field right along with the seeds they were supposed to plant here afterwards.

Yes, this was definitely the worst day ever.

He glanced over at Percy, finding Demeter standing next to him and thrusting what looked like a giant rake into his hands, before ushering him over to a different patch and ordering him around, all the while explaining to him how great this will be for his constitution and self-respect.

Not to mention his 'future performances in the bedroom', which made Nico snort out a laugh against his better judgment.

Obviously, Demeter instantly noticed him standing there uselessly with his hands still over his ears, and he was at her mercy not a whole second later.

Yes, this was definitely the worst.

In the most bizarre way ever.

.

When Jason woke up, Will was snuggled up against his chest, sleeping with the most relaxed and pleased expression on his face that Jason had ever seen.

For a long moment, he just remained in that position, gazing at the freckled face with a soft smile and relishing in the closeness and comfort.

Then he remembered what they had done last night, and his insides went for a rollercoaster ride.

_Oh gods._

That…had that actually happened?

Or had Jason dreamt it all?

He must have dreamt it.

Jason gazed down at Will's sleeping face, remembering in vivid detail how Will had looked up at him with clouded, lust-filled eyes, in the pillow corner, as well as on that blue towel on the bathroom floor, their hands everywhere, their lips mashing together as if it had been all that had kept them alive.

No, that had been real, alright.

Utterly, perfectly real.

Jason felt a giddy sort of euphoria rush through him.

That had, hands down, been the best night of his life.

Of course, it had all started out awkward enough, and he took full blame for letting things escalate that way due to his horrible inability to get the right words out, but…gods, it had been so great.

_Will_ had been so great.

Not that Jason had ever thought that wouldn't be the case.

But he'd have never thought it would be anything like _that_.

The way they had kissed, the way they had touched, the way Will had somehow figured out exactly what Jason liked and wanted and _needed_…

Jason trembled at the memory and started stroking over Will's back, remembering how it had felt to pull him closer, to seal their lips, to grind their bodies together, to feel Will's searing heat as things had spiraled out of control more and more.

Then he remembered Will with his back pressed against the door and his legs wrapped around Jason, kissing him over and over and over again, making Jason lose his mind until all he could think, see, hear, smell, _feel_ was Will Solace.

Gods, Will had felt so great.

Jason wanted nothing more than to feel him again, feel his hands on his body in that insistent, deliberately arousing way, feel his body rubbing against his own, skin to skin, wanted him to grind against him…

Ok, that was probably not something he should be considering right now.

Jason shifted slightly, causing Will to frown in his sleep and snuggle closer, letting out a soft sigh.

Jason's still rather sleepy and unhelpful mind obviously immediately supplied him with the memory of Will moaning and groaning and _crying out_ beneath him, his noises the hottest thing Jason had ever heard in his life.

No, seriously, he had never thought anybody could make such beautiful noises.

He had never even thought he'd be into that sort of expressiveness, especially since he himself was rather quiet (usually, at least. Last night had been an exception, because Will had just been so…there were no words for it).

After Will had said he 'liked it loud', Jason had obviously thought about that sort of thing every here and there, though not in that much detail.

He had always come to the conclusion he'd probably get worried about his partner being in pain, though.

But this…Will hadn't sounded as if he had been in pain, at all.

He had sounded as if Jason was doing everything right and he was utterly enjoying it, which had kind of only egged Jason on further and made him want to hear even more.

He had never thought he could get hooked on certain sounds.

But he totally had been.

Still was.

He wanted to hear Will moan again.

Wanted to feel him beneath him, writhing and grinding and needy and wonderful.

Wanted to feel him on top of him, in charge and smug and attentive and demanding, showing Jason he knew every single sensitive spot on his body and wasn't afraid to use that knowledge to blow Jason's mind in the best ways possible.

Jason smiled to himself, closing his eyes and burying his face at Will's hair, his mind slowly making its way out of the gutter as he became more and more awake.

Instead of focusing on the sex (yes, that had been sex, and nobody could tell him otherwise), he started remembering the sweet kisses afterwards, the way Will had held him tight, breathing heavily and with the most beautiful, absolutely blissed out expression Jason had ever seen in his life, making him both euphoric and disturbingly proud of himself.

He remembered the way he had contemplated whether he'd get away with just staying on top of Will forever, in that bathroom, for once not giving a damn about any responsibilities, or peace contracts, or Camps, or…pretty much anything, really.

All that had existed in that moment had been Will and himself, and it had felt like paradise to him.

Jason remembered trying to tear himself away from Will, just to end up pushing him against the door all over again, practically begging for 'five more minutes'.

How badly he wished Will would have said yes to dating him.

Jason's euphoria momentarily dampened, but he was still too high due to the fact this had _actually happened_, to really let it get to him just yet.

Hey, at least he had tried, ok?

And as a matter of fact, Will hadn't actually seemed all _that_ opposed.

He had definitely not been upset in any way.

For a moment, Jason had even thought he'd say yes.

It had definitely looked like it.

But then, he had suddenly looked so uncertain and almost scared, and Jason would be lying if he said he hadn't expected the rejection that had followed.

Then again…it hadn't really been all that much of a rejection, had it now?

Jason took a deep breath, inhaling that scent of summer that Will always emitted.

He remembered being high on that scent, too.

It had been like a drug, really.

Though Jason guessed he couldn't really tell, since he had never been drugged (at least not that he knew of).

He thought of Will's words, the way he had looked at Jason with that deep regret in his eyes – not at their doings, but at his own words, as if he couldn't believe he was letting this happen, as if he couldn't believe he wasn't taking Jason up on it.

Jason had no idea why he had said no.

He had looked like he had wanted to say yes so badly.

Hell, he had even _said_ he wanted to say yes.

Why hadn't he?

Jason had wanted to ask, had wanted to pry, had wanted to know _so badly_.

And he had a hunch Will would have actually told him if he had indeed pushed the matter.

But then, he had looked into Will's face, had seen the uncertainty, had seen the _fear_, and he had just…he just hadn't been able to do it.

It wouldn't have been right.

Jason knew that, though he couldn't deny he also felt as if it would have been a lot better if he had pushed the matter, just this once.

Just to get those answers he so badly craved for forever already.

One moment of pushing past Will's comfort zone to make him spill, so they could work things out together and build something new and whole and perfect…

But Will had looked so scared.

Not necessarily of Jason, but…but of whatever he wasn't saying.

It was something big, Jason knew that.

Something important.

With Will, everything seemed to be big and important, apparently.

Then again, with Will, everything always seemed a hundred times more fun and amazing and perfect, so Jason decided that evened it all out.

Will had said no now, but who knew, maybe he'd change his mind one day.

Especially since he had been the same giddy mess Jason had been after their make-out session.

(Who'd have guessed Will would be just as cuddly and needy as Jason was for closeness and comfort after climax?)

They both hadn't wanted to call it a night, that much was for certain.

And that had to stand for something, right?

If Will had actually been opposed to 'them', then he would have gone straight to sleep, or at the very least not made _that_ much of an effort to stay awake – and he wouldn't have tried quite so hard to keep Jason awake along with him, either.

Yes, he had _definitely_ noticed that whenever he _had_ started to doze off due to his tiredness and exhaustion, Will had started shifting or had said something stupid, or funny, or cute, or utterly random, just to keep Jason from falling asleep.

Jason was eternally grateful for that, too, because it had given him the chance to enjoy the moment as much as possible.

Will felt wonderful in his arms, had he ever mentioned that?

So soft and warm and amazing.

Perfect hot water bottle.

Or blanket.

Blanket was better.

Jason's personal blanket.

Yes, perfect.

Water reminded him too much of Percy, and it was way too early in the morning for him to think of Percy, and Nico, and reality, and responsibilities, and…pretty much anything that didn't have to do with Will and Will being in his arms, and the world being okay just the way it was for now, here in bed.

In other words, Jason was utterly in love, and he had no intention of not showing it.

Maybe he should tell Will.

Who knew, what, with their misunderstandings they kept having, Will might think Jason had only asked him out because of their doings, out of responsibility or guilt.

Though, if that was the case, the first thing Jason would have to do was make sure to show Will he definitely wasn't that sort of person.

But Will should know better, anyways.

Will was smart.

Will was also delirious and as oblivious as Percy sometimes, though.

But, well, he knew Jason was demi, so he was bound to realize Jason would have never even let anybody this close, nor gotten this close to anybody else, if he hadn't been having rather strong feelings for said person.

In fact, Jason had been a tad surprised last night, himself.

Sure, he had been all for the kissing, but the fact he had so easily and willingly laid himself out for Will to ravish had inwardly stunned him, even slightly confused him.

With Piper, he had felt comfortable enough for kissing after getting to know her over the course of…time ('Gaea's war' sounded kind of mean), but it had taken him forever to really feel comfortable and ready for anything else – which had probably been one of the reasons their break-up had been so easy in the end, truth be told.

She had been patient enough, but he guessed they had both been a bit too careful with each other's borders.

Will, on the other hand…he had just kind of plowed right through any border Jason might have had left (though he couldn't even remember whether he had even been not-ok with anything Will had been doing at any point last night), completely blowing him away.

Quite literally, too, because, gods, Will could _suck_.

Okay, now that was getting creepy.

Jason shouldn't reminisce about Will's blowjob skills when they had just decided a few hours ago that they wouldn't be going out, and that there probably wouldn't be a second time.

Also, Will had stated even before they had done anything that this was never going to be mentioned again.

So, yeah, he was fairly certain this was not something he should be thinking about right now.

He usually wasn't the sort of person to picture things like that, anyways.

But, well, he dared anybody _not_ to think of Will's head bobbing up and down on their dick with his eyes fixed solely on their face as if it was all he ever wanted to see - not after knowing how amazing it felt.

That definitely counted to one of those things Jason would never allow himself to forget.

Along with plenty of other moments from last night.

Again, best night ever.

Will shifted again, rubbing his face against Jason's chest with another small sigh, and Jason couldn't help but grin down at him.

What wouldn't he give to have this every morning?

Maybe with more sleep at night, though.

Then again…

Will shifted some more, then turned his head, opening one eye to glower up at Jason.

"Keep your perverted thoughts to yourself, Handsome. I'm trying to sleep here."

Oops.

"Good morning to you too, Freckles." Jason said, his broad grin still in place, and Will studied him with a disgruntled look for a moment.

Then his expression softened and a small smile spread on his lips as he nuzzled his face against Jason's chest again.

"Good morning, I guess. Probably not morning anymore, though. We fell asleep in the morning, after all."

True, true.

They both let out small sighs, shuffling closer again, and Jason started stroking Will's back up and down once more.

For a long moment, there was silence, in which Jason stared off into space, wondering faintly where he had put his glasses, while Will seemingly attempted to fall asleep again.

Then, Jason frowned slightly, wondering whether it was even okay for him to be this close now.

They _had_ kind of agreed to remain normal friends, after all.

Would he usually do this sort of thing if they hadn't sucked each other off last night?

Well, yeah, he would, but the better question was probably: Would _Will_ have let him do this if it hadn't been for last night?

He contemplated that for a moment, then inwardly shrugged, continuing his ministrations.

Who cared?

Will seemed to like it, so he might as well do it for as long as he could.

"Pancakes." Will suddenly said, disturbingly loud and clear, compared to his earlier, rather drowsy voice.

"Hm?" Jason asked, not quite following.

"Pancakes. I sent Percy and Nico to get pancakes."

Oh.

Wait, now that he thought of it, it was kind of weird Percy and Nico weren't around, wasn't it?

Great, and there Jason had always thought he was reliable and a leader and could be trusted with the safety of his people.

Apparently, he didn't even notice his other two favorite people in the world weren't in the room to be part of the best morning (or whatever time of day it was) of his life.

Kind of a shame, though.

He'd have liked to share this moment with them.

Then again, that would mean he'd have to share Will, and the bed, and his warmth and love and comfort.

Eh, maybe not.

He was feeling rather lazy and uncooperative right now, to be honest.

Not that he'd mind them in bed with them, though – as long as they came here by themselves, didn't steal Will from him, and brought their own share of warmth, love and comfort.

"I'm sure they'll be back soon, then." He mumbled, wondering faintly what they must be thinking of Will and Jason this close and wrapped up in each other.

Percy would probably skin him later.

Not that Jason was going to tell him anything about last night, hell no.

That wouldn't be necessary for Percy to rant at him, anyways.

Though Jason couldn't find it in him to care whatsoever right about now.

Will made a small noise, shifting again and acting as if he was going to get up.

What?

Already?

_No~._

Jason let out a small, complainant sound and tried to keep Will close, which caused Will to halt in his movement and look at Jason almost incredulously, before letting out a loud snort-laugh.

"You're impossible. So clingy." He said pointedly, and Jason made a face and let him go, though he really didn't feel like it.

Was that bad?

'Clingy' sounded bad.

'Clingy' reminded him of the countless talks the people at Camp Jupiter had had with him around, whenever anybody had complained about any of their partners.

'Clingy' meant they wouldn't leave them alone and it would be a bother.

Was Jason being a bother?

Will frowned as he pulled away with a sigh, and the next moment, the blonde practically dropped on top of him, flattening him into the mattress.

"Hey, what's with that face? I didn't say I didn't like it. It's just surprising. Then again, it probably shouldn't be. You're such a sap. Come here, it's not technically 'morning', after all." Will declared, and the next moment, Jason could feel soft lips on his own, and all his worries were forgotten.

Well, rather than forgotten, they were blown out of his mind, just to then get replaced by a few very disturbing new worries.

Like, for instance, he hadn't brushed his teeth since yesterday evening.

Also, Percy and Nico could show up any moment.

For all he knew, they could be in the bathroom right now and would only have to unlock the door and look towards the bed, just to find Will and Jason _kissing_ (not that that was very likely, since Will had said they were out to get them pancakes).

Not that he let any of this stop him from kissing back and moving his hands to Will's hips, holding him in place on top of him as the blonde cupped his face, stroking over his cheeks with his thumbs the same way Jason remembered doing a lot last night.

Gods, he could get used to this.

If every morning started this way, he'd die at age thirty due to an abundance of happiness.

Or he'd simply have a heart attack, because his heart was most definitely racing again, and he doubted it would ever stop, so that was bound to kill him at some point, right?

Will moaned against his lips softly, and Jason's thoughts spiraled right back out of control as he recalled Will's noises and movements and actions from last night all over again, making Jason move against him further, trying to deepen their kiss further.

Still, much too soon, Will pulled back again, gazing down at him with dilated pupils and his lips wonderfully pink and swollen from their kissing, and Jason wanted to say and do so many things, ranging from declaring his love to pushing Will down into the bed and ravishing him all over again, Percy and Nico be damned.

However, all that came out his mouth was a weak 'You're a great kisser', which had Will looking mildly confused for a moment, before a cheeky grin formed on those wonderful lips.

"Of course I am. Told you so, after all, didn't I?"

Jason rolled his eyes, his hands still on Will's hips, though the blonde didn't seem to have any intention of moving from where he was straddling Jason.

Which was also something that Jason wouldn't mind happening a lot more often.

They smiled at each other for another moment, just happy and content, relishing in the warmth and comfort of each other in this proximity.

Then, Will sighed and lowered his gaze, stroking over Jason's arms as he slid off his lap, much to Jason's dismay, though he let him go without complaint.

"We shouldn't be doing that. Really shouldn't. You're too addictive, Jason." Will complained, and Jason huffed in reply.

"Sure, blame it on me. Whatever makes you happy, Freckles."

Now it was Will's turn to roll his eyes at him, nudging his arm with his fist in what was probably supposed to be some sort of half-assed punch.

"_You_ make me happy." The blonde grumbled under his breath, sounding almost bitter about it, but Jason was too hung up on the fact that Will had just actually _said_ that.

"I do?"

"Shut up." Will grumbled, his freckles glowing again as he turned his back to Jason insistently.

Not that that helped in any way, since his back was full of freckles, too, that seemed to love glowing just as much as the ones in his face did.

Jason felt a renewed burst of euphoria rushing through him, accompanied by a giddy excitement he had never really experienced in this way nor in this intensity before Will.

He wasn't even sure what brought forth this surge of emotion inside him, whether it was Will's words; or the fact he had said them out loud, apparently utterly aware of what he was saying; or whether it was the way his freckles started glowing as he seemed to get more flustered by the moment – or maybe it was just because Will was Will.

Jason didn't know, but he didn't try to find out, either, instead following Will and wrapping his arms around him from behind, placing a soft kiss to the side of his neck.

Just one, ok?

He placed two more on the soft skin.

Meh.

"If it helps, you're addictive, too." He tried to say, but it came out a lot deeper and seductive than intended.

Will huffed.

"Oh wow, and there I really thought you'd say I make you happy, too. Now I'm disappointed."

Jason chuckled quietly, nuzzling his face against Will's so, so warm skin.

"That, too. I thought that was obvious, though, so I didn't say anything."

"Likely excuse." Will retorted, but he was grinning, keeping his eyes closed as if that would make this any more acceptable.

They both knew it wasn't.

Will had said no dating, so they'd have to stop this, and sometime soon, too.

Jason didn't even want to think of it.

He sighed, burying his face at Will's neck again.

Somehow, in his mind, that was _exactly_ where his face had always belonged, it had just taken him until last night to find out.

"Can we stay in bed the entire day?" He asked, sounding quite a bit like Percy when he desperately wanted something, even in his own opinion.

Will merely snorted.

"Aren't we already doing that? What time is it?"

"I'm not getting up to check." Jason immediately insisted, and Will huffed again.

"Sap."

"Love you, too."

It took him a moment to realize what he had said, mainly because it had come so automatically.

Which was partly because he meant it, and partly because they always said such things in a teasing/joking sort of way.

That had been before last night, though, so Jason had no clue how Will would interpret it.

He wasn't sure what he'd prefer, either.

On one side, he wasn't ashamed of his feelings, and he did want Will to know.

On the other side, _this_ was _not_ how he had wanted to confess said feelings to Will.

Then again, it wasn't as if Will wasn't able to guess already, anyways.

He waited for any sort of reaction from Will, but the blonde remained quiet, making Jason worry more about whether he had even heard in the first place.

Even if Jason hadn't intended to say anything that could be taken as a confession, that didn't mean he didn't want some sort of answer from Will, no matter if it was a good or bad one.

But the silence stretched on.

Had Will fallen back asleep?

Jason weighed his options for another moment, then gave in and pulled back slightly (and very, _very_ reluctantly), to check Will's expression.

The blonde was awake, worrying his bottom lip and staring at nothing in particular, seeming lost in thought.

It didn't look like a very promising expression.

In fact, it looked as if he was thinking of how to best tell Jason he didn't feel the same.

Jason forced the disappointment and hurt down, knowing he shouldn't have expected anything else.

Though…last night…somehow, he couldn't help but think (hope?) Will did like him at least a tiny little bit, as more than a friend.

He wouldn't have done something like that with just anybody, right?

No matter if they had had free wishes or whatever.

No, Will wasn't that sort of person.

(Then again, neither was Jason, yet Will had apparently seriously thought he had requested a _blowjob_ from him.)

And he _had_ said he would date Jason if he could.

That had to stand for something, right?

Jason's arms tightened around Will ever so slightly, his face moving back to its rightful place at Will's neck, and he felt the blonde instantly leaning back into the embrace.

_This_ had to stand for something, too, right?

Even if Will didn't feel as strongly for him as for Percy or Nico for example, he still felt _something_ for Jason, right?

"I think…" Will started slowly, and every fiber in Jason's body seemed to perk up, clinging to the not yet formed words as if it was a matter of life or death.

Apparently, Percy and his overdramatizing had rubbed off on Jason at some point.

Nice.

Of all the things, it just _had_ to be that.

Not his perfect bedhead, or the ability to not look like a zombie after an all-nighter of video games, no.

It just _had_ to be his habit of overdramatizing everything.

Will took a deep breath, and Jason instantly forgot all about Percy and just what he'd tell him next time he saw him, in favor of concentrating solely on the sun in his arms right now.

"I think I'm ready to go to Elysium."

For a long moment, Jason kept staring at the tanned, freckled neck with a blank expression, trying to place that rather unexpected statement.

…what?

Elysium?

What did he mean?

He wasn't going to _die_ now, right?

No, seriously, if Will told them now he had some sort of incurable disease and was about to die, Jason was going to _kill_ somebody, and it wouldn't be Will.

The someone also probably wouldn't be mortal, either.

Well, that would probably save him the trouble with the peace-contract, though.

"I mean, I promised Michael, after all. In a way. And I first played with the thought of just…not going…especially not after our last visit. But now…I think it wouldn't be that…that bad…" Will explained hesitantly, reluctantly, but Jason found himself relaxing immediately, despite the odd tone.

Oh.

_That._

No incurable disease, thank the gods.

Should he ponder the fact he had just contemplated murdering the gods out of nowhere just because of the faint (but sadly ever so possible, what with the Fates) possibility of losing Will?

Probably.

Somehow, his usually peaceful and diplomatic nature seemed to be non-existent when it came to Will.

He'd probably be the first to tear the person apart who laid a hand on his Will.

Which was weird, because it was usually Percy to rush into things without second thought.

But with Will, and Will in danger, Jason knew there wouldn't _be_ a second thought.

He probably shouldn't tell Will that, though (else he'd think Jason was babying him again or something) and hope the day would never come where Will would get hurt.

That definitely meant he had to hurry up with his peace-contract.

If he had ever needed a motivator, this was it.

"If that's what you want. Do you want to go today?" He asked quietly, wondering faintly how Percy and Nico would react to the news.

Percy probably wouldn't want to let Will go, given how he had been the last time.

But that had mostly been due to the shock of suddenly seeing three people he had thought he'd never see again, so Jason was sure he'd be able to convince Percy to be ok with it.

And Nico had already agreed on coming again when they had left last time, so that should be good, too.

"No. Or…no, no. I don't really want to get up today. Just wanted to tell you, so I'll actually go through with it." Will mumbled, and Jason frowned slightly, wishing once more that Will wouldn't be as much of a mystery as he was.

"That bad?" He asked tentatively, and was glad Will didn't instantly freeze up or anything.

Instead, he sighed loudly, snuggling back against his chest.

"Oh, you have no idea. But I guess I do owe him a…talk."

Jason noticed the way Will started shifting slightly, his shoulders tensing ever so slightly.

But he wasn't entirely avoiding Jason or changing the topic, so…

"About what?" Jason dared to pry, pressing his lips against Will's neck mainly to feel the warm skin against his, though it also let him feel his quickened pulse.

Was that because of whatever he had to talk about with his brother, or because of Jason being this close?

He wanted it to be the latter.

He wanted Will to like him as much as Jason liked him.

He wanted them to be together so he could kiss him and hold him like this every day, all day long.

Jason was becoming way too selfish these days, by the way.

Probably because the guys kept indulging him all the time, treating him as if they adored him as much as he adored them, holding his hand and/or not minding physical contact (aka hugs and cuddles) during the day whatsoever.

Will shifted again, now clearly nervous.

"It's…it's nothing, really. Just…something I told him a long time ago." Will mumbled, and Jason waited, wondering whether he was going to elaborate.

To his surprise, Will actually did.

"The day before he…before he died, we had a sort of talk. About various things. Stupid things. You know, those crazy kinds of conversations you have the day before a battle, when you think you could all be dead by the morning?"

Jason did understand, but had no idea what Will was talking about, otherwise.

But he knew better than to ask or interrupt him in any way, especially since Will seemed to be willing to share at least this tiny bit with him.

"But then, things had kind of…escalated, and I ended up telling him…telling him something that I shouldn't have. A secret, of sorts. I hadn't intended to ever tell anybody, though I admit I had been playing with the thought of at least telling him of…about the-…the secret. Which is probably why it happened, but whatever, that's not important."

Jason found that very important.

He also wanted to know just what that 'secret' was supposed to be, if it made Michael insist on talking it over again even in afterlife, and managed to make Will look like somebody was reading his death sentence.

"Fact is, I told him, and then I saw how…I saw how shocked he looked. How disgu- disgruntled. Displeased. _Bad_. You know? I had kind of expected it, but it still…I don't know. I guess it hurt, I guess I got scared. Anyways, I pretty much saw his expression, turned around and ran for it. Don't say anything, Jason, we can't all be brave heroes like you, after all. I was young and naïve and a coward back then, and I'm not proud of it, but there's nothing I can do about it now." Will started rambling, more sounding uncertain than annoyed or bitter, and Jason inwardly cringed, nuzzling his face against his neck again.

"I'm not judging you, Will. And I'm not as much of a 'brave hero' as you keep making it sound, you know? For all I know, I'd have probably reacted the same way." He replied quietly, but Will only let out a weak snort.

"You wouldn't have. Trust me. You wouldn't have even gotten into that situation, like, ever. But anyways, that's kind of what happened. I didn't want to hear what he had to say on the matter, and he wanted to desperately talk about it, so, needless to say, I avoided him the rest of the night and the next day. Little did I know it would be the last time I'd see him alive." At the last part, Jason could feel Will slumping slightly, his voice becoming thick, and he instantly pulled Will closer, stroking over his side with one hand in what would hopefully come across as comforting – with this angle, it wasn't all that easy.

Will let him, merely snuggling against Jason's chest slightly to get more comfortable, and Jason could hear and feel him take a deep breath.

This had to be so horrible for him.

"So, now you think it'll be easier to talk about it?" He asked carefully, trying to continue on their conversation so they could leave it behind and switch to something more positive that could cheer Will up again.

Will chuckled quietly, though there was no amusement in his voice when he spoke.

"You wish. If anything, it's even worse than before, because I…well, I generally refuse to even as much as _think_ about…that. It was already horrible when Leah suddenly started talking about it, especially because I _definitely_ hadn't wanted her to know."

Had Jason mentioned the fact that he hated not knowing in the slightest what Will was talking about?

The thing was that he couldn't ask, because he knew Will wouldn't say – if anything, he'd probably even retreat instantly and never speak of it again.

But he also knew Will wanted – maybe even _needed_ – to talk about this so badly.

The fact he was even saying this much showed that much, already.

So Jason had to swallow down his curiosity and frustration once more, trying to console himself with the fact he was still holding Will in his arms like a lover.

"Then why do you want to talk with him now?" He asked, hoping that was an acceptable question.

Judging by Will's sigh, it was borderline ok.

"I don't. But…I kind of owe him at least that much. Plus, I don't think I'll ever be readier than now, and now we're already in the Underworld and all." Will replied, and Jason guessed that made sense.

In a way.

Maybe.

He wouldn't know, because he still didn't know what this was about.

But the more he thought about it, the more he was starting to believe this had something to do with whatever it had been that had freaked Will out so badly at Camp Jupiter.

It was just the way he seemed so reluctant to share, even acting scared at the mere notion of confiding in anybody about anything, and only speaking in riddles.

Just like he had done at Camp Jupiter, once he had found out about Aurum and Argentum.

Or maybe Jason was reading too much into it.

After all, just because he had never seen Will so unsettled before, didn't mean the two cases in which he _had_ been had to be connected in any way.

It kind of wouldn't make sense, either.

Unless it really was something about the war.

Maybe Will had indeed given information to the wrong people, but had found out about it and confided into Michael that day, just to see how upset Michael was about the whole thing.

Jason would almost believe that.

But this was _Will_.

Will wouldn't sell out anybody to anything, and was way too smart to be charmed or forced into submission.

Plus, then the matter would already be somewhat settled, anyways, right?

Even though Jason didn't know Michael, he was fairly certain nobody would still give Will a hard time over a war long won.

Also, the more he listened to the bits and pieces Will threw their way, the more Jason had the impression whatever it was had actually hurt _Will_, not the other way around.

Jason's stomach twisted at the thought, and he dearly hoped he was wrong.

Which probably wasn't very nice, given that this meant he'd rather have Will be the cause of somebody else's pain, rather than Will being hurt in any way.

Then again, hadn't Will said something about his secret not being harmful to anybody, and that he hadn't hurt anybody?

There, that settled the matter.

If those two things were connected, that was.

But…well…in a way…maybe it _would_ fit, after all.

At least it sounded that way as he turned over Will's words in his head, comparing them to the conversation they had overheard between Will and Reyna.

Both things were apparently about Will's past.

He had talked to one person about it, and it hadn't ended well.

He didn't want to talk about it.

That sounded like it really could fit.

But sadly, it didn't help Jason one bit.

"And…you know…" Will started hesitantly, and Jason was torn out of his thoughts as the blonde shifted slightly.

"Hm?" He hummed when Will didn't continue for another moment.

"It's just…now I actually feel like I _can_ have that talk with him. Without freaking out about it, I mean. Plus, I think this is something I have to do, no matter whether I like it or not."

"Because it's bothering you?" Jason asked, and Will huffed, sounding frustrated.

"Apparently. Not consciously, but…I've kind of been dreaming badly. I'm sure you noticed, given that you…" Will's voice trailed off and he cleared his throat pointedly, and Jason put on an innocent expression, even though Will didn't look his way.

"So, that's because of Michael? Or because of whatever it is you don't want to tell?" He pried, and heard Will huff again, though he could also see the corner of his mouth twitch, which he guessed was because he was ignoring Will's hint at Jason's 'help' the past nights.

Yeah, well, Jason had mixed feelings about that, and since he didn't know what exactly Will's view on the matter was (since he _had_ kind of taken advantage of him, no matter what Will might claim now), he wasn't going to say a thing about it.

"I don't know. Both, I guess. It doesn't really matter."

It didn't matter, huh?

Somehow, Jason had the feeling that was quickly becoming Will's new favorite sentence.

_It didn't matter._

_It wasn't important._

_He was fine._

Three lies.

And this matter caused Will to use all three, in the course of, what, half an hour?

For Jason, that made it matter all the more, made it all the more important, and showed him Will definitely wasn't fine.

So, what could Jason do about it?

Nothing, of course.

This was it, he was going to have a chat with Nico and Percy and look for a way to get Will to confide in them.

Maybe, if they worked together, if they told Will some of the darkest bits of _their_ pasts, maybe he'd realize they wouldn't see him any different, that they'd still care for him all the same.

They'd gone through two wars, they probably wouldn't even flinch at whatever Will had to tell them.

"Ok." He said quietly and let out a small sigh.

No point pushing Will now.

Plus, this 'morning' could be much better spent than with upsetting and frustrating conversations.

Will let out a matching sigh, moving back against him some more and entangling their legs again.

"Not today, though. Let's just stay in bed all day. Can't wait for those pancakes." Will mumbled, and Jason smiled against his skin.

He definitely wouldn't mind staying like this for the rest of the day.

Or the rest of his life, for that matter.

"Sure. And don't worry, they'll be back soon."

Percy would probably do all in his power to get back to them as soon as possible in order to butt in and get between them.

He was surprised there hadn't been an argument or anything, anyways.

Then again, maybe he was used to seeing Will so close to others, and they all did cuddle a lot.

Maybe the two hadn't even noticed anything was different between Will and Jason.

Then again, nothing really was.

They were still just friends.

Jason made a face, placing a quick kiss to the side of Will's neck.

Just friends.

He so didn't want this to end and return to that.

"I hope so. And I hope they bring tons of pancakes." Will mumbled, and Jason's lips twitched at the wistful sigh he let out along with the word 'pancakes'.

"Somebody seems hungry."

"You have no idea." Will huffed, and then he turned over to face Jason, with his eyes closed and a content smile on his lips.

Lips that were coming closer and gently placing themselves on Jason's for a quick, chaste kiss.

Oh gods.

Yes, Jason could _so_ get used to this.

This was so addictive.

He definitely never wanted this to stop.

Will pulled back slightly, but Jason tugged him back towards him, brushing his lips against Will's again for another peck – which only made Will smile broader and hum contently.

This was so perfect.

Everything about this moment was.

The two of them, in bed, so close and wrapped up in each other, and those gentle pecks to show their affection and quench their need for intimacy and closeness and warmth and love and comfort.

It was everything.

It was not enough.

He wanted every day to be like this.

He wanted Will to be there every day, in his bed, or any other bed, but the two of them together, together-together.

Wanted to kiss him without dreading it would be the last time.

Wanted to hold him without worrying he was going too far.

He wanted the good days with them laughing and joking and having the time of their lives, no matter if outside or in bed or anywhere else; and he wanted the bad days with petty arguments and snide remarks and the make-up cuddles and sex that would follow.

Damn, Jason was a hopeless cause, wasn't he?

He was definitely in too deep.

Will had already called him clingy earlier, Jason so didn't want to know how Will would react if he knew of all the things Jason was dreaming of.

All the things he kept wishing for.

"You know we should stop this." Will mumbled as he nuzzled his face against Jason's chest, placing a gentle peck to his skin, and making him remember how Will had traced patterns there with his tongue last night (which had felt amazing, by the way).

"Don't wanna." He grumbled, tugging Will closer and making him chuckle, though he wasn't pushing him away in any way, instead snaking his arms around him.

"Me neither."

Jason's heartbeat sped up again, and he knew Will could feel it, too, since his ear was practically against Jason's chest.

He couldn't make himself care, though, too hung up on the fact that Will sounded as if he really meant it.

"Then date me." He whispered, though he rather wanted to yell the words, along with all the others he kept to himself (for now).

Will sighed.

"I can't."

Jason had expected as much, though it still hurt.

Will placed another gentle kiss to his skin.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm really horrible for keeping this up, but refusing to let us be, huh?" The blonde said bitterly and pulled back, much to Jason's dismay.

"I just don't see why not. But I'm not going to force you to anything. If you say you don't want to, then you don't want to." Jason muttered, trying to sneak back closer to Will.

The rational part of his brain that still worked somewhat right told him he should let it go, should let Will pull back, should pull back himself and walk away and finally make the cut they both kept insisting on.

But the rest of him happily pushed down that part and wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms back around Will and seek solace and comfort in him.

Solace.

In Will Solace.

Nice.

"You're too kind for your own good. Self-destructive fool. Of course I want you. It's just that I can't have you. We wouldn't work out in the long run, and I don't want to lose you as a friend."

Will said it in that absolute sort of way.

As if there was no alternative, no chance for things to go differently.

Jason wanted to argue, but knew it would be pointless.

Right now, at least.

So, instead of complaining and contradicting Will, he merely sighed and pulled him back into a hug, draping his body over Will's smaller and slimmer one.

"If you say so." He said, letting Will know by his tone that he didn't agree, but would leave it at that for now.

Will sighed, letting him squish him without complaint.

"Five more minutes?" Jason forced himself to ask, creating another time limit he knew he wouldn't want to keep.

Will sighed.

"You know we have to stop. So this will be the last five minutes. For real." He said pointedly, though Jason liked to think he was trying to convince himself more than Jason.

"Fine." He relented, though he really didn't want to.

Needless to say, the five minutes came and went, and the two of them were still wrapped up in each other, seeking comfort in their embrace, scared of letting go.

Why did life have to be so difficult?

"Time's up." Will whispered quietly after what definitely had to have been more than five minutes.

"You don't know that." Jason insisted, hoping the alarm clock was so far away they'd never find it and could remain here forever.

"I counted the seconds in my head and took your pulse while at it. Your heartbeat is off. At this rate, I'm seriously going to have to change up your diet to more whole grains and vegetables. Ever thought you might have Tachycardia?" Will mumbled, and Jason needed a moment to catch up with what the hell he was even talking about.

Then he chuckled.

"Will, that's just because I'm with _you_. My heart is _fine_." He insisted, burying his face in Will's hair and allowing Will to press his ear against his chest, listening to his rapidly beating heart.

"And what the hell is Tachycardia?" He added, unable to help himself.

Will chuckled, his fingers tracing over Jason's chest so nicely again.

"It's when your heart isn't able to efficiently pump oxygen-rich blood to your body, resulting in shortness of breath, fainting, lightheadedness, dizziness and a fluttering in our chest."

The way Will spoke made Jason think he was reading it out loud out of one of the books that were all over the place back in the Apollo cabin and infirmary.

For all he knew, Will knew them all by heart.

Actually, he probably did.

Medic nerd.

_Adorable_ medic nerd.

"You're really something." He muttered, and Will chuckled again, poking his side to make him jump.

"And you're still ever so clingy. Shoo with you. In the bathroom or something. We have to stop this, or the guys will be back and we'll still be all over each other." Will declared, nudging him a bit here and there and trying to push him away without pushing him away whatsoever.

Jason rolled his eyes, looking Will straight in the eye.

"I fail to see the problem with that."

"Jason!" Will exclaimed loudly, now _really_ pushing him back ever so gently, though Jason knew it wouldn't move him even an inch if he wasn't already pulling back reluctantly as it was.

"Yes, _Freckles_?" He teased, and Will sent him an exasperated look, before a dark gleam appeared in his eyes.

"Don't start with that again, _blondie_."

Hey.

Hey, that was mean.

Jason schooled a nonplussed expression.

"What? Jealous that I'm blonder than you?"

For a moment, there was silence, in which Will stared at him, seeming speechless and shocked.

Then, Will blatantly shoved him out of the bed.

Jason probably should have seen it coming, he guessed.

"I'll pretend like I didn't hear that! I'm very much blond, you ass. Just because you are _lighter_, doesn't mean you're _blonder_. The _incredulity_." Will huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest and looking away pointedly, acting as if he was upset.

Jason merely laughed, winking at him when he knew Will was watching out of the corners of his eyes.

"Aww, don't be upset. I think you're perfect, just the way you are. Especially with those freckles on your-…"

"Begone, you offspring of the devil!" Will interrupted him with a bright red face and threw Mrs. O'Leary Jr. at him, though Jason managed to avert the plush toy at the last moment, laughing and making his way to the bathroom.

"That's not what you said last night, sweetheart." He teased with another wink, and had to avoid a pillow next.

"Not another word, I swear!"

Will looked so adorably flustered.

Jason could get used to that, too.

Especially since Will usually was the one making everybody around him flustered, while staying ahead of them at all times and acting indifferent.

This was a lot better than that.

He reached the bathroom, just to hear what sounded like Will hurrying out of bed, and steps sounding behind him.

"Ah, wait…" The blonde exclaimed, and Jason looked around, finding Will rushing towards him, more stumbling over his own feet than anything else, which made Jason reach out automatically.

"What?" He asked, but Will shook his head, looking up at him with an almost shy look on his face

Then, the blonde pushed himself upwards and placed a small peck on Jason's lips.

"Last kiss. Just…to call it an end, you know?" He muttered, not meeting Jason's eyes as he looked around the room with great interest.

Trust Will to start feeling uncomfortable _now_, after having spent most of the night and a good portion of the day doing nothing but being affectionate with Jason.

Jason smiled, his hands clasping Will's arms as he tried to pull back.

"_That_ was your last kiss?" He asked, and knew Will picked up on the challenge behind the words.

"What, think you can do a better job?" Will shot back almost instantly, his bright blue eyes gleaming, and his pupils dilating already.

"Want to find out?" Jason purred, and for a moment, a memory of him chasing Will around Nico's cabin, daring him to kiss him, came to mind, back from December.

Will's lips twitched, their faces already moving closer.

"I already know." The blonde whispered, his voice barely audible.

Then, he tilted his head, and Jason brushed their lips together in the softest kiss he had ever given, as well as received.

_Yes._

_This was it._

Will sighed, returning the kiss and practically melting in his arms, coming closer and allowing Jason to tighten his grip on him, slowly deepening their kiss and trying to soak up every ever so small detail.

From the texture and shape of Will's lips, to the taste and feeling of his tongue against his own.

Not to mention the way their bodies moved against each other fluidly, chests and groins rubbing against each other, and Will's leg moving between Jason's as he pushed Jason against the bathroom door behind him.

_Oh gods, yes._

Will moaned against his lips as they both adjusted their angles, the kiss soon escalating into something far more heated and passionate, instead of soft and gentle, but it was exactly how they wanted it to be.

It was everything.

It wasn't enough.

Will was heating up, his skin nearly scorching Jason's, but he liked it, trying to pull Will closer, while at the same time trying to touch him everywhere he could, to memorize the feeling of his skin, to commit it all to memory forever and ever.

Jason let out a small gasp as Will's hands dug into his sides wantonly, his teeth tugging on Jason's bottom lip, and he knew this would have to end soon before it escalated to something far beyond kissing.

Unwilling to take that step yet, though, he moved and flipped them around, with Will's back pressing against the door, and Jason attacking his lips as if there was no tomorrow.

_Their last kiss._

It hung over them like a death sentence, all doom and gloom and misery, but they were quickly finding themselves too drunk on love and pleasure to let it get to them just yet.

He mashed their lips together, over and over and over again, their faces never further apart than the smallest fraction of an inch that was necessary for them to gasp for breath.

Jason had no idea how long they stood there, kissing, biting, tugging, losing themselves in each other.

All he knew was that it wasn't long enough before they were both pulling back, albeit reluctantly, both of them panting hard and trying to catch their breaths.

And Jason wanted nothing more than to kiss Will again and again and again.

Why did they have to make a cut?

It just wasn't fair.

Fine, they couldn't date (for reasons Jason didn't know nor understood), but couldn't they settle on something else, then?

Friends with benefits?

Right now, he didn't give a damn how not-ok that would be, he just wanted to be able to remain this close to Will.

Will pulled back further, still gazing up at him with wonder, amazement, love, and what looked like utter regret.

For some reason, Jason knew if he pushed now, Will would probably cave in and say yes.

Jason had no idea why he didn't.

Probably because Leah's 'Too manipulative!' reverberated through his head at that moment.

It was true, too.

He'd be forcing Will, even though he knew Will didn't want to – or _couldn't_, as Will kept putting it.

But what was he supposed to say?

Other than 'I love you'?

He gazed down into those beautiful blue eyes, his fingers caressing the side of Will's face, and Will leaned into the touch, still staring up at Jason as if he really, truly loved him.

The thought made his heart flutter, and he remembered what Will had said earlier, about his heartrate.

No, he wasn't sick.

Just madly in love.

"You know…" He started, while still thinking of what he could possibly say right now.

Something that would get them out of this moment, he guessed, since they were meant to stop this.

He was meant to go into the bathroom, and let this come to an end.

"Hm?" Will hummed, his eyes beginning to darken, the regret taking over again, along with what looked like pain.

Jason wanted to pull him back into his arms and kiss that look away, replace it with utter bliss like last night, or the sweet contentment earlier.

Instead, he stroked down Will's arms, slowly letting go.

"…technically, I'm son of Jupiter, not the devil." He said, and effectively broke the magic of the moment, watching Will look up at him incredulously.

"What?"

Then, realization washed over his features, and Jason smiled when he saw Will's lips twitch and the mirth returning to those beautiful eyes of his.

Will snorted out a laugh and shoved him back slightly, stepping away from the door in favor of ripping it open and ushering Jason inside.

"You know what, get out, you horrible being. Also, that's basically the same thing, so your argument is invalid. Shoo with you. Ugh, how _can_ I put up with you?" He rambled, but Jason didn't take him seriously for even one moment, instead chuckling and letting himself get pushed into the bathroom.

"You know you love it." He teased, and Will shot him a dirty look, though his fingertips did trace over Jason's skin ever so faintly before he pulled back completely, showing him this was as difficult for him as it was for Jason.

"Shush. You should stop being so self-destructive."

Mean.

"Not my fault. You're rubbing off on me." He shot back, and Will very blatantly rolled his eyes.

"Go, before I'm rubbing something else."

Well.

"Says the one standing in the bathroom with me." Jason pointed out, though he would have liked taking Will up on that rather alluring offer of his.

Realization washed over Will's face, and the blush returned to his cheeks, making his freckles glow again.

_Somebody_ seemed to have forgotten they were meant to leave.

Jason smiled, resisting the urge to reach out for Will.

This was it, huh?

As soon as Will would be out of that door, they'd have to return to being just friends.

No more touching, no more kissing, just friends.

Will looked up at him, and Jason liked to think the somber expression on his face was because he was thinking the same thing.

Oh, how he wished…

But he knew Will wasn't ready.

Maybe he could wait for him.

Maybe there'd be a day when Will would say yes.

Maybe all Jason had to do was be patient for a little while longer.

Or a long while longer.

Then again, he'd have done that, anyways, wouldn't he?

Wait for Will?

Hope for more?

Even if he waited in vain for the rest of his life?

Yeah, sounded about right.

"I guess I'll be going, then." Will said quietly, and Jason nodded slowly.

"Probably. Leave me some pancakes in case Percy and Nico come back, okay? I'm starving." He tried conversationally, though he knew his voice was a tad too 'conversational' to come across as authentic.

Will huffed, though the smile on his face didn't reach his eyes.

"What? Nah, you don't need food."

Jason smiled back, though it was mostly fake.

"Wow, how mean. Have some mercy on a poor guy with a weak heart, man."

Will snorted, and Jason could see the tension leaving those slim, freckled shoulders.

"Weak heart, my ass. You're fine. But…I might _just_ leave you _a bit_ of _my_ pancakes, ok? Because I'm so nice and kind, you know?"

Jason gave him his best unimpressed look, while Will walked backwards out of the bathroom.

_Stay with me_, he wanted to yell.

"Yeah, right. Shoo with you, and let's hope they didn't drench them in syrup or something." Jason called after him, instead.

Will snorted, hands on the door, his head still poking in, and his eyes roaming Jason's body one last time.

"Hey, they're the best when they're drenched in syrup. You just have shitty taste."

Jason wanted to grin at that, but forced himself to huff out an offended breath instead.

"Sugar is bad for you." He called after him, and heard the blonde laugh as he closed the door.

Then, the sound was gone, and Jason let the smile slide off his face.

So, this was _it_, huh?

He lowered his gaze and took a deep breath, before turning towards the shower, ridding himself of the only piece of clothing he was wearing, and looking over to the corner where the two of them had laid last night.

One of their towels was still there, too, half shoved under the cupboard.

He was torn out of his thoughts when he heard something small and light fall to the ground and looked down, finding a folded piece of paper next to his boxer shorts.

Huh?

Frowning, he picked it up.

Had that been…_in_side his boxer shorts?

Great, when had _that_ happened?

And what was it, anyways?

It didn't look like one of the post-it notes they had used for their games.

In fact, it looked more like one of Nico's love notes from the Advent Calendar.

Oh gods, they'd _slaughter_ him if he had one of those stuck in his _boxer shorts_ all of a sudden.

Unfolding the paper, he immediately made out Percy's handwriting, and his heart sank.

But then, he read the first lines, and he frowned, instead.

Wait…what?

.

"Can you explain to me why Percy put-…" Jason started when he emerged from the bathroom after forever, but broke off again almost immediately, and Will looked up, trying to decide between going through with shoving that giant piece of pancake into his mouth, or letting it drop back onto the plate and acting as if he hadn't just attempted to do just that.

He let the pancake make the decision for him, sliding right off the fork and flopping back onto the plate with a splash of syrup.

Nice.

Jason stopped, staring at Will, and Will stared back, resisting the urge to let his gaze wander over a rather wet and disheveled Jason, who must have taken a shower (which explained why he had taken so long).

How was he supposed to act normal with him if all he wanted to do was lick up each and every droplet of water running down that muscled chest?

And that wasn't the only thing he wanted to do, either.

They had a silent standoff, and Will knew Jason was struggling, too.

Gods, what had they done?

They had already ruined it, hadn't they?

Will wasn't stupid, he knew there was no way they could go back to how things had been before.

For all he knew, Jason would stop touching him entirely – and he could already wave goodbye to nightly cuddles, too, for sure.

Will wouldn't blame him.

If anything, he'd be the one initiating for all of it to stop, to not run the risk of leading Jason on, only to end up hurting him.

There was no future for them.

As cruel as it was.

And it was so, so cruel.

Especially since it really did seem as if Jason liked him.

Like, seriously _liked_ him.

_Jason Grace_. Liking _him_.

Will wanted to laugh at the absurdity, and cry at the cruelty.

Jason _couldn't_ like him.

But even if he did, what would it change?

It would only make everything even worse, even more cruel, and even more impossible.

The only person Will had ever really thought he could actually be with was _Nico_, and now he was even doubting that, given how experimental and dominant Nico was becoming, even if he wasn't noticing that himself, yet.

Jason took a deep breath, and Will's mind snapped back into focus, his gaze automatically moving down those broad shoulders and chest to Jason's abs, only reluctantly moving on to whatever it was Jason was holding in his hand.

"Do you have any idea why Percy put a note in my boxer shorts, saying he and Nico will be…gone for a while?" Jason asked, his tone light as he walked over towards the bed, which didn't seem like such a great idea to Will, given that Jason was still very much half naked, with only that towel around his hips.

Not that Will didn't already know what was underneath, anyways, but maybe that was what made it all the worse.

Jason didn't seem to care, flopping down next to him as if it was the most normal thing in the world, and the next thing Will knew, Jason had snatched away the plate with the pancakes from Will's lap, instead pushing a folded note into his hands.

"And stop eating all the pancakes by yourself, you cruel ass."

That got Will out of his stupor, that much was certain.

He huffed, adjusting his position next to Jason and shifting away ever so slightly, to avoid brushing against the blonde and falling right back into his arms again.

"I was going to leave you a bit, you know?"

"Of course. You'd have probably eaten it all and then hidden the plate, and if it hadn't been for the note, I'd have never known there had been any pancakes at all." Jason said around a forkful of pancakes, though he winked at Will, so Will knew he wasn't being serious.

He was too distracted to really pay attention to his words, though, since he only just now noticed Jason was using his fork.

Just like that.

Alright, in all fairness, the four of them had shared forks quite a few times, especially with Nico and all, but…_now_…

Gods, this was going to be so _difficult_.

How was Will supposed to _not_ cave in and beg Jason to date him, after all?

To ask him out again?

Or better, why couldn't Will just turn to him, tell him he had changed his mind, and ask him out, himself?

Will forced himself to look away from the drop of syrup that stuck to the corner of Jason's lip as he chewed, instead concentrating on the note in his hand he still hadn't read.

Well, this explained why the pancakes had been on the bedside table, he guessed.

He had only noticed them when he had sat back down on the bed after he had left Jason in the bathroom, and only because he had wanted to put Jason's glasses on said bedside table.

Will had wondered where the other two were, since they had already been back with the pancakes, but when he had checked the time, he had realized it would have been far more worrisome if those two _hadn't_ been back by then, given that it had already been shortly before 11am.

Soon, it would be lunchtime.

He'd have to hurry up in the shower to get done.

Then again, that would mean there was more time where Jason and he would sit around awkwardly, trying to redefine the boundaries between them.

He forced himself to focus, his eyes still hushing over the very first line Percy had scribbled, even though all it said was 'Hey guys'.

Will took another deep breath, instantly inhaling the scent of freshly washed Jason Grace, and he wanted to curse the gods for ruining his life.

Then again, without the gods, he'd have never met Jason, so he guessed he shouldn't curse them quite that much.

Nah, they deserved it.

He shook his head, and finally managed to read the text in front of him – just to snort out a disbelieving laugh.

Percy and Nico had to do _what_?

Oh gods, what had they done this time?

There Jason and Will weren't watching for five minutes (or a few hours…), and those two got themselves into a mess with the gods.

Why wasn't he surprised?

Will read on, raising an eyebrow at finding out the pancakes had been made by the Dead/Undead, but also not surprised about it, all the same (though the fact Percy had 'tried them to make sure they weren't poisoned' was kind of sweet…_if_ Percy was being honest and hadn't just wanted to eat them himself).

_'__Behave.'_

Well…

_'__Don't do anything too weird.'_

If Percy had said that to his face, Will would have probably looked anywhere but at him and coughed in an attempt to act as if he hadn't heard, which would have immediately given them away.

Good thing this was just a piece of paper, then.

Will frowned slightly at the heavily crossed out word before 'pal' in particular.

What had Percy written there?

He had made quite a few mistakes throughout his writing, but only this one was made unreadable, while the other errors had merely been crossed out once or twice _lightly_.

Oh well, it had probably just been something stupid, anyways.

"He's such a drama queen." Will remarked loudly when he read the last part with the shroud, and looked up at Jason, just to see him gazing at him distractedly, taking a long moment to realize Will had spoken at all.

What was he thinking about?

Will probably didn't want to know.

Or he did, but it would only complicate things.

"That he is. We can never leave them alone, it seems. I wonder what he did to get them into that mess." Jason finally managed to reply after taking his time to chew and swallow, before taking another bite.

Will caught himself staring at his lips again, so he quickly averted his eyes, instead looking back down at the note.

"Probably something really stupid."

Silence.

Will started worrying his bottom lip, contemplating whether he should say something or just get up and go to the bathroom.

But what could he possibly say, anyways?

"You…you think they'll be ok?" He asked, turning the note in his hands awkwardly, while debating whether or not he should dare to look around at Jason.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. Percy wrote they'd be gone until noon, so they're bound to be back soon. Think they'll come here first or should we wait for them in the dining room?" Jason asked in a conversational tone.

Will envied him for being able to act this…normal.

As if they hadn't been all over each other most of the night and morning.

As if he hadn't asked Will out.

As if he hadn't been rejected.

As if they were just two friends.

It was exactly what Will had wished for.

Will _hated_ it.

_Loathed_ it.

_Despised_ it.

But he had no right to complain.

All of this was his fault, after all.

"I think they'd want to come here first, but probably won't be able to. And even if, I would rather wait for them there and have lunch. Also I'd like to spare myself the wrath of the gods, rather than wait here for those two without them showing up, upsetting the gods," He replied with a shrug, putting the note on the bedside table, just to realize something.

Percy had written them _a note_.

Like, for real.

_Percy_.

Who was dyslexic and hated writing unless it was a note for Nico saying something cheesy.

Had written _them_ a note.

Just to tell them he'd be gone with Nico for a while.

So they wouldn't worry.

Will could only shake his head, though he had to admit he was feeling rather…not exactly flattered, but something along those lines.

They had received a note from Percy.

That was something special, wasn't it?

Definitely something he wouldn't do for just anybody.

Will felt something inside him stirring, and his chest warming, and decided it was definitely time to go to the bathroom now.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Hey, Will..." Jason agreed with a sigh, then his voice suddenly changed and Will's head all but whipped around, the 'Yes?' leaving his lips much too quickly to be casual, but he had no time to cringe at the lack of his acting skills (had to be Jason's fault, since this always seemed to happen around Jason, and Jason alone).

Because, the moment he turned his face towards the blonde, he was confronted with Jason's – his? Their? – fork hovering inches from his lips, a piece of syrup-drenched pancake stuck to it.

"Too much syrup." Jason explained, his eyes hushing between Will's, scanning him, reading him, gauging whether this was okay or not, after last night.

Will's mind wanted to work at triple its normal speed, and shut down entirely at the same time. Will couldn't do anything but open and close his mouth a few times, his eyes wide and blinking at Jason in surprise, needing a moment for the words to sink in.

Then, he urged himself to put on his cockiest grin yet, leaning forward to wrap his lips around the fork, and trying not to think of what else he had wrapped his lips around since yesterday's dinner.

"As I said, you have shitty taste. What would you do without me, hmm? I don't mean to brag, but it was _I_ who picked out the not-so-drenched bits for you, trying to get most of the syrup before you could complain." He stated smugly, though he really just wanted Jason to know he had actually _really_ intended to leave Jason some food, and had taken his preferences into consideration.

Jason was too busy staring at his mouth and swallowing hard, though, and Will had the distinct feeling he wasn't the only one getting a little distracted.

Which wasn't good.

He needed Jason to treat him like a friend solely, because Will would definitely melt instantly if Jason did anything but.

And they couldn't have that, because Will wouldn't be able to follow up on anything.

Ugh, how he hated his life sometimes.

It was all just so _unfair_!

He really wanted to have that 'talk' with Michael now.

Well, maybe not right now-now, but soon.

It wasn't as if he was hoping for a miracle that would solve all his problems and enable a relationship with Jason Grace, but…he wasn't sure.

He was hoping it would at least solve _something_.

Of course, he wanted to do anything _but_ talk about this whole matter, especially not with his brother, especially not after his last try, not now, not then, not ever.

Having Leah confront him about it had been one of the worst things in his life, even though she hadn't said all that much, and he had been too busy sobbing like a baby to really say anything, neither confirming nor denying anything she said, but letting her hug him and comfort him, which had probably been all the confirmation she had needed.

Michael's outburst in the very beginning of their (entirely unexpected) reunion had been horrible, too.

Will remembered the utter horror and dread surging through him when he had rushed to the window to slam it shut and close the curtains, hoping against hope the guys hadn't heard a thing.

Luckily enough, they hadn't, else things would be a lot different now.

But, yeah, he guessed he _did_ owe Michael that chat.

No matter how much he disliked it, despised it, loathed the mere thought.

Maybe it would at least make his bad dreams stop.

Because he was fairly certain it would get even more difficult to not succumb to Jason when he found himself rutting against him on a nightly basis again.

Even if he'd probably really like _that_.

"Your sacrifice is greatly appreciated. Anyways, are you going to get ready? Or will you accompany me to the dining room in those very fashionable boxer shorts of yours?" Jason's voice pulled him out of the gutter, away from picturing things he shouldn't be picturing, and back into cold, cruel reality.

He looked down at his boxer shorts, feeling the embarrassment creep up his neck, but then Jason's knee bumped against his, and his fluster was gone in a heartbeat as his eyes fell on the bare leg.

"You're one to talk, you know? At least my choice of clothing doesn't run the risk of dropping to the ground at any moment" He shot back.

Will looked up and caught Jason staring at his underwear for a moment too long to be innocent or subtle.

"Don't say a thing." Will warned, just as Jason opened his mouth, a dark gleam in his eyes that sent shivers down Will's spine and gave him a rough idea what Jason was thinking about right now.

Nothing he should be thinking about, that much was certain

Will felt hot and cold at the same time, and jumped up, unable to take any more.

The tension was getting too much.

"I'll be in the bathroom." He excused himself hurriedly, and saw Jason nodding out of the corners of his eyes, watching with aching heart how the blonde lowered his head slightly, looking borderline sad.

He didn't want Jason to be sad.

He wanted him happy and content, like how he had been when they had cuddled earlier.

But there was nothing Will could do about it.

Nothing he could fix.

Even though he was head medic and supposed to be one of the best, he surely sucked at the whole fixing part.

Will made his way towards the bathroom, remembering how he had rushed after Jason when he had been in Will's place earlier, remembering how they had kissed each other as if their lives had depended on it.

He let out a small, desperate sigh.

This was going to be so, so difficult, wasn't it?

Then again, when were things ever _not_ difficult?

Maybe it simply came with the demigod-business.

Or maybe it was just Will having rotten luck (again).

Jason didn't come after him, but it would have been weird if he had, so Will wasn't surprised in the slightest, though he did feel a little lost once he closed the door behind him, finding himself all alone in the giant bathroom.

Somehow, he had forgotten about the size of this place in the matter of one night.

When Jason had been in here with him, it hadn't seemed quite as big and empty and reverberating and weird.

He missed Jason already – in the bathroom, of course.

Anything else would be weird

No, but just having Jason around right now would make everything so much better.

He loved the space, but he hated the emptiness and coldness of it all.

Jason being here would solve all that instantly.

He didn't need to be there in an intimate way or anything, just his company in an entirely platonic way.

But, yeah, not going to happen.

He'd have to be happy about each and every physical interaction with Jason from this point onwards, too.

Gods, this was such a mess.

And, sadly, it seemed to have been all Will's fault.

Why wasn't he surprised?

Will sighed, brushing his teeth listlessly and staring at his reflection in the mirror, glowering just because he felt like it.

Hopefully, Percy and Nico would be back soon.

He was sure they'd be fine, they were strong and tough and stubborn, after all, so they'd definitely make it through whatever it was Demeter would make them do.

Though he still hoped she wouldn't be too tough on them, and that they'd come back in one piece,unharmed.

Will still didn't know whether his healing abilities would even work in the Underworld, after all, and he definitely didn't want to have to find out.

Sighing, he stepped into the still wet shower, and his thoughts immediately jumped back to a certain blonde, picturing him standing in here just earlier, naked and wet and perfect.

_Dangerous thoughts._

Will cursed himself, but other wisely didn't stop his mind from happily sliding back into the gutter.

Come on, who could resist Jason Grace?

And the shower smelled so lovely like him, too.

Will sighed, realizing once more how bad he had it for the blonde.

Then he realized it was his fault that he couldn't have Jason, that Jason had actually _asked him out_ and all, and Will had been so, so stupid to say no.

Frustrated, Will turned the water up to the max and set it to even hotter than usual, letting the water scorch his skin for a moment before relenting and adjusting the temperature again the tiniest bit.

This was going to be so, so hard.

.

When Jason and Will finally got to the dining room, they were five minutes late, because Jason hadn't been able to find his glasses.

Which was embarrassing, since Will had apparently placed them neatly on the bedside table, with Percy's note right next to it, in plain view for everybody to see/find.

But, well, Jason kind of hadn't known that, and had assumed they'd still be somewhere in the bed – which had resulted in him basically taken apart the entire bed, even crawling _under_ the bed in search of them.

That was also where Will had found him when he had emerged from the bathroom after forever, only a towel around his waist and the hot steam of a shower-done-right emerging from the ajar bathroom door like a cloud (all of which Jason had seen from where he had been crammed under the bed).

(Gods, Will had looked so hot.)

And maybe he should have actually told him what he was looking for, or explained in more detail just why he was under the bed, but…he might have made their usual mistake of saying things too vague.

'I'm just looking for…you know…' might have not been the best thing to say, especially not when 'my glasses' wasn't even all that bad or insinuating anything weird whatsoever.

But that's what he had said, and he had kind of assumed Will would understand, since Will had acted as if he had understood.

The fact that Will had gotten dressed in record speed behind him and then proceeded to help him without any questions asked had kind of confirmed that thought, too.

But…apparently, Will had assumed Jason was looking for something else – Jason still wasn't entirely sure what.

Because, after searching forever, and running seriously _late_, Jason had flopped down on the bed with a groan and said 'We should just go, it's not like I'm _that_ blind, after all'.

At which Will had stopped in his tracks.

Had looked over to him in slow motion as realization dawned on his face.

Had walked over slowly, deliberately, that look of 'Are you freaking kidding me, Jason Grace?' burning into Jason.

And had picked up the glasses that were right there.

_Right. There._

Jason wanted to bury his face in his hands in shame all over again.

But, as luck would have it, he didn't seem to have to explain this to anybody, because they were absolutely alone in the dining room.

"Did they change the time?" He asked, glancing around at Will who was standing next to him – a tad farther away than usual, maybe, but close enough not to make everything even more awkward.

They'd need time, he guessed.

Time, and perfect self-control, because, so far, he had wanted to wrap his arms around Will and bury his face in his neck roughly 30 times already, all in the matter of less than an hour.

Yes, lots of time and self-control.

Will shrugged next to him, and Jason caught himself staring again, so he quickly looked back at the already set table.

(Sometimes, he wondered whether the food was simply _always_ on this table, just waiting for them to actually come around and eat it. But since that implied the gods tampered with the food they were eating, he didn't voice out these thoughts.)

"I'm not surprised. Nico and Percy are probably still busy, and Nico's dad is most likely enjoying his last alone-minutes with his wife, I'd assume." The blonde said, walking up to the table and flopping down in his usual seat.

Jason sighed.

"Guess you're right." He said, following suite, and sitting down next to Will, just to wonder whether that was such a good idea.

Of course, they kept switching places every some days (except Will who mainly stayed in this seat, to be honest), but maybe Will would prefer some space?

He glanced sideways at him, and found Will looking at him uncertainly as well, though he didn't say anything.

This was going to be so difficult.

Earlier, Will had seemed so confused still, and Jason had felt the unease and conflicted thoughts radiating from him, so he had acted accordingly and focused on coming across confident and as if this wasn't a big deal at all.

And Jason knew Will had needed him to do that, to be the pillar that held everything up and gave him a chance to collect himself.

But he to admit he had been kind of relieved to find Will a lot more like his usual self, and a lot more collected, when he had come out of the bathroom.

"Of course I'm right. When am I ever not right?" Will said, trying to imitate his usual unimpressed voice, but it didn't quite have the same ring to it.

When was Will ever _not_ right?

Well, Jason could think of a few things, alright.

Like the whole issue with 'We wouldn't work out', without even giving them a try in the first place.

Not that Jason was actually going to voice that.

Instead, he sighed again.

"Yeah, yeah. So, do we eat, do we wait? What's your opinion, Freckles?" He asked, mainly to opt for a conversation to kill the silence that kept daring to take over.

It took him a moment to realize he had used 'Freckles', though.

It had come naturally, ok?

Judging by the glare Will shot him, the pet name certainly hadn't gone unnoticed by him, but Jason acted nonchalant, anyways.

It wasn't as if he had actually intended to insinuate anything.

Ok, Will's freckles on his dick were permanently imprinted to Jason's mind, but that didn't mean he was constantly referring to those whenever he was using that pet name.

He halted, thinking that statement over, just to pointedly look away.

Well…whatever.

"What are you asking me for, blondie? Aren't you the praetor and leading figure, here? Shouldn't you be the one making the battle plan for me to follow?" Will shot back, and Jason rolled his eyes.

Blondie.

Right.

"I preferred 'Handsome' more." He grumbled under his breath, before clearing his throat.

"What?" Will asked, but Jason shook his head quickly.

"Nothing. Anyways, why don't we give Nico or Percy a quick call? Who knows, maybe they forgot the time, or can't convince Demeter to-…" He started, but then was interrupted by a ruckus behind them, coming from the ajar door.

They both raised their eyebrows at each other, turning their heads towards the noise.

The next moment, the door was shoved open harshly, and Percy and Nico came rushing in, looking disheveled, exhausted, sweaty and…had Percy taken a mud bath?

"Guys! Guys, I'm so glad we're back. Guys, I'm so happy to see you. Oh gods, _oh gods_, I'm _never_ becoming a farmer!" Percy wailed loudly, hurrying over to them before they even managed to stand up completely, and throwing his rather dirty and not very nice-smelling arms around them both, pressing them against his also very dirty and not-very-nice-smelling chest.

Jason was glad he wasn't the only one frozen in shock, though Will snapped out of his faster, hugging Percy back slightly and patting his back as Percy fake-cried against their shoulders.

"There, there. I'm sure it wasn't all that bad." Will tried, and Jason forced himself to nod, exchanging a pointed look with Will before they both very subtly averted their noses.

No offense, but…yeah.

"It was. It was horrible." Nico declared behind Percy, looking disheveled and exhausted and sweaty as well, but not as bad as Percy.

At least they didn't get the impression he had rolled in the mud, too.

"She wouldn't let us go. It's all my fault, because I was an idiot. And then, I was even more of an idiot, and she…and she…" Percy started, and a shiver ran down his spine, clearly palpable even for Jason, though he wasn't the one stroking his back up and down.

Poor guy.

There Jason was, worrying about how to act around Will, while Nico and Percy seemed to have gone through much worse.

He surely was a lousy friend, especially since he had not even noticed their missing at first, then not worried about them being gone for so long, and then hadn't thought much of whether or not they'd be okay.

At least they were still alive, he guessed.

He was still a lousy friend.

"Come on, let's get you two seated. Or do you first want to get back to Nico's room?" He tried, but they both shook their heads, and Percy reluctantly pulled away from them – and only to pull Nico towards him (and them), apparently.

"I'm never becoming a farmer. I don't care how lousy our sex is going to be, Nico, I'm not going to do this for a living, forget it." Percy declared, and Jason and Will both frowned, exchanging confused glances.

What…?

"Percy, shut up. It was your own fault she started with that." Nico shot back, sounding tired and slightly upset.

"Everything was my fault. I'm so sorry." Percy whined into Jason's shoulder, and now Jason actually found himself stroking over Percy's back, too.

He'd like to say it was because he didn't know what else to do, but that wasn't entirely true.

Percy _really_ seemed upset.

"Percy, stop apologizing. I told you a hundred times already to stop apologizing." Nico snapped back, sounding unusually edgy.

Uh-oh.

Jason shot another alarmed look at Will, who was now tugging Nico closer hurriedly with a slightly concerned look in his eyes, stroking over Nico's and Percy's backs.

"Now, now, no fighting. How about we talk about this later, when we're back in Nico's room, and concentrate on getting some food inside you first? You're both starving, I can feel it." Will tried hurriedly, and Jason nodded, trying to animate Percy to move and let them out of their weird embrace.

But Percy didn't seem to want to let them go whatsoever.

In fact, both Percy and Nico merely made noncommittal sounds in the back of their throats, looking miserable and worn out.

"Will is right. Come on, you should eat. I'm sure the gods will be here any moment, then we can have lunch, say our goodbyes, and get you two in the bathtub. Sounds good?" He suggested, rubbing his hands over Percy's back and feeling him shiver slightly, rubbing his face against Jason's shoulder.

It faintly reminded him of how Will had nuzzled his face against him today in the morning, but he had no time to reminisce about that for very long.

"Bathtub?" Percy asked, perking up slightly, and Jason shot Will a pointed look, who made a face and shook his head immediately as he probably guessed what Jason wanted to ask.

Then, before Jason had the chance to convince him otherwise, Will turned his face away curtly, ending the discussion before it had even started, and stroking up and down Nico's back insistently instead, who slowly seemed to get comfortable with the idea of holding onto Will right now for some peace of mind.

(Was it weird how Percy and Nico were clutching them instead of each other, more than obviously seeking comfort? Probably. Did Jason find it weird? Weirdly enough, no.)

"Yep. Just you and Nico, and some alone time in the bathtub. Sounds good?" He tried to make it sound as great as possible, but felt Percy's shoulders slumping slightly.

Ugh.

"Oh."

Jason stared at Will's profile, mutely pleading for him to look at him and have a heart.

Please?

Pretty, pretty please?

Will started tensing next to him, and Jason could see his jaw clench and unclench.

Then, the blonde looked around at him with an utterly frustrated look, and Jason relaxed.

"That sounds like a _great_ idea. How about we have that _SingStar_ match afterwards? And I can give you two a nice, long massage to loosen up your muscles a bit, if you want. Sounds good?" He offered, and Jason wanted to kiss him.

Partly because he could see both Percy and Nico perking up slightly, and partly because he really wanted to taste those lips again.

Self-control.

Right.

"_SingStar_?" Percy asked hopefully, the same moment Nico let out a rather wistful sounding "Massage?" that made Jason smile – and Will, too.

Yes, he could definitely see that twitch of his lips, even if Will tried to look indifferent no second later.

"Yes. Now, lunchtime." Will announced loudly, and pushed both Percy and Nico away from himself and Jason, sending a last 'You owe me'-look towards Jason, who merely looked at him with an innocent, but grateful expression that made the blonde roll his eyes.

They both ushered the two still rather disheveled demigods to their respective seats, then hesitated, uncertain whether they could actually _start_ with lunch without the gods being there.

The whole point of meeting up at this time was to have said lunch _with the gods_, after all.

Just as Jason was about to suggest to at least start, they could hear another round of voices from the door, and the three gods in question entered – and almost as loud and dramatic as Percy and Nico, too.

The loudest of all being Demeter, who seemed utterly _furious_, while Persephone snapped back at her, clearly irritated.

Hades was utterly quiet, walking ahead of them and making sure his wife didn't collide with the table as they made their way around it, looking fairly unimpressed even as he nodded at them in acknowledgement.

Though his outfit had Jason blinking confused and wonder about his eyesight.

Since when was the god of the Underworld wearing regular jeans and rather bland sweaters?

Well, it probably didn't matter, but it was definitely disturbing to suddenly see him like that.

He guessed even Hades got sick of looking dressed-up and formal?

Jason couldn't catch whatever Persephone and Demeter were saying, the words too fast, too loud, and too intermingled to really make out, though he had a hunch Demeter had come back to find Persephone and Hades in a more or less compromising situation.

At least that's what it looked like, with Demeter so livid and ranting, Persephone so irritated and defending herself, and Hades just sitting there with the smallest hint of a smug, pleased smile on his face that reminded Jason faintly of how Nico tended to look after some alone-time in the bathroom with Percy, when he tried to cover up and not let it show just _how much_ he had enjoyed said time in the bathroom.

"You two have finally made it out of bed, I see." Hades started conversationally towards Will and Jason, and Jason felt Will tense next to him, while Percy and Nico both looked around at them, their uncomfortable expressions only intensifying.

Jason swallowed, the thought 'Does Hades know? Do the gods know?' sounding through his head over and over again, making his skin crawl and his mouth dry as he thought frantically of how to handle the situation.

"Yes. It was a long night, so we caught up on some sleep. We weren't aware you would want us around for breakfast?" Will supplied, his voice a tad higher than usual, but Jason hoped the others wouldn't notice.

Judging by the way Percy's eyes narrowed and Nico's eyebrows furrowed, they _had_ noticed, though.

Demeter saved them by snarling loudly, making everyone but Hades jump in their seats (Persephone included).

"Hey! Don't think you can just extract yourself from this conversation, lad. How _dare_ you make me see my daughter like that, with my own two eyes?" She ranted, and Jason saw Hades rolling his eyes to himself, sending his mother-in-law a look so hostile Jason knew that if Demeter wasn't immortal, she'd probably be dead right now.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have looked. Or actually knocked. That's what one does to not disturb others in their privacy." He said pointedly, grinding his teeth ever so slightly, which made Percy shift closer from where he sat next to Jason.

Though whether that was an attempt to hide himself _behind_ Jason or to put himself _in front_ of Jason, Jason didn't know.

Not that he cared, either.

(In all honesty though, he felt like he'd rather be the one protected right now, than the one who'd have to do the protecting.)

"Mother, I am old enough to take care of myself! Seriously, you're acting impossible." Persephone put in before Demeter got to say anything to Hades, though she looked as if she had plenty to say.

"When is she _not_ acting impossible?" Hades muttered sulkily, and Persephone sent him an irritated look.

"Stop whining. It's your own fault. You should have gotten the boys to distract her much sooner."

Well, damn.

Percy made a rather pathetic, high-pitched sound next to him, and Jason found himself moving forward (and closer to Percy) instinctively, conveniently getting in the way of Demeter's direct view of Percy.

Not that that would actually stop the goddess, but it was intent that counted, he guessed.

He also guessed he'd always end up being the one protecting them, but he had a feeling he shouldn't be surprised about that.

But Demeter didn't jump up and pulverize Percy and Nico.

She also didn't turn to glare at them, or yell or scream or throw a very god-like tantrum.

Instead, she _laughed_.

"As if he was man enough for something like that. You married a coward, Persephone. Hiding in his realm and waiting for the end like the idiot he is, and yet he is still trying to get you to stay here with him. As if I'd let it happen. Not with me. Not under my care." Demeter all but bellowed, and Jason shot Will a puzzled look for a moment, but Will looked as confused as he did, even shrugging a tiny bit as he leaned forward to look past Jason and Percy towards Nico.

But Nico didn't seem to know what that conversation was about, either.

Though he also didn't seem to pay that much attention, instead eyeing Percy worriedly, who looked as if he was going to be sick.

Jason couldn't tell whether that was because of the sudden shock at being found out, or because he might have actually bathed in mud and swallowed a few mouthfuls or something, and his stomach was now disagreeing.

Or maybe he wasn't even sick and only looked like that because of all the grime and dirt on his usually pretty face.

(Not that Jason thought Percy had a pretty face or anything. Though, in all fairness, he did look rather…handsome…ish…)

Poor guy.

Jason wished he could help him somehow.

"Mother, be quiet. It was my choice to stay this long, and if I had my way, I'd stay even longer. I'd rather die fighting, than cower in Olympus like the rest of the gods."

Ok, wait, _what_?

Hades caught them looking, and lazily lifted an arm to tug on the sleeve of his wife's dress, conveniently exposing her shoulder and making Demeter's nostrils flare.

(As if they had never seen shoulders before. Seriously, the gods sometimes.)

Persephone looked around with a frown, the irritation plain on her face as she fixed her sleeve, but when her eyes rested on the four of them, her expression instantly cleared and she fell quiet.

_Great_.

So…what had that been about?

Judging by her reaction, it had to be important.

Then again, Hades would have interrupted her sooner then, wouldn't he?

But anyways, _who_ was hiding in Olympus?

As far as Jason was aware, the gods had all retreated after the war, yes, but he hadn't heard anything about any of the gods 'cowering in Olympus', whatsoever.

And _he_ had to know, since he was the one having to travel across the entire country to get all those damned signatures and all.

If any of the major gods was showing signs of weakness, he'd have never gotten as many signatures together as he had, because none of the minor gods would have willingly followed them, and thus not signed the contract.

Plus, he now knew by heart how much they loved to tear into each other, and badmouth each other, and gossip pretty much _all_ the time.

So, maybe this was nothing, after all.

Just Demeter over dramatizing everything, and Persephone trying to one-up her.

Jason decided he'd still think this over at a later time.

Maybe, once he had Hades' signature (and thus, Persephone's and Demeter's, too, hopefully. That had been the deal, at least), he could try to find out more about this issue with whatever god/goddess he'd encounter next.

"Whatever. It is not important. We have already agreed to leave today, anyways, so I don't see why you're making such a fuss, mother. Now, boys, why aren't you eating? You need your nutrition. Perseus, Nico, you two have been working on the fields for so long, I'm certain your fragile human bodies must be starving." Persephone continued as if nothing had happened, and Demeter huffed annoyed, while Hades merely smirked to himself, looking at nothing in particular.

Jason glanced sideways at Percy and Nico, and found Nico moving almost automatically, piling things on his plate without really checking what it was.

Will wasn't going to be happy about that.

Jason looked at Percy, but Percy was staring down at his lap, seemingly confused and conflicted.

What?

Jason followed his gaze with a light frown, just to blink.

When had he put his hand on Percy's thigh?

Why had Percy not moved it?

Why was it still there?

He pulled his hand back, flashing Percy an apologetic smile when his eyes shot up to Jason, still seeming confused, though Jason had to admit he was glad he at least didn't look all that sick anymore.

"And you two need your nutrition, as well. Especially after last night." Persephone added, and Will, the poor, innocent soul, spit his water across the table, while simultaneously choking on it.

Jason jumped slightly, and instantly went to pat the blonde on the back, trying to control his face muscles as his brain worked in a frenzy, his entire body feeling Percy's and Nico's stares.

He was _not_ allowed to blush now, he was _not_ allowed to blush now, Persephone knew _nothing_, everything was _good_, nobody would have to _know_…

Not that Jason would really mind, but this was definitely not how he wanted their nightly endeavors to become known, especially not to Percy and Nico.

Plus, Will had probably rejected him because he hoped for something with those two, so that would be counter-productive for him, too.

"Dear, I told you not to do that anymore. You're freaking the Jackson kid out for no reason whatsoever. Also, it seems you're killing your favorite." Hades said in an utterly bored, nonplussed tone, waving his hand dismissively towards Will, who was still coughing and beet-red in the face, his freckles glowing vividly.

Jason wasn't entirely sure whether this was because of the choking, or Persephone's definite hint at knowing what they had done – though he had a fairly good hunch, alright.

Couldn't the gods just mind their own business for once?

Unbelievable.

"What? All I'm saying is that they have had a tiring night behind them, and that your sorry excuse for pancakes is not going to be enough to patch them up. And Perseus, get yourself together, this isn't the end of the world yet." She continued loudly, snapping the last bit at Percy with a snap of her fingers, and Jason glanced around at Percy to find his eyes fixed on Will and Jason, hushing between them, a look of utter panic in his gaze.

What?

There was no way _Percy_ could know.

Even if he _guessed_ into that direction, he'd never truly think they'd done any of the things they had done last night.

(Jason could barely believe they had truly happened, himself, after all.)

He opened his mouth to say something, hoping to find the right words to defuse the situation, and get them away from this topic, but Persephone cut in again, leaning forward and putting her elbows on the table, her ageless eyes gleaming dangerously.

"So, how about some spaghetti? You know, some '_Bella Notte_'?" She suggested, a knowing smirk playing on her lips, and Jason felt Will tensing.

"Actually, I was just going to go for a simple sandwich. How about you, Will?" He heard himself speak, which was weird, because he couldn't remember forming the words.

Plus, who ate _sandwiches_ for _lunch_?

But it seemed to have been the right thing to say, because he could feel some of the tension leaving Will's shoulders as he took a deep breath, pulling his hand back from where it had dug into Jason's leg in his panic, though Jason only really noticed that now.

Apparently, his observation skills were failing him.

He really had to catch up on some sleep later.

"I'll have whatever Nico's having, thanks. Maybe next time. Yeah." Will stammered, tripping over his words slightly, and Jason inwardly winced at the realization just how freaked out Will seemed to be about this.

Was that because he was simply as uncomfortable as Jason about the gods knowing things that weren't any of their business?

Or was it because he was ashamed of their doings?

Did he _regret_ it?

He hadn't left that impression earlier.

Then again, that had been in the comfort of each other and still a bit of that heat-of-the-moment-flair.

Maybe things had changed now?

Will looked at him, his blue eyes full of worry and uncertainty.

No, Jason doubted it.

Will looked more as if he expected Jason to have some major issue with it.

That was good, then.

Well, not _good_, but…whatever.

He could still feel Percy's eyes burning into him, and decided to once and for all end their misery.

"Next time, we really shouldn't start _playing_ in the middle of the night, should we now? Bad decision." He said with a small (though fake) chuckle, and finally urged himself to pull away from Will again, moving back onto his seat properly and thus closer to Percy, who was still attempting to read the answers to his unspoken questions right off their faces.

Jason didn't look around, instead concentrating on various things like his hands, the table, and the food.

It felt weird, lying like that.

Rendering that moment Will and he had had to something simple and meaningless like 'playing'.

It had been so much more than a simple accident or some sort of _game_.

So, so, _so_ much more.

But he knew from the way both Percy and Will relaxed that this had been necessary.

"Oh, absolutely. Now, Nico, what are you…_what the hell_? What do you think you're eating there, young man? Forget it. I will not have it. I'm your _doctor_, you're not eating all that greasy, unhealthy stuff under my care. Gone with that, _gone_!" Will started out with a fake laugh similar to Jason's, then looked over to Nico to probably get away from their current conversation same as Jason was trying – just to apparently get the shock of a lifetime.

Jason could only push back into his seat hurriedly as Will all but _lunged_ across him and Percy to get to Nico, who flinched hard and surged back as well, his expression wild and his fork still raised with the very first bite he still hadn't even taken.

Will started grumbling and cursing, pointing to various sections of Nico's plate and ranting about things like hidden, harmful sugars, carbohydrates, and terms Jason had never heard of before.

Though, in all fairness, he was pretty sure Will knew they had no idea what he was actually talking about.

Plus, Jason had to admit he was slightly distracted by the fact that Will's backside was basically _right there_ in front of him, looking awfully nice in those chino pants he was wearing.

Gods, it should be illegal for his butt to look so good in these pants.

Couldn't Will just wear normal jeans like everybody else?

An image of Will in Nico's skinny jeans flashed through his mind and he hurriedly turned his head sideways towards Percy to not get caught staring.

Percy, however, _was_ staring at Will, his eyes hushing over the blonde's face, his body tense, his hands up as if to hold Will should he lose his balance, since Will merely had a hand placed on Percy's thigh to keep himself up, the other one still busily pointing at Nico's food.

Something in Percy's expression seemed…off…but Jason couldn't tell what exactly it was.

It didn't matter, either, because Will suddenly pulled back, snatching the plate away from in front of Nico, who had merely mumbled some feeble excuses and claimed he hadn't even eaten anything yet (not to mention the three very subtle hints that Will was neither his 'doctor', nor his mother, that Will had conveniently ignored).

"Yeah, yeah. I know you need your nutrition after that work-out, but how about you go for…hang on…" Will waved off, placing the plate in front of himself instead, and beginning to put various food on his original plate, which seemed to now be Nico's.

Right.

"Here. Looks a lot better, doesn't it?" Will chirped, reaching across Jason and Percy once more to place the plate in front of Nico, who merely looked uncomfortable and nodded, trying very hard not to look at the gods – who were, as Jason only now noticed, watching them with curious, amused expressions and dangerous gleams in their eyes.

Will seemed to notice Nico's discomfort, because he suddenly froze while pulling back, his eyes studying Nico's face as he looked anywhere but at them.

Jason watched him watching Nico, watched him glancing towards the gods, and watched him coming to a solution, the unease falling from his face as he put on an almost perfect mask of the usual, unperturbed but determined Will Solace.

"Yes, now, Percy, your turn." He said loudly, and Percy's eyebrows shot up as he leaned backwards further, looking utterly puzzled.

"What? Uh…sure?" He said hesitantly, but Will was already grabbing hold of his plate and started selecting various food for him, as well.

Jason smiled, watching how the back of Will's neck turned crimson, betraying his act and showing just how uncomfortable and flustered he was about all of this.

That was the one thing that made him intentionally reach out for Percy's thigh again, giving him a quick squeeze and instantly gaining his attention.

And, while Percy seemed utterly out of his comfort zone and didn't seem to know what was actually going on, he seemed to be perfectly capable of interpreting Jason's pointed looks and catch the meaning behind the unsaid words.

In fact, a moment later, Percy's expression cleared and he gave a small nod, before looking hesitant and shooting Jason another look, which Jason guessed meant something along the lines of 'Are you sure?'.

Jason's lips twitched and he gave a small nod.

Percy looked back at Will quietly, thoughtfully.

Then, he cleared his throat and grinned.

"Well, would you look at that? I'd have never thought Jason would get competition when it came to the mother-figure of the group." He said loudly, and Jason watched pleased how Will immediately shot Percy a genuine look of exasperation.

"Well, _one_ of us has to make sure you guys stay alive for longer than the age of thirty. And since you never listen to Jason, it just has to be me, doesn't it?"

Percy huffed with a big grin, accepting the plate without complaint, though Jason could see quite a bit of vegetables.

Nico was watching them with a light frown, quietly eating his food, though Jason could see the slight twitch of the corner of his lips, showing that he knew they were trying to mask the awkwardness of the moment.

"So, that leaves you, blon- Handsome. Any specific wishes?" Will asked, clearing his throat hurriedly as he seemed to have wanted to refer to him as 'blondie' again – which, funnily enough, made Jason's heart thump loudly in his chest, filling him with a completely nonsensical feeling of hope and relief.

Well, he guessed this did mean their doings last night were still on Will's mind, and that he wasn't ashamed of them or trying to make it seem like they had never happened.

Or maybe Jason was reading too much into it.

He heard both Percy and Nico complaining about how they didn't get a say in whatever Will had picked out for them, and watched Will roll his eyes with a small chuckle when Percy insisted on 'equal treatment' of all of them, but Jason was too busy studying Will's face to pay much attention to that.

Will took his time, but eventually looked into his eyes, his expression becoming affectionate for the most fleeting moment, the same way it did sometimes when he looked at Nico.

And Jason took his answer from that, smiling and relaxing into his seat once more, a peaceful calm settling over him.

"Anything you deem fit, Freckles." He said with a genuine smile, and Will smiled back almost automatically, before turning towards the food on the table again with an expression fit for waging war.

Jason smiled, the day suddenly not seeming so bad, after all.

He felt Percy's eyes on him again, and sent him a questioning look, but Percy instantly averted his gaze again, his eyes hushing over Will with pursed lips for a moment, before settling on his own plate as he decided to start eating.

_Oh, Percy, trust me, you don't want to know._

Jason was never ever going to tell him, that much was certain.

He accepted Will's plate with another smile, relishing in the way Will's cheeks flushed slightly as he grinned back, his freckles standing out so wonderfully again.

It didn't matter that Will had rejected him.

It didn't matter that Will liked Nico and Percy, and Jason didn't care how much more he liked them.

Because, when he looked at Will, even right now, with the gods there, and Percy and Nico there, and this awkward moment….he could still see the affection in Will's gaze, the signs of 'I like you' in his eyes, his freckles, his face, his posture.

And for Jason, that was more than enough.

It definitely made him realize he was going to wait for this bundle of sunshine, even if he'd end up waiting forever.

"So, Hades, by the way, I was wondering. Would it be ok if I went to Elysium once more to talk to my brother?" Will asked, and Nico and Percy dropped their forks in stunned surprise, much to Jason's amusement.

And apparently Hades', too, since he shot them a look full of mirth before leaning forward and fixing his attention on Will.

"Elysium, hm?" He said, dragging out the words as if contemplating that option, but his wife nudged him into the side almost instantly.

"Dear, we've had this conversation. Do it." She hissed pointedly, and Jason couldn't even bring himself to be annoyed about them knowing way too much again.

"Wait, wait, what? What? Are you sure?" Percy cut in worriedly, looking around Jason at Will, but Jason moved into his line of view the moment he felt Will tensing.

"Perce, don't worry. We talked about this earlier, and he said he thought it over, so I see no problem with it." He said calmly, and Percy's expression instantly turned conflicted and suspicious again.

Yeah, well, Jason would definitely have to think of something he could tell Percy and Nico so they'd stop looking so worried and uneasy.

What was it with them, anyways?

Sure, he knew they _liked_ Will, but if they didn't come out with it, they couldn't really expect neither Will nor Jason to really do anything about it, could they now?

So, in a way, they were entitled to do as they pleased, and be as secretive about it as they wanted.

Then again, the last time that had happened, Percy had run from their room and it had all escalated to Will being stuck in bed in immeasurable pain for several days.

Yeah, Jason would definitely have to think of something to tell them, no matter how much he hated the thought of lying to them in any way whatsoever.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Plus, I think it wouldn't even take all that long, so I'd be back after a few hours, no problem. You won't even notice I'm not there." Will said behind Jason, and Jason nodded – until the full meaning behind those words sunk in.

"Wait, you're going _alone_?!" All three of them exclaimed in similarly stunned voices, and Will blinked at them, seemingly taken aback at that not being obvious.

Before he could say anything though, they all got distracted by Hades, as the god of the Underworld suddenly started _laughing_.

.

After the strangest lunch Nico had ever had, he and Percy wanted nothing more than to disappear into their room, jump in the shower, rinse off the grime and dirt from their time on the field, and drop dead into bed.

Of course, nobody let them do that.

In fact, they couldn't even escape to their rooms, because Persephone and Demeter were taking their sweet time saying their goodbyes to them, as if they were celebrities, and the four of them their greatest fans, begging them to stay.

They weren't.

Will looked ready to bolt when Demeter patted him on the shoulder, telling him in a low voice he should look into farming as well, sometimes, because the sun would do him some good (which was just…seriously…Demeter, why?) and Jason and Percy looked no better, smiling politely as Persephone stood in front of them and told them about how late she was running for being up in the upper world, and that she expected them to not give Hades too much of a hard time while she was gone.

Though Nico did hear her saying 'Not that you'll be staying that much longer, of course,' in a lowered voice, which made him wonder just what the gods knew and what they didn't.

It was really unfair, how they seemed to know everything about them, but if it was about an upcoming war, all gods suddenly lost all abilities to actually say or do something useful.

But he guessed if they wanted fairer treatment from godly figures, they had been born into the wrong mythology.

Oh well, nothing for it, he guessed.

Demeter finally let go of Will, and Nico squared his shoulders slightly, hoping they could (finally) get away now.

But the moment he wanted to open his mouth and wish them his best and all that, Persephone clicked her tongue, moving past her mother towards Will, who sent her a slightly scandalized look, probably dreading she was going to go and pat his shoulder, too.

She didn't.

Instead, she looked over her shoulder towards the three of them and winked.

"Don't mind us, boys. I just need a little moment with our sun boy here." She said, already taking Will's arm and leading him further away from them, making Nico's stomach plummet and his mind work at full blast.

_What was she doing?_

_What did she need Will alone for?_

He opened his mouth to complain, noticing he wasn't the only one clearly uneasy about the exchange, since Jason and Percy watched Persephone with narrowed eyes and hesitant expressions, as well.

Before he could say anything, though, Demeter cut across him, fixing him with a knowing look.

"Now, now, let's give them a moment, shall we? You kids be good, alright? No funny business. And Perseus, I'll be expecting to find you growing those plants we've been talking about. Remember, the soil behind your cabin is perfect for-…"

"Yes, you've said. I know. I'll…look into it." Percy muttered hastily, looking even more uncomfortable as he shifted from foot to foot and refused to meet the goddess's eyes.

Nico couldn't blame him.

They had had to go through a lot of Demeter's ranting and rambling, and they had both ended up somewhat agreeing on at the very least keeping a garden at one point in the future.

It apparently wasn't enough to appease her, if she started with the whole 'growing things behind your cabin'-thing again, but Nico hoped she'd be too busy taking care of the rest of the world to really pay attention on whether or not they'd have basil growing behind their cabins or not.

Or whatever else it had been she wanted them to grow.

Could have been broccoli, too.

Or beans?

Well, something along those lines, anyways.

He shifted closer to his boyfriend, reaching out to take his hand gently, and found Percy only too willingly grab hold of him, squeezing his hand tightly for a moment, before stroking over the back of it with his thumb softly.

Poor guy.

He still looked so horrible, too, with all the dirt and mud on him.

Sadly, that had even been partly Nico's fault.

Not entirely, of course, since Percy's stance had been utterly off, and he'd have _probably_ fallen, anyways, but…well, Nico should have probably looked behind him and checked whether the coast was clear, before actually wreaking havoc on the soil in front of him and at one point pulling his rake so far back he hit Percy straight in the back with it, making him topple over and kiss the rather wet and dirty ground.

Nico remembered apologizing almost as many times as Percy had done so far, helping his boyfriend off the ground and trying to get him to spit out the mouthfuls of mud.

Luckily enough, Percy hadn't seemed seriously injured, though (Nico had checked, even pulling up Percy's sweater and jacket and all, much to the annoyance of Demeter, who had wanted them to get back to work asap, saying 'the kid will be fine').

Next to a small bruise forming, he should be ok – once they got to take their freaking shower, of course.

He still looked dirty as hell.

Though Nico didn't exactly mind, knowing he looked no better.

Jason glanced over at them with a questioning look on his face, though the unease wasn't letting off, and he kept looking towards Will and Persephone out of the corners of his eyes, Nico noticed.

Not that he was any different.

One ear was trying to concentrate on Demeter (who was ranting at Hades again for whatever reason this time), but his other ear was straining to maybe catch some of the conversation going on between Persephone and his Will.

Of course, it was futile.

Percy shifted next to him, scratching some of the dried mud off his arm with a mildly disgusted expression, and now Nico was the one stroking over the back of his hand gently.

"Don't worry, we'll be able to leave soon, cuore mio." He whispered quietly, reassuringly, before realizing he was happily using Italian again.

No~!

Seriously, damn those stupid dreams in Italian these days!

As if he hadn't already had enough problems with whatever his dreams were _about_, now they were also happening mostly in _Italian_, and apparently, it was slowly getting to him.

Maybe it was a sign he was trying to hide his dreams from the guys even while he was sleeping.

He should probably worry about that.

Or maybe it was just a sign his Italian was getting rusty and he should practice more.

Percy's head shot around, and Nico could see his pupils dilating slightly as a small smile formed on his lips.

Then again, maybe it actually wasn't all that bad if he talked a bit Italian every here and there.

Percy _did_ seem to like it.

And for some reason, Nico didn't feel as stupid giving him Italian pet names, for some reason.

Who knew, maybe this was the solution for everything.

(Well, for the pet-name-issue, at least.)

"Was that Italian?" Jason asked curiously as he stepped closer to them, though his eyes kept hushing over to Will, who looked struck by whatever Persephone was telling him, eyes wide and his mouth slightly open (Nico was dying to know what all that was about. Persephone hadn't even taken _him_ aside or anything, so he really couldn't understand what she wanted from his Will).

"Yes, he's been indulging me. Jason, he sounds so freaking hot when he's talking Italian, I swear. Nico…please…?" Percy cooed, then gave Nico one of his best baby-seal faces, while Nico cringed and scowled.

Seriously?

In front of Jason?

Now?

Wasn't this a bit…erm…

Wow, hadn't Nico _just_ thought he'd be able to give him actual Italian pet names with other people around without problems?

He glanced towards Will again, who was looking down and saying something back to Persephone quietly.

Then he looked towards Demeter and Hades, who were glaring daggers at each other and not noticing a thing that was happening around them.

Alright, if they weren't paying attention…he guessed it was ok, then.

It wasn't even the pet name thing that was actually an issue, but Nico's Italian had seriously become a tad rusty because of disuse.

But, well, neither Percy or Jason knew Italian, so he shouldn't make too much of a fool of himself.

He cleared his throat and concentrated on Percy's face, so he wouldn't run risk of it looking as if he was talking to Jason or anything.

The last thing he needed was worrying Percy he was giving _everybody_ Italian pet names now.

"Ti amo piu che si potrá mai sapere, sporcaccione. Scusami per quello che é successo." He said quietly, figuring Percy would want him to say more than just a simple pet name.

Percy beamed, nudging Jason's side excitedly over and over again and whispering 'See? _See_?! I told you! He's so hot, I swear, just look at him, just listen, gods, Jason…' under his breath, while Jason shot him a funny look, but didn't seem to mind the rough treatment to his side, and Nico could even see his lips twitching slightly.

"I agree. Will's Italian sounds similar, actually, though he has a different accent. But do you even know what he just said?" Jason asked, though his grin gave away that he knew the answer to that already.

Percy shrugged, saying something about not minding not knowing, but Nico was too distracted by the other part of Jason's sentence.

Oh gods.

Will knew Italian.

He had completely forgotten.

Then again, Nico hadn't heard him speak Italian except that one time on Valentine's Day, so he wasn't that surprised it hadn't crossed his mind anymore.

Though, a moment later, he wondered how Jason could still remember that.

Had Will talked to Jason in Italian?

Why would he?

Nico frowned to himself.

Did it really matter?

No, no it didn't.

"He probably said you stink and need a shower." Jason declared matter-of-factly, pulling Nico out of his thoughts a he saw Jason and Percy poking each other in the stomach, acting like the bunch of fools they were.

Nico could only shake his head at them.

"No way! Nico wouldn't say something like that…would you?" Percy retorted, then turned to Nico with an almost uncertain look, and Nico frowned at him.

For a moment, he wanted to say 'Of course not, I don't care how you smell, I love you all the same.', but then he decided he'd rather not have everybody else hear him say something that cheesy.

"Percy, mi é indifferente, ti amo comunque. Sorridi per me?" Nico said instead, unsure himself whether the last part was a question or a request.

Percy and Jason both stared at him, probably trying to figure out what he had just said.

Then, Percy nudged Jason's side again.

"There. He said 'Ti amo'. That means 'I love you'. See? Whatever he's saying is nice." He declared, grinning over at Nico, and Nico found himself smiling back, glad his wish had been fulfilled, even if Percy hadn't understood.

"Well, it's Nico, what did you expect?" Jason retorted with a small laugh, and the two were at each other again.

Very mature.

Nico looked back towards Will, just to find the blonde pocketing something with a conflicted expression, nodding somberly at whatever Persephone was saying as the two of them started walking back towards them.

Huh?

Had she given him something?

If so, what?

Why?

What was going on?

"Stai bene?" He asked, then slapped his hands to his forehead as he realized he was still talking in Italian.

How embarrassing.

He heard Jason and Percy laugh quietly as they moved over to Will almost instantly, and when Nico dared to look up again, he found Will grinning at him with an odd gleam in his eyes.

"Sto molto bene, grazie. Sei molto carino."

Nico felt his cheeks heating.

What?!

Had Will just called him _cute_?!

Nico faintly wondered what Will thought he had said.

It probably wasn't that.

Will winked at him, and suddenly Nico wasn't all that sure about that anymore, either.

"Hey, not fair, you can actually understand him! Wait, does that mean you can tell me what he said?" Percy first complained loudly, then suddenly seemed all for it, looking at Will hopefully.

_Hey_.

"You do know I'd translate it for you if you really wanted me to, right?" He asked, wondering whether he had not said so already.

Or did Percy really think he wouldn't tell him just what he was saying?

Percy sighed.

"I know, but I kind of don't want you to go through the trouble?" He started hesitantly, and Will snorted.

"Wow, how nice. You're just going to use me so Nico doesn't have to translate his own sentences? Mean."

Jason chuckled quietly, eyeing Nico with an odd expression, as if he was reading him again.

"Plus, I think Nico would totally be up for telling you just what he's saying, himself. And…" Jason lowered his voice and leaned towards Percy's ear more, and Nico tried to hear what else he was saying, but sadly, Persephone had joined the argument between Hades and Demeter, rendering Jason's words inaudible to him.

Damn it.

What was he saying?

Will seemed to catch it, though, his eyebrows shooting up as his eyes hushed over to Nico with an amused, and somewhat appraising expression.

"I agree." Was all he said, though, which didn't exactly give Nico any ideas on what the hell Jason was saying.

When Jason pulled back, however, Percy's ears were quickly turning red, and he looked back at Nico with an almost yearning expression.

"Really?"

"Absolutely." Both Jason and Will said in unison, and Nico wanted to scowl at them, but then got distracted by Percy biting his bottom lip, which he very rarely did, but which always got to Nico in ways it shouldn't.

"It's not nice to talk about me when I'm right here and can't hear." He complained sulkily, though he knew he was nobody to talk, since he had pretty much done the same thing a few moments ago, talking to them in a language they didn't know.

"Aww, it was nothing bad, I can ensure you. Just something that will show Percy, that-…" Will started, but then Persephone clapped her hands together loudly and they all looked around at her.

Hey, Nico had wanted to hear that.

What had they told Percy?

"Now then, boys. Time for our blessings." Persephone announced, and Nico's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as he stared at her with a frown.

What?

_Blessings_?

Since when did they give blessings?

Just like that?

For free?

No deadly quests or them proving themselves worthy of any blessings?

He shot an uneasy look towards Jason, who met his gaze at the same time, mutely asking what this was, but Nico could do nothing more than shrug slightly.

Will and Percy exchanged a look as well, but they didn't seem as bothered by this as Jason and Nico were.

Well, it was probably nothing.

For all he knew, this was their way of trying to improve their relationship with the demigods, to avoid another Luke or the like.

Though then they should maybe simply change their general treatment of mortals/demigods, instead of trying to overdo it with Nico and his friends.

Then again, who was he to complain about free blessings?

Persephone nudged her mother, and Demeter stepped forward, clearing her throat unnecessarily.

"Blessings, right. So, boys…may your soil always be healthy and your harvest rich. May you never go hungry and find safety in my midst. May you keep your crops from the dark, and give them what they need. May you find the light within you, for only then you can succeed. Sow hope in times of despair, and you shall reap more than you think. Nourish the ground you build on, and you shall watch your opponent sink…I wish you all the best on your path, and be my blessing well received." Demeter said in a high, almost melodic sort of voice, her form glowing in golden-brownish hues, and her words seeming to reverberate inside and outside Nico, making his skin tingle and his stomach clench as he felt the oddest sensation washing over him.

This was…strange.

Of course, he had never received a god's blessing before, but he would have never thought it would feel like _this_.

He wanted to look over at Percy and the other two, but somehow, he couldn't stop staring at Demeter, until the glowing finally subsided and she looked more like herself again.

For some reason, he couldn't even clearly remember her words anymore, but at the same time, it felt as if they were still sounding inside him, echoing through his body, etching themselves into his very being.

Then, Demeter nodded with a self-satisfied expression, and the moment ended.

_Wow_.

Nico looked over towards his guys, and found Will staring at his hands in stunned shock, probably feeling as weird as Nico was, while Percy and Jason merely exchanged an odd, mildly uncomfortable look, but didn't seem all too bothered by what had just transpired.

The silence was stretching on, so Nico cleared his throat hurriedly, feeling the need to do something, say something, smother the silence.

"Thank you." He said quietly, glad his voice came out normally.

Not that he had really worried her blessing might have some altering effect on him, but one could never know.

"Don't mention it, kiddo. Just take good care of your crops, and everything will be fine." Demeter said, though, at 'crops', she gestured towards Percy, Will and Jason, so he wasn't entirely sure whether she meant them or actual plants.

If she meant them, she didn't have to worry.

He was never going to let them get to harm.

Over his dead body.

Persephone brushed past her mother, rubbing her hands excitedly and looking at them as if this was the moment she had been waiting for her whole life already.

Which didn't bode well with Nico, but who had ever cared?

"Yes, yes. You and your agriculture, mom. Time for the _real_ blessing, here."

That made Nico even more uneasy.

Persephone closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Then, she spoke, and her voice was entirely different from before, just like Demeter's had been.

"My blessing shall be, that you will find shelter in need, and let there be spring in your hearts, to enlighten your steps, and guide you on your path. May you be safe from misery, and help others prevail, so you can end the endless, and be true to yourselves. Beware the liar, and trust your trusted, only when gone is the dire, can victory be fostered." She finished, and Nico stared at his hands, which were glowing in a mixture of yellow and green, and reminding him faintly of spring.

Again, the strangest sensations washed over him, and he felt as if he should be on high alert due to whatever she had just said, but the words were already slipping from his mind, only the meaning anchoring itself inside him.

It took longer than with Demeter until it finally wore off, and then, Persephone still gazed at them with a slightly off expression.

"You four are bound by choice, rather than fate, but don't let that fool you. Your bond is stronger than any I've seen before. Only when you're together, will you be able to meet the world's end and succeed. Each of you is important, may it be to each other or the grand scheme. I can't give you the blessing I'd most wish to grant, but you have my best wishes at heart." She added quietly, somberly, so contrary to any of the ways she had acted before, that Nico wasn't sure this was even the same person anymore.

In fact, the oddness of her voice and stature threw him off so much, he barely registered her actual words.

"And on that note, I believe it's time for you to go." Hades said, his voice loud and clear, cutting through the haze that seemed to have settled over the room, and bringing them all back to their senses.

Nico moved, confused for a moment about what he was supposed to do, and he saw his friends reacting similarly.

They all kept glancing towards Persephone, but she wasn't looking at them, her posture slightly hunched, and in Nico's opinion, she looked somewhat _weakened_.

He wasn't sure how blessings worked, but he hoped she hadn't actually done too much right there.

Did blessings tire gods out?

He heard his guys muttering 'Thank you'-s, and Jason wished Demeter and Persephone safe travels, even though none of them knew whether that would be well received or not.

Demeter and Hades had come up behind Persephone now, hands on her shoulders, and Hades nodded his approval, making a shooing motion with his free hand.

They filed out the door, confused and slightly disturbed, but also awestruck, and Nico looked back one last time.

"I told you not to do it, Persephone. You know she won't forgive you for this." He heard Demeter scolding quietly, and Nico slowed down ever so faintly, straining his ears.

Will next to him did the same.

"It was necessary." Was all Persephone replied, her voice sounding frail, but determined.

Hades seemed to notice them eavesdropping, because Nico saw him look their way sternly, and the next moment, the door slammed shut in their faces.

What had _that_ been about?

What had Persephone done?

Who wouldn't forgive her for what?

Man, this was like that shit with Gaea all over again.

(Good thing _she_ couldn't pose any more trouble, though.)

"That was…intense." Will muttered next to him as they walked back towards their room, still too struck to speak much.

"Indeed. This felt nothing like the time I had my dad's blessing." Jason mumbled, and Percy made a confirming sound.

"Then again, that was in battle. So that might be a little different." The blonde added, and Percy once more made an affirmative noise.

Nico glanced towards him, wondering why he wasn't actually talking, but Percy was staring off into space with a frown.

"Percy?" He asked quietly, but Percy didn't react, looking utterly lost in thoughts.

Nico tried again, now even more worried, and Will and Jason looked over.

"Hey, Perseus, your boyfriend is trying to talk to you." Will called loudly, and Percy's head shot up, looking around at them startled and almost tripping over his feet.

"Hm? What? Oh, sorry, Nico. I was just…" He mumbled awkwardly, gesturing with his arms and then looking guilty.

"What is it?" Jason asked before Nico could, and Percy fidgeted slightly.

"I was just thinking…do you reckon they mean there's a new war coming? I mean, when do the gods ever give anybody any blessings? For free? Just like that? I don't know. I can't remember clearly what they said, but it sounded kind of weird, don't you think?"

Nico felt his insides churn at the thought, and he found himself glancing towards Jason, who still wasn't even halfway done with his peace contract.

Jason seemed to feel his gaze, sending him a reassuring look.

"Hey, let's not interpret too much into this, alright? Of course there'll be another war _someday_, but that doesn't mean it will happen anytime _soon_, ok? So, let's not worry about that now." Jason declared, and Nico had to admit the firmness of his voice and the certainty in his words helped ease his tension a bit.

But only a bit.

A small hint of doubt remained.

After all, hadn't Persephone mentioned something about 'the end of the world' during dinner before?

"You're probably right. Sorry. I guess I'm just a little paranoid after witnessing two wars." Percy said with a small, humorless chuckle, and something inside Nico clenched painfully, memories of the battles zooming through his mind.

"Anybody would be, Perce. But Jason is right, let's not worry about that now. How does that saying go? 'Speak of the devil and the devil shows up'. And we wouldn't want that, would we now? So, who's up for a _SingStar_ match? Or will I have to woo Nico all on my own?" Will asked, his tone changing from serious to happy-go-lucky within seconds, effectively pulling all three of them entirely out of their brooding clouds.

Bless that guy.

Oh, how Nico loved him.

Wait, no, he didn't.

He _platonically_ _liked_ him.

Guiltily glancing towards Percy, he found Percy making an unimpressed face.

"Wooing _my_ Nico? I don't think so. Apollo's offspring or not, I'm going to sing you into the ground, sun-bug." He declared war on Will, and Nico had to roll his eyes at their sudden drop in maturity all over again.

"Ha, don't make me laugh, Perseus. What are you going to do, screech into the microphone until the system fries?" Will teased, and Nico shot Jason a telling look.

Jason met his gaze with a matching expression.

"Hey, that's _mean_! Also, for all you know, I might be a _great_ singer! I'm son of Poseidon, after all. Which makes me related to sirens. So I could be _part siren_, ever thought of that?" Percy retorted, and Will made an exaggerated 'Ooh'-sound, which made Jason and Nico simultaneously roll their eyes.

"'Part'-siren would still make you screech into the microphone, Perce. But I shall look forward to your performance, oh mighty siren. I'll let you know if I want to drown myself due to sheer amazement, or in utter horror of your voice, alright?" Will teased, and Percy huffed, stomping off towards their room.

Ugh, great.

"Well, first we're taking a shower, though." Nico called after him, and Will and Jason sent him knowing smirks, with Will even wiggling his eyebrows.

Ugh, those perverted idiots.

He scowled at them, but then Percy was already looking around, all annoyance at Will forgotten and replaced by that hopeful, hungry gleam again.

"You sure you want a shower? I could do with a bath, too." He purred, and Nico both felt the tinge of arousal at the sound of his voice, and the heat rising in his face due to embarrassment.

He couldn't believe Percy said this _right in front_ _of Will and Jason_, who were exchanging those knowing looks again.

Though he also noticed Will looking at Jason rather regretfully only a moment later, when Jason had quickly turned his face away again.

Hm, weird.

"We'll see. But a shower would be quicker." Nico replied, beginning to make his way towards their room again, and his guys followed.

"Which is exactly why Percy wants a bath." Will said with another wiggle of his eyebrows, and Percy chuckled quietly.

"Guilty as charged."

Nico rolled his eyes, grabbing hold of his boyfriend's hand again and threading their fingers together.

Well, he wouldn't _mind_ a bath, but…

"Aren't you a tad too dirty for a bath, though, Perce? I'm just saying, you'd probably want to rinse off in the shower before attempting a bath, man." Jason pointed out, and Nico pursed his lips as he watched Percy gape at Jason, looking almost offended – though his ears turned red again, showing he was a tad embarrassed, too.

"Gee, thanks, man. First you tell me I stink, now you tell me I look like shit? Not cool."

Nico sighed, catching Will biting his lip so as to not start laughing.

He still did, though.

"Hey, just calling it like it is. Come on, you know I don't care, I'm just trying to prevent you from swimming in mud after you just got out of it." Jason declared matter-of-factly, and Percy let out an affronted huff.

"What?! I'm not _that_ dirty! Jason!"

Jason laughed, a teasing gleam in his eyes, though Nico had the vague impression he _did_ have some sort of beef with Percy, though it didn't seem anything too serious.

"That's what you say, but have you looked into a mirror, lately? All your good looks are gone, as if they had never existed. Just like your musical talent."

Had Jason just said Percy was good-looking?

"Jason!" Percy exclaimed utterly aghast, and the next moment, he pulled his hand out of Nico's to chase after the blonde, as Jason started laughing and running off.

Those dorks.

"And there I thought Jason was more mature than that." Will mused with a soft smile on his face, watching the two fool around further ahead.

Nico eyed him from the side, studying the gentle expression and wondering once more what had happened last night, between Will and Jason.

"He is, but I think he just likes humoring Percy sometimes."

"You just had to pick the dorkiest guy there is, huh?" Will teased, poking him in the side, and Nico let out a rather embarrassing sound that almost resembled a squeak, taking a step away from him.

"I…I guess?" He mumbled, glad they were 'walking', so he couldn't give away his unease by fidgeting or shuffling from one foot to the other.

"He's not that bad, actually. I mean…erm…well, in a way, I'm glad he can be like this. So carefree and childish and all. It's special. Especially after all he's been through." He added, feeling the need to verify he did _not_ think Percy was actually exceptionally dorky or all that much of an idiot.

Percy was a lot more than that, and Nico loved it all.

Will chuckled next to him.

"Don't worry, I know. I was just joking. He's a nerd, and a dork, but I think that's just his way of coping with life. He's had a lot coming at him, but he managed to fight his way through it, and I think he likes to pretend he's still the carefree, happy kid he probably used to be at some point, especially for those around him. People call him stupid all the time, but if you think about it, he's anything but." Will said quietly, and Nico hummed in agreement, thinking of all the things Percy had accomplished by now.

He definitely wouldn't have been able to do even half of the things he had done, if he hadn't been as smart as he was.

Though it was a tad weird to hear Will talking so seriously about Percy.

Then he frowned.

"You think he knows that, though?" He asked, and Will looked around at him, studying his expression.

Then he shrugged.

"He should. Though he _does_ call himself stupid a lot. Want me to give him a pep talk?" He offered, but Nico hesitated.

Shouldn't it be _Nico's_ job as Percy's _boyfriend_ to reassure him and tell him stuff like that?

"Hey! If I remember correctly, I did _tons_ more stuff than you did, Grace! Bow down to my awesomeness, you sorry excuse for a demigod! You merely finished off a Titan or two, I was right there with _the big guys_!" Percy exclaimed loudly in front of them, wildly gesticulating with his arms as Jason hovered in the air a few feet above him, laughing and waving off, looking smug.

"Bow down to you? Come up here, Jackson, and we'll talk."

"You need your daddy's powers to stay out of my reach, you coward!"

"Says the one making faucets explode in public baths because their friends are sharing a changing cubicle." Jason called back unimpressed, still smirking smugly.

Will and Nico just stood there, staring at the exchange in front of them with unimpressed expressions.

"You know…" Nico started, both of them watching as Percy started trying to climb up the side of the uneven stone wall, all the while cursing and yelling various things towards Jason, who called back similar nonsense.

"…I don't think pep talk is really necessary." He finished, and Will huffed.

"Damn right. Jason is already doing it all for us, isn't he?"

Nico nodded.

It did seem that way.

"Can't say I'm surprised, though." He mumbled, still watching the scene in front of them

"Me neither. He's awesome like that." Will said with a small, wistful sigh, and now Nico _did_ glance sideways at him, catching the small, almost bitter smile hushing over Will's face.

"Are you two ok?" He asked hesitantly, hoping this wasn't too personal or direct.

Will chuckled, though he didn't look around, his gaze fixed on Jason up in the air.

"We're great, Neeks. Don't worry about it. Last night was…we had some revelations, he and I. But everything is good. I'm just…I'm just an idiot, that's all. And he's too kind for his own good."

Nico pursed his lips, looking straight ahead at his boyfriend and Jason again, watching how Percy was now a good foot up the wall, though he didn't seem to dare to go any higher, instead holding out Riptide with one hand and waving it around 'threateningly' at Jason, who was hovering next to him, close enough to catch him should he fall, but far enough away not to be in danger.

They were still mocking each other, though they were both grinning now and seemed at disturbing ease.

Nico glanced back towards Will, and dared to step closer, carefully reaching out to stroke over his arm.

"If you…if you need to talk or anything…" He started, and Will's head shot around at him, his eyes widening slightly, before he put on a quick, easy grin again.

"Hey, _no worries_. Told you we're _great_. Thanks, though." He replied hurriedly before Nico could continue, and Nico hastily pulled his hand back, hoping he hadn't overstepped any line there.

But the moment he did, Will clasped his hand in his own, smiling at him reassuringly.

Nico tried very hard not to notice how much warmer Will's hand was compared to Percy's, though he failed to pull his hand away, either.

Will still smiled at him, and his thumb stroked over the back of Nico's hand, similar to how Percy sometimes did, but at the same time, entirely different.

While Percy's touch seemed more like a soft caress, Will's seemed more like a soothing massage…

Nico tried not to think of that too much.

"So…" Will started, and Nico realized in utter horror he had been staring at Will's lips without even registering them properly, half his mind on their hands, and the other half on Percy and Jason yelling at each other all over again.

"Yes?" He asked hurriedly, eyes snapping back up to Will, just to catch him eyeing him with definite mirth in his gaze.

Oh gods, had he noticed?

What would he do?

Would he tell Percy?

This reminded Nico of that one time in the infirmary all over again.

It also reminded him of that one moment they had had back on his birthday.

At least, this time, they hadn't been about to kiss or anything.

Though that wasn't as much of a relief to Nico as it probably should have been.

"…want to bet I can get Percy to abandon his mission and get over here before we can say 'Elysium'?" Will asked, and Nico blinked, torn out of his thoughts and worries all over again.

_What_?

Oh.

"Erm, sure?" He agreed hesitantly, wondering faintly what Will had in mind.

Will grinned broadly at him, his eyes gleaming.

This was either going to be very funny, or horribly embarrassing.

"Watch this." Will said with a wink, then turned towards Jason and Percy again.

"Hey, Perseus! Nico says he's pregnant!"

Nico gasped and pulled away from Will, staring at him in utter horror and disbelief.

_What?!_

The next moment, there was a loud crashing sound in front of them, and Jason's wild laughing echoed through the Underworld, while Percy was in front of them in a heartbeat, cupping Nico's face.

He must have jumped.

He seriously must have, because Jason was still up in the air and clutching his stomach in laughter.

"_What_?! Babe, are you ok? What do you _mean_, you're pregnant? I didn't think that was possible? Plus, we were using _protection_!" He exclaimed, and Nico could feel his face heating even more than should be possible.

Oh gods, he _hated_ Will.

He tried to shoot a death glare towards the blonde as he searched for the words inside his unhelpfully blank mind, but the blonde was roaring with laughter, not even capable of looking at them properly.

For a long moment, Percy and he were completely quiet, staring at each other while the other two laughed themselves to death (not literally, though they'd deserved it right now).

"You're not pregnant, are you?" Percy asked quietly, and Nico shook his head, torn between yelling 'No!', and smacking Percy's forehead for even assuming that was a _possibility_.

"Good. Because I have no idea how I'd best take care of you. Would we still be able to travel? Would the Underworld be good for you? Would I have to take you to New Rome right away to keep you safe? Know what, I'd do that. Better safe than sorry. Yes. Pack you up and get you there so you're all good. Money is going to be a problem. I can ask my mom to lend me some, but I'll have to get a job real quick. Maybe they'll take me in one of the fast food places. Or a restaurant, they let you take left-overs with you sometimes. Not that I'd let you eat left-overs, those would be for me. You'd get deluxe food. Only the best. I'd make it work." Percy started rambling, still cupping Nico's face and stroking over his cheeks as he stared off into space, apparently going through a whole list of things he'd do and not do.

Nico would find that notion very sweet, if it wasn't for the fact that he couldn't ever _get_ pregnant, and Will and Jason were still _right there_.

"Percy…" He started quietly, moving his hand up to put it on Percy's arm.

"Yes?" Came Percy's immediate reply, instantly stopping his monologue about how he'd 'baby-proof the place'.

"I'm not pregnant." Nico stated seriously, and Percy pursed his lips, nodding slowly.

"Right."

"I can't get pregnant." Nico informed him unnecessarily, and Percy nodded again.

"I…I know."

"You don't have to take me to New Rome, or find a job. You don't even have to think of that." Nico explained hesitantly, and Percy's cheeks turned pink under all the dirt on his face.

"Oh."

"Yeah…"

"Oh gods, Percy, you're the _best_. But seriously, I have to admit, I'm impressed. You didn't yell 'I'm not ready to be a father!' or anything. Instead, you went about it like the mature hero I knew you were, thinking of how to best take care of your lover and offspring. Respect." Will announced next to them, making them both jump slightly, especially when Will clapped Percy on the back with a grin.

Percy made a face, still pink in the face, though he now turned to scowl at Will.

"Don't make me chase you up a wall or something, sun-bug. You really scared me, there."

Will chuckled and held his hands up apologetically.

"Aw, come on. It was funny. And now we all know what a great dad you'd be."

"Will, I can't ever bear his kids." Nico pointed out with a frown, wondering why they all liked to forget that kind of crucial detail.

But Will waved it off dismissively.

"There's always adoption. So not the point."

Nico huffed, looking past the two of them towards Jason, and hoping for some support there.

"Nico would look great with a kid, though. Just imagine him carrying a child around. He'd never put it down." Jason mused, coming up next to Will and Percy, and Nico felt utterly betrayed.

"Oh, he definitely wouldn't. He probably wouldn't even let us touch it. And Percy would only be allowed to hold it to change diapers or something." Will agreed with a laugh, winking at Nico, but Nico merely scowled at the lot.

That was _so_ not true!

_If_ Nico ever happened to be in charge of a small and helpless human being, he would _not_ hold it all the time and carry it around and act like an overprotective mother.

That was _absurd_.

How would he do the rest of the housework and all the things that would have to get done to guarantee that thing's safety and comfort?

"You're all idiots." He stated drily, pulling away from Percy's hands still on his cheeks, and stomping off towards their room.

"Aww, Neeks, we didn't mean it like that!" Jason called after him immediately, and he could hear the three of them following him hurriedly.

"Hey, nothing wrong with being a loving parent, love!" Will insisted with a laugh, patting Nico on the back as he fell into step next to him.

"Nico, don't listen to them. We have plenty of time to consider kids at some point in the future, and I don't care whether you put the kid down or not, that's all your choice."

Nico wanted to groan.

Could they finally switch the topic?!

Why were they talking about kids?

Percy and he were only dating for three months, this had to be far too soon to talk about kids!

(This reminded him of his birthday all over again, and how flustered he had felt.)

"You're so adorable when you're flustered." Will announced next to him, and Nico was about done with the world.

"You're all the worst!"

"Aww, but you love us, anyways, don't deny it."

Uh-oh, bad.

Nico wanted to look around alarmed, wanted to pull away from Will, wanted to point out that he did _not_ love them, only Percy, but then Percy was already shoving Will away playfully.

"Shush, leave him alone, you tease. Go molest Jason or something."

"Hey. I do _not_ molest Jason."

"You don't?" Jason asked, and Nico caught Will throwing a wild look into Jason's direction, but the blonde merely laughed, shaking his head at him slightly, a mute conversation passing between them that didn't make sense to Nico.

Then, Percy suddenly jumped next to him.

"Hey, did you guys even read my note?"

Jason and Will snorted simultaneously.

"Of course we did. You think we'd have stayed in our rooms and waited patiently until lunch if we hadn't? We'd have gone looking for you to make sure you didn't get into any trouble, duh." Will pointed out, and Jason made an affirming noise.

"Yeah, though I have to wonder why exactly you put it in-…"

Percy cut him off, though, looking relieved.

"Good! I have to admit, I was worried you wouldn't find it, because Will moved his hand right after I put the note in it, and I wasn't sure whether he'd not lose it somewhere in bed." He explained hurriedly, and Nico frowned slightly.

Well, this explained why he hadn't seen Percy's note anywhere.

Why had he put it in Will's hand, though?

Nico would have just left it on the bedside table or something.

He looked around, just to see Jason and Will looking slightly taken aback.

"You…you put it…in my hand?" Will asked, and Nico could see his eyes hushing over to Jason ever so quickly, before his face started heating, his freckles glowing golden on his tanned skin.

"Hm? Yeah, I did. Where did you two find it?" Percy asked curiously, and Nico watched as a rather gleeful, but oddly satisfied grin spread on Jason's lips, while Will looked unusually flustered and embarrassed.

"N-Nowhere. Just…in bed."

"Mhm." Jason hummed, grinning from one ear to the other, which earned him a sharp look from Will, though with the blush and the glowing freckles, any threatening effect he might have wished for was sort of lost.

They were acting weird.

Where had they found the note?

They made it seem like such a big thing, but he couldn't think of any strange location they could have found the note in.

Under the pillow?

At the end of the bed?

Maybe they had found it on the pillow next to them and had made fun of Percy acting as if he was leaving them his number or something.

Probably something along those lines.

Something inside Nico churned uncomfortably, but he pushed it down.

No, this was Will and Jason.

Everything was good.

Will had told him everything was good.

And while Will had acted all lovey-dovey with Jason earlier (and Jason had, too, in a way, even if he had been asleep at the time), the two of them acted fairly normal now.

So they weren't dating, after all.

Or maybe they were?

No, they'd have said.

Jason was bound to have announced that first thing upon seeing them.

Nico was utterly certain of that – until he frowned a moment later, wondering just _why_ he thought Jason would do such a thing, and doubt settled over him again.

"I can't believe you seriously thought Nico was pregnant." Will suddenly said, probably to get away from the topic, if his still ever so evident blush meant anything, and Nico scowled at him.

_Seriously_?

Couldn't he move the conversation to something else entirely?

"Oh, shut up." Percy snapped back, though without bite or venom.

"Maybe it's because Nico glows with happiness so much. You know what they say about the glow." Jason mused, and Nico scowled at him, too.

"Ti odio tutti." He grumbled, and Will acted scandalized, clutching his heart in mock hurt.

"Aww, you don't mean that, sweetheart!"

Damn, he had forgotten Will could understand him.

"What did he say?" Both Jason and Percy asked instantly, and Will pushed out his bottom lip, giving them pouty looks.

"He said he'll keep the kid all to himself." He said gravely, and Nico fought the impulse to either run away or strangle that cruel ass.

That was _not_ what he had said!

"What?!" "Nico!"

Nico groaned.

Just what had he done to deserve this?

.

How had they deserved this torture?

Jason pondered that as he and Nico exchanged pained looks, while Will and Percy screeched into their microphones, apparently trying to one-up each other at doing their worst _SingStar_ performance _ever_.

Why?

It had all started so well, too.

Percy and Nico had retreated to the bathroom as soon as they had been back, and while Jason had initially feared Will and he would sit in awkward silence until Percy and Nico would return, the blonde had surprised him by getting busy with the console and the games, getting everything up and running and making light, meaningless conversation with Jason.

There had, of course, been differences to their usual, easy behavior around each other, but nothing too noticeable, so Jason was kind of pleased.

When Percy and Nico had come back, Will had already been waiting impatiently, fiddling with the red microphone and passing Percy the blue one – just to have Percy complain that he had probably 'tweaked with them in some way' and switching, rather taking the red one, instead.

Yeah, well, ok, maybe the beginning of the game had already been sort of questionable.

But the singing had been ok in the beginning.

Will had offered Percy to go first – which Jason had found nice, but Percy had somehow interpreted as challenge and hadn't wanted to hear a thing about it, which had resulted in Will going first and obviously showing off.

(He really did have a nice singing voice, Jason could only repeat that. Though Jason had also noticed his voice cracking every here and there, showing last night's happenings still had some slight after-effect - which should probably not make Jason as proud and satisfied as it did.)

Then it had been Percy's turn, and while it may not have been perfect, it had sort of been better than what Jason had first expected.

This had continued for a while, and everything had been fine.

Sure, Percy had complained and wailed a lot, because Will had relentlessly beaten him each round, no matter what mode they had played on, but all in all, it had been pretty fun to watch them and listen to their more or less frantic tries to sing better than the other.

But now, they weren't even really singing anymore, were they now?

Jason shared another pained look with Nico, feeling as if this must be the hundredth time they had done so, already.

What were they supposed to do?

Interrupt them?

Ask them nicely to stop?

Beg for mercy?

They watched as Percy threw his arms in the air in despair, lunging forward to rip Will's microphone out of his hands when he saw that Will was still beating him, even though they were both screaming intelligible words that sounded like anything but the original song.

Then, Percy screeched into Will's microphone, while Will laughed loudly and let it happen, laughing even louder when Percy's scream actually got Will a few more points than he probably would have gotten otherwise.

"This is torture. How do we deserve this, Jason?" Nico asked somberly next to him, and Jason could only shake his head.

"I have no answer, Nico."

Will was back to screeching into his own microphone, and Percy tried a new tactic of shoving his own in the way, but that only made Will 'sing' even lousier.

Jason wanted earplugs.

"You should have tired Percy out more while you had the chance." Jason stated drily, and Nico snorted.

"I'm starting to think the same thing."

For a moment, the two fell silent, and a smirk spread on Jason's face.

As expected, a moment later, Nico jumped and started stuttering, going bright pink in the face

"I mean, not that I'd…that's…oh gods, Jason, what the hell are you even implying?!"

"Shh, we're singing over here!" Both guys hissed over at them, both of them covering their microphones with their hands and looking positively offended, which made Jason and Nico gape and stare at them.

_Seriously?_

They were doing nothing but _screaming_!

How could _anything_ Jason or Nico said _possibly_ affect their score or performance in any way?

Percy and Will glowered at them a moment longer, then returned their attention to the screen and resumed their 'singing' once more, and Jason exchanged another pained look with Nico all over again.

Seriously, how did they deserve this?

"Maybe we should have agreed on joining in." He mused, but Nico immediately shook his head.

"I am _not_ singing. Forget it."

Jason snorted.

No matter what Nico might say or think, he was fairly certain Nico could sing better than _he_ could, any day.

"It's not like they're really singing, anymore." He put in pointedly, but Nico still shook his head.

"That's different. I'm not going to sing. You'll all laugh."

Oh wow.

"I wouldn't laugh. I can't sing for the life of me, so why would I laugh at anybody else's performance?"

Nico shrugged, and they both watched Percy and Will howling as they saw the results, with Percy stomping his foot in utter frustration about losing _again_.

"Bianca used to sing for me sometimes." Nico muttered quietly, and Jason could see Will turning his head ever so slightly towards them, showing he was following the conversation, even if he was still playing around with Percy.

"That sounds nice." Jason said cautiously, after waiting a moment to see whether he'd say any more.

"It was. She was a good singer. Back when we were in the Casino, she sang Italian lullabies to get me to sleep. It was pretty embarrassing." Nico told him in a casual voice, though the way he shifted slightly indicated this was much more to him than casual conversation.

Jason moved closer slightly.

"You think so? I'd have loved it if my sister had done that for me." He said quietly, and Nico's lips twitched.

"I know. _Now_ I think so, too. But back then, I cursed her for being so embarrassing and kept telling her she didn't have to baby me. Do you ever look back at your younger self and realize just how stupid you were?"

Will huffed out a loud breath, apparently utterly agreeing with Nico, and Jason caught Percy glancing over at Nico with a slightly concerned look on his face, indicating he was also listening.

Seriously, these guys.

How did they manage to seem so busy, selecting their next song and mocking each other and all, while also simultaneously eavesdropping?

It was a mystery.

He refrained from making a face at them, instead thinking about Nico's question for a moment, going over his old decisions and his old self.

Of course, there were plenty of things he'd have loved to know sooner, and moments in his life where he deeply regretted his rather immature decisions at the time, but at the same time, he doubted that was comparable to anything Nico had experienced so far.

"I think it's normal to go through times like that. One can only grow and mature so fast, Nico. Sure, there will be things you regret, and memories that will make you cringe afterwards for your views at the time, but doesn't that mean you've grown as a person?" He tried quietly, and Nico stilled next to him, apparently letting his words sink in and turning them over in his head.

Will, as Jason noticed, also stilled, listening intently.

Percy was busy acting busy for the two of them, adjusting the settings and making a show of zapping through the songs and causing havoc in the shelf as he pulled out all the SingStar discs to 'read the back for the titles', though his eyes didn't follow the lines of text whatsoever.

Jason took a deep breath and was about to continue, but then Nico surprised him by leaning against his side, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"You really think so?"

Jason smiled, and caught Will and Percy exchanging a soft look, Percy even glancing back at him with a definitely grateful and appreciative expression.

He didn't seem bothered by Nico getting all close and touchy-feely with Jason, at all, even when Jason felt Nico's hand on his thigh, and put his own arm around Nico, tugging him closer.

"I know so." He said confidently, and Nico chuckled quietly, turning his face into his shoulder and nuzzling against him with his eyes closed.

"Thanks, Jason. I don't know why that suddenly came to mind. I mean, there's so many things I need to talk about, with you, with Percy, with everybody, but…I don't know. This suddenly popped up in my head and wouldn't go away."

Jason's eyebrow shot up at the revelation that Nico 'needed' to talk with him/Percy/everyone (not that he hadn't already assumed something, but still), and he could see Percy's suddenly uneasy and alarmed face (that idiot. It wouldn't be anything bad…Jason hoped…), but all he did was stroke up and down Nico's back slowly.

"I'm glad to be of help. And you know you can talk to us about anything and everything, whenever you're ready."

"Hm." Nico hummed in reply, and Jason smiled, rolling his eyes to himself.

"You know, you're almost as bad as Will sometimes. We offered him to come out plenty of times, yet he always retreats right back into his shell and tries to take on the world all by himself." He said, watching Will out of the corners of his eyes, pleased to see him gaping at him, looking positively offended.

He even looked as if he was going to say something and give himself away, but then Percy nudged him and shoved some of the games into his hands to make him be less obvious about eavesdropping.

Nico snorted loudly.

"Yeah, well. My best guess is that he's been alone for too long to know how to rely on others. Sure, he has his siblings, and Lou Ellen and Cecil, but it took him this long to tell us _anything_ about his past. How high are the chances he told anybody else any more than us?"

Jason's eyebrow shot up.

Well, that was one way to look at it.

He glanced towards Will again, only to find him very busily studying the backs of the cases he was holding, talking rather loud about the next song he was going to beat Percy at.

Though now it was Percy mostly giving them away, studying Will with an odd expression on his face.

"Not very high. I wonder, does that mean we're special?" Jason asked, trying to suppress his smile when Will threw him an utterly offended look, as if to say 'Well, DUH!' – which was exactly what he had wanted to see.

Like balm for his soul.

While Will seemed to be very taken to praise (oh yes, he was. Jason had seen him fall apart beneath him just due to a few very honest but very simple compliments, and he was never ever going to forget that), Jason enjoyed knowing he was _somebody_ in someone's life.

Well, not just _anyone's_.

_Their_ life.

Guess it was one of those 'Don't want to be the odd one out anymore'-things.

(Though he absolutely knew he _was_ the odd one out and nothing could change that.)

"Duh. Of course we are. I don't know about you, but has Will ever been overly affectionate with anybody who wasn't us?"

_Well_.

Jason knew _that_ was true, but hearing _Nico_ say that was still a bit of a surprise, ok?

Will made a small sound, and turned his back to them, shoulders tense.

Aww, Will.

Nico was too forcefully oblivious to know about your crush on him.

Or on Percy, for that matter.

(Or on…him. Jason could feel his heart thumping loudly in his chest at that thought, a stupid smile hushing over his face before he managed to push it down.)

Then again, he might actually _have_ noticed something between Will and Percy, at least his occasional, slightly disconcerted glances indicated that.

(Thinking about it, Nico might have noticed something between Will and Jason, too, so Jason could maybe ask him indirectly at some point, just to check that he really was reading the signs right.)

"Well, true that. It's funny how he's the most open and outgoing of us, but if you think about it, he's the most distanced." Jason commented, and Will threw him an exasperated look that said as much as 'Would you finally stop talking about me?!'.

Jason acted as if he didn't see that.

Nico chuckled against his shoulder, snuggling against him slightly and rubbing his forehead against his shoulder.

"Oh please, Jason, you know that's just acting. Even Percy knows that, and he likes to act oblivious most of the time."

Jason glanced towards Will and Percy, and found Will glaring daggers at Percy, daring him to say anything on that topic, while Percy was holding up his hands in a surrendering motion and acted innocent.

Then, Will glowered at him instead, and Jason could see his freckles glowing with embarrassment.

Yeah, it was probably mean of them to talk about him when he was right there.

Though Nico didn't exactly know they were listening, so Jason couldn't blame him.

"Of course I know it's acting. And while it's impressive, I wonder if he'll ever feel comfortable enough to drop the acting and just be himself. What do you think?" Jason asked cautiously, watching Will's reaction out of the corners of his eyes.

Will's eyes widened slightly, then he averted his face, away from him, away from Percy, looking conflicted and uneasy.

It wasn't the most promising expression, just like today in the morning, but Jason liked to think Will was at least considering the option.

And that had to stand for something, right?

"I don't know. It's his choice. I know we'll be here for him either way, no matter what he decides to do, so there's that." Nico replied quietly, and Jason smiled, knowing this was the most perfect thing he could have possibly said.

Will still had his face averted, but Jason knew he had heard.

Percy had finally abandoned all pretense of being busy, sitting on the ground with his elbows on his thighs and his chin on his hand, watching them with a thoughtful expression.

For a moment, Jason wondered whether that was because of the conversation, or because Nico was so very close to Jason on his own accord for once.

But then, Percy caught him looking, and he shot him a soft smile, momentarily throwing Jason off and making him blink in confusion.

Then, he tentatively smiled back, still stroking up and down Nico's back, and nodding his head towards the motion ever so slightly – not trying to show off or point it out, but to actually get Percy's opinion on it.

Because, seriously, he was getting confused with what was ok in Percy's book and what wasn't.

So far, anything and everything they did seemed ok with Percy somehow, but technically speaking, that shouldn't be the case.

Unless Jason had indeed read _those_ signs right, too.

But it was probably too early to really think about that just yet.

After all, Nico and Percy had only been dating for three months, he doubted Percy was willing to share his Nico with anybody just yet.

Percy knitted his eyebrows together in response, apparently needing a moment to catch on, though he did seem to understand a moment later, his face clearing as he huffed out a small laugh and waved off, pretty much giving him the 'go ahead, man' that Jason had half expected, even if it still made him wonder just what was going on in Percy's head sometimes.

Well, fine by him.

"So true, so true. Hope he knows that, too." Jason said, unable to suppress his smile as Nico shifted even closer, now practically curling up against his side.

He glanced towards Will, momentarily wondering how he'd take this closeness, but Will merely sent him an exasperated look, before smiling serenely at Nico, no trace of discomfort or unease in his gaze.

"Me too. Though you could mention it sometimes." Nico muttered, and Jason chuckled.

"Me? Why me? Why don't you do it, yourself?" He replied, and he could feel Nico grinning against his arm.

"Because he's wearing your sweater, so he clearly likes you more."

Jason's head snapped up, the same moment Will's snapped downwards, both of them staring at the light blue sweater he had changed into earlier (due to Percy getting mud all over his other one).

Oh gods, Nico was right.

Will was seriously wearing his sweater.

He had thought earlier it seemed a bit loose on Will, but hadn't exactly stopped and pondered why that was.

Will's face lit up like a traffic light, while Percy had to bite his fist not to laugh out loud, definite glee and mirth in his eyes – and Jason just knew he'd tease Will for the rest of his life for that.

Jason cleared his throat, thinking hurriedly of something to say, though his mind was spinning with the thought of Will – accidentally or not accidentally – wearing his clothes like that, and the possible reasoning behind it, and what this could mean, and how he wanted to see it happening more often, and…

His eyes fell on Percy again, and a slow grin spread on his face as he realized a little something.

"You know, I'm sure he's just doing that because he can't fit yours properly. Plus…your boyfriend is doing the same."

Now, it was Nico's head that shot up, and Percy to gasp and look down at himself in horror.

But yes, there he was, sitting on the ground in one of Jason's newer, dark blue sweaters that were actually a tad more form-fitting than the rest of his clothes, though he had never worn it in front of the guys yet.

He knew it was his, though, and he knew it had been on his pile of clothes in the closet.

Percy looked _scandalized_.

"I only put it on because I thought it was mine!" He called over, effectively giving away his eavesdropping, and Jason rolled his eyes to himself, while Will snorted out a laugh and was now the one with the hand clasped over his mouth.

Nico stared at his boyfriend quietly for a long moment.

Then he looked back at Jason.

"I stand corrected. Jason, give me one of your sweaters, too."

What?

Jason blinked, while Will and Percy started bickering back and forth as to who had the better reasons for their mishap.

Will insisted the sweater had been on his pile (which was a lie) and that it looked like one of the very old and baggy clothes that had been handed down from his siblings (he made it sounds as if his sweater was centuries old and falling apart. Rude), while Percy said he had thought it was the sweater his mother had gotten him last year, because it supposedly had the same shade, and he had thought somebody had mistakenly put it on Jason's pile (which kind of gave away that he had consciously grabbed something out of Jason's part of the closet. Nice.).

He hesitated a moment longer, kind of expecting either of them to rip off their sweaters and/or offering Nico to wear the one they were wearing, but they just kept on bickering, so he reluctantly pulled away from Nico entirely and got up.

Percy and Will looked around at him, glowering and still calling each other names and declaring war for the future _SingStar_ rounds (oh great, there'd be more? The Fates had it out for him, it seemed), but Jason still didn't see them taking off the apparently offending garments.

In fact, when Percy snapped at Will that the blonde could fit twice into that sweater and still make it seem baggy, Will didn't react by tearing it off, but instead he hugged himself and thus the sweater, scowling so hard Jason thought he might tear a muscle or something in his perfect face.

"Hey! His clothes aren't _that_ bad, Jackson! Watch your mouth! Just because he doesn't feel the need to _show off his physique_ like you do all the time, doesn't mean you have the right to badmouth his style!"

Hm, hadn't it been _Will_ to first mention to Jason he had a horrible fashion style and should wear more form-fitting things?

Jason turned his back on them with a small sigh, pulling out one of his smaller sweaters and wondering if maybe he should actually decide to get himself some new clothes.

Persephone would have probably been delighted to help him out with that.

Well, there was still Piper, who had always wanted to do that for him at some point, especially after they had broken up, so there was that (though he assumed she had wanted to do it while they had been dating, too, but felt it would come across wrong to pick at him for it).

Then again, his clothes were comfortable, and he liked them that way.

They kept him warm in the winter, and relatively cool in summer, didn't need ironing or any special care, didn't get in the way while fighting, and he didn't have to mourn them should they get too damaged during such fighting.

Jason made his way back towards Nico, holding out the purple sweater to him and only realizing now Nico might be bothered by the color.

Nico did usually only wear dark hues by choice, or the Camp shirt if he had to, after all.

But Nico took it without complaint, pulling it over his own, thinner sweater instantly, and looking smug and somewhat satisfied with himself and the world.

"There. Now we're all wearing your sweaters." The Italian stated unnecessarily, and Jason could feel his lips twitching, glancing around at Percy and Will, who were fighting over the controller and tried to select their next song, the selection jumping between various titles.

"Does that mean you're all mine now?" He asked unthinking, and while Nico froze and blushed, Will looked around with a pained, regretful expression, momentarily making him want to drop everything (good thing he wasn't holding onto anything right now) and rush over to him.

But then, he saw Percy turning his head with an almost exasperated expression.

"You wish. If anything, you're all mine, because I'm better than you. You're just the donor of baggy, disturbingly comfortable clothes, Jace."

Wow.

Rude.

Jason made a face at him, but then got distracted by Will huffing and shoving Percy playfully.

"Eww, I don't want to say anything, Gorgeous, but I think I'd rather be Jason's than yours."

Jason's heart thumped loudly in his chest, and he could see Nico freezing out of the corners of his eyes, his expression becoming guarded as he looked between Will and Jason.

But Jason was too high on the euphoria spreading through him at those words.

Of course, he knew Will wasn't actually serious, and the fact he felt the need to say that more indicated that he'd much rather be with Percy than with Jason, but…it still sounded so very nice.

He'd love to believe it for real.

"But let's be honest here, I'm the most awesome of us all, so you're all mine." Will then stated cockily, and Jason couldn't help but smirk.

Of course.

He so wouldn't have a problem with that.

"Oh really?" Percy drawled, and Will shot him a challenging look.

But then, suddenly, Will started grinning.

"Yep. Also…Perseus…"

"What?" Percy asked immediately, eyeing Will suspiciously from the side.

Jason saw what was happening on the screen and smiled to himself, knowing where this was going.

Percy should practice his multi-tasking.

"My song next." Will announced with a triumphant smirk, and Percy's head snapped around, watching in horror how Will selected his favorite.

A loud wail filled the room, and Jason chuckled, glancing towards Nico, who was gazing at Will and Percy with a fond smile and seemed more or less relaxed again.

"They're such kids sometimes, huh?" Jason asked and flopped down next to him again, though Nico sadly didn't lean back against him.

"Sure are. But that's what makes them, them, isn't it?" Nico said fondly, and Jason's eyes fell back on Will, who had his back to them and was singing more or less seriously into his microphone, while Percy started fake-sobbing and screeching into his again, to somehow tune Will out.

"Indeed. It's special. Just makes you love them all the more." It took him a moment to realize he had said that out loud, a small, wistful sigh accompanying that statement, and he found Will glancing over his shoulder back at him, meeting his gaze with a surprised one of his own.

For a moment, he even stopped singing.

But then, he turned his face away again and resumed, and Jason smiled to himself, just as Nico let out a loud sigh next to him.

"Don't I know it."

Yeah.

He let himself fall against Nico slightly, and Nico leaned his head back on Jason's shoulder, probably not even realizing what he had just said, nor what he was doing.

But that was ok.

Jason kept gazing at Will's back, then switched his focus to Percy, who was looking at him mildly disappointed, but looked away the moment Jason met his gaze.

Jason didn't think much of it, just watching them, his hand moving back to Nico's back to resume his earlier stroking, now with the added layer of fabric.

It was ok.

* * *

**Italian phrases used (**to the best of my knowledge and with occasional help from google, though I make no claim they are correct**):**

Cuore mio – My heart

Ti amo tanto, cuore mio – I love you so much, my heart

Sono pazzo di te – I'm crazy about you.

Sei tutto per me – You're everything to me.

Sei tutto ciò di cui ho bisogno – You're all I need.

Con te voglio invecchiare – I want to grow old with you.

Ti amo, cuore mio – I love you, my heart

Ti amo piu che si potrá mai sapere, sporcaccione – I love you more than you'll ever know, dirty/dirtbird/muckraker (said in an adoring way, though. Not an insult.)

Scusami per quello che é successo – I'm sorry for what happened.

Percy, mi é indifferente, ti amo comunque – Percy, I don't care, I love you anyways.

Sorridi per me? – Smile for me? (Said like a question, though it's not formed like one)

Stai bene? – Are you ok?

Sto molto bene, grazie. Sei molto carino. – I'm great/very well/very good, thanks. You're so cute.

Ti odio tutti – I hate you all.


	29. Chapter 29: Let's talk about fears

**A/N:** Hi Cupcakes!

I think it's better to settle for monthly updates until further notice, big sorry to everybody who was hoping for improvement =.=  
(Trust me, I was hoping, too)

Thank you for all the awesome comments and kind words :)

For the person asking for info about how much more there is to come: I can't name the amount of chapters, but there's still a lot of plot coming.  
Please note that if these dorks get together though, that does not mean the end of the story, so don't panic about having to endure 40 more chapters of pain and misery and pathetic pining.  
(I'd so laugh if it now really takes 40 chapters for them to get a grip on themselves.)  
(That's a lie. I'd have to write those 40 chapters, after all, and I can assure you I suffer with you when they're being so utterly impossible again.)

I hope you enjoy the chapter.

**Warnings**: Panic attack, anxiety, mentioned flash-backs

Wish you all the best~  
Tári

* * *

**Chapter 29: Let's talk about fears**

When Jason woke up the next morning, he was half-draped over Will.

The young healer had one arm lazily thrown over the son of Jupiter, and was lying under him like a dead man – a dead man with a rather contented smile.

Jason felt his own lips tugging up at the corners as he took in the peaceful expression on Will's face.

It had been _so_ long since he'd seen Will this relaxed and happy.

Jason adjusted his position so as not to smother the blonde, but Will instantly tugged him back, frowning in his sleep and making a displeased grumbling sound in the back of his throat.

Fine, fine.

Jason grinned to himself, moving his face back to where it had been, his favorite place between Will's neck and shoulder.

He smelled so nice…

Jason wished he could stay like this forever.

But he knew that was impossible, so he intended to inhale Will's scent for as long as he could before he'd have to pull away and act like just a friend…again.

Will hummed contently in his sleep, and Jason wondered faintly whether that was because of the cuddling, or because of whatever Will was dreaming about.

Then Will let out a small huff and mumbled something that sounded a lot like 'Shut up and get over here, Jason', and Jason decided it didn't matter which one it was, both seemed perfect.

He smiled to himself, resisting the insistent urge to kiss along Will's neck; though the temptation was unbelievable.

He heard Percy and Nico moving, but wasn't very concerned that they'd wake up just yet.

Of course, he had no idea what time it was, but the light around them was still very dim, so he guessed that if it really was morning already, it was very early in the morning.

And, well, the four of them had gone to bed _very_ late.

Mostly because Will had seemed slightly concerned about going to sleep, and Percy had never wanted to call it a night, egging them on to continue playing game after game after game, even if he himself hadn't been able to concentrate properly anymore in the end.

But it had been fun, so it wasn't as if any of them had really complained.

Will started shifting beneath him, and he sighed, pulling back slowly and taking that as his cue to end his bliss.

Jason opted to roll away, towards Nico, who had apparently ended up behind him at some point of the night.

The moment he was off Will, the blonde turned towards him and snuggled against his chest with a soft sigh, and all his planning was discarded instantly.

Gods, Will was going to be the end of him.

This felt so nice, but he knew it was nothing but sweet torture, intent on making him feel great, before tearing him down with the realization that it wouldn't last.

Couldn't last.

_Blah_.

Jason put his arms around Will slowly, stroking up and down his bare back, feeling Will shiver in response.

Was he going to wake up soon?

Jason hoped not.

Not because he wanted to indirectly molest him or anything, but Will really had quite a bit of sleep to catch up on.

At least he hadn't slept badly last night.

Or maybe he had, and Jason just hadn't noticed because he had been utterly dead to the world, too.

He hoped not.

Will moved again, and the next moment, Jason watched him open his eyes groggily, smiling to himself contently as he blinked and rubbed his face against Jason's chest with a soft sigh.

Jason's heart fluttered at the open display of affection, and Will looked up, their eyes meeting.

Would he bolt?

Would he pull back and/or panic?

Would he scold Jason for getting so close?

Too close?

Will blinked slowly, then smiled.

"Morning." He whispered, then went back to bury his face at Jason's chest, and Jason was the happiest guy in the world.

"Good morning." He replied quietly, his hands resuming their stroking motion up and down Will's back, and the blonde hummed, his arms tightening their hold on Jason.

They remained like that for a long time, though Jason knew Will was awake.

He wasn't sure how he knew, but maybe it was just the way Will breathed, the way he moved every here and there ever so faintly, or the way his arms kept loosening and tightening their grip, as if he was contemplating which was better.

Jason smiled to himself, listening to the sound of Will's breathing, of Percy's and Nico's breathing, of his own breathing.

Could he just stay in bed forever?

"What time is it?" Will asked against his skin, and Jason shrugged.

"Not wearing my glasses, and the alarm clock is behind me." He mumbled back, and Will snorted, poking him in the back.

"Lazy ass."

Jason merely grinned to himself, feeling too good to be offended, though he half-heartedly tried to act the part.

"My ass is many things, but _lazy_ is _not_ one of them."

Will was quiet for a moment, halting in his movement of tracing patterns on Jason's back – then he snorted out a laugh and pushed away.

"Oh wow, very funny. Alright, lemme take a look at the time, _wiseass_." He laughed, then moved and hoisted himself up, leaning over Jason, with his hip pressing against Jason's shoulder.

Nice.

He found his arms moving up to the blonde automatically, just to make sure he wouldn't somehow crash onto him and Nico behind him, and busied himself staring at the freckled thighs (_very_ _nice_, freckled thighs), while Will huffed something under his breath and stretched to get a good look at the alarm clock.

"Stupid thing is facing away from me. Hang on…there. Alright. It's…5am in the morning. Oh gods. Somebody kill me now, please." Will started lamenting, letting himself fall back beside Jason with a pouty look.

"Why? Can't stand looking at my ugly face that early in the morning?" Jason asked good naturedly. Will threw him an almost scandalized look before he seemed to realize Jason was merely joking.

"Idiot. It's not that. I had just hoped I'd manage to sleep in so I could wake up, go to Elysium, get everything behind me and be done with it once and for all." He explained, letting his fingertips run over Jason's chest and abs, though Jason was fairly certain he didn't even notice he was doing so.

"And your face isn't ugly. Why do you think I'm calling you 'Handsome', eh?" Will added after a heartbeat of silence, and Jason couldn't stop himself from grinning.

"Hell if I know. To humor me, maybe?" He tried as serious as possible, and Will let out a derisive snort at his chest, turning his head to look up at him sternly.

"Shut up."

"Your wish is my command." Jason replied with a broad grin, moving his arms back around Will properly now, to resume his earlier stroking.

Will let him, only sending him a last, slightly conflicted look, before settling back against him – not as close as before, but close enough for now.

Silence settled over them again, and Jason thought of Will's words, of Elysium, of whatever it was he had to talk to Michael about.

"Are you sure you want to go alone?" He asked quietly, only wondering a moment later whether he might not be crossing any lines with that question, given that Will was so sensitive about the matter.

But Will merely let out a loud sigh, his fingertips still drawing various shapes on Jason's skin.

"I'm sure. For all I know, he'll start yelling again or something, and…yeah."

"You don't want us to find out." Jason supplied with a sigh, and Will made an affirming sound, drawing what felt a bit like a heart, right over Jason's own.

"Is it really that bad?" Jason asked tentatively after another long moment of silence, and was glad when Will didn't stop moving his fingertips over his skin, now apparently intent on finding each and every oh so little scar on his upper body, since he started tracing them one by one.

(There were a lot. Most of them Jason still couldn't remember how he had gotten them, though whether that was because of Hera/Juno, or because he had simply forgotten overtime due to it not being important, he didn't know.)

"That's not really…it simply would change a lot. I don't want that. I don't like change." Will muttered stubbornly, and Jason sighed.

Yeah, he had noticed.

"But you do know we're breaking our heads over it, right? Wondering what could possibly scare you that much?"

Will stiffened slightly, and halted on a particularly long, thin scar that cut across the side of Jason's rib cage.

"I'm not scared."

Yeah, right.

Jason remembered the panicked look on Will's face when he had pulled Michael away from the window and closed the curtains.

Remembered the scared, horrified look on his face when he had found out about Aurum and Argentum.

Remembered the haunted look he had had whenever Jason had tried prying before.

Not scared.

_Right_.

"Nobody is judging you, Will."

"I'm not scared." Will repeated, still stiff and unmoving, and Jason partly regretted saying anything at all about this.

Then again, if he didn't do it, who would?

"I'm scared of the dark." He admitted quietly, and Will glanced up at him with a light frown, though his body was still tense, and his fingers still unmoving.

Jason shrugged.

"Well, not as much scared of the 'dark', than of 'not seeing'. You know? Back when my eyesight got worse, I thought it was due to lack of sleep and all the stress. But when I got my glasses, I just kept thinking: What if it will get worse? What if I'll lose my eyesight completely one day? I don't even know where those thoughts came from, but maybe it's just because, before I got my glasses, I just kind of took it all for granted, same as with my memory before Juno. Now, I have issues making out your face properly if I'm not wearing glasses. So, what if I'll wake up one day, put on those glasses, and still not see anything? Just like I woke up without any memories?" He explained, feeling a bit odd for admitting this out loud, since he couldn't remember ever telling anybody.

Though, at the same time, he didn't really have a problem talking about this, either.

It was a part of him, and this was Will.

Jason trusted Will with all of himself, including his fears and insecurities and weaknesses.

Will had averted his face again, and was now starting to trace Jason's scars again.

"You won't. Your eyesight might get worse over the years, but I don't think you'll lose it entirely." The blonde said quietly, but Jason shook his head.

"That doesn't take away the fear that it might still happen. I could be careless during a fight and lose my eyesight then, or trip over a banana peel or something. You never know. The point is, even if it's irrational, I'm still scared. But that's ok. Everybody has to be scared of something. If a person isn't scared of anything, they're probably dead. Or crazy. Only crazy or dead people are entirely without fear. It's what makes us human."

Will huffed, his fingernails scratching Jason lightly as he moved over his abs.

"I know what you're trying to say, but it's not working. First of all, I am scared of some things, too. Just not of _that_. And second, if that's true, why are there so many workshops on how to get rid of _all_ your fears, and living a 'fear-free' life?" Will asked with a hint of smugness in his voice, though Jason knew he was just trying to lead this conversation somewhere else.

Jason didn't go along with it.

"Because they want your money. The whole point is, you can be scared, Will. It's just about not letting those fears control you. I'm scared of losing my eyesight, yes, but I'm not controlled by it. I still go about my days as normal, and while I'll do my best not to be too reckless in battle so that I don't lose my eyesight, I'm not going to dread every step I take and look around with a magnifying glass to check for any banana peels or rocks or roots or whatever."

Will stayed quiet, though there was now a slightly torn look on his face, and he wouldn't meet Jason's eyes, even when Jason pulled back slightly to see his face better.

"Are you listening?" He asked, even though he knew very well that Will had heard every single word.

"Course I am. You're scared, but it doesn't bother you, because you're strong and awesome as usual." Will spat back, still not meeting his gaze and letting his fingernails dig into his skin lightly again as he moved over the other scars along Jason's abs.

Jason rolled his eyes.

"I'll take that as a no, because that's not what I said." He retorted, and Will huffed, though he didn't say anything else.

Jason studied him for a moment longer, then sighed.

"You're the first person I talked to about this." He admitted quietly, and Will halted again, which Jason for once took as a good sign.

"I mean, I never felt like it was something I _had_ to talk about. And it's still not prominent enough that I think it really matters whether I do or don't. But with you, I know I can trust you not to make fun of me for it."

"Of course I'm not. Jason, I know what you're doing. Just stop. I'm not going to talk to you about that." Will snapped, looking up at Jason with an upset, almost hurt look, but Jason didn't even blink.

"About what?" He asked innocently, and Will scowled.

"About the whole thing with Michael."

Jason raised an eyebrow unimpressed.

"Why would you? You already said you're not scared of it."

Ha.

Will's face was priceless.

Stunned, stupefied, speechless.

Of course, it didn't stay that way, turning borderline angry not a second later.

Though, funnily enough, he didn't shove Jason away or yell at him or distance himself from him to move over to Percy (who was a bit away from them for some reason, snoring loudly, with his limbs spread out in all directions.).

All he did was pull his hands back and turn his back to him, even if he remained close enough to allow skin contact.

"Whatever."

Jason rolled his eyes and pulled back slightly, rolling onto his back.

Will instantly turned his head to glance around at him, eyes momentarily full of concern and uncertainty.

Jason wasn't surprised.

In fact, he had expected that reaction.

Leah's 'too manipulative' shot through his mind again, but he brushed it off for now.

He wasn't doing this to force Will into anything.

He was doing this to give Will a chance to see being scared was nothing bad, and that he didn't have to be ashamed of it, or act as if he wasn't.

Will couldn't push everything down all his life and act as if it didn't exist and didn't bother him.

He might want to believe he could take on the world and all its problems by himself, but he couldn't.

Will should know that.

Will probably knew that.

Will probably also ignored it.

Stubborn person.

Jason still loved him.

Jason also had a hunch he was just making up excuses, but for now, he pushed that aside.

Instead, he acted as if he couldn't see Will looking at him, gazing up at the ceiling and putting his arm over his face.

"So, let me think…next to the fear of losing my eyesight, I'm…oh. I used to be scared I'd never see my sister again. Thalia. For the longest time, I even thought she might be dead. In general, I'm scared of losing those I care about. But I guess that's one of those universal fears that everybody has. And, well, you guys already know my fear of forgetting things. You know? Probably because of the whole thing with Juno/Hera. It's always a pain when I suddenly have to stop and think: 'Is this real? Or is this just part of those mist-induced memories a god/goddess put in my brain? Did I forget this because it's not important, or is it one of the things that still has to come back to me because my memory was erased?' – which isn't nice, let me tell you. But I've gotten better at controlling that, so yeah. Other than that, I'm also scared of…" He started trailing off, wondering how to best phrase what he was going to say next, and whether he wasn't already oversharing.

He probably was.

There also wasn't really a way to phrase it properly.

He watched Will hesitate a moment longer, then the blonde turned around to face him again, though he refused to meet his gaze, and kept his face forcefully blank.

"What is it? Also, if you think I'm going to talk to you about my fears just because you are, you can forget it." He repeated, as if trying to make sure Jason really knew.

Jason inwardly rolled his eyes.

"Wouldn't want you to tell me anything you're not comfortable with sharing, anyways."

Will hesitated, then made a face, grumbling something that sounded an awful lot like 'That's what I mean by 'You're too kind', you giant idiot.'.

"Hm? What was that?" Jason asked innocently, and Will scowled at him for a moment, though he didn't repeat it.

"Nothing. You were telling me about what else you're scared of." The blonde said instead, trying to sound exceptionally bored.

Ouch?

Jason gazed at Will quietly.

Then he looked up at the ceiling again.

"Thinking about it, I changed my mind. You probably don't even care. Sorry for bothering." He said in a light voice, and could instantly feel Will stiffening to a board next to him.

"That's not…I was…you…" Will stammered, then stopped, taking a deep breath and shuffling closer again to stroke over Jason's arm carefully and act a bit like a guilty kitten that tried to get back into one's good grades.

Not that Will actually would have to resort to that, but Jason thought it was kind of cute, anyways.

"I do care. I'm sorry. You know you can talk to me about anything, right? Sorry for being a prick. It's just…this is kind of…"

Jason watched Will struggle for words for a total of one second, then he couldn't bear it any longer and he turned towards him again, cupping his face and drawing them closer together.

"Will, you know I'd never force you to _anything_. I'm just trying to show you there's nothing wrong with it. Nothing wrong with talking to your friends about such things, nothing wrong with admitting your fears, and nothing wrong with accepting other people and their help in your life." He said quietly, stroking over Will's cheeks as he felt Will's hands close around his wrists, not pushing him away, but keeping him there, his bright blue eyes staring into Jason's as if searching for something.

Then, he averted his gaze again, though he didn't pull away.

"I know."

Jason waited for anything else, but nothing came.

"But?" He tried, but that merely made Will flinch ever so slightly, and Jason knew by the guarded, closed-off expression on his face that this was another one of those things Will didn't want to talk about.

He wasn't surprised.

Jason thought for a moment on how best to proceed, his thumbs still stroking over Will's cheeks, and Will just laid there, letting him do it without a word, his hands still wrapped around Jason's wrists.

"Ok." He said quietly, though nothing really was ok, and Will nodded, though he looked as if he wanted to say no.

Silence fell over them once more, and Jason urged himself to pull back again, unwilling to let himself get carried away and do something stupid, like kissing Will or getting too close, or messing up in a different way.

For a moment, it felt as if Will was going to hold him back, his hands tightening their hold on him, as if unwilling to let go – but then he did, anyways, instead settling back against his side, though a tiny tad closer than before (or maybe that was just wishful thinking).

"What did you want to say earlier? You suddenly stopped." Will mumbled after a while, and Jason guessed that was his sort of permission to stay on this topic for a little while longer.

"It's difficult to explain. You'll probably laugh." He dismissed, anyways, thinking that he wouldn't want to make Will too uncomfortable, if this truly was such a big deal to him.

But a moment later, he realized phrasing it like that had probably been a mistake.

Will's head shot up, his eyes _burning_ into Jason.

"I would _not_. I'd _never_ laugh at something like that, Jason. What the hell?"

Jason winced and made a face, lifting his hands hurriedly to stop Will from throwing a fit.

"Not like that. It's just…it sounds stupid. Even to me. So it would take a while to explain, and that'd probably be kind of boring, so…"

Alright, he was making it worse, wasn't he?

Will's expression morphed from offended to unimpressed, then to clearly irritated, so he definitely wasn't making it better, that much was certain.

"Don't be stupid." He snapped, and Jason huffed.

"Well, sorry, but you're not the only one uncomfortable right now."

Will frowned at him, obviously thrown back by that reply, and Jason felt Will's hand snaking back towards his arm, grabbing hold of his wrist again – probably just to get a feeling of his emotions again, that cheater.

Though Jason made no move to pull away, not even a little bit.

"You don't _have_ to tell me, Jason." Will muttered after a moment, and Jason inwardly rolled his eyes.

"That's not it. It's just…I never talked about this with anybody before. And it already sounds stupid in my head, so I don't want to-…" He started, but then Will's finger found his lips, and Jason immediately shut up.

Will came closer, looking at him sternly, and Jason couldn't help but swallow, feeling his heart do a little flip at the sudden proximity.

"Jason, you're saying sensible things pretty much the entire rest of the time, I think I'll survive hearing you talk nonsense for a little while. Just do it and get it off your chest. I promise I won't laugh. Ok?"

Jason inwardly chuckled at the sudden role reversal, with him being the one to confide to Will and Will the one to convince him to.

Sadly, Will was doing a much better job at it than he was.

Then again, Will kind of kept happily tearing down any walls other people might build up around them, even though he seemed so very intent on keeping his own up at all times.

Jason hesitated a moment longer, then sighed.

"Well, alright, but you've been warned."

"Just spit it out, dork." Will replied unimpressed, and Jason shot him a small smile, which Will actually returned after a last moment of reluctance.

"Alright…I'm kind of…afraid of failure? In a way?" Jason tried tentatively, and Will's eyebrows instantly knit together, though he indeed did not laugh.

If anything, he looked mildly confused.

Jason hurried to explain.

"I know what you're probably thinking, but it's not like that. It's more like…back when I got to Camp Jupiter, I already knew I wanted to make a difference. Not in the typical I-want-to-be-someone-way, but…I wanted to change…well, everything. I saw a cohort being put down, so that was the one I ended up joining, intent on changing that. People told me about what I could or couldn't do, so, obviously, I went to do my own thing. I still obeyed the rules, mind you, but…well, I just wanted to make a point? So, the thing is, as you know, at some point, I became praetor, and thus actually in charge of other people. Well, responsible for them, their wishes, their safety. And I don't mind that! I know what has to be done, and I'm always willing to take the lead, but…" He tried to explain, staring off into space as he thought of the words, though he ended up trailing off, anyways.

Meanwhile, Will's face had cleared, and he had moved closer, his hand moving back to that scar on his rib cage that seemed to have caught his interest.

Will didn't push him, and didn't get impatient, simply waiting for Jason to make up his mind.

"I'm not scared of losing that. Or that people will think I'm a failure. I don't care about such things. If somebody else, if Percy, Reyna, or anybody else who knows what they're doing, wants to be the leader, sure, I'm all for it. What I'm scared of is just…what if I lead all these people, but I lead them the wrong way? They look up to me and trust me and my decisions and my judgment. What if that's wrong? What if my decision is wrong, and my judgment off? What if I end up leading them all to their doom?"

It still wasn't a perfect explanation, but Jason liked to think his point behind all of this was shining through at least a tiny bit by now.

Will remained quiet for another moment, tapping his scar thoughtfully.

Then he shook his head.

"You know what your problem is, Jason? You think too much. You're the sort of person that overthinks. Anybody can make mistakes. It makes us human. Of course you'll make a wrong decision at some point, because everybody makes a wrong decision at some point in their life. I know I did, at least. Ugh, don't even get me started on all the wrong decisions in my life…" Will stated, making a face and sending Jason a warning look, as if to tell him 'Don't you dare ask'.

Jason chuckled quietly, though he also wanted to interrupt and let him know he knew all that, but…there was still something…he couldn't put his finger on it, but it just wasn't the same.

He was about to say something, anyways, but Will's other hand came up to put that finger back to his lips, and Jason remained quiet.

He probably shouldn't show Will he had such control over him by such a simple motion.

But he did, so Jason didn't have many options, either.

"I know it's different for you. My bad decisions might get me hurt, but not others. For you, your bad decisions might get you and hundreds of other kids hurt. I know that. But nobody can expect you to be faultless. That's why there's two praetors, isn't it? That's why Percy and you can lead together, instead of one leading and the other one waving a white flag and getting all submissive. Granted, if you came up to us tomorrow and decided you want to wage war on the gods, we'd probably follow you into battle without even asking for a proper reason, because we lo-…care about you greatly, and because you're a smartass and will have the best reasons and all, but…wait, I just lost my point." Will suddenly broke off, looking confused all over again.

Though Jason barely registered that, his entire being hung up on one tiny (yet absolutely crucial) detail.

'Because we lo-…'

_Lo_? Love?

_Yes!_

So Will DID like him!

_Double yes!_

"What are you getting all euphoric about? Did I miss something? You're not going to start a war, right?" Will asked skeptically and eyed him oddly, so Jason quickly put on an innocent expression, and tried to suppress his giddy grin.

"Nope, I just realized something, that's all. Did you find your point?" He counter-asked and Will blushed slightly, putting his finger back to Jason's lips resolutely.

"No. I mean, yes. But…ugh. No, it's like this: We'd be crazy enough to follow you, but that's because we know you and trust you and your judgment. But at some point, of course we'll take you aside and ask you, like, why you think that's necessary. And if you then told us one of the gods stole your sweater and you're just so done with them and want to destroy them all, then we'd...well, first of all we'd think you lost your mind, but…" Will trailed off again, and Jason couldn't help but laugh quietly.

Will was surprisingly _bad_ at this, which was surprisingly unusual for the blonde.

Jason had a hunch where he was trying to go, but he was kind of working himself into the exact opposite, namely the one thing Jason was actually scared of.

They'd follow him because they trusted him, and wouldn't even asking for a reason.

And then, he'd get them all killed for nothing, and nobody but he would be to blame.

Will seemed to realize the same thing, because he suddenly pulled back and sat up, waving off hurriedly.

"No, no, wait, that was all stupid. No. It's just…that's all too much out of character for you, Jason. You'd never come to us and tell us you're going to destroy the gods. I don't even think you know the meaning of 'destroy'. You couldn't hurt a puppy. Then again, who'd hurt a puppy? Ugh. What I mean to say is…you _think_. You think before you act. As I said before, you're one of those people who _over_think. Your decisions are mostly made by you weighing the facts, the options, and the overall morals, as well as the expected consequences and possible outcomes. You'd never rush into anything blindly, and I believe you'd always be open for advice. So, if you really had to lead us all by yourself, and there was just the hint of doubt in your decision…do you really think you'd stick to that decision?"

Jason gazed at Will, letting those words sink in slowly.

And, next to the fact he was somewhat confused that Will knew how he made his decisions, he had to admit he seemed…kind of right.

Jason _would_ seek advice, and while a lot of people would follow him blindly, there were bound to be those who'd doubt, which would throw in some different viewpoints and would get other people thinking, too.

Which would in turn make at least one of them speak up to Jason about it, and, yes, Jason would listen.

He gazed at Will, and knew by the almost smug gleam in his eyes that he knew he had Jason.

Yeah, yeah.

"Well, alright. You're right. I guess I wouldn't rush you guys into the first death trap there is. I don't vouch for always making the right decisions, or that I can't make mistakes, but I'll try keep those off the battlefield, and for personal stuff."

"Yeah, like your horrible fashion style." Will joked, the seriousness of the moment finally ebbing away, and Jason acted offended.

"Mean. And there I have this clear memory of you defending said fashion style just yesterday." He teased, and Will's cheeks started turning red, his freckles glowing again.

Adorable dork.

"Shush. That's because of _Percy_." Will retorted matter-of-factly and Jason acted mock hurt.

"That's your reason? Percy? I love how you think that explains everything. And there I thought you genuinely liked me." He sniffed, and Will sent him an exasperated look – which quickly turned horrified when Jason turned his back to him to curl up and start mock-sobbing into the pillow.

"_Oh gods, Jason_! Stop acting like a doofus, you almost gave me a heart attack!" The blonde hissed, moving up behind him and wrapping his arms around him, probably feeling the utter glee coursing through Jason.

Not that that stopped Jason from continuing his act of fake-sobbing.

"Jason?"

"I'm heartbroken." Jason whined.

"_Oh gods._" Will groaned.

Jason was proud of himself for not cracking up yet.

Though his 'sobbing' was a lot more realistic with the trembling of his stomach as he tried to contain the laughter bubbling up inside him.

Plus, him acting like this had caused Will to come this close, hadn't it?

Yes, Jason was starting to understand why Percy liked acting like a fool so much.

Maybe Jason should do it more often, too.

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, forget it. We need at least one mature person in this group, and you fit the role the best." Will remarked drily, and Jason inwardly sighed in defeat.

"Now stop your crying, you're still freaking me out…" Will then complained, coming closer and nuzzling his face against the back of Jason's head, coming even closer still as he rubbed his chest against Jason's back, his hands moving over Jason's front ever so gently.

"Can't. Still heartbroken." He lamented, and Will snorted, dragging his fingernails over his skin lightly as he started pressing the rest of his body flat against Jason, turning his half-assed attempt of 'soothing' Jason into a full-fledged embrace.

Jason made a mental note that Will liked to play dirty when it came to comforting.

He could so picture him trying to distract his partner by utterly, wonderfully seducing them.

Jason was almost envious.

He definitely wanted to be that partner.

"Liar." Will whispered into his ear, his breath ghosting over Jason's neck, and he couldn't help but shiver slightly.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Never."

"Jason, I know you're inwardly laughing your ass off."

"No way."

"Yes way."

"No."

"Jason!"

"No."

They started bantering, and Jason turned back to face Will, both of them grinning at each other.

This was so pointless, but somehow, Jason wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

They should be so much more awkward around each other still, yet here they were, almost acting as if nothing had ever happened.

But only almost.

Will was closer than usual, his hands not leaving Jason's body, and he could see his eyes hushing down to Jason's lips every here and there, when he thought Jason wouldn't notice.

"Ugh, fine. Jason, sweetest temptation since brownies, how can I fix your broken heart?" Will (finally) relented, and Jason unwillingly chortled at the brownie-part.

Seriously?

Then, he started pondering his options, just to find Will putting a finger to his lips, effectively dragging him right back out of his head.

"Nuh-uh. No thinking. Just whatever comes to the front of your mind quickest. Overthinking fool."

"You know you love it." Jason shot back without thinking, but surprisingly enough, Will didn't pull back or get uncomfortable or flustered or anything.

There was a rather taken aback and slightly panicked expression in his gaze for a moment, but then it was replaced by something else, dark and dangerous, and a lazy, rather cocky smile spread on Will's lips.

"Oh? Are you quite sure of that?"

Great, there went Jason's confidence on the whole 'He likes me'-matter.

Though he hoped it didn't show.

Then again, who was he fooling, Will could probably tell, anyways.

"Yes." He replied, sounding more certain than he was, and he watched Will's eyes intently, hoping for a sign whether he was right or wrong.

Will didn't say anything.

He just looked back at him for a moment longer, as if contemplating what to do about this, but then he just smiled and started shuffling closer, wrapping his arms tightly around Jason as he inched down to get his head back against Jason's chest.

Jason weighed the options.

Did this mean Will didn't like him? As more than a friend?

Of course, he hadn't expected Will to _admit_ to it or anything.

But usually, if it wasn't about Nico, Will always denied any and every emotion he might have for anybody (Percy was the best example, here).

This time, he hadn't denied anything.

Did that mean he didn't like him, after all?

But then what about the glances, the touches, the proximity, the change in behavior towards Jason?

Jason studied the top of Will's head quietly.

Or maybe this _did_ mean he liked him.

He _hadn't_ denied it, after all.

Like, _not at all._

"Overthinking again, are we?" Will teased, though he didn't look up, and Jason sighed.

"Just trying to make sense of you." He replied truthfully, and Will chuckled against his chest.

"Good luck. Tell me if you find out, will you?"

Jason snorted.

"Forget it. I'll take the knowledge to my grave. Figure yourself out by yourself. If I tell you, you're just going to change just to spite me." He retorted, and Will chuckled again.

"Damn it, you got me there. It appears you already know me too well, man."

Jason grinned, moving his hands back to Will's back to start stroking again, amazed by the fact that they kept ending up in this position.

He could so get used to this.

He was going to drop dead if this ever stopped.

"Oh, now I'm 'man' again, huh? Just a moment ago, I was 'the sweetest temptation since brownies', I'm just saying." He teased, and Will wailed quietly.

"Don't say that so loudly. I swear, if the guys hear that, I'll never hear the end of it. Nico would look at me like a doe, and Percy would demand to get a name like that, too."

Yep.

True on both accounts.

"And then you'll look cockily at them both and tell them it's because I'm special."

"You wish." Will shot back.

Oh well, one could always dream.

Jason sighed, and silence settled over them again, though it wasn't an uncomfortable one.

Will had his ear against Jason's chest again, probably listening to his heartbeat, if the in-sync tapping of his finger on Jason's ribs meant anything; while Jason listened to the overall steady breathing around them.

Apparently, Percy and Nico were still fast asleep.

Percy was also still snoring.

Good.

"Hey…thanks, by the way." Will muttered quietly after some time, and Jason looked down again, frowning slightly.

"For what?"

He couldn't remember doing anything that Will had to be grateful for.

"For being you."

Jason felt flattered, though he didn't understand.

Maybe if Will looked at him he could tell from the expression on his face, but right now, he had no idea.

"Erm…ok?"

Will chuckled against his chest.

"You talked about our fears with me, just because you wanted me to know it's ok to be scared. You didn't have to talk about it, and I doubt you would have, if it wasn't for me being…_me_. And that's just so typically _you_, so…yeah. Thanks for being you." He explained, and Jason wondered how he had not figured that out, himself.

Oh. That.

Right.

"I don't mind. As I said, I trust you. With all of me."

Will huffed against his chest.

"Bad decision. But, for all it's worth, I promise to be there for all of you. I know it's not much, but-…"

"It's all I could ever wish for." Jason cut in, and Will stiffened for a moment, probably feeling the honesty of the statement in the unmasked love coursing through Jason.

He wondered faintly whether Will would say anything, but wasn't surprised in the slightest when silence settled back over them.

He just kept stroking Will's back, relishing in the comfort of each other's embrace, and thinking of random things like Will's scent, his shower gel, the fluffiness of his hair, said fluffiness of hair compared to Nico's hair, to Nico and Percy sharing a shower gel way too often and making Jason want to do the same with Will.

He so wouldn't mind smelling a bit more like Will.

If he could, he'd also be one of those freaks that wore their crush's clothes.

But sadly, he was pretty sure there was no piece of clothing of Will's (or Nico's, for that matter) that he could actually fit.

Cruel world.

Why did he have to have such broad shoulders?

If it wasn't for those, he could probably fit at least their biggest jackets.

Will traced his collarbone to his shoulder, seemingly lost in thoughts, and Jason remembered the almost appraising look on his face when he had kissed and touched him around his shoulder area.

He also remembered Will making a few positive comments about said shoulders

Well, maybe his shoulders were perfectly fine the way they were.

He'd simply have to live without 'borrowing' other people's clothes for his own selfish purposes.

Or he _could_ sneak in a few of his sweaters into their clothes until they wore them so much they smelled more like them than him.

The guys _had_ worn his clothes just yesterday, after all.

And they had claimed they were comfortable, no matter their general complaining.

Ha. _Perfect_.

Problem solved.

"You're crazy." Will whispered quietly into the dead silence around them, and Jason feared for a moment he had thought aloud.

But then, he realized Will didn't seem to be talking to him.

At least, he was still staring off into space with that same, thoughtful expression on his face.

"Are you ok?" Jason asked, and Will blinked, looking up at him confused for a moment.

Then, his eyebrows knitted together and he averted his gaze again, his mouth forming a thin line.

What?

"I…" Will started, looking uneasy for a moment longer, before shuffling closer and hiding his face from view at Jason's chest again

"I'm scared of pain."

Will spoke so quietly, Jason almost didn't catch the words.

He did, though, and something inside him clenched.

"Will, you don't have to tell me. Seriously, it's ok. Don't force-…"

"I'm not. I want to. Well…in a way. I guess." Will instantly cut in, and Jason felt torn between insisting it was ok and that he didn't have to share his fears with him, and letting him continue.

Will took the decision from him.

"I'm scared of…many things. Losing people close to me. Being unable to save people when they're hurt. I'm scared of being the one to hurt people. I'm scared of small, confined places, and the feeling of being stuck, locked in, with no way out. I'm scared of messing up, of losing somebody's trust, of people…leaving me. Alone. I…don't like being alone. But, most of all, I'm scared of pain." He whispered, and Jason tugged him closer, trying to give him the comfort he needed.

Will let out a shaky breath.

"I mean, I know it's stupid, what, with us being demigods and all. Chances are, I'll get hurt, like, a lot."

Not if Jason could help it, no.

"But it's just…there. The fear is there. You're probably thinking everybody is somewhat scared of getting hurt, and nobody wants to be in pain, but this is…different."

Jason kept on stroking his back, unsure what to say.

"I mean, I _do_ have a pretty high pain tolerance, though. It's not like I'm some weak, little-…"

"I'd never think that." Jason instantly cut in, and felt Will slump against him slightly, though he wasn't sure whether that was in relief or defeat.

He waited a moment longer, just in case Will wanted to get anything else off his chest, but Will remained quiet, his face entirely hidden at Jason's chest, his body still somewhat tense, but a lot less than when he had started talking.

Jason was going to take that as a good sign.

"Thanks for confiding in me. I feel honored." He started quietly, and Will seemed to relax a little further.

The thought of Will expecting Jason to make fun of him or invalidating him in any way crossed his mind, but he brushed it off.

Will should know better than that.

"No, seriously. You didn't have to tell me, but I'm glad you did. Do you feel a bit better now?" He asked carefully, and Will seemed to ponder that for a moment.

Then, the blonde nodded slowly.

"A bit."

Jason smiled.

"Good. That's what matters most, isn't it?"

Will seemed to hesitate, then he started shifting a bit, turning his head to glance up at him with his beautiful, bright blue eyes.

Beautiful, bright blue eyes that were full of uncertainty.

"Aren't you going to comment on them?"

Jason frowned, genuinely confused.

Did Will _want_ him to talk about them?

He had sort of gotten the impression Will first of all needed to get that off his chest, but that going through all of that would probably make him way too uncomfortable.

"Do you _want_ to talk about them? I don't want to push you, Will. You should know that by now. It's one of _my_ fears to one day push you too far."

Will huffed, but didn't reply to his question, though he still looked uneasy.

Jason waited a moment longer before continuing, just to be safe.

"I think your fears are all perfectly understandable. And they sound just like you, I'm sorry to say. Of course you're scared of being unable to save others, but you and I both know there will be those that nobody can save, not even you, the best healer in the word."

Will snorted derisively, though a light blush spread on his cheeks nevertheless, and Jason smiled down at him, hoping Will could tell he meant it.

"And that fear of you being stuck in a place with no way out? That would scare anybody, Will. I have no idea why you'd think that might make you weak or anything. Nico himself said he's still having nightmares of that jar he was stuck in. There's nothing wrong with being scared."

Will shifted uncomfortably, looking away for a moment, and Jason had a feeling there was something he wanted to say, but didn't.

If Jason had to guess, Will probably wanted to say something along the lines of 'Nico has a better reason for his fear than me'.

Because Will was like that a lot, as sad as it was.

"I'm scared of messing up, too, as I told you before. Though, you know, I think if it came down to it, you'd probably mess up less than me, in all honesty. As you said, I think too much. You, on the other hand, have the brains _and_ the gut feeling. Come on, you know exactly what to say to drag Percy's mind out of the doldrums, in the matter of what, a minute? If even. Me, it would take me ten minutes of consolation and trying to find the right words, and he'd probably still fall right back into it."

Will looked back at him, slightly aghast.

"Are you _crazy_? You're the one who's patching all of us up all the time. I can't do that. I can get your mind off things, yes, but you're the one who actually _fixes_ the issues, you know? You sit us down with that understanding expression on your face, the one that just makes people die a little on the inside, and decide to pour out their hearts to you against their will and all – and seriously, I think you're doing that on purpose…"

"I do no such thing." Jason put in with an indignant huff.

What expression was Will talking about, anyways?

Will have him a long, unimpressed look

"All I'm doing is trying to be there for people and listen if they need to get something off their chest. You'd be surprised how many things can be solved if one just talks about them." He defended himself, and Will poked his side.

"Exactly. That's what you think, and that's what you do, and then you end up helping us in ways that I could never do. Me, I need to touch people to _maybe_ know how they're feeling, and then I do my best to cheer them up. But you…you look at a person and know their problem and try to help them as best as you can. That's…pretty amazing." Will admitted, averting his gaze with his freckles glowing slightly, showing he genuinely meant what he said - which of course immediately sent Jason's entire being into disarray.

"That was _one_ compliment!" Will exclaimed, shoving him slightly as his blush deepened, and Jason guessed he had felt the shift in Jason's emotions.

"Yeah, but it's from _you_. You don't compliment anybody but Nico."

"So not true. I compliment plenty of people on tons of things." Will retorted, though they both knew that was a lie.

"Yeah? When's the last time you complimented Percy?" He teased, and off-handedly noticed Percy had stopped snoring some time ago.

_Uh-oh._

Was he awake?

Well, it probably didn't make a difference.

Then again, their conversation right now was a tad _personal_, so…maybe he should point that out to Will?

Though if Percy was awake, he was probably acting asleep exactly because of that.

Or he was trying to eavesdrop again.

Perc liked doing that, after all (that cheat).

Will opened his mouth as if to shoot back a reply, but then closed it again, his eyebrows furrowing.

Ha.

"Told you so." Jason teased, but Will waved a hand in his face.

"Shush, let me think. There was something I complimented him on, I'm certain."

"Didn't you say something about his good looks yesterday?" Jason asked, wiggling his eyebrows knowingly at Will, but Will merely huffed.

"That was you, you dork. Don't think I didn't catch that. Even Nico looked like he caught that wink. 'All your good looks are gone as if they never existed'. Smooth, Jason. Really smooth. I think Percy's the only one who didn't get that, instead taking it as an insult."

Oops.

Alright, he wanted Percy to stay asleep a while longer.

A _long_ while longer.

"That…whatever. I'm not going to say a thing to that."

"Because you know it's true."

"Does that mean you agree?" Jason asked, raising a dubious eyebrow, though he already knew Will fancied Percy, and, well, fine, Percy _was_ good looking.

In a way.

Plus, Will called him 'Gorgeous', so…it wasn't as if Will's opinion on Percy's looks was very well hidden or anything.

"I have said no such thing." Will claimed, and Jason rolled his eyes.

"Right. Weren't we talking about your fears?"

"Yes. But then you got delirious, thinking I'd mess up less than you and such. Which I strenuously object to." Will clarified, and Jason sent him an unimpressed look.

"Right. Well, I'm still right."

"Jason, we universally agreed _I'm_ always right."

"Freckles, we have agreed on no such thing. _You_ claimed you're always right, and _I_ decided to let you believe that for now. Just wait for it, I'm already busily collecting all the evidence I can find to prove you wrong in all your assumptions." Jason assured him, and Will gaped at him for a moment.

A flash of uncertainty passed over his face, too, but then he chuckled and poked Jason again.

"Ha-ha. You wish. Sooner or later, you'll see I was right, anyways."

Of course.

"Nope. But, as I said, I'll let you believe that. Don't push it, though, or I'll involve Nico and Percy. And we both know Nico doesn't take well to people being insecure."

"I am _not_ insecure."

"Says the one _always_ being insecure." Jason deadpanned, and Will looked as if he contemplated smacking his head against Jason's.

In a painful way, of course.

"Just think about it, Nico would get so upset. Not to mention Percy. Percy would throw a fit. Not even about you being insecure, but about not knowing beforehand, and not noticing. Ha. Will, in all honesty, you might want to sit them down and talk to them about this, though. They're going to slaughter you if you don't."

No, seriously, they would.

If Percy was awake right now, Jason was _very_ certain he'd be utterly upset about Will confiding into Jason about his fears, first.

Will huffed.

"No way. It's already bad enough to talk about it at all. Do you know how many times I was told I was a coward every time I let it show I was scared?"

"Who said that?" Jason asked, utterly confused.

Who in their right mind would say something like that?

Had to be some dumb ass.

Will stiffened to a board, his eyes widening in what almost seemed like shock.

What?

_What?_

"People." Will blurted, though he looked anywhere but at Jason, and Jason's frown deepened.

Huh?

Erm…ok?

Should he pry?

Probably not.

"Well, whoever it was, they're stupid. Don't listen to them. Nobody is a coward for being scared. People who don't respect other people's fears and mock them for them are cowards." He said resolutely, and Will relaxed again, even huffing with the faintest twitch of his lips.

"Oh really? How so?"

Jason met his gaze straight on.

"Well, they need to tear you down to face you, don't they? If they weren't cowards, they would know fears are normal and that knowing your fears will make you stronger. Thus, by mocking you about them, they're trying to weaken you to get to you and tear you down. Which not only shows they're stupid and in denial about their own fears, but also that they're major assholes and not to be trusted. They're nothing but bullies." He stated with a shrug, and Will stared at him quietly for a long moment.

Then he looked away.

"I guess so."

"Are you going to let yourself get bullied?" Jason asked with a raised eyebrow, and Will shot him a pointed look.

"Ha-ha."

"Are you?" Jason repeated, and Will grumbled.

"No."

"Good. See? I knew you were smart."

Will made a face, but his cheeks flushed slightly, so everything was good.

Jason still wanted to know who that person was, though.

He hoped it was nobody important to Will, and that said person hadn't said anything else he'd have to get out of Will's head in the future.

"So, let's see…we…kind of talked about almost everything there was, right? I mean, the thing about being alone…I kind of thought as much already, to be honest. You do seem to always be around people, at any given time. And people don't just stop trusting you out of nowhere, so I'm pretty sure you won't have any issues anytime soon. I know _we_ trust you, and I don't see that changing. It would take a lot for us to lose that trust, after all. Personally, I think I'd still end up trusting you blindly even if you sold me out to our enemies. I mean, I'd probably ask _why_ you did it, but knowing you, you'd have had a pretty good reason for it, and I'd probably accept it with a shrug."

"That's because you're stupid." Will huffed nonchalantly, and Jason rolled his eyes.

"Didn't you just say you thought I was smart, like, ten minutes ago?"

"I take it all back. You're an idiot. Biggest idiot ever. Even bigger of an idiot than Percy is."

"Aww, how sweet. I'll let him know that. Guess that counts as compliment, coming from you." Jason teased, and Will poked his side so hard he jumped.

"Don't you dare. Plus, he wouldn't take it as compliment, anyways."

"I'll explain it to him then so he'll see it as one."

"I'll shrink your sweaters if you do." Will threatened, and Jason let out an exaggerated gasp.

"You wouldn't!"

Will cackled, his eyes gleaming.

"Watch me."

"Do you really think I'd stand next to you and watch you shrink my clothes without doing anything against it?" Jason asked drily, his eyebrows raised.

Will raised his own.

"Erm…_yes_? I don't know, you might wail and whine and beg me to stop, but you'd never actually _do_ anything to stop me, you know?"

Jason made a face.

Well…

"Hm, fair enough. But I'd never let you forget how disappointed I'd be that you ruined my sweaters."

Will snorted.

"I know. You'd wear them, two sizes too small and all, and walk around with your hurt puppy look. I'd probably go insane an hour into it and buy you new clothes, I'm just saying."

Jason grinned.

"How kind of you."

"Shut up."

Jason chuckled, only now realizing he had stopped stroking Will's back at some point, so he resumed.

Now, there was only one fear left he hadn't said anything to, yet.

Pain.

It seemed odd.

The way Will had phrased it was odd.

He hadn't said 'I'm scared of getting hurt', but 'I'm scared of pain' – and while Jason would have brushed it off as odd phrasing and nothing else, Will had done so two times in a row.

Jason understood the fear of getting hurt, the fear of 'being in pain'.

But he couldn't say he was scared of the pain itself.

Sure, nobody wanted pain, but he wasn't scared of it, per se.

So he had no idea what to say to that.

All he could think of was, that, for Will to have that fear, there must have been something to bring it forth.

It was obvious he had been hurt before, had been hurt probably more times than Jason could ever imagine, what with him losing his mother and coming to Camp so young and suffering so many losses in the wars and all, playing right into so many of his fears already.

But for him to be scared of _pain_, that meant something – or _somebody_ – must have put Will in pain.

Not just hurt him, but deliberately _caused_ _pain_.

The thought alone was nauseating.

And it made Jason want to break something.

Preferable that something.

Or that someone.

Not a good thing to dwell on with Will still able to feel his emotional state.

"Drachma for your thoughts?" Will tried quietly, sounding cautious.

Jason chuckled.

He'd tell Will anything, with or without payment.

Well, anything except his growing protectiveness, maybe.

Just so he wouldn't freak him out too much just yet.

"Just trying to piece you together." He replied, and Will snorted.

"I'm keeping my money, then."

Jason huffed.

"How mean."

"That's how I am, Jason. You should know that by now." Will insisted, though Jason heavily disagreed.

Will was simply a dork.

"I wish I could make sense of you sometimes." He said quietly, and Will sighed.

"Yeah? Me too."

"And I wish you would stop having important conversations every time I'm asleep." Nico grumbled sulkily behind Jason, and they both froze in their tracks.

Well, damn.

Jason hadn't even pondered the option that _Nico_ might be awake, too (since he loved to sleep in, like, all the time).

Since Percy hadn't moved this entire time whatsoever, and hadn't resumed his snoring, Jason was to 90% certain he had been feigning sleep as well, after all.

"Petition to prohibit conversation before all four of us are awake and present." Percy grumbled from where he was, confirming Jason's suspicion.

"Count me in. How many signatures do we need?" Nico asked, and Will and Jason exchanged pained, guilty looks.

"Two. We got all we need. Guys, you're outvoted." Percy declared, and Will rolled his eyes, turning his head to shoot Percy an unimpressed look as Percy moved, turning over to face them and move closer.

"Good morning to you two, too, you sneaky eavesdroppers. Don't you have any hobbies?" Will asked sulkily, and both Percy and Nico huffed indignantly, sandwiching Will and Jason between them almost in perfect sync.

Though, if Jason was being completely honest right now, he kind of liked that.

It did bring him closer to Will, too.

Though now Percy's hands got in the way for their chests to touch properly (which just _had_ to be on purpose. Percy was possessive as usual.).

"Spying on you _is_ their hobby, Will." Jason remarked, and felt Nico pinch him – which showed the Italian still had to be mostly asleep, since he would never dare to do that under any other circumstances.

"Spying on _us_, you mean." Will corrected, and Jason smiled bitterly to himself, deciding to keep it to himself that they probably couldn't care less about what _he_ did.

Again, the peaks of being the odd one out.

"Jason, _no_." Percy and Will said at the same time, and Jason blinked, taken aback and confused.

Both of them glowered at him.

"What?" He asked, feeling Nico shift behind him.

"Let me guess. Does it have to do with '_Ipod'_?" The Italian asked, only to find Percy and Will giving a sharp nod.

_Ipod_?

Ipod…

Oh.

'_I_'m _p_art _o_f the _d_ork-group'.

_Oh_.

He had been found out.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He retorted pointedly, not meeting their eyes, but he could feel their gazes bore into him.

"Right. So, fears? May I ask what brought that forth? I mean, seems like a pretty heavy topic for pillow talk." Percy tried to sound upbeat, though he still looked upset.

However, Jason was more distracted by the term 'pillow talk' in this context.

Well, Jason wasn't going to correct him-…

"Pillow talk? Seriously? Perseus, do you even know what that means?" Will asked dubiously, and Jason sighed.

Well, apparently, Will was going to correct him.

"Yeah? You were all over each other enough to make it look like pillow talk to me." Percy deadpanned, shooting Jason a dark glare as he spoke, which Jason pointedly ignored, inwardly singing 'It's none of your business' over and over again.

Good thing Will could only feel his emotions, not hear his thoughts.

"We weren't even half as close as Jason and Nico were yesterday, and you didn't accuse _them_ of having 'pillow talk'." Will complained, and Jason could feel Nico tense behind him.

Percy's eyes narrowed, and Jason watched him study Will's profile.

"Oh? So we're back to our usual denying, huh? Yesterday, you seemed perfectly fine with us assuming as we pleased."

Uh-oh.

Were those two going to argue now?

The day had started too well for that!

Plus, Will had that talk with Michael to dread, it wouldn't do any of them any favors if Percy upset him any further now.

"Guys, shut up. Percy, _stop it_. Don't push him." Nico snapped behind Jason, and Jason's eyes widened.

Holy…

Had Nico just…

This had to be the first time that Nico spoke up like that.

Will seemed in similar shock, staring at Jason in disbelief, but Jason's eyes automatically moved to Percy, who funnily enough didn't seem surprised at all, instead scowling and looking ready to complain.

"But…but they…" He started, his expression conflicted and torn and so miserable Jason instantly felt bad for him, but then Percy sighed, slumping slightly.

Will turned his head faintly, his jaw tightening as his eyes hushed over Percy with an almost concerned expression.

For a moment, there was silence.

"I'm sorry." Percy said quietly, moving his face lower and hiding it behind Will's head, away from sight.

Jason felt a pang of sympathy.

"No worries, Gorgeous. Guess it was partly my fault for acting like an idiot. The term just upset me, that's all." Will said in a light tone, and Jason tried not to feel too hurt.

"Yeah, nobody wants to have pillow talk with me, Perce. Shame on you for implying something so horrendous." He remarked drily, and Will threw him an exasperated look.

"Ha-ha. Jason, don't make me hurt you." He threatened, but Jason knew the most Will would be able to do was poke him in the side, so he wasn't very intimidated, sorry.

"_I'd_ have pillow talk with you." Percy said seriously, and Jason felt something weird at his back, realizing a moment later that Nico was 'banging' his head against Jason's shoulder blade, making weird, barely audible fake-sobbing noises.

Will looked utterly incredulous for a moment, before he broke out laughing.

Jason…could only stare blankly into the distance.

"Percy…please…are you _sure_ you know the meaning of pillow talk?"

This guy…seriously…there were simply no words.

...

"I don't like it." Percy said quietly, for what had to be the hundredth time.

Breakfast had passed with Jason, Nico and him trying to coax some food into Will, who had seemed fine enough until he had realized he had to _eat_ something.

Yeah, it hadn't worked out.

With combined efforts, they had managed to get him to eat half a slice of toast, but that had been it.

Next time, he'd take Jason's job of picking out suitable food.

Maybe Will would have preferred pancakes (he probably would have).

Plus, then Nico could have been the one distracting him, while Percy could have kept nudging his lips with the fork to get him to eat, eyes far away from the plate, until it was empty.

But no, instead, Nico had been the one talking about how important breakfast was (which he only knew because Will kept telling them all the time) and convincing him to at least give it a try (though Percy had a hunch Will had only relented because Nico had looked so genuinely worried).

Jason had been the one to pick and prepare the toast – supposedly because Will had eaten that the last time Jason had seen him in a better state, and because he hadn't wanted to freak him out with an overloaded plate.

And Percy, of course, had had the _wonderful_ job of _riling Will up_ and doing his best to be as loud and obnoxious as he could be, with Hades sitting across them and watching them like other people watch TV.

He guessed he shouldn't complain, but his stomach surely was complaining at the not very healthy food combinations he had urged himself to consume in order to get Will to rant at him and make him 'show him better' and the like.

Also, he was fairly certain Will hated him now.

Nice.

Well, his efforts had been worth half a slice of toast, which was still better than nothing, so he guessed he shouldn't complain too much.

He still was. Inwardly.

"Me neither." Nico mumbled for also the hundredth time, staring down at the chessboard in front of him.

It had been two hours since Will had been picked up by a skeleton, as well as Mrs. O'Leary (for moral support, apparently. That's what Nico had said Hades had told the skeleton, at least.) and they had done nothing productive ever since.

Jason had started tidying up the room, and Nico and Percy had joined in out of nothing better to do, just to then get done not twenty minutes later due to their teamwork.

So, then, they had started playing cards without enthusiasm, just to then switch to video games, but then they had only stared at the screen listlessly without talking, and had soon settled for board games instead.

Percy wasn't sure whether their lack of fun was all just because they were worried sick about Will, or because Will was actually the one making things as fun as they usually were.

He had had that realization before, after all.

While Nico, Jason and Percy were experts on 'surviving', Will was the one who showed them how to best 'live'.

He knew what games to play in what order and how to play said games with them to get the most laughs out of them, or to rile them up to make them give it their best shots.

He knew what to say when conversation seemed to die out, and could always turn a serious talk into a pure joke, or vice versa.

He was always fun to talk to, but Percy didn't think he had ever really appreciated his creativity when it came to all the crazy stuff they did.

But, yeah, Will wasn't here.

He couldn't joke at their long faces, and couldn't cheer them up with his usual radiant smiles.

Nope.

Instead, Will was in Elysium, talking to his brother about gods knew what.

Alone.

Why had the_ dog_ been allowed to come with for moral support, but _Percy_ hadn't?

_He_ could have been moral support, too!

If Will wanted something to put their head on his lap and look at him with big, round eyes, Percy could have done that, too.

He could have probably made himself drool, too, if that's what Will had wanted.

But no, Will didn't want him around, instead cruelly picking the hellhound over him.

Cruel.

Mean.

_Cruel_.

"It's his decision." Jason said quietly, for probably the two hundredth time, because Percy liked to act deaf whenever he heard that reply.

Like right now.

Percy grumbled loudly, drowning out Jason's words and showing how very mature he was about this, but he didn't give a damn.

Why did Will have to go _alone_?!

"Still his decision." Jason replied calmly when he was finished, and Percy shot him a glare.

Freaking _Jason_.

Seriously, that guy!

Percy was so _mad_ at him, he couldn't even put it into words anymore.

He just _sat_ there, staring at that freaking chess board, the same way he had looked at the screen, and the cards, and anything else, all calm and collected and composed and _ugh_!

_How could that guy be so calm?!_

Percy had thought he liked Will?

Well, this calm, cool and collected act did _not_ make it look like Jason cared about Will. If anything it was the complete opposite of his overly concerned behavior during breakfast today.

Or his lovey-dovey behavior that was going on around Will the entire time.

Percy was sick of it.

Sick of Jason acting lovey-dovey with Will.

Sick of Jason acting all concerned for Will.

Sick of Jason acting so cool now, while Will was suffering.

Sick of Jason either ignoring Percy or giving these freaking calm answers.

Sick of Jason only ever looking at Will or Nico.

Sick of Jason completely neglecting him as an actual friend, too.

Sick of Jason apparently forgetting their bromance entirely.

Sick of Jason, basically.

Percy wanted to flip over that _freaking_ table with the _dumb_ chess game and its _dumb_ pieces.

"How can you be so cool about this?! Did you _not_ see how he looked when he left? It's as if he was walking to his doom or something – _sent to the gallows_!" He exclaimed, and could see Nico's hands closing around the sides of the chessboard, as if protecting it in case Percy _did_ decide to flip the small table.

It didn't improve his mood, though it made him put more effort into containing himself.

"I'm not. I saw. I know." Jason replied calmly, and now Percy wanted to flip _him_.

_What sort of answer was that?!_

What the hell?!

Percy stared at him in disbelief, struggling with the urge to grab his shoulders and shake him, to make him somehow understand the severity of the situation.

Instead, he pushed himself up, unable to sit still any longer.

"I'm going after him." He snapped, fed up with _everything_.

What were they _doing_?

Will had been gone for _two hours_!

For all they knew, he might have run away again and ended up hurt, stuck somewhere all by himself in Elysium, because who knew whether Mrs. O'Leary could even find him there?

Or he might have had a breakdown and couldn't get Michael to let him go back!

Or he had gotten hurt and couldn't leave by himself!

Or maybe he was hoping they'd come pick him up, after all.

Or what if he hadn't even made it to Elysium?

Maybe something had happened, or monsters had randomly appeared again, or he had been kidnapped, or he had gotten lost…

He walked towards the door briskly, and could hear Nico sigh quietly behind him.

Apparently, he was alone in his worries.

Not even _Nico_ seemed to be as concerned as he was.

_How could they be so calm about this?!_

"You won't." Jason said calmly, just as Percy reached the door, ready to rip it open and storm out.

He turned his head, but Jason was still looking down at the chess board, now moving one piece and saying 'Check' to Nico.

That _dumb_ chess game.

"Yeah? And why is that?" Percy sneered, though he at least attempted to reign in his annoyance and anger when Nico looked over at him, his expression sad and sympathetic – which made Percy almost feel bad.

But only almost.

He was still annoyed and fed up and just so freaking _worried_!

Nico looked back towards Jason, a curious, yet skeptical expression on his face now, as if he was wondering just what it was that made Jason so confident in his statement.

Jason seemed unperturbed by both Nico's gaze and Percy's sneer, though, simply studying the board a moment longer before looking up, his gaze full of certainty.

"Because you know how much this means to Will and that he trusts us to respect his wish and stay here. Unless you wish to break that trust and do as you wish, regardless of the consequences?"

Ouch.

Percy scowled, glowering at Jason as he felt doubt settle over him, his hand shaking on the door knob.

Will had _explicitly_ asked them not to come along, and not to follow him, telling them this was something between him and his brother, and he didn't want to get them involved in any way whatsoever.

(Which had hurt worse than gorgon's blood, might he mention.)

"Percy, he knows what he's doing. You know him, he's not stupid. Stay here and give him the peace of mind that he can trust us. That he can rely on us being here for when he'll come back, and that we'll catch him if he needs us to. Ok?" Jason said, his voice maybe a tad softer, though Percy still hated him for being that horrible voice of reason he so utterly didn't want to hear right now.

Why did he always have to be so sensible and correct, anyways?

All Percy wanted was to make sure Will was ok.

What was so wrong about that?

Why did Will have to be so stubborn about everything?

Why couldn't he trust them more?

Why did he have to be so damn secretive all the time?

He scrounged his eyes shut and forced himself to let go of the door knob, though he didn't step away from the door yet.

"Catch him?" He asked, looking back around at Jason, but the blonde was busy exchanging a look with Nico before returning his attention to the chess board.

Percy tried not to feel too bitter about that.

He failed.

"Of course. No matter how well that talk is going to go, you bet he'll be utterly exhausted afterwards. Just _attempting_ to talk _around_ the topic already seemed to get to him quite a bit when we talked this morning, after all. I'm pretty sure he won't ask us for it, but I know he'd love it if we didn't pry and instead tried to be there for him in any and every way." Jason explained, and Percy made a face, knowing it was the truth.

But he _wanted_ to pry.

He wanted _answers_.

Wanted to know what was wrong and what they could do to help, wanted to cup Will's face and kiss it better, wanted to ease his worries and show him everything was ok, wanted to take away his fears even though he kept claiming he wasn't scared, wanted to finally _understand_!

"You talked to him about that?" He heard Nico ask, and huffed to himself, surprised he hadn't questioned that, himself.

Then again, he _wasn't _surprised, because this was _Jason_, and he _always_ talked about these important things with anybody, everybody, everything, whatever.

Percy was so _done_ with this guy.

He huffed again, finally tearing himself away from the door and walking back over to the guys, though he definitely wasn't happy about it.

He was even less happy about Jason's lips twitching into an almost smug, knowing smile for the fraction of a second that he glanced towards Percy, before eyeing the board with utmost interest again.

Percy couldn't wait to get back to Camp, drag Jason off into the arena, and show him just _what_ he thought of his freaking attitude nowadays.

"I did. Well, I tried to, rather. I was actually going to tell you guys about it, but there's not much to tell. You kind of already know most of it, after all. All he said was that it's about something from the past – apparently the same something he's been so determined not to let us know. Shortly before the battle in Manhattan, he had some sort of conversation/argument with Michael, and ended up mentioning said something. Or at least he said he said something about it that he shouldn't have, and Michael reacted badly to it, apparently. So, as you know Will, instead of him giving Michael a moment to collect himself and say something on the matter, Will freaked and bolted, only to avoid Michael from then on, hoping to avoid a confrontation, while Michael seemed set on it. And, well, next thing he knew, Michael was dead. So…yeah…" Jason explained quietly, his last statement accompanied by a long, pained sigh.

Percy inwardly cringed, remembering that moment back in Manhattan, with Michael, the expression on his face probably permanently burnt into Percy's memory forever.

He remembered trying to feel for Michael in the water, trying to tell himself he might not be dead, that he might have made it out somehow, but when Michael hadn't shown up anymore, he had known it was futile.

And, even though Percy had let it go, and had found closure on the matter, he still knew it had been partly his fault Michael had died that day.

He saw Nico flinch out of the corners of his eyes, and knew from the dark, pained look on his face that Nico was remembering Bianca.

Of course he was.

This was basically the same thing, just in reverse.

Back with Bianca, Nico had yelled at her and had an argument about her leaving him behind for the Hunters, and then he had lost her forever as she had died on the quest, without ever getting the chance to make up with her.

With Will, he had lost Michael without ever knowing what he might have had to say, and Michael had died before finding closure and talking it all out.

No wonder he had insisted on Will coming back for that talk.

Then again, what could possibly be big enough of a deal to be this important to talk about?

Percy couldn't think of anything.

"What was it they had talked about?" He asked, though he knew Jason would have said it if he knew.

Still, maybe he just felt like rubbing it in that Jason didn't know _everything_.

The blonde merely shrugged, moving his Knight and putting Nico back in 'Check', just as Nico had seemed to get his King to safety.

Percy still hated chess, by the way.

And how could these two still play?!

"I don't know. He wouldn't say."

Percy huffed, though he was inwardly pleased to have confirmation Jason didn't know.

Ha.

"Not even a wild guess? I mean, you're usually so great at guessing people's problems, right? Couldn't you read it off his face or something?" He asked, partly honest, and partly spiteful.

Jason either didn't pick up on it or ignored it.

"Percy, that's with you, because you wear your heart on your sleeve. Or, well, your face, rather. With Will, it's…different. It's something big, but I have absolutely zero idea what it could possibly be about. He completely shuts down each time I try to pry, no matter how careful I try to be about it. And once he realizes what I'm doing, his guard is up full force, and you're lucky if you get any answer at all." Jason admitted with another low, pained sigh, and Percy felt a pang of sympathy for him, even if he was still annoyed.

Maybe he shouldn't be mean to Jason on purpose.

He highly doubted Will would confide even half as much into him as he did with Jason, so they probably wouldn't even know a third of the things they did, if it wasn't for Jason and his ability to make you tell him your life story.

Percy sighed loudly, flopping back down onto his place between them at the small table.

"Why, oh why, does he have to be such a mystery, I wonder." He lamented, and Nico and Jason both sighed in sync.

"Why, indeed." Nico mumbled, seemingly still trying to get his King to safety.

"Because he's Will. Let's just be patient and show him he can come to us anytime, and I'm sure someday he might." Jason said, so wonderfully calm and collected that Percy promptly wanted to rattle him again.

Plus, what sort of statement was that?

That was basically one giant 'Maybe', wrapped up in nice words that made it sound more like a 'Yes'.

Which was a lie.

It was still only a 'maybe'.

And it was a very vague and unlikely one, too, at least in Percy's opinion.

They had waited until now, and Will hadn't even attempted to talk about that matter with them.

Instead, he seemed to get even more reluctant to share, the more time passed.

Percy groaned at the unfairness of life and flopped sideways against his boyfriend like a log, who didn't seem to mind at all, instead bringing one hand up to pat his back in consolation, his other still trying to save his King from the apparently inevitable doom.

"But I want to know _now_." He muttered sulkily, and Nico sighed, stroking over his back and leaning his head against him.

"We all do, Percy."

Percy huffed.

"I mean, why can't he just say it? It can't be _that_ bad, right? He's probably just overthinking it." He complained, moving closer to his boyfriend and shooting Jason annoyed glares – mostly because Jason wasn't even looking his way and they pretty much went unnoticed, which annoyed him even further.

"I bet Leah knows." He added as an afterthought, and Jason sighed, looking up.

As expected.

"She does. He said she somehow found out, so I assume Michael told her about it. He hated it. Right now, I think the only way you would find out what happened back then, is if you force him to come out with it, and that wouldn't do anybody any favors, Percy. Especially not him. Let's have him have that talk and see if Michael somehow says something that will magically fix everything and make him realize it can't be that bad that we wouldn't be able to take it."

"Only _you_ could say something that magically fixes everything, and you know it." Percy grumbled under his breath and Nico huffed into his hair, probably agreeing with him.

"Hm? What?" Jason asked, even indulging Percy and glancing up at him, so Percy did his best to glower as darkly as he could.

"Nothing." He replied curtly, then started draping himself over Nico some more, who let him do so without complaint.

Jason sighed loudly, and Percy turned his head to look back at him, to check whether it was because of that dumb chess game or because of their conversation.

"The way I see it, this equals something like the worst thing in Will's life. Would you just want to talk to anybody about the worst thing that happened to you?"

Percy made a face and hid it back at Nico's shoulder.

"Maybe. I mean, if it clearly bothers me still, then of course I'd try talk it out with somebody, right?" He counter-asked, but then hesitated, Tartarus coming to the front of his mind.

Jason sent him a pointed look, and Percy knew he was thinking of the same thing.

"Would you really? He said he refuses to even _think_ about it, Percy. Now, think about sharing something you wouldn't even want to think about, with people you care about and wouldn't want to know the things you know."

Percy inwardly cringed, thinking of Tartarus, the acid fumes, the dead plains.

The monsters, the heat, the horrors he and Annabeth had had to face in there.

He glanced towards Nico, who had had to go through even worse, being all by himself and getting captured and locked away in a jar, pretty much left to waste away and die cruelly.

Percy wouldn't ever want to talk about Tartarus, either.

He hadn't even really brought it up with Annabeth, even though the nightmares had kept them both awake for the longest time.

He'd never bring it up with Nico, either.

Of course, if Nico needed it, he'd hear him out, but he'd never ever tell him of all the things he and Annabeth had seen down there.

He couldn't tell him of those things.

While they were permanently engraved into his very being, he doubted he'd ever be able to put them into words, to get them out of his mouth, to confide what he had faced.

And that was with Nico, who had seen the horrors, himself.

Now, if Will felt anywhere similar to that…Percy felt a tinge of guilt surge through him at his earlier thoughts of wanting Will to just snap out of it and tell them.

"Fine. I'm sorry. You're right." He relented bitterly, and Nico resumed stroking over his back with a small, sad sigh.

He was so quiet.

He was always quiet in situations like this.

Percy felt like he should say something comforting, just to make Nico feel more at ease, but then he didn't, because there was nothing he could say.

"No reason to apologize. You're simply as frustrated as we are, which is perfectly understandable." Jason said calmly, which didn't make Percy feel any better.

Seriously, how was Jason this calm about everything?

Percy huffed, trying to relish in Nico's touch as his boyfriend stroked up and down his back beneath his sweater now, but he couldn't stop staring at Jason.

Seriously, _how_ could he be this collected?

Shouldn't he be pacing the room like crazy?

Hadn't he done that before, too?

No, wait, that had been Nico.

But hadn't Nico told him Jason had been the one pacing the room back when he had had a talk with Hades?

Probably not.

That was probably just wishful thinking, and he was trying to jumble together unrelated things to back it up.

"I want to be that collected, too." He grumbled, and Jason glanced up at him puzzled for a moment – the first actual emotion Percy could make out since Will had left.

Then, the blonde chuckled.

"Percy, I'm far from collected. I'm just trying to keep myself together so we don't get even more nervous. Trust me, on the inside, I'm more of a wreck than you can imagine."

Likely story.

He didn't look like he could possibly be any sort of wreck.

Jason wasn't _that_ great of an actor.

If he was worried, he clearly wasn't as worried as Percy was.

"Hm." Was all he replied, not feeling up to argue with Jason.

Or anybody else.

He just wanted Will back safe and sound.

"Checkmate." Jason said quietly, and Nico sighed loudly, though he didn't seem very upset about his loss, merely wrapping his other arm around Percy, too, and turning towards him more.

Percy kind of wanted to crawl onto his lap, but he guessed that would look pretty weird.

Also, Nico was a good head shorter than him, so it would get pretty awkward, too.

Especially with Jason around.

"Are you sure he will be ok?" Percy asked into the room, though he wasn't sure why.

Of course the guys would say yes, but ultimately, they had no idea, so how could that possibly put Percy at ease?

"Of course he'll be. This is Will, Percy. He's strong. Now stop worrying. If he knew how much you're worrying, he'd be much more upset about that than any conversation ever. Just imagine what he'd say if he saw you now." Nico told him quietly, and Percy pouted, not wanting to picture that at all.

Jason huffed in apparent amusement and got up, putting the chessboard away so nobody (Percy) could trip over the board again in near future and make anybody step on the pieces (which of course hadn't been his fault the two times that had happened before. _He_ hadn't been the one playing chess, after all).

"He'd feel so insulted and curse you to bits, while also feeling flattered by your concern, though that would only make him curse you even more. And then, he'd feel bad for worrying you so much and act like everything is utterly fine, because he's an idiot. Gods, what am I going to do with him…" Jason trailed off with a loud, pained sigh, and by the sound of it, he was starting to pace.

Percy raised an eyebrow, pulling his head away from Nico's shoulder to look around at the blonde.

Yep, he was pacing.

Sweet.

So he _was_ nervous, after all.

Maybe it had only been the chess game that had given him enough to focus on to keep himself still.

Nice, that meant Percy wasn't alone in his misery.

"Well, for starters, I'd say we wait until he's back, check how it went, and then put him into bed." Nico said resolutely, and they both looked around at him.

Sounded like a plan.

"Or we could put him into the pillow corner. It's closer to the TV, so, if he's in a good mood because the talk went well, we could watch a movie or something." He suggested, but, while Nico nodded in agreement, Jason suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

"No. Not the pillow corner." He said firmly, his ears turning red, which Percy absolutely didn't understand.

"Why not?" He asked confused, trying not to be too offended, and looked towards Nico for an explanation, but his boyfriend looked as clueless as he was.

"Because…well, the bed is more comfortable. Plus, there's more space. Will is going to want space." Jason explained, though he was looking at the faraway shelf full of DVDs while he spoke, not meeting their eyes.

Which was highly unusual for Jason, since he was that sort of person that always looked at the person he was talking to.

Percy frowned, trying to figure out what that was about, though he couldn't really think of anything.

Jason had seemed perfectly fine with the pillow corner two days ago – same as Will, given that they had both slept in that corner for a part of the night.

Percy halted.

Maybe something _had_ happened that night, in the pillow corner.

They _had_ been pretty damn close in the morning, after all, even if they still claimed they weren't dating, and hadn't acted that lovey-dovey ever since.

Though, this morning, they had been rather close, too.

Why were they always so wrapped up in each other, anyways?

"Well, alright then. The bed it is. What if it's really bad?" Nico asked, pulling Percy out of his thoughts and making him look around at his boyfriend for a moment, concerned by the caution and hesitation in the way he spoke.

"I don't know. I'm hoping that won't be the case, since Michael didn't strike me as a sort of person that would tear into Will for anything, especially not after all this time. If it is really bad, though, I was hoping to use Percy as our secret weapon." Jason explained, and Percy nodded in agreement until his brain caught on to the last part.

"Wait, what? Why me? What am _I_ supposed to do?" He asked stupefied, and Jason shot him an almost exasperated look.

"Oh come on. You're the second best after Will at this whole cheering-people-up thing, and getting their minds out of the doldrums. Breakfast showed that, as well, after all."

Percy scowled, unable to take that as a compliment right now, especially not after experiencing that breakfast first-hand.

To be honest, it felt more as if Jason was rubbing it in that Percy hadn't been good enough.

Jason halted in his pacing to look at him with a frown, studying his expression with slight confusion.

"What? Did I say something wrong? That was a compliment, dude. I couldn't have even made him take one bite if it had come down to it."

Percy wasn't convinced, instead huffing derisively.

Nico chuckled, using his fingernails gently on Percy's lower back, and Percy found his body instantly relaxing once more, resisting the urge to purr at the sensation.

"Jason, I think you hurt his feelings with saying he's only second-best."

Percy gasped at that _absolutely wrong_ accusation, gaze snapping back to Jason to let him know that was absolutely _not_ true – but Jason had his face in his hands, a loud groan escaping his lips.

"Percy, for gods' sake, are you kidding me? I said you're the second-best _after Will_. Not even you can deny that he's the best at cheering people up."

That just made Percy sulk even more, to be honest.

Though, of course, he knew that statement was perfectly true.

And it wasn't as if he actually wanted Jason to say anything else, anyways.

"But, I mean, he has the advantage of knowing exactly how somebody is feeling, and what to do and what not to do to fix it, so I guess that would make you the best, if one was to go based off natural ability and instinct" Jason continued, his voice now careful as he picked his words, and Percy eyed him skeptically.

Then he looked away pointedly.

"You're just saying that." He retorted, though he had to admit he was suddenly feeling a lot better.

He wasn't going to let Jason know that, though.

"Ooh, Jason, it seems you'll have to get creative if you want to win his affection again." Nico teased, and Percy wondered faintly since when Nico had become confident enough to talk like that.

Will was most definitely rubbing off on him, and, unlike with Percy, it actually seemed to be in all the right ways.

Confident Nico might be the death of him one day, but confident Nico would also be the best thing in the world, and Percy was more than willing to take any consequences.

Jason sighed loudly, sounding more than just a little exasperated.

"Figured as much."

Hey.

"Well, now you definitely ruined it." Percy grumbled darkly, and turned his back on the blonde once and for all, using this as the perfect excuse to half climb onto Nico's lap, who let him do so with a small chuckle, even tugging him closer, and helping him with his legs, so things wouldn't get too uncomfortable and awkward.

The height difference actually didn't seem all that bad, to be honest.

It was barely noticeable.

Apparently, Percy simply had longer legs than Nico, not as much of a longer torso.

"Aww, Percy, you know I didn't mean it like that." Jason insisted somewhere behind him, sounding closer than before, but Percy wasn't thinking much of it until he could suddenly feel Jason behind him.

As in, _close_ behind him.

_Too_ close.

"What…what are you doing…?" Percy asked, unwilling to turn his head around as he felt Jason flopping down behind him, moving closer and putting his arms loosely around Percy.

He stared at Nico, utterly dumbfounded, but Nico merely chuckled, even pulling back slightly to give Jason more space.

"I'm trying to regain your affection, so you'll agree to our battle plan." Jason said amiably, but Nico instantly shook his head in warning.

"If he catches wind you're having ulterior motives, it won't work." He pointed out, and Percy scowled.

"Hey. I'm right here. And Jason, if you dare come any closer, I'm going to have to get Riptide."

His warning was _cruelly ignored_ as Jason shifted closer, directing Nico so they could somehow make this work out.

What they meant with 'this' was a mystery to Percy, but he found himself getting manhandled, anyways.

Mean.

Cruel.

Idiots.

The lot of them.

Didn't they have anything better to do?

Will could come back any moment!

Jason's hands settled on his hips, and Percy's scowl intensified.

Will _better _be back any moment!

"You wouldn't hurt your bro, would you now?" Jason asked next to his ear, and Percy glared at Nico darkly, before realizing he was glaring at _Nico_, though he didn't dare turn his head to glare at Jason, because that guy was way too close, even for their standards.

"Right now, I'm tempted."

Jason chuckled, not taking him seriously whatsoever, though he did pull back slightly, now placing his chin on Percy's shoulder.

Percy didn't want to look at him.

Percy looked at him.

Jason had his bottom lip sticking out slightly, his blue eyes boring into Percy as he stared at him with his glasses way too loose on his nose again.

Percy couldn't remember when he had stopped scowling, but the moment he noticed he had, he started scowling all over again, trying to look as upset and displeased as possible.

Though Jason didn't seem to care, keeping up his puppy face and staring Percy down, though Percy should be the one doing that, especially given their position.

"He likes his sides stroked." Nico informed Jason in an utterly amused voice, and Percy's head shot around to him.

"Nico!"

That _traitor_!

Since when was Nico _selling him out_ like this?!

Nico made a show of shrugging innocently.

"What? It's true."

"But _he_ doesn't have to know that!" Percy insisted, but Jason was already moving his hands away from his hip bones and to his sides, gently stroking up and down.

Ha, he wasn't _half_ as good as Nico was at that!

Percy wanted to feel triumphant and smug about that – but then he noticed how much bigger Jason's hands were in comparison to Nico's, and just how different and unusual the touch felt.

Thinking about it, Jason and he never really touched each other all that much.

Sure, they gave each other pats on the shoulder/back/butt, but…that was kind of it.

Even if they ended up having to put up with sleeping next to each other at night, they rarely did anything other than put their arms around each other awkwardly and sleep as soon as possible.

The hand-holding thing had been the most touchy-feely thing they had ever done, to be honest – and Percy still found _that_ way too disturbing to think about in too much detail.

Though he couldn't deny he had kind of liked it each and every time.

It was more that it was disturbing he was the only one ever initiating said handholding.

Sure, Jason had kind of always gone along with it, but…oh, whatever.

"Like this?" Jason asked, sounding way too amused about this, his hands moving over his sides much nicer now than a minute ago, which was extremely unfair.

Percy turned his head to send him a dark, venomous glare.

"I'll take that as a yes." Jason said with a way too dazzling smile, especially since he still had his chin on Percy's shoulder.

"No. You're doing it all wrong." He insisted pointedly, but, judging by the way Jason's eyebrows shot up, he didn't believe Percy whatsoever.

"Come on, Percy. I know _Will_ has a thing for praise, but _you_ usually don't. What's your actual problem?" Jason asked seriously a moment later, and Percy made a face, looking away from both him and Nico, who was eyeing Percy curiously now, as well.

Percy also noticed he didn't seem surprised by Jason's question whatsoever, which indicated he must have noticed something was off, too.

Maybe that was why he was actually letting Jason this close.

Though that might also be because Percy had been the one letting the guys this close to Nico since the very beginning already, and Nico probably assumed that meant he should be ok with this, too.

Percy wasn't sure which option he preferred, and settled for neither.

"I don't know what you're talking about. But you might want to get off my back, since Will could come back any moment and I doubt it'll cheer him up much to see us sitting on the floor like this." He replied drily, and heard Jason sigh behind him.

That was all he did nowadays, it seemed.

At least when it came to Percy.

Nico and Will got dazzling smiles and heart eyes and affection, but all Percy got were looks of utter exasperation and all the sighs in the world.

Not that he was bitter about that or anything.

Scratch that, he was _absolutely_ bitter about that.

Jason was still his best bro, ok?

They had grown so close during their quest to save the world, it just felt horrible to…well, to be like _this_ now.

They barely talked, and if, then either about Will and/or Nico, or about Jason's stupid contract.

Anything else was meaningless banter to ease the building tension between them and try keep them tied somehow.

They didn't do anything together anymore at all – and Percy seriously meant that.

They hadn't even _once_ played any sort of game where it had only been Percy and Jason.

It had always been Jason and Will, Jason and Nico, or Percy, Jason and one of the two.

Or, well, the four of them.

But never _just_ Jason and Percy.

It was just…did Jason _not_ like him anymore?

Was he so busy loving Nico and Will that he couldn't be bothered to as much as _look_ at Percy, anymore?

Percy made a face, and noticed Nico's expression changing out of the corners of his eyes, growing concerned.

Something stirred inside Percy, and he urged himself to take a deep breath, shifting harshly to shake Jason off, since the blonde still hadn't made any effort to get away from him whatsoever.

"Man, I'm fine. Just worried about Will, that's all." He claimed, and looked towards the closed door for emphasis.

Jason threw him a pointed look that clearly conveyed he didn't buy it, but he finally pulled away, so that was a plus.

Percy waited for him to get up before he let himself relax again, and then he quickly used his chance to get closer to his boyfriend, placing a quick peck to his cheek before he let his head drop onto his shoulder once more.

Nico let out a small sigh, his hands moving back around Percy to slip under his sweater.

"You ok, cuore mio?" He heard him ask gently, barely audible against his ear, though Percy could still hear the worry in his voice.

He pondered whether to reply 'Splendid' or 'Never been better', but then settled for a simple nod, instead.

Jason started pacing somewhere behind him again, but Percy ignored that.

He could feel Nico making some sort of faint shrugging motion, but he ignored that, too.

"I hope Will gets back soon." He mumbled, wondering all over again why Will wasn't back yet, whether he was ok, whether he needed help, whether he might not have been kidnapped, after all…

"I just hope he'll be ok." Jason replied, and Percy inwardly cringed.

Did Jason _always_ have to try to one-up him?

"Well, _obviously_." He snapped, and Nico's hands halted in their movement for a moment.

"I hope he comes back soon, too, else we'll have to somehow organize a very quick lunch, or one of us will have to leave to get food." His boyfriend mused, and Percy just waited for Jason to say something like 'Percy can do that'.

After all, Will was going to need Jason and Nico the most when he came back, making Percy the disposable one.

"I can do that if necessary, no problem. We'd probably have to inform your dad, too, so he won't expect us for lunch. I'm sure he'll know already, but better safe than sorry, and he's one of those people who value manners and politeness, so we can't go wrong with that." Jason said thoughtfully, instead, and Percy tensed.

Next to the initial surprise that Jason was offering to go, and the very irrational realization that Hades was right in picking Jason as his favorite, he now felt stupid for not offering to go, himself.

What was he, twelve?

Sulking around when Will was going through gods knew what, and all because he was a selfish prick who wanted attention?

_Jason's_ attention?

"I can go, too." Perc offered, but Jason snorted, which really didn't make Percy feel any better right now.

"Forget it. As I said, you're our secret weapon."

Right.

Whatever.

Nico let his fingernails dig into the sensitive skin at his lower back, and Percy instinctively hummed, coming closer and letting Nico pull him out of his thoughts.

"Andrà tutto bene, cuore mio. Tirati su." Nico whispered softly, and Percy hummed again.

"What does that mean?" He asked quietly, becoming putty in Nico's hands.

"Everything will be ok, my heart. Cheer up." Nico translated in the same, soft voice, and Percy couldn't help but smile, though he also wanted to tell Nico he was fine.

Hopefully, Will would be back soon.

Once he was back, they could work things out with him, and everything would be fine again.

He heard Jason still pacing behind him.

Well, not _everything_.

...

_Make it stop._

_Somebody, make it stop._

Will was trying to keep himself together, he really was.

But he couldn't.

What had he been thinking?

He shouldn't have come here.

He shouldn't have told Michael he was ready.

He wasn't ready.

He was anything but ready.

Tears streamed down his face as he explained things he had refused to think about for so, so long, and it felt as if he was systematically stripping down his own walls, his own borders, the dam he had built to keep it all away from him, to keep it down, to keep it hidden, to keep it gone.

But it was back.

It was all back.

It was rushing through his mind, as if it had just happened.

As if it was still happening.

He sobbed, he cried, he sobbed even more, and Michael held him close, patting his back, but the touch didn't do anything for Will.

It was the wrong touch.

The wrong person.

The wrong time.

_It was too much._

_Everything was too much._

But Will couldn't stop.

It came rushing back to him, unbidden and unwanted and horrible and vivid, flashes of images and sounds and smells and pain.

Pain.

So much pain.

Make it stop.

Somebody.

_Please_.

He shouldn't have come here.

And Michael held him, but it felt empty, it felt wrong, it felt meaningless.

Will was alone.

Alone.

Alone.

He shouldn't have come here.

How had he ever thought this could solve anything?

It was all coming back.

Somebody make it stop.

Make it stop.

Make it stop.

Stop.

_Stop._

_Please._

'Begging again, are we? So pathetic.'

Will whined in terror at the sound of _his_ voice in his head, so vivid, so _real_, as if he was _there_, as if he was still _right there_, _everywhere_, around him, inside him, everywhere, _everywhere_.

Will couldn't take it.

What had he done?

He looked around him, dread coursing through him, the fear making his body shake and his lips tremble and his body temperature drop drastically, his values all over the place.

Everywhere.

_Everywhere_.

'You can play Hide and Seek all you want, William. I will still find you at the end of the day.'

Will clawed into his brother's shirt in his panic, looking around him once more, though there was nothing there.

Michael held him tightly, trying to soothe him, but he couldn't find any comfort in the touch.

He couldn't find _anything_ in it.

It was as if there was nothing there.

Because there wasn't.

He should have had this talk back when Michael had still been alive, when he could have comforted him, reassured him, protected him.

Now, it was all too late.

And Will was alone.

Alone.

Alone.

"Will? Will, snap out of it. It's ok, you're safe now. He's _gone_. Think of your friends. Think of your guys." Michael tried, but Will could barely make out his voice over the wild hammering of his heart and the blood rushing in his ears, the panic only growing inside him, making his stomach churn and his mind scream.

Alone.

Alone.

_Alone._

His guys.

_His guys._

They weren't allowed to know.

He wasn't allowed to let them see any of this.

He _couldn't_ let them see him like this.

He had to deal with this, get over this, force it back down, before he returned to them.

He had to deal with this.

Alone.

He had to do this alone.

There was no other way.

'You're mine, William.'

Will heard his voice in his head again, and he remembered the scene so clearly, as if it was just happening, right here, right now.

It felt as if he was there, too.

Maybe he was.

Maybe he was.

Maybe he was there, maybe it was all still happening, and he had only dreamed that things had gotten better.

Maybe everything was nothing but a lie, a future he had made up for himself to escape reality for a little while.

He could feel the cold tiles, could feel the shivers running down his back, could hear the movement behind him, could smell his own fear, and _his_ arousal.

_Real._

_So real._

_Too real._

The voice was soft, almost _loving_, but the undertone was so dark and menacing, Will could feel himself shivering in dread again, his body bracing for the pain.

There was always pain.

First soft words, then pain.

Pain.

Pain.

And Will was alone.

Alone.

Alone.

"Leah! Leah, get Lee, he's hyperventilating, I can't calm him down!" He heard Michael yell, and a dog barked and growled, but the words had no meaning to him anymore, and the dog made even less sense.

'You want me to let you go? William, don't be stupid. You're _mine_. You'll _always_ be mine.'

Pain.

So much pain.

He could _feel_ it.

He could _still_ feel it.

Will scrounged his eyes shut so tightly he thought he'd go blind, but it didn't matter.

His fingers clawed into his own arms, scratching, clawing, trying to free himself from anything and everything that could restrain him, though there was nothing there.

It felt as if there was.

And pain.

So much pain.

Make it stop.

He was crying, he was sobbing, he was wailing, he was yelling out names.

Jason. Percy. Nico. Percy. Nico. Jason. Nico. Jason. Percy.

All of them.

One of them.

Somebody.

Anybody.

Help him.

_Please_.

'You dare defy me? Boy, you should know better.'

Will remembered the words, remembered the moment, remembered it all, down to the expression on _his_ face, and the only thing he could do was throw himself off the bed and into the bathroom blindly, already retching before he reached the toilet, though he miraculously seemed to make it just in time.

Or maybe it was an illusion.

There were people around him. Leah, Lee, Michael, a whining hellhound, but Will could barely see them, retching and crying and calling for help he knew wouldn't come.

There was laughter.

He could hear laughter.

_His_ laughter.

Laughter that might have once seemed endearing, but that was nothing but cruel.

Cold and cruel.

What had Will done?

It was back.

It was all back.

And he was alone.

Alone.

Alone.

...

It was another two long, long, much too long hours full of pacing, as well as sweet but meaningless reassurances (and a faint try at picking a birthday gift for Will, but that failed miserably) later, before there was a soft rapping on the door.

And then, Jason was so beyond himself he first thought he had imagined it.

Plus, Will wouldn't knock on the door, right?

Well, apparently he would, because he did, hesitating a moment longer before opening the door and sticking his head in.

Obviously, they had all stopped in their tracks and looked around, eyes immediately hushing intently over every visible inch of Will they could find, after the initial shock that _this was Will and not some skeleton or whatever_ finally passed.

_Oh. Gods._

"Uh, hi…" Will started tentatively, clearing his throat and making to step into the room awkwardly, but Jason already found himself moving.

However, it wasn't he who reached Will first.

It was Nico.

Nico, who had been furthest away from the door and who had held a stack of DVD cases only moments before, which were now scattered all over the floor as he had discarded them in his rush for Will, cupping his face and tugging him into the room, slamming the door shut with his foot.

"Will!" He gasped, partly relieved, partly shocked, and his voice dripping with concern as he studied his face, thumbs stroking over his cheeks as Will flinched slightly, but didn't pull back.

He looked _horrible_.

His face was pale, his freckles subdued, and while he tried somewhat for his casual and easy smile, it didn't reach his eyes whatsoever.

And gods, his_ eyes_.

They were nothing like usual, instead rimmed with red, and the usual gleam in them gone as if it had never existed in the first place.

Jason felt as if he was being torn apart on the inside.

He and Percy reached Will at the same time, Percy instantly aiming to touch his face, too, regardless of Nico taking up all the space in front of Will, but then he flinched back, as if not daring to touch.

Jason had no such problems, pushing against Nico's side to get to his Will.

Nico looked as if he was going to snarl at him for a moment, a protective, possessive gleam in his eyes, but then he ever so reluctantly permitted them closer.

Not that that would have stopped Jason, but whatever.

"Bed." He stated the instant he touched the side of Will's face, feeling how unusually cool he was.

"I'm ok, guys. It all went well. It was just a lot to talk about." Will argued weakly, but they universally ignored that as Nico grabbed his arm and pulled him after him, while Jason struggled with himself to hurry over to the bed to pull the blanket back, instead of giving in to the urges of getting closer to Will _right now_.

He wanted to touch him, hug him, hold him tight and feel him.

Wanted to comfort him, reassure him, kiss him better until Will's eyes gleamed again, and his smile was genuine.

Nico climbed onto the bed and pulled Will along with him, ignoring his renewed complaint about being perfectly alright.

Percy was right behind Will, pushing him against Nico more as he climbed in behind them, glancing around at Jason to follow with a scowl, probably as upset about Will's words as Jason was.

Who was he kidding, telling them he was fine?

This wasn't fine.

This was maybe slowly getting better, if even.

Jason got in behind Percy, feeling him tense but permit Jason spooning him for once without complaint, and they waited for Will to finish the glass of water Nico forced him to drink.

That had been Percy's idea earlier, to ensure Will had enough liquid inside of him.

They'd have to organize food in a bit, too, though _now_ they were pretty certain Will wouldn't want to eat a single bite.

When Will was about to settle down into the pillows, though, he hesitated, looking around at Percy and Jason with a conflicted, tense expression on his face.

"What?" Nico asked, but Will shook his head, his body trembling slightly as he let himself fall down and allowed Percy and Jason to cautiously wrap their arms around him as best as they could.

Alright, something was wrong.

Jason wasn't sure what it was, but something seemed off.

"So, what happened?" Percy asked, and Jason felt the tension in Will's body, and could see him glancing around him with a definitely uncomfortable, and disturbingly _wild_ look, reminding him of a deer caught in the headlights.

Something was _definitely_ wrong, and it didn't just seem to be the topic.

"Will?" Nico asked, frowning now as well, and Will jumped slightly, turning his head away again, though he glanced back at them only a moment later again, his breathing completely off.

"Jason, switch with me." Percy said suddenly, looking around at him with concern written all over his face (the first time he hadn't scowled/glared at Jason today), and Jason understood why as he and Percy switched places, feeing just how badly Will was actually trembling.

"Hey, what's wrong? Too close?" He asked, but Will shook his head stubbornly, his lips a thin line, his face forcefully blank.

"W-We've been closer before. This is nothing. Just…thinking of…erm…Michael. The talk. It went well. Well, he yelled a lot, I think, but that was to be expected, and we hugged it out afterwards." He tried to sound casual, but even his voice shook, and he swallowed a lot, his eyes still full of…fear?

Was Will…having some sort of panic attack?

"Will? If you need space, just tell us." Nico said with a frown, but Will stubbornly shook his head, his heart hammering in his chest, and his hands seemed to be holding onto Nico's shirt for dear life.

Jason pursed his lips and started stroking up and down his side, similar to how he had done with Percy earlier.

Will shivered, but didn't relax.

Of course not, this wasn't what he liked.

But the only places Jason could think of right now that Will had shown to really like were his ears and his lower stomach, and he was fairly certain neither would be appreciated right now.

"Hey, calm down. It's just us." He said quietly, and felt Nico's hands moving over Will's back slowly, soothingly, trying to ease his tension, too.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Will insisted, though he sounded absolutely out of breath, even if the trembling was slowly subsiding.

Percy moved behind Jason, and the next moment, he was gone, walking around the bed to Nico's side and grabbing the empty glass.

"I'll get you some more water. You're utterly dehydrated." He stated pointedly and walked off to the bathroom, trying to act casual, though his shoulders were slumped.

Jason watched him go, feeling the urge to call after him and tell him this wasn't because of him.

Something was wrong, yes, but it wasn't because of Percy.

He didn't, though, deciding he'd do it later, once this was over.

Instead, he kept on stroking over Will's side, then moved his hand over Will's stomach and upwards.

Under normal circumstances, Will would have _never_ let him do that, at least not with Nico around, and not out of nowhere.

Now, he held forcefully still.

Jason didn't like it one bit.

"I'm going to get some skeletons to bring us food." Nico announced, his eyes boring into Jason and telling him to take care of this, as he ever so reluctantly let go of Will – though he did cup his face once more and pressed a kiss to his cheek, dangerously close to his lips.

He looked as if he wanted to say something, but then didn't, instead nodding towards Jason one last time before getting off the bed and leaving the room.

Now it was just Will and Jason.

Great.

Will shifted, and Jason tried to tug him closer, just to have Will stiffen to a board all over again, his breathing stuttering.

What was _wrong_?!

"Will?"

The blonde hesitated, then took a deep breath and turned around, burying his face at Jason's chest, his hands buried in Jason's sweater in a heartbeat, holding onto him tightly with a low gasp – and Jason was more confused than ever.

"Hey, what is it? Did we do something wrong? Will, I know the conversation must have worn you out, but this seems like a bit more than that." He tried cautiously, and Will shook his head weakly.

"It's just the talk. I'm fine. I really am, Jason. It's just…it brought up some things I've tried to forget and it's just…"

He trailed off, and Jason had no idea what to make with that vague information, so he started stroking up and down his back helplessly.

"If you're sca-…if you have a problem, you just need to tell us, Will. Did we get too close? Did something make you uncomfortable? Too much at once?" He asked, hoping Will would give him an actual answer this time.

Will moved even closer, and he could feel the still ever so prominent hammering of his heart.

He could also see Percy opening the bathroom door the smallest bit and poking his head out, just to pull it back, though the door remained open.

"I…I don't like it when people are behind me. When I can't see them. It makes me uneasy." Will admitted after what felt like forever, and Jason closed his eyes.

"And why didn't you say so before?" He asked, trying not to give in to the impulse of banging his head against something.

_That_ was what Will's problem was?

And he had never said anything?

How many times had they taken him into the middle, how many times had they plastered themselves onto his back, how many times had he just let it happen without saying a thing?

"Because it's usually no problem if it's you guys! I like it when you do it. It usually helps and makes me feel more at ease, even. Usually."

_Usually_.

But now not anymore?

Because of the talk?

Seriously, _what_ had happened to Will?

Had he been attacked?

Or maybe it didn't have anything to do with the talk, maybe it was back from whatever had happened with his mother.

But then, it wouldn't just suddenly not be ok anymore, so it _had_ to have something to do with the talk.

Or maybe the talk had to do with his mother.

Or maybe it didn't.

Jason's mind was spinning, coming up with possibilities and discarding them just as quickly.

"Jason, _please_…" Will practically pleaded, and Jason instantly pulled him closer, rubbing up and down his back and burying his face at the side of his neck, hearing the blonde choking back a sob.

He had no idea what Will was asking – no, _pleading_ – for, but the notion alone already made Jason's chest clench painfully.

His Will. _Pleading_.

It tore him apart on the inside.

"Shh, it's ok. We'll give you some space, then, until you change your mind. No big deal, love…" He tried reassuring him, and Will's hold on him tightened, another sob racking his body.

"Don't. _Don't_. I'm _ok_. I don't need babying. _I'm not weak_."

"Bullshit. Nobody says you're weak. Will, stop with that. Who told you that? Have we _ever_ said or implied you're weak? No, no we haven't. Because you're not. So stop thinking that, Freckles. You hear me? You're _strong_, you're _amazing_, and you're definitely, absolutely, hundred percent _not_ weak." He insisted, resisting the temptation to underline his statements with a few kisses to the side of Will's neck, no matter how alluring it was.

Now was not the time.

(Not that it ever was.)

Will shivered, but Jason could feel him relax ever so faintly.

Or maybe he was simply too exhausted to keep his body that tense.

"I'm sorry." The blonde whispered, and for a moment, Jason thought he was going to say something else self-depreciating or other wisely hateful towards himself.

But then, he didn't.

"I…I lied." Will admitted, his voice miserable and low, but clearly audible in the silence of the room.

Jason had no idea what he was talking about.

He kind of wanted to ask, but the way Will had said it just sounded as if it was something obvious, something Jason should be able to guess without problems, something that should make sense of him right away.

He had lied about what?

That he usually liked the guys close?

No, that was absurd.

That he was fine?

Well, that was a tad too obvious.

"I _was_ shit scared of having that talk with Michael…" Will mumbled, and realization washed over Jason.

_Oh_!

That!

Oh gods, _Will_.

As if they hadn't already known that.

Jason felt the tension in Will's shoulders and let his hands move downwards, slipping under Will's sweater and making him shiver slightly, though he didn't say a thing against it and didn't tense up even more or anything.

"It's ok, Freckles. Anybody would have been. But you made it, right? Everything is solved now?"

Will nodded against his chest, clenching and unclenching his fists in Jason's sweater, and his breathing was evening out again.

He was even leaning into Jason's touch ever so slightly as he ran his fingertips up and down his back lightly.

Will really liked the light touches, it seemed.

"I'm…I'm still scared…" Will then admitted quietly, curling into himself slightly, and Jason could only guess how difficult this had to be for him.

"Of what, love?" He asked gently, then cursed himself for using pet names at a time like this.

Will didn't even seem to notice, though, still clenching and unclenching his fists, and seemingly thinking of a reply.

"Pain."

Jason hesitated, then quickly resumed his stroking, feeling Will's skin warm slowly again.

"Is that what the talk was about?" He asked carefully, and could see Percy's head disappearing in the bathroom again, same as he could see Nico's doing the same back at the door, showing they were listening to every word and wouldn't come interrupt them any moment.

Will remained silent for so long, Jason half expected to not get an answer, at all.

"Yeah."

Alright, that at least got rid of, like, a third of his already discarded theories.

Which left two third of already discarded theories, and no new ones whatsoever.

"How so?" He tried, reminding himself he wasn't going to pry, but a tiny clue would be great

Just one tiny clue.

A hint into the right direction.

"No." Will instantly replied sharply, and Jason inwardly winced.

Alright, that settled that matter.

Will tensed again, probably expecting him to argue, so Jason hid his face in Will's hair and let his fingertips stroke as gently as possibly over Will's skin.

"Ok."

Will moved his head to glance up at him, and Jason gazed back, resisting the urge to lean down and kiss him gently, to let him know he wasn't going to push him, and that they'd work everything out somehow, so things could truly be ok one day.

Will studied his expression, then moved back close.

"The guys are gone for unusually long, given that they're only organizing water and food." He remarked drily, and Jason shot a look over towards the doors, where Nico and Percy both made a face and pulled back hurriedly, now closing the doors for real.

"I'm sure they'll be back any minute. Let's hope Percy didn't fill up the bathtub and is going to urge us all into that group bath he keeps fantasizing about." He tried, and found Will chuckling weakly.

"He wouldn't dare. Though we should think of something to do with him, he seems sad." Will replied quietly, and Jason hesitated, thinking of Percy's odd behavior earlier.

Then he made a face at the fact that Will was happily worrying about Percy while he should worry about himself, given his current emotional state.

"I know, though he won't say what's wrong. Want to help me solve the mystery later?" He suggested, deciding to go along with it for now, anyways.

Mainly because Nico was beginning to make a ruckus in front of the door like crazy (very inconspicuous, Nico), and Percy had ripped open the bathroom door, just to slam it shut again, probably realizing the room was still sound-proof and didn't give him the opportunity for ruckus.

"Not much of a mystery, but ok." Will mumbled, turning his head towards the front door as Nico came in, instantly looking towards Jason with a questioning look – which Jason didn't really understand, given that Nico was already _here_, and Will had already _seen_ him, so it wasn't as if he could turn around and storm from the room if they hadn't been ready yet.

Percy followed an instant later, opening the door and taking the glass of water with him, also looking at Jason with a slightly uncertain expression.

Jason shrugged at them both, and then Percy promptly scowled at him again.

Great.

Somehow, it felt as if whatever Percy's issue was, it had to do with Jason.

As in, it was his fault.

What had he done wrong this time?

"How are things going here? Don't tell him everything, Will, else you'll have to repeat yourself all over again." Nico warned, trying to sound casual and coming over and hopping back onto the bed, though he didn't make for flattening Will into the pillow, which indicated he had overheard them for long enough to know of the new boundary.

Percy followed suite, pushing the glass into Will's hands the moment the blonde sat up.

"Thanks." Will said quietly, probably just so he didn't have to reply to Nico immediately.

"Don't worry, we were just talking about this and that, desperately waiting for your return." Jason supplied with a smile, and Percy raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him.

Will caught the look and sent Percy a stern glance.

"Yeah, Jason's worried sick you don't love him anymore, Perce. I couldn't even get to telling him about Mrs. O'Leary almost tearing apart my dead brother because she thought he's attacking me. Bless that hellhound, I swear."

Percy looked dumbstruck for a moment, but then caught himself, his expression guarded and skeptical.

It looked as if he was tempted to tell them he had overheard them and that this was _not _what they had talked about, but then he seemed to decide against it, instead adjusting his position until he sat cross-legged next to Nico on the bed, eyes solely on Will.

"Well, you can assure Jason everything is ok, then. He's still my bro, no matter whether the feeling's mutual or not. And that sounds so much like her. So, what did Michael say? You said he yelled a lot?"

If Jason had been standing or sitting on a chair, this would have been one of those moments that would have made him fall off said chair or stumble backwards in shock.

"Wait, wait, wait, _what_? Whether the feeling's…Percy, _what the hell_? Of course you're still my…_what did I do_?" He asked confused – and partly indignant, because _what the hell had he done?_ – and he could see Nico being similarly surprised by Percy's statement.

Will, on the other hand, huffed out a small laugh and mumbled a 'Told you so' under his breath, which Jason pointedly ignored in favor of staring Percy down, who was stubbornly looking away.

Well, this certainly explained the glares, while at the same time explaining absolutely _nothing_.

"Nothing. So, we were talking about Michael and yelling?"

Jason made a frustrated sound, and Percy glowered at him.

"What did I do?!" He repeated indignantly, but Percy was already looking away.

_What had he done?_

This wasn't fair!

"Told you so, Jason. I warned you that he's upset because you're not doing anything with him anymore. You chose not to believe me." Will pointed out, and Jason was about to tell him he hadn't thought Percy would be such a child, when he noticed Will shaking his head minimally, and he kept his comment to himself, trying to figure out what Will's plan was.

Since Percy seemed to perk up slightly and started eyeing Will skeptically, Jason was going to make a wild guess.

"Well, I didn't think he'd take it to heart like that. After all, I tried to give him some time with his boyfriend, didn't I? I'm not going to push him into the position where he'll have to _decide_ between hanging out with his boyfriend, all of us, or me alone. He's already having enough problems as it is. Plus, we're in the _Underworld_, what are we even supposed to do?!" He asked, still feeling upset but trying to push it down.

"We could have played something! I mean, you seem perfectly capable of playing with Will, and you even spent time alone with Nico, so don't even try to-…" Percy started, looking as upset as Jason felt.

What?!

"Percy, that was in the _early freaking morning_! We weren't going to wake you up then, were we? So we got up to let you sleep a bit longer! _Excuse me for being considerate_! Next time, I shall wake you, too, ok? Want me to wake you tomorrow at 4am in the morning so we can have some _bonding time_, too?"

"_Yes!_" Percy exclaimed, throwing his arms up in apparent exasperation, and Jason found himself dumbstruck and frozen, not believing his ears.

He could see Nico and Will out of the corners of his eyes, Nico staring at his boyfriend as if he had grown a second head, and Will…Will was pursing his lips and looking away pointedly.

Latter didn't make any sense, until he heard Percy sniffling quietly.

_Oh, come on!_

"Percy…" He started with a sigh, but Percy shot him one of his most venomous glares yet.

"Shove it. You don't even _look_ at me anymore, Jason. We barely even talk, and then it's about…" He vaguely gestured towards Nico and Will with an exasperated and annoyed expression, then shook his head.

"And all I'm getting are dumb sighs and that typical 'Are you serious, Jackson'-face of yours! How did you _think_ I was going to take that, huh? You say I'm your bro and you can't even look at me properly!"

"I…_what_?" Jason started, then stopped, now definitely utterly confused.

He wasn't _looking_ at Percy?

Was he _crazy_?

And they did talk!

Well…sometimes.

Alright, lately their conversations had reduced greatly, but that was because they were barely alone!

Plus, what was there to talk about?!

(Also, one shouldn't forget Percy had messed up big time with that Truth or Dare kiss. Yes, Jason was still a bit upset about that. Though by now he was kind of glad about it, too, because if it hadn't been for Percy getting that kiss, Jason would have never had that night with Will.)

"What, can't even hear me anymore?" Percy snapped irritably, and Jason scowled back.

"Not my fault if you're not making sense. What the hell, Percy? Of course I look at you. I'm looking at you right now, aren't I?!"

Percy mumbled something under his breath that Jason didn't catch, but he didn't stop to ask again.

"And I'm sorry we haven't really had the time to talk much, or do anything together, but if you haven't noticed, things have changed quite a bit since December. You and Nico are dating now, and the four of us do pretty much everything together. Percy, _you're_ the one who keeps saying you want to do things with _all_ of us."

Percy just wasn't making any sense!

Percy scowled, looking as if he wanted to say something, but then he didn't.

Jason continued in his rant, though he felt the fight leaving him more and more with each and every word.

"I have no idea what you mean by whatever face I'm supposed to make, but I'm sorry if my face offends you. I can guarantee it's not on purpose. I'd never upset you on purpose, man. And with the sighs, well, I haven't exactly paid attention to when I sigh, nor who I seem to sigh 'at', but I can guarantee you I still like you all the same, Percy. You're still my best bro. _Of course_ you are my bro. Why would you even _question_ that, Percy?" He had the impression he was repeating himself, but he still had trouble dealing with this situation.

Seriously, this had come out of nowhere.

Had he really paid that little attention to Percy?

Usually, he noticed much sooner if something was amiss, like with Will and Nico.

Then again, he had noticed before that something seemed a tad off with Percy, and he had glowered at Jason quite a lot lately, but he…well, to be honest, he hadn't really thought that much of it.

Percy tended to glare at him a lot these days, ever since Jason had started showing an interest in Will, so Jason had kind of brushed it off as normal after some time.

However, he decided not to point that out.

Sure, he'd like to let Percy know he was at fault for this just as much as Jason was, but that would only make things worse, and Jason really had enough other worries right now.

"I'm sorry if I rubbed you the wrong way. There's just a lot of stuff going on right now, what will the peace contract and Hades unrelenting as ever. It's kind of constantly on my mind when I'm not trying to figure out all the other problems around us. And, Percy, please, you can't deny that you've messed up a few times, too." He stated pointedly, indirectly finally talking about the Truth or Dare kiss.

Percy's expression turned from conflicted to guilty, his eyes hushing over towards Will for a moment, and Jason knew he had gotten the hint.

Jason's expression softened, and he reached out to grab hold of Percy's hand, which he actually permitted, though his eyes instantly shot down and stayed on their joined hands.

"But you know me, I'm not one to hold grudges. Now, how about we-…"

Percy instantly scowled and made to pull his hand away, though Jason refused to let go.

"If you think you can just offer some bullshit to 'make up' for this, you can forget about it right away again!" He exclaimed, and Will huffed quietly next to them, a small smile playing on his lips as he very intently studied the opposite wall.

Jason shot him a pointed look, though he more tried to convey 'shush, don't make this worse' than 'stop listening to this', since he knew the latter was basically impossible to do.

Nico still looked dumbstruck, though his expression had become partly thoughtful as he studied his boyfriend from the side, but Jason didn't dare study him for too long.

Else Percy would say something about _that_, too.

"Actually, I was going to say let's kiss and make-up and maybe we can find something we'd both like to do together sometime over the next few days. It doesn't have to be right now, it doesn't have to be here, just something for the two of us. I've been wanting to do that for forever already. Then you can tell me of all the things you wanted to talk about, and I'm going to tell you a super special story about that one tormented soul on Hades' robes that looks like that horrible woman from _Harry Potter_. I kept that story just for you." He tried tentatively, and Percy stopped trying to pull his hand away, sending him a skeptical look.

"What woman from Harry Potter? You know I'm not good with the books."

Jason smiled at him, nodding towards Will, who looked eager to find out, as well.

"What, you want me to tell you now? Here? Where Will and Nico can hear? Then it won't be a bro-story, man. It's only meant for your ears."

That certainly got Percy's interest.

Remarkable.

Jason had actually improvised right there.

The story was true, of course, and he actually _had_ intended to tell Percy about it at some point, though that was more because they usually rather talked about things like that than Will or Nico did.

(Then again, Will would have probably loved to know, too, since he had actually bothered with the books, as he had told him. Jason had no idea why that only occurred to him now.)

Percy hesitated a moment longer, and Jason stroked over the back of his hand with a thumb, surprised by how normal this felt by now, even though they had 'only' held hands a couple of times.

(Which was already weird enough, though by now it kind of wasn't, which should probably be even weirder.)

Then Percy's hand squeezed his for the fraction of a second, before letting go and leaning back slightly, letting out a loud, 'exasperated' sigh.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. No need to make such a big fuss about it, man. What are you even getting all side-tracked for? I wanted to hear about Mrs. O'Leary Jr. and what Michael was yelling about."

Will rolled his eyes, shaking his head at both of them before letting himself fall back into the pillow.

"Oh, are you done now? Sure? Alright, Jason, _say it_."

Apparently, everybody had it out for him today.

Jason felt the strong urge to drop sideways into the pillow and act asleep.

Sadly, he had never been one for avoiding his responsibilities (except on lazy days, maybe).

"Yes, Freckles, you were right. You're always right. Unless you're wrong." He relented, and Will hummed contently until he heard the last part – then he nudged Jason's knee with his hand and shot him a playful glare.

Jason shot him an unimpressed look, then got distracted by Nico huffing.

"Hey, I told you the same thing, and you never tell _me_ I'm always right."

Jason shot around, staring at Nico in disbelief.

Not him, too!

But Nico was grinning, thank the gods.

That evil brat.

Will snorted out a laugh, saying something along the lines of 'Yeah, Neeks, show him' that definitely didn't win him any favors with Jason, but he was too busy acting exaggeratedly horrified.

"Oh no, sweetest pumpkin, of course you're always right."

"Hey, where's the added 'unless you're wrong'? I demand equality! Unless I'm your favorite, then you may treat me better than those guys, of course." Will exclaimed, now nudging him with his foot, and at 'those guys', he very vaguely gestured towards Percy and Nico.

Now even Percy was shaking his head, a small smile playing on his lips.

Jason let out a big sigh.

"How _am_ I to appease you all? You're all so needy. I am absolutely certain I did not sign up for this back when I signed our Ipod-contract." He insisted gravely, and Will and Nico both chuckled.

"You quite sure about that? I clearly remember writing something like that in the fine print." Will mused, and Nico nodded vigorously.  
"Yes, absolutely. It was right after the point that stated none of us are allowed to get left out."

Jason acted thoughtful, scratching his chin with one hand, and Will's knee with the other, which made him try to pull his leg away with a small giggle.

"Damn, I think I actually remember reading that, now that I think about it…"

"Wait, is there actually a contract? I didn't sign anything." Percy asked confused, and they shot each other broad grins.

Then, Will shrugged.

"Guess we must have _left you out_."

Percy threw Mrs. O'Leary Jr. at him.

Will threw the pillow back.

Suddenly, there was _chaos_.

Jason rushed backwards, trying to stay out of it, but then he collided with Nico, who had apparently had the same thought and hurried toward the end of the bed, too.

The next thing they knew, Percy was there, and then, Will was, too, both armed with pillows and Mrs. O'Leary Jr. and loud war cries, and all Jason could do was snatch the pillow Nico was just reaching for.

"Sorry, babe, but you know what they say: All is fair in love and war!" He called over as he smacked Percy in the face with it, while simultaneously watching Nico's eyes widen and his lips part in utter incredulity – right before Will mercilessly threw himself at him with two pillows at once and a stack of them behind him, just in case Nico rid him of the ones he had.

"Well, now you can definitely expect war, you traitor!" He heard Nico call back after forever, now armed with Mrs. O'Leary Jr. and another small pillow.

Then everybody was trying to get to Jason again, and he sighed loudly, trying his best to defend himself.

Yep, everybody had it out for him, today.

And Will had successfully managed to change the damn topic.

To be expected.

He looked towards Percy, who was laughing like crazy, finally not scowling at him anymore.

Well, at least one problem was settled.

The rest would have to wait until later.

"Alright, if you are so set on a pillow fight, I shall give you one." He then declared, making himself bigger and grabbing proper hold of his pillows.

He had gone through more pillow fights than he could count.

These three dorks were in for the fight of a life time.

He wished all problems could be solved this easily.

...

When they finally settled down again, it was because all four of them were absolutely worn out.

Nico shook his head to himself, lying on his back same as his guys, all neatly next to each other at the top of the bed.

"You guys are impossible." He stated quietly, and all three of them chuckled.

Those guys.

"What are you, five?" He continued, putting an arm over his face as he tried to catch his breath properly.

"Percy is." Will immediately retorted, and Percy huffed indignantly.

"Excuse you?"

"Guys, don't start fighting now. I think I've had enough fighting for the next thirty years. Anybody who has a problem, just spit it out, will you?" Jason demanded tiredly, and Nico smiled to himself.

They could add that to their imaginary contract.

"I have a problem." Will announced loudly, and all three of them looked around at him, Nico pulling his arm back off his face.

"Yeah? What is it?" Percy asked, sounding as curious as he looked.

Will made a serious face, though Nico could see the twitching of his lips he so badly tried to hide, so he knew not to expect anything actually serious.

"Oh, just…you know…we have a toddler in our midst, and none of us is the respective guardian. What if Child Care pops by, huh?"

Nico snorted, while Percy started complaining loudly, turning sideways to Will and poking his side repeatedly.

"You're so full of shit. Seriously, I should look for new friends. Nico, this is it, we're looking for new friends."

"Aww, Percy, you know you don't mean that. You love us way too much to let us go." Jason insisted from Will's other side, coming to the blonde's rescue as he started poking Percy back.

Percy huffed indignantly, now poking Jason, and the two started to play-fight with Will still laying between them, trying to make himself as flat as possible as he laughed and watched them, putting in a few (utterly unnecessary, but disturbingly fitting) comments every here and there.

"Them? Yes. You? Eh, I'll have to think on that a while longer, man." Percy retorted, ignoring Will's comments, and Nico raised an eyebrow at that statement.

Sure, they were playing, but…well, whatever.

They had said weirder things before.

Jason gaped, then redoubled his efforts at maneuvering his hands past Percy's to get to him, to either tickle or poke, Nico had no idea.

He decided he definitely wanted to stay out of this, that much was for sure.

"You better think of that fast, Perce, or I'm gonna forget myself. Aren't you supposed to love me the most of all?" The blonde exclaimed in mock-hurt and Will snorted, locking eyes with Nico and motioning at the guys with a look that said 'Can you believe these two?'.

Yep, Nico could.

"Now you're just being overly dramatic again, Jace." Percy retorted, and this time not even Nico could keep himself from huffing, though it luckily went unnoticed by his boyfriend.

Percy _really_ wasn't one to talk, especially not after that scene earlier.

Jason seemed to think the same, though he seemed to decide not to argue this time – wise decision, in Nico's opinion.

"So wait, you're saying you love them more than me?"

"Yes." Percy exclaimed, and Will let out a fake gasp.

Nico buried his face in his hands.

These guys.

He realized a moment later he couldn't see them anymore like this, so he hurriedly looked up again, just to see that Jason had sat up completely, an exaggeratedly shocked expression on his face.

Then, the blonde huffed loudly.

"Oh, so that's how it is, huh? After all this time, this is what I get, huh?"

Percy pushed himself up as well, acting cocky.

"Well, it's not like you're any different."

Jason seemed to ponder that for a moment, then he shrugged.

"Yeah, ok, fair enough."

_Well_.

Nico watched how his boyfriend's face fell for a moment.

Really, what had Percy expected?

Jason caught his look and rolled his eyes, before lunging over Will at Percy, flattening him into the mattress and making him utter a surprisingly high-pitched squeak.

"I'm _joking_, you giant drama queen. Come here, you…" Jason exclaimed with a laugh, and started to tickle Percy mercilessly, holding him down solely by sitting on his hips, while Percy wailed and laughed and wailed even more, trying to stop the blonde somehow.

Nico raised an eyebrow at the picture, and caught Will doing the same, sitting next to the two and chuckling in disbelief.

"Nico, I wish everybody solved their problems the way these two do. The world would be a much better place, don't you think?" He mused, and Nico tried to picture that for a moment.

Jason and Percy did have strange ways of sorting out their issues, that was true.

"I don't know. I'd prefer it if everybody just talked about their problems straight out, instead of letting them all build up like that." He replied with a shrug, and Will chuckled.

"Don't we all? Or even better, have there simply not be any problems."

Nico nodded, and the two smiled at each other in sympathy.

Then, Percy's cries for mercy became too loud to ignore.

"Nico, Nico please, save me! He's killing me, I swear!" He pleaded, and Nico raised an eyebrow when he noticed how quickly Jason had gotten Percy out of that sweater.

Should he be concerned?

Where had the sweater gone, anyways?

Will seemed to notice the same thing, whistling in apparent appreciation.

"Well, _that's_ escalating quickly. Want us to leave you alone for a bit?" He teased, wiggling his eyebrows at nobody in particular, and Nico sent him an unimpressed look.

Right.

"Will, shut up and save me!" Percy cried, and Will huffed.

"Not with that attitude I won't." He insisted, though he did move closer and put his hand on Percy's thrashing leg – Nico assumed he was checking whether he was ok?

"Oh, Jason, he's loving it. Shower him in affection some more, will you? See, Nico? Told you your boyfriend is the neediest of us all." Will said with a rather dangerous smirk, and Nico shot him an unimpressed glance – then he blinked, thinking his statement over once more.

Will just meant that as a joke, right?

He remembered him saying something like this back on the train, when he had also talked about 'sharing' Percy.

Was he referring to that now, or was this just a comment made in fun?

Was he implying Percy needed more than what Nico could give?

"Will, Nico, _please_!" Percy whined, and Nico watched him writhe and thrash under Jason, fighting him while not really fighting him.

"You're asking the wrong people, dude. Ask Jason to stop, yourself." Will waved off dismissively, and Percy wailed again.

"He won't listen to me!"

"Then charm him. That always helps." Will suggested, and Nico threw him a confused glance.

What?

What did he mean, '_charm' _Jason?

How? Why?

When would Will have tried that?

Jason sent Will an unimpressed look.

"Don't bother, Percy. That only works with Will, because he's a player and knows just what to say."

"Excuse you? I am _not_ a player. You simply get too happy if somebody is actually _nice_ to you for once." Will insisted, and Nico's eyebrows shot up.

"Yeah? Well, you're not one to talk, falling apart if somebody gives you a _compliment._"

Nico's eyebrows shot up higher, and he watched Will's face flush.

"I do no such thing!"

"Sure you don't, _Freckles_." Jason retorted with a small smirk, then returned his attention to Percy, who had apparently decided to try and escape, which was now backfiring badly.

Nico decided not to dwell on the fact that Jason now pretty much sat on his boyfriend's _butt_, which looked kind of…odd from this angle.

Instead, he looked back towards Will, just to find him sitting there with his face flushed and a flustered expression, though there was a soft smile on his lips, and he seemed unusually pleased.

"So, Perce, have you changed your mind about whom you like the most?" Jason purred on top of Percy, and Nico tried not to let either image or voice get to him in any sort of way.

At least they had switched from 'love' to 'like'.

"N-Ne-…"

"Percy, if you want to get out from under him, I'd opt for a 'I love you, bro, you sweetest temptation since brownies, now please let me go and I promise I'll be a good boy'. I'm just saying." Will threw in hurriedly, and Nico looked back towards his boyfriend, genuinely curious whether he would seriously say such a thing.

Jason seemed to ponder the same thing, both eyebrows raised expectantly as he ran his fingertips over Percy's squirming sides.

"I…I…forget it!"

Will chuckled, shrugging at Nico when he caught his look.  
"Guess you want to suffer some mo-…"

"Jason's a freaking force of nature, you can't…compare that…to brownies…" Percy continued before Will could finish, and all three of them raised their eyebrows all over again, though this time in surprise.

Jason even stopped in his tickling, looking taken aback by that unexpected statement.

Then he laughed and shook his head in apparent defeat.

"Alright, fine. For that, I shall give you your freedom, Perce." He said amiably and got off Percy, ruffling through his hair as Percy seemed to utterly deflate into the pillow with a weak, yet relieved sigh.

"Fuck you." His boyfriend muttered weakly, and Jason let himself drop next to him, patting his back gently.

"Aww, Percy. I don't think you're in any state to." Jason deadpanned, and Will snorted out a laugh, motioning for Nico to get into the mix, too, as he let himself flop down behind Jason once more.

Nico shook his head at the three of them, but came closer nevertheless, lying down on Percy's other side and thus putting them into the exact same position they had been in before, just that Percy was now laying facedown and panting much heavier than earlier.

Dorks.

The lot of them.

"I hate you." Percy sulked, though they all knew he didn't mean it one bit.

"You really don't." Jason corrected unimpressed, stroking over Percy's back soothingly, and Nico reached out as well, gently touching Percy's arm.

Percy instantly turned his face towards him, looking exhausted, but unusually pleased.

It seemed he had actually really enjoyed that.

Though Nico was pretty sure it had more been the attention and physical contact than the tickling itself.

"You ok?" He asked with a small smile, and Percy huffed indignantly, though his lips twitched into a smile a moment later.

"Yeah, but don't tell Jason."

Nico chuckled, and Jason rolled his eyes from Percy's other side, shooting a last look at Will before turning sideways towards Percy.

Nico didn't know why, until Will seemed to imitate the position, and Percy seemed to automatically move and adjust, too, facing Nico.

They were seriously spending too much time together if their bodies started attuning to each other this well.

Nico failed to see the bad side of that.

Silence settled over them as they shuffled and adjusted, trying to get comfortable, and he could see Will looking rather unhappy with his position, though the blonde put on a wide, easy grin the moment Jason looked around at him.

Yeah, well, it would be a change for all of them if Will decided he really didn't want anybody behind him anymore.

That had been such a shock, though.

Nico had noticed he had seemed jumpy, but to be honest, he wouldn't have thought this much of it, not the way Jason and Percy had.

By now, though, he guessed it wouldn't have mattered either way, since Will would have never confided into him like that.

Knowing Will, he'd have tried to push himself to just be ok with it somehow, no matter how clear it had been that he hadn't been, and Nico wouldn't have figured anything out even if he had tried.

Stubborn person.

But seriously, where had that suddenly come from?

Had Will always felt that way?

Nico still remembered the blonde complaining all the while back when they had started 'this', but he had never seemed to _actually_ have a problem with it.

It had all sort of seemed as if he had just been flustered or embarrassed and had tried to cover all that up, the way he usually did.

Had Nico interpreted that wrongly?

Had _they_ interpreted that wrongly?

He could understand Will's discomfort.

Nico had been alone for a good portion of his life, dealing with Minos, the labyrinth, his father's crazy missions…he knew the growing unease of knowing _something_ could be behind you at any moment and attack.

Though he had never felt this way with the guys.

That Will would suddenly get this panicked about a thing he had pretty much been used to…Nico didn't like the sound of that.

In fact, he contemplated paying Michael a visit and trying to figure out just what it was they had talked about, so he could somehow help Will out.

But he knew that would be the worst break of trust he could ever do, and he definitely didn't want to risk losing Will.

"Hey, you still haven't told us about Mrs. O'Leary and your brother. It sounded like quite the scene." Percy said thoughtfully, and Nico looked past him at Will, who had apparently decided to just put his chin on Jason's side of the head, though that didn't look very comfortable.

"Huh? Oh, that. Yeah. He was surprised to see me 'this soon' and all, so, in the beginning, he was quite calm and his usual self, and Mrs. O'Leary didn't really react much to him other than sniffing on him curiously. But then he actually sat me down and we…talked…and I guess I said something stupid afterwards, because he jumped up and started yelling at me. In his defense, I deserved it. You'd have yelled, too, I'm certain. Mrs. O'Leary didn't understand that, though, and must have thought he wanted to attack me, so she jumped up from where she was whining at the door and bounded through the room with one giant leap, towering in front of him with a growl that made the ground shake. It…felt pretty weird. Like I was her pup or something." He explained, gazing thoughtfully off into space.

Nico studied his face quietly, while Percy shot Jason a look over his shoulder.

It did sound like something the hellhound would do.

He could so picture it.

He could also so picture exactly what that stupid thing might have been that Will had said to his brother.

No, Nico was utterly certain it was something along the lines of 'It's no big deal' or 'I'm fine', while they all knew whatever this was had to be a big deal and that he wasn't fine.

Though Nico still didn't like the thought of somebody yelling at his Will, no matter if it was his brother or deserved or whatever.

Jason could yell at the three a lot for the various nonsense they did, yet he never did.

Well, he sometimes had to raise his voice, especially when it came to Percy, but he wasn't sure he had ever heard Jason _yell_ before.

Percy had plenty of things he could yell at Nico at, too, Nico was certain, yet Percy had never done that.

And Will…Nico wasn't sure Will was even capable of yelling at anybody in anything but a joking sort of way if it fit the situation.

So, yeah, he really didn't like the thought of anybody yelling at his guys.

"But you two worked it out, right? Talked it all out?" Percy inquired, and Will hummed in agreement, probably unable to nod with his chin still on Jason's head.

It was weird enough he managed to talk properly at all in that position, anyways.

"Yeah, we hugged and made up afterwards."

"So, you're feeling better now? After telling somebody about it?" Jason asked carefully, and Will remained quiet for a long moment.

Nico still studied his face, but couldn't gauge the expression at all.

"I…I guess so. I don't know. It's just…it didn't change anything. Which is, of course, not surprising, but…oh, whatever." He tried to explain, but then broke off, looking maybe a tad frustrated, and Nico reached out across Percy and Jason to touch his arm gently, trying to give him some sort of comfort in the only way he could think of.

Will shivered slightly at the touch, but when he met Nico's gaze, he looked more grateful than anything else.

Then, the blonde sighed and lowered himself back behind Jason, hiding his face from view.

Percy shot Jason another look, then looked at Nico worriedly.

Nico could only shrug lightly.

"Maybe it's because he's…well, dead. It would have probably been a lot more helpful for you if this talk had happened back then. Now, you might have been able to talk it out, but you're still alone, since he can't offer much support or help from where he is, can he now?" Jason said quietly, carefully, though Nico still inwardly winced at him being so brutally direct right away.

Sure, Michael was dead, but did he really have to say it like that?

"Forget it, Jason, I'm not telling you guys about it." Will instantly retorted, and Nico watched Jason roll his eyes.

"I didn't even mean that, Freckles. I was just trying to say that it probably doesn't feel very different for you now because of that."

He was probably right, too.

"Then why did I have to talk about it in the first place? Couldn't you have told me this before?" Will asked weakly, and Nico and Percy exchanged telling glances.

Why did it feel as if Will had had this realization during his 'talk', too?

The poor guy.

He wished they could take Will in the middle right now and hold him close, stroking and caressing his back, or warming him up a bit in general (he really did feel cool, after all).

"Because it's something you had to do, love. It would have never let you go, otherwise." Jason replied calmly, and Nico caught Percy scowling at the pet name.

Nico didn't care.

They could be lovey-dovey and whatnot all they wanted, as long as Will would be ok again.

"But all it did was bring it all back. How is that helpful, exactly?" Will complained, and Jason looked pained for a moment.

Then, he stroked over Percy's back in a long, almost apologetic seeming stroke, and Percy rolled his eyes in annoyance as he probably guessed what would come next – which was Jason turning his back to them to face Will.

To be expected.

Now Nico couldn't see their faces anymore.

Meh.

"It's not. It's mean and unfair, and you shouldn't have to go through that alone." Jason said quietly, and Will huffed an irritated breath as his arms moved around the blonde, holding him close.

Percy and Nico exchanged a quick look, then scooted closer ever so slowly, and Nico even caught Percy moving a finger over Jason's spine as if in warning they were trying to be a part of this mess.

Jason didn't tell them off, so they guessed it was ok.

"Damn right. This sucks. Seriously, on one side, I'm kind of glad I got it over with, but on the other side, it was a complete waste of time and only made things worse." He rambled in utter frustration, and Percy and Nico peeked over Jason's shoulder at the blonde, but he had his face buried in Jason's chest and hidden from view.

Poor Will.

"I once read somewhere that sometimes, things have to get worse before they can improve. It's as if you break your bone and it grows together wrong. You'll have to re-break it to let it heal properly." Nico tried tentatively, and Will glimpsed up at them, apparently neither surprised to see them that close, nor bothered by it in any way.

His lips even twitched at Nico's words.

"Thanks, Nico. Though I think this one was more along the lines of somebody stabbing a knife into a just healing wound. Which only causes the wound to split open again and make you bleed out and…and everything is stupid." He grumbled, pushing his face back into Jason's sweater.

"Except Jason's sweaters, they are cool." He added thoughtfully a moment later, and Nico could see Jason's lips twitch despite the rather gloomy mood in the room.

"You can have some, if you want." Jason said softly, and Nico saw Percy smile slightly, reaching down to stroke through Will's hair.

Will surprisingly enough let him.

"Yeah, that would be nice. Comfort sweaters. Just giant ass sweaters that are so baggy you could hide yourself in them twice." The blonde mumbled, and Jason smiled, tugging the blonde closer and exchanging a warm look with Percy, who met his gaze with a similarly gentle smile.

They were such a weird group.

But it was a good sort of weird.

The sort of weird 'normal' people would aspire to be.

"You make them sound much better than they are." Jason put in quietly, but Will merely huffed.

"Only if you're selling yourself short."

Nico couldn't help grin at that, too.

"He does have a point with that." Percy agreed with a teasing smirk at Jason, but Jason merely smiled back.

"Do you want a comfort sweater, too, Percy?" He asked, probably meaning to tease, but Percy immediately shrugged.

"Only if it's blue."

Will glanced up at them with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

Good, he slowly seemed to get better.

"Percy, stop lying. You'd even wear that horrible ocher colored one if you had the chance."

Percy chuckled, and Nico smiled at the lot of them.

They were so weird, but he absolutely adored them so, so much.

Much more than he should.

"Will, we'd all wear that one if we had the chance, just because it's Jason's." He said matter-of-factly, and Percy and Will made exaggerated 'Shh'-ing noises, telling him not to give them away like that, while Jason just laughed.

Yes, he liked them much, much more than he should.

"Oh, is that so? And there I thought I should take you all out on a comfort sweater shopping trip sometime, so you can get your own."

"No way. It needs to be one of your sweaters, man, or the magic ain't working." Percy insisted, and Will and Nico nodded in agreement.

"Oh, he's loving this, let me tell you. He's feeling all warm and fuzzy and happy about this." Will informed them with a gleeful gleam in his eyes, and Jason promptly blushed and made a complainant noise in the back of his throat, curling himself around Will slightly and trying to hide his face in his hair.

"Nooo, don't give me away like that! You cruel traitor…" He wailed, but Will merely cackled, and they caught a glimpse of his face, with his eyes closed and his grin radiant and bright, looking surprisingly at ease again.

Nico wanted him to look at him like that, too.

They were still so close, too.

Nico wanted to get that close.

Like, right _now_.

Percy shifted next to him, and when he glanced sideways at him, he caught his boyfriend looking at Will and Jason with a hint of longing, too, which made him think he might feel the same way.

About the closeness, at least.

They were so used to being all close and huddled up, it was strange for two of them to be on the outside at the same time.

Usually, it was one of them who had the actual outside spot, but it was usually bearable, because they were still part of it.

Now, it was more as if Jason and Will were a couple, and Nico and Percy were naught but bystanders, trying to butt in without really being able to make a difference.

Will glanced up at them, his eyes searching theirs, and Nico instantly tried to act as if everything was great.

He wasn't sure how much Will could sense, but he knew Will was disturbingly good at noticing when something was wrong or when somebody was feeling down, no matter how well concealed it may be.

Then again, Jason had mentioned something about Will being able to feel stuff like that earlier, too, hadn't he?

"Hey, Jason, can I try something?" Will suddenly asked, and Jason moved to look down at him in question, seemingly surprised about the sudden mood change.

"Sure?" He replied, though it sounded more like a question.

Will nodded, then flicked Percy's forehead.

"Move, you two." He ordered as he pulled out of Jason's embrace with a determined, yet slightly unnerved expression on his face that made Nico's stomach clench uncomfortably.

Percy tugged him back with him, which Nico was grateful for, because he probably wouldn't have moved one bit, and the next moment, Will hoisted himself over Jason to get between him and Percy, making Jason blink surprised as he turned along with him.

Wait.

Hadn't Will said he was uncomfortable with anybody being behind him right now (for whatever reasons ever)?

"Will, you don't have to…" Nico started, but Will shushed him instantly, moving backwards into Jason's arms and moving them around him, though Nico could see the strain on his face.

Percy looked as unnerved about the sudden change as Nico was, but Will motioned them closer impatiently.

"It's ok. It's Jason, I know it's Jason, it's going to be ok. Now get closer, I want to cuddle."

Nico froze in his tracks.

_What?_

First of all, Will sounded as if he was trying to reassure himself rather than them, which was the first blow to Nico's already worried mind.

Second of all, he was out of breath already and had only just moved, which was the second blow.

And third, he had just openly said he wanted to _cuddle_, which he _definitely_ usually didn't do.

He might sometimes say cuddles were great and such, and tell them he loved cuddles just to then act like he didn't – or maybe even say he'd like to cuddle with Nico, and ignoring the existence of the other two – but this was different.

_Very different._

Nico didn't like it.

It made him wonder all the more just what had to be going on in Will's mind right now to make him say something like that.

"Will…are you sure this-…" Jason started uncertainly now, as well, but Will nodded vigorously, while his chest heaved as if he had just run a few miles.

"I'm fine."

"That's a lie. Hey, don't push yourself." Percy put in, eyeing Will concerned and moving his hand up and down his arm, though Nico wasn't sure he even noticed.

Will shook his head and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"No, seriously, this is fine. I just need a moment to get used to it, that's all."

"Will…" Jason and Nico started again, but in vain.

"Shush."

They exchanged uncertain glances, but Will seemed adamant about remaining in this position, so what was there for them to do about it?

Nico reached out, carefully touching Will's cheek in a last attempt to get him to listen.

He shouldn't push himself.

Whatever his issue was, he shouldn't _ever_ try to force himself to be ok with something that he wasn't.

Not with them.

They had time to work it all out.

No reason to rush things.

Will flinched slightly at the touch, his eyes shooting open again, and Nico could feel how tense he was.

"Will, it's ok, really. Don't force yourself." He said quietly, and Will studied his face a moment longer this time, though he still ended up shaking his head.

"I don't want to." He said, though that didn't make any sense whatsoever.

"I don't want this to get to me. I want to be close to you guys." He said a moment later, which made a lot more sense.

"You _are_ close to us, though. No need to push your boundaries." Percy insisted, still stroking over Will's arm.

"But I _want_ this!" Will insisted, gesturing vaguely at their position, and looking upset all over again.

Nico glanced towards Jason helplessly, noticing how he was unusually quiet, while it would have usually been him to argue or assure the most.

Jason looked conflicted, staring at nothing in particular with a frown on his face, though he seemed to feel Nico's gaze, meeting it a moment later with his own.

"Ok." He then said, and Nico frowned at him in utter confusion.

Will, however, seemed to understand, a small, almost relieved smile on his face for a moment.

Jason moved against Will's back, draping his arms around him tightly and moving his face to the side of Will's neck, sending the guys a look to come closer.

What?

No, that didn't seem like a good idea.

Percy tugged him with him, trying to get him to switch places with him, but Nico was pretty sure he didn't want to do that.

He wanted to hold Will and comfort him, yes, but he didn't want to be the one forcing his way past Will's borders and being the reason for his unease and fear.

No, thanks.

"You smell so nice." Jason said quietly, and Will shot him a bewildered look for a moment, before rolling his eyes.

"Jason, I said I'm ok. You don't have to-…"

"Just telling the truth. Your hair is always so nice and fluffy, too. What shampoo do you use? Seems like a pretty good one. Though I'm not surprised. You have great taste, after all." Jason continued smoothly, and Nico frowned in confusion.

What was he doing?

Wasn't this a rather sudden change in topic, tone and mood?

What was Jason's plan?

He looked towards Percy for help, but Percy looked similarly puzzled.

They both looked back at Will, just to find him blush slightly, still seeming uneasy, but suddenly a lot more distracted.

"S-Stop it…" He mumbled meekly, looking unusually flustered, and Percy seemed to catch on, huffing out a small laugh before coming closer.

"Stop what? He's right. Your hair _does_ feel all soft and nice. Kind of reminds me of Nico's quite a bit. Are you two using the same brand, or something?" His boyfriend joined in, and Nico frowned, wondering whether he should point out all their shower supplies were right there in the shower for everybody to see, so these questions were sort of...pointless?

"Yes, and he always smells so nice, doesn't he?" Jason cooed, and Percy nodded vigorously.

"Like summer."

"Absolutely."

Nico watched them with a confused look, then looked towards Will, who seemed to be shrinking between them, his face bright red and his freckles glowing golden.

What?

What were they playing at?

And why was Will reacting like that?

Had Nico missed something?

"And do you remember him in that cardigan?" Percy asked, and Will made a small, despairing noise, while Jason laughed.

"Gods, don't get me started on that. He looked _stunning_ in that thing. The whole outfit suited him _so_ well, don't you think?"

Nico was trying to rack his brain for an explanation, just to remember Jason saying something about Will 'having a thing' for praise.

Oh.

_Oh!_

So _that's_ what they were doing.

"It absolutely did. Though he always looks good. I mean, have you seen him in scrubs?" He joined in, though it felt weird saying this out loud, especially with Percy right next to him.

But it was Percy who immediately beamed at him and went along with it, so he guessed it wasn't such a big deal.

"Oh yes. Will in scrubs. I can barely wait to see that again. We should _definitely_ help out in the infirmary again."

Jason nodded in agreement. "Absolutely. And he's such a great healer, too."

"_The_ _best_." Percy and Nico agreed immediately, and Will let out another weak, despairing sound.

"Stop it, you're killing me…" He all but whimpered, and they grinned down at him where he was trying to hide in Percy's bare chest.

So adorable.

"Nonsense. Praise has never killed anybody yet." Jason insisted, nuzzling his face into Will's curls affectionately, and Nico felt the inexplicable urge to capture this moment on camera somehow, even though his camera was on the cupboard, way too far away from the bed.

"It's going to kill _me_." Will whined, and they chuckled, Percy still stroking over his arm, while Nico slowly started stroking his side down to his hips, since Jason was hogging the rest of Will to himself, that tease.

"I doubt it. You're too smart to let that kill you." Percy put in, and Will fake sobbed into his chest, shivering slightly, though Nico didn't think he was cold anymore.

"You're all just saying that because you want to distract me." Will complained, and they put on innocent expressions.

"_And_ because it's true." Percy insisted, and Jason made an affirmative sound, his face almost entirely hidden in Will's hair now, and it sounded as if he was inhaling.

Nico couldn't blame him, Will really did smell nice, after all.

Will, however, squirmed, looking flustered and adorable and just so _flustered_.

Nico wasn't sure he had ever seen him quite like this.

The blonde always tried to act composed and cocky and unbothered, after all.

"You're all a bunch of horribly cruel liars." He complained, and Percy and Nico sent each other pointed, unimpressed looks.

"That's what you think." Jason retorted drily, and Will huffed.

"That's what I _know_."

"No, it's not. I may be many things, but a liar isn't one of them, and you know it." Jason insisted, and Will squirmed again as Jason nuzzled his face further into his hair .

Nico felt a tug in his stomach, an urge to switch with Jason, to be the one that close to Will, to have his own face buried in his curls like that.

"I know that you're impossible." Will mumbled weakly, and Jason chuckled.

"And _you're_ beautiful."

Percy and Nico exchanged gentle smiles, while Will started fake sobbing again.

"You know it's true. Such pretty blonde hair, and so wonderfully soft and curly." Jason continued, pulling back solely to bring a hand up to Will's hair, playing with a few strands.

"And such a pretty face, with that wonderfully sun-kissed skin of yours." Percy went on, stroking a knuckle over Will's cheek, and Will instantly whined again, hiding his face as much from view as he could, though they could still see the dark blush spreading, now also covering his ears and neck.

"Not to mention your freckles." Nico put in, and Jason and Percy instantly nodded.

"Yes, definitely your freckles. They're so interesting and stunning." Percy agreed, and Will kept making small, despairing sounds, his body trembling even more.

"Makes one want to trace patterns onto your skin. Or count them." Jason said, tapping on a few of said freckles on Will's hand as the blonde pulled them up to cover his face, since Percy was being cruel and pulling away slightly to look down at him.

"If you ever get around counting them, get me. I've always wanted to do that, too. They're so special." Nico stated, and Will shivered again so nicely.

"And I was wondering whether you can trace constellations on your skin. You know? Like star signs and such." Percy put in, and all three of them looked down at Will.

"I bet it's possible. Now I kind of want to try, though." Nico mumbled, his fingers already itching to touch, his apparently befuddled mind coming up with all the constellations he knew of (which weren't all that many, but that didn't stop him from _wanting_).

"Same. Will, you up for it?" Jason asked, and Will looked up at them, looking a tad scandalized.

"You want to…I…what?" He asked confused, and Jason and Percy chuckled.

"We want to see whether we can trace constellations on your skin." Jason repeated quietly, and Percy and Nico nodded, while Will looked at them as if they were crazy.

They probably were.

"Why?"

All three of them shrugged and he rolled his eyes – though Nico definitely saw the smallest hint of a smile on his face, and his freckles were still glowing golden, so he couldn't be all that opposed.

"Sure, if you must." He mumbled, and it seemed that was all Percy and Jason had been waiting for, because the next moment, both of them worked together in getting Will's sweater off as quickly as possible, while Will let out a flustered squeak that turned Percy's grin predatory for a moment (though Nico might have only imagined that).

And then, they had Will on his stomach, and were busily discussing which constellations they knew, and how to best proceed.

This was going to be good.

...

Jason smiled gently at Will's sleeping form, snuggled up against his side.

Wasn't he the most adorable thing in the world?

Yes, yes he was.

His gaze moved over Will's shoulder towards the dark lines on his back, where Percy had traced his favorite constellation with a marker (_Perseus_, with a smiley face, that self-centered dork) to prove to Jason and Nico that Will's freckles aligned perfectly for that.

Not that they had questioned it in any way or not believed him.

But Jason had a hunch he had been so surprised about that himself that he had just had to make sure.

Or maybe he had just wanted to rub it in that Will's freckles were shaped in a constellation that shared his name, thus making it Percy's name written on Will's back.

Yeah, it better be the former, or Jason would have to subtly remind Percy he had a boyfriend and would do better to get his hands off Will - unless he got over himself and his issues, of course, and decided to talk things out with Nico and aim for a healthy and working threesome.

But Jason doubted that would be anytime soon, so Percy better keep his hands to Nico and himself.

It had been fun, though.

The constellation-tracing.

Nico had known the most constellations (including Perseus, which had only surprised Percy), but had then started second-guessing, so Percy had ended up getting Nico's laptop for references, and they had spent most of the time play-fighting (more or less) with each other to decide who was allowed to touch Will where, when, how and why, while Will had mostly been wailing and whining, though he had never told them to stop nor made any move that indicated he wasn't utterly loving it.

It had taken longer than expected to try each and every constellation, but they found out there really were only three or four too exotic ones that they hadn't gotten to work.

All the others weren't really any problem, unless you tried to do them at the same time.

Jason stroked over Will's back gently, and Will hummed contently, nuzzling his face against Jason's sweater.

_Comfort sweater_, they had said.

Jason smiled to himself, feeling happy all over again.

Apparently, his wish hadn't been as unlikely and unrealistic as he had first thought.

Well, sort of his wish.

But since he couldn't fit their clothes, sharing his own with them was the next best thing.

The door opened, and Percy and Nico stuck their heads in.

"You decent?" Percy whispered over, and Jason shot him a look.

_Ha-ha._

He wondered how Percy would react if he acted flustered and caught in the act and yelled 'No! Not yet!'.

Maybe another time.

"Very funny. Get your butt in here, I'm starving. He's sleeping like a stone, no worries." He replied in normal volume, making both Percy and Nico wince as they entered the room, closing the door as silently as possible.

Jason was fairly certain they had never tried to be this considerate when it was him sleeping.

A memory of Will and Percy having a shouting match right next to him while he had been sleeping confirmed that thought, too.

But it was understandable.

Will had relaxed more and more as they had traced the star signs on his back, and when Percy and Nico had decided to 'compare massaging techniques', Jason had been fairly certain Will might _actually_ die from either happiness or pleasure (he hadn't been sure which).

He had looked so adorable, though, smiling so serenely and enjoying the touches beyond measure, Jason had only been able to watch him with a small smile and an aching heart.

Gods, he had wanted to kiss him so badly.

Had wanted to kiss him, touch him, curl up against his side, hold him tight, keep him close…

Jason had wanted it all.

But he had refrained from making his desires known, instead watching and enjoying the view of Will relaxing more and more into the pillow, his expression softening further and further, turning into his sleeping face before long, seeming utterly at ease, while Percy and Nico had shared proud grins and continued their massage until he had been utterly asleep.

Though said 'massage' had by then more turned into a very light stroking that had barely touched his skin, but Jason had decided not to point that out, since Will had seemed to like it so much.

It was good that he was sleeping, though.

He had lots of catching up to do, after all.

Plus, it might give him a chance to recover from his conversation with Michael, and help him with that issue of people behind him.

He had seemed fairly fine again when they had drowned him in praise, but Jason wasn't delusional enough to believe that that would actually get rid of the problem permanently.

It was a start, though.

At least it showed Will really _did_ trust them beyond reason and would do anything for them, even if it meant pushing himself – which wasn't good, but good to know.

"So, what did you get? Did Hades say anything?" He asked, keeping his voice down more to appease Percy an Nico than anything else, though they still looked as if they wanted to shush him.

(There they called _him_ the mother-hen. Hypocrites. The lot of them.)

"Pancakes. And not really. I thought he'd act sulky about you two not coming, but it seemed as if he hadn't expected anything else, so there was that. He _did_ however tell us to remember _not_ to use his name 'all the damn time', because there are things he 'simply doesn't want to know'. Whatever that means." Percy explained with a shrug, and Jason inwardly winced.

Oh. _That_.

Hades had mentioned before he always knew when somebody used his name, that it was as if he was being called.

Well, Jason really hoped he didn't hear/see everything that was happening while his name was being said.

Especially because he _clearly_ remembered Will swearing a lot and cursing the god quite a few times, especially when he had had that talk with Percy.

Nah, he probably didn't know, else he would act differently towards Will, right? A bit more hostile and all?

Then again, Percy never said anything bad about Hades (at least not when Jason was around), and Hades still saw him as some sort of eyesore, so there was that.

"Isn't pancakes what you wanted those skeletons to bring us, too?" Jason asked Nico, and Nico promptly made a face, his cheeks turning pink.

Yeah, that had been a rather funny moment, when the three had realized _five minutes after Will had fallen asleep_ that food still hadn't come, even though Nico had gone through the trouble of 'ordering' it.

"Yes. And apparently, my dad called it off. He said it was for our benefit. Seriously, I hate it when the gods know more than they should. It makes one so paranoid. Does he see us now? Are we meant to have this conversation? Has he foreseen we'd have this talk when he looked into his coffee this morning? Just picture it. Maybe he sat there, on his throne, and looked down into his cup, going like 'Mmh, this is some good coffee, black as my soul. Ah, would you look at that? My son will question his every step due to me meddling with his life. Nice. Let's see the winning lottery numbers for next week.'." Nico rambled, and Jason raised an eyebrow at his try to imitate his father, from his absolutely perfect face to the suddenly different posture and way of holding his chin up more than Nico usually did.

But the best part was that borderline disdainful look into his imaginary cup, and the dry, monotone voice he was using.

Jason wondered what Hades would say to this if he saw this.

Or maybe he did? Nico did have a point.

Gods were difficult.

Perc shrugged, eyeing his boyfriend with slight concern from the side.

"No idea. But it's kind of scary seeing you trying to impersonate your dad."

Jason huffed out a small laugh, and they both shot him stern looks for the noise before moving over hurriedly to flop down on the bed, bringing him his long awaited lunch.

Though he knew they only _really_ came over to check Will was still happily sleeping in Jason's arms.

Oh yeah, for once in his life, it had been _him_ to win the all deciding Rock Paper Scissors game.

Much to Percy's utter frustration, though Nico had dragged him out of the room before he had been able to complain too much.

Though Jason had noticed Nico had slightly pouted, too.

Well, he hadn't exactly cared all that much, in all honesty.

Will had already been snuggled up against him, anyways, so he had just been so relieved he could stay in bed with him a little while longer, enjoying the peace and quiet, and, of course, Will's sleeping face.

He really loved this guy, had he mentioned that before?

Percy nudged his shoulder, and Jason sighed, realizing he had to let go of Will if he wanted to eat his pancakes.

"Switch?" Percy asked, and Jason nodded, already moving to enable Percy to take his spot, though he absolutely didn't want to.

Couldn't they simply feed him or something while he kept Will in his arms?

Mean.

"Don't look like that, you can cuddle with him later again." Percy whispered over, but Jason acted as if he couldn't hear him, instead sending Nico a grateful smile as the Italian passed him the plate and fork, placing the second plate on the bedside table.

This was the second day in a row Will was going to get pancakes in bed.

Which also meant it was Jason's second day in a row to get pancakes.

And they were _drenched_ in syrup.

_Ew._

"What? Is something wrong?" Nico asked worriedly, but Jason shook his head hurriedly.

"Nothing, just a lot of syrup." He replied, and Nico shot Percy a dark look.

"I _told_ you he doesn't like too much syrup!" He hissed over, and Percy put on an apologetic grin that didn't look apologetic at all.

"Oops, must have forgotten about that."

Jason shot him an unimpressed look, clearly remembering telling Percy his pancake-preferences before (what bros would they be otherwise?).

Right.

Had Jason done something wrong _again_ or was that Percy's revenge for Jason beating him at Rock Paper Scissors fair and square?

The way Percy grinned indicated the later.

_Drama queen._

"I'll remember that." He pointed his fork at Percy as he said it, and Percy stuck out his tongue at him.

The _impudence_.

Jason sighed dramatically, taking the first bite of his syrup-dripping pancakes, and he shot Percy a pointed look.

"Will is not going to be amused when I tell him that." He deadpanned, and Percy's expression turned borderline horrified.

"You wouldn't!"

"What? Tell him? Of course I will."

"No way! Jason, you _can't_! Who knows what he'll do! He's so protective of you, I'll probably end up dead and buried in the ground somewhere. _Buried_, Jason. _In the Underworld_." Percy exclaimed, over exaggerating all over again.

Plus, Will wasn't all that protective of him, not at all.

Still, that didn't mean Jason was going to correct him on that whatsoever.

He saw Nico roll his eyes out of the corners of his eyes, right before the Italian put his hand to his face.

Yes, Nico, that was your boyfriend.

"Yeah? So? Should have thought of that before you decided to _torment_ me." He said nonchalantly, and Percy gaped at him.

"You little-…Nico, switch with me. Jason, give me that damn plate. 'Torment', my ass. I'll scratch off the syrup, you whiny ass." He exclaimed, and tugged Nico into the bed with one arm, hurrying over to Jason the moment Nico took his spot, who didn't even bother to comment on their behavior.

He was probably used to it by now, to be honest.

Jason smirked at Percy, obediently passing him his plate and letting Percy do the work he'd have had to do himself otherwise, and Percy scowled at him darkly.

"I definitely like the other two more, just so you know." He grumbled, and Jason shrugged unimpressed.

"So do I."

"That's mean." Percy immediately retorted, and Jason raised his eyebrows.

"You're trying to poison me, and then tell me _I'm_ mean?"

"Oh, come on, syrup has never killed anybody yet." Percy insisted, but Jason put on a thoughtful expression.

"Well…"

"Don't say it. Just shush. Will is right, you _are_ impossible. Is this good enough or will I have to lick them clean first?" Percy asked, holding the plate out to him again, though the pancakes still looked pretty drenched to Jason.

Will had done a much better job yesterday.

"Ugh, fine, I'll work on them some more. _Picky_." Percy huffed, even though Jason hadn't said anything.

"How kind." Jason remarked drily, and Percy shot him another dark look.

"Are you mocking me?"

Jason raised an eyebrow, thinking of where this would probably go, and deciding he didn't feel like mock-fighting.

The risk of another actual fight was too high.

"Nah, I was actually going to ask you out on a date." He replied thoughtfully, and Nico made a startled noise behind them.

Percy, however, seemed surprised for all the wrong reasons.

"Really? What sort of date?" He asked, and Jason could see genuine curiosity next to his rather skeptical expression, as if unsure whether Jason was actually serious or playing, since Jason had used his serious voice.

"How about a movie? Now that Will is sleeping, and Nico is with him, you and I could watch a movie together. If your boyfriend doesn't mind, of course." He added, looking over his shoulder at Nico, but Nico merely shrugged, still eyeing Jason oddly.

Oh, come on, it wasn't an _actual_ date.

As if Jason would really ask Percy out.

Well, he probably would, but not like that.

And not while Percy was seeing Nico, duh.

These guys.

Needless to say, ten minutes later, Jason found himself huddled up in the pillow corner with Percy unusually close and cuddly, leaning against his side and making wry comments about the (romantic) comedy they were watching, while Jason tried not to think too much of it and concentrate on the film.

Which was easier said than done, especially since they were also _in the pillow corner_.

The pillow corner, where Jason had spent that night of pure bliss with Will.

The pillow corner, where Jason had received the best blowjob of his life (and also, his first).

The pillow corner, where Jason had kissed Will and Will had kissed back, where Will had pushed him down, where Will had kissed and licked his way down Jason's body, where Will had found each and every sweet spot Jason seemed to possess, where Will had wrapped his lips around-…

Percy's hand closed around his, and Jason was torn out of his thoughts, blinking surprised at his best friend, but Percy was resolutely staring at the screen, though he did seem slightly flustered.

"It's a date. No spacing out, Jace. Also, people hold hands during dates." He remarked quietly, and Jason's eyebrow shot up.

Erm…what?

_Ok?_

Jason glanced down at Percy's hand on his, feeling the usual unusual tug in his gut at the touch, though what unnerved him much more was the way he automatically started to entwine their fingers, as if his body was already used to this by now, as if this was normal.

Again.

Why did it seem so normal already?

It shouldn't be.

Though he couldn't say he was surprised, either.

He studied Percy's profile out of the corners of his eyes, and found him smiling at the TV, looking happy and content.

The guy had acted so childishly excited about the movie, too.

Or maybe it wasn't the movie, but Jason 'asking him out'.

Yeah, he was pretty sure it was the movie.

Though they _had_ both indirectly admitted that they had missed hanging out with each other like this.

Well, _Jason_ had indirectly said so.

Percy had kind of yelled that at him earlier, after all, so his now indirect statements had lost their indirectness, no matter how hard he might have tried.

Percy seemed to notice him staring, because he turned his head towards him with a questioning look, and Jason smiled at him quickly, before returning his attention to the screen.

But yeah, this was nice.

He glanced at Percy again, just as Percy was grinning to himself rather happily – before dropping right against his side as if Jason was some sort of pillow or something.

Jason rolled his eyes to himself, but didn't say anything, merely adjusting his position slightly to adapt to Percy's proximity, smiling quietly when Percy tried to hold onto his hand as soon as he tried to pull it back.

"If we're already doing this, Perce, we're going all the way." He stated drily, and Percy let his head fall back onto Jason's shoulder to look at him more or less upside-down, a cocky grin on his pretty face.

"Oh yeah? Sorry to break it to you, but nothing past first base until the tenth date or so. And not even first base until the third date. You can have a kiss on the cheek, though, if you insist."

Jason huffed in mock disappointment, and wondered what Nico and Will would say if they had just heard that.

He finished putting his arm around Percy, taking hold of his now free hand with his other hand, and stroking his thumb over Percy's knuckles, wiggling his eyebrows at him mainly to make him laugh.

"Oh really? And there I thought we had something special, Percy."

Percy snorted out a laugh and shook his head, returning his attention to the TV with his ears turning pink ever so faintly, and Jason grinned to himself, off-handedly noticing just how different it felt to have Percy this close, instead of Will or Nico.

Their friendship surely was strange.

But, well, it was nice.

And the movie wasn't all that bad, either.

...

Will was dreaming.

He knew he was dreaming (for real, this time, too), because, in his dream, Jason was pushing him against the next best wall they could find, and Will was absolutely letting him.

It was irrational and stupid and crazy, but it made perfect sense, and that's why Will knew it was a dream.

Their lips mashed together hungrily, and while this dream-Jason seemed pretty close to the real thing, it was nothing to the dream-Jason that had turned out to be the actual-Jason.

This one just did what Will wished he did, even if he knew Jason wouldn't and couldn't do that, not in real life, not with Will being the way he was.

But, gods, he wished so badly for this to be possible.

Jason picked him up again, the same way he had done back in the bathroom, and Will's legs wrapped around him automatically, even though he didn't even know where they were supposed to be, or whether the flat surface behind him was, in fact, a wall.

But that didn't matter, because the next moment, he found himself on his back in Nico's bed, with Jason on top of him, looking down at him with that wild, wanting look that Will remembered only all too well.

_Yes._

There was no talking, or maybe there was, but in his dreams there rarely were words.

Nothing needed to be said.

Jason pushed their bodies together, kissing Will over and over again, on his lips, on his nose, along his jaw, down his neck.

He left out Will's ears, and Will was about to complain, but then Jason _did_ move to his ears, and Will wished it could feel at least half as amazing as the last time this had happened.

But, well, that had been real.

This (sadly) wasn't.

Jason kissed his way down Will's neck and started moving over his chest, and Will wasn't surprised to find their clothes had miraculously vanished.

Who cared about clothes?

He wrapped his legs around Jason, feeling great, feeling free, feeling perfect.

If only this was real.

Jason went down on him, looking so eager to please, and Will loved it, letting himself fall and giving it all to Jason, because this was a dream, and that meant he could shape everything as he wished, including himself.

And when he was dreaming, he wasn't scared.

He wasn't scared, he wasn't scarred, and he was whole and could give it all to Jason, all he had, all he was, all he'd ever be.

Jason accepted it all, treating him as if he was something sacred, something special, and Will had to laugh at how _real_ that part was, in this storm of surrealism.

Though he didn't laugh - he was moaning and gasping and clawing the bed sheets that had by now turned into pillows, because they were in the pillow corner now.

That was ok, he liked the pillow corner.

Also, the pillows could come in handy.

Jason stroked over Will's thigh with one hand, then moved it into dangerous territory, but Will merely let his legs fall apart further, without a care in the world.

There was nothing to fear.

Dreams had not hurt him yet.

Not like that, at least.

His dream momentarily blurred as he felt Nico stroking over his arm, muttering something under his breath about how Percy and Jason were the craziest people he had ever met, and Will partly agreed, and partly wanted to curse Nico for almost waking him _now_, when he was about to get down to business with Jason!

He made an irritated sound, and Nico chuckled out a small apology, telling him to go back to sleep.

Will wanted nothing more than that.

Sadly, the moment he drifted back off into sleep, he seemed to have missed it all, because, instead of Jason making him fall apart beneath him, he found himself in Percy's bed back at his cabin, with Percy, Nico and Jason, snuggled up around him and holding him tight, whispering sweet words he couldn't hear.

Something was wrong, he could feel it.

He could feel himself crying, and he could see the suppressed anger in Jason's eyes, though it didn't seem directed at him.

There was concern and even more anger in Nico, too, and Percy looked at him as if he saw him for the first time.

Like, _really_ saw him.

But they still held him tightly, whispering reassurances and giving him comfort he seemed to need, though he didn't yet know why.

Then, before he could ponder that for much longer, the dream disappeared in a puff of yellow and orange vapor, and he instead found himself back in the bathroom, with Jason sitting on the closed toilet seat, face in his hands, utterly upset about the fiasco with Hades.

Oh, he remembered that.

He grinned inwardly as the scene played out in front of him, and though there were no words, there seemed to have been, because they were preparing the bath, and Will was watching Jason undress again, and he wanted to touch – and then he did, and Jason did, too, and it was the weirdest thing ever.

It was like seeing an alternative ending if Will had been bolder.

Though he was fairly certain the _real_ Jason wouldn't have let it escalate quite that much, especially when Will found himself bent over the bathtub.

Well, Percy's 'comfort sex' would have been so much more accurate, though.

Then again, Jason was demi, wasn't he?

He would have definitely not let things escalate like that.

The moment Will thought that, the dream changed to them in the bathtub, naked, but not all over each other.

Yeah, that was better.

Jason moved and tugged him closer, searching for comfort Will was only too happy to give.

Yes, he could so picture this happening.

Instead of oversharing and telling him way too much with that story of the Big House and the gay bubbles, they would have kissed and low-key made out, only to snuggle together in the bathtub, and Jason would have told him all about that dumb conversation with Hades.

Will would have listened, would have kissed his cheek, his jaw, his neck, not sexually, but comfortingly, and Jason would have smiled that gentle smile Will had seen on his handsome face before.

After that, they'd have brainstormed together.

Of course they'd have.

Will was always brainstorming about what it was that Hades could want, every time he wasn't too busy pondering his own stupidity or the many issues in his life – or too busy ogling Jason, Nico and Percy.

But seriously, Hades was making it unnecessarily hard for Jason.

It seemed so odd.

On one side, Hades seemed like he didn't want to be alone down here, but on the other side, he had said himself that it was about time they'd get back to Camp.

Somehow, it just felt as if they should have already figured it all out, as if it had been mentioned on the side at some point, but they had not been able to piece it all together just yet.

The way Hades kept looking at Jason with that amused and knowing look indicated that, as well.

But what could he want?

The scene changed, and he was standing in front of Hades, Jason right next to him, looking uncomfortable, but trying to pull himself together, anyways.

For a moment, Will was confused, mixing up dream and reality and panicking for a moment, thinking he was seriously in front of the god of the Underworld –but then he realized neither of them were looking at him (and he wasn't wearing clothes, so he was pretty sure they'd have looked at him at least _once_, ok?), which indicated he was dreaming of Jason's encounter with Hades, the way he pictured it.

There still weren't any words, at least there weren't any spoken aloud, though he could feel the meaning of them inside him, as if they were being said in a different language his mind couldn't hear but his heart could understand.

So he watched Jason explaining the contract, and Hades humoring him and going along with it, though he very well knew everything about the contract already, having followed its progress from the very beginning on.

The contract that would make all the difference.

Will blinked, and scenes flashed through his mind that he couldn't remember witnessing, too fast to make out, yet the meaning behind them seemed so clear and vivid it was impossible _not_ to understand them.

Hades talking to Persephone and Demeter, with Persephone insisting on inviting them here next, before 'things got out of control', and Demeter cursing Hades for 'letting things get this far'.

Hades being stubborn and refusing to order his son to get here, arguing with Demeter about how he had done all in his power to 'stop it from getting out of hand' as much as he could.

Which apparently hadn't been enough.

But there was more to it than that.

Hades was reluctant about inviting Nico here, on one side simply not wanting to force him, knowing how fragile their bond was, and unwilling to lose his last child as well, since he was forbidden to get in contact with Hazel.

But there was another side, one that was concerned, maybe even _scared_ of having the four of them here, so close to…to what?

Will frowned, but the moment he actually _tried_ to figure it out and think about it, it felt as if the memories he had just seen were being ripped off him again.

But he didn't put up a fight, instead growing more and more confused and concerned – and legitimately _scared_.

If a _god_ was getting worried and even _feared_ something, that could never be good.

Especially if that god was the god of the Underworld.

Jason and Hades seemed to be conversing still, and while there were still no real words, just sounds and impressions, it was as if Will could remember the entire conversation, even though he hadn't been present back then.

He heard Jason explaining, and Hades replying, telling him he had no interest in helping the gods in the upper world.

And why would he?

Nobody had ever helped him, after all.

If the Underworld was under attack, none of the gods would come to help.

Will suddenly felt hot and cold, a feeling close to realization flooding his body, his entire body tingling.

_If the Underworld was under attack, nobody would help._

Suddenly, bits of conversations rushed through his mind, some that he had actually witnessed, and many he had not, but it didn't matter, because it made sense anyways.

_Oh gods._

He had figured it out.

That was what Hades wanted, wasn't it?

The next thing Will knew, he pushed away from dream-Jason, who was somehow holding him again, kissing the side of his neck affectionately.

"Sorry, babe, this will have to wait till next time." He called over his shoulder, though he knew it didn't matter, because it was naught but a dream.

And the next moment, he was awake.

"_Jason_!" Will yelled through the room as he shot up, his heart hammering in his chest, his breathing heavy, his skin feeling hot and cold at the same time.

Nico was next to him, though already in a sitting position, so he guessed he must have moved in his sleep and woken them up already.

Jason and Percy were there, too, looking at him with concerned looks, and Jason instantly jumped and all but lunged forward, cupping his face gently.

"Shh, what is it? What's wrong? Are you ok?" He asked, but that merely confused the hell out of Will, blinking at him and wondering what he was talking about, his hands closing around Jason's wrists to keep him there.

What? No, this was _great_!

Why did they look concerned?

"Jason, I figured it out! I think I did, at least!" He exclaimed, the words tumbling out of his mouth faster than he had intended, but it didn't matter, they were bound to understand.

Jason studied his eyes with a light frown, seeming puzzled.

"What did you figure out, love?" He asked, and Will threw him a disbelieving look.

How could he _not_ understand?

"What Hades wants! You remember when you told you he said he has no interest in helping the gods in any future war?"

This certainly got the concern out of their faces, Nico and Percy both exchanging a startled, but hopeful look, while Jason still seemed slightly confused.

"Yes? What about it?"

"Well, have you ever offered that you'll get it through that the gods will help in case the _Underworld_ is under attack? Think of it. The Underworld is entirely cut off of everything else, and no god really comes here other than Persephone and Demeter, and not for very long. Hermes visits maybe once in a while, but nobody ever comes here, and nobody cares for this place. Just picture something happening here. Nobody would come to help. It's like the Battle of Manhattan all over again. As Demeter said, the other gods are all in Olympus, and Hades is here all alone with nobody giving a damn. That's what he wants! He wants you to get it through that his realm will be protected, too! I'm not sure it's a war, per se, but it could be _anything_, any sort of attack or dispute, whatever. He just wants the security there'd be help!" He rambled hurriedly, and Percy smacked his forehead halfway through, while Nico's face cleared.

Jason stared at Will, and Will could see and feel him thinking over his words, taking them apart, calculating the probabilities and possibilities.

Yes?

_Yes?_

_Please_, let him be right!

Jason needed a moment longer, then he laughed, the elation and relief coursing through him making him almost seem high, and Will beamed at him as the blonde stroked through his own hair with one hand before starting to move again, frantically, restlessly, excitedly, impatiently.

"Will, you're a _genius_! I think this is actually _it_! Oh gods, you are absolutely right, how did I _not_ think of that before? It's so _easy_!" He exclaimed as he jumped off the bed and hurried through the room, pulling on a pair of pants that didn't look like his, and pulling on a sweater Will was fairly sure was his own, actually.

He was still beaming at Jason, though, climbing out of the bed himself as Percy whooped loudly and high-fived with Nico, before Nico asked startled what Jason thought he was doing, since it was the middle of the night, apparently.

Will was about to ask him whether he thought Hades would be there at this hour, since it certainly looked like Jason was going to go _now_, but then Jason was right in front of him again, stroking through his hair and cupping his face again, his eyes full of adoration, amazement, relief and elation.

"No, Will, you're _the best_!" He exclaimed loudly, hurriedly – and then he leaned down, and Will was too slow to react, to realize what he was doing.

And then, just like that, Jason pressed his lips onto his in a way too short, but so absolutely _perfect_ kiss.

He kissed him, and Will could do nothing but stand there, utterly stunned, with everything around them seeming to come to an abrupt stop.

Then, maybe a second or so later, and thus way too soon, Jason let go with a laugh, turning around and making for the door.

Percy let out a surprised sound and appeared next to him in a heartbeat, but Will barely heard/noticed that, his blood rushing in his ears and his face burning as his fingers shot up to touch his lips, staring after Jason in stunned surprise.

Nico called something and Will found his eyes automatically looking sideways at the Italian, just to find him throwing Jason his leather jacket since it was 'colder at night'.

Jason caught Nico's jacket, waved at them – and then he was gone.

Just like that.

And Will absolutely couldn't tell whether he had just been dreaming or whether all of this had just seriously happened

Apparently, this had seriously just happened.

What…what had that been…?

Had Jason just…in front of the guys…?

He had been so utterly out of it.

Will had been so utterly out of it, too.

Had he kissed back?

He honestly couldn't say.

It had all happened so quickly.

He knew he hadn't done anything to stop him, though, that much was certain.

Suddenly, Nico was there, too, on his other side, looking at him with those big, brown eyes, the unspoken questions burning in them, and burning into Will, too, though he didn't have an answer to most of them right now.

"Did he just _kiss_ you?" Percy asked in utter disbelief, and Will turned his head to look at him, feeling his face still burn, and everything all over the place.

Yes, Percy, he had.

He totally had.

...

Jason was running along the usual path to the throne room, still trying to close the freaking pants he had grabbed.

Apparently, Percy had a narrower waist than he did.

How had he ended up grabbing _Percy's_ pants, anyways?

Well, then again, his sweater was no better.

Will's sweater.

By the gods, Jason should have _looked_ first.

What had he been _thinking_, just randomly picking clothes off the floor?

_Of course_ his own wouldn't be with that mess, he always dumped his laundry in the dirty laundry basket, after all.

Ugh, he wished he would have had it in him to use his brain for a moment, instead of being so far gone with elation that he had finally found the one thing Hades wanted, so he could finally get his freaking signature.

Well, _Will_ had found the one thing Hades wanted.

Oh gods, Will.

Bless him.

Seriously, he _loved_ that guy.

It had been so simple, too.

Jason should have been able to figure this out by himself ages ago, maybe even on the very first day, during his very first conversation with the god.

That was probably what Hades had been waiting for, all along.

Maybe he had even made Jason wait that long in hope he'd mull over his words once more and figure out the obvious.

Yeah, well, he hadn't.

But it didn't matter, because they knew now.

He managed to finally close the button, pulling the sweater down over his exposed midriff hurriedly, though it promptly rode up again.

Great.

This was exactly what he had meant with 'he couldn't fit any of their clothes'.

Jason tugged the leather jacket closed and promptly caught a whiff of Nico's scent – and smiled.

Well, Nico's jacket fit him.

That was a plus, he guessed.

One he'd do well to remember.

But not now.

Now, he finally had to get to that freaking…

Hm, would Hades even be there?

Jason pondered that for a total of two seconds, then waved the matter off.

Of course he'd be there.

He had been waiting for Jason to come around for forever already, and as far as Jason knew, gods didn't sleep.

So, yes, Hades would either be there to hear Jason out, or Jason would have to go looking for him, because he was so not going to wait until tomorrow with this (or later today, rather, since it was roughly 3am in the morning, if he had read the alarm clock right).

Gods, when Will had suddenly shot up, after twisting and turning in his sleep like that, Jason had thought he had been having a nightmare again, or that something had happened, or whatever else – something bad, something horrible.

And the way he had called for Jason had made him instantly lunge forward, ready to protect, ready to reassure, to comfort, to be there for him, to do anything Will needed him to do.

But then, _this_.

Gods, Will was a genius.

Jason had no clue why Will was dreaming of Jason's problems, but he was eternally grateful that he had solved the mystery.

Jason had no doubt that Will was right.

It fit _perfectly_.

Though something nagged in the back of his mind about the whole possibility of a war in the Underworld.

Because, seriously, who'd be crazy enough to do that?

The gods wouldn't attack this place, since it was, just as Will had said, entirely cut off from the upper world, and thus, the other realms.

Mortals _couldn't_ attack this place.

And monsters…why would they do that? The Underworld had an entrance to Tartarus, right?

If they started waging war here, that would be like destroying one's front porch.

No, that was ridiculous.

Probably just the usual godly paranoia.

History showed there was a lot of that around, after all.

He reached the giant double doors and slid to a halt, catching his breath briefly and fixing his attire again, just to notice the button had popped open again.

Ugh, Percy, couldn't you wear just _one_ size bigger?

Then again, the pants were nothing compared to Will's sweater.

Which was a shame, because he really liked how it had looked on Will.

He zipped up the jacket, glad that Nico loved giant, baggy leather jackets – and that he had thrown it to him, instead of just throwing him his own, which he knew had been right next to Nico's.

Oh well, the clothes didn't matter all that much right now.

He turned to knock, then tentatively pushed, and the doors immediately opened, revealing a perfectly lit throne room.

And right there, on his throne, sat Hades, one elbow on the arm rest, his chin on his hand.

"Why, hello there, what a surprise to see you at this hour." The god said bored, confirming Jason's suspicion that the god hadn't slept and wasn't going to.

Also, he was now about 80% certain the god had either foreseen this or one of them had mentioned Hades' name and he had somehow caught their conversation.

He liked neither option, but, well, nothing he could do about it.

Once one simply accepted that gods were inexplicable beings that did as they liked, life became a lot easier and more bearable.

"Yes, hello, good morning, erm, sir." He started impatiently, moving forward to where he usually stood, and tugging the jacket down further as he felt the button of his (Percy's) pants opening again.

"Ah, yes, it's morning, isn't it? You know, I hate it when my wife is right. I love her dearly, but she just somehow is _always_ right. It's infuriating." Hades said in a casual, monotone voice, and Jason was momentarily confused.

Persephone? Yeah, well, Jason was going to make a wild guess and assume _she_ was the one who had said this was going to happen.

Then again, that would fit with all the bits of conversations they had thrown about around the guys.

Scary, how everything just suddenly fit together.

"I…" He started, wondering whether he should say anything to that, and promptly thinking of Will, who insisted he was always right, too, even though he wasn't – at least not entirely.

Gods, he loved that guy, though.

He still remembered him standing there, looking so happy Jason was happy, and gazing up at him with those wonderful, beautiful blue eyes of his, before Jason had bent down and kissed him and-…

_Oh shit._

Jason's entire being seemed to freeze on the spot, the moment replaying in his mind vividly.

Oh shit.

Shit, shit, shit, _shit!_

Jason uttered a series of curses and turned around, his hands in his hair as he realized just _what the hell he had done_!

He had _kissed_ Will!

_On the lips!_

_In front of Nico and Percy!_

After Will had told him they couldn't be!

_Shit!_

Jason had half a mind to run back to Nico's room, already panicking about how much time had passed, and what Percy and Nico would say, and whether Will would be very mad, but then Hades huffed unimpressed behind him, and he spun around again.

"How _eloquent_." The god of the Underworld commented drily, and Jason felt his face heating against his will.

"I-…I am so sorry. There was just…I did something _very_ wrong, and I only now…realized it…" He explained awkwardly, but Hades merely waved off with his free hand.

"Oh, curse all you want. I've heard worse before, trust me. I've also heard my name in your room again, which I thought I had told you all to stop. I am glad you seem to have figured out what shall gain my favors now, else I would have had reason to believe you lot are trying to blackmail me into giving my signature, so I could have my peace. The next time one of you utters my name in any other context than to contact or call upon me, I shall appear nonetheless and you _will_ regret it." Hades explained pointedly, and Jason swallowed, nodding hurriedly.

Alright, no more mentioning of Nico's father's name.

They could do that.

Totally.

Well, he was pretty sure none of them wanted the god of the Underworld suddenly popping up next to them without them having a very good reason, so, yeah they _had_ to somehow be able to do that.

Hades waved a hand dismissively again.

"Other than that, you wished to tell me what I already know, so I can tell you I've already signed the contract the very first time we've talked, and you can return to your lover boys."

Jason.

Wait, wait, wait, _what_?

"You already signed it?"

How had he never noticed that?

_He had never checked._

Oh, by the gods, he was an _idiot_.

Hades smiled at him, and while it felt as if he was mocking him, it didn't feel as if he was being malicious or explicitly mean.

"Oh yes, same as my wife and her charming beast of a mother. Please, do state your theory, though, just for confirmation."

Great, now Jason was starting to second-guess and doubt.

Then again, _Will_ had figured that out.

(Will, whom Jason had kissed. Just like that.)

And Will was always right – when it mattered, at least.

(Jason prayed Will wouldn't be too angry with him.)

He cleared his throat, then started talking, telling Hades what Will had told him, and as he said it, he realized it really _did_ all fit perfectly together.

Like puzzle pieces.

It made Jason wonder whether they'd one day figure out what was wrong with Will, too, and whether that would bring everything together quite like this, too.

But for now, he had to pour everything into praying Will wouldn't rip his head off once he got back.

If he had only rejected Jason because he had been hoping for a chance with Percy and Nico, and Jason had ruined that now…

Jason didn't even want to think about that.

He'd have to apologize, and find some sort of excuse for Percy and Nico.

Or at the very least explain to them his feelings were entirely one-sided (though he deeply hoped they weren't. Will _did_ seem to like him at least to some extent, after all, and not only platonically).

Gods, he was _so_ not looking forward to that.

He was, however, looking forward to checking the contract for those freaking signatures.

Wow, the day had barely even started, and Jason already felt like it was the weirdest day ever.

Not a particularly promising thought.

...

When Jason came back, he looked sheepish and out of his element, which was so unusual Will knew he wasn't the only one who froze, especially since the bickering between Nico and Percy (yes, _they_ were bickering, Will was astounded, too) immediately came to a stop.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Nico asked, the moment Will asked "Was I right? Please tell me you didn't run through the Underworld at 3:30am in the morning for nothing.".

Jason looked a tad confused for a moment, but then nodded hastily.

"Oh, that. Yeah, everything is good. I got the signatures. All good. Ah, listen, Will…"

Oh. There it came.

So Jason remembered.

(Good. Not _good_, but…Will was still glad, kind of. Not that he had really feared Jason had been too far gone to know what he was doing, but…well, he _had_ kind of felt a tad far gone.)

"That was a nice kiss there. Anything you might want to tell us?" Percy asked in his still ever so miffed tone, and Will and Nico both shot him a glare.

They had _both_ told him to leave Jason alone about that, Will first, and Nico chiming in the moment he was certain Will didn't have a problem with it.

Of course Will didn't have a problem with it.

The thought was laughable.

Sure, he didn't really want it to happen again – at least not like that, out of nowhere, and with the other two around – but other than that, they were good.

It was Will's fault they had turned into this mess in the first place, after all, with dream-Jason and his misunderstanding of Jason's request for one kiss.

He was the one who had pushed the boundaries of their friendship, so it was obvious they both had trouble keeping things 'normal' now.

That kiss from Jason had simply been a sort of blunder, an impulse, something he hadn't exactly had much control over.

Will knew that, so of course he wasn't going to hold it against Jason.

However, he could partly understand why Percy and Nico didn't necessarily understand his reasoning, given that they didn't know about the whole mess that came before this one chaste kiss.

But, yeah, Will wasn't going to tell them about that, _ever_, so he had settled for telling them he had been 'too tired' to really care about anything, including weird, accidental kisses from Jason.

It might make him seem more like a slut, but he'd have to live with that.

After Percy had made such a fuss about the matter even after Will had defended Jason (or maybe even because of that), Will _had_ told them he'd have a talk with Jason about it and tell him off, though, so…

"Jason, mind if we have a quick chat in the bathroom?" He interrupted Jason, but the blonde seemed more relieved than anything else about that, still looking so horribly unnerved.

Percy huffed next to him, but Will ignored that as he moved to get off the bed – though he did pat him on the shoulder as a form of 'Now, come on, Perce, everything is gonna be ok'.

It wasn't as if he had said he'd scold Jason _in front of them_.

Plus, when he had said he'd tell him off, it had been _Percy_ who had started acting sheepish and uncertain, telling him things like 'Jason usually wouldn't do something like that' and 'Maybe don't be too harsh on him for it', so it was kind of weird to watch him switch between his moods like this.

One moment he seemed angry, the next he seemed disappointed, then he looked worried beyond measure, then he suddenly moped, and then he was defending Jason.

Somebody understand that guy, because Will certainly didn't.

But that didn't matter, because Jason nodded and was already making for the bathroom, holding the door open like the gentleman he was.

It was still Will who closed the door and locked it, though, leaning back against it so he didn't have to turn his back to anybody or anything.

"So…" He started, but then, surprisingly – or not surprisingly, depending on how one looked at it – Jason started babbling.

"Will, I am _so_ sorry! I didn't mean to…well, I sort of did, but not in front of the guys, not out of nowhere, and I know you like them, so I probably messed up big time, but it's just…I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, or force myself onto-…."

Will was too stunned to react for a moment by the onslaught of words, but then unfroze and jumped forward, putting a finger to Jason's lips and effectively shutting him up.

Seriously, that was such a useful trick to know.

He had noticed before that putting a finger to Jason's lips made him stop mid-sentence no problem.

Kind of cute.

And definitely good to know.

And wait, what did he _mean_, he 'knew Will liked them'?!

"Jason, shush, it's ok. I'm not upset. Calm down. Is that why you're looking like you've seen a drakon doing the Cha-Cha?" He asked, deciding for Jason's, as well as his own sake not to inquire after that rather dubious statement about whom Will 'liked'.

Jason blinked at him, seeming taken aback.

Will, however, was slightly distracted by realizing all over again what Jason was _wearing_.

Jason and leather jackets, it was a _sin_.

"Y-You're not upset? But I…" Jason started, apparently still confused, but Will was too busy letting his hands glide over Jason's shoulders, silently admiring how they filled out Nico's jacket much better than Nico did yet (and that while this one fit him better than his old one).

"I'm not upset. It wasn't ideal, and I'd prefer if you didn't do it again right in front of people, but if I had had a problem, trust me, you'd have noticed." He said, noticing his voice had dropped slightly, his fingers playing with the zipper of the jacket now.

He probably shouldn't be doing this, should he?

Jason wasn't stopping him, though.

Jason was taking a deep breath, instead.

"Ok. Ok. So, you're not mad? We're good?"

Will chuckled, tugging the zipper down to find Jason in the loosest sweater Will owned - which was so much too small, he wondered how Jason had even gotten it over his head, not to mention those shoulders of his.

"We're good. Just don't do it again, ok?" He replied quietly, though he badly wanted to add that Jason should _only_ not do it _in public_, where others could see and question their relationship.

He wanted Jason to keep kissing him, wanted to make out with him, wanted to repeat that one blissful night over and over and over again.

And he wanted to date Jason.

Gods, he so badly wanted to date Jason.

Take him out on sappy dates, do dorky couple stuff, drive the guys crazy with how couple-y they could be.

Kiss him until Jason couldn't remember anything but Will's name, make him moan and writhe beneath him, and have him make Will moan and writhe and scream in pleasure, beds and walls shaking, and their neighbors probably cursing them to hell and back.

Will wanted it all so badly, it felt as if the need was going to tear him apart from the inside.

But he couldn't.

He fucking couldn't.

It was cruel and unfair and so freaking _cruel_, and he wanted to cry, wanted to scream, wanted to _break something_, because Jason was right _there_, and _willing_, and he knew he'd do all that stuff with him, he knew they could fit together so well…if only Will was _different_.

If he wasn't…_this_.

So he didn't elaborate what he meant, knowing Jason would interpret it not to kiss him at all anymore.

It was for the best.

Jason deserved better, and the sooner he stopped humoring Will, the sooner he'd be able to find somebody who could give him all Will couldn't.

"Ok." Jason breathed, and Will smiled sadly to himself, letting his hand move over Jason's chest to his exposed midriff, tugging on the sweater lightly.

"Like wearing other people's clothes?" He teased in a light voice, though he wanted nothing more than to drag Jason closer and kiss him, maybe as payback for his way too short kiss earlier, maybe because he looked so freaking hot in leather jackets, maybe because he was wearing Will's sweatshirt and looked adorable.

Or maybe because he was Jason and Will loved him.

"I'm sorry about that, too. I…wasn't really thinking straight, it seemed." Jason mumbled, though he didn't stop Will in any way as he let his hands move over the exposed skin.

Will wanted to crack a joke about thinking 'straight', but then decided to let the chance pass for once.

"Understandable. You were all over the place. Don't worry about it, I don't think any of us really minded. Though I must say you fill out that jacket better than Nico does so far." He complimented Jason in an attempt to loosen the knot of unease and worry inside the other blonde.

At the same time, though, he found himself tugging Jason closer by the hem of his sweater, and his fingers started playing with the open button on Percy's pants, which might or might not send the wrong picture to Jason.

It wasn't as if he was trying to seduce him or anything.

"You really like people in leather jackets, huh?" Jason asked slightly amused, showing he was slowly acting more like himself, and Will smirked, poking Jason's stomach with one finger.

"Nah, just you. I don't know, the look simply suits you, even though it clashes with the entire rest of your being. Leather jackets make you look like a 'bad boy', but you're like the polar opposite of that. You're the sort of guy parents want to see their kids bring home as suitable partners and such. My mom would have loved you." He explained, thinking of his mother for a fleeting moment, of her wide yet tired smile at the end of a long day, of her kind words and the way she had tried to give him the best she could afford, the way she'd stroked through his hair and apologized if he had had to bring himself to bed again and hadn't gotten a good night story.

Jason's fingers touched his cheek, and he looked up into those sky-blue eyes of his, gazing at him with that typical, gentle and affectionate expression.

"Would you have introduced me to her?" He asked, and Will chuckled against his will.

Of course he would have.

If his mom was still alive, Will was certain half of the shit that had happened to him wouldn't have happened, since he wouldn't have been at Camp as much nor for as long, and he wouldn't have been a wreck from the loss of his mom, and he wouldn't have been that naïve and stupid to just go along with anything and everything just because somebody had finally seemed to be genuinely interested in him.

Things would have been so different.

But yes, if his mom was alive now, he'd so introduce Jason to her.

Which reminded Will faintly of the note Chiron had given him a week after his arrival at Camp, with the address of where his mom was buried.

He wondered whether he'd ever get around visiting her grave.

Better not.

"Absolutely. Now, tell me about how the contract-thing went. What did he say? Was he surprised to see you? I bet not." Will quickly changed the topic, and Jason smiled ruefully at him, as if expecting as much.

Yeah, well, Will had better things to do than to talk about his dead mother.

After already forcing himself to open up about the whole thing with _him_, he _definitely_ didn't want to reopen old wounds about his mother's death, too, thank you very much.

"Oh, he wasn't surprised. His wife had told him it would happen, apparently. But he _did_ say he doesn't want us to say his name out loud _at all_ anymore, unless we're calling him or something, else he'd show up and we'd deeply regret it. Just as a warning." Jason told him, and Will winced guiltily.

_Oops_.

"It's all Percy's fault, he was the one starting the whole thing with throwing names around." He quickly insisted and Jason laughed quietly, coming closer at Will's renewed tugging.

He wasn't sure what he was doing, but it felt nice, feeling Jason this close to him.

Jason indulged him way too much, though.

"Of course. But yeah, it all went well. Apparently, he had already given his signature after the first talk I had had with him, and had just waited all this time for me to figure out the obvious." Jason explained, his eyes dark and alluring, making Will smile and lift his head slightly, as if hoping for a kiss.

"I'm not surprised. That sounds exactly like something Nico's dad would do. But hey, you figured it out, and you have the signatures, that's all that matters, right?" He purred, and Jason's grin turned predatory as he leaned down ever so slightly, their lips inches apart.

It was so strange.

They were still talking about something so absolutely ordinary, he didn't understand where this sudden tension was coming from, this urge to touch, to kiss, to feel.

And by the gods, Will wanted to _feel_.

Especially after that talk with his brother.

Especially after being reminded of _him_.

Especially after having to sit there and _talk_ about it, say all the things that had happened _out loud_.

Will wanted to kiss and touch and feel Jason until there was nothing else but the two of them in a whirl of bliss and pleasure.

"All thanks to you, Freckles." Jason breathed against his lips, and Will closed his eyes, humming contently.

Yes, he had helped Jason with that.

At least he could say he had been of use.

"Can I kiss you?" Jason asked quietly, and Will's smile broadened.

Hadn't they _just_ agreed that Jason wouldn't kiss him again?

"I have a better idea." He whispered, and the next moment, he had Jason pressed against the door, and his lips were on Jason's.

_Mmh, yes._

Much better than any dream he could possibly have.

Jason made a soft sound, his hands at Will's sides, and Will could feel his thumbs stroking over his hip bones, making him want to hum again.

"Congratulations on getting your signatures." Will breathed against his lips, before claiming them again and brushing his tongue against them determinedly, and Jason went with it only all too willingly.

Should they be doing this? Nope, they really shouldn't.

Did this go against everything Will had just emphasized no ten minutes ago? Yes, yes it did.

Was that going to stop them? Oh, hell no.

By the gods, Jason was such a good kisser, too.

Jason moved his hands, and Will shivered as they moved up and down his back, tugging him closer ever so subtly, yet not caging him in in any way, which Will found sweet, especially since Jason had no clue what he was actually doing for Will with that.

He let his own hands travel from the front of Jason's (Will's) sweater downwards, back to the exposed skin, tracing his abs and smirking against Jason's lips when Jason shivered and made a small, pleased sound in the back of his throat.

Seriously, he could do this all day and night.

Every day. And every night.

Jason started tracing patterns onto his back and shoulder blades, and Will recognized them faintly as the constellations the guys had drawn on him earlier.

That had felt so nice.

It had made him feel so special, too.

As if his freckles weren't a nuisance and weird, but something good, something pretty.

He hummed into the kiss, and they slowly parted, both of them panting, but both of them more than pleased.

Jason grinned at him rather breathlessly, looking adorably disheveled, even with the leather jacket.

"Thanks. That's…certainly one way of celebrating, I guess." He said, and Will was partly grateful he wasn't asking him out again, and partly disappointed.

Then again, he wouldn't have been able to say yes.

Now less than ever.

Which only frustrated him even more, so he pushed it down.

"Anything for you, Handsome. Now, we should get back to the other two, before they start worrying all too much. In case they ask, I scolded you for kissing me without permission and we settled on not letting it interfere with our friendship. Don't let Percy's behavior fool you, he told me to go easy on you and seemed to fear I was going to break your heart or something." He said it jokingly, though he knew, while Jason's feelings didn't have quite the same intensity Will's had, they were still there.

Jason _wanted_ him.

Will _loved_ him.

It was so wonderfully ironic that it was _Jason_ who was asking him out, while it was _Will_ who kept rejecting him, yet getting physical with him.

Somehow, it felt as if it should be the other way around.

"Well, he knows I'm in love with you, so I'm not surprised." Jason deadpanned, and Will's heart seemed to stop for a moment.

Same as everything around him.

Wait, wait, wait, _what?!_

"Did you just say _you're_ _in love _with _me_?" He asked, unable to help himself, and he watched as Jason's eyes widened slightly with realization.

He even took the smallest step back, looking struck.

But then, he shrugged.

Jason. _Shrugged._

"I thought that was obvious by now."

Will stared at him a moment longer, then rolled his eyes and threw his hands up with a groan.

"You're _impossible_. What _am_ I going to do with you?" He asked, fed up with Jason, with the situation, with his life, just _what the hell_?

Alright, this was it. He had seen it all.

The only thing missing was Thanatos coming to take him away.

Actually, he was just _waiting_ for him to pop up next to them with some McDonald's, telling him to pack his things or something.

"Will, I'm demi, I'd have never been able to…" Jason started, and Will groaned again.

"Oh, I know, _I know_. I've been wondering about that. But I thought, you know…"

Well, thinking about it some more, Will wasn't sure what he had been thinking.

Jason snorted, probably guessing – and guessing correctly – and Will felt his face heating.

"Shush, I was confused, and you've never really _said_ anything, have you now?" He tried to defend himself sulkily and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Jason chuckled, his fingers stroking over his cheek and making Will look back up at him promptly.

"I know. I wanted to, but then I didn't want to make things more difficult, since you're so adamant about remaining 'friends only'."

Yeah, well.

Will averted his face again and felt the guilt well up inside him all over again.

Jason liked him.

Jason _liked_ him.

Jason freaking Grace was _in love_ with him.

_Him_.

He couldn't take it.

How was he supposed to act as if he wanted nothing but Jason's friendship, if he knew Jason liked him as more than a friend?

Like, for real?

Not just a little bit more, but actually _in-love_?

Why had Jason let this slip?

He wasn't supposed to like Will, damn it!

Damn it, he had known Jason was feeling _something_ for him, but not _to this extent_!

Not like _this_! Not _now_!

How was he supposed to resist temptation now?

He wanted Jason so badly already, how was he supposed to _not_ give in to the urges to kiss, to touch, _to ravish him over and over again_?

Maybe he _could_ make it work somehow…?

Maybe he could somehow…force himself to…maybe…

If only he was different, he could…

"Will, it's _ok_. I'm not going to push you into anything. I know that face, and I don't like it. Don't force yourself to anything. You did that earlier, and that didn't do you any good, did it now?"

Will scowled, though he knew Jason was right.

It wouldn't work out.

He squeezed his eyes shut and let go of Jason, taking a step back so Jason could get away from the door.

But Jason stayed there, his midriff still exposed.

How did his arms fit into that sweater, anyways?

It didn't matter.

Nothing mattered but _this_.

"I want to date you." He said quietly, bitterly, and Jason's expression softened, his hand reaching out to stroke over Will's cheek again, making him want to lean into the touch and cry.

"Maybe one day?" Jason said/asked so hesitantly, so hopefully, and Will felt resentment at himself welling up inside him.

How much must Will have hurt him when he had rejected Jason, when he had touched him and kissed him, while both of them had known there was no future for them?

He was so despicable, doing that to Jason.

He had already known that, but he hadn't known his feelings were being reciprocated.

Then again, the more he thought about it now, the more laughable that thought was.

This was _Jason_.

How had Will been so blind?

"Now." He retorted stubbornly, and Jason's lips pursed slightly.

It was just so _ironic_.

A day ago, Jason had tried so hard to get Will to agree on dating him, and now it was Jason who basically told Will not to.

"Because I like you?" Jason asked, his hand pulling away slowly, his eyes seeming sad.

It tore Will apart from the inside.

The look, the words, the tone he was using.

Will wanted to run.

Either towards Jason, or away.

Will huffed, nudging him so he'd move away from the door.

"No, you idiot, because I love you. Now, move aside, let's get back to-…"

"You _what_?!" Jason's voice was breathless, his expression instantly stunned and shocked, as if Will had just told him he was a gorgon in disguise.

Will shot him a sulky look.

"What? I thought _that_ was _obvious_. It's not like I hid it or anything."

Jason stared at him, and Will stared back.

A dead end.

It was all a fucking dead end.

Will tried to swallow the hurt, the pain, the unfairness of it all.

How cruel did life have to be, that they liked each other, but Will was too messed up for them to work?

Will made to open the door, but then Jason's hand was on his, keeping it closed.

"Are you serious?" Jason asked soberly, and Will shot him a hurt look.

"Of course I am. Seriously, do you _really_ think I'd joke about something like that?" He spat, opening the door the fraction of an inch before Jason slammed it shut again.

"No, wait, you _love_ me?! Will, you can't just say that and _leave_!"

In Will's opinion, he could do a lot of things, and that was right on that list, too.

Running away seemed like a pretty good idea right about now.

And wait, had he really said 'love'?

Damn, he had meant to downplay it to a 'like'.

Well, he wasn't surprised.

He avoided Jason's gaze, his skin tingling as he only _now_ started to think of what he had just said, and what that could mean for them, for _them_.

That had been a pretty stupid idea, even for him.

Maybe he should have just said nothing at all and left, even if that would have probably broken Jason's heart.

Apparently.

Because Jason liked him, and Will was a fucking idiot.

Words and slurs echoed in his mind, but he shook it off.

_Not now._

They could haunt him in his dreams later, as he was sure they would.

He wished he could have enjoyed his peaceful slumber earlier for at least a tiny bit longer… maybe a year or two…

"Will?" Jason asked, in that voice that just said he had that puppy face of his on, the one they all hadn't known even existed, the one he doubted even _Jason_ knew existed.

But, for some reason, even though Will knew he shouldn't look, he found his eyes automatically moving over to Jason, and yes, that was a puppy face, and yes, it captivated Will all over again, and no, he wasn't ever going to look away from him.

Jason stepped closer, and Will let him, lowering his head slightly, though he kept his eyes on Jason's face.

"Do you really mean it?"

Will pondered his options.

He could lie, but that would be cruel.

He could downplay it, but he had a hunch Jason would see right through it.

Great, he didn't _have_ any options, did he now?

"I do. But it's confusing, and it doesn't change anything." He said quietly, and Jason let his hand move from Will's hand up his arm as he took another step closer.

"It doesn't?"

Will broke off the eye contact, looking down and pondering it all.

Did it change anything?

He wanted it to change something. Wanted it to change _everything_.

He wanted to yell 'Fuck it!', grab Jason by the front of his (Will's) sweater and drag him into a kiss, claim him as his, make them go out, make them work out…

As if on cue, memories came crashing over him again, the despair and fear and pain washing over him all over again, as had kept happening ever since he had allowed himself to bring it all up again from where he had buried it deep inside him.

He couldn't date Jason.

No, no, he couldn't.

If he dated Jason now, they wouldn't work out, and then they'd split up, and he'd lose Jason.

And they wouldn't work out.

Will was too broken.

He should have known.

Maybe he _had_ known.

After all, he had let Nico go without a fight, hadn't he?

He probably _had_ known, and just refused to admit to it.

Sounded like him.

"It doesn't." Will said quietly, meekly, weakly, wishing it wasn't true.

Jason's hands were on his arms, tugging him closer, and Will let him engulf him in a hug.

He couldn't do that to Jason.

Jason said he liked him, but that would change.

Jason didn't know about _that_.

What if he found out? He was so smart, he'd figure it out.

And then what?

Would he be disgusted? Would he look at Will with a mixture of disgust and pity, wondering how he had ever fallen in love with somebody like him?

Will wasn't stupid, he knew Jason wouldn't toss him aside.

But Jason might be one of those people that stayed out of pity.

That forced themselves to stay true to their word, even if they didn't want to.

And Will would never be able to fix it, fix himself, change, make it all work somehow…he just couldn't.

He knew he couldn't.

And Jason would be disappointed and hurt and he wouldn't understand, because nobody could understand…

"What is it you're not telling me? I just don't understand. I thought you rejected me because you didn't like me, then thought you might like me, but not enough. Now, you tell me you _love_ me, but you _still_ insist we can't date. What is it, love? Let me help you…" Jason whispered, and Will's shoulders sagged, his hands finding their way to Jason's back, burying themselves in Nico's leather jacket as he tried to hold onto him.

"It's…I was…Jason, there's…a lot you don't know. And if we date, I…you could find out…and…and I just…I'm scared…" He whispered back, and he could feel the confusion in Jason, the pain, though it was more a sort of pain because Will seemed to be hurting, not because Will was hurting him.

Jason was always so lovingly considerate, so overly caring.

If he ever found out, it would probably tear him apart, in all honesty.

Jason was way too kind, after all, and way too compassionate.

"And if I said I'd love you, anyways?"

"Then I'd say you're lying." Will replied bitterly, memories crashing over him again.

Again and again and again, burning him, _haunting_ him, same as they had done for so, so long.

Memories of nice words and slurs, of timid touches and forceful ones, of empty promises of consent and ignored 'No's.

Of sweet exchanges in public and cruel exchanges in private.

Of smiles and sneers.

Of loving strokes and painful punches.

Of pleasure and of pain.

And Will felt disgusting, and used, and filthy, and scared.

"I'm not, though." Jason said softly, sweet and loving and honest and amazing as he was.

"You also don't know what you're talking about." Will replied bitterly, and Jason sighed.

"That's only because you won't say. But I'm not going to pressure you about it, Will. I told you, I won't push you into anything. And if you say you're not ready, then you're not ready. We'll just remain friends and make it work somehow."

Jason always was so rational about everything.

Will admired that about him.

"I want to be ready, though." He whispered sulkily, though he hadn't intended to say it out loud, at all.

"You can't force yourself to be ok with something you're not." Jason repeated, and Will realized he also _hated_ him being so rational about everything.

"I like to try. Plus, it _did_ work earlier, didn't it?"

After all, he had let them closer, and the fear had eased the more they had joked and made him relax with their gentle and loving touches.

And maybe, just maybe, that gave him the smallest hint of hope…

"Only temporarily. Don't think I didn't notice you haven't turned your back to me even once, Will."

Will scowled, his hope instantly smashed into pieces.

_Why_?

_Why_ did Jason have to notice?

Why did Jason have to know him so well?

Why? It just wasn't _fair_!

"And _this_ is why we wouldn't work out!" He snapped, pushing away from Jason, feeling raw and hurt all over again, though he knew Jason hadn't meant it that way.

Jason blinked at him, looking confused all over again.  
"What? Because I care about you?"

"No! Because you're too _attentive_! You notice the smallest things and just…just _piece them together_! And one day, you're going to wake up and see me and piece it all together, and you'll think I'm…I…you…_I don't want that_!" He exclaimed, then turned around and ripped the door open.

Because they all knew he loved to run away.

Sadly, the moment he was out the door, he ran right into Percy, who had one hand raised as if to knock, and looked taken aback when Will was suddenly there, storming right into him.

"Whoa, what? Everything good? We got worried so we thought we'd…are you _crying_?" Percy asked confused, hands closing around Will's arms, but Will remembered a different set of hands on his arms, holding him in place against the wall, the lights off, a cold, cruel voice at his ear, telling him to keep his fucking noises down - and Will's blood froze in his veins.

Will tore away from Percy and shook his head wildly, forcing his eyes to stay open, so he knew where he was and who was there.

"_No! Leave me alone_-…I…I'm going to bed." He nearly screamed, though he managed to control his voice at the very last moment, only slipping a tiny little bit.

Then he heard something moving behind him, setting off his alarm bells all over again - but it was only Jason, looking upset and hurt and worried.

"Will…" He started, in that fucking soothing voice of his that Will loved and hated, and Will shot him a dark glare, feeling something warm run down his cheek.

_Fuck_, maybe he _was_ crying.

He stubbornly rubbed at his face as he hurried over to the bed, where Nico looked at him worriedly, though _he_ at least didn't ask any dumb questions.

Instead, he held out his arms automatically, and Will wasn't thinking as he practically _threw_ himself into them, glad for the sudden rush of emotions that weren't his.

Nico let him knock him backwards into the bed, and instantly rolled on his side, wrapping his arms tightly around Will and stroking over his back.

"Will?! What the _fuck_ did you do, Jason?!" Percy hissed, and while Will wanted to yell across the room that it wasn't Jason's fault, he didn't say anything, instead burying his face at Nico's chest and inhaling his scent.

"Not now, Percy. Will?" Jason snapped back at Percy irritably, then tried again, and Will tensed, hearing them move behind him, but unable to see them, and it was seriously starting to get to him.

Nico kept stroking over his back, moving slightly to drape himself over him ever so subtly, as if trying to protect him.

Yes, he wanted to be protected.

But not by Nico.

Nico wasn't supposed to see him like this.

To Nico, he had always wanted to be strong, so Nico would know he could depend on him, that Will would be there for him, that Nico could let down his guard and be himself around Will.

That he wouldn't have to protect Will, too.

Will had failed miserably at that.

But Nico was forgiving, still indulging him with being with him, with being his friend, with letting his guard down, anyways, and being himself.

Nico was amazing like that.

Will felt the love and devotion he felt for the Italian well up inside him, and wondered how he could possibly think he could date Jason, when he still felt so strongly for Nico.

He highly doubted this would change, either.

He wondered faintly whether Jason was aware of that.

He also wondered what difference it made, since he couldn't have either of them, anyways.

He couldn't have anybody.

How delirious had he been to ever think otherwise?

It was clear as day now.

"What is it?" He asked with a low sigh, resigning himself to his fate.

It wasn't Jason's fault he was the way he was.

That was all his own doing.

"I'm sorry if what I said upset you. I didn't mean to. However, it's the truth, and I'll prove it if you ever want me to." Jason said quietly as he walked around the bed, back into Will's line of vision, and he saw Percy following Jason's lead, though he looked miffed and his eyes were narrowed as he looked between Jason and Will.

Will glared at them both and then turned to hide his face at Nico's chest, feeling them get into bed behind Nico.

Jason had just pretty much told him he'd date Will if he ever decided he was ready, hadn't he?

Splendid.

Now Will only wished he ever _could_ be ready.

"Good night." He said instead of replying, and Nico sighed against his ear.

"Good night, Will." He replied quietly, and Will smiled bitterly to himself as he concentrated on the whirl of emotions inside Nico, ranging from confusion and disappointment to worry and concern, a hint of bitterness somewhere in the mix, too.

He wasn't angry, though.

Not at Will, not at Jason, not at Percy.

Nico was rarely angry.

He was always so peaceful and wonderful, wasn't he?

Accepting things as they were, only questioning what had to be questioned.

He had become more quiet again lately, but Will knew that was because of the confusion that Nico still hadn't decided to clear up just yet.

Will wondered whether he ever would.

He seemed to take after Will when it came to dealing with problems.

Which meant they both liked to pretend the problems didn't exist and everything was just splendid, until the problem came back to punch them in the face.

"Good night, sun-bug." Percy replied, sounding tired and concerned and bitter, but he pushed up against Jason, anyways, moving him closer against Nico, and thus, Will.

Will couldn't see them, but he felt their movements, his mind of course picking up on that instantly.

Gods, he just wanted out of his skin.

A fresh start, a fresh life, all of that.

Maybe he should take a dip in the River Lethe.

He could just pretend he didn't _know_ it was the Lethe, and it wasn't as if he was going to _remember_ it afterwards.

Will felt the back of Jason's hand stroking over his, where he was holding onto Nico.

"Good night, Will." He said gently – the sort of gentle that made Will almost wait for a good night kiss or something.

Who knew, if he was anybody else, he might have actually gotten one, too.

He wanted to pull his hand away, wanted to snap something like 'Save it' or 'Just go to bed, all of you', but instead, he lifted his pinky, and Jason linked it with his own.

Will sighed, taking in the emotions surging through Jason, the affection, the concern, that warm, fuzzy feeling Will now realized might be _love_.

Jason wasn't mad at him, even though Will was being horrible and unreasonable.

Instead, he was worried about him, and didn't know what to do to make it better, to help him somehow.

'_You can't help me_', he thought.

But he didn't say it.

Instead, he wished Jason _could_ help him.

He wished they all could.

And he still wanted to fucking date Jason Grace.

But now, that seemed more impossible than ever.

He shouldn't have gone to Elysium.


	30. Chapter 30: Last-minute planning

**A/N:** Hello Cupcakes~  
This chapter is surprisingly short ._.  
Next chapter will be longer (I think) :D

Enjoy~  
-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 30: Last-minute planning, surprises, and so much confusion**

"So, wait, you think it's a good idea?" Nico asked, unable to help the surprise in his voice, even though he had hoped they'd agree.

Jason chuckled from where he was leaning against the door, while Will nodded with a small smile from where he sat on the closed toilet seat.

"Of course. He'll love it. Is that going to be your anniversary gift?" Will asked, looking curious, though Nico was still worried about the dark circles under his eyes.

He had a hunch Will hadn't slept last night.

The lack of thrashing next to him for the entire night (or any movement, in general) indicated as much, too, since he was pretty sure Will would have had lousy dreams after all that had happened yesterday.

First the talk about fears, then his talk with Michael, just to then have Jason 'accidentally' kiss him…

Nico shook himself inwardly, deciding now wasn't the time to think about that.

Now was the time to stop dead in his tracks and remember that it was Percy's and his 3-month-anniversary in two days.

"I…do you think I need a gift? I didn't think of anything, yet! Will he be expecting a gift?" He asked hurriedly, uncertainly, already racking his brain for something he could get Percy.

Jason and Will both chuckled, and for a moment, it almost seemed as if they were back to normal.

But then, Jason looked over to Will, who looked hurriedly down at his feet, and Jason looked away with a slightly conflicted expression.

Nico still had no idea what was going on between them, but after he had woken up to them like this earlier, he had refrained from asking…so far.

"Nico, I think you're good. Seriously, you plan on having us go _visit his mom_. I think that's one of the best gifts you can give him. He'll be absolutely thrilled about it, I assure you." Will replied in that nice, soothing voice of his, though his eyes didn't leave his feet.

"Will is right, he'll love it. When do you want to call her? It's a bit early now, I think, but you should probably do it soon, to check whether she'll have time and all." Jason agreed, and Nico nodded hurriedly.

Yes.

Yes, he had to call Percy's mother.

He had no idea when he was going to do that.

But he was going to do it.

If Will and Jason agreed with his plan, then it had to be a good plan.

"I was hoping to give her a call after breakfast, but I'm not sure about a date yet, and, well, I wanted to check what you two thought about it, first." He explained, and they both smiled at him.

"How adorable. But yeah, the idea is great. I'm sure she'll be all for it," Will assured him, and Nico smiled to himself, feeling rather pleased.

Hopefully, Percy would like that surprise.

He had actually kind of forgotten about the whole idea of 'visiting Percy's mom' until last night, when Jason had come back with the signatures, and it had kind of hit him that this meant they'd be leaving soon.

It was weird, how fast Nico had gotten used to being here, in the Underworld, with the guys, and his dad, in their room…

But he did miss Camp , the other Campers, the arena, and actual things to do other than eating, sleeping and playing.

Though he had enjoyed it here. Quite a bit, too.

More than he had expected, actually.

"And for the date, we'll just ask your dad when he wants us gone. It also kind of depends where and how you'd like to celebrate your anniversary." Jason pointed out, and Nico started worrying his bottom lip.

Where _did_ he want to celebrate with Percy?

He had originally kind of thought they'd be back in Camp by now, though he hadn't exactly minded waiting for Jason to get done with his peace contract.

It didn't really matter to him, to be honest.

He didn't even have to _celebrate_, anyways.

He was happy with Percy, and Percy seemed happy with him, and if Percy remembered and would tell him a sweet 'I love you' in the morning…that would be all the celebration he needed.

Though he wouldn't complain about some alone time, either.

Maybe outside the bathroom, for once.

Nico mulled this over, wondering what they could do if they stayed here, and what Will and Jason could possibly do in that time.

Sure, it was two days until then, but with things being the way they were now, he didn't want to propose that they should spend _hours_ alone together somewhere in the Underworld, when Will seemed to barely be able to stay in the same room with Jason for ten minutes.

Then again, they might get it all in order again by noon.

He eyed them both out of the corners of his eyes, first Jason, who was staring at Will and seemed eager to talk their issues out, then Will, who acted like he didn't notice the stare and kept looking at his feet, more than apparently _not_ up for any sort of talk with Jason.

No, it didn't look like it.

Nico felt that queasy feeling in his stomach again, but pushed it down.

It seemed there was something serious going on between the two of them.

He could _try_ and talk to each of them, and see if they wanted to elaborate, but asking them about it right here, right now, with both of them present at the same time…

Nope, not going to happen.

That would probably only make things worse, because Will would act as if everything was great, and Jason already seemed upset.

So, yeah, no.

At least they had agreed to both hear him out at the same time when he had said he needed a word with them.

Percy had looked so surprised.

Hopefully he wouldn't misinterpret anything and think Nico had a problem with him or anything.

He'd tell him later.

What he'd tell him, he had no idea.

Could he say it was a surprise?

But then Percy wouldn't be able to sit still until he knew what it was, and none of them would have a free second until they were in front of Sally's place.

Not a good idea.

Unless they left soon, of course, which once more led to the question of where he wanted to celebrate.

Should they even celebrate?

Sure, three months seemed a hell lot to Nico, but maybe Percy thought differently?

When did people usually celebrate?

This was all just because Will had brought up his anniversary and gifts.

"I don't even know whether we'd actually celebrate anything…" He mumbled awkwardly, and both Jason and Will looked around at him, their eyebrows raised.

"Why not? I would. Three months is a lot. And you haven't even had a real fight yet. _That_ ought to be celebrated, don't you think?" Will mused, and Nico shrugged.

True, they hadn't really fought about anything.

They hadn't even really argued.

Last night had been the closest they had ever gotten to actually arguing, and that had only been because Percy hadn't wanted to lay into Jason and that accidental kiss.

It wasn't as if it didn't bother Nico, it really, really did, but Will had started getting so _uncomfortable_, and no matter how much that kiss had confused and frustrated Nico, Will's discomfort had upset him a hundred times more.

So, well, he had told Percy to stop, and Percy had at first, just to pick it up in a different way again fifteen minutes later, which had really started getting on Nico's nerves.

Also, it hadn't been lost to him that the more he and Percy had bickered, the more Will had zoned out, and the more tired and haunted he had looked – which had made Nico snap at Percy even more to finally _end_ it.

Seriously, he _really_ wanted to know what was wrong with Will.

He had thought Jason would be able to help him, but apparently, whatever they had talked about in the bathroom had only made it worse.

"That is true. I know _I'd_ celebrate every anniversary possible." Jason agreed, and Nico caught Will shooting Jason an almost _hurt_ look, though Jason missed it by the fraction of a second.

_What was it with those two?_

"I don't know what Percy thinks of it, though…I don't know. Can I just…do you think I can just ask him? What if he doesn't think so? Or what if he doesn't want to, and I ask him out of nowhere, and he feels obligated to-…" He started, and promptly heard Will snort.

"Nico, Percy pretty much _worships_ you. I'm more than a hundred percent certain he'd _die_ to celebrate your three-month-mark with you."

"That, and you know you can talk to him about _everything_, Nico. It's not like he'll laugh at you or anything. For all you know, he might be worrying about the exact same thing." Jason added, but Nico highly doubted it.

"If so, he'd have just asked me, wouldn't he?"

Percy wasn't as much of a coward as Nico was, after all.

"Maybe, maybe not. Maybe he's hoping you'll ask him. Maybe he's worried about making you feel obligated to celebrate even though you might not want to, just like you. You never know until you ask." Jason shrugged, and Will gave a quiet nod, though he wasn't looking at either of them, and suddenly absolutely silent.

"But…he doesn't _seem_ to be worried…" Nico said hesitantly, and Jason looked at him with a gentle smile.

"Yeah, well, here's the thing though…you can't always guess what your partner is thinking, Nico. Conversation is important; one of the most important things in a relationship. If you have a question, no matter how trivial, no matter how stupid you might think it is, you should be able to ask your partner without fearing ridicule. If you have something that bothers you, you should be able to talk it out without having to worry your partner will invalidate you or brush you off. You can guess and assume a lot of things, but you never know for sure until you talk about it, right?"

Nico shuffled nervously, thinking of all the things he had kind of wanted to talk to Percy about, but then hadn't.

They were all just so…self-explanatory.

If he just thought hard enough, he knew what Percy would probably think of them, and then what was the point of asking?

But Jason did have a point.

Jason always had a point.

Nico glanced towards Will again, but Will still wasn't looking at them, and wasn't adding any additional advice, which seemed unusual for him.

"But…how would I bring something like that up? I mean, it's just…" He started awkwardly, then cursed himself, because this all sounded so horrible.

He sounded like he had no idea how to be in a relationship.

Well, yeah, he kind of _had_ no idea how to be in a relationship, but he didn't want it to show _that_ badly.

His 'relationships' that weren't merely 'friendship' were with Hazel, Reyna and Bianca, and…that was kind of it.

And, well, while he had slowly started opening up to Hazel and Reyna, it had never gotten to the point where he'd have to bring up things like that, insecurities and such.

With Bianca…he had kind of still been too young to think of such things much.

And Bianca had tended to brush him off a lot, since she had kind of tried to build a social life and befriend other kids, while Nico had kind of wanted to not do that at all and rather stay with her the entire time.

Yeah, he could see now that might have been a rather stupid thing of him to do.

Jason shot a slightly concerned look towards Will, who was still dead quiet, then he smiled at Nico again.

"Just do it? I'm not sure what you mean. If it's a problem, I'd probably give him a fair warning. Something along the lines of 'Hey, Percy, I need to talk to you about something that's been bothering me. Do you have a moment?', maybe?"

Nico looked down at his feet, trying to picture that going down.

"That…sounds all good and nice, but we're kind of…I don't want to unnecessarily worry him. It's not like I actually _have_ a problem with him or anything, no, he's great! It's just small stuff. Not even about him. I think. It's more…I kind of…he's been acting a bit weird, and I thought I'd…"

Ok, this was getting nowhere, was it?

Somehow, through some miracle, Jason seemed to understand, though.

"Well, first of all, you can't ever worry him unnecessarily, Nico. Whatever bothers you, whatever is on your mind, just tell him, I'm sure he'll understand. And if he doesn't, then explain it to him. He's Percy, he won't laugh. And if he does, then you can come to me, and I'll make sure he regrets it. If it's _his_ problems you want to talk about, though…I'm not sure. I suppose you could try sit him down and tell him you've noticed he's been acting unusual, and whether there's anything you can do to help, but it's important not to corner him or pressure him into anything. You love him, after all, so you wouldn't want to force him to talk about something he's not ready to say, right?"

Nico nodded instantly, glancing over towards Will again, but he was still studying his feet, his jaw set, his expression blank.

Nico wished he knew what was wrong with him.

But Will definitely gave off that 'I don't want to talk about it'-vibe, so it wasn't as if he could 'sit him down and talk' like Jason had just explained to him.

Maybe another day.

"What's important is that if he does come to you, make sure to show that you'll hear him out and be there for him. Even if it's something you don't agree with, or something that upsets you, it's important that you hear him out completely, before jumping to conclusions or anything. Hear him out, then tell him your point of view on the matter. A lot of conflicts and worries and arguments can be solved that way, much better than with yelling, screaming, and throwing things around. Just…don't force yourself to be ok with something you're not. That's important, Nico. If he says something you can't live with, you have to let him know. Same goes for if he doesn't want something you'd want, you have to tell him. Always be honest, Nico. Sometimes, people can meet in the middle. Of course, there's exceptions, but we'll talk about that if that happens." Jason explained, and Nico nodded along, inwardly making notes.

Maybe he could really do this.

Or maybe he couldn't, and it would all backfire in his face.

Well, he'd have to try, wouldn't he?

"Alright, thanks, Jason. I'll keep it in mind."

Jason smiled at him, pushing away from the door.

"Anytime, Neeks. Same as you can talk to Percy about anything and everything, my door is always open, too. Unless it's sexual stuff, then Will is probably of more help, I'm just saying."

They both glanced towards Will, but Will didn't even react for the longest moment.

Then, he looked up at them and shrugged.

"Yeah, I can help with that, no problem. So, shouldn't we get back to Percy, soon? He's going to worry sick. Hey, that means you can practice what you just learned, hmm?" He hummed, getting up and strolling over, trying to act upbeat and like his casual self.

He didn't look all that great, though.

"Are you ok?" He asked worriedly, but Will merely chuckled.

"You're asking the wrong person, your boyfriend is probably sitting on the bed you two still haven't deflowered. I swear, even Jason and I did more on that bed than you two did, and we didn't do _anything_ on there."

Nico just loved how he added 'on there', as if the two had actually 'done anything' anywhere else.

He also loved how Will had simply not answered his question at all.

Which was to say, he hated it.

"Will…" Jason started, but Will shot him a dark look.

"Not now."

Nico looked from one to the other, but it didn't make any sense.

Nothing did.

"Well, I guess I'll let you know when I know more about…our surprise. Thanks for hearing me out about this, and sorry for bothering." He muttered awkwardly, and they both turned towards him again, both of them looking slightly confused.

"You didn't bother us at all. We're glad to help. Plus, I really think that's a great idea. Maybe we can actually call her together, so I can apologize for swearing the last time instead of introducing myself." Jason suggested, and Nico shrugged, glad if he didn't have to do it by himself.

"Guess that leaves me to distract the toddler. Sure, that gives me a chance to beat him at his favorite games all over again. Alight, that all? Sweet, bye-bye." Will exclaimed hurriedly, opening the door before Jason could even look around, and then he was already gone.

"Will, wait-…" Jason started, then let out a long, pained sigh.

"Are you two going to be ok?" Nico asked hesitantly.

He didn't need to ask whether they were ok right now, because everybody could see they weren't.

He just had to ask whether Jason thought they'd be fine again.

To his horror, though, Jason seemed uncertain and hesitant.

"I'm not sure. We should be, but first, he has to be willing to talk it out. Right now, he seems more determined to avoid me than anything else."

Yeah, Nico could tell.

"Do you…want to talk about it?" He asked carefully, and found Jason smiling at him softly.

"Thank you, Nico. But right now, I fear I don't know the exact problem, myself. It's all a bit confusing."

Nico nodded quietly.

Fair enough.

"If you find out and…erm…need somebody to listen…"

Jason grinned, ruffling through his hair as Nico took a tentative step towards him.

"Thanks, I'll keep it in mind, Neeks. Now, let's get back to your boyfriend, before he worries too much."

They found Percy facedown in the pillow corner, lamenting loudly he was going to die if Will didn't tell him right now what they had talked about in the bathroom.

"Just all your dirty little secrets, Perce. I told you." Will insisted with a wink, hammering away on the buttons of his controller mercilessly as his character on the screen seemed to battle a bunch of enemies.

"I don't _have_ any dirty little secrets!" Percy wailed, and Jason chuckled next to him.

"Really? Nico certainly found a few."

Nico shot him a scandalized look, then cleared his throat loudly.

"You two are _so_ immature. Percy, don't listen to them. We were just talking about…well…"

Great, what was he supposed to say?

Percy had told him about a surprise when it had been about his birthday, but he hadn't said a thing about the surprise on Valentine's Day.

But Nico had already established earlier that Percy would get too curious to give them a peaceful moment, so there was that, too.

Then what was he supposed to say?

He couldn't _lie_ to him, after all.

"Nico wanted to get some advice on a few things. Nothing bad." Jason supplied helpfully, and Nico shot him a grateful look, while Percy instantly scrambled off the ground to rush towards Nico when he realized he and Jason were _finally_ back, too (even though they had only been gone for, what, two minutes longer than Will?).

"_There you are_! I was worried _sick_! Did I do something wrong? Is everything ok? What sort of advice?" He asked, colliding with Nico and wrapping his arms around him tightly, while Nico automatically returned the hug and patted his back.

Will and Jason chuckled, and Nico could see Jason sitting down next to Will, probably trying to get closer to him so they could 'talk'.

Will didn't even look sideways at him though, so Nico doubted that would happen anytime soon.

Poor Jason.

"Everything is good, Percy. I'm sorry if I worried you, you definitely didn't do anything wrong. There were just a few things I needed to talk to them about. I'll tell you soon, ok?" That wasn't a lie.

While he wasn't going to tell him about them visiting his mom until they were there, he was definitely going to try that thing with sitting Percy down.

He just wasn't sure when, yet.

Maybe he should have asked the guys how to go about it _in situations like these_.

Would have definitely been helpful.

Percy studied him for a moment, as if trying to guess what it could possibly be – but then he smiled and nodded, leaning down to place a quick kiss on his forehead.

"Alright, if you say so. So, what would you like to do until it's time for breakfast?"

"Play with me!" Will called over instantly, waving with his controller, while Jason sighed next to him, clearly having had other ideas.

Percy, of course, instantly looked at Nico for his opinion, but Nico wasn't sure.

All for itself, he wouldn't mind playing, but he did want those two to make up.

Jason seemed to read his mind, glancing over at him with a sad smile before making space for them to join in.

Well, that settled that matter.

Hopefully, those two would talk it out soon, though.

The sooner they did, the sooner Percy could stop looking between them with that troubled, concerned look in his eyes, and could stop switching between frowning at Jason worriedly and glowering at him.

And there Nico had thought everything would be great after their little 'date'.

Gods, that _date_.

Nico had to admit he had felt sort of weird when Jason had suddenly started talking about _asking Percy out_.

He had known it was more meant like a joke and all, but…it had just felt _weird_.

Couldn't he have just said 'let's hang out together' or even simpler 'come on, Perce, let's watch a movie together to pass time'?

But _no_, it had just had to be 'I wanted to ask you out on a date'.

And his boyfriend had simply gone along with it.

Maybe Nico should ask him out on a date, too.

Would Percy agree as hastily as he had with Jason?

Hey, maybe he could do that on their anniversary.

Though he had no idea where to take Percy.

He doubted it would be very romantic to go to Elysium with Percy, and they'd both be a tad distracted by the possibility of Michael spilling about whatever it was that was wrong with Will.

And, well, other than that, Nico couldn't think of any other places here that might be nice.

Sure, they could check out that place again that Bob had built for the friendly monsters, but that also hardly counted as good dating grounds, right?

In the upper world, all that would probably be much easier.

Nico could take Percy out for dinner and/or watch a movie with him in the theaters.

Or they could just stroll through parks all day, holding hands and talking and enjoying some alone time.

(Or they could book a hotel room and have sex all day. All the possibilities.)

Hm, actually, the movies might not be a bad idea.

Nico could check their list of to-watch films and see if anything was running already, and then he could take Percy to the upper world for a few hours.

They could even take Jason and Will along and those two could do something else or go shopping or something in the meantime.

Nico doubted his dad would want them to leave on such short-notice, so he discarded the thought of driving to Percy's mom before the end of the week.

Percy tugged him over as he shrugged his okay, and the two of them settled down between Will and Jason, who both threw Percy smug, knowing grins that made him pout all over again, but he stopped when Nico stroked over the back of his hand.

"Percy?"

"Yes?" Percy asked instantly, eyes solely on him, and Nico smiled at him, realizing all over again he was dating this dork for _three_ _months_ already.

"Ti amo, cuore mio." _(I love you, my heart.)_

Percy beamed at him, leaning against his side and looking like the happiest person alive.

"I love you too, my Angel."

"You two are so adorable. Now, would you select your characters so we can play?" Will asked impatiently, though he didn't seem upset.

At least not at them.

"We could order some breakfast in bed." Percy mused as they started playing, and Nico entertained the idea for maybe three seconds, before realizing his father would be absolutely upset about that.

"No way, that would just mean even more pancakes for me, and with my luck, they'd be drenched in syrup _again_." Jason complained instantly, and Nico sighed.

True, there was that, too.

"_Who_ drenched your pancakes? _Percy_, what did you do _this_ time?" Will asked instantly, all quarrel apparently forgotten.

His boyfriend started wailing and defending himself, while Nico merely sighed and started thinking about what he was going to tell Percy's mother/Sally.

Yeah, he had a hunch he _really_ wanted Jason around for moral support.

Hopefully, she'd have time and be ok with the four of them coming over.

Great, now he was nervous again.

Breakfast was going to be so fun.

...

"Why, you're still here? What an unexpected surprise." Hades said in a rather bored tone as they entered the dining room, and Jason frowned.

What?

That was an odd statement.

After all, the god was _here_, so he doubted he hadn't known they'd be coming.

Unless he always sat all alone in the dining room without eating anything, just staring off into space with his elbows on the table.

Yeah, Jason kind of doubted it.

"Where else would we be?" Nico asked, sounding as confused as Jason felt, while they all filed into the room and took their seats.

Hades shrugged, then pointed a finger at the ceiling.

"You have all you need, so I thought you'd leave right away. Lots to do in the upper world, after all."

Did Hades just kick them out ever so subtly?

Or was he complaining that they had only stayed this long in the first place because of the missing signatures, rather than enjoying their time with the god of the Underworld?

Neither option sounded very promising, to be honest.

Nico seemed stunned for a moment, but then he caught himself.

"Well, actually, we thought we'd stay a few more days. Unless you're saying you don't want us to." The Italian said cautiously, and Jason saw Hades looking towards Will quietly for a long moment, as if contemplating something.

Had Jason mentioned he didn't like it when the gods looked at Will like that?

Then again, he was looking at Will, too, still hoping for a sign.

He wasn't even sure what sign he was hoping for.

Maybe something to tell him they were alright, maybe something that would clear up all the confusion, maybe just something that told him what he had done wrong in the first place.

Will loved him.

_Loved. Him._

Jason felt his heart thumping faster in his chest just thinking about it.

Yet, it didn't seem to change anything.

Will had still claimed it made no difference.

It was so _strange_.

On one side, Will seemed almost _desperate_ to show Jason they couldn't be, telling him they 'wouldn't work out' and that Jason would regret it, or something.

But on the other side, it had been _Will_ suddenly all but _begging_ to date him, as if fearing if he didn't do it now, he'd never get the chance again.

And, while Jason wanted nothing more than to call Will his boyfriend, he wanted that to happen because Will genuinely wanted to date him, not because he felt obliged to due to Jason's feelings, or out of some sort of panic that Jason didn't yet understand.

He wanted to talk to him.

Needed to talk to him.

Needed to clear this up, to let him know everything was fine, that Jason had no problem with waiting.

He just wanted Will to be ready and not rush into anything he'd regret.

And right now, it seemed like he'd regret anything and everything.

He definitely looked as if he regretted telling Jason his feelings last night.

Then again, Jason hadn't exactly planned to confess his own, either.

That had kind of just…slipped.

Though he didn't regret it.

Will had looked so surprised, it had almost been comical.

Had he seriously thought Jason would do all that with him if he didn't love him?

Well, apparently.

"You can come and go as you wish, Nico. You _and_ your friends. Though I suppose I _would_ like some peace and quiet here, again. Also, your sun boy will have to confront his nightly visions again, and sometime soon, too. I admit, my protection is slowly wearing off. That's what one gets for interfering with other gods. They're not happy." Hades said in a casual tone, as if telling them the weather outside was nice.

Jason blinked, and instantly looked back at Will, who seemed fairly taken aback too – and even glanced towards Jason with big eyes, even though he had tried so hard to ignore him the entire rest of the time so far.

Was that why he hadn't slept last night?

Out of fear of his nightmares?

No, he wouldn't have known they'd occur, right?

He seemed to sleep fine before then, after all.

Jason wondered faintly whether it was his fault that Will hadn't slept – and it seemed pretty obvious he hadn't, what with the dark circles under his eyes and his slightly paler complexion.

He wouldn't be surprised if it was his fault at all.

Which made him feel even worse.

Seriously, Jason just wanted to wrap his arms around Will and lull him back to sleep, protect him and keep him safe and warm, while Will got the rest he deserved.

But then Will turned his head away again hurriedly, acting as if this moment hadn't just happened, and Jason doubted he'd even as much as let Jason touch him right now.

Great.

"What do you mean? Will, have you been sleeping badly lately?" Percy asked, sounding as concerned as Jason felt.

"What? No. I mean…" Will instantly hurried to reply, just to then trail off, looking conflicted.

Well…

But Jason had thought that was because of the whole mess with Elysium?

The way Will bit his bottom lip and looked away with a conflicted look made Jason think he had assumed the same, but wasn't sure how to phrase that.

"It is not always easy to differ between what is dream and what is reality, Perseus. The more stress the human body in question experiences, the more it is susceptible for both nightmares and godly interferences. It will make sense one day. For now, all I can say is that you will have to return soon, else it will be close to unbearable. I suggest keeping that horrid water fountain close when you get back to Camp. Before then, my powers should still keep it down enough to not cause any damage." Hades explained, sounding bored, though he talked as if he genuinely cared.

Then, the god smiled almost bitterly at them.

"Though, thinking about it, sun boy's nightmares will be the least of your worries once you're back."

Jason's skin started tingling unpleasantly, and he shot another look at Will, who looked even paler than before and frowned at the god, apparently as confused as they were.

What?

Why did gods always have to say stuff like that?

What was this supposed to mean?

Was something going to happen?

_What_ was going to happen?

And why did everybody have to refer to Will as 'sun boy'?

He was more than just the son of the god of the sun, okay?

_Much_ more.

Hades turned to look at Jason, as if he could read his mind, and Jason thought he could see his expression softening for maybe a fraction of a second.

But then he just smiled bitterly once more, before returning his attention to the four of them equally.

"In that case, we should probably leave soon." Nico mumbled, sounding uncertain and worried, and Jason saw him glancing at Will out of the corners of his eyes, too, though he seemed to try not let it show in order to not make Will even more uncomfortable, since Percy's intent staring seemed to do just that.

Jason subtly leaned forward to get in between them and stop the staring, hoping it would help Will relax at least a tiny bit.

"Yes. Tomorrow would be a good day. Gives you enough time to pack." Hades stated with a shrug, and Jason raised an eyebrow.

Well, that was pretty direct.

Somehow, Jason felt as if things were suddenly speeding up again way too quickly.

It was a shame, because he had only just gotten used to the slow flow, that relaxed feeling of waking up in the morning without immediate responsibilities, where he could just get up, get ready for the day, and do as he/they pleased.

Now, it felt as if they were rushed back into that world full of stress and duties and responsibilities, and he had a hunch said stress, duties and responsibilities would smack him in the face sometime soon, too, for avoiding them for so long.

Same as he'd have to take up travelling again.

Oh gods.

_Travelling._

Jason shot a look towards Will.

He had completely forgotten about that.

For one glorious moment, he had forgotten he'd have to leave the guys behind at Camp and take up travelling again for the peace contract.

He'd have to leave _Will_ behind.

And Jason had seriously thought they could _date_?

Laughable.

What would Will want with somebody who wasn't even there most of the time?

By the looks of it, he needed a surprisingly big amount of reassurance and love, somebody to be there for him and shower him in affection.

Jason definitely couldn't do that.

He glanced towards Percy and Nico, and relaxed slightly, though his heart ached.

_They_ could do that.

They probably would, too.

The last time he had left Camp for a signature, he had left with Will and Percy barely being able to stay in the same room together, and had come back to them being best friends with small crushes on each other.

How high was the chance the three of them would be dating by the time he returned from his next trip?

Bitterness rushed through him, but he brushed it aside with a huff.

No, anything was good as long as Will got better.

He had so much stuff going on right now, still seeming so freaked out about things they didn't know yet, he definitely deserved some peace.

He also deserved to be loved.

And since Jason wouldn't be able to give that love, he'd much rather have it be Percy and Nico to give him that love, than somebody else.

Though he didn't believe for one moment Will would go looking for anybody anytime soon.

It was odd.

Somehow, it seemed as if Will _craved_ for a significant other, for somebody to love him and be there for him, but at the same time, he seemed so utterly intent on denying himself any chance for such.

Just what was wrong with him?

Was he just that forcefully antagonistic?

Or was it something different?

Jason didn't understand.

But somehow, it felt as if, the more he tried to figure it all out, the more Will tried to run.

How could Jason ease his worries, his fears?

Everything he did seemed to only help temporarily.

Was there nothing he could do to help Will permanently leave all that bad stuff behind?

"Alright, tomorrow, then." Nico said, though he sounded conflicted about something, and Jason glanced towards him, only to have him staring at him with an uncertain expression.

What?

_Oh!_

_Sally!_

Well, that was going to be one interesting Iris Message.

He hoped she'd have time on such short notice.

Place-wise, they should be good as long as she had a sofa, so he wasn't all that worried about that.

Then again, she would probably think differently.

He shot Nico a reassuring smile and nodded, trying to let him know they'd work it out later.

If she didn't have time, they'd simply have to set a different date and stay at Camp Jupiter for a bit longer than intended, and then leave for a day or two to visit Sally, before taking the whole group back to Camp Half-Blood.

Oh, he so wasn't looking forward to the travelling.

Hopefully, the way back wouldn't take as long as it had taken them to get here.

Sure, with the guys, it had been a lot more fun, but it had still been travelling.

"Good. I'll let Jules-Albert know to get the car ready, then. That, and the bus, of course. You kids will want to take your friends home, after all." Hades said in a matter-of-fact voice, but his smug grin told Jason he knew exactly why he had all four of them staring at him in confusion.

"The _bus_?" Nico asked for clarification, and Hades blinked innocently at him, which Jason didn't buy for one second.

"Why, of course. Jules-Albert can drive cars, motor bikes, busses, planes, underwater vehicles…you name it. I was wondering why you didn't call him to get all those kids to that other Camp of yours. It would have certainly been faster."

Jason faintly wondered two things:

One, why had Hades not said this _sooner_, like, a month or so ago, when they would have been only all too happy to know about this and make use of it?

And two, _why hadn't Jason's dad ever given him a zombie chauffeur_?

Would be pretty useful for all the travelling he had to do, wouldn't it?

"_Does he now_? Why did you never tell me?" Nico asked through clenched teeth, and Hades shrugged.

"I thought it was obvious. What good would a chauffeur do if you couldn't use him for all your travelling needs?"

Nico looked as if he wanted to strangle his dad.

Luckily, he seemed to decide against that, instead sighing loudly and taking hold of the sandwich Will had apparently made him, who was reaching past Jason and Percy to give it to him.

Jason stared at said sandwich for a moment, watching Will pass another one to Percy next to him, and he had to admit he felt oddly left out – until he realized there was one on his plate, already.

Even though Will was so out of sorts, he was still the one making sure that they all ate.

Well, that _they_ ate, since his own plate was empty, and Will didn't look as if he was going to change that anytime soon, either.

Jason shot him a pointed look, but Will blatantly ignored him.

_Ugh._

Will had already skipped lunch/dinner yesterday with sleeping through until he had woken up at around 3am, so Jason knew he _had_ to be hungry.

Or, at least, his body had to be starved.

Jason stared him down a moment longer, ignoring the on-going conversation between Nico and Hades about all the other things Jules-Albert could do, but Will resolutely stared at his empty plate.

Alright, this called for drastic measures.

Jason checked that Percy and Nico were too distracted to pay them any attention, then reached out a hand slowly to touch Will's thigh carefully.

Will instantly jumped, shooting him an alarmed look, but Jason didn't care, stroking over his thigh slowly, gently, and staring him down, mutely pleading with him to at least _attempt_ to eat.

Will's shock turned to irritation as he scowled at him, though Jason noticed he didn't look away nor did he brush his hand away, either.

He was going to take that as a good sign.

Jason motioned to his sandwich again, trying to imitate Percy's baby seal face as well as he could.

Judging by the suddenly conflicted look on Will's face, it was working.

The blonde hesitated a moment longer, then he let out an annoyed sigh and reached out for the various food on the table to fix himself a sandwich as well, albeit reluctantly and with a displeased look.

Jason didn't care much.

Leah's 'too manipulative' rang through his mind again, but, seriously, what else was he supposed to do?

Will _had_ to eat.

Anything else would be bad for his health, and that was the last thing Will needed, on top of everything else.

There was a difference in manipulating people for his own gain, and getting Will to do what he had to do in order to be functioning properly.

While he watched Will fix himself his breakfast, Percy's hand moved past him to Will's glass, pouring orange juice into it and setting it closer to the blonde, wordlessly telling him to drink.

Good.

If Percy got him to drink, and Jason got him to eat, then Nico might get him to sleep later, again.

They made such a good team.

A hand touched his own tentatively, and it took him a moment to realize it was Will's, and that Jason still had his hand on his thigh.

He glanced at him, and found Will _almost_ looking at him, a conflicted, torn look on his face.

His fingers were tentative and gentle, entwining with Jason's ever so slowly, and Jason could feel him tremble slightly.

_He wanted to._

He _wanted_ to hold Jason's hand, but he was scared.

Scared of what?

Of Jason?

Jason would rather die than do anything that would make Will fear him.

Of a relationship?

Jason had told him he wouldn't force him into anything.

Plus, wasn't it usually Will who talked about finding himself a boy-/girlfriend at some point so he wouldn't have to deal with Percy and Nico being all lovey-dovey all the time?

Then again, Will had said many things, and then done the exact opposite.

Jason studied him a moment longer, then allowed their fingers to link properly, holding his hand in a way that hopefully conveyed he was ok with this, but that Will could pull back at any moment.

Something nagged in the back of his mind, as if the answer to everything that was going on was right there, in front of him, in all those small actions, from the loud words to the timid touches.

But Jason couldn't put his finger on it, so, instead, he stroked Will's hand with his thumb, and they both ate breakfast in silence.

They'd work it out somehow.

...

"You ok? Do you want to talk now?" Percy asked, trying not to sound too nervous as he pulled back from where he had been kissing Nico, pressed against the locked bathroom door.

Nico hesitated a moment longer, then nodded, giving him another peck on the lips and putting his hands back on Percy's sides, signaling he didn't have to put any distance or such between them – which also helped calm Percy down a bit.

If this was something bad, he'd have wanted space, after all, right?

Percy had no idea why everything always had to happen at the same time.

Weeks had passed with them doing nothing but playing video games and watching films (and stuffing their faces with way too many snacks, but they didn't talk about that), and then, all of a sudden, all the problems with Will had popped up out of nowhere, Jason had gotten his signatures, Jason and Will were having some sort of issue, Hades was kicking them out, making weird, ominous statements…and Nico wanted to 'talk'.

When he had asked Jason and Will to come with him to the bathroom earlier, _alone_, Percy had seriously thought he had done something horribly wrong, and Nico needed to ask them what to do, whether to give him another chance or to break things off.

Their three-month-anniversary was in two days, he definitely didn't want to mess up so shortly before that.

Nor after that, to be honest.

"I…Percy, it's really nothing bad. I was just talking to them about something I thought we could all do together, but I first wanted their input on it. And…well…"

Yes?

Ok, Nico had something planned that he didn't want Percy to know just yet.

That was going to kill him, but ok.

He could live with that.

But there was more.

What was it?

Was Nico upset with him? He hadn't acted upset.

Had Percy touched him wrong? He had seemed to enjoy everything, so far.

Was Nico frustrated about only having alone-time in the bathroom? He _had_ complained about that before...

Maybe Percy should ask the guys to get lost for a while.

No, he couldn't possibly do that.

First of all, they still had that issue going on and Will seemed adamant about not being alone with Jason (which he was right now and Percy didn't like it whatsoever), and second of all, what were those two supposed to do in the time being?

Things tended to escalate so weirdly every time those two were alone, after all.

One time they were all snuggly and cuddly and lovey-dovey, and another time Will looked as if he was going to break down and cry, seeming frustrated and fed up with the whole world.

He had even thrown himself into Nico's arms, and when had he ever done _that_ before?

He always tried so hard to act tough around Nico, after all.

"Yes? What is it, babe?" He asked cautiously when Nico didn't continue, instead looking off into space with an unnerved expression.

"Well, I wanted to talk with you."

Percy blinked.

Yes? Wasn't that why they were here?

Nico seemed to realize he might have phrased that wrong, too, because his cheeks flushed slightly and he made a face.

"I mean, I wanted to talk with you. About you."

That…made even less sense.

"Ok?" Percy tried tentatively, but Nico shook his head, his blush deepening.

"I mean…I noticed you seemed somewhat…distracted? Troubled? Something seemed off, so I thought I'd…erm…offer to talk to you about it. _If_ you want to talk about it, that is. You…you can talk to me about anything and everything, after all." Nico stated pointedly, though it sounded a lot like something Jason would say, and Percy had a hunch what Nico had needed advice on, earlier.

_Oh_.

"You thought something bothered me and went to talk to the guys for help?" He asked slightly taken aback, and Nico seemed to cringe.

_Oops_.

Maybe he should have phrased that differently.

It wasn't as if he minded or anything.

"Percy, I know I'm not good with…all that talking-stuff. I don't…I don't know how to do that. But I do want to be there for you, and I want you to know I'll hear you out. Jason said conversation is important in a relationship, and I know he's right. So…so, if there's anything you want to talk about, anything at all, you can tell me, ok?"

Percy smiled gently at his boyfriend.

Yes, this was his Nico, alright.

"Ok. I hope you know that goes both ways. I mean, I don't mind if you get advice from them, but you really had me worried. I thought I did something wrong or hurt you." Percy replied, and Nico instantly looked up at him in shock.

"Of course not! No, you're great. I just…I was just…erm…"

Yes…?

Percy gazed expectantly at his boyfriend, stroking up and down his back, and he could feel Nico's hands trembling on his sides slightly.

"I just…are we going to celebrate? Our three-month anniversary? I didn't want to bother you with it, but the guys said I should just ask…"

Percy blinked, taken aback.

Wait, wait, wait.

"_This_ is what's been bothering you? Nico, I'd _love_ to celebrate that. What would you like to do? And baby, you could never 'bother' me! You can ask me anything, always, ever." He insisted, tugging him closer and attempting to give him a kiss on the nose, but Nico turned his face up and Percy ended up giving him an awkward peck right beneath his lips.

_Good job, Percy._

Percy leaned back down to give him a proper kiss, and Nico chuckled lightly.

"Well, actually, I didn't think all that much of it until Will pointed out I might need a gift. _Then_ I started panicking." Nico explained, and Percy raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure whether to thank Will or scold him for that."

They grinned at each other, then Nico frowned again.

"_Do_ I need a gift? I was kind of thinking we'd be back in Camp long before then, so I thought I'd think of something when I was there. Staying here for so long kind of…yeah…"

Now it was Percy's turn to chuckle, and he moved his hands down Nico's back to his butt.

"Babe, the best gift you can make me is yourself. So I'm already the happiest guy in the world." He said sincerely, and Nico blushed for real this time.

Then, he huffed.

"Oh, so I guess that means we're staying in bed all day, huh?"

Percy gave his backside a teasing squeeze, making Nico giggle.

"Well, that _would_ be a nice way to spend our anniversary, I admit. Though, in all honesty, I think as long as you're there we could sit at a table and stare at each other all day and I'd still think it's the best anniversary celebration ever." He cooed, and Nico laughed.

Percy loved it when he laughed.

He looked so beautiful when he did.

"Will is right, you're such a sap."

"Is that a bad thing?" Percy asked, gently starting to massage his boyfriend's butt.

It was a very nice butt.

Percy liked massaging it.

He also liked doing a variety of other things to it, but that could wait until later.

"No. I love it. I love you." Nico replied, tilting his face up for a kiss that Percy was only all too willing to give.

"I love you too. Ti amo. Erm…ti amo…something-something…tutti…erm…al mondo." He tried and failed to remember what Leo had taught him all those months ago (it probably wasn't even _that_ long ago, but it certainly felt like it now), and Nico snorted.

"That was horrible. I should really teach you some Italian, shouldn't I?"

"Please do. I want to woo you properly, after all." Percy said with a wiggle of his eyebrows, back to squeezing Nico's butt, who moved back into the touch as if in silent invitation.

"Percy, you already wooed me, that's how we're here." Nico pointed out, but Percy didn't let that deter him.

"Shh, let me do it again and again and again. It's our anniversary in two days, I want to be able to yell it to the world that you're mine."

It felt nice, talking like this.

Saying these things out loud, for Nico to hear.

Nico chuckled again, looking so wonderful and beautiful, Percy wondered how he had ever not seen it.

He must have been blind.

Stupid and blind.

"You're crazy." Nico whispered, and Percy puffed out his chest.

"Yes, yes I am. Crazy for you." He exclaimed, then they laughed and started play-chasing each other through the bathroom, though they probably shouldn't.

Why didn't they do stuff like this more often?

Nico almost tripped and Percy caught him, both of them ending up steadying each other as they broke out in another fit of laughter, clutching each other for dear life.

Oh, _that_ was probably why.

He wondered what Will would say if he and Jason found Percy and Nico with broken limbs on the bathroom floor because they had overdone their playing or something.

In all honesty, he'd probably laugh, fix them, scold them, then laugh more and tell everybody about it.

"You're crazy."

"And I love you."

"I love you, too, but you're still crazy." Nico insisted, and then he kissed him, and Percy grinned to himself before kissing back.

Yes, he was the happiest guy alive.

It was a shame that somehow, whenever things seemed to go well for him and Nico, Will and Jason seemed the opposite, and vice versa.

He wished there was something he could do.

But right now, he rather didn't want to interfere.

At least not until he knew what the actual problem was.

He might have a thing or two to say about that 'accidental' kiss (he didn't believe a word of it. Jason had fully well known what he was doing, and that had not looked like their _first_ kiss, either), but he had no idea how to feel about all of that yet, himself, so he wasn't going to butt in just yet.

Though he had enjoyed their little 'date'.

It had been nice.

Sure, they hadn't really talked, and Jason had almost dozed off towards the end of the film, but it had still been nice to spend some alone-time with him again.

Though he knew deep inside that Jason had only done that to appease Percy.

Kind of sad, but for now, Percy had decided to let it slide.

Jason had enough trouble with Will right now, and Percy had to think of something nice to do for Nico's and his anniversary.

So, yeah, he was going to let that go for now.

Though, he couldn't deny it stung a bit.

But only a little bit.

...

When Nico finally managed to convince Percy they should leave the bathroom, they found Jason carrying a fast asleep Will to bed with a small smile.

"Shh, don't wake him. Percy, mind staying close to him for a bit so he doesn't wake up? Nico, bathroom." He ordered in a quiet voice, and Percy blinked at Nico surprised.

Nico had to admit this was a bit fast, too, but he gave Percy a quick nod, before turning around to go back into the bathroom he had just stepped out of.

Was it already time for the Iris Message?

Oh gods, he so wasn't ready.

Maybe he should switch clothes.

Percy had made a mess of him, anyways, disheveling his hair like that and tugging on his clothes so much.

Well, at least the bathroom didn't smell like sex.

(There hadn't been any. Just wild making out. Sex had to wait until later. Though he so wouldn't mind that post-orgasmic peace of mind right about now.)

Then again, Sally wouldn't be able to smell that, anyways.

Jason would, though, so he was glad that wasn't the case.

What was Nico even thinking about? Seriously.

"I'm so sorry about that, Jason. I know we said we'd call right after breakfast, but…" He started the moment Jason had the door closed, but Jason waved off.

"Don't worry, I expected him to drag you off to the bathroom, anyways. He even held out longer than I thought he would, waiting until after breakfast. Anyways, let's call…"

Nico studied his profile as Jason looked around, seemingly looking for the best place of the bathroom for Sally to see and them not to be too uncomfortable and awkward.

Good thing he was here, Nico would probably have sat on the closed toilet seat or something.

He should not be this nervous talking to his boyfriend's mother.

Wait, actually, maybe he should.

Jason placed the IM-ing device and started the call.

Oh gods, it didn't matter whether he should or shouldn't be, he was so freaking nervous!

"Did you manage to sort things out with Will?" He blurted while Fleecy was trying to put them through, and Jason shot him a sideways glance.

Then he sighed.

"No, but I don't want to rush him. There's a lot going on for him right now, so I'll let him take all the time he needs."

Sounded like Jason.

"I'm sure he'll come around. I mean, he's already trying, isn't he?" He tried comfortingly, thinking of Will first trying to ignore Jason, just to then rant at Percy for the syrup-fiasco.

And Nico was pretty sure he had seen them holding hands during breakfast, but that might have just been a trick of the light or something, since he had sat furthest away from them.

It didn't matter, it was their life.

He was just happy if they managed to get themselves in order and were good again.

Yes, he wanted them to be happy again.

(Even if it wasn't with him. Because that wasn't possible.)

"Maybe she's not home?" Jason asked as Sally still didn't seem to pick up, but right as he said it, the call seemed to go through, and the picture started building up.

"Percy?" Sally Jackson asked confused, then seemed even more confused when she saw the two of them, sheepishly smiling at her while standing in a bathroom.

She seemed to be in the kitchen, if Nico remembered the place correctly.

"Erm, no. Good day, Mrs. Jackson. I'm Jason Grace, a friend of Percy's." Jason introduced himself smoothly, while Nico found himself tongue-tied.

"Oh, Jason, yes, Percy told me about you. It's nice to meet you when you aren't swearing. Please call me Sally. How can I help you? Is something wrong? Percy is ok, right?"

They instantly rushed to assure her Percy was ok, both of the with their hands up, both stumbling over their words, but she didn't seem to mind whatsoever, instead letting out a relieved sigh.

"Oh, thank the gods. After all that's happened in the past, one starts getting a bit paranoid…so, if everything is in order, how else can I help you?"

Jason shot Nico a look that said 'Your turn', so Nico grudgingly tried to get himself together.

"Yes, erm…Mrs. Ja-…Sally, we were wondering…would you happen to be home tomorrow?"

Oh gods, that was horrible.

Jason rushed to elaborate.

"Nico wants to surprise Percy with visiting you. Percy has been fantasizing about it but wasn't sure whether we'd have the time, so Nico wanted to ask you whether it would be ok to come by for a day or two."

That sounded a lot better.

Nico hated being beside himself.

"Yes, it would be the four of us. I just thought it would be a nice idea, and we wanted to call you for a date, but now my dad kind of kicked us out and said we have to leave tomorrow, so…yeah…" He explained, and both he and Jason were surprised when Sally started laughing.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful. That's a _great_ idea. It shouldn't be a problem, but hang on a moment, I'll ask Paul, just to be safe."

She disappeared from the screen, and they both exchanged relieved glanced before looking back at her kitchen.

"Looks like she's cooking stew. Or soup." Jason said quietly, and Nico nodded.

"Percy likes neither."

"I'll make him some soup later, then."

"As revenge for the syrup?"

"Absolutely."

They both chuckled, then Sally popped up again, beaming at them.

She was such a beautiful woman, both from the inside and the outside, Nico wasn't surprised in the slightest that her son was the exact same.

"He said it's no problem, he's looking forward to meeting you guys. When will you be leaving tomorrow? Make sure to eat and drink properly, and keep him from looking out the window if you want it to really be a surprise. Best of all put him in the middle and play some classic music, he'll sleep in no time. Or keep him up all night, with whatever you boys are usually up to." She babbled, and Nico flushed at the last part, though Jason merely chuckled.

"Don't worry, we'll think of something. I assume we'll be leaving after breakfast, though it might also be a bit later, so I think we'll arrive at your place around noon, if that's ok." The blonde explained, and Nico nodded.

"Splendid, then I'll cook lunch for you guys. You'll stay the night, right?"

Nico was just going to shrug, and say 'Yes, please', but Jason shot him an amused grin.

"That would be great. It's Percy's and Nico's anniversary on the 25th, and I think Nico was hoping to take him someplace in the city to celebrate."

Nico blushed, while Sally beamed at him.

"Just…just to the movies or something. I was going to check out our to-watch list later to see whether there was anything he might like to see." He mumbled, but Sally was already clapping her hands together.

"That sounds great, I'm sure he'll love it. That will be your three-month-mark, won't it? Still happy?"

Nico smiled.

"Very. Your son is wonderful."

It was an understatement, but he was pretty sure she didn't want to know in all that much detail.

She winked at him.

"I raised him well, then. Alright, I'll need to go shopping to grab some ingredients. Any allergies or food dislikes I need to know of? And don't start with 'no vegetables', they're important."

Both Nico and Jason laughed.

"Sorry, but Will would have our heads if we didn't eat our vegetables." Nico rushed to explain, and Jason nodded.

"He has pretty strict diet plans for us so we don't die by the age of thirty."

She looked at them oddly, but then smiled again.

"Alright, then I'll think of something healthy, so you won't get in trouble with him. I'll see you boys tomorrow, then."

"Thank you, Mrs.- Sally." Nico hurriedly corrected, and she smiled at him warmly.

"No problem, Nico. You can always call me if you need anything, I'll try my best to help."

Nico was eternally grateful for the offer.

Though he had to admit it also made him feel a bit guilty, since Percy hadn't even called her once since the last time she had called.

It felt as if he should have reminded him of that.

He would from now on.

Definitely.

"Ok, be safe, boys, and I'll have to get the guest rooms in order. See you tomorrow! Oh, I can barely wait…" She babbled, moving her arm through the mist, and her picture faded.

For a moment, there was silence, as they both stared at the disappearing mist.

"Guest room_s_?" Jason asked, emphasizing the plural form, and Nico nodded quietly.

"Guess that means we're going to get split up."

Somehow, he also had a hunch she wouldn't let Percy and Nico sleep in one room together – or at least not in one bed.

"Well, one of us will have to stay with Will in case of a possible nightmare, though, so if we explain that to her, you two might be able to spend a night in peace and quiet…just don't make out too much."

"_Jason!_" Nico exclaimed horrified, his face burning again as he shoved Jason away playfully, and the blonde laughed.

"What? Then again, I'm not worried. You heard Will. _He and I_ did more stuff in that bed than you two did, and we didn't even do anything on there."

Nico loved how Jason had to emphasize the 'on there' too, as if they _seriously_ had done something somewhere else.

"Yeah? I don't want to say anything, but shouldn't you be happy about that? You two are sleeping in that bed, too, after all."

He wasn't surprised to find Jason shrugging nonchalantly.

"I don't really care. It's not like you didn't do anything in your bed back in the cabin or anything, either, and we still slept in there. But, seriously, last night here, sure you don't want to make use of the bed?"

Nico hesitated.

He _had_ wanted to use the bed, had fantasized about it a couple of times, especially when they had taken showers instead of baths, but, in the end, he had just brushed it off.

Sure, it was a wonderfully comfortable bed, and he'd have loved to drag Percy in there naked and go down on him without water everywhere around them, but that kind of meant he would have to tell Jason and Will to get lost, and he just…couldn't do that.

"Oh, I know that face. You want to, but you don't want to ask. Nico, really, it's no problem. I'll talk to Will later. Or attempt to, anyways, but I'm sure he'll listen once he knows it's about you."

"But what are you going to do? Where are you going to go? No, it's ok. It's not like I'm that desperate, Jason. We're doing pretty good, so…" He stopped when he realized how _that_ had to sound.

Jason chuckled, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"Nice, I always wanted to know whether Percy was keeping you satisfied."

"_Jason!_"

Jason cackled, which wasn't all that unusual for Jason anymore, and Nico let out a low groan, burying his face in his hands.

"I hate it when you guys do that."

"Do what?"

"Say stuff like that."

"Stuff like what?"

"Jason!"

Jason chuckled, his hands on both of Nico's shoulders now, massaging gently.

"Nico, there's nothing wrong with it. As long as everything is going well and you two are happy…and he's satiating your needs…"

"Jason, don't make me hurt you." Nico warned him, though he'd never lay a hand on anybody, least of all his friends.

"Hey, you never know. Anyways, what I actually wanted to ask…did you talk to him?"

Nico hesitated.

"I asked him whether he wants to celebrate, and he said he's all for it…" He then muttered, not meeting Jason's gaze.

Jason, sadly, wasn't fooled.

"That's not what I meant. Did you talk to him? About your feelings?"

So Jason knew.

Of course he did.

Nico had talked to him about it all, after all.

Of course he'd ask whether Nico had ever actually talked about the matter with Percy.

"I couldn't. He probably expects me to be over it, already, and I just…I'm trying…" He said, though it sounded like a feeble excuse, even to him.

Jason sighed loudly.

"Nico, what did I say earlier? Don't assume. Tell him about it. You said he knows already, so it's not like it should surprise him or anything."

Nico merely shrugged.

"I said he's my one and only, Jason. And, I mean…he is. I love him. It's just…"

He loved _them_, too.

Jason shook his head.

"Don't. Don't try to be someone you're not, and don't try to change the way you feel, Nico. Love is something special, and you can't ever predict it or control it. You love who you love."

"You make it sound so easy, but how would you feel if you were dating Will, and he liked somebody else other than you, too?" He blurted, then instantly felt bad.

He didn't even know how those two felt for each other, it felt wrong to assume.

Not to mention judge.

Not to mention drag other people into this.

Jason, however, didn't miss a beat.

"So what? He's dating me, right? He's not dating them, and as long as he's not cheating on me, I see no problem there. Who knows, maybe he likes somebody I like, too, then we can talk about a possible relationship _with_ said person, if that person would be open to the idea."

Nico stared.

"You…_what_?"

Jason smiled at him, his gaze gentle and understanding.

"See? You'd have never expected that reply, am I right? What if Percy had a similar reply? You can't always guess, Nico. Conversation is important. Now, let's get back to your boyfriend." Jason said with a smile, tugging Nico along by one arm towards the door, though he was still dumbstruck.

That…Jason had just said that to get Nico to talk to Percy, right?

Or had he actually meant that?

Had times really changed so much?

Was this really ok nowadays?

He couldn't picture it.

Then again, he also hadn't been able to ever picture himself with a possible boyfriend, since he had kind of thought he'd get shunned, if not even _murdered_ if it ever came out he was gay.

So, yeah, there was that.

Jason tugged him along, out of the bathroom, and towards the bed, where his boyfriend was snoring into Will's hair.

Well.

That certainly got Nico out of his head, alright?

Those two looked so…

"Aww, aren't they adorable?" Jason chuckled, then got Nico's camera, and Nico smiled to himself.

Funny, how most of the pictures on there nowadays were taken by either Will or Jason.

"Want to be in the picture as well?" Jason asked, happily clicking away, but Nico was perfectly fine where he was, standing next to Jason.

"I'm good. Been meaning to have some nice pictures of the two of them for my photo album, anyways."

"Same. I was also thinking we could give Will one for his birthday. A full photo album, I mean. With pictures of all of us, and then an entire section full with pictures of him, and 101 reasons why he's amazing." It sounded nice, but Jason said it with a hint of bitterness in his voice that made no sense to Nico.

"Is he really that insecure?" He asked, not fooled for one moment that Jason was serious about the '101 reasons'.

Jason sighed.

"I don't know. I honestly don't. It feels like he has his moments where he knows what he's capable of, but there's something that just…it brings him down. I don't know what it is, but it's just…"

Nico nodded in understanding, gazing at the two sleeping figures in the bed.

"Well, we'll have to bring him back up, then. As simple as that." He then said with a shrug, and Jason chuckled quietly.

"Deal. Maybe we should really make an _Ipod_-contract."

Nico grinned, then pondered it for real for a moment.

"You know what, let's do that. Once we're back at Camp. We'll insert a small print and such, too, with stuff like 'Nobody gets left out' and 'Everybody has to tell Nico what's going on without him having to find out x years later', and then each of us has to sign it four times and we put it in our albums." He then decided on a whim, and Jason stopped taking pictures in favor of sending him a surprised look.

Then he grinned.

"That is a splendid idea. We'll do that. Right when we get back."

They grinned at each other, satisfied with that perfect plan - then Nico hurried to get his laptop, intent on using the time he had while Percy was sleeping to check on the movie list they had.

Jason returned to taking a few more pictures, then seemed to sort through the ones he had taken on the camera itself, before placing it back on the cupboard and climbing into bed, turning Will around so he faced Percy, just to then climb behind Percy to hold them both.

So considerate.

But true, Will still seemed to have an issue with them behind him, though he had stopped looking like a caged animal each time he glanced around.

He really hoped Will would be fine again.

Then again, it also made him wonder whether Will had ever _been_ fine.

After all, things like that didn't appear out of nowhere, and if just one conversation with his brother had brought it all back, it seemed to be something Will had wanted to get over, but ultimately had only postponed and brushed aside, hoping to forget.

Nico knew what he was talking about.

He had done the same thing with Bianca, after all.

If Will was the same, then he hoped he'd be able to find closure and leave it all behind him, so he could finally_ really_ get better.

Though, this was Will.

Nico was absolutely confident he'd make it work somehow.

...

"Wait, no, no, I'm utterly certain. This is _not_ the way to Camp. Nico, where are we going? Nico, Nico please. Nico, I'm dying. Nico, please tell me. Nico, Nico, Nico…Jason, Jason you tell me. Jason, bro, you're my favorite bro, please tell me. Where are we going? I said before this is not the way to Camp. Where are we going? Come on guys, have mercy on me. Will, Will, sun-bug, _please_..." Percy begged them all in turn, babbling like a waterfall, and Jason sighed, turning on the radio and looking for classic music.

He hoped Percy's mom had been right about that.

Percy was going to drive them crazy at this rate.

Especially since they were in a traffic jam and would probably be stuck in here at least another hour.

Not that he had expected any different, but he had maybe kind of hoped that Percy wouldn't immediately notice _after the very first turn_ that they weren't going to Camp Jupiter.

But he had.

And ever since then, he had kept bombarding them with questions, to the point where they were simply ignoring him.

Which, of course, didn't stop him in any way.

Oh gods, this was going to be such a long drive.

After a long night.

After a long day yesterday and still no step further with Will.

Percy's lamenting became louder, but then Jason found the classic music.

_Please let that help._

He looked in the rear window, just to find Percy giving him his best baby seal face yet.

_Oh gods._

Jason turned up the volume.

_Please let this help – and please let them arrive soon._

How could anybody ever deny Percy anything?

It was a mystery.

...

"We're…but this is…" Percy started, staring out the window in disbelief after having just woken up from his unexpected nap (stupid classic music, seriously).

Wait, wait, wait.

This…this couldn't be.

"Surprise, Percy." Nico said nervously next to him, looking uncertain, but absolutely hopeful.

Percy stared at him in utter disbelief.

"You…you…" He couldn't find the words.

He looked from Nico to Jason and Will, who were both smiling at him gently as Jules-Albert parked the car.

But as he looked at them, they both shook their heads.

"Not us. It was all Nico's idea."

He looked back at his boyfriend, who still looked so adorably nervous, studying his face intently to gauge his reaction.

Percy didn't think he had ever thrown himself at anybody faster than he did in that very moment, throwing his arms around Nico and attacking his lips so hard he was surprised he didn't knock all their teeth out or anything.

Nico squeaked surprised, but then sank back against the cushioned door (yes, this car was awesome, everything was so nice and soft. Much better than the old one), returning his kiss with almost as much vigor as Percy put into it, and Percy could hear and feel him sigh in relief.

"Best. Surprise. Ever. I love you. I love you, love you, love you." He chanted, kissing his boyfriend over and over and over again, until Nico was a giggling mess.

Then, he kept kissing him, anyways, moving from his lips to the rest of his face, peppering his cheeks and nose and eyelids and jaw and forehead with kisses.

"Love, love, love, love, _love_ you. _So much_. Jason, Will? I love you, too. I love all of you. Is my mom home? Did you call her? What did she say? Oh my gods, this is the best thing ever. I completely wasn't expecting that." He continued, feeling his eyes sting traitorously as he looked out the window towards his mom's place.

_His mother's place._

He hadn't seen her in forever.

The Iris Message that one time didn't count.

Gods, he couldn't wait to see her.

Will chuckled next to him, his coloring slowly returning to him.

Percy wasn't sure whether it was the sunlight (or lack thereof), or all the stress Will was currently experiencing, but he looked paler than usual.

"Nico and Jason took care of that. Now, how about we get out of the car? Unless you want to shower Jason and me in kisses, too?" Will asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, and Percy was tempted to move over to him just to see that smile slide off his face.

But then again, it was good if he was smiling again.

So, instead, he sent him a look that hopefully conveyed 'You wish' instead of 'I wish', before nudging Nico to either get out or at least open that car door, so Percy could get out.

_His mom._

They had gone to _his mom_.

_Nico_ had planned this.

As a _surprise_.

For _him_.

_They were visiting his mom._

His mother.

His mother, who was opening the door, beaming at him and moving towards them, just as Nico unbuckled his seatbelt with a small laugh and opened the door.

Percy barely managed to control himself not to barrel past him and outside.

Instead, he all but jumped out as soon as Nico was (finally) outside, and the next moment, he was rushing towards his mother, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her straight off the ground, swirling her in a circle.

Either she had shrunk, or he had grown.

And since when was she so light?

He hadn't seen her in way too long.

"Mom!"

"Percy!"

They both laughed, and he set her down again, still holding her tight as she held him back just as tightly, crying against his shoulder, while he felt a few tears of his own roll down his cheeks.

He heard Paul saying something, and the guys introducing themselves politely, but he didn't want to let go of his mother just yet.

"It's so good to see you again." She said quietly, and he absolutely agreed.

"I should come visit more often."

"Yes, you should." She agreed, and he chuckled.

Fair enough.

When he finally let go of her, he found his boyfriend standing next to him, smiling at him gently.

Percy beamed at him.

This was the best surprise ever.

So that's what he had been talking about with Jason and Will in the bathroom.

And Will had said Jason and Nico had called Sally, so that was probably what the second talk had all been about.

That explained why Nico had been so evasive about everything.

So adorable.

"Mom, this is my boyfriend." He proudly introduced, though he knew he had already done so, and they already knew each other, anyways.

They both shot him amused glances, though, and Nico even humored him and took his mother's hand, bowing slightly to place a quick kiss on it.

"Mrs. Jackson, it's a pleasure to meet you."

She laughed.

"Likewise, Mr. Percy's boyfriend."

Percy made a face, then looked over to Jason and Will, who were watching them with amused smiles, and he thought he could hear Jason explain something about being from the Roman gods, not the Greek ones.

Percy still admired that Paul hadn't bolted by now, what with all the stuff with the gods and all.

He was pretty sure other people would have run away screaming.

But Paul…Paul was a good guy.

Percy liked him.

Just as he thought that, Mr. Blofis looked over and beamed at him, looking as happy to see him as if Percy was his own son.

It was a pretty good feeling, even though Percy was perfectly fine with the father he had, and wasn't looking for a new one or anything of the sort.

It just felt as if they were a family, and that was nice.

"Hey, Paul, long time no see." He greeted, and went to shake his hand, but Paul pulled him into a hug instead and patted him on the back.

"Long time no see, yourself, Percy. Just look at you, all grown and mature."

Percy grinned at him, then looked around for his boyfriend, who was still standing next to Sally, exchanging pleasantries more or less awkwardly.

Percy mercilessly dragged him over.

"Paul, this is my boyfriend, Nico. Nico, this is Paul." He introduced them, too, even though he knew they had already met before, too.

But that had been before Nico had been his boyfriend.

He had to show off, ok?

Paul laughed, while Nico flushed slightly and sighed, shaking Paul's hand once more just for Percy..

"Yes, so I've heard. And what a fine-looking young man he is. You're Italian, right?"

Percy beamed as Nico nodded and Paul started up a conversation with him, while his mother started ushering them all inside, letting them know there was pasta for lunch.

_Pasta!_

They filed into the house, Percy still beaming and watching with pride how Will looked around rather impressed, while Jason – that charmer – started giving Percy's mom just the right compliments to make her blush slightly.

To be expected.

Percy moved his hand into Nico's, entwining their fingers with a giddy euphoria rushing through him – then he noticed Will's hand to his other side, looking all lonely and discarded as Will was busy gazing at the interior in awe, so Percy promptly took his hand, too.

Will shot him a dirty look, but let him, anyways.

This had to be the best day of his life.

Even though he had a hunch he thought that at least once every day, this had to be _the_ best day of his life.

Or maybe _every _day was the best day of his life, because he got to spend it with his amazing friends.

It didn't matter.

Fact was, today was a great day.

The greatest day ever.

He wanted to kiss Nico again.

Nico, and Will, and Jason, and everybody in the world.

"Hold your horses, Percy, you'll have all the time in the world to kiss your boyfriend senseless later, I'm certain." Will said quietly with a small chuckle, right next to Percy's ear, and Percy threw him an innocent look.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

But all Will had to do was raise a doubtful eyebrow at Percy, and Percy started laughing loudly.

Yes, this was definitely the best day ever.

He loved Nico.

He loved them all.

...

The day passed in a blur of laughter, more laughter, Percy gushing about 'his boyfriend' (which was partly amusing, partly exasperating), and Percy telling his mother and Paul pretty much _everything_ there was to tell, especially unimportant bits like how they had all gone swimming in the Great Salt Lake, or how Will had gotten him 'the best sandwich in the world' (which had made Will blush _so adorably_), or how Nico's dad had refurnished Nico's room just to get them to be more comfortable (though he had conveniently left out '_the talk_').

One would expect that to be a touchy subject for Sally, since, as far as Jason was aware, Hades had at one point more or less kidnapped her and kind of threatened to keep her, but…she seemed pretty okay with it, actually.

She seemed okay with anything and everything, really.

Jason was beginning to see where Percy had gotten his openness from.

Seriously though, Sally Jackson was pretty cool.

She listened to Percy without interrupting him, and without seeming bored, and the fact that she seemed to understand everything he was saying, even if he was using terms mortals usually didn't know, indicated she was pretty well informed on the topic, too.

Paul was very similar to her, listening with great interest, though Jason saw the puzzlement in his features every here and there, and he was pretty sure the professor would end up asking Sally about quite a few of those things at a later point for clarification.

But they let Percy talk, and Jason wasn't sure he had ever seen him beam and glow so much, nor radiate with such happiness.

It was beautiful to watch.

This had definitely been one of Nico's best ideas so far.

Also, Will was smiling again, which just had to be a good sign, too.

Sally had actually managed to lure him out of his shell and talk to her, and they had all been surprised to find him telling her about how similarly his mother had decorated their apartment, and telling her tidbits about where and how they had lived.

Somehow, Jason wouldn't have thought he'd mention her again, since he had only ever really talked about her maybe three or four times, and only in _very_ vague detail.

But he had, and he had talked, and he was smiling, and he had finished an entire plate of blue pasta, so Jason was more than happy.

Though he'd have loved if Will actually talked to him, too.

He wasn't 'ignoring' him, per se, but…he wasn't exactly _not_ ignoring him, either.

By now, he even shot him quick glances every here and there, but Jason noticed that they were either conflicted (which was most of the time)…or almost _yearning_.

He didn't understand.

But Jason hoped they'd maybe manage to talk tonight, since Sally had already shown them the two rooms in question.

Yes, _two_ rooms.

One room that she had kind of kept for Percy, and one guest room.

Sally had told them she'd split them 2:2, so none of them had to be alone, and Will wouldn't have any trouble with his nightmares, in case Hades' safety spells had worn off by then, or anything (they had explained that matter to her).

Then again, Jason was already worried enough about normal nightmares, he didn't need them to be the especially bad 'god-influenced' ones.

Though those were going to be hell.

It pained him just to think about it, and he wasn't even the one experiencing them.

She said the whole parting thing wasn't even to prevent them from being too loud or doing anything stupid, but more because of space and to ensure they'd _actually_ sleep in the first place, especially if Percy and Nico had their anniversary the next day (Percy had proudly bragged about that, too, but Sally had simply congratulated them again with a warm gleam in her eyes).

Jason glanced back towards Will, wondering whether he'd go straight to sleep or actually give in and talk to Jason for a bit.

He really, really wanted to talk things out with him.

Ask what he had done wrong.

Ask what he could do to help.

Ask what they were going to do now.

He had thought about it all again, yesterday, last night, today.

But it still didn't make sense, and it still didn't say where they stood.

At first, he had thought Will had rejected him because he simply didn't feel the same way, or _did_ feel the same way, but not _strongly enough_ to warrant a relationship.

But Will had claimed he _loved_ him, and he had looked and acted the part, too, making Jason's heart thumping in his chest loudly just thinking about it.

He had looked so _upset_ about it, though, as if that was something bad.

He had seemed so torn about it, on one side almost pleading for Jason to understand they couldn't date, on the other side begging to date him.

Jason might not know many things, but he knew that wasn't good, and it wouldn't do Will any good to actually date him right now.  
No relationship built on fear could work out permanently, and that would only strengthen Will's fear-fueled belief that he was right about not being able to make it work.

But what was it he was so scared of?

Why had he never let it show before?

He was the one always bragging, always saying things like he should look for a boyfriend/girlfriend when Percy and Nico were exceptionally lovey-dovey again, he was the one who was the most open and uncaring about anything related to this topic, he was the one giving all the advice and bragging about experience and all that.

But the more involved they got, the closer Jason dared to come, the more all of that seemed to just fall off Will, who instead seemed to turn more and more insecure and _scared_.

And Jason just _knew_ it had something to do with that talk with his brother.

He _knew_ it.

That thing, that big secret he was so scared of them ever finding out, that was what was tearing Will down, that was what was bothering him.

That was the thing that was keeping him awake, too, the thing that seemed to be at the front of his mind permanently now, unless they took the time to get him out of his head.

And Jason wanted to help him.

He wanted to help him so badly.

Wanted him to let it all go, to let it all out, to finally get it over with.

Because, while it might have seemed possible before for Will to not come out with it ever, Jason knew now it was only a matter of time until he'd break.

No sleep, barely any food, liquid only if they pushed the glass in his hand with a stern look.

Will was a wreck.

And Jason wanted to be there for him.

Wanted to hold him, wanted to comfort him, reassure him, tell him everything would be alright.

If he was Will's boyfriend, would Will let him do that?

Jason shook his head.

Will didn't need a boyfriend right now.

Will needed the three of them to take care of him until he got better.

But Jason still had to talk to him.

Tonight…he was going to put all his hopes on tonight…

Sally came back from the guest room, shooting them all a soft smile where they were sitting in her living room, with Percy and Nico on the sofa, explaining drakons to Paul, and Will on a chair next to them, chuckling and throwing in a few comments here and there.

"Jason, I moved your things to Percy's room, since I was thinking that would make for less confusion in the morning." She explained to him, and he nodded, before frowning.

Wait, what?

"Eh? Jason's sleeping in my room?" Percy asked surprised, and even Will had his eyebrows raised.

Sally stopped, tilting her head at them.

"Why, of course? I said so, didn't I? Percy, you'll be sharing your room with Jason, and Will and Nico will take the guest room. That way, you four might actually get some sleep. Since I know your attitude at night, Perseus Jackson, I figured Jason, as the most quiet here, would be the best choice. Tomorrow, you may switch as you please."

That…that was horrible.

How was he supposed to talk to Will, if Will shared a room with Nico?

And what if he had a nightmare?

A normal one?

What if he'd claw Nico's back the same way he had done with Jason's last night?

Would Nico say anything?

If he did, Will would feel so guilty again and probably keep himself from sleep even more.

He shot Will an alarmed look, and found Will staring back at him with a stunned expression, though he then hurriedly looked away, concentrating on Nico, instead.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Mrs. Jackson? Percy might get jealous if I get too close to his boyfriend."

That might have actually worked, if Percy didn't choose that exact moment to_ be an_ _idiot_.

"Seriously, Will? You _always_ try to get closer to Nico, I think I'll survive one night without watching your every step. Plus, it's not like he'll let you do anything he doesn't want, so no problems here." Percy snorted, and Jason could see it in Will's exasperated look that he was tempted to strangle him as much as Jason was – but then they both smiled at Sally as she beamed at them.

"Alright, then it's settled. Paul, will you help me fix dinner?"

Paul instantly jumped at his wife's request, and the next moment, the four were alone.

"Perseus, you _idiot_." Will hissed over instantly, and Jason wanted to nod along with it.

Percy blinked at them.  
"What? What did I do?"

Will sighed and shook his head, while Nico patted his boyfriend's thigh, not looking surprised in the slightest.

"Percy, can you come here for a moment?" Sally called from the kitchen, and Percy instantly excused himself – though the first thing he did when he got up was lean down and kiss Nico.

Like, _really_ kiss him.

Jason rolled his eyes and glanced over at Will, who once more had that yearning look on his face, watching Percy and Nico cup each other's faces and push closer together, before he suddenly looked at Jason.

Their eyes met, and Jason wished he could just get up and walk over there, to Will, and kiss him senseless, too.

Will's expression told him he'd let him.

But then, the moment passed, and the uncertainty and pain was back in Will's eyes, and he quickly averted his gaze, making Jason let out a small, bitter sigh.

Baby steps.

That's what they had to do.

They had to take baby steps.

First, he'd have to help Will get over whatever it was that was eating at him, then he'd have to show him they would make a good couple, and then, in time, he could kiss him senseless.

But he shouldn't kiss him senseless now.

"Sorry about that, guys, but I've been meaning to do that all day long already." Percy apologized with a satisfied grin on his face as he placed a last peck on Nico's nose, while Nico looked up at him with a dazed, but similarly pleased expression.

Those two.

"Percy?"

"Coming!" Percy called back to his mom, and gone he was.

"He's so happy to be here." Nico said the moment he was gone, looking happy and elated.

Will chuckled.

"I told you he'd be. Best surprise ever. Sorry I couldn't get you guys to have a room for yourself, tonight."

But Nico just waved off.

"It's ok. Listen, while he's gone, I thought we could talk about tomorrow real quick." He explained, leaning forward slightly, and they were all ears instantly.

"You better plan to take your boyfriend out without the two of us around. I swear, if you're starting to be like Percy and insisting we tag along, you might as well stamp 'boyfriends' on our foreheads." Will insisted instantly, and Jason couldn't help but think that Percy would probably even say okay to that.

Nico, of course, didn't.

"What? _No_. But I just wanted to let you know I was thinking of letting him show me around to some of his favorite places, and we'd go out for lunch and go to the theaters afterwards. There's one of our to-watch movies running already, so I wanted to give you a fair warning that he'll probably spoil the entire thing as soon as we're back." Nico explained, and Will groaned, while Jason couldn't help but smile at Nico's consideration.

Not to mention that he actually seemed to understand the concept of a date.

Unlike Percy, whom Jason was fairly certain would ask tomorrow why Will and Jason weren't coming along.

Hm, maybe he could talk to Will, then.

That could work.

If they were already going to stay here without Nico and Percy around, there was bound to be a moment where they could have a heart to heart talk.

"Alright, thanks for the heads up." He said, while Will was complaining about Percy _always_ giving the entire film away, and how _he_ never spoiled anything, even though he did it just as much as Percy did, and they all knew it.

Then, Sally came back, smiling at them as she brought them something to drink.

"I'm so happy to have you boys over. It's good to finally meet you. Percy told me so much about you, after all." She told them, and Will's eyebrow shot up immediately.

Jason couldn't blame him.

The last time Percy had left the Camp to see his mom, he and Will hadn't even really been on speaking terms, yet.

Sally caught his look and chuckled.

"I admit, I know the least about you, but I realized when I called the last time and you three were in bed together that you must have solved all the issues between you." She explained, and Jason watched Nico's face flush right pink, while the tips of Will's ears turned red.

True, if Jason remembered correctly, the guys had said something about being all cuddled up in bed when Sally had called.

He wasn't surprised.

"Yes, he and Percy are pretty much best friends now. I'm almost jealous." He told her to keep Will and Nico from stammering nonsense, since Sally was well aware they were 'just friends'.

"Oh, I've noticed. Though I do admit I was surprised, nevertheless."

"Why? What did he say about me? That I'm an evil monster, trying to steal Nico from him all the time?" Will asked amused, though his eyes said he meant it.

"No, actually, he didn't talk bad about you, at all. Usually, he called you 'Nico's sunshine from the infirmary' and said you hated him and would constantly glare at him, and that he felt guilty for trying so hard with Nico, when he knew you liked him as much as you did." Sally explained, and poor Nico almost spit his water across the table, while Will half choked on his.

Why they had both decided to take a sip of their drinks right then and there was beyond Jason, but he hurried to help, anyways, moving over to Will in order to pat his back gently.

"Mrs.-…Sally, we're just friends. There's nothing between Will and I…I mean…" Nico hurried to explain, which, in Jason's opinion, was kind of pointless.

"What do you _mean_, his 'sunshine from the infirmary'?! And I did _not_ hate him." Will stated sulkily once he caught himself, and Jason rolled his eyes, not surprised in the slightest that that seemed to be the only thing he was upset about.

Sally merely chuckled and shrugged.

"That's what Percy always told me. But I'm glad things seem different now. You guys seem to get along so well."

"Well, we're best friends." Will shrugged, and Sally smiled.

"Yeah, I can see that. I'm glad he has you guys. I know Perseus went through so much, and…oh, I'm sorry. I know he doesn't like to be called 'Perseus', but, well, I still call him that when he's not around, so I remember he's bound to have good luck and all…" She suddenly said, waving off slightly, and Jason remembered Percy telling him that Sally had named him that in hope of him having a similarly 'lucky' life as the original Perseus, without the unnecessary, dramatic deaths and all.

However…

"Oh, he doesn't have that much of a problem with it, really. I call him Perseus all the time, and he never complains." Will waved off, and Sally seemed genuinely stunned.

"You…you do? He usually hates it. I only ever use it when I'm trying to get my point across."

Jason tried to remember whether he had ever tried to call Percy 'Perseus'.

He thought there might have been _one_ time he had done it as a joke, and his shoulder ached as he remembered Percy's response.

However, Will was right.

He had kind of started calling him Perseus quite a lot, lately, and Percy didn't even seem to be bothered by it.

Though he clearly remembered Percy had said something the first time or so, but that might have been because they had both bickered.

"No, he never says anything. Hang on." Will said with a frown, then turned to look towards the kitchen door.

"Hey, Perseus!" He called over, loud enough for Percy to hear, but not loud enough to be considered yelling.

"What?" Percy called back instantly, and Will's lips twitched, though he remained silent for another long moment.

"Perseus!" He then called again, sticking his tongue out with a dirty grin.

Well, somebody seemed to be enjoying himself.

There were steps in the kitchen, and Will hurriedly turned around again, trying to school an innocent expression.  
"What is it, Will?" Percy asked, sticking his head out of the kitchen and looking oddly disheveled.

Sally had her eyebrow raised at her son, but didn't say a thing, while Nico and Jason shared telling glances.

"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to check something, Perseus."

Now, Will was just trying his luck.

Not even Percy wouldn't catch that when he did it three times in a row, especially not this blatantly obvious.

Percy frowned, moving over to flick the back of Will's head.

"Well, check it when I'm not busy helping with the cooking, sun-bug, unless you want the food to be inedible." He then scolded, and Will let his head fall back to look up at Percy, who was looking down, taking in Will's cocky grin with an unimpressed look of his own.

"Ok, Perseus. Sorry for bothering you."

Instead of Percy getting fed up or telling him off for the constant name-usage, Percy's expression softened slightly, though he still flicked the back of Will's head again.

"You're not bothering, but seriously, if you want food, don't call for me."

"Will do, Perseus." Will tried again persistently, but Percy merely rolled his eyes, ruffled through Will's hair and shot the rest of them a grin before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Well.

"I…must say I'm surprised." Sally said quietly, and she looked the part, too.

Jason had to admit _he_ wasn't very surprised.

"Nico called him that a few times, too, though. It's not really much of a big deal." Will shrugged, and Jason glanced towards Nico, who frowned slightly.

Jason knew what he thought.

While it was true that Nico had said 'Perseus' a couple of times before, it had usually been connected to a rather intimate 'I love you' – or when Percy had been an utter idiot and Nico had 'scolded' him (which never even sounded like scolding, because Nico had such a soft spot for Percy).

But, yeah, they weren't going to point that out, now.

"I can't call him that." He said instead, shrugging slightly.

"Nonsense, of course you can." Will insisted, but Jason shook his head.

No, he was pretty sure he couldn't.

"Try it."

He didn't want to.

"Please?" Will added, looking directly at him.

Jason made the mistake of looking at him - and sighed.

"Fine. The things I do for you…" He relented no second later, unable to deny Will anything as usual.

So, instead of listening to the voice of reason, he got up and moved over to the now ajar kitchen door.

He _so_ didn't want to.

He shot Will a last, miserable look, but Will merely motioned for him to go on.

Nice to know he wanted him dead.

"Perseus, do you need my help with anything?" He asked, the name feeling foreign on his tongue as he stuck his head into the kitchen.

"Hm? No, we're good. Jason, don't call me 'Perseus', you know I _hate_ it when people do that." Percy snapped back at him almost instantly, and Jason sighed, pulling his head back and sending Will his best 'I told you so'-look.

Sally was laughing, though she was polite enough to try to suppress it somehow, while both Nico and Will looked stunned, their eyebrows raised and their mouths hanging open.

"Told you so." Jason grumbled, moving back over and flopping down on the sofa next to Nico, just because he could.

Nico patted his arm in consolation, and the next moment, Will actually sat down to his other side, putting a hand on his thigh – which was the closest he had gotten to Jason ever since their talk in the bathroom, unless one counted the handholding during breakfast yesterday.

"Aww, he still loves you, I'm certain." Will cooed, and Jason rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." He brushed off, not really caring what Percy let him call him or not – but he kind of liked Nico and Will this close, so it wasn't as if he was going to act too unbothered right away.

This felt almost like how they usually were.

But only almost.

_Baby steps_.

He'd have that talk with Will, and then everything would somehow work itself out.

All in time.

Tomorrow.

Therefore, Jason could start brainstorming about what he'd talk to Percy about tonight, since they all knew Percy was too hyper to settle down any time before midnight, and Sally had told them they'd have to be in bed by 9pm.

Oh, wasn't that going to be just so much fun?

...

"Do you think Will and Nico are going to be ok?" Percy asked and heard Jason sigh on the mattress next to his bed.

Because Will and Nico were allowed to share a bed, but Percy had to make do all by himself.

Mean.

He had considered asking Jason to get into bed with him, but had then discarded that, since he didn't want to make things weird between them.

If Will and/or Nico were here, too, then sure, inviting Jason in would be no big deal, but…like this? With a perfectly fine mattress next to the bed just for Jason?

Yeah, not such a great idea.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine. Nico was so nervous about you liking or not liking his surprise, he might already be asleep. And Will…oh, I don't know."

That didn't sound good.

"What's going on between you two, anyways? I mean, I just don't get it. You kissed him, but he didn't seem to care, then you two were supposed to talk it out in the bathroom, and he came out looking like he was about to break down and cry. What happened?" He asked, then cursed himself for doing so.

Hadn't he decided before _not_ to press this matter just yet?

Jason sighed loudly.

"It's…complicated."

He sounded so pained about it, too.

Percy turned around and glanced over the edge of the bed, where Jason was laying with his back to him, though his eyes were open.

"How so? Want to talk about it?" He asked tentatively, and Jason turned his head slightly to look at him, studying his face for a long moment.

"I don't know what to do with him." He then said and looked away again, and Percy chuckled.

"None of us do."

Jason merely sighed again, and then, there was silence.

Percy studied his jawline quietly.

"You know you can talk to me about everything, right?"

Jason huffed out a small laugh.

"It's ok, Percy."

"You like him, don't you?"

He knew the answer, of course.

Everybody knew the answer.

But he just…he needed to hear it, anyways.

"I do. I love him. I think I was already head over heels into him back when we had our first talk, Perce."

Percy's chest clenched, his skin tingling and something bitter filling his mouth, but he forced himself to laugh.

"Yeah? I'm not surprised. Guess it was only a matter of time."

Jason sighed.

Percy went back to studying his jawline.

"You two…you'd make a good couple. Nico said so, too." He said quietly, and Jason turned his head slightly, studying his face.

"You talked to Nico about that?"

What did he mean by 'that'?

"Well, we were kind of assuming you started dating when we woke up to find you all wrapped up in each other and giggling and laughing." He mumbled, his heart clenching at the memory.

Jason turned onto his back, staring up at the ceiling.

"Oh, that. Yeah…well, it was a pretty good night."

Percy raised an eyebrow at him, but Jason didn't meet his gaze, instead keeping his eyes on the ceiling, though his lips formed a small smile as he seemed to remember whatever they had done.

By now, Percy felt as if he didn't even want to know, anymore.

"That was a nice kiss, though. Didn't look very accidental." He said instead, and Jason shot him a pointed look.

"That's because it wasn't. I entirely meant to kiss him at that moment, I just didn't plan on having you and Nico there, too."

Well, ouch.

"Excuse me for ruining your courting plans, then. Running off after kissing him doesn't seem like the best method, though. Have you tried asking him out, instead?" He teased, but to his surprise, Jason sighed loudly.

"I have. He said no."

In that moment, time seemed to stop, and Percy's world turned upside down.

Wait, wait, wait, _what_?!

...

There was a loud crash in the room next to them, and Nico turned his head.

"What was that?" He asked quietly, but Will merely nuzzled his face against the side of his neck again and tugged him closer with a small sigh.

"Sounded as if Percy fell out of the bed, if you ask me." He replied tiredly, and Nico frowned.

"Do you think they're ok? Should we go and check?"

"Nah, they'll be fine. Jason is there to watch over him. No biggie." Will replied, stroking over Nico's stomach and making him shiver.

Would they really be ok?

Why would Percy fall out of the bed?

What were they doing over there?

Did he want to know?

Percy had still seemed so hyper from the day, talking like a waterfall until he had given Nico his good night kiss and had to get dragged away by Jason.

Would they be ok?

Maybe he _should_ go and check…

"Let's just go back to sleep, Nico. They'll be fine." Will said with a sigh, and Nico waited one moment longer for any new noises from Percy's room, then let himself relax again.

"Ok."

Will sighed, stroking and caressing him, and while Nico knew this was way too close for them to be, he couldn't make himself stop it, either.

Instead, he snuggled back into the blonde, and closed his eyes.

He thought he could hear Percy hissing something, and Jason groaning loudly, but then Will blew against the back of his neck, and Nico had to giggle.

"Stop that."

"Then go to sleep, caro mio." Will deadpanned, and Nico was about to reply, when he stopped.

"What?" Nico asked instead, turning his head around slightly.

"Hm?" Will hummed, eyes closed, and face relaxed.

"You just called me…never mind."

He had probably misheard.

"What? 'Caro mio'? Means 'My dear' right?" Will asked, sounding as if he was about to doze off.

And then, Nico could hear his breathing evening out, and his hand stopping it's stroking as Will had apparently fallen asleep already.

"It…it does…" Nico mumbled, uncertain what he should make of this.

But then, he decided to brush it aside for now, instead turning around and wrapping his arms around Will, snuggling against the blue pyjama shirt he was wearing (Sally had made them wear clothes. Horrible, but none of them had had the heart to defy her. Plus, they smelled like Percy, so Nico kind of liked it, in a way).

Will hummed in his sleep and Nico smiled to himself.

Alright, this was nice.

It felt weird, without Percy and Jason around, too, but…it felt nice.

Very nice.

Too nice, but he decided to ignore that just for tonight.

Hopefully, Percy and Jason would be able to sleep peacefully, without any more falling-out-of-the-bed-accidents.

And tomorrow, it would be Percy's and his three-month-anniversary.

He could barely wait.


	31. Chapter 31: Three-Month-Anniversary

**A/N:** Hello Cupcakes :D

Here comes the next update~ :D

Thanks to everyone who's still reading this story (not to mention enjoying it), you guys are the best!  
Also, special thinks to all the lovely people who leave comments+kudos, it makes my day everytime when I find a new message in my Inbox :)

(And super special thanks to my amazing proof-reader!)

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Wish you all the best  
-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 31: Three-Month-Anniversary, meaningful conversations, and everybody loves crashing dates**

Will got up at 6am, feeling tired, exhausted, and, frankly, like crap.

He hadn't slept much.

He had tried, but then he had noticed he was moving in his sleep, and Nico had been moving, searching for Percy, and Will had ended up jolting awake each and every time, until he had finally given in and just stayed awake.

So, then, he had basically stared at the room around him for three hours, wondering what he was supposed to do.

There hadn't been anything to do.

He had gone to the bathroom, yes, and he had even checked on Percy and Jason, but…they had been perfectly alright, snuggled up together on the mattress next to the bed.

Will hadn't been surprised.

If anything, he had been glad they were alright.

He sighed, trying to be as quiet as possible as he made his way through Sally's and Paul's place, heading for the kitchen.

Something to drink would be great.

Though he didn't feel like drinking.

It was just so he had something to do.

Will sighed again and pushed the door open – just to find Percy sitting on the kitchen counter, with Jason checking the fridge.

"I still say you can't simply decide to make pancakes, Percy. This might be your mother's place, and she might be a wonderful lady, but I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate us ransacking her kitchen for _pancakes_. Plus, waffles are still better." Jason argued quietly.

"Waffles, my ass. Who wants waffles? We're making pancakes! Nico likes pancakes." Percy argued back, his eyes closed and his head tilted backwards, while moving his legs, restless as usual.

Jason huffed.

Neither of them seemed to have noticed Will so far, so he decided to close the door as quietly as possible and go back to Nico – just to realize he had closed the door from the inside.

Erm…fail planning.

"He likes waffles more. Plus, we only just had pancakes. How can you guys eat pancakes all the time?"

"No, _you_ had pancakes. Nico and I weren't eating pancakes either of those times, we just brought them for you and Will. So I want pancakes. Take out the eggs."

Jason closed the fridge, orange juice in hand.

"I will not. What if your mother needs them for something else?"

"Then I'll go to the store and buy her new ones." Percy said through clenched teeth and opened his eyes annoyed, looking as if he wanted to say something else – but then he stopped dead as he saw Will.

Will stared back.

Percy glanced towards Jason, who had his back to Will, then put on the fakest 'innocent' smile Will had ever seen.

"I still say no. _If_ we already have to make anything, waffles are the better choice."

Wow, Jason wasn't even looking at Percy, was he.

Will relaxed slightly, wondering what he should do now.

Since Percy had already seen him, it would be stupid of him to turn around and leave again, but he knew he couldn't just stand in front of the closed door and do nothing.

If he was a bit more like himself, he'd probably sneak up to Jason and surprise him.

Yeah, well, sadly, he wasn't feeling well enough for that sort of prank.

He also didn't want to do anything that could upset Jason.

How did Jason react when surprised, anyways?

Had they ever surprised him like that?

Will couldn't remember.

What if he reacted badly? Tried to attack?

No, Will wasn't going to risk it.

Instead, he noiselessly made his way over to the small kitchen table and sat down, watching the two and trying to ignore Percy's odd glances his way.

"But I don't even know whether my mother has a waffle maker." Percy complained, moving his legs around and almost kicking Jason a couple of times – until he _really_ kicked him, which made Jason open the cupboard behind Percy's head and smack him with the door in retaliation.

"_Ouch_. Mean. I'm going to tell Will that." Percy moped, shooting Will a 'Did you just see that?'-look that Will also ignored, instead rolling his eyes to himself.

Dorks.

The lot of them.

"You do that. I don't think he'll care." Jason retorted unimpressed, pulling out a waffle maker out of the next cupboard and waving it in front of Percy's face for emphasis.

"See? Waffle maker. We're making waffles. Right after I ask for permission."

"You and your dumb righteousness. She's my mom, I know her best. She won't mind if we use her kitchen. As long as you clean it, afterwards, that is." Percy commented wryly, and Jason shot him a dark look.

"Wait, you want _me_ to fix _us_ all breakfast, so _you_ can show off to _your _boyfriend…and then you also want _me_ to do the cleaning? Why have I agreed to help you, again? I could still be sleeping, Percy. Or even better, I could actually check on Will and Nico, and see whether that stubborn but endearing idiot actually managed some sleep or whether he'll be looking like a zombie again. And your boyfriend, too."

Will made a face.

'Stubborn but endearing idiot', huh?

Not very nice.

Percy's eyes widened slightly and he glanced over at Will, but he still didn't give him away.

"Well, you know…it's just…I thought we shouldn't interrupt them…" He mumbled instead, looking anywhere but at Jason or Will now.

Jason huffed.

"Yeah, right. You're just a nervous mess and think Nico will be upset if you jump him this early in the morning. In my opinion, we should still check on them, at the very least. Why did I let you drag me here, again?"

Jason, the mother hen.

"Because you love me. Thiiiis much." Percy exclaimed, holding his arms out and gesturing dramatically.

Jason gazed at him utterly unimpressed.

"Right. Are you sure what you drank was apple juice?"

Wow, harsh.

While Jason actually went to check the bottle, Percy huffed and whined.

"Mean. I'm going to tell Will you accused me of drinking."

Will rolled his eyes.

These guys.

Seriously.

"You do that. I wonder if he has drug tests and such in his medic pouch, too." Jason mused, reading the back of the apple juice bottle with a concentrated look that promptly made Percy kick him lightly, again.

"Ooh, now you want to check out his _medic pouch_, hmm?" Percy teased, wiggling his eyebrows exaggeratedly, and Will raised a dubious eyebrow.

Was he insinuating what Will thought he was insinuating?

Jason shot Percy a dark look.

"Be right back, I need to wake your boyfriend and ask him whether he can conveniently lose you somewhere." Jason then retorted and made to go, but Percy hopped off the counter and clomped onto him.

"Noo, don't wake him! Let's make a deal, yeah? A super cool deal."

Will raised an eyebrow, putting his chin on his arms and watching them with a small yawn.

"What sort of deal?" Jason asked dubiously, and Percy's eyes hushed back over to Will for a moment.

"You'll let me live and my boyfriend sleep, and in return, I'll tell you where the love of your life is."

Percy sounded so sure of himself, too.

Will made a face and looked away.

Who did Percy think he was talking about?

"The love of my life? Last time I checked, he went to bed with your boyfriend. Not a very promising deal."

_Wait, what?_

Will felt the heat rising in his face, his heart stuttering in his chest.

Percy grinned maliciously.

"What a shame. Especially because he's not in bed anymore. Good morning, sun-bug."

Great.

Will sighed, trying not to look at Jason with all his might, though he still saw him turning his head and making a startled sound.

"Morning, Percy. Very funny. Go cuddle with your boyfriend, he's lonely." He muttered, only to realize he was pretty much telling Percy to get lost, which would make him be alone in the room with Jason.

Damn, he wished he had had more sleep last night.

Then he'd have managed to close the door from the other side, and have a confused but perfectly alright morning with Nico in bed.

"Will do." Percy said in a sing-song voice, and then he was gone.

_Great_.

"Good morning, Will." Jason said quietly, and Will wanted to reply with a quick nod, but Jason had his back to him, opening the fridge again to take out the orange juice, so he had to reply verbally.

"Morning."

Gods, this was awkward.

Why was this so awkward?

This shouldn't be so awkward.

But somehow, the more time passed that Will tried to avoid him, the more awkward it became.

He knew Jason wanted to talk.

But he wasn't ready for it.

Not yet.

He wanted to date Jason.

He really, really, _really_ did.

The only thing that would be better than dating Jason, was dating him, Percy _and_ Nico.

But, yeah, that wasn't possible, and dating Jason was, so one could guess what Will chose.

Why couldn't he?

Damn it all, he should have just said yes when Jason had first asked him out.

He should have said yes, thrown his arms around Jason, and forgotten everything else.

He shouldn't have gone to Elysium, and shouldn't have tried to talk it all out.

He should have stayed in bed with Jason, kissing and touching and grinding, and if any memories had tried to push themselves to the front of his mind, he should have simply forced them back down and made himself cope somehow.

Problem solved.

But now…

Now it was already out there, and Jason knew there was a problem, and knowing Jason, he wouldn't just forget about that and let Will throw himself at him.

He'd think Will was trying to run away, and was using Jason to make himself forget.

Like a push-over.

But Jason wasn't a push-over.

Jason was Jason.

Will could never see him as anything but, and he'd never use Jason.

And it wasn't as if he would have ever said no to Jason if he had asked under different circumstances.

Will had realized he had feelings for him for a while already, after all.

It wasn't anything sudden, or anything he was particularly 'rushing into'.

"How was your sleep last night?" Jason asked conversationally, placing the glass of orange juice in front of him and sitting down across from him.

"Good." Will lied automatically, and Jason sighed, obviously not buying it.

Guilt flooded through Will.

He hated lying.

Hated, hated, hated it.

Especially to Jason.

Especially with things being the way they were now.

He nipped on the orange juice solely to have something to do, then set it back down.

"Lousy." He then said, and Jason studied him again.

Will didn't want to know what he saw.

"Do you want…" Jason started, and Will expected him to say something like 'Do you want to talk about it', already readying himself to politely, but pointedly, decline.

"…some more orange juice?" Jason finished instead, and Will blinked.

What?

But he had only just gotten this one.

"Erm…sure?" He mumbled without thinking, then made a face and quickly drained his glass to pass it to Jason, trying to ignore the way their fingers brushed together.

Please, he was too old to get all flustered about _the brushing of their fingers_.

Hell, he had had Jason's _dick _in his mouth, _nothing_ should fluster him anymore.

Jason refilled his glass and set it down in front of him again, and Will felt a pang of disappointment that there was no more finger-brushing to get annoyed over.

Plus, he hadn't paid any attention to Jason's values or emotional state during that timid touch, so he still had zero idea how he was feeling, and that was usually one of the first things Will did in the mornings.

Wake up, check everybody's state, start the day.

It was such an automatic thing to do, not to mention an _easy_ thing to do with them all usually sleeping together, it was so weird suddenly _not_ having that.

Damn, this was the first day in _months_ that he didn't get to do that, and he was acting as if it was the end of the world.

What was he going to do once Percy and Nico decided to take their relationship a bit more serious and spend more time alone, away from Jason and Will?

When Jason realized Will wasn't worth his time and that he'd be better off with somebody else?

Will would probably waste his life away in the infirmary, help as many people as he could, then bury himself in the backyard.

Wait, he didn't _have_ a backyard.

Damn.

Jason's hand touched his tentatively, where Will had put it on the table after faintly hoping Jason would give him the glass instead of setting it down.

Will glanced at the hand.

Should they?

They really shouldn't.

The hadn't even talked yet (Will's fault).

The last thing he had told Jason was that he wanted to, and then Jason had insisted they shouldn't until Will was sure – or something along those lines, anyways – so…this…what was this?

He moved his hand, slowly entwining their fingers, his heart hammering in his chest as if trying to break through.

Warmth.

Endless warmth.

Not temperature-wise, really, but…it all felt warm.

Warm, fuzzy, affectionate.

With a big load of concern.

And a fair share of confusion and uncertainty.

But mostly positive feelings.

Will closed his eyes, feeling the knot in his gut loosen slightly, relief flooding him that Jason wasn't as much of a wreck as he was.

But right when he felt himself relaxing, the door opened, and he instantly pulled his hand away.

Jason, as he noticed, didn't, instead merely looking up to see Sally coming inside, already dressed and ready to start the day, by the looks of it.

"Oh, good morning, you two. I didn't expect you to be awake so early. How was your sleep?" She asked amiably, her voice loud, but not too loud for this hour.

"Good morning, we slept well, thank you. I was wondering whether I could help with breakfast? Percy demanded pancakes for breakfast, but I was more opting for waffles." Jason said, all smiles and sunshine.

Will gazed at him quietly for a moment, his lips twitching slightly.

Jason was such a charmer.

And could everybody just appreciate for a moment that he was so utterly honest, too?

He could have just said 'Percy wants waffles', but instead, he had clearly stated Percy wanted pancakes, but that he wanted waffles, and it was up to Sally whether to have mercy on him or not.

That was Jason for you.

Will loved him.

Loved, loved, loved, loved, loved him.

He glanced down at Jason's hand, still laying on the table where he had held Will's.

All it would take was for him to move his own hand, to take Jason's, to shoot him a smile, to let him know 'Yes, I want this'.

And he wanted it.

But what if he messed up?

And he _would_ mess up.

"Sure, I've been meaning to make waffles again for a while, anyways. Do you have any recipe you prefer? As a fair warning, we'll have to make them blue, though. By now, I'm so used to making blue food, it kind of stuck, I fear." Sally said amiably, and Jason moved – and Will panicked, trying to reach out before his hand would be gone, before Jason would be gone, before Will would mess up before anybody should ever be able to mess up.

Jason must have caught the movement out of the corner of his eye, because he was the one catching Will's falling glass with one hand, and taking hold of Will's hand with the other, even though Will had moved it so hurriedly he should have ended up smacking Jason in the face instead.

It was amazing how firmly he had snatched the glass, when he held Will's hand in the gentlest way possible.

Their eyes met, and Will let Jason study him, let him see the disarray that was him, even though he didn't want to.

But Jason's expression remained soft and gentle, and other than the surprise of the moment, there was no change in Jason's emotions, so Will dared to relax slightly.

"Jason?" Sally asked with her back to them, and Will almost expected him to put his hand down and leave to help her.

But instead, he tugged on Will's hand, trying to animate him to get up.

"Will, want to come and help?"

Will blinked.

"Erm…sure." He muttered, and let Jason take him over to Sally, stroking over the back of his hand as they went, as if telling him everything was ok.

Will wanted to believe him.

...

Percy stroked up and down his boyfriend's back, watching him waking up ever so slowly with a gentle smile.

Nico was so adorable.

Especially in Percy's old pajamas.

Blue looked great on him, though.

Will had looked rather nice, too.

Jason, that cheat, had of course simply worn one of his sweaters and a loose pair of pants, so he didn't count, but Percy would have probably not wanted to see him trying to fit Percy's clothes (again), anyways.

That one time with his jeans was already more than enough.

Nico shifted, then hummed contently, as he moved closer and cuddled into him some more.

Aww, adorable.

Percy leaned down, placing a gentle kiss to the top of his head.

Nico hummed again, a small smile playing on his lips, though his eyes remained closed, and his breathing indicated he was still more asleep than awake.

Percy smiled to himself and kissed his head again, remembering December all over again.

The first times he had spent in Nico's bed, with him so close – _willingly_ so close – and snuggled up to Percy, even though he hadn't known it had been Percy, back then.

Percy still remembered the utter euphoria coursing through him each time, unable to believe it was real, that Nico would let that happen.

He had known Nico could have opened his eyes at any moment and could have found out, but he had trusted him, just like Nico had trusted him not to be some horrible psychopath.

And they had even kissed…

Percy grinned to himself now, unable to push the giddiness inside him down that came with all those memories.

That was three months ago.

Three. Months.

Well, maybe even more than that, if one started counting the days (which Percy of course wouldn't do, because he wasn't _that_ weird…).

He kept stroking over Nico's back, settling for Nico's favorite spots and luring another hum out of his boyfriend, whose eyelids now started fluttering.

Percy loved watching Nico wake up.

He also loved watching Nico sleep.

And he loved watching him awake.

He simply loved Nico, ok?

Nico stretched slowly, a soft sigh escaping his lips as he snuggled closer to him, burying his nose at Percy's chest, and Percy now started playing with his hair instead, knowing Nico liked that.

Another soft sigh.

Then, Nico suddenly stiffened and his eyes flew open, blinking up at Percy – just to relax, seeming relieved.

"Good morning, sweetheart." Percy greeted him amused, and Nico chuckled quietly, settling back against him with a small sigh.

"Good morning, yourself, cuore mio. Where's Will?"

Oh, true, Nico had probably expected to wake up with the blonde in bed, not Percy.

That would explain the tensing.

"In the kitchen with Jason. And I think my mom. Not sure, though. Jason said he'll make breakfast. I was down for pancakes, but he'll probably make waffles." He told him quietly, leaning down to kiss the top of Nico's head again, just to then move lower and start peppering his face in kisses again just because he could.

Nico let him with a small chuckle, turning onto his back to give Percy more room, and Percy used his chance to get on top of Nico slowly, humming appreciatively.

How long had it been since they had last been able to do this on a bed?

With the guys around, they had tried to keep their making out to a minimum, especially after the blunders in the beginning.

But this was _nice_.

Nico in these soft sheets, his body so relaxed and his skin so warm and dry and soft…Percy liked it.

Loved it.

Loved Nico.

"Happy three-month-anniversary, babe." He whispered, before capturing Nico's lips in a proper good-morning kiss, and Nico smirked against his lips before tilting his head to respond in kind.

"Happy three-month-anniversary to you as well, cuore mio." He breathed back between kisses and Percy hummed contently, moving against his boyfriend more and more as he realized just how comfortable this was on a bed.

Before long, things started getting heated, with Nico wrapping his legs around Percy's waist, and Percy more or less humping him as their kisses, which began as loving and sensual, quickly turned hungry, demanding, and passionate.

Percy was just licking down his boyfriend's neck when the door suddenly opened, though they both were too far gone in their haze to react much, other than both turning their heads to check who it was.

"Eh, I'm not surprised. Anyways, condoms and lube are in Jason's backpack. Only remembered last minute to check the drawers and there was no space anywhere else. Don't forget to open the window afterwards, guys." Will said, sounding entirely unbothered as he grabbed his medic pouch and disappeared again, closing the door behind him.

Percy frowned for a moment, then looked back at his boyfriend, who was bright red in the face, looking a lot more alert and bothered than Percy would have liked.

"Well, at least we were still wearing clothes." Percy remarked drily, and Nico made a small, embarrassed sound, pinching him in the shoulder before hiding his face in his hands.

"We didn't even move! It's like…like…that could have been _your mother_!"

Nico looked so adorable when he was flustered.

Percy chuckled and waved off lightly, placing a gentle kiss on Nico's hands.

"She wouldn't walk in like that. And even if, it's not like she doesn't know what we're doing, Nico. We've been dating for three months, and she called us when we were cuddling half-naked in bed. I'm pretty sure she knows we're having sex."

At least he hoped so.

But his mother wouldn't interrupt them, would she?

Thinking about it, they had never really had that sort of talk, since he had mostly been gone for school and then there had been Camp.

At the age of twelve with such a life as his, he and his mother had had different issues to talk about and solve.

Still…

Percy kissed Nico's hands again, then climbed off him, earning him an almost scandalized look from Nico.

"I- I didn't mean we couldn't…" He started, but Percy put his finger on Nico's lips quickly.

"Shh, I know. I'm just locking the door."

"Oh."

Percy grinned at him, then moved over to the door quickly, looking out for Jason's backpack while he was at it.

He could have sworn he had seen it earlier.

Oh, wait…that had been in _his_ room, hadn't it?

Right on cue, there was a timid knock on the door, and it opened to Jason's hand holding his backpack, dropping it to the floor, before quickly retreating again, though Percy could swear he saw what looked like a _Hello Kitty_ band aid on his thumb.

Weird.

"Lock the door, Percy." Was all they heard, then the door closed again, and Percy huffed.

"I was about to get to that!" He said sulkily, but decided not to call after Jason.

Instead, he locked the door and searched through the backpack, finding the lube and condom in no time, along with a whole bunch of way too neatly folded clothes, therefore that this was a _backpack_.

But he decided not to say anything to that, instead hurrying back to bed where Nico was hiding under the blanket with a groan.

"Does _everyone_ know we're having sex?! Why is everybody so…so…_ugh_!" He lamented, which made Percy chuckle as he flopped back onto the bed, right next to Nico, and he started letting his hands slide under the blanket, making out Nico's sides and tickling him.

"I think it's cool. Imagine they'd react badly about it. Or what if they were still trying to cockblock us at every turn? Nah, this is much better. Plus, it would have gotten awkward if we had gotten any further with our making out just to realize we forgot our condoms in the Underworld." Percy pointed out, while Nico giggled and pushed the blanket away to see and escape Percy's hands.

Not that Percy let him get away, of course.

Instead, he pursued him and pinned him under him again, tickling his sides before turning it more into smooth, long strokes, first making Nico laugh, then hum contently.

"Well, it's not like I'd end up pregnant." Nico remarked with a pointed look, and Percy poked his side with a huff.

Hey, that was _one time_!

He had been _confused_, ok?

It wasn't as if he had _really_ thought Nico could get pregnant, but…well, Will had sounded pretty convincing, and with the gods siring horses and all that stuff, he wouldn't have been surprised if this was possible, too.

"Will said clean-up is supposed to be pretty messy, though. And I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable. So this is lots better."

Nico smiled up at him, his arms snaking around Percy's neck to tug him down further.

"Always so considerate. Ti amo, cuore mio. Per favore vieni qua e baciarmi ancora." (_I love you, my heart. Please come over here and kiss me again._)

Percy grinned, though he didn't understand half of what Nico was saying, still.

He did, however, know that that expression on Nico's face said he wanted to kiss, so Percy leaned down to grant him his wish.

Nico smiled against his lips and tugged him closer, his legs moving back around Percy, and Percy was the happiest guy alive.

"I love you." He breathed, then moaned as Nico tugged on his bottom lip to get him to stop talking and kiss him more.

"Love you more, now stop talking."

"Yes, darling." Percy said, anyways, and was rewarded (yes, _rewarded_) by Nico huffing and flipping them over, now on top of Percy and promptly pressing their lips together again.

Mmh, he loved this.

Absolutely loved this.

He put his hands on Nico's hips, the two of them starting up their earlier grinding again, and just let Nico do as he pleased as he licked and kissed his way down Percy's neck, now being the one in charge.

Nico would make such a good top.

Percy had had that realization before, of course, but right then and there, it just suddenly struck him again, because, seriously…when Nico knew what he wanted, and knew how to get it, there was no stopping him.

He grinded against Percy, no trace of embarrassment or hesitation in neither his movements nor his gaze. His lips, tongue and teeth knew exactly how to best wreak havoc on Percy's skin, making him gasp and groan and writhe.

"Take off your shirt." Nico practically ordered, though Percy had forgotten he was wearing anything in the first place.

Then again, Nico had somehow unbuttoned said pajama shirt at some point, anyways, so he wasn't surprised.

He sat up, hastily brushing the shirt over his arms and tossing it off the bed.

Nico quickly followed suit, before attacking Percy's skin again.

Percy let him, all too willingly.

At this rate, it wouldn't be him needing the condom.

That thought made him both hopeful and nervous at the same time.

Would Nico be up for that?

Would he himself be ready for that?

He had never tried anything like that before, after all, and while Nico had started getting more confident and demanding, he hadn't tried anything so far that could indicate he was interested.

Was he interested?

Nico started teasing his nipples, and Percy groaned, moving under him until he could get his legs out and around Nico, imitating their earlier position, just switched.

Nico made a low grumbling sound in his throat, his eyes dark and lusty, and Percy shivered as Nico started ravishing him again, still grinding against him in a steady rhythm.

"Nico…" He panted tentatively when Nico moved further down on him, tugging his pajama pants down and moving Percy's legs to get them off, while he started trailing kisses all over Percy's lower stomach and hip bone.

"Yes?" Nico asked, halting in his ministrations for maybe two seconds before Percy's needy thrust had him chuckling and continuing again.

"Would you…would you be up for…" He started, then forgot how the heck he was supposed to phrase this.

Nico halted as he was _about to lick Percy's dick_, and Percy cursed his shitty timing.

Couldn't he have waited another minute or so with interrupting Nico?

Especially since he now much rather didn't want to ask?

"What?"

Percy felt his face burning and shook his head, hoping Nico would just drop it and return to what he was doing.

He could ask this another time.

There were a hundred things he still had to talk to Nico about, how had his mind decided to just blurt this one out right away instead of filing it away to all the others?

He let his head fall back, hoping his face didn't look like a tomato or anything, but then promptly felt Nico shuffling and moving, before the Italian suddenly dropped next to him, looking almost concerned.

"You ok?"

Oh gods, he had done it.

He had gone and made Nico worry, right when he had been about to go down on Percy.

Shitty, shitty timing.

Also, now he'd really have to come out and say it.

"I'm great. I was just wondering whether…well…whether you'd like to top this time."

_Tadaa_.

He had said it.

Alright, his face was hot, and there were hot and cold shivers running down his back, his mind was awfully blank for a long moment in his nervousness, but…he had said it.

Percy studied Nico's face for a reaction, but Nico stared at him blankly for another very long moment.

Then he flushed and pushed back.

"_W-What_?!"

Percy wasn't sure what surprised him more, the sudden movement away from him, or the almost scandalized tone.

Had he…had it not been obvious?

Percy thought he had been quite obvious about the whole top-bottom matter.

Plus, he had actually gone and _said_ he didn't mind either way during that Truth or Dare, right?

Why was Nico so surprised?

"I…I mean you don't _have_ to! I was just…wondering…whether you'd like to…you know…" He mumbled, cursing the day he had learned to talk.

He should have just said nothing and let Nico do as he pleased.

"_No_! No, I mean, I'd…I'm just surprised, that you…" Nico started then broke off to take a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment.

Percy felt like this had to be the most awkward moment they had ever had.

Wow, what a way to start their three-month-anniversary.

"I said I wouldn't mind going either way…" He mumbled, but Nico shook his head, taking another deep breath before moving over.

He cupped Percy's face in his hands, placing a gentle kiss to his nose.

"I know. It's just…I never really thought about…topping. I mean, ok, it might have crossed my mind a couple of times, but never to the point where I actually…saw it as an option. A _real_ option. When you said you don't mind either way, I admit I was surprised, and it did make me…curious, but…I don't know how to explain it. I do want to…I mean…I would want to…try it. Maybe. But…I kind of like what we have right now. You know? Alright, I like taking the lead sometimes, but…"

"Please don't stop taking the lead. I love it when you do that." Percy blurted, and Nico blushed all over again, though he merely cleared his throat and seemed to be a lot more capable of composing himself today than Percy was.

"I like to take the lead sometimes, but I do want you to…I…I like you inside me."

That…had to be the most sexual thing Nico had ever said to him.

Combined with the shy glance over and that flushed face, it was also one of the hottest things Percy had ever heard, making his softening dick twitch right back to life.

He liked being inside Nico, too.

Gods, yes.

He shivered at the thought, and knew Nico noticed what effect his words had had on Percy by his glance downwards and the small twitch of his lips.

"Ok. I'm ok with that. Just know that you could…try…anytime you want, ok?" He tried, and Nico nodded with a small smile, moving closer again and giving Percy a small peck on the lips.

"Alright, I'll keep it in mind. But for now, how about we return to where we left off…?" Nico asked, his voice dropping to a low purr as he kissed the corners of Percy's lips next, then his jawline.

Percy smirked, his dick twitching happily at that suggestion.

"I'd love to."

Nico glanced down again, his lips now twitching into a real smile before he went and kissed down Percy's neck once more.

"I can see that."

Percy chuckled and let himself fall back into the pillows, Nico on top of him once more.

He loved Nico on top of him.

No matter who topped, no matter what they did or how they did it.

He simply loved Nico, ok?

And somehow, this moment of awkwardness might not have been all that bad.

Maybe he should start blurting out awkward things more often.

Maybe.

...

"Waffles are almost done, who wants to get Percy and Nico?" Sally asked, but Jason and Will both shot each other glances that said '_No'_.

"I went in there earlier, it seems they went back to bed." Will said smoothly, though Sally shot them an odd look, anyways.

"Went back to bed, huh? Why am I not surprised?"

Why did that sound as if she knew just what her son was doing?

Then again, she was a mother, she probably knew everything.

Jason had heard Percy saying that before, after all.

"Well, I'm sure they must be exhausted. Percy talked like a waterfall yesterday, after all. Some more sleep will do them well." Paul said, nodding seriously, and Jason shared a telling look with Will, who looked as if he had a tough time suppressing a laugh.

Hopefully, Will wouldn't destroy this man's innocent mind.

"You're absolutely right. Which is why we'll eat without them. Everyone, to your places, I'm bringing the waffles." Sally announced with a wink into their direction, and they obediently sat down at the table, Will and Jason opposite each other, again.

Somehow, Jason wished they could sit next to each other, but this was ok, too.

It wasn't as if he was expecting any more handholding – not with Sally and Paul around, anyways.

Though he wasn't sure what exactly to make of said handholding, either.

Will still seemed so torn, it was painful to watch.

Jason didn't doubt for a second that Will indeed _did_ want to date Jason, that he _did_ want to want a 'them' and that he actually _did_ like Jason, but…

If this 'something' really was that big of a deal, Jason should just step back and let Will sort himself out, first.

Of course, he had thought this exact same thing yesterday, already, but somehow, he couldn't get himself to actually follow through with it, always falling right back into thinking of a 'them' and hoping for a clear sign from Will.

As if on cue, he remembered his talk with Percy last night and wanted to bury his face in his hands.

_That guy._

Thinking about it, he should probably tell Will that Percy knew…a bit.

He didn't know any _details_, of course, but…let's just say he had been rather persistent, and the theories about Jason's and Will's 'special night' had been so horrible, Jason had just _had_ to correct him, okay?

But he had only said they had come 'closer', instead of actually defining just _how close_.

When Percy had wanted to know whether he was still a virgin, though, Jason had whacked him across the head and told him not to be an idiot.

As if Will really would have done something like that.

He had, however, told Percy about the kiss in the bathroom, and…well…about Will's reluctance.

Percy had seemed utterly surprised about Will rejecting Jason, so Jason took that as another sign Will did indeed like him, and wasn't just turning to him because Jason was the only one available.

Not that he thought Will was actually that sort of person, but Will did seem so _scared_ lately, that Jason had a hunch he was trying to find comfort in close to anything and everything.

That, and Will tried so hard to act like his usual self, that it was difficult to tell what he was doing because he wanted to, and what he was doing because he forced himself to.

It was difficult.

Everything was difficult.

Why did everything always have to be so difficult?

Jason had no answer.

But he knew everything originated from this one big problem Will so adamantly refused to talk about.

He wanted to know.

He wanted to know, so he could let Will know he knew and that it was ok.

He wanted to tell Will it was ok, and help him get better, help him get over it, help him leave it behind.

Maybe he shouldn't have let Will go to Elysium.

Not alone, at least.

Maybe he should have insisted on at least one of them to go with him, no matter if Percy, Nico or he himself.

Maybe he should have pushed Will that tiny bit that would have been necessary.

Then they'd know – or one of them, at least – and could help him.

But this way…Jason could do nothing but wait.

Wait for Will, wait for that talk they needed to have, wait for the truth, wait for a solution.

Jason hated waiting.

He was a fairly patient person, and he'd never rush Will or blame anything on him or get fed up with him for needing time.

But that didn't mean he had to like the waiting.

Today…maybe they could have that talk.

And who knew, maybe it would solve something.

Percy had actually surprised him, not trying to skewer him or making threats – or even cracking jokes about Will rejecting him or anything –, instead, he had seemed understanding and kind, spooning him on his mattress and talking quietly about what he thought might be going through Will's mind.

Percy might not know what his problem was, but he had put it into direct comparison to himself and Tartarus, and Jason had been dead quiet the entire time he had spoken, stunned that Percy would confide as much into him as he had.

When Percy remembered that place, he didn't just have the picture in his head, or a faint recollection of it.

It was as if he was still _there_, or there _again_, and everything would hit him like a punch in the face.

The heat, the stench, the despair inside and around him.

It felt as if it was all suffocating him, trying to drag him back down into that pit for real.

And Percy had told him he thought he had seen a similarly haunted expression on Will's face to the one Annabeth had worn whenever she had remembered Tartarus.

Jason thought he even knew what Percy was talking about.

Though he still didn't know what to do with that information.

Percy had told him he'd never tell a living soul about anything that had happened down there, not even Nico, and that he was lucky Annabeth had been with him at the time, though the two of them had apparently never _really_ talked about it, either.

It was one of those things in life that were meant to be taken to the grave.

Will might not have been in _Tartarus_, but if whatever it was that had happened to him was along the same lines, then he might truly not be willing to share that, _ever_.

Jason had voiced that out to Percy, too, but Percy had only shrugged.

The only thing he had said Jason could try was what Jason had already decided yesterday.

Which was to say: Baby steps.

It would either work, or it wouldn't, but it seemed to be the only thing Percy and he could see that might work right now, with Will being the way he was.

Of course, there were _other_ options, but those were more along the lines of avoiding Will until he got better, and Jason refused to let Will go through that by himself if he could help it.

Baby steps would be a slow progress, but at least there might _be_ a progress.

Instead of asking Will to share his story, or to make up his mind, or just go along with a relationship, they would try to _build towards _a relationship, instead.

With some more talks, maybe a few dates…probably some more handholding since that kept happening, though usually more or less spontaneously and unintentionally.

Of course, he'd be there for Will either way, no matter if as boyfriend or friend.

But he wanted a relationship built on trust.

He didn't want Will to be scared of him, or fear every single decision they'd have to face in either scenario.

Just as he himself didn't want to constantly worry about his next action being the end of them because he had pushed past an invisible line.

A relationship like that, no matter if friendship or romance, would only tear into Will even more, and it wouldn't be very good for Jason, either.

But he was willing to try.

He hadn't told Percy, but he was willing to do pretty much anything for Will, no matter how he decided.

He'd simply find a way to make it work.

If Will wanted to date, then Jason would say yes.

If Will wanted to wait and just be friends for now, then Jason would say yes.

If Will wanted to just stay friends forever, then Jason would say yes.

If Will wanted to date him but kept being torn about it and changing his mind every five seconds…then Jason would have to sit him down and give him 'the options'.

He didn't like 'the options'.

It felt like setting an ultimatum.

He didn't want that.

He didn't want to pressure Will in any sort of way.

But not doing so would stress Will even more, because Jason doubted this would stop anytime soon.

Was this all because of his talk with Michael?

Or them meeting Leah, Michael and Lee in Elysium?  
If Jason had confessed and asked him out before either time, would Will have reacted differently?

Maybe he would have.

Or maybe he wouldn't have.

Jason shook his head slightly, smiling up at Sally as she put his blue waffles on his plate.

There was no point in thinking about that.

Plus, being this distracted had made him cut himself on one of Sally's knives when he had wanted to take out the whisk out of the drawer.

So he should pay more attention to his surroundings again.

Then again, Will had been the one immediately nursing him back to health (after getting his medic pouch out of the 'occupied' guest room, that was), so it might not have been all that bad.

Though he probably shouldn't start getting hurt on purpose just to have Will fuss over him.

It had been nice though.

Will had been a lot more in his element those few moments it had taken for him to inspect the severity of Jason's cut and apply a bright pink band aid with perfect precision and a loving pat on his wrist.

A foot nudged his leg, and he glanced around at Will, just to realize Paul had been talking to him for some time already, apparently.

Oops.

This was _exactly_ what he meant with he was starting to zone out too much, always thinking about Will.

Not even with Nico had Jason ever started losing this much track of what was going on around him.

Then again, Nico had never given Jason a reason to worry half as much about him as Will was doing right now.

He moved his own foot to nudge it against Will's ankle gently to attempt a 'thanks', but found that was apparently the wrong thing to do, because Will almost jumped out of his skin.

"Is everything alright, Will?" Paul asked concerned, but Will waved off with a fake laugh, saying he just remembered something – before shooting Jason a dark look.

What?

What had he done?

Will seemed to read the puzzlement on his face, because he very subtly rolled his eyes a moment later and formed the words 'later' with those very kissable lips of his.

Later?

_Later_.

That meant there'd be a later, in which Will and he would talk.

That meant there was a chance they'd have 'the' talk.

Jason gave a small nod, then turned towards Paul, because, seriously, the professor was talking to him again, and he had no idea what it was about.

Again.

Will remained quiet throughout breakfast, though he didn't look brooding or upset again, for once, instead seemingly enjoying his waffles and listening to Sally telling them tidbits of Percy's 'accidents' back when he was a child.

They already knew most of them, of course (or Jason did, at least, because, again, Percy was a very talkative person when bored), but it was still interesting to hear her sides of the stories, and also made him realize that Percy tended to _downplay_ things.

While other people would have _exaggerated_ and made things sound much more horrible than they were, Jason clearly remembered Percy shrugging off quite a few of these things as no big deal and made them sound a lot less dangerous than they actually had been.

Though it didn't surprise him all that much.

Paul was telling Jason of the classes he taught, and asked him what he intended to work as later, though Jason had to tell him he had no idea.

For now, he had to concentrate on getting the peace contract settled and every god appeased.

Work would have to wait until later.

He did however reassure Paul he'd finish his school education, since Percy, Nico, Will and he had decided to move to New Rome at some point, anyways.

That topic got them through breakfast, though Will stayed out of it for the most part, only adding in the various courses the schools there offered, and how long it would take them to get done with college and find jobs there, based on estimates.

How Will knew that when even Jason didn't – especially since _he_ had lived in Camp Jupiter for the most part of his life, and not Will – was beyond him, but he was glad for the input, anyways, since he could see how it put Sally at ease to know her son would be in the best care.

Not that he ever wasn't.

Sadly, not even the best care could protect him from himself and the trouble he got himself into.

Just as Jason got up to help Sally with the dishes, they heard what suspiciously sounded like a low moan, and Will coughed loudly into his hand to cover the sound.

Oh gods, Percy, Nico, _please_.

The guest room was _not_ sound-proof like the bathroom had been, ok?

Jason threw Will an alarmed look, while Will looked more exasperated, as if he had half expected this, but couldn't believe it was happening, anyways.

"That sounded bad, are you sure you are ok? Do you need some medicine? Not that you're catching a cold after your long stay in the Underworld." Sally said sympathetically, and Jason's eyebrows shot up, just like Will's.

The blonde looked as if he wanted to say something along the lines of 'I'm son of Apollo!' or 'I'm a medic!', but then, luckily, the almost-offense on his face disappeared, and he smiled at her instead.

"That's very kind, but I'm fine. I have my own medicine in case I need anything. Plus, if I cough loud enough, the guys will take me in the middle for cuddling." He said smoothly, wiggling his eyebrows at Jason, and for a moment it almost felt as if everything was normal again.

Except the fact that Will would have never admitted out loud that he liked being taken in the middle during their cuddling.

Nor talked about their cuddling, in general.

Plus, he was still having this issue with people behind him (Jason could see it even now, with him glancing over his shoulders every here and there and looking uneasy if Paul or Sally passed behind him).

"We'd take you in the middle solely for the reason that you're our hot water bottle, if only you let us." He said instead of all the other things he wanted to say, and Sally looked between them with a small, almost sad seeming smile.

It felt as if she knew something, though he wasn't sure what and how and what that meant.

But he had a hunch she had caught a glimpse of them holding hands earlier, and she was bound to have noticed Jason staring at Will every chance he had (because Jason was obvious like that), so it might be that.

"Alright, who volunteers to clean the dishes?" She asked, clapping her hands together, and Jason moved automatically.

They had already carried over the plates and such, anyways, he might as well wash them.

Will brushed past him.

"Forget it, Handsome. The wounded belong in the bed – or on the sofa."

_The wounded._

"It's just a small cut." Jason huffed indignantly, but Will threw him a stern glance over his shoulder – making Jason realize he was _standing behind Will_ and Will _wasn't_ tensing up instantly.

"Are you defying your doctor's orders?" He asked coolly, and Jason let out a loud sigh, while Paul muttered something in the background, asking Sally whether Will had a PHD.

Jason looked at him a moment longer, contemplating whether or not to stare him down.

But this was already more than he had expected, since he was still standing behind Will, and while Will wasn't as relaxed as usual, he wasn't 'tense', either.

He knew Jason was there, and behind him, and he was full aware of everything else in the room, but…

Well, if Jason didn't know better, he'd say Will was trusting him.

Simple as that.

"No, I'm not, Doctor Solace. May I request permission to seat myself at the table instead of the sofa?" He relented, and watched triumphantly how Will's lips twitched ever so slightly, before he schooled a contemplative expression.

Though he did seem rather pleased.

"Hmm…alright. You may. But only because you asked so nicely."

He said that, but Jason could see the satisfied gleam in his eyes, not to mention that shiver that ran down Will's back that didn't seem to make him uncomfortable for once.

"Thanks so much, Doctor Solace." Jason grinned, and moved over to the table before Will could properly glare at him, another one of those shivers running down his back.

Hey, Percy was right.

Will had a thing for being called 'Doctor'.

Good to know.

"You're an interesting bunch, I must say. Percy never ceases to amaze me with the friends he makes." Sally muttered with a sigh, tugging Paul along with her before he could ask them any odd questions again – which Jason was grateful for, since he didn't want to know how Will would react if somebody pointed out the lack of a PHD to him (Percy had dared to, before, after all, and Jason was pretty sure Will only let him live through it because he liked him).

Hopefully Percy and Nico would keep their noises down now, though.

Gods, those guys.

Then again, he couldn't blame them.

He'd make the most of each and every private moment, too, if he was in their shoes.

Jason glanced at Will, watching him washing the dishes, and for a moment, he wondered how things would be if they were dating, if they were in their own place, maybe, instead of Sally's.

First of all, Jason would help him with those dishes.

Second of all, he'd love to stand behind Will and kiss down the side of his neck while helping him with said dishes.

If Will let him, of course.

He gazed at Will's back quietly, catching him looking around at him every here and there, but the panic had left his eyes when Sally and Paul had disappeared.

Jason took that as a good sign.

"Percy will be so upset about the waffles." He said after the silence started getting too loud, unwilling to give Will a chance to drift off and get uneasy again.

Will shot him a dubious look over his shoulders.

"I doubt it. The morning sex is bound to put him into a splendid mood, he'll probably not even notice it's not pancakes."

Jason just loved how Will said that loud and clear for anybody to hear.

That guy.

Hopefully, Paul hadn't heard.

"This is Percy, he'll be in a good mood and still complain about the waffles." He argued with a small grin as he put his chin on his hand, watching the way Will's shoulders shook as he chuckled.

He wished he could stand behind him now, and feel the chuckle instead of just seeing and faintly hearing it.

"No way."

"Yes way." Jason retorted just to get Will to shoot him that look again, his lips twitching into a smile, his eyes brightening again.

"Nope. He's bound to be utterly befuddled with all the endorphins and serotonin in his bloodstream. Want to bet he'll be grinning like an idiot with that typical 'I just got laid'-face? He won't give a damn about pancakes or waffles, as long as Nico's there with him."

Hm, he did have a good point there.

Still…

"He'll complain about the waffles. I just know he will." He insisted, and they both shot each other challenging looks.

Yes, that was the gleam he wanted to see in Will's eyes.

Will was about to say something else, but right then, they heard the door opening in the hallway, and both of them looked around to see Nico disappearing towards the bathroom, while a disheveled Percy walked their way, wearing the pajama shirt Nico had worn to bed last night, and wearing it inside out, to boot.

He also had that utter 'I just got laid'-face, too.

Still, Jason knew his bro.

So he merely grinned smugly when Percy walked into the kitchen, his gaze automatically moving over to the two left-over plates on the table for him and Nico, and he rolled his eyes with a loud sigh, even though his smile stayed in place.

"Seriously? I knew you'd do that to me, Jason. Cruel person. I wanted pancakes."

Will snorted from the sink, and when Jason looked around, he found the blonde with his face buried in his hands – which might not have been a smart thing to do with soapy, wet hands, though he didn't seem to notice at first.

"What am I going to do with you guys?" Will asked when he finally looked up again and shook his head to himself as he used his sleeve to dry off his face, which looked kind of cute.

"You could start by making me pancakes." Percy suggested with a wink and moved over to his side, nudging him aside to take over the cleaning of the dishes, pointedly nodding towards Jason as if telling Will to go to him.

Percy, no.

They'd do their talking sooner or later, but definitely not now, with everybody still around.

Will shot Percy a dark look, too, as if thinking something along the same lines (or maybe simply not wanting to have that conversation at all).

But Percy didn't even seem to notice, humming contently to himself as he plunged his hands into the dishwater – then he started splashing around slightly when he noticed Will still hadn't moved.

"What is it, sun-bug?"

"What do you think you're doing? Go eat your breakfast, you dork." Will chided, but Percy huffed and shook his head with an unbothered grin.

"Nah, I'm good. Nico is going to take a quick shower, and I don't want to eat without him. Go sit down, man, I've got this. Plus, you should probably try to catch some sleep later, you look like shit."

Wow, how eloquent.

And that in his mother's house with his mom still around.

Scandalous.

Also, Will didn't look _that_ bad.

He was still pale, though, he had to admit that.

Though he already looked a bit better than before breakfast, so chances were he'd look his usual self in a few days.

Maybe all he did really need was some time.

(Wouldn't that be something?)

"Gee, thanks. That makes me feel so much better about myself. Then again, how do you expect me to look in your hideous clothes? They're even worse than Jason's." Will remarked, crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaning against the counter, instead of moving over to Jason.

But Jason wasn't surprised.

Percy didn't seem to be, either, sending Will an unimpressed look – that suddenly turned mischievous and challenging and made Jason expect the worst.

"Oh really? Well, if you don't like the clothes, feel free to take them off and run around in Jason's, instead. I'm sure he won't mind."

Ugh, seriously?

Will seemed to think the same, judging by his expression.

"Or I'll simply wear my own. Unlike you, I didn't try to forget _my_ essentials in the Underworld."

Jason rolled his eyes and put his chin back on his hand, watching them with a small grin.

He kind of wondered where this was going to go.

Under normal circumstances, the two would bicker until Percy caved in, but Percy still grinned so smugly, as if he still had an ace up his sleeve and was utterly ready to use it.

To do what, Jason had no clue.

If he had to guess, the way Percy kept glancing over at him indicated it had to do with him – though whether it was something to spite Jason for the pancakes/waffle-thing, or something to make peace with him in a way, he couldn't say.

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks for that, by the way. So, hey, Will, I was wondering…"

Percy started innocently enough, and Jason's alarm bells rang instantly.

As did Will's, judging by the dubious look on his face.

"What is it? This better not be something stupid." Will remarked in a skeptical tone, eyeing Percy suspiciously – especially that grin.

"I noticed you never touch Nico or me much after we get out of the shower. So, I was wondering, just how much you feel when you…" Percy started, but then Will already turned around and moved towards Jason hurriedly, uttering a loud and clear 'Nope!' and narrowly avoiding _Percy's hands_ as he made to grab for him with a laugh.

"Aww, you're no fun!" Percy exclaimed, splashing water after the blonde as he hurried over to Jason with a look that said 'Can you believe this freaking guy?!'.

Jason couldn't suppress a small laugh, both at the indignant, yet triumphant look on Percy's face, as well as the way Will had bolted just in time – though at the same time, another part of him remembered their night, and how Will had held onto him, relishing in the physical contact in a way Jason had never seen before.

He studied Will's face, wondering faintly whether he'd ever see it with that utterly blissed out look again, the one he had had after crying out his orgasm, the one that had made Jason want to cover every single inch of Will Solace with himself and had caused him to pepper his face in kisses.

To be honest, he wasn't even sure whether Will had noticed him doing that at all.

The blonde had seemed so utterly gone, clinging onto him with his entire body shaking and trembling.

Jason remembered being initially surprised by the sudden additional weight to hold up, but it hadn't really mattered, since Will was pretty light, anyways.

He had kind of liked it, even.

He'd like to have that again.

That closeness, that intimacy, that trust Will had had in him not to drop him.

Will caught his gaze and raised an eyebrow, his expression telling Jason he was wondering what Jason was thinking.

Yeah, Jason probably shouldn't let him guess that right.

"Good morning, guys. Hey, cool, waffles." Nico greeted them with a very unusual, elated grin on his face, and Will and Jason both stared at him in a mixture of surprise and awe for a moment.

Nico looked so amazing when he was smiling.

Especially like this.

It had that hint of carefreeness to it, similar to Percy's, but Nico's was more adorable, while Percy's always came across as cocky/witty/sassy (or sexy, when he wanted to, though Jason wasn't going to tell him that anytime soon).

Nico moved past Will, and Jason could see Will's eyes following his every move, especially that moment Nico's hand seemed to move in slow-motion towards Will's shoulder, touching him unthinkingly as he sat down, unaware of what that could bring forth.

Jason watched as Will's eyes widened the tiniest bit, his pupils dilating slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.

Yep, he could feel it all, alright?

Jason smirked into his hand, watching Will swallow again even after Nico had pulled away, oblivious to what he had just done to/for Will.

Poor Will. Jason almost felt sorry for him.

Then again, this might not be all that bad for him.

It was certainly a way to get out of one's head, and who would complain about feeling another person's afterglow?

Will certainly wasn't, if that hint of a smile Jason saw meant anything.

Good.

Now, Jason just wished he could make Will feel that way, too.

...

"I can't believe it's our three-month-anniversary, and I have nothing cool to show you around here. Are you sure you want to go to the park with me instead of proceeding with your great plan for the day?" Percy asked again, though he knew Nico's answer already.

"Yep. Show me around. The past times I've been here, I didn't get to see much of the area due to work and monsters and the impending war, after all." Nico said with a small smile, their fingers linked as they walked down the more or less crowded sidewalks together.

Wasn't it amazing that Nico let this happen?

In the beginning, once they had been away from New Rome, Percy hadn't expected Nico to be ok with handholding in public until maybe a year from then.

And now, only three months into their relationship, Nico was already this wonderfully unbothered by the looks they were getting.

Then again, maybe it was because these were mortals and strangers, and Nico probably couldn't care less what they thought, anyways.

It wasn't as if anybody was going to be able to give them a hard time.

Percy was trained to battle monsters and the occasional Titan, he was pretty sure he could take on close to any homophobic asshole coming their way.

"If I had friends in the area, you bet I'd show you off to all of them, too. As it is, I've never really had all that much time to look around here, much, myself, so I'm not sure there'll be anything interesting for you to see." He said apologetically, though he knew he had said that before already.

Nico merely shrugged and squeezed his hand gently.

"I don't mind. I just want us to enjoy our day together, we don't actually have to _do_ anything or _see_ anything. Though I hope you'll like what we'll do later." Nico added sheepishly, and shot Percy a hopeful glance for a moment, before looking straight ahead again.

Percy's heart thumped loudly in his chest.

"You're going to kill me with all these surprises, Nico," he whined, but Nico only chuckled.

"Yeah? Now you know how I felt in the past."

Touché.

"Yes, but you're so much stronger than me, so I know you can take it. I, however, am going to die from curiosity if I don't find out soon." He lamented, leading Nico towards one of the parks he knew of.

He wished he had more to offer.

Sadly, both his brain and his wallet said no.

He'd definitely go to Leo for some more work once they were back at Camp.

It might be tedious and the stuff was pretty hard to understand sometimes, but Leo paid pretty well, so it was worth it.

He'd much rather do that than nudge his mother for some more pocket money, that much was for sure.

Even if she was doing better with money nowadays, that didn't mean he'd let her waste it on him.

Nope.

Not if he could help it.

Though he still wished he could at least take Nico out for dinner.

Maybe that's what Nico had in mind for them later.

Originally, Nico had wanted to stay at home a while longer, but Percy had become too restless and too curious about just what they'd do 'later', so Nico had excused them fairly quickly and taken him 'for a walk'.

Which made Percy sound like a dog, but he decided he didn't care, as long as Nico kept holding his hand like that.

Plus, it kind of was nice, walking through the streets with Nico, just looking around without rush or worry.

No monsters to suddenly jump them, no gods that suddenly required their help, just the two of them strolling down the street and into the park without a care in the world.

"You liked them, though, right? The surprises?" Percy asked, though he was fairly certain Nico had.

Right?

Nico chuckled.

"Of course I did. I happen to be just as curious as you are, Percy, in case you haven't noticed."

Percy raised a doubtful eyebrow.

"What? Me? Curious? No way. Who's curious? I'm not. Did I just say I was curious? Oh…wait…I think I did…damn…" He started, then realized he had in fact already admitted to being curious beyond belief.

Aww.

Nico chuckled, and Percy grinned at him, his eyes hushing over Nico's profile.

He was still smiling so wonderfully.

That same smile that had suddenly just been there on his lips after one of the most amazing rounds of sex they had had yet.

Though Percy started realizing more and more he described each and every single thing as 'the best' or 'most amazing' these days.

But sex in a bed was definitely a lot more comfortable than in the shower/bathtub.

There certainly was more room, too.

Though Percy hoped they'd still continue making out in the bathroom every here and there, because he loved feeling Nico's damp/wet skin and he kind of liked the feeling of water around them.

Maybe that was a child-of-Poseidon-thing or something.

But he had the impression Nico hadn't minded it so far, so he definitely hoped for more.

"You think Will and Jason will take this time to talk?" Nico asked quietly as they walked past the blooming trees and flowers, and Percy stared off into the distance in silence for a moment.

Jason and Will.

Will and Jason.

Jason's and Percy's talk last night…

Percy's heart clenched, but he merely swallowed and smiled, looking at Nico again.

"I'd hope so. It would certainly give them a chance to sort things out between them, wouldn't it?"

Nico eyed him oddly for a moment, but then nodded quietly.

"I suppose so. Hopefully, they'll be back to normal, soon."

Nothing would ever go back to 'normal'.

But Percy wasn't going to tell Nico that.

Instead, he hummed and held his hand a tad tighter, leading him past people with dogs, people with children, people with babies, older couples, elders…

Jason was in love with Will.

It was just so…obvious.

Percy didn't know why hearing Jason say it out loud had hurt, why it still hurt to think about those two getting together.

It had been obvious all this time that those two were falling fast and hard for each other.

Sure, it was strange how Will had rejected Jason the way he had, but all Percy could think of was that Jason must have not confessed his feelings right.

Maybe he had said it in a weird way that had led to Will assuming something else, or think Jason wasn't as serious about him as he was.

Because, surely, if Will knew just how invested Jason was in him, the two would already be a happy go lucky couple, locked up in the bedroom to make up for all the time lost and take care of Jason's inexperience.

…If they hadn't already done something along those lines, anyways.

By now, Percy was fairly certain what 'we got closer' translated to.

Especially with that pleased and satisfied look Jason had whenever he mentioned that 'special night'.

Well, as long as they had had their fun…

Percy's heart still throbbed painfully, though.

Of course, that didn't matter, and it had no business hurting – _he_ had no business hurting – but that was simply how it was.

It simply hurt.

But he was certain it would get better in time.

Same as Will would get better, and those two would work it out, for sure.

He had done his best to be as comforting and supportive as possible, going through the options with Jason, though it had hurt, and now he'd simply have to keep doing just that.

Be comforting and reassuring, and help them both get over the things in their way.

Be supportive and understanding.

Cheer for them once they finally worked it out.

Percy averted his gaze so Nico couldn't see the face he was making as his chest clenched again painfully.

Why couldn't they just all be happy? At the same time? With each other?

Before, it had been Nico being by himself, and the three of them trying to be there for him, hoping to gain his affection romantically, and hoping to be the one he finally decided to go out with.

Then, it had been Percy and Nico in a relationship, happy beyond measure, and Will and Jason hurting but sticking around, anyways.

Now, it was Percy and Nico, happy as always, and Will and Jason fighting for their happiness.

Percy should be happy.

Happy that they might have a chance to be happy, happy that they wouldn't be hurting anymore, happy that this issue he had had all this time finally seemed to solve itself.

But he wasn't.

It felt horrible.

He wanted them to stay with Nico and him.

He wanted them to stay and be _with_ them.

In any way possible.

It didn't matter.

He just wanted them all to be together, it didn't matter how or why or whatever.

Just the four of them.

Somehow.

Silena's words sounded through him again, and he wished he had the courage to bring it up.

But he didn't, because he also remembered the dream that kept recurring these days.

The one with the pathways.

In the beginning, he had kept forgetting about it, only the sensations left, if even.

By now, he thought he could still remember glimpses of it here and there, when he thought about it hard enough.

And he knew, out of the four 'futures' he had seen, there was only one he really wanted.

It was also the one he knew he couldn't have.

It was just too risky.

He knew it all depended on one tiny thing, but if he messed that up, he'd lose everything.

He'd lose Nico, he'd lose Jason, he'd lose Will.

And he couldn't risk that.

So he'd do everything in his power to let them have the second-best thing.

A peaceful future, with Nico and him alone, and Will and Jason…well, they'd have their own future.

Maybe it was better that way, anyways.

With Will being the way he was right now, he didn't need any additional trouble and stress, and Percy was fairly certain if he brought up anything like this _now_, that was all it would cause.

Jason wouldn't thank him, either, not to mention that he wouldn't be interested in the first place, because Percy would be there, too.

And Nico…gods, Percy would lose him.

Nico would try not to let it affect him – _them _– but Percy had seen that freak-out in his dream, the fear in Nico's eyes, the uncertainty, the betrayal, as if Percy was saying he wasn't good enough.

He would never want to make Nico think that way, nor say something that would make him look at him like that.

So he couldn't take the risk.

Right now, it seemed like he was the only one unhappy with the overall situation, anyways.

Of course, Will and Jason still had issues, but they didn't seem unsatisfied with the thought of 'only' dating each other, and giving up on Nico.

Nico didn't seem upset about the two of them almost dating, and Percy being his only boyfriend.

It was only Percy, because Percy had just had to overthink it all back in December already, always doubting himself and just wanting the best for Nico.

But by now, it wasn't just 'the best for Nico', but also what he himself wanted that.

He glanced sideways at Nico and shook his head to himself.

What was he even thinking about?

This was stupid.

Today was their anniversary of three amazing months together.

He should only think of positive, good things today.

"Maybe we should look for a lake." He suggested with a small smile, and Nico turned his head to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Should we now? And what will we do if we find one?"

Percy wiggled his eyebrows at him with a telling expression, and Nico rolled his eyes with a chuckle, tugging on his hand.

Percy leaned down automatically, and Nico's lips brushed against his, melting all the oppressing thoughts in Percy's head as his heart sped up, happily thumping against his rib cage as if trying to escape and fly away.

"You're such a dork, Percy." Nico said softly as he pulled back, but Percy still huffed, acting upset.

"Is that what you say to your absolutely amazing boyfriend after three months of dating? I am offended." He wailed dramatically, and Nico snorted, nudging his shoulder.

"Yeah, right. Sweetheart, I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been calling you a dork since day one."

Percy let out a dramatic gasp.

"_No_ way! You wouldn't!"

Nico rolled his eyes and pushed him away slightly, trying to stop himself from laughing, while Percy grinned broadly and tried to continue his act, gesturing wildly and wondering how this must look to any outsiders.

He didn't give a damn.

"Nooo, my whole life is a _lie_! My boyfriend calls me 'dork' in such a loving manner, my heart can't take it! Since day one, he says! Day one! Ooh~…" He lamented, and Nico buried his face in his hands, shaking his head and only looking up to glance towards the people passing by and turning to Percy with an apologetic look, as if that explained everything.

"You're so mature, Percy, I must say. Will and Jason are right, you truly are the biggest dork of them all." He commented wryly, and Percy's mouth fell open, his hands on his cheeks.

"No way! You did not…how could you say such a thing? You…" He started, then rushed forward to wrap his arms around Nico and lift him off his feet, pressing their bodies together and spinning him in a circle.

Nico squeaked, then started laughing loudly, his arms wrapping around Percy's neck automatically.  
"_Percy!_"

Percy laughed, spinning him some more for good measure, then he set him down again and pressed his lips against the side of his neck, then his jawline, then on Nico's lips.

Nico huffed into the kiss, but returned it timidly, all the same.

"…most wonderful boyfriend of all time." Percy finished his formerly started sentence smoothly, and Nico rolled his eyes, letting their foreheads rest together as they stood there, in the middle of the path, their arms around each other and close to no space between their bodies, even though there were more than enough people around them right now that should make this far too close.

Who cared?

They certainly didn't.

"I want to go to the playground, mom! You said we'd go to the playground!" They heard a child cry somewhere next to them, and Percy caught Nico glancing towards it, his lips twitching slightly.

Percy's smile turned into a grin.

"Nico, I want to go to the playground, too." He said, batting his eyelashes, and Nico shot him a surprised, almost scandalized look.

"No way. We're not going to a playground. There'll be kids everywhere."

Percy stuck out his bottom lip, giving Nico his best puppy face.

"Yes? What's wrong with that?"

Nico tried so very hard to look away, it was comical to watch.

"That…they…Percy, people will think we're pedophiles or something. People our age do not go to playgrounds, at least not during the day, at this time of the day."

Percy huffed, stroking over Nico's hips and intensifying his pout.

"Pretty, pretty please?" He asked, just as they heard the kid asking the exact same thing.

Nico sighed in sync with the child's mother, and both the kid and Percy knew they had won.

"Fine." He heard the woman's voice, the same time he heard his boyfriend's, and Percy made sure to time his elated 'Yesss!' with the child's loud and euphoric 'Woohoo!'.

Nico groaned and shook his head, but took Percy by the hand all the same, leading him off to the playground, even though it should probably be Percy leading him, since he was supposed to know the area here.  
Yeah, well, they both ended up leaving it to the child and its mother to get them there, anyways.

"The swings are mine! Though you can sit on my lap, if you insist." Percy instantly exclaimed, and Nico tried to look exasperated the moment he saw Percy moving his head to look at him.

Little did Nico know that Percy had been watching his face out of the corners of his eyes all the while, so he very well knew of the small smile on his lips, and the way he looked more amused than exasperated or annoyed.

"No thanks, maybe later. You go have fun, though." Nico waved off, but then Percy already tugged him towards the swings, past all the kids running around screaming and yelling and laughing.

There was only one free swing.

_Perfect_.

Now Nico didn't have any excuse.

Percy shot his boyfriend a telling look, the same moment Nico's eyes widened slightly in realization.

"Percy…" He said warningly, but by then Percy was already on the swing and had Nico on his lap, facing him.

"We're not doing this." Nico stated, but Percy merely grinned and started moving back and forth, setting them into motion and making Nico wrap his arms around him properly.

"You can't be serious." Nico commented when Percy and he were already going faster than the two kids to their left, who were both staring at them with wide eyes.

Percy winked at them and resisted the temptation to drop his hands on his boyfriend's butt, instead keeping them firmly on Nico's back.

The sacrifices he made for the sake of innocent children's minds.

The parents should thank him, really, instead of eyeing him as suspiciously as they were (not that Percy gave a damn).

"I can't believe we're doing this." Nico muttered when they were going high up in the air, Nico's hair either flying out of his face and letting Percy see that adorable blush on his cheeks and nose – or into his face and Percy's, making him giggle and laugh (and risk choking on Nico's hair each time).

"We're seriously doing this." Nico said in a disbelieving voice, and Percy laughed again.

Then, he gave his boyfriend a kiss on the nose and they almost fell off, and Nico laughed, too.

Perfect.

...

"I'll be gone now, is there anything else you need? Sweets, snacks, anything?" Sally asked as she appeared in the doorway to the living room, after having moved through the apartment several times in the past thirty minutes.

Will wished she could just stay a little while longer, so he wouldn't have to be alone with Jason.

Which was a cruel thing to wish for, and didn't have anything to do with Jason, per se, but simply with the fact that Will was still trying to avoid 'the' conversation.

He wasn't ready.

Not yet.

Then again, he'd probably never be ready to face that talk.

But he knew he couldn't push it off forever.

Well, he probably could, but it would be cruel and mean and unfair to Jason, and make things even worse between them.

Will didn't want things between them to get even worse.

He didn't even want things to stay the same between them as they were now.

If anything, he wished he could turn back time and have them be the way they used to be.

But, yeah, that wasn't going to happen, was it now?

Plus, that meant he'd have never had that night with Jason and had never had the chance to feel as great as he had felt back then, and he wouldn't want to miss that for the life of him.

"We're good, thank you." Jason replied for them both, perking up ever so faintly at the prospect of being alone with Will.

Yes, Will noticed that, even if he wasn't directly looking at Jason, and even with Jason trying to not let it show.

Will wasn't ready.

He was also dead tired.

It was maybe an hour after noon, now, and he was just so tired.

He was so, so tempted to just let his head tip back against the sofa and fall asleep, right here, right now.

That would probably get him out of the prospect of 'the talk', too, because Jason would never wake him, the considerate fool.

If anything, he'd sigh and bring him a blanket and wrap him up and be that horribly gentle and kind person he always was.

That horribly gentle and kind person that Will wanted to kiss and snuggle up to and use as a pillow right about now.

The sad part was that Will knew he'd only have to ask, and Jason would let him.

Jason would let him do anything.

It was horrible.

Horrible for Jason, horrible for himself, horrible for them.

It would be like leading Jason on.

And Will kept repeating to himself that he wasn't allowed to do that.

If he led Jason on, he'd hurt him even more than he already was.

He heard shuffling and instantly turned his head to watch Jason getting up and stretching, exposing a strip of wonderfully alluring skin as his sweater rode up to his navel.

_Damn, Jason, why would you make this even harder than it was?_

Will looked away to avoid eye-contact, though he knew that was mean, too.

It wasn't as if he was actually trying to ignore Jason anymore, after all, even if he definitely felt like it right now, with them being alone, and Jason bound to bring up the long overdue conversation about _them_.

"Want anything to drink?" Jason asked amiably, and Will shot him a look that hopefully conveyed he wasn't fooled.

He knew full well Jason wanted the talk, and he knew full well Jason wouldn't take anything but a 'yes' for an answer, anyways, because he and Percy had apparently set out to get Will to drink more than cows did.

Every time one of them had gone to or past the kitchen, they had just _had_ to bring him a water, or a glass of orange juice, or any other juice.

Every time they had gone from one room to another, one of them had passed him a glass with water or juice.

Every time he had returned from the bathroom, there had been a glass of water or juice waiting for him.

And that hadn't stopped when Percy and Nico had left one and a half hours ago, either.

So, yeah, he was pretty sure Jason was just asking to ask something.

Jason shrugged, as if knowing Will knew what he was doing, then he took Will's glass and trudged off to the kitchen with a sigh, leaving Will behind.

_Leaving him behind._

Will felt his chest clench and got up, following him ever so subtly.

Jason didn't question it.

"How long do you think Sally will be gone?" He asked instead, glancing over his shoulder at Will as he pulled the fridge open and poured them both some apple juice, while Will leaned against the counter next to him – not as close as he'd have liked, but close enough to pass as not-distanced.

Why was this so difficult, anyways?

Just earlier, they had held hands (again).

So, really, this shouldn't be as big of a deal as it was.

But they hadn't talked yet, so it was.

Will was still dreading that talk.

What would he say?

He had no idea.

The logical thing to do was to end their misery and give Jason a definite 'No'.

Will knew if he did that, Jason wouldn't try again, and there'd be peace and…and Will would be heartbroken and feel like shit for the rest of his life for doing that to Jason, to them, to himself.

But he had to do it, or he'd completely ruin everything.

Then again, he probably already had.

_This_ wasn't exactly how friends acted, after all.

And Will knew they couldn't even keep this up for long.

If things kept going this way, nothing would come of it but pain, pain, pain and heartache.

With an unhealthy mix of futile hope, growing despair and even more pain.

Will would rather die than do that to Jason.

He took his glass from him, disappointed once more that their fingers didn't brush against each other this time, though he pointedly ignored that and shrugged, taking a sip of his drink just to humor Jason.

Jason studied his face quietly for a long moment, sipping on his own drink half-heartedly before putting it down with a sigh.

"Will…"

_Oh, here it came._

"…can we talk?"

_Bingo._

Will averted his gaze, staring at the opposite wall and trying to keep a calm, composed face, while half of him wanted to scream 'Hell no!', and the other half wanted to run.

Of course, he did neither, instead resigning to his fate.

He wasn't ready, but he'd never be, so what was the difference?

"Sure." He said, and his voice sounded as dead as he felt.

Jason visibly cringed.

"Will, please. I just want to know what's going on. What did I do that upset you? Was it something I did? Was it something I said?"

Now it was Will's turn to cringe, wishing he could shrink back into himself and avoid this conversation entirely, already.

He wished he as a turtle.

Or a snail.

Something that could just hide inside itself and let the world around it pass by.

"You didn't do anything, Jason. I'm just a coward." He said, trying to sound casual, but his voice came out as nothing but a low whisper.

He clutched the glass tighter, then worried he might break it, so he set it down again, wishing he could sit down somewhere before he did something stupid.

Jason huffed out a disbelieving breath, but then seemed to decide against saying something about that response.

"Then what can I do to help you?"

Typical Jason.

Trying to help everybody and fix everything, always and forever.

How Will loved this guy, it wasn't even funny.

Not even in a different universe would it have been funny.

I was just sad.

"You can't."

"You didn't even let me try." Jason replied instantly, but Will shook his head, keeping his gaze averted, though he could see Jason watching his every move.

"There's nothing to try, Jason. You just can't." He said quietly, and could see Jason's shoulders fall slightly.

Guilt flashed through him, knowing he had to be upsetting Jason with this, especially since they had held hands just earlier.

Will should have never given into the impulse.

Stupid, stupid him.

He'd never learn, would he?

"So you insist there's no chance for us?" It wasn't exactly a question, but it wasn't a statement, either.

It still tore Will's heart apart, and he felt himself cringing for real this time, shrinking together and biting his lip with what he knew just had to be a hurt, desperate expression on his face, his eyes stinging again with the urge to cry, though he'd be damned to give in.

Jason was there in an instant, standing in front of him and tugging him close, against his surprisingly warm chest.

Or maybe Will had simply cooled down that much.

That tended to happen every here and there when he was overly stressed, after all.

Which was ironic, because during his nightmares, when he should be most stressed, he seemed to be burning up, instead.

His hands clutched Jason's sweater instead of pushing him away, and he was momentarily drowning in the sensation and scent of Jason, which conveniently drove away all the memories trying to force their way back inside his mind, as if knowing how toxic they were.

Will still had to choke back a sob, though, but he dearly hoped Jason couldn't hear that.

"Will, I can see you struggling with yourself so, so much lately. I know you're hurting. Help me. Help me help you. Help me understand you, and help me help you get better." Jason said quietly, though his voice sounded strained, and his stance started changing to a more secure, protective hold on Will, though Will merely adjusted to the new positioning between Jason's legs and leaned against him for more support.

He wished he could tell Jason.

Or say anything, in general.

Anything that could help, anything that could clear things up.

But there was nothing, so he kept quiet.

"You say you want an 'us', and you act like you want it, too, but then you claim you can't and that you don't want anything of the sort. What's wrong, love? Please, just help me understand." Jason continued, sounding so pained it felt as if Will was getting stabbed right into the heart.

Several times.

With a rusty, old dagger.

Which was odd, because he had only ever been cut by a cold, cruel, silver blade, and not anywhere near his heart or vital organs, either.

Will wasn't sure whether it was that thought, or something else, but he found himself letting out a faint whimper and push against Jason just a tiny bit more, trying to engulf himself in the comfort that came with Jason, always.

Jason held him tightly, rubbing up and down his back, his embrace feeling as if he was willing to protect Will from everybody, from the world, from hell itself if he had to.

"I want to. I want an 'us', Jason. I want it so badly, even though I know I shouldn't, and that I can't. I like you, Jason. I really, really do. I want you, and your stupid sweaters, and your dumb, caring attitude, and your wonderful smile, and all your horrible goodness. I want it so bad. All of it. But I just…I can't. I can't. _We_ can't." He heard himself replying, though he had no recollection of opening his mouth, which meant his voice shook and cracked and broke, and the first tear ran down his cheek, getting soaked up by Jason's sweater instantly, though Will knew the next ones weren't far away.

What was he even saying?

He was only making it worse.

He was making everything worse.

At this rate, Jason wouldn't even need to ever find out about _that_.

He'd have enough of Will being an overly dramatic crybaby long before then.

An overly dramatic, _indecisive_ crybaby.

"Why not?" Jason asked relentlessly, and Will shook his head, choking back another sob.

He wanted, wanted, wanted.

Wanted to tell Jason, wanted to keep him close, wanted a 'them', wanted to keep Jason to himself, wanted everything.

Selfish.

Will was so, so selfish.

When had he become this selfish?

As if on cue, a memory flashed through his mind, of denied relief and his own desperate pleading, of pain and need, of impatience and intolerance.

Of a low, deep voice scolding him for being so selfish all the time, right before there was nothing but _pain_.

No, Will hadn't become selfish.

He had always been.

"Will, I love you. I really do, ok? You probably don't believe me, but I do. And I can't stand seeing you like this, ok? I want you to be happy. Help me make you happy. Talk to me." Jason tried again, and Will tried to focus again, on the soft texture of Jason's sweater, on his wonderful scent, on the emotions running through him.

"You're like cake." Will whispered, and Jason pulled his head back slightly to look down at him with what Will glimpsed was a frown, though he instantly buried his face in the fabric to not let Jason see the tears.

"Like cake?"

No. That was the worst analogy ever.

"Yes. Or brownies. You're a brownie, and I'm the starved guy craving for that brownie with all I have. And you're right there in front of me, begging me to eat you. But if I do, you'll be gone. It won't last." He explained, anyways, and Jason sighed loudly, stroking up and down his back once more in long, even strokes.

"Will, you don't know that. You _think_ I'm going to leave, and that we won't last, but what if I won't, what if we do? You never know such things beforehand, love. Look at Percy and Nico. You've known them for even longer than I have. Would you have ever thought Percy would break up with Annabeth and fall head over heels for Nico? And now look how happy they are together. You can't predict such things."

Will didn't say anything, because there was nothing to say.

In this case, he simply knew.

He was absolutely certain.

Jason sighed, but wasn't discouraged.

"Will, the way I see it – and please, do correct me if I'm wrong – right now, it's like this: You like me, and I like you, and we both want to go out with each other, but you're scared. There's something you don't want to tell me, and I'm assuming it's the same something that freaked you out back in New Rome, and the same something that Michael and Leah know. You're scared that I'll find out, and that I'll leave because of it. Is that correct?"

Will bit his tongue.

It was.

In a way, it was.

But he didn't say anything.

He couldn't say anything.

Jason shook his head slightly and moved impossibly closer, putting his chin on top of Will's head and keeping him safely tucked away at his chest, which made Will close his eyes for just moment, wishing for the peace that Jason's embrace promised.

How he wished things could be different.

"Will, you don't know that, though. You're assuming. You assume I'll react in a specific way, but what if I don't?"

"You will." Will whispered, feeling pathetic.

"What makes you so certain?" Jason persisted, and Will both admired and hated his stubbornness.

Jason pressed on.

"Will, I'm going to be very blunt with you, and I'm hoping this won't scare you off. I'm madly in love with you. Like, crazy in love with you. I'd do just about anything for you, and anything to be with you. I highly doubt that's going to change, no matter what your secret is. This fear is the only thing holding you back, right? Or are there any other problems next to that?"

Will hesitated.

There were plenty, one particular matter rising to the front of his mind immediately.

Was this the moment he should mention he liked Nico and Percy?

Well, that would probably definitely end the entire discussion in a heartbeat.

"I still like Nico." He mumbled, deciding this should be enough of a shock for Jason.

To his surprise, Jason snorted.

"Touché, so do I. I told you I know you like them. But I don't mind. Anything else?"

Well, that was a shock to _Will_, ok?

Not so much the fact that Jason still liked Nico, that was sort of…well, not _obvious_, but he wasn't surprised, anyways.

No, the fact how Jason just shrugged the whole thing off as if it was nothing, as if it was perfectly normal, and perfectly ok, _that_ was what shocked Will.

Though 'shock' was probably the wrong word.

Stunned, rather.

Also, Jason had said 'them', again.

Did he know about Percy, then?

Oh gods, as attentive as Jason was, he probably did.

Suddenly, Will felt even more like a slut, especially when he realized he had been kissing and going down on Jason, while Jason had been in the belief he had liked Nico and Percy, instead of him.

Nope, he liked the three of them.

Will was insatiable like that.

Slurs crossed his mind again, alongside memories that made him want to crawl under the bed and hide, but he merely clutched Jason harder.

"No, but it doesn't matter." He whispered, but Jason shook his head again, moving his hand under Will's sweater and over his bare skin, and Will relished in the comfort and warmth of the touch, trying to empty his mind.

"It does. It all matters, love. Will, do you _want_ to date me?" Jason asked, and Will couldn't help but snort into his sweater – just to realize that might not be such a good idea, since his nose was clogging up due to all the sobbing he was still trying to push down as best as he could.

Jason started moving them both towards the left, grabbing something behind Will, but Will simply let him, half bracing for pain, half knowing that was unnecessary and stupid.

It was sad he wouldn't even pretend to stop Jason if Jason tried to hurt him right now.

A tissue appeared right next to his face, right in a way that let him see and take it, without making it necessary for him to expose his face to Jason.

Because Jason was considerate like that.

"I do." He said weakly, and tried to blow out the dread surging through him right along with the contents of his nose.

"Then I see three possibilities, love. One: You suck it up and just do it, and we'll make it work until you're confident enough in us to trust me with your burden. Two: You tell me now and get it behind you, and we'll make it work from there, with you knowing I'll be there for you no matter what. Or three: You give in to your fear and run away again, and I'll wait until you'll someday be ready to give us a try."

Will stiffened to a board more and more with each word Jason uttered, cringing and with his eyes stinging with the urge to cry all over again, though he tried to suppress it so badly.

"Needless to say, I'd prefer the second option. Will, I don't demand to know everything. I just need you to tell me what has to be said for me to know what's wrong, and for you to realize I'm not going to run."

But what if he would?

"I won't." Jason said gently, as if reading his mind.

The thought was scary.

"Then you'll just say out of pity." Will whispered bitterly.

"I'll stay because I love you."

Why did Jason have to say that?

Why did it make Will feel so good, when it didn't have any right to?

"You can't deny yourself happiness forever, Will. I watch you do it all the time. You act like everything is alright, but the moment something feels good to you, genuinely good, you try to downplay it, or suddenly seem to feel guilty, or simply run away."

Yes, that was him, in all his glory.

"But I still love you, Will, and I want to make you happy. Will, do you think I could make you happy?"

"Yes."

The reply was immediate and loud and completely drowned out everything else inside Will for a moment.

Yes, Jason could.

Jason _did_.

Jason did make him happy already.

Talking to Jason made him happy, no matter whether it was actual conversations or just nonsensical playing.

Being close to Jason made him happy, more than he tended to admit, even to himself.

Touching Jason had made him more than happy.

Kissing Jason…that had made him happy, too.

Jason himself made him happy.

The way he smiled, the way he laughed, the way his glasses tended to sit completely askew on his nose, the way his eyebrows furrowed when he studied people that weren't Will, the way he held himself, the way he looked in his horrible, baggy sweaters…all that made Will happy.

In a way he couldn't even begin to describe.

They made him feel all warm and fuzzy, and the rest of the world stopped mattering for a little time, while he was too busy smiling to himself.

He felt happy, watching Jason.

Being with Jason.

Touching Jason.

Kissing Jason.

Feeling Jason.

He wanted to feel Jason again.

"Yes." He repeated with a soft sigh, _yearning_ for Jason so, so badly.

Jason nuzzled his face into his hair, so close, yet still so, so far away.

"Then let me."

Will's heart throbbed in his chest, and he clutched Jason tighter.

"I want you to." Will whispered, and it was the truth.

"Will you give an 'us' a try, then?" Jason asked, but Will found himself hesitating.

He thought of the way he was behaving right now, the way he was raw and open and desperate – mostly because of his talk with his brother, because he had made the mistake of bringing his past back up all over again, making it almost palpable to him, and bringing back all those fears and worries once more.

He was himself, maybe more than ever so, but he was still raw and open and desperate.

What if he did something stupid now?

What if he was only doing this because he was scared?

But that was laughable.

Or maybe it wasn't…

"You don't have to, love. We can wait. We can wait for however long you want or need. We can take it slow. Baby steps. I'm not going to force you into anything. Will, I'll never force you to anything."

'I'll never force you to anything.'

Will remembered those words being said by a different voice, but he believed Jason, anyways, same as he had believed _him_.

Maybe because Will was stupid like that.

Maybe because he simply hoped Jason would be different.

Wait.

Jason _was_ different.

Jason would never hurt him.

Not like that.

Jason couldn't hurt anybody, especially not people he cared about.

Will had trusted him so far, why would he doubt that now?

A relationship might change people, but not _this_ much, right?

"I want to…" He said quietly, his heart hammering wildly in his chest – and now that he noticed that, he noticed Jason's doing the same, though he still seemed utterly composed.

Unlike Will.

"Will you tell me, then?" Jason asked, and it was just that.

A question.

There was no underlying pressure, no force in his voice that said Will had to.

He was simply asking, and it was Will's turn to simply answer.

Will pulled away slightly, gazing up into those sky-blue eyes that used to seem so surreal to look at.

Now, it seemed like they were the only real thing in Will's surreal world.

It would be so, so easy, to just go and say it.

Say it.

Three words.

Three so, so simple words.

'I. Was. Raped.'

Nine words if he wished to elaborate.

'I was raped be the only person I trusted.'

Or maybe phrased differently for more understanding and less confusion.

'I was raped by my ex-boyfriend who hurt and abused me over the entire course of our 'relationship' after promising the blue from the sky and acting like everything was great – for as long as there was somebody else around.'

It would be so, so, so easy.

He just had to open his mouth, push out those words, and it would be out there.

It would be right in that room with them, and Jason could hear, could understand…

And then what?

Will swallowed, gazing up at Jason, his shoulders slowly slumping, the hope leaving him before it had even had the chance to manifest.

Then Jason would stare at him, and slowly start piecing it all together.

Rape.

Will.

Will knew how that would sound.

He, who was the most sexual out of the four of them.

He, who gave all the advice and sex-ed.

He, who had bragged about his experience as if it was something he was proud of.

He knew how it would sound.

Jason would be so shocked.

First confused and bewildered, then shocked.

And then?

Then Jason would start thinking of all the moments they had talked to Will, look for all the small indicators, all the clues that could only be seen once the truth was out there.

And Jason would think of them, and the night they had shared, and Will just _knew_ what he'd think.

But it would be out there…

It would be out there.

It would be out there.

Will opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He couldn't.

He couldn't.

He couldn't.

Jason seemed to see it in his eyes, his hand coming up to stroke Will's cheek gently.

Will even managed not to flinch, but that was because he had expected the touch.

Which had not stopped him from inwardly bracing himself for a punch, but nobody had to know that.

"Who hurt you?" Jason asked, his expression so gentle, yet so sad.

It was such a simple question.

It was such a horrible question.

Will gazed at him, wondering why the answer was so easy, yet he couldn't say it.

'My ex.'

Two words, and Jason would know enough to guess the rest later.

Two words that wouldn't leave his mouth.

"I did." He replied instead, because it was also the truth.

It was his fault it had all happened.

If he had been less naïve, if he had been smarter, or faster, if he had figured out what was right and what was wrong, what was ok and what wasn't, what was 'normal' for a relationship and that all the things _he_ had done _hadn't _been…then he could have avoided it all, maybe.

Maybe.

Maybe he could have talked to somebody about it before things had first escalated.

Maybe he could have avoided it, could have stopped it, could have done something.

But he hadn't, so it was his own fault.

He had been so, so stupid, and so, so naïve.

Thinking it was love, thinking it was all just him thinking too much into it, thinking this was how it had to be for everybody if their partner did something wrong.

Will had done a lot of things wrong.

He shook his head stubbornly.

_No! _He had _not_ done _anything_ wrong.

He had been _blamed_ to have done things wrong, but he _hadn't_.

He had realized that long ago, and now was not the time to forget it.

He was never allowed to forget that.

Jason gazed at him quietly for another moment, but then nodded quietly, instead of prying.

"Will you tell me one day?"

Again, a simple question.

And while Will would have usually either laughed or screamed at Jason for even _thinking_ he would, he now found himself hesitant.

"Maybe."

It wasn't a yes, he told himself.

But it wasn't a no anymore, either.

The thought scared him, but it was already out there.

Unlike so many other things.

Jason smiled at him.

A gentle, rather happy smile, that Will didn't understand.

"Ok. Baby steps?"

Will couldn't see why Jason would seriously want to give this a try.

Couldn't he see how broken Will was?

How could he even possibly like him in the first place?

What was there to like?

He had to be very desperate and lonely to settle for Will, especially with all this drama.

"You don't feel desperate." He mumbled absent-mindedly, realizing his hands were still over Jason's heart, even though he had been too distracted with his own issues to pay much attention to the whirl of emotions inside Jason.

Jason frowned slightly, gazing down at him in confusion for a moment – before his face cleared and he raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Really? You're already doubting my feelings? Harsh. And there I thought I had made them quite clear, too."

Will looked away with his face burning, but Jason merely chuckled and moved their faces closer.

Instead of kissing him, though, as Will had half expected, he moved his lips to Will's ear.

"It's ok, though. I can tell you how much I like you however many times you need to hear it to believe it. And then, another thousand or so times because I want to."

Will couldn't help it – he chuckled.

Partly because of the feeling of Jason's breath against his ear, partly because of those absolutely cheesy (but oh so wonderful) words, and partly because Jason's voice had dropped to a seductive purr that completely didn't suit the moment, at least not in Will's opinion.

Jason placed a chaste kiss against the shell of his ear, then pulled back to look down at Will with a rather smug expression.

"See who's smiling again. Mission accomplished."

Will huffed and nudged his arms, though he felt his lips twitching traitorously all over again.

Dork.

"Yeah, it only cost you what, your dignity?"

"Never. I have no problem admitting to my feelings. I like you, love. So, baby steps?"

'I like you, love.'

Could anybody believe this guy?

Will felt himself smiling, even though there instantly were memories pushing into the front of his mind to ruin the happiness and warmth coursing through him, again.

But he forced them back, wondering whether, for once, he could just _let it feel good_, instead of taking everything apart piece by piece again.

"Okay."

What was he agreeing to?

He had no idea.

What did that make them?

Had he just agreed to be boyfriends?

He was going to mess this up, wasn't he?

He so was.

And then he'd lose Jason, and everything would fall apart.

"Will, no more doom and gloom. We have all the time in the world."

They didn't, and Jason knew it.

"We do. Don't even think about rushing anything."

Will hadn't even said anything.

He looked up at Jason sulkily, and found Jason studying him.

What?

Jason smiled at him, a soft, warm smile that made Will's heart flutter – then he took Will's hands and tightly clasped them in his own, keeping them close to his heart so Will could feel it all.

Will thought he'd explode from the sudden onslaught of emotions.

Warm emotions.

_Good_ emotions.

Jason gazed at him, and there was no disappointment, no annoyance, no frustration.

He didn't think bad of Will for how he was behaving, and there was no hint of doubt anywhere in his entire being that he wasn't sure he wanted this, wanted Will.

There was only love and adoration, all mixed together with a giddy joy that felt almost palpable to Will.

This was what Jason felt.

He was looking at Will, and he felt this way.

Will closed his eyes, drinking it all in, soaking it all up like a sponge, and he let himself fall against Jason slightly, slowly, back against his chest, back against that soft and warm sweater, simply against Jason.

And Jason kept him there without pulling his hands away, kissing the top of his head and indulging him without comment.

"Baby steps." Will whispered, because, maybe, if he said it quietly enough, Jason could hear it, but he himself couldn't, and they might have a chance.

Jason nodded

"Baby steps."

Will smiled, rubbing his face into Jason's sweater.

Baby steps.

Maybe, just maybe…

Maybe there could be a 'them'?

"Let's get you in bed, love. Or the sofa. Someplace you can lay down a bit and catch some rest, ok?" Jason asked, and Will found himself nodding, though he absolutely didn't want to move right now.

Jason kissed the top of his head again, then led him out of the kitchen and into the living room, only letting go of his hands to climb onto the sofa and spread his arms out, inviting Will to get between his legs and lay down on top of him, the same way he had offered to Jason so, so long ago, back when they had played their Truth or Dare game.

Will found himself moving automatically, even though his mind was telling him that was a horrible idea.

He didn't particularly care right then and there.

He'd probably care later, but not right now.

Jason wrapped his arms around him gently, the two of them shifting some more to get comfortable, and Will relished in the warmth and sensation that was _Jason_.

Will found he wasn't even ashamed when he snuggled into Jason's chest, burying his nose in the fabric and inhaling Jason's scent, even if he very well knew Jason was watching.

"You're so warm." He mumbled quietly, feeling unusually elated and giddy, and he knew not all of that was just Jason's emotions, but his own as well.

Jason stroked over his back gently, looking down at him with a small shake of his head.

"Actually, I'm not. You're just that cold. Want me to get us a blanket?"

Will shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment to rub his cheek into Jason's sweater.

Comfort sweater.

Most definitely.

"I'm good."

Jason was all he needed right now.

Plus, he absolutely didn't want to get up, like, ever again.

Baby steps.

Will wondered what he had agreed to there.

But he guessed it was the only solution right now.

He couldn't tell Jason no, but he knew he couldn't say yes.

If they took it slow, maybe…maybe Will could somehow push it all down enough to make it work.

He had pushed it down before.

Granted, he hadn't known he still had some issues left (like the permission-thing), but he'd just have to force himself to cope in those times.

That way…maybe…

Then again, wasn't that a pretty big maybe?

Wasn't he just agreeing to this because it wasn't a no, and because he could be delirious a while longer and fantasize about Jason and himself as more than friends?

Will glanced up into Jason's eyes quietly, but then shook his head to himself.

It didn't matter.

He had agreed, and he wasn't going to doubt himself now, he wasn't going to let himself regret this unless Jason broke things off because of Will, after all.

As long as that wasn't happening, Will was going to enjoy this.

Enjoy Jason.

Enjoy them.

"You look very nice in green." Jason said quietly, and Will blinked, glancing back up at him with a small frown.

What?

Jason smiled at his confused expression.

"Sorry, I guess that was pretty random. I just thought that the sweater looked really nice on you, and then remembered you in your mint green scrubs, so…yeah…"

Will felt his cheeks burning and promptly turned his face into Jason's sweater again.

Why did Jason always have to say such things?

It was just so…it made him feel so…

It was so nice.

But Will had no idea how to react to it.

Should he say 'thanks'? Should he argue the statement?

Should he give a compliment back?

He opened his eyes the fraction of an inch to glance at Jason's sweater for verification whether he had the right color in his head, then closed his eyes again, cursing Jason for wearing horrible colors.

There was no way he could compliment him on that sweater, not in a million years.

"Thanks…" He mumbled awkwardly, and felt Jason chuckle, one hand slowly moving up Will's back to his head, stroking through his hair.

"Just telling the truth. So, love, what would you like to do today?" He asked amiably, though his smile faltered a little as he realized he was using that horribly cheesy pet name again.

Will tried very hard not to laugh.

He wished he could, though.

Then he'd laugh and lean up and kiss Jason's jaw and tease him about it.

Instead, he hummed and closed his eyes again, pondering the question.

Percy and Nico would probably be out until nightfall, what with their date and all.

Paul wouldn't be back until the evening, either.

And Sally…Will had no idea what she'd do once she got back from her grocery shopping, but he was fairly certain she wouldn't need that much help to keep them busy until Percy and Nico were back.

Which meant they had so many hours to just spend doing whatever they wanted.

Which was…what exactly?

Will rubbed his cheek against Jason's sweater, relishing in the warmth and soft texture.

They could stay like this all day.

Or move to the bed.

Their night in the pillow corner and bathroom flashed through his mind, and he decided that might not be such a great idea, after all.

Even if a part of him completely wouldn't mind making out with Jason, he had a hunch that was one of the things Jason wanted to prevent from happening with his 'baby steps'-solution.

So, sadly, no wild making out in the bed.

Baby steps.

What exactly did that include?

What did it make them?

Did it mean they were dating already, or more…reserving themselves for each other?

Or maybe it didn't mean either?

They'd probably have to talk about that at some point, so there wouldn't be any misunderstandings.

The past had shown the two of them tended to have a lot of those in the _worst_ moments…

Will thought back to 'that' night, his lips twitching.

Or in the _best_ moments, depending on how one looked at it.

Seriously, though, if Jason and he were dating right now, he knew exactly what he'd be suggesting.

Will turned his face to gaze up at Jason again, who was staring up at the ceiling with a thoughtful, but rather pleased expression, his hand still stroking through Will's hair, while he had his other arm wrapped around Will loosely.

Actually…

No, no, he couldn't.

That was crazy.

But he had already agreed on baby steps, hadn't he?

This was too fast for baby steps, though.

Well, then Jason would tell him that, wouldn't he?

Come on, he had already decided to do this, why not actually go through with it?

Jason could always say no, but at least Will would know he had tried.

He studied Jason's face a while longer, arguing with himself, though he wasn't entirely certain where that confident and determined side of him had suddenly come from.

It didn't really matter, he wanted it to stay.

Jason seemed to notice him staring, because he turned his head to look at him again, and Will found himself swallowing, deciding that, maybe, he really shouldn't do this, after all.

Which was of course the very reason why his mouth opened not one freaking second later.

"Let's go on a date."

Nice.

Had he ever mentioned how much he _hated_ it when this happened?

Jason blinked, and Will could feel the surprise surging through him.

Oh gods, he'd say no, wouldn't he?

He was so going to say no.

It was too much at once, wasn't it?

They had only _just_ decided on baby steps, of course Jason would say no.

Why did Will have to mess up within the very hour he had dared to get his hopes up?

"Sure, what would you like to do?" Jason said instead, a sense of giddy euphoria rushing through him all over again, and Will found himself shivering at the intensity.

_Well_.

Who'd have thought Jason was such an adorable sweetheart, getting this happy and euphoric about the simple prospect of a date?

Cute.

Will found himself grinning, and tried faintly to hide it in Jason's sweater, though he knew Jason could very well see it, anyways.

"The movies. Let's watch that movie Percy and Nico plan on watching. That way, Percy can't give the entire thing away once he's here, and ruin it for us." He explained, and Jason rolled his eyes slightly, though his lips quirked into a smile, as well.

He didn't even have to reply for Will to know he was all for it.

"Why am I not surprised? But sure, I'm in. Nico said he'd take Percy to the movies in the evening, right? When would you like to go?"

Will raised an eyebrow.

Was it just him, or was this Jason's indirect way of asking whether he wanted to meet Percy and Nico at the theaters?

As in, whether he wanted this 'thing' between Jason and him to actually _be_ a thing and have the two know about it, or whether he wanted to keep it a secret for now.

Will didn't like secrecy.

But he also didn't want to hear Percy's comments, and he had no idea how Nico would react.

He also had no idea what it would mean to the four of them as a group, if he and Jason announced they were some sort of maybe-couple.

Then again, he guessed he could just say they were on a date with a laugh and a wink, and let the two figure out for themselves whether he was joking or serious.

But…

"Let's check out when else the movie is playing. If Percy sees us in there, we'll only end up crashing their date, because you bet he'll be with us in a heartbeat, inquiring why we're there – and of course he'll so try to steal my popcorn." He stated with an indignant huff, and Jason snorted, still feeling so utterly happy, it was disturbing.

Will wanted to wrap this guy around him like a blanket and get high on him.

Alright, he definitely had to manage some sleep tonight.

Because _that_ was _definitely_ what others would consider creepy, weird, and kind of disconcerting.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Okay, want me to get Nico's laptop?"

True, they'd have to get up if they wanted to go to the movies.

Will didn't want to get up.

His face must have said as much, too, because Jason chuckled quietly, his hand suddenly appearing next to Will's face to stroke over his exposed cheek.

Will flinched slightly, but managed to compose himself in a heartbeat again.

"I'll only be gone for a minute?" Jason said, half question, half statement, but Will found even a minute already way too long.

He decided to act his age, though, and…actually, never mind.

Will stretched out on top of Jason, burying his face flat in Jason's chest with a small, weak 'Nooo~' – which initially made Jason halt in his movement, just to have his heart beating what felt like at least twice as fast and hard.

Aww.

Will turned his head to send Jason a teasing look, but Jason didn't even have the dignity to as much as attempt to cover up for his emotions, instead grinning down at Will, his eyes gleaming.

Oh gods, somebody save this guy from himself.

Will found himself grinning back, anyways, and before he knew it, he was even moving upwards slightly, so very freaking intent on kissing Jason's perfect jawline.

Wait, he definitely shouldn't do that.

Or so he thought, but then his lips were already pressing against Jason's jaw in a quick, chaste kiss.

He was going to _hell_.

Sadly, Will's heart was beating too loudly for him to hear that thought, much less pay any attention to it, so, instead of doing anything rational, he merely smirked at a now slightly surprised Jason.

"You're too adorable." He said quietly, though he knew he shouldn't say that at all, ever, to anybody.

But he had, and the small laugh that escaped Jason made it worth it that the still functioning part of his brain was yelling at him.

"Me? Have you looked at yourself, Freckles? If anybody is 'too adorable', it's most definitely you." Jason retorted, and Will urged himself to sit up, though he found himself halting much sooner than intended when he noticed how _wonderful_ it felt to be between Jason's legs and see him laid out like this beneath him.

Oh, he'd so have to watch himself, if Jason intended to be this close to him in the future.

While he had no doubt Jason wouldn't mind things escalating into another one of those special nights (after some time had passed, of course), he knew he himself wouldn't be able to go through with it entirely.

Not right now, at least.

He'd be the one starting it, he'd be the one to make it escalate, and then he'd be the one panicking and trying frantically to back-track.

Yeah, not a good idea.

"Lies. I'm not the one inwardly doing cartwheels just because some nerd just asked me out rather pathetically." He remarked drily, and Jason's eyebrows shot up as he sat up, too – just to lean forward and place a small kiss on his nose.

"Oh really? That's ironic, because I'm pretty sure it's _you_ who turns to putty the moment somebody says something genuinely nice to you - which definitely is a much smaller thing than being asked out by an amazingly hot guy I've been pining for, for forever already. Also, I can't even do cartwheels."

Will wasn't exactly sure what to be more stunned about.

The fact that Jason had just kissed him on the nose just like that (probably just revenge for the kiss to the jaw, but…baby steps…?), the fact that he had just had to remind Will of _that_, _again_, the fact that he had just called Will an 'amazingly hot guy he'd been pining for', or…

"You can't do cartwheels?" He asked, and Jason let his head fall slightly with a load groan.

"Will…"

Will winked at him, then urged himself to get up, else they'd stay this close and affectionate forever.

Not that he'd mind that, but they were going to go on a date, weren't they?

A date.

Jason and he, on a date.

"I'll go get the laptop, Handsome." He declared, trying to keep the giddy grin off his face until he was out the room.

A date with Jason Grace.

He knew it wouldn't last, that this happiness couldn't last, that he'd end up ruining it all, but…

For now, he just wanted to enjoy it, ok?

Just this once.

A date.

...

They spent way too much time on that playground.

Which was good on one side, since Nico hadn't had anything in particular planned until the theaters, but bad on the other side, because, well…

They spent _hours_ on a _playground_.

Alright, it had been fun.

Percy stuck in a kids' slide was maybe not exactly what Nico had thought he'd see on their three-month anniversary (or ever, really), but it had been fun, and that was what counted, he guessed.

After finally having had enough of the kids and their respective parents staring at them in either awe or irritation, they had left, though, instead wandering around with no particular destination in mind, just chatting, holding hands, kissing behind trees in the park and treating each other to one of the best hot dogs Nico had ever had.

Which kind of ruined his plans for a late lunch anytime soon, but it had been so worth it.

All in all, he realized that making plans with Percy around (or the other two, for that matter) was generally for nothing.

But he didn't mind.

It was still fun.

Maybe even more so than if they had followed a certain schedule.

"Hey, Nico…" Percy started next to him, and he automatically turned his head, just to feel one of Percy's blue candies pressing against his lips.

That guy.

Nico hurriedly opened his mouth to take the candy, his eyes simultaneously trying to look around them at the people surrounding them, as well as down at the bag in Percy's hands.

He probably should have gotten him a bigger bag of candy.

The theaters hadn't been far from Sally's place, and with them walking around aimlessly anyways, they could have easily gone there by foot, but the moment Percy had mentioned the candy store his mother still worked at every other weekend, Nico had gotten Jules-Albert to drive them there first.

After all, that had been the place Sally had gotten the candy from that she had given to Percy so Percy could give them to Nico back in December.

So, of course he had taken the first chance to actually check that store out – and he certainly hadn't regretted it.

Percy hadn't, either, since Nico had bought him a whole bag full of his favorites (all blue, big surprise) and he'd have loved to pick something for Jason and Will as well, but…well, Nico had decided to do that a different time.

This was their date, after all, and he really didn't want things to turn weird because he randomly started candy shopping for Will and Jason.

Meh.

"And another one…" Percy said, nudging another piece of candy against his lips and he shot him a pointed glance.

"I got this bag for _you_, so stop trying to feed me most of it, Percy." He retorted, though he still took the candy, anyways.

Percy winked at him, looking giddy and excited and happy.

When he had found out they'd be going to the theaters, he had reacted as Nico had expected him to.

Which was to say, he had rushed to re-tell Nico everything about the movie that he knew of, and then proceeded to tell him just what Jason and Will would say once they were back and he would tell them all about it.

Poor guys.

Nico had warned them this might happen, yeah, but still.

Finally, the last couple in front of them got their tickets and wandered off to wherever, and Nico hurried to order and pay before Percy could attempt anything again.

After all, Percy _had_ insisted on buying him that hot dog, no matter how little money he had had.

Nico wouldn't put it past him to attempt paying for at least a part of their tickets.

Luckily, Percy seemed preoccupied with craning his neck and staring off into the distance with a light frown.

"Was that…nah, can't be. Anyways, will you at least let me pay for the snacks? I might be broke, but I'm sure I can still scrounge at least _something_ together."

Nico gave him a long, telling glance, and the cashier giggled, handing them their tickets as he gave Nico a sympathetic look.

"No way, cuore mio. It's a date and I'm taking you out, so shush. I'm paying for everything, and your pretty eyes aren't going to change that." He retorted as he tugged him off towards the popcorn, just as Percy was putting on his baby seal face again.

Nico would have probably fallen for it all over again if it wasn't for the fact that he knew Percy really had no money to spare.

"But it feels weird to let you pay for everything." Percy lamented, but Nico only shot him another pointed look.

"Welcome to my life. That's what I've been telling you the past hundred times you paid for me, even though we all know _I'm_ the one who doesn't have to worry about money."

Percy pouted.

He looked way too adorable when he pouted.

Nico wanted to kiss him so badly.

Since they were in a public place full of people of all ages that may or may not have an issue with that level of display of affection though, and he seriously didn't want to cause a scene on their anniversary, he decided to keep that for later.

"It hasn't even been a hundred times yet. And I still want to pay for at least _something_." Percy sulked, and Nico sighed.

"You paid for my hot dog." He pointed out, but Percy's pout didn't waver.

"That's different."

Nico rolled his eyes.

His boyfriend could be such a child sometimes.

Picking out a big bag of popcorn and their drinks, he glanced around at the people closest to them, subtly checking whether anybody could overhear their conversation.

"You know…you can always repay me later…" He then started quietly, trying to sound nonchalant while he tried to keep his face from heating.

Percy sighed loudly and shrugged, which indicated he completely missed what Nico had just hinted at.

"That's not the same. Plus, you'll never take my money. I'd have to sneak it into your wallet, and I don't even know where you keep that."

"I didn't mean with money, anyways." Nico pointed out, and this time his face was definitely warming.

Damn.

This time, Percy got the hint, and he almost dropped his drink, his head snapping around to Nico to study his face with a stunned expression on his face.

Then that predatory look was back in his eyes, and a rather wicked grin spread on his lips – and Nico felt his cheeks growing even warmer as he shivered in what could almost be described as anticipation.

"Oh really? Did you have anything specific in mind, then?" Percy asked, his voice a low purr, and Nico gripped the bag of popcorn tighter, trying to ignore the effect Percy's voice alone had on him.

There were people around, after all.

"Nothing specific yet, but I'm sure we'll be able to think of something once the time comes…" He replied, surprised by how breathless he sounded.

Damn, and there he had thought he had himself under perfect control.

The way Percy's eyes darkened and narrowed ever so slightly as he stepped closer, looking ready to ravish him on the spot, indicated he liked the effect he had on Nico, though.

Not that that was something to think about right now, given that they were about to pay for their snacks and watch a movie.

There was no way Nico would just drop everything just to let Percy ravish him in all the right ways.

Maybe once he managed to use his powers to shadow-travel, again.

Then he might give in to such sweet temptations.

But only then.

He took a deep breath and stepped back, breaking the spell between them on purpose to bring Percy back to the present.

"Let's get going, shall we?" He tried to get his voice out right this time, though it still sounded tad breathless.

Percy shifted, a small sigh escaping his lips before he nodded, though his eyes kept the predatory gleam in them for the entirety of their check-out.

And as soon as they were moving away from the cash register and started looking for where they'd have to go next, Percy was glued to his side, his lips inches from his ears, whispering all the possibilities of just _what_ they could be doing later.

Gods, this guy.

Nico tried so hard not to listen, even shushing Percy every here and there when he feared people might hear them, but Percy didn't seem perturbed in the slightest.

Luckily, their seats were in the back, and there were close to no other people around, except some more couples further towards the front, and one couple in the middle where Nico had first wanted their seats.

"Percy, shush, I came here to watch a movie with you, not let you seduce me in the theaters." He hissed sideways at his boyfriend, anyways, when he felt Percy's hand on his thigh, and Percy chuckled in that low and raspy voice of his.

"Oh, I wouldn't mind seducing you in the theaters, though."

Yeah, Nico had gathered as much.

"But you're right, we probably shouldn't. With my luck, we'd get kicked out before the film even started, and I'm not going to explain that to the guys." Percy continued, and Nico couldn't help but snort.

Seriously? _That_ was Percy's reasoning?

Wow.

Just. Wow.

Percy pressed his lips against his cheek, making a loud and obscene kissing sound, and Nico rolled his eyes, turning his head and grabbing his collar to tug him into a real kiss, though he decided to keep it quick and simple, for both their sakes.

"I'll let them know of your great sacrifice." He said as he pulled away, and Percy chuckled, still eyeing him with that hungry expression, though he settled back into his seat without complaint.

"Don't. I don't want to know what Will would say to that. Though I wonder whether he has any advice about sex in public." Percy mused thoughtfully, and Nico's head shot around in alarm.

"Percy, _no_!" He hissed, definitely _not_ wanting Percy to ask Will for advice on _that_.

Plus, who had sex in…in…in public?

What if they were caught?

No, no, way too risky.

Nico was glad he hadn't encountered many homophobic people so far, he definitely didn't want to test his luck like that, no matter if they were all just regular mortals and strangers to him.

Percy chuckled, letting his head fall back against the back of his seat, and looking at Nico with a teasing twinkle in his eyes – though Nico could still very well see that hint of curiosity, too.

"I was just joking, sweetheart. We're too loud for stuff in public. And I like your noises way too much to make you keep them down, sorry."

Nico partly couldn't believe his boyfriend was talking about this as if it was the most normal thing in the world – and party couldn't believe he was surprised about this.

Plus…

"I'm not _that_ loud…" He replied sulkily, and Percy's grin widened, now turning predatory again.

"I know, but I'm always trying to make you scream, so…"

"_Percy_!" Nico gasped, because Percy was definitely saying these things _way_ too loudly!

Percy merely laughed, though, taking some of the popcorn that stood between them.

"Hey, look, the movie is starting." Percy pointed out with a last knowing glance at Nico, and Nico was embarrassed to realized he hadn't looked at the happenings on the screen whatsoever, because he had been so fixated on Percy, and had only looked away to check for people close by.

They both settled into their seats properly, and Percy's hand moved back to Nico's thigh, though Nico let him this time.

He even allowed his own hand to drop on top of Percy's, holding it gently.

The movie didn't seem half bad.

Sure, it wasn't the greatest thing ever, but it was decent, and Nico had to admit he chuckled a couple of times, too.

Especially at bits that weren't funny at all, which earned him funny looks from Percy and only made him chuckle more.

But he just fed him popcorn each time to keep him from commenting, which was probably the reason the popcorn was empty not thirty minutes into the movie.

As the film progressed, though, he noticed Percy shifting more and more.

What?

He ignored it at first, guessing Percy might want to say something about the movie but refraining from doing so.

Then he thought Percy might need a toilet.

Then he was pretty sure he needed a toilet.

He was about to turn to him and tell him to just _go_, when Percy suddenly stood up and leaned forward.

"That…that _is_ them! Nico…" He started, and Nico stared at him in confusion, but the next moment, Percy had already snatched his hand and was tugging him out of his seat and down the aisle to the middle row, where the lonely couple was sitting.

"Percy, what…"

Percy shushed him, moving to the row behind the two people, and, as they came closer, Nico started noticing quite a few details.

Like, for instance, how very familiar those two people were.

But they wouldn't…or would they?

Were they…?

One of the two shifted, and nudged the other with a small chuckle, a chuckle Nico knew only all too well, and he turned to look at Percy wide-eyed.

What were Will and Jason doing in the theaters?

Was this…were they on a date, too?

What if they were?

They couldn't just _interrupt_ them!

Plus, Nico had told them he'd take Percy here in the evening, so they most definitely didn't expect them here _now_.

Nico tried to stop Percy, already opening his mouth to hiss his protest and tug him away again, but by then, they were pretty much already there, right behind the two.

No!

"Oh, we're getting visitors." Will remarked, right when Percy was about to snap his fingers next to Jason's ear, and Jason turned his head unimpressed, a small sigh escaping his lips.

"Yeah, I figured as much."

While Percy looked offended and upset that he couldn't surprise them, Nico found himself breathing out a relieved sigh, though the relief surely didn't stay for very long.

"Why, hello there, you two. What brings you here?" Percy asked, and Nico had to admit he had no idea what the expression on his face meant.

He didn't seem upset, but he also didn't seem happy, and, if anything, he seemed more conflicted than anything else.

"We thought we'd watch the movie before you can ruin it for us with telling us all about it. You know? Nico gave us a heads up yesterday." Will said smoothly, even winking at Nico, though Nico highly doubted he was as unbothered by this as he was trying to make it seem.

"_What?_"

"Shh, the movie is still running, Percy. Plus, aren't you on a date, yourself?" Jason asked, and Nico's mind instantly zeroed in on the 'Aren't you on a date, _yourself_', which definitely indicated those two were, in fact, on a date as well.

Jason and Will.

A date.

Jason and Will.

His Jason and Will.

On a date.

No.

No, no, no.

Wait…

Why was he surprised about this?

Percy stared at the two, same as Nico was, though Percy caught himself quicker, huffing loudly and reaching out to steal some popcorn.

"Yeah, so?"

Will instantly shot him a dark look, tugging his popcorn away.

"Hey, hands off. Jason got this for _me_." He remarked sourly, and Nico's eyebrows shot up.

Yep, they were definitely on a date.

Percy made a face and looked towards Jason, but Jason was beaming like he had just been told all the gods had signed his contract in his absence.

When he caught them looking, he merely shrugged.

"I got it for him." He said apologetically, though he didn't sound apologetic at all, and Percy very blatantly rolled his eyes.

"So, wait, you two are just going to-…"

"Percy, _the movie_. Sit down and be quiet. And come over here, damn it." Will hissed quietly, effectively shutting Percy up, and Nico realized this really wasn't the greatest place for them to be in, right behind Will and all.

Will did seem to get more uneasy, after all, though Nico could see he tried to focus entirely on the screen.

Jason shot the blonde a concerned look, too, but smiled at Nico when he caught him looking.

Percy seemed about to say something again, so Nico hurried to be the one to grab his hand this time and tug him away.

At least, he wanted to, but then he stopped again.

"If you mind us, we can go back to our own seats…" He started, since, well, if those two _were_ on a date, they would probably most definitely mind.

Plus, _Percy and he_ were supposed to be on a date, too.

This was quickly turning into Valentine's Day all over again, it seemed.

Jason and Will both looked around with amused expressions, and they shrugged in sync.

"We don't really mind. Will saw you earlier at the cash register, so we kind of expected you to find us sooner or later, anyways." Jason explained, and Percy instantly perked up.

"So I _did_ see you earlier, Will! I thought I did, but then I thought-…"

"Percy, the _movie_."

Percy made a face, and Nico tugged on his hand to get him to move, so they could join the guys in the middle row.

Yes, this was definitely turning into Valentine's Day all over again.

Nico tried very hard to interpret his rapidly beating heart differently from what he knew was the truth.

He failed.

That was not something he should get giddy about, not something that should give him skeleton butterflies and make him wish this was really like it had been on Valentine's Day.

Absolutely not.

It also shouldn't hurt him to think of Jason and Will being on a date by themselves – if this truly was a date, which he was pretty sure it was.

Percy and he flopped down next to the guys, and Percy's attempts at a conversation were all shot down until Will started making fun of a part of the movie that wasn't supposed to be made fun of – which obviously got him and Percy talking, and Nico letting out his suppressed giggles, while Jason just watched them with an amused, yet still slightly disappointed look.

Poor Jason.

Nico tried to send him a guilty look, but Jason merely grinned back at him, and lifted his hand, which was linked with Will's.

Oh.

Oh, ok.

So…that meant…erm…

"Jason, stop bragging. This is only our first date." Will snorted, and Nico's heart ached at the confirmation of his assumptions.

Percy inhaled sharply, but tried to mask it with stealing some (a lot) of Will's popcorn.

"First date, huh?" His boyfriend asked in a forcefully nonchalant tone, and Nico caught him looking at Jason pointedly, as if trying to have one of their mute conversations again.

But Jason was too busy eyeing Will a tad surprised.

"Yes. But you two crashed it, anyways, so I guess I'll have to ask him out again." Will deadpanned, and Nico tried to keep his emotions under control.

Percy straight out scowled.

"Well, guess you're not getting a kiss today, Jace. So sorry about that."

He didn't sound sorry.

Jason and Will ignored it.

"He wouldn't have gotten one, anyways. It's the first date, Percy. Who kisses a person on their first date?" Will retorted with a huff instead, and Jason chuckled.

"Well, actually, Percy gave me a kiss on the cheek after we had _our_ little date two days ago."

No matter what Jason said, that thing with him and Percy had not been a date, at least not to the extent this thing with Will seemed to be.

Percy didn't look fooled, either, though he did huff and shrug, and Nico could see the tips of his ears turning darker, even with everything so dimmed and dark around them.

"Yeah, well, Percy is also the one who sneaked into Nico's cabin to bring him gifts, so I'm really not surprised. I'll be harder to get than that, Jason." Will replied, and Nico's heart dropped to his feet.

No.

Why?

_Why?!_

Why did he have to go and say something like that, as if they were really serious about this?

What was this between Will and Jason?

It seemed more than obvious they had solved their issues between them, but…but did it have to be to this extent?

Nico completely agreed with Percy.

Every time they left Will and Jason alone for even only a few minutes, they seemed to somehow get so unbelievably closer, and unbelievably further away from Nico.

He shouldn't care.

It shouldn't hurt him.

He had told himself he was over them, he had Percy, everything was great.

If they were happy, he'd be happy, too.

"Hey, don't act like I'm easy to get or anything. I just did it because I knew him for forever already." Percy sulked, and Nico wished he could be the same way, simply getting stuck on something so simple and stupid, instead of this horrible whirl of emotions and hurt inside him.

"Nobody said anything against you, Perce. Will just meant to say you disqualify as an example because you are too crazy." Jason very helpfully pointed out, and Nico let his head drop into his hands.

Percy let out an utterly offended sound next to him.

"_What_?! First base on third date is _not_ crazy!"

Oh gods, Percy, that was not what they had meant!

"On your third date? Is your first base the same as my first base?" Will asked confused, and Nico looked around to check whether there _really_ wasn't anybody close enough to overhear them talking.

Luckily, there wasn't.

Though he could see a person from the front rows turning their head towards them with a scowl, probably disturbed by the noise they were making, even if their words hopefully weren't discernable.

"Guys, the movie…" He tried, but Percy had already leaned over, whispering something into Will's ear, who tensed slightly, but held perfectly still, listening to whatever the hell Percy was saying.

What were they even doing?

This was supposed to have been a date.

Between Percy and Nico.

And apparently, Jason and Will.

He shot Jason a look, and Jason smiled at him warmly, before subtly shrugging at him, as if telling him to just go along with it.

Well, at least he didn't seem to have any problems with this.

Percy pulled away from Will, and Nico could see the uncertainty and apprehension in his gaze, as if expecting Will to make fun of him or tell him whatever he had said was nonsense.

But Will merely gazed at the screen thoughtfully.

"Yeah, that's basically it. And then there's…" Will started, then leaned over to Percy this time, whispering something in his ear, and Nico watched Percy grin to himself smugly.

Those two.

Nico rolled his eyes, his gaze landing once more on Will's and Jason's joined hands.

His chest tightened, and he tried to push down the hurt, but it was futile.

So he looked back at the screen instead, not surprised in the slightest he had no idea what was going on in the film right now.

Next to him, Percy and Will started whispering about various 'bases' and 'stages', but Nico had no idea what that was about, and he was too hung up on his best friends and their possibly dating to really care.

Percy's hand took his gently, squeezing it as if to reassure him, but since he was still talking to Will animatedly, Nico highly doubted he meant it that way.

He reached out for Will's popcorn, and Will held out the entire bag for him with an apologetic smile, as if saying sorry for crashing their date, even though it had been the other way around.

Nico tried to smile back, but he knew it didn't quite work out.

As he pulled back, he felt Will's fingers brushing over his hand, like a soothing caress, and while it felt nice, Nico didn't linger, instead settling back into his seat hurriedly, and trying to concentrate on the film once more.

A moment later, Percy was rubbing against his side, his head dropping against Nico's shoulder, and Nico frowned slightly as he looked around at his boyfriend in question.

Percy gazed up at him with big, dark eyes, the green seeming a lot richer in the darkness around them.

"Hey."

Nico blinked, then frowned even more, glancing back towards Will and Jason, but they were watching the movie, sharing what looked like a coke with two straws.

"Hey? What's wrong?" He asked quietly, taking Percy's hand properly and giving it a soft squeeze.

Why was Percy suddenly over here and so affectionate again?

He had just been talking to Will, after all.

Sure, his moods tended to change fairly quickly, but not like this, right?

"Nothing. Just wanted to be close to you. You know, we're on a date, after all." Percy whispered back, rubbing the side of his face against Nico's shoulder, and Nico couldn't help but smile slightly.

"That we are. How are you liking the movie so far?"

Percy chuckled quietly, shifting to come closer, though the arm rest between them kind of got in the way to really cuddle – which made Nico instantly miss the space they had had in their room in the Underworld.

"I lost track of the movie entirely. Will was too distracting."

"Shut up, Percy." Will instantly piped up from where he sat, though he was grinning, so there was no bite in it.

Percy rolled his eyes, anyways, and tried to move an arm around Nico awkwardly, and so, after some more shuffling and shifting, they managed, both leaning against each other and staring at the screen, though Nico had seriously lost all track of the film by now.

Percy nuzzled his face against him again, and he smiled, stroking over his thigh.

"Tired?" He asked quietly, though they both kept gazing at the screen.

"Maybe. How about you? Are you enjoying yourself? I know the day probably didn't go quite how you planned…"

Nico shook his head lightly, resisting the urge to glance over towards Will and Jason.

He didn't want to see what they were doing now.

Which didn't mean it wasn't happening.

"I don't mind. It was fun, wasn't it? I especially loved when you got stuck in that slide."

Percy snorted and pinched his side, but that only made Nico wince and giggle.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh at my dismay, will you? I really thought we'd have to call the firefighters or something."

This time, it was Nico's turn to snort out a laugh.

"Really? The firefighters? I'd have loved to see that. Wonder if they get a lot of calls to get grown kids out of kid's slides."

Percy pinched his side again, making a small wailing sound that had the person from the front row turn around to them again.

The man even looked as if he was going to say something, this time, but then his gaze snapped to Jason and Will, and the next moment, he turned away again with a confused and somewhat intimidated look.

When Nico glanced around at the two, though, Jason was smiling at him innocently, and Will was searching for something in his jacket.

Hm, weird.

Well, whatever.

"You're so mean. I thought I could fit, ok?" Percy whined, oblivious to everything as usual, but Nico merely stroked over his thigh again, smiling to himself.

"Of course. But, hey, if you really hadn't managed to get out by yourself, I'd have freed you. No need for firefighters."

Percy huffed, turning his head upwards to look at him with a doubting expression.

"Oh really? How?"

"Well, I have a perfectly functioning sword, don't I? Also, you're dating the son of the god of the Underworld. I could have summoned hundreds of skeletons to take apart that slide for me." Nico bragged, though he more said that to humor Percy than to boast or anything.

Especially because he had no clue whether he could even summon skeletons anymore.

In the Underworld, he had just had to call for them and they had come, because his father had made sure he'd get everything he needed, but in the upper world, he'd have to dip into his powers to summon them.

And…well…he still hadn't attempted reusing his powers.

The last time had been a vivid reminder he did not want to rush that.

Though he knew he'd have to start training soon again.

Maybe he could ask Will to give it another try…though Nico really didn't fancy another one of those panic attacks.

That had been beyond embarrassing, just dropping to the ground like that and freaking out about something so _stupid_.

He didn't even want to think what Will must have thought of that.

Maybe Nico should try to practice by himself first, just to see how it would go.

Nico glanced over to Will, just to find him staring him down with an unimpressed look, mouthing 'Forget it, Sunshine', which strongly indicated he knew _exactly_ what Nico was thinking.

Oh well.

"Really? Wow, my hero." Percy cooed with a broad grin on his face and his eyes gleaming, then he pushed his head up to press his lips to Nico's cheek for a quick – and once again, _loud_ – kiss.

Nico sighed, patting Percy's thigh while clearly seeing Jason and Will exchanging amused, knowing looks.

"Yeah, yeah. You and your horribly loud and exaggerated kisses. Just for that, I'd leave you stuck in that slide for at least half an hour longer than necessary." He teased, and Percy let out a fake gasp.

"How _mean_."

Nico tried to cackle quietly, and while he was pretty sure he failed miserably, nobody turned around.

"That's me. I'm the Ghost King, after all. Can't be all nice and kind and honorable like Jason, after all."

Percy snorted out a laugh.

"Oh, come on, you know you're the kindest of us all. Plus, Jason isn't all _that_ great, anyways."

"I feel insulted." Jason remarked sourly next to Will, and they both glanced at him.

"Aww, Handsome, you know he doesn't mean it that way." Will said with an exaggeratedly earnest and serious expression as he patted Jason's arm, and Jason shot him a dubious look.

"Why does it feel like you're just saying that so I buy you another bag of popcorn?"

Will winced and laughed.

"Guilty as charged. Come on, you know I can't say no to _Nico_."

Nico raised an eyebrow, looking down at the now almost empty bag of popcorn in his lap that Percy had been helping himself to up until now.

_Oops_.

That had been quick.

He had only not paid attention to that bag for, what, five minutes?

His boyfriend seriously was an unstoppable force when it came to snacks and unhealthy food.

"Sorry about that." He and Percy said apologetically at the same time, but that only made Will chuckle and throw Jason a pointed look, while Jason heaved a big sigh and made to get up.

"Alright, I'll be right back, then."

What?

Jason was seriously leaving to get Will popcorn _now_?

In the middle of the movie?

Alright, they weren't really watching, but…

"Hey, can you bring Nico and me something, too?" Percy called after him, trying to be quiet enough not to disturb the others, but loud enough to be heard by Jason, who looked around at him with a frown, studying him for a moment.

Nico knew from the desperate look on Percy's face that he was absolutely regretting his earlier statement of Jason 'not being all that great'.

"Why don't you go and bring your boyfriend something, yourself? I'm his date, I get privileges." Will remarked with a smug grin, and Percy made a face.

Nico rolled his eyes and made to get up.

"Hey, I can get something too, it's not like I'm paying attention to the film anymore, anyways." He said, but then Percy all but jumped out of his seat.

"No, no, no, I can go. You sit down."

"But you don't even have any money!" Nico called after him in stunned surprise as Percy rushed after Jason, who was very blatantly rolling his eyes, though he made no move to go, his hands in his pockets, gazing past Percy to Will and Nico with a knowing smile.

Percy absolutely ignored his outcry, by the way, which didn't surprise Nico whatsoever.

Stubborn as a horse.

Nico sighed, getting up as well to follow, just to find Will grabbing their jackets, laughing to himself quietly.

"What are you doing?" Nico asked confused, and Will looked at him with a similar expression to Jason's.

"What, you think we're going to go back in here to watch a film we all have lost track of? Let's just leave and find something else to either watch or do."

Oh.

Oh well, that did make sense, Nico guessed.

He sighed, taking Percy's jacket from Will and making his way to the exit, where Percy and Jason had their heads together, probably with Jason explaining the same thing to Percy that Will had just told Nico.

So, wait, if they left together, did that mean they'd look for something else to do _together_, too?

Or would their ways part?

He…wasn't sure what he wanted, to be honest.

He kind of wanted them to stick around, but that was for entirely selfish reasons that shouldn't be taken into consideration.

If they were on a date, same as Percy and Nico were, then it wouldn't be fair to butt in.

Will put an arm around his shoulders, tugging him closer.

"Hey, what's with that face, Neeks? Come on, smile, it's your anniversary. Or are you upset you ran into Jason and me? I'm sorry for crashing your date. Wasn't intended. You said you'd go in the evening, so…yeah…" Will said quietly, sounding genuinely sorry, though there seriously wasn't anything for him to be sorry about.

"It's none of my business what you two are doing when, Will. Plus, it was us crashing your date, wasn't it? I'm sorry, Percy kind of saw you and then…you know…"

Will waved off.

"Eh, don't worry about that. As Jason said, we half expected it. We don't really mind, you know? But hey, if you don't want us to stick around now, just tell us, and we'll come up with something to subtly get lost and give you your boyfriend back to do whatever you wanted to do."

Yeah, well, Nico had no clue what the two of them could do, since he had originally planned on taking him to the theaters last, so there was that.

He wished he could have researched the area a bit more and looked for something decent to do.

Then again, as he had realized earlier, plans with Percy Jackson were usually for naught.

"I don't mind you two at all. It's just like Valentine's Day, isn't it? And that was pretty fun. I just…well…don't want to interrupt with your…your date." He mumbled, his heart aching as he forced himself to say it out loud.

Date.

A date.

His Will. His Jason.

Stupid Nico, they weren't his, any he knew it.

He _knew_ it.

Why did it still hurt?

Will shot him an odd look, his hold on him tightening for a moment, but then he just smiled at Nico warmly, as if reassuring him.

"Interrupting our date? Don't you worry about that. It would have probably ended in a disaster, anyways. Since Jason is apparently used to getting kisses on the cheek on his first date, and the most he'd have gotten from me is a friendly 'Good night'. You know?"

Why did it sound like Will was just saying that to make him feel better?

Probably because he was.

"Are you badmouthing my dating behavior again, sun-bug?" Percy asked sulkily when they reached the two, and Nico instantly found himself tugged away from Will and into Percy's arms.

"And hands off my boyfriend, you seem to be trying to get your own."

Percy!

"Rude. Maybe Nico _wanted_ my hands on him, ever thought of that?" Will shot back unbothered as they left and Nico's head shot around in alarm almost as fast as Percy's.

"What?!" They both asked, and something in Nico died at the horror in Percy's voice, even though his own sounded the same.

Oh gods, if Percy knew how he still felt for Jason and Will, he would definitely be so, so upset.

Will and Jason shot each other telling looks, but kept their comments to themselves, and Nico was suddenly confronted by Percy's searching gaze, his sea-green eyes boring into him.

Oh gods, he definitely couldn't let him know.

Percy was just opening his mouth, undoubtedly about to ask for verification on Will's statement, when Jason pushed the door open and the four of them winced in sync at the sudden _light_.

Nico wasn't sure he had ever been more grateful for something to distract them than right then and there.

"Holy-…I think I'm blind now." He mumbled, and while Percy still seemed a tad tense, he immediately put an arm around him, as if to guide him.

"No worries, babe, I'll carry you home if necessary."

Nico shot him a dubious look, though he really just wanted to check whether Percy was still going to ask or not.

He could see the unspoken question burning in Percy's eyes, and took that as a bad sign.

"Oh really? So you're saying you can still see?" He asked, hoping to get the conversation going to Percy would forget, would brush it off, would think Nico would never ever want anything like that.

The sad part was, that, as he thought that, Nico realized that, in fact, he _did_ want that.

And that was probably the most horrible realization he had ever had.

"Nope, but I'm hoping Will or Jason will have mercy on us and get us there safely." Percy retorted and Will and Jason huffed next to them.

"Why am I not surprised?" Will commented wryly, while Jason sighed loudly and exaggeratedly brushed through his hair.

"To be expected. Great, now I have to carry all three of you home. Time to go airplane-mode. Hope you don't mind, Perce."

Percy instantly jumped and threw him a scandalized look.

"_What?!_ No! No flying! I…oh, would you look at that, suddenly, I can see…" He dramatically gestured as he spoke, and all three of them raised their eyebrows at him.

And, while Percy started moping and directing them towards the snack section at the front hurriedly, Nico couldn't help but let out a small, relieved sigh.

It seemed he was safe for now.

Just as he thought that, he could feel Jason's gaze on him, studying him with that knowing look on his face that made Nico's skin tingle unpleasantly.

Could Jason _not_ do that, please?

Nico already knew what he was doing was wrong.

He was basically lying to Percy.

To his Percy.

His boyfriend, the guy he loved, the guy he wanted to grow old with – the person he never wanted to lie to.

But he was lying with letting him believe he was Nico's one and only.

Because, right now, he simply wasn't, no matter how much Nico wanted it to be that way.

Sometimes, he caught himself hoping his feelings were platonic, that everything was good, that everybody would feel that and that way.

But then, he caught himself wishing to be closer, to touch, to kiss, to do things that were entirely _not_ platonic.

And then, there were his dreams, in which it was always the four of them, not Percy and he alone.

But, while Nico tried to push said dreams aside, he couldn't help but hope for them whenever he closed his eyes, and he couldn't help but love every single second of them.

It simply felt so good.

Why did it have to feel so good?

In his dreams, they were so at ease with each other, nothing between them, just the four of them loving and being loved.

It wasn't even all sexual, either – though Nico had a hunch that might also be because he had no idea how that would work out, anyways.

It was…it was all a lot like reality, just…better.

Less complicated.

There was no drama, nobody holding back on words or actions, everybody was just so 'themselves' and they just _worked out_.

And Nico wanted that.

It was selfish and impossible, but he wanted it so, so bad.

That was why he was lying to Percy.

Nico knew it was wrong.

He knew he couldn't keep going like this.

But…he just couldn't talk about this now, ok?

Not now.

Maybe…maybe in a week or so.

Just…he didn't even know how to best phrase it yet, after all.

He didn't want to lose Percy.

He absolutely couldn't lose Percy.

Then again…maybe…maybe Percy wouldn't leave.

Who knew, maybe Jason was right, and Percy would react differently.

Maybe he'd be accepting, understanding.

He didn't have to be _okay_ with it, because Nico knew he could never expect that from anybody, but…maybe he'd understand, anyways.

Hopefully.

But Nico didn't know.

And things were going so great between them right now.

Jason was still gazing at him quietly as Nico pointed at the popcorn he wanted, and Nico forced himself to meet his gaze, trying to let him know he'd talk to Percy about it…someday.

Jason's expression was concerned, but he nodded his understanding a moment later, meaning the message was well received.

Nico knew it wasn't much.

It was far from enough.

But…he just…he couldn't lose this.

What would he do without Percy?

Then again, at this rate, did he even _deserve_ Percy?

If he couldn't love him and him alone, unconditionally and absolutely, did he really deserve Percy to be his boyfriend?

The thought hurt, same as it had hurt the past hundred times Nico must have had it.

"Hey babe, how about I cook tonight? Since Jason helped with the breakfast, I could help mom with dinner to make up for it." Percy mused, wrapping an arm around him loosely and tugging him against his side, and Nico felt the impulse to get closer, to wrap himself around Percy, to keep him close, to keep him with him.

He persisted, instead paying for all their food and even trying for a faint smile at the cashier, while Will and Jason listed the most exotic dishes he had ever heard of, demanding Percy to fix them all of those at once.

Nico gazed up at his boyfriend, studying his profile, and he decided to end his misery.

He was going to talk to Percy.

In a week.

Seven days, that was all he was asking.

Seven days, in which he could think over how to say what.

Seven days, in which to indulge in Percy not knowing.

Seven days, in which to see one last time whether he could change his feelings, whether they might maybe not be romantic at all, but platonic, or something – anything – else.

There was nothing for him to gain, after all.

Will and Jason…they…they were going to find together, and…and they'd date, and be together, and entirely unreachable for Nico…

Which was great, of course!

He was happy for them if they were happy.

He guessed.

Maybe.

Somehow.

One day.

Nico sighed, and Will wrapped an arm around him from the other side, ruffling through his hair.

"But yeah, dinner on you sounds great. If you two manage to make it out of the bedroom before Jason gets fed up and does it himself, of course."

Nico blushed at both the sudden, and rather unexpected physical contact, as well as Will's words.

Seriously?

"You're just jealous Nico and I can get rid of our sexual tension, while you two will still have to wait, like, a hundred dates to get to that stage, sun-bug."

Nico felt his entire body erupting into flames and hurried out of the building, hoping nobody else had just heard that.

Will was too busy trying to keep up and eyeing Nico oddly from the side to catch what Percy had just said, but once he did, he snorted out a small laugh, sending Percy an unimpressed look.

"I'll let you believe that, Gorgeous." He said with a dangerous gleam in his face, and Nico had to avert his gaze again hurriedly, trying not to think about what that meant.

What anything meant.

Whatever.

It didn't matter.

It wasn't any of his business.

"As long as I get a kiss on the cheek by the hundredth date." Jason stated with a shrug, and they all looked around at him.

…Seriously?

"Aww, alright, _fine_. Come here, you giant softie." Will exclaimed, and the next moment, he pulled his arm away from around Nico, and all Nico could do was look around to find Will in front of Jason, leaning up to press his lips against Jason's cheek, making similarly loud and exaggerated sounds as Percy had done with Nico earlier.

His chest clenched and he realized all over that jealousy was a horrible feeling, but he did his best not to let anything show, instead moving into Percy's side, who tugged him closer almost instantly, his hold on him a tad tighter than a moment ago, his expression once more conflicted.

Jason looked stunned and speechless, obviously not having expected this outcome whatsoever - though the moment Will pulled away with a dirty grin, his confusion made space for a brilliant smile and his eyes gleaming with affection and adoration.

Nico wanted to cry.

Jason looked so _happy_.

Had he ever looked so happy when he had been around Nico?

Nico didn't think so.

But he deserved to be this happy.

He deserved to be even happier.

Oh gods, Nico should be a supportive friend and cheer for them instead of being heartbroken and miserable over it.

He knew he should be.

He couldn't be.

Nico really had to talk to Percy about this.

Seven days.

Seven days and he'd talk this out with him.

Yes.

Percy placed a peck to the side of his face, and Nico glanced up at him, but Percy was already looking back at Jason and Will, and Nico had no clue how much he had seen on his face.

Seven days.

No day past that, but also no day before that.

"Guys, keep it down, will you? We're in public here, and this is only your first date. At least I waited until the very end to give him a kiss on the cheek." Percy chided, and Nico studied his face for an indicator how he felt about this.

But Percy still looked conflicted, maybe even slightly confused, and Nico had no idea about the reasoning behind that.

Will shot them another unimpressed look, and linked his fingers with Jason so obviously it just had to be to show off.

And while this was just like Valentine's Day all over again, Nico couldn't keep down the unease and queasiness he felt at seeing all of that – mostly because he knew this time it wasn't an act.

But it was their life.

Their decisions.

Their feelings.

"Oh please, you're nobody to talk, Gorgeous. Come on, let's go." Will waved off with his free hand, then tugged Jason with him as he started walking, and Jason beamed to himself, though he did glance over at them a moment later with a once again concerned look on his face, momentarily getting rid of that happy glow.

And Nico felt even worse for making him worry, for making that smile disappear.

So he took a deep breath and tugged Percy along, too, putting all his effort into a reassuring smile.

Jason studied his face for another moment, then moved on to Percy, then returned his attention to the bundle of joy in front of him, and Nico could see how soft and gentle his expression turned almost instantly.

It still made him rather bitter and jealous on the inside, but he pushed it down resolutely, instead thinking of just how quickly his and Percy's date had changed.

Earlier, they had run through the park and sneaked kisses behind trees, and he hadn't had a care in the world.

Now, he was heartbroken and tried to stomach the hurt that came with seeing his two best friends trying to take their relationship a step further after sneaking glances at each other for forever already and their feelings for each other blatantly obvious for anybody to see.

Nico hadn't wanted to see, though he had known and had urged himself to accept it.

Nico now had to live with the consequences.

"I took some DVDs from the Underworld with me, so we can watch a movie at home. With the popcorn and all, it will be just like in the theaters. They're in Jason's second travel bag, by the way." Will explained with a grin, and Nico raised an eyebrow at Will simply packing stuff from their room.

Then again, he guessed he'd have packed all the DVDs and games too, if he had had the chance.

Sadly, Percy had turned out to be too much of a distraction for him to think straight.

He always was way too distracting.

Just like today in the morning.

Gods, he still hoped he hadn't moaned too loudly.

He should curse Will for showing Percy all the ways to get to that cursed pressure point on his foot.

Seriously, who had a super sensitive spot _on their feet_?!

Percy didn't seem to have any such spot, at all.

At least Nico hadn't found it yet.

Though he _had_ found out there was that patch of skin at his lower back that seemed more sensitive than the rest.

If he remembered correctly, that was the spot Percy had focused on when he had taken a dip in the Styx.

But other than that, there were plenty of things Percy _liked_, but none made him fall apart quite as much as it was the case when Percy got to that spot on Nico's foot – which was super unfair, might he mention.

Well…and his boyfriend had told him he actually _really_ wanted him to top.

Seriously, Nico still couldn't believe that part had actually happened.

Sure, Percy had _said_ he didn't mind either way, and it had certainly made Nico more experimental and trying to see how far he could go, but…well, it had never really registered that not only would Percy not mind Nico being the more dominant, the _top_ one, but wanted him actually _being the top_.

As in, him doing the things to Percy that Percy had done with him so far.

Oh gods.

It was disturbing how much he had actually liked that thought.

Nico liked giving more than taking.

He liked seeing Percy fall apart when he went down on him, or how Percy easily went along with letting Nico take the lead.

He wanted to make Percy feel good, rather than having Percy make him feel good.

Though he obviously didn't mind that whatsoever, either.

And, well, Nico was also worried he'd fail miserably.

Percy had experience, after all.

Nico didn't have anything but the experience he had gained with Percy.

And while he guessed he knew the theory, he had no idea how and what to do to make Percy enjoy it just as much as he kept making Nico enjoy their intimate moments.

Will put his arm around him again, and promptly snorted and withdrew it again, and Nico shot him an alarmed look, just to find Will eyeing him with a knowing, gleeful expression.

"Damn, Percy, aren't you a lucky guy?"

Nico was going to die.

They were all going to be the death of him.

This certainly was one anniversary he'd never forget, that much was certain.

...

The four ended up not going home right away, after all.

Percy couldn't say he was surprised, as he sat on a bench with all their popcorn (and Jason's nachos, because Jason always had to pick something different from the rest, that rebel), and watched Will and Jason messing with Nico on the seesaw.

As if they hadn't already made Nico flustered enough with insisting he had to go on that thing.

Will sat on the opposite side, and Percy could clearly see Jason moving his wrist suspiciously every time it was Nico's turn to go up, making him hop _every single time_.

Percy would rush to protect his boyfriend, but…the sight was too adorable, sorry.

Plus, Percy needed some time to clear his head and think.

So much about Jason's apparent problem with dating Will, huh?

It seemed to work out just fine, in Percy's opinion.

There he and Nico left them alone for a few hours, and suddenly, Will was inviting Jason out on a date and acting as if they were already going out.

They fit together so damn well, too.

It was heartbreaking.

The thing was, _Nico_ actually seemed to be bothered by it, too.

It hadn't been for very long, nor very distinctive, but Percy could have sworn he had seen a similar struggle and pain in Nico's eyes earlier, when Will had just _had_ to give Jason that accursed kiss on the cheek (which shouldn't have been a big deal, since they had all done that at one point or another in their life, but…it just was, ok? At this time, in this context, it simply was).

So, yeah, Percy had no idea what to think about that, nor what to do now.

He definitely wanted another chat with Jason for clearance and to figure out what had suddenly changed Will's mind.

Or maybe he hadn't changed his mind at all and Jason had merely exaggerated with everything, or not explained himself to Will correctly, and it had all just been a misunderstanding…

There were a lot of those, after all.

Percy let out a long sigh, stealing some of Will's popcorn, even though he had his own bag.

"Hey! I saw that!" Will instantly yelled over, and he grinned to himself, trying to swallow an entire handful before Will could rush over to him and stop him.

Which would have probably worked, if popcorn didn't have that nasty tendency of getting stuck in his throat; promptly making him cough and wheeze.

Great, now he was going to die, just so he could have gotten Will's attention to himself for a total of ten seconds.

Nice.

Not that he wanted Will's attention or anything.

He wanted none of their attention.

Nope.

…That was a lie.

Percy wanted all their attention.

He wanted to jump up and stomp on the ground and tell them how it was and that he was sick and tired of the confusion and hurt, that he wanted the four of them to be more than this weird something, and tell them to get a grip on themselves (and on Percy, because he needed it) and make it work.

But, yeah, first things, first, _air_.

"Jeez, Percy, don't die on us now, it's your anniversary, man." Will half chided half chuckled, taking his bag of popcorn away from Percy first, before even attempting to help him, that cruel bastard.

Percy would have loved to voice out his complaints, but, yeah, he was still choking on popcorn.

Will huffed out a merciless 'That's what you get', but then helped him, anyways, urging him to lean forward further and patting his back until he could finally breathe again.

"And what did that teach us, Gorgeous?" Will asked the moment he managed to sit up again and take a deep breath.

Percy made a face at him from the side.

"That your popcorn likes me just as much as you do?"

Will rolled his eyes and flicked his forehead unimpressed.

"You're an idiot. Go make love to your boyfriend or something, and stop eating _my_ stuff. You have an entire bag of popcorn to yourself, why must you defile mine?"

Hey.

What did he mean with 'defile'?

How mean.

Percy pushed out his bottom lip in a pout and looked off to the side.

"But I'm bored."

Not entirely the truth, but good enough as an excuse right now.

Will snorted.

"You were the one offering to watch over our stuff, Percy. None of us forced you to make that sacrifice."

Yeah, well, he had needed time to think.

Not that it had helped, but still.

Percy made a noncommittal sound to show he had heard, but other wisely didn't comment nor argue that statement.

Will flopped down next to him on the bench, careful not to crush Jason's nachos.

"What's up? You don't like it here? I had the impression you loved playgrounds, since you and Nico spent most of the day here, and Nico doesn't strike me as the sort of person to say he wants to catch up on his lost childhood."

Percy shrugged, glancing over towards Nico and Jason, who were standing next to the slides, and it seemed Nico was explaining to Jason how Percy had gotten stuck in one of them.

Great.

That traitor.

Jason laughed heartily and looked around at him, and for a moment it seemed as if he was laughing _at_ Percy, instead of _about_ him.

It did weird things to Percy that he decided to ignore right now.

"How's he feeling? Nico, I mean." He asked quietly, conveniently ignoring Will's statement, too.

Will shot him a pointed look, then smirked.

"Nico? Oh, he's feeling great. All silky hair and soft skin. I could touch him all day long."

Percy stepped on his foot with a scowl.

"Oh, shut up, you know what I meant. Plus, I thought you're trying to get in Jason's pants? How's that going to work out if you keep drooling over my boyfriend?"

He didn't really want to know the answer.

Or maybe he did.

Maybe he just wanted reassurance Will still liked Nico, same as Jason still liked Nico, and somehow, it could still work out…

Then again, it probably would, if it wasn't for Percy being in the mix, too.

Not a very nice thought.

Why did it keep coming back? He certainly didn't want it.

Will sighed, pinching Percy's thigh in retaliation, before stroking over it gently.

"It's not that simple. You don't just fall out of love, Percy. Plus, Jason knows. It's not like we're going out yet, Percy. Just…I don't know." Will started, but then broke off again, but Percy didn't want to hear about Will's and Jason's dating plans.

It had already been hard enough hearing Jason out and being the supportive best friend, there was no way he could do the same thing for Will.

"But you want to." Percy said; a statement, not a question, and he hoped they could return to Nico, and how he was feeling about all this, whether everything was good.

Will let out a loud, pained sigh and slumped forward, pulling his hand away from Percy's thigh in favor of burying his face in his hands.

"Yes. I definitely want to. But it's just…it's not that easy."

Percy felt his heart aching, and was instantly glad Will wasn't touching him anymore.

He wasn't sure he could have resisted pulling the blonde into a hug and trying to hold onto him for forever, unwilling to let him go, unwilling to admit Will was unreachable for Percy, just like the sun had been unreachable for Icarus.

Just that Icarus had probably not wanted to fuck the sun once he got there, while Percy…well, whatever.

That didn't matter.

"Jason said so, too. Do you want to…do you want to talk about it?" He forced himself to ask, anyways, though he had to admit he was internally screaming and pleading for Will to say no.

Will sighed again, but then thankfully shook his head and looked back up towards Jason and Nico, who had moved to one of the other, closed slides, and Jason was helping Nico climb it from the outside, for whatever reason.

Will's lips twitched, and Percy would have probably smiled, too, but he only partly registered all that, most of his attention on Will.

"Nico's doing okay. He seems bothered by something, just like you, but I can't tell what it is. He seems to be coping, though, and there was quite a bit of determination in him earlier, so I'm sure he'll talk to you if it's something important you should know about. He doesn't seem upset about Jason and me being here with you guys, though. In fact, I think he kind of likes it."

Percy felt his heartbeat quicken at Will's words, the small glimmer of hope making itself known again.

If Nico liked the other two around, even if this was their anniversary (and they were supposed to be on a date), then that had to mean something, right?

Maybe Nico _did_ still like them.

But then why would he act as if he didn't?

It wasn't as if Percy hadn't been aware of that fact from the very beginning.

Hell, a part of him had even solely started the Advent Calendar in the faint hope Nico _would_ choose him over the other two (even if that had mostly been nothing but wishful thinking, and Percy had really meant it when he had said he had only wanted to make Nico happy for once, just once).

But he had never expected of Nico to stop having feelings for the other two.

If Percy had had a problem with that, he wouldn't have let the other two stick to them this much, would he now?

So, yeah, Nico should know that.

Percy also thought he had said that at some point.

He must have, right?

No, he was pretty sure he did.

Or…had he only thought that, and not actually said it?

But, well, anyways, Nico should know, so there was no reason for him to try mask his feelings.

Which led Percy right back to his former struggle of trying to figure out what Nico's behavior meant.

Three months into dating, and he still was none the wiser when it came to how Nico's mind worked.

There were instances where Percy knew, and he could usually guess based on how much or little showed on Nico's face what was going on, but in this regard…nothing.

He had no idea.

Nothing made sense.

Same as Jason and Will didn't make any sense.

Same as the gods didn't make any sense.

Same as he himself wasn't making any sense.

"You think so?" He asked, noticing how hopeful he sounded, and Will threw him an odd glance.

"Well, yeah. I mean, it wasn't that sort of 'Oh thank the gods, those two are here, the day is saved'-feeling, so I can assure you he enjoyed your date, too. But…he did seem kind of low-key happy that we're here. I mean, I can't blame him. Think about it, we're all kind of used to being together 24/7, so it's to be expected he'd feel more at ease." Will explained, and Percy's heart sunk again.

"Oh." He mumbled, feeling disappointed.

So he only liked the other two here with them because he was used to them being there?

Will frowned at him.

"What's with that reaction? Did you hope for a different answer? What did you want to hear? That he loves you to bits and is scared beyond measure of losing you? Because that's true, too."

Percy scowled, inwardly cringing at the thought of Nico being scared of something so stupid.

Nico wasn't going to lose him, ever, unless he _wanted_ him to _get_ lost.

"No, it's just…whatever. Never mind." He shrugged the matter off with a disgruntled huff, definitely not wanting to discuss this with Will, not here, not now, not ever.

He looked back towards Nico, who had successfully climbed the slide from the outside and was trying to pull Jason up with him, which looked kind of funny, given their height difference, though Percy couldn't manage a smile just yet.

Will let out a long, loud sigh next to him.

"Seriously, what is it that you want, Perseus? You just don't make sense."

Yeah, he knew.

He didn't understand himself, either.

"I just want him happy." He said quietly, but it felt like a lie.

"All of us. Just…happy." He added, and promptly had that picture in his head again, the one with the colors.

He wished he could talk to Jason about that again, get some clarity.

But, yeah, now that Jason and Will seemed all wrapped up in each other, Percy doubted he'd want to listen to Percy rambling about anything – and most especially not that.

He couldn't explain it to Will, either, because, first of all, he didn't want him to laugh, and second of all, he had already explained a part of that to Will before, and he absolutely didn't want him to have any context for that.

It was much simpler this way.

"But aren't we, already? Look at them. Jason seems happy, Nico is laughing- oh…now they're falling. Ah, see, Jason caught them, everything is good. See? They seem plenty happy to me." Will stated, and Percy watched how Jason and Nico hovered in mid-air, with Nico's arms tightly around Jason's neck, and their faces only inches apart.

Or maybe they weren't apart at all, from this angle and distance it was hard to tell.

Then again, he doubted Jason would ever kiss a taken person, much less when his apparent object of desire (Will) was right here, too.

So, yeah, he was pretty sure there were at least those few inches between them.

"That's not the same." Percy replied with a small sigh, half hoping Will would understand, and half hoping he wouldn't.

In either case, he wanted Will to drop the topic, though.

It was just too depressing right now, and the day had started too good to end with him this upset about things he couldn't change.

"You're not even going to say something about them being that close?" Will asked, his eyebrows shooting up, but Percy merely shrugged in reply.

"If you have a problem with it, why don't you say something?" He asked back, instead, and Will frowned at him again, a hand reaching out to stroke some wild strands of hair out of Percy's face.

"Why are you such a mess?" Will whispered barely audible, and Percy wasn't sure whether he meant him or himself, nor whether this was about his hair or his emotional state.

Then, Will clicked his tongue and tugged on a strand of hair.

"Alright, come here, you needy person. Unbelievable."

"What?"

What had he done?

Percy looked at him confused, but moved closer when Will tugged on his hair again, and the next moment, Will's other arm moved around him, tugging him closer, until they were in some sort of awkward half-embrace.

What…?

"Come on, hug it out. I dare you to. Hugs always help. I told you before, at least a hundred times. Hugging, cuddling, it all sets free endorphins and serotonin. And you, sir, need the whole happy-go-lucky package." Will insisted loudly, rubbing circles on his back and half dragging him onto his lap.

Percy blinked, still confused and stunned, but then he tentatively put his arms around Will, too, returning the rather odd 'hug'.

"Closer." Will ordered, and Percy made a face, but complied, anyways, moving his face to the side of Will's neck, where Jason usually head his face these days.

It…felt oddly nice, actually.

Will was so nice and warm, too.

His hands were still rubbing circles over Percy's lower back, which he also had to admit he liked quite a bit.

Percy could hear his own heartbeat, horribly loud and uneven, though Will didn't point it out, so he brushed it off, too, instead concentrating on the heat radiating from the blonde.

Also, he smelled different than usual.

In a way, he smelled a bit like Nico.

And Jason.

And Percy.

Percy liked that, too.

It took him a long moment to realize this was probably only because they had all used the same shower gel and shampoo for once, too lazy to each get their own out of their luggage.

Maybe they should permanently do that.

"There, that's a lot better." Will remarked with a hint of smugness in his voice, but Percy let it pass without comment, instead daring to nuzzle his face against Will's neck.

Will's curls tickled his skin, feeling soft and nice and smelling so amazing.

Oh.

So that was why Jason liked doing that.

Percy would love doing that more often, too.

One of Will's hands left his back for a moment, but returned a moment later, and Percy wasn't in the least surprised when somebody else moved to sit down behind him, wrapping two strong, big arms around him from behind.

"Aw, aren't you two adorable? Group hug?" Jason's voice sounded right next to his ear, though the question was kind of redundant, given that he was already taking the liberty of joining in.

"Definitely. Nico, come join in, too. The more we are, the more endorphins I'm feeling, because you're all touching me. There's nothing better on a chilly evening than an abundance of endorphins. It's like sex, just without getting undressed, and no mess, and no awkwardness, and no…"

"Oh gods, Will, shut up." Nico interrupted Will's speech, and Percy grinned to himself as he felt smaller, much more cautious hands moving over his arms to his shoulders as Nico actually did join in the 'group hug'.

This should be like cuddling in bed at night.

And it kind of was, in a way.

Just that it wasn't night, they weren't in bed, and they weren't just doing this out of convenience, or because they were used to it, or because they tried to sneak closer inconspicuously while watching a movie.

They were doing this out of their own free will, out in the open, where anybody could see, where anybody could misinterpret this as anything else.

Percy loved it.

Also, he _wanted_ people to misinterpret this.

And then, he wanted that misinterpretation to be correct.

Yes.

He grinned to himself giddily, wishing he could shuffle closer, but that would put him on Will's lap, so he didn't.

Instead, he allowed Jason to push his chest against Percy's back, and he noticed just how much colder Jason was, though it wasn't unpleasant.

Jason was also a lot broader than Will and Nico, his chest easily covering Percy's entire back, his arms around him as if he was protecting him from the world.

Percy could definitely see why Will would like that.

Even though Jason had done this before, back when they had been on the ground in Nico's room, with Nico in Will's place, this felt nothing like that.

Maybe because he wasn't upset with Jason this time.

Or maybe because he wasn't worried sick about Will this time.

It could also just be the fact that all four of them were included, this time.

"Why…are we even doing this?" Nico asked hesitantly, and Percy stiffened slightly, dreading they'd pull away again, that somebody would have to force sensible reasoning into this and end the magic of the moment.

But nobody moved.

"Endorphins." Will said with a satisfied sigh.

"Because we like it." Jason supplied, his breath tickling Percy's ear.

Somehow, it felt as if he was supposed to say something to that, too.

Give a reason.

He didn't have a reason.

He had a hundred.

Most of them being 'Because I want us to be together like this all the time, now and forever', all phrased differently and differing in volume and intensity as they reverberated inside him.

"Why not?" He asked instead, then cursed himself, because he definitely didn't want to hear a reply to that.

Luckily, nobody bothered to reply, and he thought he could feel Nico coming closer a bit, though that could also just be his imagination (or wishful thinking).

Silence settled over them, and Percy closed his eyes again, inhaling Will's scent and feeling Jason moving his nose to right behind Percy's ear, which felt kind of weird, though he didn't comment on it.

They remained like this for what felt like forever.

A nice forever.

An amazing forever.

Percy wanted it to be a forever.

"Aww, guys, all this happiness, it's killing me. No, seriously, I almost feel bad that you don't get to feel this. Hey, who's bringing anxiety into the mix? Stop it, I'm getting high here." Will lamented loudly, and Jason chuckled, though he wrapped his arms tighter around Percy, his hands letting go of Will in favor of stroking over Percy's sides.

Wait.

Whoa, how _mean_.

Using Percy's weakness against him!

That traitor.

Wait, why was he doing that, in the first place?  
Percy didn't need reassurance.

If anyone of them was anxious, it would probably be Nico, not Percy.

Percy wasn't anxious.

Depressed, yeah, but not anxious.

Jason's touch changed, becoming more intent and claiming, and Percy could feel himself shivering in response, which Jason of course instantly noticed, repeating the movement.

"Yes, that's a lot better. Guys, stay like that, doctor's orders." Will ordered, and Percy inwardly rolled his eyes – until he realized a little something.

Will was talking.

Like that.

That open.

About something he 'liked'.

Wait, wait, wait.

Realization washed over him as he realized this had to be exactly what had shown Jason Percy was the one with the issues, not Will.

Because Will would never openly admit to enjoying anything like this if it wasn't to cover up for somebody else.

Oh great.

Why did he have to have such attentive friends?

And why did said friends have to be that attuned to each other and their behaviors?

It was a mystery.

Not that Percy didn't love everything about it, because he certainly did.

He loved it all.

"How about we take Nico into the middle next?" Will suggested good-naturedly, but Percy's and Nico's hands tightened their hold on him simultaneously.

_No, don't leave. Not now._

"I'm good. Stay where you are." Nico insisted, and Percy found himself relaxing again slightly, while Jason chuckled against his ear, again.

Jason knew, didn't he?

Of course he did, Percy had sort of told him, himself, after all, with the picture and all.

Oh well.

Jason didn't seem perturbed in the slightest, so Percy took that as clear indicator there was no chance for a 'them', else Jason would have at least acted a tiny bit jealous, right?

Well, no surprise there.

Instead of getting upset all over again, though, Percy felt Jason repeating his ministrations to his sides, and he all but melted against him automatically, letting out a soft, content sigh, same as he always did with Nico.

Oops.

Jason halted for a moment, then continued as if nothing had happened, though Percy knew he had noticed.

Good.

The last thing he needed was Jason making fun of him or teasing him about that.

"Mom, what are those boys doing? Are they cold?" They heard a kid ask, and Percy could feel Jason pulling his head back, probably to check for trouble.

Nico moved, too, his fingers promptly fumbling with Percy's sleeves again.

Will, however, remained how he was and didn't seem bothered in the slightest, so Percy decided not to pull away just yet, either.

"Maybe they are." The mother replied, her voice kind and without prejudice.

"Or maybe they just really, really like each other." Another, younger voice put in pointedly, and Percy grinned against Will's skin, hearing him snicker ever so quietly, too.

"You and your gay issues. Not everything has to be gay, you know." A male voice put in, and now Percy did pull back, just so he could look around to see how many people there were, and why they were seriously talking about them in this volume when they were no five feet away.

Seriously.

Also…

"Yeah? That's why I said 'maybe'? At least I say it's a _possibility_, instead of _expecting_ everyone and everything to be straight." The younger voice argued, and Percy realized it belonged to a girl around their age, sitting on the bench to their left with two adults and a small kid that jumped around.

The man let out a loud sigh, but didn't say anything else for a long moment.

"Damn. Any volunteers for a super gay kiss to show him she's right?" Will whispered quietly, and Percy raised an eyebrow, wondering faintly whether he was asking for any of them to kiss, or whether he wanted to be the one kissed.

"Actually, I have a better idea." Jason muttered behind him as he moved closer again, and all three of them looked around, their eyebrows shooting up.

"Yeah? What? Hurry up about it, or the magic of the moment will be lost." Will urged, and Jason huffed.

"Fine, fine. Ok, Percy, Nico, kiss."

_Well._

Percy threw Jason an unimpressed look, but since he wanted the same as Will, he decided to not argue what sort of 'better idea' _that_ was supposed to be, and instead turned towards his boyfriend.

Nico was already leaning forward, and Percy could only blink surprised before he felt Nico's hands on his cheeks, tugging him closer and pushing their lips together.

…Well.

That was unexpected.

Percy loved it.

He instantly returned the kiss, maybe a tad too eagerly, but, hey, this was his boyfriend, he was allowed to be as eager as he wanted to be.

Nico smirked, then turned his head to deepen the kiss, and Percy momentarily forgot Will and Jason were even there.

Well, not entirely, but he forgot how close they were.

He was reminded of this, however, when he suddenly felt Jason's lips at the side of his neck.

…What?

They could hear a loud gasp and the man swearing, while the girl whooped and laughed loudly.

Ha!

But…seriously, what was Jason…

Percy moaned as Jason bit that spot Nico liked so much.

Come on, it wasn't his fault, his body only reacted like this because he was used to Nico doing this to him.

It would happen with anybody, not just Jason.

He'd tell him that later, before Jason decided to ever use this to get back to Percy and tease him about it.

Will made a surprised 'Oh' sound, then he, too, moved his head to Percy's other side, promptly dragging his tongue over his rather sensitive skin.

And Percy was _dying_.

He gasped into Nico's kiss, letting him take the lead entirely, and faintly wondering whether Nico even knew what was going on, and what he'd say to that, and what the hell they were even doing.

Prying one eye open, he found Nico watching him intently, his chocolate brown eyes gleaming in a way Percy had never seen before.

Then, Will used his teeth at the same time Jason did, and Percy found himself groaning shamelessly.

"Seriously!" The man exclaimed loudly, while the woman and the girl snickered.

"You know it's rude to stare at people, dad, right? I'm just saying." The girl even cockily reminded her father, and they could hear the mother sigh.

"Are they ok? What are they doing, mom? Sis, are they trying to eat each other? Are they zombies? Do they need food? I have some candy they can have." The kid started babbling, and Percy was suddenly struck by the fact that there was a _child_ watching.

They shouldn't be doing this in front of a kid.

Nico seemed to think the same thing, letting go of him again with a last, tantalizing swirl of his tongue that left Percy breathless, though that could also be because of Will and Jason still tending to his neck.

Seriously!

Though…he…well…

He could get used to this, actually.

They should have put Nico in the middle, then Percy might have been able to tell whether or not there was a chance for a _them_, or not.

Because, seriously…

Just…wow.

Percy felt himself slumping back against Jason, who chuckled and took _this_ as his cue to pull away again, that evil bastard.

Bros did _not_ start something, just to break off way too soon again (or at all).

Then again, 'bros' probably also didn't ravish each other's necks, though.

Nah, they totally would, if it was for a situation such as this.

Will nipped on his skin teasingly once more, then he, too, pulled away, looking at him with dilated pupils and the blue of his eyes dark and slightly dazed – and, while Percy's heart started tripling in speed all over again due to that stupid hope bubbling up all over again, he knew it was most likely because Will could feel Percy's emotions (and en-dolphins, or whatever it had been called) and knew just how much he had enjoyed this little act.

Percy didn't care, but he certainly wanted to see that expression more often.

Will smirked at him, and Percy found himself grinning back, before Nico caught his attention again with leaning forward and placing another kiss on his nose, though his eyes were fixed on something behind Percy, which he guessed must be Jason.

He'd like to look at Jason, too, just to maybe look what expression he had, whether he might have 'liked' this, or whether he had just put up with it for the sake of the situation and that was it.

But he didn't dare, not wanting to give off the wrong impression to anybody.

"Seriously, this is a _playground_. There are _children_ around!" The man exclaimed loud enough for them to hear, but they didn't even bother looking around, while the girl huffed loudly.

"Oh, please. There isn't even anybody around but us. Also, don't you see those bushes? They're pretty much hidden from view from anybody _but_ us. Plus, what's the big deal? It was just a quick kiss. That won't kill anybody."

Percy saw Will turning his head to wink at the girl, and heard her snickering in reply.

He'd have probably looked around, too, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from Will and Nico right now, no matter how much he might have wanted to.

Suddenly, though, there was somebody tugging on his arm, and he frowned and looked sideways towards Jason, just to realize the little kid stood right next to them, holding up a bag of colored candies.

"Here. You can have some. So you don't have to be hungry anymore and eat each other." The child insisted with determination in its voice, tugging on Percy's sleeve again as the four of them stared at the kid in surprise – well, three of them, since Will was grinning from one ear to the other and must have seen it coming.

Thanks for the warning, sun-bug.

"Why, thank you. Do you want some popcorn in return? You can have Percy's." The blonde suggested as he reached out and picked out one of the candy from the bag with a smile at the child, quickly followed by Nico and Jason, who quietly said their thanks, too, and the kid beamed up at them.  
"Popcorn? Mom, mom, can I? Please?"

Great, there went Percy's popcorn, apparently.

The mother in question was hurrying over as the kid spoke, looking embarrassed and shocked that her child had apparently run off without her even noticing, though she didn't look displeased or as if she had a problem with her kid talking to a bunch of pretty gay-seeming guys.

She looked at them in question, as if trying to figure out whether they were bothered and just trying to be nice, but then relaxed slightly and shrugged.

"If they are ok with…" She started, but then Will had already snatched Percy's bag of popcorn from behind Nico and opened it to hold it out to the kid.

"Here you go, kiddo. Perce, I don't want to say anything, but you're drooling."

Percy flinched and instinctively moved his hand up to his face, though he was very well aware that he _wasn't_ drooling.

He was, however, still zoning out and lost in how good that all had felt.

Could he tell himself that had been low-key making out?

Probably not.

He'd still do it, though.

What did that say about himself, again?

Oh well, it didn't really matter.

Jason was right, one couldn't change their feelings, and he knew how he felt, so there was no need to deny anything.

Though he probably should talk to Nico about that.

Nico _had_ let them do that, after all, so…maybe…

Will chuckled, and Percy shook himself out of his thoughts, nudging his arm with a pout.

"Oh shush, I'm not. I was just thinking of where I put my bag of blue candy Nico got me."

"Blue candy?" The child asked with big eyes, while Will's eyebrows shot up.

"Nico got you candy? Where's _my_ candy?" He asked, looking around at Nico, who promptly turned pink in the face and started stammering something about a 'date' and how he had intended to return to the store to get Will and Jason something at a later time.

Oh yeah, Percy had wondered why he hadn't gotten anything for them.

If Percy had had any money, he'd have certainly bought them all he could have found.

"Aww, you know I'm just joking. I'm sure Percy will share."

"You just gave away my popcorn, I'm not giving you any of my candy, forget it." Percy retorted with a huff, shifting to get to his jacket pocket, but Jason was doing it for him the moment he noticed what Percy wanted to do.

It felt weird, having somebody else unzip your jacket pocket when their chin was resting on your shoulder and their breath was against your ear.

_Really_ weird.

Percy held perfectly still and let him, taking the bag from the blonde with a weak 'thanks' and unable to meet his eyes.

Though he was pretty sure his ears were burning.

It was just the cold.

And Jason's breath felt weird against his ears.  
Yep.

He opened his bag of candy, and the kid held up his own, and they traded a few pieces with appraising glances at each other's assortment.

Also, plenty of comments.

"Oh, I love these."

"This one is so good."

"That's one of my favorites."

"Mine, too. But you picked those, I love those, too."

"You can have one."

"Oh no, I couldn't. They're yours."

"No, no, I insist."

"Fine, but then you can have one of these."

"Won't your boyfriends cry if you give away your best candy like that?"

"Nah, they'll be good. If I'm lucky, Nico is going to buy me another bag when we go back to the store. Will was mean to me, so he's not getting any, and Jason doesn't like this candy, anyways." He explained and looked around at Will and Nico, just to find the two of them sharing a knowing look and grinning at him with an oddly gentle expression.

"What?" He asked skeptically, but they only shook their heads, their lips twitching even more and he saw them exchanging another quick look with each other.

_What?_

Jason ruffled through his hair from behind.

"Nothing, you're just being your usual self, Perce. Keep trading your candy, please."

_Hey_.

Were they teasing him?

Percy shot him sulky look over his shoulder, but then averted his gaze quickly again, because Jason was already moving his chin back to his shoulder again, and that brought their faces way too close together again.

They were definitely teasing him, though, weren't they?

"Why are you so close together? Are you that cold?" The kid asked curiously, though hesitantly, as if uncertain whether it was ok to ask.

"Not really, but it's very comfortable. You know, when there's a person you really like, you tend to want to be close to them a lot. This lets us be close to each other without leaving anybody out, and with us all still comfortable." Will explained with a soft smile, and Percy wished it was true.

He really did.

The kid nodded in understanding, then glanced up at the woman, before looking back at the father and the girl, who had their heads together and seemed to be having a heated, but quiet argument.

"Ok, that sounds cool. Maybe I'll do that one day, too. Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Stranger guys, but I have to go now. My dad gave me ten minutes to try out all the slides, and he looks busy now, so I might manage to sneak in another ten minutes. See you!" The kid said hurriedly, then turned around and ran off, leaving the bag of candy with the mother, who seemed initially surprised, but then merely sighed and stored the candy in her bag.

"Children are really something. I'm sorry for interrupting you, and thanks for humoring us." She said with a small shake of her head, but they all just waved off.

"No problem. Seems like a nice kid, after all. We're around other children a lot, so we're kind of used to it, though they're usually a bit older." Will explained, and they nodded in agreement, making the woman smile again.

They exchanged some pleasantries, but it was mostly Will doing the talking, while Percy gazed at him and Nico in turn, constantly aware of Jason breathing against his ear and neck, though he didn't look back at him, and Jason didn't indicate he wanted it any other way.

Then the man called, and they bid their farewells to each other, deciding to leave, as well.

They still wanted to stop at the candy store before it closed, after all.

At least that was the plan, but then none of them was moving, apparently as unwilling as Percy to let this end.

Which was of course stupid, because there was no 'this'.

It had all just been an act.

What sweet torture.

Percy sat there, sandwiched between Jason and Will, and he wondered whether there was a chance they'd want this just as much as he did, and whether they could all just sit here the entire night until tomorrow.

He actually wouldn't mind whatsoever.

Sure, it would get cold after a while, but they had Will, who was slowly regaining his usual warmth.

Maybe, by tomorrow, he'd be back to normal, and they could use him as their blanket or something.

Percy also knew how to make a fire, so there was that.

Then again, a fire would require him to get up and get wood and the like, so he'd prefer Will to be their blanket.

Sadly, right as he started going into more details with his planning for the night, Nico and Jason both moved simultaneously, getting up and stretching – and thus breaking the spell.

Percy felt the disappointment surge through him the moment Will pulled away, too, leaving him the last one on the bench.

He still didn't want to get up.

"Oh well, that was interesting. Now, come on, I want to check out that candy story. Is that the one your mom works in, Perce?" Will asked, but Percy still sulked, merely nodding his head instead of actually replying.

Nico brushed against his arm, giving him a small smile.

"Ready to go?"

No.

Percy gazed up at Nico, trying to read in his face whether this had meant anything to him, whether he saw this the way Percy had seen this, whether he felt the way Percy felt.

It didn't seem like it.

Letting out a small, defeated sigh, he urged himself to get up, instantly grabbing his boyfriends hand and hogging his side, hiding his pout at the side of his neck.

Jason and Will chuckled at the sight (and the startled squeak Nico let out), then nodded for them to follow, carrying all the popcorn (and Jason's nachos) and marching off towards where they had originally come from.

Percy only glanced around once more towards the family, catching the girl beaming at them, still, as if they were her personal heroes, while the man seemed miffed, but even nodded towards Percy slightly as if in silent greeting.

Percy lifted his head properly and returned the gesture, then buried his face at the side of Nico's neck again with a small, pitiful wail.

Nico put an arm around him instinctively, patting his lower back.

"You ok?"

No.

"Mhm." Percy hummed, knowing this was no conversation for today.

It was their anniversary.

Plus, nobody but he himself seemed to think more of that little moment there.

At least he didn't see anybody else moping.

Jason threw him a knowing glance over his shoulder, and Percy instantly looked anywhere but at him (which was pretty easy, since he still had his head near Nico's neck).

Yeah, well, that with Jason had been weird.

But he totally blamed Jason for things stopping so quickly, again.

If Jason hadn't pulled back _right _when Percy had wanted to give it all up, give himself to them, let himself fall, just go with it all and beg for more…then Will might not have pulled away that quickly, either.

And if those two had stayed that close, Nico might have been tempted to come back and kiss him again.

Absolutely.

(Not really. But one could always dream.)

Oh well.

Off to the candy store, he guessed.

"I'll get you a new bag of candy, ok? A big one. With all of them blue, of course." Nico said quietly, sounding slightly uncertain, and Percy blew a raspberry on his neck to show him everything was good again.

His boyfriend squeaked and laughed, jumping away to shove him and send him a flustered, yet warning glare.

"_Percy!_"

Percy cackled, making grabby hands at his boyfriend before trying to grab hold of him, but Nico already turned and bolted, so Percy gave chase.

Nice.

He might not be able to make out for real with Will and Jason, but he'd have never expected to see the day where he'd chase Nico di Angelo through a park with both of them laughing and Nico squeaking every here and there rather adorably.

Which might not be as good, but nearly as special, since he'd have never thought that possible, either.

So, yeah, maybe the other thing might be possible one day, too.

Just maybe.

One never knew, right?

...

Jason passed Will his water and gazed fondly at his three best friends, all huddled up and comfortable on the floor in front of the TV in the living room.

Weren't they just adorable?

"Can I have some of your nachos?" Percy asked over his shoulder, looking bright and cheerful and utterly content with his spot between Will and Nico.

Well, Jason couldn't blame him.

He knew he'd love that spot, too.

"No way. Weren't you the one saying nobody wanted nachos when one could have popcorn? Eat your popcorn, Perce." He retorted as he took the empty glass from Will again to put it on the table they had pushed off to the side for more space.

Then, he finally went to join them on the blankets they had gotten from Percy's bedroom and the guest room, sitting down next to Will, who immediately tugged him down impatiently with one hand and urged him to lay down on his stomach just like them, too.

Not that he minded.

"Oh, come on, I didn't _really_ mean that. Please? Just one?" Percy pleaded, sending him one of his trademark baby seal faces, but luckily, Will's head moved in the way just in time to block most of the view.

"Shush, we're trying to watch a movie here, Gorgeous. Plus, Jason is right. You had the chance to get nachos, too." Will put in, and Jason's lips twitched at the unexpected but certainly appreciated back-up.

Also, he couldn't help but smile all the time ever since his date with Will.

It had just been so…so nice.

Well, ok, first of all, it had been pretty _short_, and, technically speaking, hadn't even been all that eventful nor great, especially since they had sort of only walked to the theaters together without making much conversation.

But it had still been so, so nice.

So different.

And they had _held hands_.

Jason had initiated that, after remembering how Percy had claimed that 'everybody held hands during dates' and of course instantly wondering/worrying whether Will was expecting something like that, too.

Will hadn't seemed to expect it, but he had certainly seemed more than fine with it, instantly taking his hand and grinning to himself like the adorable dork he was.

After that, the conversation-issue had improved, too.

Though they had only talked about all the movies they were interested in watching this year.

Yeah, thinking about it now, Jason probably should have tried to make more conversation, be a better date, leave an impression and make Will want to take him out again.

Instead, he had been awkward and weird at first, just to then be way too talk-active, talking Will's ear off about the most random nonsense.

Well, at least he had managed to buy him his popcorn…

And he had gotten a kiss on the cheek.

Jason sighed, and he found Will shuffling closer slightly, so their sides were brushing against each other more.

Or maybe he was only imagining that.

Percy let out the most pathetic, heart-wrenching whine in the world, and Jason felt something inside him clench.

"Fine. You may have a few-…" He started with a loud sigh, just to find Percy letting out an overjoyed (rather adorable) squeal and lunge for the nachos.

Great.

He so wasn't going to get any of those, was he?

Well, it wasn't as if he hadn't expected this outcome, anyways.

Will chuckled and shook his head, shooting him a small glance full of mirth and pity.

"You're too kind for your own good, have I told you that before?"

Only a hundred or so times.

Jason shrugged and nudged against him slightly.

"You're one to talk. Didn't you already share your candy with him earlier? I saw you two trading a few pieces when you thought Nico and I weren't looking."

Will put on a playfully scandalized face.

"I'd never-…"

Nico's head popped up behind Percy.

"You mean when Will gave Percy some of his candy because he couldn't understand how Percy could possibly limit himself to blue candy solely and that he must so be missing out, while Percy lamented loudly about owing Will candy now and started giving him his blue candy instead?"

Jason beamed at him, and Nico grinned back, before he hid his face behind Percy again to escape the utterly betrayed look Will was shooting him.

Percy and Will in that candy store, though.

Seriously.

Jason had no idea how Nico had even gotten Percy out of that store the first time those two had been in there, because he and Will had been unstoppable forces as soon as they had set foot in there and laid eyes on the various candy on display.

It was a mystery how Nico and Jason had managed to get the two of them out this time, too.

They had gone through row after row, debating, comparing, bickering and joking, sending Nico puppy looks and packing everything they could possibly get, while Nico and Jason had tagged along at a safe distance behind them, shooting each other partly pitying, partly amused looks at the rather childish, but utterly endearing behavior of their dates.

At one point, Jason had even attempted to make them see reason when they had been going crazy in the self-service area, though he guessed telling Will about possible health risks regarding sugars hadn't been his best idea yet.

Luckily, Will hadn't been offended, simply patting his shoulder with an amused look and telling him not to worry, he'd make sure to brush his teeth at least once a day.

(Dork. Jason loved him.)

Percy had of course stuck to his blue candy, but Will had been into anything and everything, the more colorful, the better.

It had been so endearing.

Though it had also made Jason wonder whether Will had ever been in a candy store before.

That look of utter amazement and awe with which Will had looked around at everything when he thought nobody was looking hadn't escaped Jason, after all.

He wouldn't be surprised if that truly had been his first time in there.

As far as Jason was aware, Will had gotten to Camp Half-Blood at a fairly young age, and his living conditions before Camp didn't seem to have been very great, either, based on the tidbits Will let them know every here and there.

It had been a sobering realization, and one of the reasons he had stopped trying to stop them from raiding the store, instead shooting Nico a look that said 'I hope you have enough money for all of this, because they're going to buy the entire store'.

Nico might not have understood his reasoning behind that, but he hadn't questioned anything, either, instead letting the two run wild and paying for their things without a single remark or comment.

If anything, he had seemed happy about paying so much.

Maybe he was.

Jason knew Nico didn't like feeling indebted to others, and he was also a very giving person, so he was bound to love the experience of buying them all they wished for.

"How mean. That's so not…oh, whatever. You're still worse than me. Percy, back me up." Will claimed and nudged Percy, who almost choked on the nachos and shot Jason an assessing look, as if trying to gauge how much he could 'back Will up' before he'd risk losing the right to eat Jason's nachos.

He looked ready to disagree with Will, but then Will turned his head to him and Percy made the mistake of looking.

Jason inwardly sighed, already knowing how this would end.

"Erm…yes. Anything you say, sun-bug. Jason, he's right." Percy then said as he swallowed, and he promptly tugged the nachos closer to prevent Jason from suddenly snatching them away or something.

Jason shot him an unimpressed look.

"I'll remember that, Perce. Next time you need a best bro, you better hope Will is going to be there for you." He stated drily, and the look of sheer horror on Percy's face almost made him break off laughing.

"What?! But, but Jason, bro, babe, the _bestest_ bro of them all…" Percy tried frantically, and Will snorted out a laugh, dropping his face into the blanket beneath them, while Nico's head shot around with an almost disturbed expression on his face.

Jason's eyebrows shot up.

Did Percy just…

"Did you just 'babe' me?" He asked incredulously, and the tips of Percy's ears turned pink.

"What? I did not. I would never…"

No, he totally had.

Jason was sure of it.

Will was still laughing into the blanket, while Nico merely rolled his eyes and focused back on the TV.

Oh, true, they were in the middle of watching a movie, weren't they?

"Well, _honey_, call me whatever you want, but let's go back to watching the film, right?"

Will snorted into the blanket, his entire body shaking as he laughed, while Percy's ears turned darker, a scowl appearing on his pretty face.

"Oh, shut up." He retorted sulkily, and Jason raised an eyebrow.

So, one moment he was 'the bestest bro' and the next moment he was told to shut up?

Wow.

He smirked and rolled his eyes to himself, moving back closer to a still laughing Will, placing a hand on his back to stroke him, intent on making use of the situation to at least get his arm this close to being around Will.

After all, his attempts to do this in the theaters had been ruined by Percy and Nico suddenly assaulting them.

Will let him without complaint, his laughter slowly subsiding, though he didn't lift his head back up.

All in all, he looked more as if he was going to fall asleep sometime soon.

Jason wouldn't be surprised.

It had been a long day, especially for Will, since he was pretty sure the blonde hadn't slept much last night.

He stroked over his back in long, slow strokes, wishing he could touch his bare skin instead, though he didn't dare, unwilling to cross any boundaries after they had _just_ agreed on baby steps.

They had also only just had one official date (even though it had been interrupted).

Plus, that was bound to cause a scene with Percy and Nico.

Jealous fools.

There they acted as if they didn't care about Will 'like that', and then they both had a whole existential crisis over Jason and Will being on a simple date in the theaters.

Dorks.

The lot of them.

Yeah, Jason was so going to come back from his next travel to find the three of them dating, he just knew it.

It was kind of a shame, but also wasn't, because he was certain Will would be absolutely happy, and that was all that mattered, right?

Jason sighed and felt Will shifting closer slightly, humming softly to himself.

Percy glanced around, his expression darkening when he saw what Jason was doing, though he surprisingly enough didn't say anything, instead looking back at the screen again determinedly.

Jason only felt mildly sympathetic for him.

If Percy really wanted to be the one doing this, then he should finally get himself together and talk things out with Nico.

Until that happened, Jason wasn't going to take that into consideration whatsoever.

Nope.

Percy's expression turned miserable and hurt, and Jason's chest clenched painfully.

He averted his eyes, instead glancing down at the bit of Will's face he could make out.

He definitely looked as if he was about to fall asleep.

Jason smiled and shifted closer, resisting the urge to do something stupid like kissing the top of his head solely because he wasn't sure Will would appreciate it right now.

Instead, he focused on Will's lower back with his stroking, staring Percy to death.

Maybe he really was too kind for his own good.

He kept up his staring for almost a whole minute until Percy finally caved in and glanced around, schooling an indifferent expression that fooled nobody.

He even attempted to raise his eyebrows in that nonchalant, unbothered way, which made Jason almost cringe, because it looked just plain horrible and forced.

He didn't though.

Instead he shot Percy a pointed, telling look and looked down at Will, mutely giving Percy permission as well as instruction.

It was both amazing and disturbing to see how fast Percy's expression brightened, not to mention how eagerly he moved and reached out.

Jason would have worried about how Will might react to a sudden, additional hand on his back, but Percy was surprisingly gentle.

Even with his eagerness and impatient movements a mere moment ago, his hand was steady and careful when he touched Will's lower back right next to Jason's hand, and they could both feel Will shiver in response, though he didn't look up, nor move in any other sort of way.

Percy beamed, his eyes gleaming proudly, and Jason wondered just how Nico hadn't picked up on this yet.

Then again, maybe he had, but being the dork he was, he probably didn't see anything strange in _this_, while he seemed to happily tear himself down for anything and everything he did when it came to Will.

Jason studied the bit of Will's face again, trying to synchronize his movements with Percy, though that didn't work out whatsoever.

He was about to pull his hand back and let Percy take over, but then Percy already moved his own hand up Will's back to his head, gently stroking through the blond curls, while giving Jason a nod that told him to go on with his thing.

Nice.

They shot each other small grins, then focused back on their doings, though Jason noticed Nico glancing around at them, probably realizing he was the only one still paying any attention to the movie.

Jason tried to send him a reassuring look, too, but Nico was too busy looking between an almost sleeping Will and his boyfriend with an odd, almost hurt look that didn't bode all too well with Jason, though he was pretty sure there wasn't anything _he_ could do about that.

However, a moment later, he was corrected in his assumption when Nico shuffled closer to Percy and draped himself half over him in order to get a hand on Will's back, too, using his nails lightly to stroke over his shoulder.

Oh wow.

He wasn't even upset about Percy being affectionate with Will, he was upset about Percy and Jason being allowed to be affectionate with Will, while he was the only one who wasn't.

Go figure.

Jason shook his head to himself slightly and glanced back down at Will with a wry smile.

They were all lost causes, weren't they?

Yes, they totally were

And Will had apparently fallen asleep, oblivious to their love.

Jason wasn't surprised in the slightest.

They remained like this for a long time, though Jason wasn't sure whether that was because Percy and Nico didn't want to give Will up to him just yet, or whether they hadn't noticed he was asleep already.

He didn't say anything to stop them, anyways.

At long last, Percy started studying him quietly and pulled his hand away ever so reluctantly, letting out a small sigh.

"Seriously, who falls asleep in the middle of a film? He must have been so tired." He said seriously with a shake of his head and his lips twitching into an affectionate small smile as he glanced back at Will, though he instantly looked away again, acting unbothered and absolutely interested in the happenings on the TV.

Sadly, the movie was almost over already, so he wasn't fooling anybody with that.

Nico pulled his hand away as well, but instead of getting comfortable on or behind Percy again, he made to get up, leaving Jason to take care of Will by himself.

He smiled at them both, feeling Will shifting closer almost immediately, moving his head slightly as if to look around and see where the comforting touches had disappeared to, though he didn't open his eyes.

Jason put an arm around him to pull him closer, and Will immediately turned his back to him, snuggling into his chest – and Jason instantly felt his heartbeat quickening to an unhealthy speed again.

Oh. Gods.

Jason didn't even try to suppress the happy smile threatening to spread on his face, though he hoped Percy and Nico wouldn't notice, anyways.

Percy watched Nico leave the room, making his way towards either the kitchen or the bathroom.

Then, he returned his attention to Jason, sending him a rather cocky, knowing grin.

"Aww, look who's a giddy mess. Who'd have thought you could look so cute, bro."

Jason merely shrugged, and Percy rolled his eyes with a small shake of his head.

"What am I gonna do with you? You said he didn't want to go out with you, and now you're going on dates? That was fast. Whatever happened to the baby steps you were rambling and second-guessing about for hours?" He asked, and Jason sighed, doubting this was the right time for that conversation, especially since Will was here (albeit asleep) and Nico could be back any moment, too.

Nico would be so upset if he knew Jason had talked to Percy about this 'thing' with Will first, especially since Nico had tried so hard to make it obvious he wanted to help Jason and Will in any way possible, and would have loved to listen.

Yeah, well, Jason hadn't intended for things to turn out like that.

He hadn't exactly planned to talk to Percy about any of this, at all.

But then…well, he guessed it had all just wanted out so badly, and Percy had simply managed to get him to talk without actually doing anything out of the ordinary.

Still, that didn't mean Jason wanted a repeat of that right now.

"He still doesn't want to. Well, he does, but at the same time, he's convinced he's right about an 'us' not working out. Percy, I'm just going to blame you for that for now." He stated, and Percy promptly looked both scandalized and offended – just as Jason had predicted.

The easiest way to get Percy Jackson to go off-topic was and would probably always be to utterly offend him and make him sputter in horror.

Like right now.

"W-What? I didn't do anything! What did I do? Jason, I told you I'm utterly behind you two, and I'm pretty sure I never _actually_ said anything against you, especially not to him – then again, he'd probably have slaughtered me had I uttered a single word against you, anyways. There, he wouldn't even listen to me, would he? He hates me. Well, hated me, I guess. I think he does like me now, at least a tiny bit…do you think he likes me? He calls me 'Gorgeous', that has to stand for something, right? Or is that just taunting? Wait…"

Jason moved and sat up with a smirk, maneuvering Will closer to a still rambling Percy.

What a dork.

It was both endearing and disturbing how easily he was second-guessing himself.

They should work on that, maybe boost his self-esteem a little.

Then again, he also had a lot of those cocky moments, and they certainly didn't need to boost those.

Well, he'd talk to Nico about that later, maybe.

Then he could also talk about the whole thing with Will and let Nico know what was going on, as well.

He took Percy's arm and tugged on it, even though Percy was using it to prop his upper body up, and Percy instantly let himself plop on the ground, not interrupting his ramble about all the things Will had said and done so far that should _definitely_ indicate Will didn't 'dislike' Percy anymore.

Which was entirely unrelated to Percy being the cause for Will not dating Jason, but Jason didn't point that out.

He hadn't meant it, anyways.

Whatever Will's reasoning was, it didn't seem to have anything to do with his feelings for Nico and Percy, else he wouldn't have pointed that out right away.

Well, he had pointed his ever so prominent crush on Nico out.

Seriously, did he really still think Jason wouldn't have noticed his feelings for Percy by now?

Jason would have started wondering if maybe Will wasn't aware of those feelings, himself, but he was pretty certain Will in fact _was_ aware of them – that would at least explain why he denied everything that could hint at that and acted all defensive and needed excuses for everything he did that had to do with Percy.

Oh well, it didn't really matter.

Jason didn't really mind.

He pushed Percy back down with one arm when he tried to sit up again, and Percy let it happen without complaint.

In fact, he wasn't even faltering in his rambling.

Kind of amazing, what level of trust Percy put in him.

He could probably move on top of Percy right now and pin his arms over his head or something, and Percy would still ramble about how Will had 'let him pick that one game once even though he definitely hadn't wanted to play that', which only made Jason shake his head inwardly.

He maneuvered Will closer again, who sighed in his sleep as if exasperated by Jason's actions and reached out with his hands – just to grab hold of the front of Percy's shirt.

That, funnily enough, made Percy shut up almost instantly as he stared at a sleeping Will, then past him to Jason, who was still moving him closer, right into Percy's arms.

"What…are you doing, Jason?" He asked hesitantly, looking confused, but Jason merely chuckled and gave Will a last nudge, who huffed indignantly in his sleep and started moving towards Percy by himself, snuggling against his chest.

Mission accomplished.

"Nothing. Watch over him for a moment, will you? I'll get us something to drink." He said with a casual voice and got up, while Percy's face started turning pink.

Aww, how cute, he was blushing.

"I…what?" Percy asked, but Jason was already up and moving out of the room, knowing Percy had understood him just fine.

Jason smiled to himself as he entered the kitchen, then smiled for real when he saw Nico unloading the dishwasher, his back turned to him.

So that's what had taken him so long to come back.

"Need any help with that?" He asked, and Nico jumped slightly, looking around with a surprised expression, though Jason was pretty sure he hadn't been _that_ quiet.

Somebody seemed to be a bit absent-minded today.

"Nah, I'm almost done, anyways, but thanks." He waved off, though Jason still came over to help him with the cups, suppressing a smirk when he noticed Nico had to get on tiptoes to reach the top shelves.

"Percy is watching over Will." Jason said quietly, though he knew Nico knew.

"Yeah, I guessed as much. Do you think he'll be okay? He seems to sleep rather poorly lately." Nico said quietly, looking genuinely concerned.

Jason could only understand that all too well.

Sadly, he had no idea how to reassure him in that regard, since it was something he himself was worrying about, as well.

"I'm sure he'll be just fine soon enough. Also, I do think us lulling him to sleep like we did earlier actually might help. Remember, we did the same thing the past two times when he was a wreck, and he slept rather peacefully both times. I think he really needs that comfort." He tried quietly, and was glad to find Nico nodding in agreement.

"I was thinking the same thing, actually, though I didn't want to say anything. You know how he is, so I didn't want him to start complaining and not letting us do it anymore."

Yeah, Jason could understand that only all too well, too.

"You know he loves something when he starts complaining about it." He mused, then instantly thought about how much Will liked to complain about Percy.

Well, that was a sobering thought.

"I know, right? Though there's also the things he likes and doesn't deny." Nico added thoughtfully, and Jason sighed.

True.

Nico was the best example for that.

Will had never made a secret of being in love with him, after all, instead declaring war on them instantly and making it obvious just how much he loved the Italian.

He sighed, feeling maybe slightly discouraged, though he told himself he wouldn't let it get to him.

Then, he realized he didn't have to.

Because, well, Will hadn't made a secret of the two of them going on a date today, had he now?

Which he might have done if Jason had been Percy, but he would have never done that with Nico.

Instead, he'd have boasted about asking him out on a date and lamented about being interrupted – and tell them he'd so have to ask him out again.

Will had said he'd ask Jason out again, too.

Which meant Jason fell into the 'not ashamed to admit to'-category.

His heart thumped loudly and a smile spread on his face, though he was pretty sure Nico wouldn't understand either if he noticed.

Nico didn't, though, instead too busy filling three glasses with water, while Jason closed the now empty dishwasher, ready for tomorrow's breakfast dishes.

Though, in all honesty, they'd probably clean the dishes by hand again, same as they had done this morning.

No reason to use dishwashers when there were four young and capable guys around to do the work, instead.

Plus, Percy seemed to have liked splashing around with the water (big surprise).

"You think we can do that more often? Comfort him until he falls asleep?" He asked quietly, and Nico shrugged, glancing around at him with an odd look, as if thinking of saying something, but uncertain whether he should.

Jason had a hunch what that might be, but wasn't sure he should explain the whole situation with Will and him right now.

It still was pretty confusing, after all.

Plus, Percy was waiting for them to come back, and that talk was bound to take a while, so Jason decided he definitely wanted to keep that for a later time.

"Sure. I'm certain Percy will be fine with it, too. But we should probably think of some sort of excuse, just in case." Nico mused, looking away again to take two of the glasses, while Jason took the third, which he guess was his own, anyways.

"How about I say I want to learn how to massage somebody properly, and you and Percy make the great sacrifice of trying to teach me? I fear I'm a very slow learner, you know?" He suggested as they made their way out of the kitchen, and Nico chuckled, shooting him a pointed look.

"I doubt he'll buy that, but it's worth a try. Though…you know, thinking about it, I might just be a horrible teacher, which might slow down your learning…"

Jason grinned at him, and Nico even went out of his way to wink at him, which he very rarely did.

They both chuckled and entered the living room again, where the credits were running on the TV, and Percy and Will were utterly knocked out on the floor, with Will snuggling against Percy's chest with a sigh and Percy happily drooling into the blanket, inches away from Will's head.

Nico stopped dead, while Jason put his drink down to take in the scene once more without running danger of dropping anything.

_These two._

"You know, I should probably be surprised, but…I'm absolutely not." Nico stated drily, a hint of disbelief in his voice, and Jason only knew all too well what he meant.

"They can be so adorable if they want to be." He said with a sigh, moving to grab the blanket they had discarded on the sofa earlier, draping it over the two sleeping demigods.

"Jason, they're _always_ adorable. Make them stay like that, I'm getting my camera." Nico declared, and then he was gone.

Jason raised an eyebrow, then turned to look at the two dorks again, who didn't look as if they were going to move anytime soon, whatsoever.

Well, Nico was right, they were always adorable.

Though they didn't have to know that.

Jason studied Will's sleeping face, so beautiful and peaceful.

Yeah, well, he _might_ tell Will, though.

Then again, that was mostly because he knew Will would act so utterly offended while blushing profusely and being an even more adorable mess.

He really did love praise.

Good thing Jason loved to give praise, then.

His gaze hushed to Percy's sleeping face.

He was…well, ok, he was endearing to look at, too.

Though Jason still didn't know what to make of the drooling.

He still remembered waking up quite a few times with a wet patch at his back, which definitely wasn't a nice feeling, though he knew it also hadn't bothered him quite as much as he would have thought.

Percy sighed happily in his sleep, and the next moment, a small, pleased smile spread on his lips, making Jason smile as well automatically.

Percy and his contagious smiles.

Well, all in all, Jason guessed Percy's sleeping face made him all the more aware of why Will referred to him as 'Gorgeous'.

He simply had a gorgeous face.

While Nico could look either adorable/cute or hot as hell, and Will was the pretty one with freckles and a smile that outshone the sun, Percy was the gorgeous one with the perfect face and the crooked smiles.

Nico came hurrying back into the room, almost stumbling over his own two feet as he fumbled with the camera.

"If somebody asks, it wasn't I who made a mess of the guest room. On another note, who put my camera in Will's backpack? I almost didn't find it."

Jason chuckled, wondering just how bad the guest room had to look right now.

Good thing they'd stay another day before leaving for Camp Jupiter, that should give them enough time to repack.

"Actually, I think Will did. He was in a hurry to store your condoms, so he kind of just dumped everything he had in his arms up until then into his backpack, including your camera."

Nico's head shot up as he snapped a picture, his face turning scarlet.

"O-Oh. That. I'm so…we weren't really…" He started stammering and Jason blinked confused for a moment, before realizing what Nico was blushing about.

Oh.

Bless his innocent soul.

As if Jason cared about their condom stash.

He was just glad they had one.

(Then again, he could swear Will had refilled said stash a couple of times. Where _he_ got all those condoms from, Jason had no idea.)

He shot Nico a reassuring smile and motioned to take the camera.

"Hey, no worries. I'd have forgotten about them, too. Want me to take some pictures with you in it?" He acted stupid, and Nico seemed to relax slightly again, though he was still rather pink in the face.

"I…no, I'm okay." Nico muttered, though he passed the camera to Jason, anyways, which caused him to frown a moment later.

Jason merely smiled at him and gave a small nod – then he moved closer to Will and Percy.

"What are you doing?" Nico asked skeptically, and Jason flashed him a sly grin.

"Taking close-ups of their faces. I mean, first of all, we have two photo albums to fill with all sorts of pictures, and second of all…I want to tease Percy about his drooling."

Nico chuckled and rolled his eyes from where he remained near their feet, though he let Jason do as he pleased.

"While you're at it, make sure Percy doesn't drool too close to Will's face. Will doesn't like that."

Who would?

Jason took a few pictures, running into complications when Percy kept moving his head ever so faintly every time Jason was _just_ taking the picture, but once he flicked his finger (as gentle as possible) against Percy's cheek, he actually remained still long enough.

He'd have to remember that.

As soon as he was done, though, Percy started moving again, getting his mouth dangerously close to Will, which made Jason react much quicker than maybe necessary, though probably not for the right reasons.

He started moving Percy, but Percy didn't seem to like that at all, becoming defiant and even growling in his sleep the moment Jason tried to pry his arm away from Will.

No, seriously, he was grabbing Will too hard.

At this rate, he'd wake up.

As if on cue, Will let out a small whine, frowning in his sleep and shifting, seemingly starting to either wake up or freak out.

Neither was good.

"Come on, Percy, you're squishing him." Jason complained irritably, and Percy momentarily stilled.

Then he growled again.

"Am not."

Oh wow.

So Percy could talk in his sleep?

Jason was pretty sure he was still asleep, given that his mouth fell open and he started drooling no second later again.

"You are." Jason insisted, tugging on his arm again, and Percy grumbled once more.

Oh, come on.

"Percy, what the fuck?" Will grumbled back as if on cue, though he still seemed drowsy enough to maybe fall back asleep right away _if Percy finally let go_.

"Hm? What? Jason is being a dick." Percy insisted with a sigh, burying his face in Will's hair.

So much about keeping his mouth away from Will.

"You're squishing him."

"He isn't a dick, you little shit. He's just a mother hen again. Stop smothering me and leave my guy alone." Will grumbled and moved his hand in a way that made Jason think he probably was attempting to punch Percy.

Due to the fact Will couldn't even 'punch' them during the day, he definitely couldn't even get the attempt right while sleeping.

It did look rather cute, though.

And, wait, had he just called Jason 'his guy'?

"Oooh, he's 'your guy' now, huh? When's the wedding?" Percy drawled, a cocky grin showing on his lips for the fraction of a second, before nuzzling his face even more into Will's hair.

Luckily for him, Will didn't headbutt him or anything, or they'd have a broken nose to fix, Jason was certain.

"Shut it. Stop trying to keep me from sleeping, Jackson."

Percy let out an unimpressed huff.

"You know you love it."

"Do not. I had such a good dream, too."

Were they seriously having some weird half-asleep conversation?

Jason frowned at Nico, who was staring at Percy and Will with raised eyebrows, though he made no move to interrupt them.

In fact, he actually didn't move at all whatsoever.

"Yeah? What was it about? You two making out?" Percy teased, and Jason rolled his eyes.

Right.

Will remained silent for a long moment.

Just when Jason thought he must have fallen back asleep, Will shifted again, burrowing his face at Percy's chest properly again.

"Good night, Percy."

"Wait, for real?" Percy asked, and it sounded as if he was seriously going to wake up this time, too.

Though Jason kind of couldn't care about that right now.

_Wait, for real?_

Will groaned into Percy's shirt.

"Nico, make your boyfriend shut up." He wailed, and, funnily enough, Nico instantly moved, dropping down behind Percy and moving an arm around him loosely, stroking over his sides.

Percy hummed, apparently having forgotten all about his 'conversation' with Will as he snuggled back into Nico's hold, seeming content and happy.

Jason watched him tug Will along with him, who let it happen without complaint and seemed to be drifting off, again, himself.

Yeah, he couldn't blame Percy.  
He'd certainly be content and happy between Nico and Will, too.

He sighed and shook his head to himself, moving away from the three to pick up the camera again.

Nico shot him a dark look that said 'Don't you dare'.

Jason took a few pictures, anyways.

Even a close-up of Nico's murder gaze, which really wasn't very impressive nor scary when his face was half hidden in Percy's dark, messy hair.

Other than glowering at him, Nico didn't do anything to stop him, of course.

After all, Jason knew he'd never risk waking Percy and/or Will up by saying anything too loudly or moving too much.

So he continued unperturbed, taking hundreds of close-ups of Nico alone until the Italian started huffing and his scowl softened into an almost shy smile.

"You're such a dork, Jason. Almost as bad as Percy." He whispered barely audibly, but Jason could hear him just fine.

As did Percy, who immediately turned his head in his sleep at the sound of his name and let out a soft hum, which instantly made Will hum in something like agreement, and Jason and Nico shot each other soft, telling looks.

So adorable.

Jason took some more pictures just for the hell of it, even winking at Nico and wiggling his eyebrows a bit, the way Will so often did.

Nico had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing out loud, so Jason assumed he looked ridiculous.

Good.

He wanted a smiling Nico on these pictures.

After all, Jason hadn't been joking when he had stated they had two photo albums to fill for two forcefully oblivious demigods.

And a smiling Nico snuggled up to both of said demigods would certainly do wonders, he was certain.

(Plus, he wanted some for his own photo album, too.)

Nico very obviously rolled his eyes and turned sideways, burying his face in Percy's hair.

Wow, mean.

He only did that so his adorable smile wouldn't be visible on the photos anymore.

Jason let out an indignant huff and took pictures, anyways.

"Jason~…" Nico wailed as quietly as he could, and Jason cackled in reply, though he did set the camera down, satisfied by the roughly 70 pictures he had just taken.

"Fine, fine. So, you're going to sleep?" He asked, just to make sure, and his hunch was confirmed when Nico looked up and shrugged.

"I guess? To be honest, I'm not really tired, but I don't want to wake them up or anything…" He murmured, while Jason was busy taking out the DVD before it started playing again.

"We could watch another film if you want to." He offered, holding up the various DVD's they had.

Nico hesitated a total of two seconds before agreeing, so Jason grinned to himself and got the movie started.

So, after his 'date' with Percy where they had watched a film alone, and his date with Will where they had tried to watch a film alone, he was now having a not-a-date with Nico, trying to watch a film alone, again?

He wondered how that was going to work out.

Jason moved back to sit down on the blanket next to Will, but as he walked over, Nico already shifted to make more space behind him and held up the blanket wordlessly, so he guessed he was meant to lay down with him.

That was…unusually open for Nico, but ok.

Jason wasn't going to complain.

Nico turned over onto his stomach, so Jason mimicked him, and they both shot each other small smiles, though he noticed Nico's cheeks were turning slightly pink (which reminded Jason they'd have to turn off the lights before falling asleep, else Sally would have an unnecessarily high electricity bill).

Aw, how adorable.

They shifted some more to get more comfortable, and Jason noticed that Nico seemed to be unable to make up his mind about whether he wanted to get closer to Jason or not, because he kept inching closer until their sides touched, just to then scramble away again.

Apparently, he was still as torn about how to act and what to do or not do as ever.

Jason waited for Nico to make up his mind for another minute, then he wordlessly wrapped an arm around him and tugged him closer before he could scramble away again.

Nico stiffened to a board for a moment, then relaxed again with a pained sigh.

"Don't sweat it, Nico." He said quietly, and Nico sighed again, though he did inch slightly closer.

"Seven days." The Italian whispered as the movie started, and Jason frowned.

"What?"

Was this some sort of reference for that horrid 'The Ring' movie Will and Nico had talked about the other day?

Their talking alone had already almost given him nightmares, he definitely didn't want Nico to suggest watching that thing now.

Not unless Percy was awake and could suffer with him, that was, since Percy had looked as unnerved as he had when Will and Nico had happily discussed said movie, as if psychotic girls and people dying within seven days was perfectly normal.

Yeah, well, in Jason's mind, it wasn't.

"I'll tell Percy. In seven days." Nico practically whispered, his eyes firmly fixed on the screen, his expression and posture stiff and stony.

Oh.

_Oh._

"Really? But that's great, Nico! That way, you two can talk it all out, and you can finally relax and rest assured that everything is going to be alright." He assured him with a warm smile and stroked over his back, while feeling as if somebody was squeezing his very soul out.

Nico only looked at him with an uncertain expression on his face.

"Or I'll lose him because I'm a horrible, selfi-…"

Yeah, Jason was going to interrupt him right there.

He pulled his other arm up and put his finger on Nico's lips with a stern 'Shh', which funnily enough made both Percy and Will shift and Nico instantly shut up.

"Nico, first of all, you're neither horrible, nor selfish, nor anything else. You're the way you are, and Percy isn't going to leave you because of that. If anything, he'll feel bad that you worried your pretty head over this for so very long without saying anything, sooner. Just talk it out with him, and, please, don't make any assumptions anymore to how he'll react, okay? You said seven days, so that means the next seven days you aren't going to worry about how things might turn out, alright? Just let it happen." He tried to not make it sound too much like a lecture, though he was pretty sure it still came across as one.

So, Nico would really talk with Percy, huh?

A part of Jason rejoiced at the thought.

The other part of him died a little.

Seven days.

Seven days, then Nico and Percy would talk their issues out, it would come out they both liked Will, and tadaa, so many problems would be solved.

Will could go out with them.

Baby steps forgotten.

Jason hated how much the thought pained him.

He was happy for them, yes, but that didn't mean he couldn't be a bit hurt, too.

Not to this extent, though.

Hey, he had had today, right?

It was his own fault for getting too into it, getting his hopes up way too quickly and too much.

But, yeah, it would be better this way.

Seven days, that meant Will had another week to revert to his usual self.

Jason would help him as best as he could for as long as he could.

After that, Percy and Nico could take over and be affectionate and supportive and help Will through whatever it was he was trying so hard to face by himself.

The thought both eased his pain and doubled it, all at the same time.

No, everything would be good.

They'd still let him hang around.

…Jason probably wouldn't hang around, though.

Watching Nico and Percy suddenly being affectionate and lovey-dovey had already torn him apart on the inside, no matter how much he had cheered for them and supported them, since he knew how they felt for each other.

But losing Will, too?

After that special night they had had? After the kiss in the bathroom? After their date today and the promise for 'something'?

No, he couldn't do it.

He could already tell right now he could never stand to see Percy and Nico affectionate with his Will, while he had to admit defeat all over again.

Not being able to get close to Nico had already been difficult, especially when Nico had been the one getting closer first, and especially whenever he remembered the kisses they had shared.

But not being able to get close to Will anymore after all they had done, and knowing Percy and Nico got to do all those things with him now?

No, Jason couldn't do it.

"You really think so?" Nico asked quietly, and Jason forced himself to smile at him softly, though everything inside him was falling apart.

Then again, what had he expected?

He had his travels, his responsibilities, he could never be there for Will the way Percy and Nico could.

"Of course. Everything will work out great, you'll see." He said, stroking over Nico's back again, and the Italian studied him thoughtfully for another moment, as if trying to gauge how serious Jason was, and whether he could believe his words as badly as he wanted to.

Jason swallowed and sent him his most assuring look.

"I hope so…" Nico mumbled, then inched closer slightly again and returned his attention to the TV.

Jason smiled bitterly to himself, wrapping his arm tightly around Nico and tugging him closer without asking, though Nico let him do it without comment, anyways.

"Don't worry, it will. Everything will be alright." He said quietly, burying his face at Nico's shoulder and off-handedly noticing he was curling himself around Nico now instead of pretending to watch the film.

Everything would be alright.

For them.

But, hey, he had had today, right?

That had to be enough.

It wasn't.

It would never be.

But it was all Jason would ever get, it seemed.

Seven days.

"Everything will be great." He whispered, and felt Percy shifting, his hand stroking up Jason's arm with a sigh and a low hum.

Yes, Percy.

Seven days, and everything will be great for you.

Jason closed his eyes, smiling bitterly to himself all over again.

_Everything would be great._

How badly Jason wished he could believe his own words, as the absoluteness of everything started to slowly sink in.

Seven days.

...

When Sally and Paul got home shortly past midnight, she found her boys fast asleep on a bunch of blankets in the living room, with the TV off but the lights on.

Those four.

She shared a soft look with Paul, who gazed at the four boys fondly, before making his way to the bedroom hurriedly, unwilling to disturb their peace for too long.

Sally, however, stayed in the doorway for another moment.

They looked so young and innocent when they were asleep, not like the way too mature demigods they had to be all the time.

She watched Will Solace move, snuggling back into Jason's hold with a low hum that was quickly chimed in by Percy, who was stroking over Will's bare legs in his sleep.

The blanket laid discarded and forgotten next to them, together with Will's pants, and a camera.

A camera.

Sally raised her eyebrows and contemplated whether or not she should attempt taking a picture of them.

Percy had told her all about those photo albums Nico had gotten them.

The four of them like this would certainly make a nice picture.

Though she wasn't sure she wanted to accidentally see any pictures they might have taken before.

Sure, they insisted they were nothing but 'friends', but…

Well, she wasn't going to judge.

Her son seemed happy, so it didn't matter what they wanted to label themselves.

She knew they greatly cared for one another, anyways.

(She wasn't blind, she could see how Percy looked at the three of them, same as she could see how they looked back when he wasn't paying attention.)

Sally moved over as quietly as she could, and only Jason moved slightly, turning his head and tugging Will closer protectively, though the blonde merely huffed indignantly, as if complaining.

Sally paused when said huff brought forth an entire chain reaction of Nico letting out a questioning hum and Percy moving forward to nudge Jason more or less harshly, making Jason growl defensively and Percy snarl back.

Oh my.

Will, still stuck between the two demigods, didn't seem perturbed in the slightest.

If anything, she thought she could see a smug grin on his face.

That boy.

She picked up the camera and had only just managed to take a picture, when Nico suddenly moved behind Percy, trying to drape himself over his boyfriend, which made Percy instantly stop his battle for dominance with Jason in favor of falling back onto his back and letting Nico crawl over him.

Sally waited until they had settled down again, with Nico snuggling into Will's arms and Will letting out a content sigh, which was quickly underlined by Percy and Jason letting out soft, pleased sighs as well.

They were so precious.

Sally smiled at the lot and focused on the camera in her hands again, taking a few more pictures now that they seemed to have settled down again.

She was about to turn the camera off, but then she must have accidentally pressed the wrong button, instead seeing a listing of the pictures on the camera right now.

334.

Oh my.

Did they never take off the pictures on here?

Percy had told her about the laptop he and Leo had built just for Nico, so they should have been more than capable of moving those pictures.

Curiosity won her over, and she dared to take a glimpse at a miniature overview, just to realize they actually _might_ have taken the pictures off before.

Because, well, these pictures?

They were mostly from today.

She could only see maybe twenty pictures that seemed to have been taken in a rather spacious, yet gloomy looking sort of room, which she assumed must have been Nico's room in the Underworld.

These kids.

Who took almost 300 pictures just of a part of them sleeping on her living room floor?

She looked at a few in detail and soon had her answer, since the majority were taken with Percy, Nico and Will in the picture.

"Sally? What are you doing?" Paul asked, appearing in the doorway again with a puzzled expression, and she sighed.

"Just wondering what to do with these four. They seem so clueless." She replied as quietly as possible and turned off the camera, placing it on the small table to protect it from damage for the night.

Paul sent her a soft look.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine. Sleeping on the floor has never killed anybody yet."

She had to bite her lip not to laugh.

That was so not what she had meant.

Though she knew Paul knew, too.

Especially when he winked at her as she walked over to him.

But, yeah, he was right.

They'd be fine.

Percy had always been stubborn and a fighter, and it seemed that Jason was the same in many ways, so the other two were bound to follow suite, soon enough.

They'd be fine.

She hoped they'd like the pictures.


	32. Chapter 32: Expiration Dates

**A/N: Hello Cupcakes :D  
**Hoping to update a teensy bit faster in future :3

Thanks for sticking to this story for so long, and thanks for all the Likes and super amazing comments!  
You're the best! (And this is an understatement.)  
(◡‿◡✿)

Also, special thanks to my awesome beta-reader!

Wish you guys all the best, and hope finals went well for everyone who had them.  
(Though I think I'm a bit late with that...?)

Hope you guys like the chapter~

-Tári

P.s.: There's lots of heartache and heartbreak in this chapter. Also: smut. In a way.

**Chapter 32: Expiration Dates, Bucket Lists, and Percy gets his wish**

The next day passed in a blur of packing, meaningless banter, and Will trying frantically to understand what was wrong with Jason.

Seriously, had something happened while he had been asleep?

Had he talked in his sleep and said something problematic?

Had one of the other two talked in their sleep and said something problematic?

He didn't understand.

Jason was smiling, looking calm and collected and handsome as usual, but…he didn't _feel_ that way.

He seemed hollow, _empty_.

As if waiting for a blow.

Will knew that feeling only all too well, himself, that sense of defeat and passive acceptance, but feeling it radiating from Jason…it freaked him out.

If only he knew what it was that had brought it forth, he could maybe try to fix it.

Yesterday, Jason had seemed utterly fine, after all.

The last thing he remembered was Jason being affectionate and loving as usual, with that faint hint of concern as always.

But he had been just fine.

Will didn't understand.

He tried to talk to Jason about it after breakfast, when Percy and Nico had left to collect their things from the bathroom for a few minutes, but Jason had brushed him off with a dismissive 'Don't worry, I'm fine' and a kiss to the forehead when Will had held him back by the wrist with a hurt look.

The kiss on the forehead might have felt nice and distracted him at that very moment, though it had also made Jason look torn and guilty, so Will now felt as if he had even more reason to worry.

It was all so weird.

Was Jason really already tired of him?

Was he regretting their date? Their conversation? Their agreement on 'baby steps'?

Had he realized Will was more trouble than he was worth?

He had tried to get Jason alone again ever since, but no such chance.

The blonde was either busy entertaining Percy, both him _and_ Nico, or disappearing into the bathroom – or, like now, into the kitchen to help Paul with dinner.

It was maddening.

Will stomped his foot in frustration, the panic slowly beginning to gnaw on him.

Had he done something wrong?

Seriously, what was the problem?

It was obvious it had to do with Will, since Jason still acted the same way with Percy and Nico as always.

Only with Will was he suddenly acting all distant and weird, especially considering how close they had been just yesterday.

Will wanted that back.

Wanted Jason back.

What had he done?

Had he really messed up already?

Could he fix it somehow?

Before, it had always been _Will_ who had avoided Jason, avoided a confrontation, who had tried to stay away from a possible conversation, while Jason had been the one insisting on 'talking things out'.

The fact that _Jason_ was the one not wanting to 'talk things out' this time…that absolutely didn't sit well with Will, whatsoever.

Percy and Nico were busy repacking their things in the guest room, after Nico had apparently made a mess of the place last night sometime, so Will had the choice of either joining them and third wheeling, or joining Jason and Paul in the kitchen even though Jason had made it obvious he couldn't stand being around Will right about now.

It hurt.

It really, really did.

And Will was as clueless as ever about what he had done wrong.

He moved down the hallway, ready to join Percy and Nico, when he stopped dead, dread surging through him.

_What if Jason had figured it all out?_

What if he _knew_, and that's why he was suddenly acting this way?

Will's heart was suddenly in his throat, and he felt like he was going to choke, momentarily losing his balance and stumbling sideways into the wall.

_No_.

No, that couldn't be it, right?

_Please_, that couldn't be it!

"William?" A voice suddenly asked behind him, and Will let out a startled cry, his entire body freezing in utter _terror_, while several crashing sounds came from several places at once and two doors were _torn_ open, one being the door to the guest room, with Percy and Nico instantly rushing to him, and one being the kitchen door, where Jason appeared even before the other two had the door open, though he stopped dead in the doorway instead of coming over.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you ok?" Nico asked instantly, crashing into Will, while Percy stopped right behind Nico with a 'What happened?! Are you hurt? What was that about?!', while Sally Jackson held up her hands apologetically, looking taken aback and a tad unnerved.

Oh.

Sally.

Of course.

How had he not…how had he not heard her coming?

And what was more, why had he frozen in shock, when he should have clearly realized it was her voice - a _female_ voice?

"I…I'm sorry? I didn't mean to startle you, Will. I thought you heard me coming. I am so, so sorry." She apologized, and Will instantly felt bad once the shock finally passed and he managed to move his body again, noticing he hadn't even managed to return Nico's 'hug', instead just standing there like an idiot with his eyes wide and his heart beating as if he had just run a marathon.

It also didn't escape his notice that Jason was still standing in the doorway unmoving, watching, but not coming over.

_Oh gods._

He _knew_, didn't he?

He had to.

What was Will going to do now?

Run?

But where to?

What would it change?

He took a deep breath and patted Nico's shoulder when the Italian finally let go of him completely, though his concern and worry weren't lost to Will, either.

"I'm sorry, Mrs.-…I mean Sally. I guess I was too lost in thoughts to hear you. Guys, I'm really sorry for freaking you out." He said quickly and added a forced, awkward chuckle, hoping they'd buy it and return to their tasks.

Though he couldn't help but look back at Jason, who was gazing at him with a torn, pained expression again.

His heart ached in his chest, but he merely swallowed and put on a smile.

For Percy, Nico and Sally, at least.

"Are you sure you're okay? I thought you were getting attacked or something." Percy said quietly, studying his face intently, so Will directed his wonderfully fake smile at him the most.

"I'm fine, no worries. Your mother has simply succeeded in what I thought was impossible: Freaking me _the hell_ out." He insisted, then shot Sally an uncertain look to check whether she was going to say something about his choice of words.

But she was looking towards Jason with a slight frown on her face, while Jason had averted his gaze and was staring down at the floor.

So he couldn't even look at Will anymore?

Will swallowed again, trying to swallow the lump in his throat away, together with all the pain bubbling up inside him, but it was futile.

Fingertips brushed up his forearm, where he had pulled his sleeves up earlier, and he shivered at the sensations the touch sent through him.

Looking around, he realized it was Percy, his eyes now hushing between Will and Jason, as well.

Will definitely didn't want him to get involved in this in any way.

If Jason really _did_ know, he didn't want him to tell anybody.

He'd assume Jason wouldn't, because he didn't take Jason for that sort of person, but…

Well, if Will was honest with himself, he had maybe hoped Jason indeed _would_ react differently.

Maybe less…like this.

But he guessed he had been wrong.

Bitterness rushed through him like poison, and he lowered his gaze again, brushing off Percy's hand.

"Don't you two have some more packing to do?" He reminded them ever so subtly, and he could clearly see Nico and Percy exchanging a concerned look, though he acted oblivious to it.

"Well, if you're alright…" Nico started, and Will chuckled.

"Neeks, I was just _surprised_. I'm not _hurt_ or anything, am I? Look, I didn't even hit my head on anything." He insisted pointedly and pointed at the top of his head, which instantly had Percy ruffling through his hair.

"Stubborn as usual. Damn it, man, let us fuss over you in peace just once, will you?"

Not going to happen.

Not if Will could help it, at least.

He sent Percy a look that conveyed as much, which made Percy roll his eyes and huff indignantly, before tugging Nico along with him back towards the guest room.

When Will turned to glance back towards the kitchen, Jason had already disappeared inside again, though the door remained ajar.

Will lowered his gaze, suddenly feeling lost all over again.

So…he was alone again, huh?

That hadn't lasted very long.

He shouldn't have gotten his hopes up in the first place, he guessed.

"Mind if I kidnap you for a while? I've just recently found a few still unpacked boxes I wanted to look through, and would love some company." Sally offered with a soft smile, which reminded him of the smile Percy sometimes shot him, and he found himself nodding automatically, before he had even properly registered her words, nor their meaning.

Not to mention he had momentarily forgotten she was there in the first place.

She beamed at him and motioned for him to follow, and so Will did, his legs still feeling like jelly, though he did his best not to let it show at all.

They moved past the kitchen, and Will risked a glance inside, though he couldn't see more than Jason's hands picking up various things off the floor he must have dropped in his rush to get to the door.

Which kind of contradicted his lack of care a moment ago, but, well, maybe it was just more of a reason for Jason to think of him as nothing but a bother.

The thought didn't sit well with him whatsoever.

Sally started babbling like a waterfall once they stepped into her bedroom, about moving, about her old apartment, about Percy as a child, about everything and nothing.

Will tried as best as he could to listen, as well as to react accordingly, with humming or huffing in agreement, since that seemed the easiest way to let her know he was following, without going through the hassle of using words.

She passed a box to him, then another, then grabbed the last two boxes and told him to take them to the living room, which meant moving past the kitchen again.

He actually met Jason's gaze for a moment, though this time it was Will who quickly averted his face again, anxious he'd make Jason uncomfortable if he looked for too long.

Sally got them comfortable in the very space the four of them had used the night before for their blankets, the very space Will had woken up in earlier with his pants discarded somewhere else (he had no idea when he had taken _those_ off, but luckily nobody had questioned it, either).

The very space Will had found himself snuggled into Jason with Percy plastered against his back and Nico half draped over his boyfriend _and_ Will.

Everything had been so _perfect_ in that moment.

So nice, so warm, so _safe_.

And then…then Jason had woken up, and looked at him the way he usually did, and everything had still been alright, until realization and guilt had washed over Jason and he had suddenly retreated, distanced himself, moving Nico to take his place at Will's front before escaping to the bathroom/kitchen with a hurried 'Excuse me for a moment'.

Will's heart sank at the mere memory.

"Just start by taking everything out, alright?" Sally instructed him, and he nodded quietly, opening the first box wordlessly and taking out a few old photo frames and books.

That would explain the weight, he guessed?

He tried not to look at anything for too long, since he wanted to respect Sally's privacy and all, but when he saw a picture of a tiny Percy at the beach, holding up a couple of seashells with a wide grin (with an utterly adorable tooth gap, mind you), he just _had_ to stop and stare, his lips twitching into a smile against his will.

_Aww_.

"Oh, that's one old picture. I think that was during the second or third time I took him there. He loved the water and the beach so much, it was near impossible to get him away in the evenings. And _every_ time we were meant to _leave_, he'd start up these horrible excuses like being sick or being 'too weak to travel', in order to get me to stay _just_ a day or two longer." Sally explained as she glanced over and saw what he was staring at, and Will turned to look at her with a grin.

"Did it work?"

Sally sighed with a small shake of her head.

"It would have if it had been possible, I can tell you that much. He was such a sweet child, it was impossible to deny him anything."

Oh, Will could picture _that_, alright?

"It's _still_ impossible to deny him anything. Once he has his baby seal face going, there's no turning back, everyone has to succumb to his crazy demands." Will remarked, and Sally laughed.

"Oh yes, the baby seal face. I still remember the first time he managed that expression so perfectly, I wanted to cry and buy him that toy dolphin, even though it cost a fortune."

Will could picture _that_, too.

Good thing Percy had a boyfriend without money problems, he'd probably buy him that dolphin in the blink of an eye – or anything else, for that matter.

"Nico is going to spoil him so much." He muttered to himself, and Sally chuckled, apparently hearing him just fine.

"Maybe. But there's no harm in a bit of spoiling, I guess. The gods know I haven't spoiled him nearly enough as I would have liked."

Will studied her for a moment, thinking of Percy, of the bits of his childhood he knew of, of his own mother, of the hardships and troubles that came with trying to raise a demigod child by mostly themselves.

"I think you did well, Mrs.-…Sally. He grew up into a fine, mature, well-mannered young man, who knows what he wants and who'll work hard to achieve it. I mean, he could have also turned out differently. Way differently. So, yeah, you did a great job at raising him." He insisted, then frowned, wondering what the hell he had just said, and how that must have sounded to Sally.

Great.

Luckily, she didn't seem perturbed, instead beaming at him with that typical Percy-grin he knew and loved on her son.

"Why, thank you. Hey, look, it's my old photo album. I was wondering where that had gone…want to look at it with me?" She offered with a wink and was already moving towards him, so he didn't hesitate to come closer, and they stuck their heads together as she opened the giant, rather thick photo album with a picture of Percy and her glued to the front, the colors a bit washed out, the corners frayed, but it looked perfect to him, anyways.

"Won't Percy mind?" He asked thoughtfully as she took out a couple of pictures she had stuffed between the first two pages, putting them aside for now.

He had definitely seen a bathtub special in there with a toddler Percy, and he was _pretty_ sure he'd mind Will seeing _that_.

"Oh, no worries, I took out the embarrassing baby photos ages ago." Sally insisted as she leafed through the album slowly, and Will shrugged to himself, deciding she had to know best.

That was, until they came across roughly ten pages full of a super adorable baby Percy making grabby hands at the camera, dozing (and _drooling_) in his crib or various other locations, beaming at the camera without teeth (_so adorable_) and many, many other pictures Will was never ever going to forget, the smile now permanent on his face.

"Well…except _those_, maybe." Sally conceded with a small shrug, but he merely huffed out a small laugh in reply.

Bless that woman.

And, oh gods, baby Percy was the cutest.

Will wondered faintly whether he had been that adorable, but he highly doubted it.

He didn't even know whether his mother had taken any pictures of him as a baby.

Or at all, in general.

Their apartment hadn't had any pictures anywhere, if he remembered correctly.

Now, it was too late to check, he guessed.

The place had burnt down, together with everything else from his past.

Stupid monsters and their thirst for demigod blood.

Will saw a toddler Percy in front of his very first sandcastle (at least Sally's writing underneath indicated as much), looking proud and smug and utterly adorable, and the smile was right back on his face.

"Aww, you definitely have to show these to Nico. He already thinks Percy is utterly adorable now, wait until he sees these."

Sally chuckled, stroking over one of the pictures of Percy beaming into the camera with that typical, carefree expression on his face that he had somehow managed to keep, even after all these years and all the hardships in his life.

"Oh, I probably should. I was actually thinking of scanning these, now that I found them again. I could email them to you guys once I'm done." She offered, and he nodded vigorously.

"Yes, please do!"

Baby and toddler pictures of Percy on Nico's laptop that sort of belonged to all four of them now?

Will was all for it.

He knew what he'd change the wallpaper to every day, and he already knew who was going to wail in embarrassment and despair, while secretly loving it.

They looked through the pages, and Will was amazed he could practically see Percy growing picture per picture.

He could also see the different school buildings in the background.

Then, he saw pictures with a weird, rather ugly man in the background somewhere, and Percy's smile a lot more dull whenever that person was there, followed by pictures with Percy now looking more sad than happy in front of whatever school he was going in at the time.

True, he had been kicked out of a lot of schools.

That must have been tough.

The man, Will guessed, had to be his step-dad, Gabe something-something.

(He was pretty sure the guy had had 'ugly' in his last name somewhere, though he couldn't remember it for the life of him. It didn't matter, ugly-ugly was a perfect fit.)

He remembered what Percy had told him, how Sally only started going out and getting married to Gabe for Percy's sake, for his safety.

Raising demigod children really was tough, wasn't it?

First of all, you ran the risk of getting your kid (and yourself) killed 24/7.

Then, you had the trouble with dyslexia and ADHD, which was hell with this education system and today's society, still.

Once they were old enough, they'd have to go to Camp, and you'd be lucky to see them at all anymore, though you'd also run the risk of them (and yourself when around them) getting slaughtered even more than before.

And then, if all of _that_ wasn't enough already, you had to go through all of that by yourself, because the godly part of the mess simply fucked off and left you and your kid to die.

Sometimes, Will hated the gods for what they were doing.

He remembered his own mother, working all the time to somehow pay the bills, while his father, the god of music, archery, poetry, medicine, _anything_,…he just fucked off without a care in the world and sired some more kids elsewhere to also leave them to their fate.

It wasn't fair.

"What are you thinking about? You look upset." Sally asked next to him, and he glanced at her, noticing she must have been studying him for a while.

He waved off, concentrating back on the pictures of Percy with a group of kids he had never seen before, and probably never would.

"Nothing much. Just…wondering. Whether it's really worth it. Going through all that trouble. I mean…you knew he was a god, right? Why did you…I mean…wasn't it obvious he'd leave? Or did you…did you think he'd stay? I mean, I don't mean to…" He started, then winced at how judgmental and harsh his words must sound, but Sally put her hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, I know how it's meant. Percy's father, he…I knew he was a god. I knew he wouldn't stay. I knew what we were doing was crazy and risky and would mean a lot of change in my life, but…I loved him. And, if you love somebody, and they love you back, it doesn't matter for how long you can be together, does it now? It doesn't matter whether you are together for eighty years or only a week. What matters is that you made the most of your time together, and can look back on it with a smile on your face, knowing it was the best time of your life, and utterly worth it." She explained, and Will caught himself looking behind him into the hallway, towards the kitchen, where Jason was probably still helping Paul.

His heart ached with longing, though he tried to push it all down, swallowing thickly.

Maybe he really should have said 'Yes' back when he had had the chance.

He should have done exactly what Sally had just said.

Enjoy every single moment with Jason, for as long as possible.

But…but Jason wouldn't have left him with a kid, wouldn't have left him with anything.

He'd have simply left him and never talked to him again and things would have been horrible, and Will would have been alone…

But he was alone now, too.

He knew he had Percy and Nico, of course.

But Will needed more than that in the long run.

More than just friendship.

He wasn't going to get that, though, was he?

Jason was such a gentle soul, if not even he could look at Will after having figured it all out, then who would?

"You look lost, Will. Is something the matter? Does it have to do with Jason?" Sally asked carefully, and Will's head snapped around.

"_No_! I mean, well…maybe. It's just…I don't know. It doesn't matter. So…erm…what's the story behind this picture?" He tried hurriedly, picking up the first picture he could grab from the pile next to Sally they hadn't yet looked at.

Of course, with his luck, it was the bathtub picture.

Sally studied his face for another moment, then smiled and took the photo from him gently to look at it properly.

"Oh, that was his very first bath. It was quite the adventure, because he was so apprehensive of the water at first, he made it go _anywhere_ but where he was sitting, absolutely adamant about not getting wet. While I looked like a wet poodle, he was still perfectly dry and laughing at me. Can you imagine that?"

Will smiled at the image in his head, though this time it didn't last, his eyes hushing back to the door, just to see Jason walking down the hallway and back into the kitchen, his hands in his pockets, his head bowed.

Where had he been?

The bathroom?

Had he heard them talk?

No, probably not.

Will returned his attention to Sally and the pictures, though he couldn't focus properly anymore, his heart aching too much with the realization Jason truly seemed done with him.

He had really lost him, just like that.

Will smiled at whatever it was Sally was saying, but on the inside, he felt as if he was dying.

Everything had been so great yesterday.

And he wanted that back.

He just wanted that back.

Was that too much to ask for?

He glanced back at the hallway one last time.

Apparently, it was.

...

Jason couldn't take it.

Will was hurting.

Will was hurting because of him.

Jason could see it.

He saw that, even while trying so very hard not to look at Will.

Why did this have to be so difficult?

Why had Nico had to tell him?

Couldn't he have kept it to himself and left Jason in the belief he could make it work with Will?

Couldn't he have waited a while longer before telling him?

Now, whenever Jason looked at Will, it was as if he saw an expiration date over his head.

An expiration date signaling the end of a 'them'.

Or a chance for a 'them', rather.

Was this how Will had felt all this time?

Was this why Will had been so hesitant about agreeing to anything with Jason?

Had he seen that date above their heads, too, and had it torn him apart the same way it now did with Jason?

Probably.

Gods, how ignorant Jason had been.

If he wasn't trying his hardest to figure out what to do now, he'd have pulled Will into a hug a long time ago and apologized a hundred times.

But, as it was, he was still trying to figure out whether it would be more sensible to act as if he knew of nothing and make the best of their last days together, or whether he should try to ever so subtly remove himself from Will's life.

Both scenarios kind of invited Will to despise him for his decision.

One, because it would force Will to choose once Percy and Nico decided to make a move on him.

And the other one because Jason had promised to be there for Will no matter what and removing himself from his life would definitely be breaking that promise.

But could he really force Will to decide between them or Jason?

No way.

Jason so wasn't going to put him through that.

Will deserved better than that.

He had already established Will was better off with them, that they could be there for him in ways Jason couldn't, and that he had his travels to do, and…gods, everything was just so stupid.

Stupid, and cruel.

So, so cruel.

Jason squeezed his eyes shut, feeling Percy elbow him rather harshly into the ribs for what had to be the hundredth time.

He didn't react, same as he hadn't before.

What did it matter?

Percy didn't know of his luck yet.

In a week, he'd know why Jason had been like this.

But, hey, everything would be alright.

For them.

Their progress on the road was slow, the traffic around them unforgiving.

They had left in the late evening, hoping that most traffic would be gone by then after several major traffic jams for no apparent reasons, but no such luck.

At this rate, they'd arrive at Camp Jupiter sometime past midnight.

It didn't matter.

Wouldn't be the first time, after all.

Jason even dreaded arriving at Camp Jupiter, if he was being honest with himself.

They'd probably share a room again, which meant they'd share a bed together, which meant he and Will would end up much closer than what he could take right now.

And he wanted things to be different so badly.

Why couldn't he just do what Sally said?

Enjoy each and every single moment, no matter whether it was a week or eighty years.

But Jason wanted the eighty years.

He couldn't stand the thought of having Will, of actually _having_ Will, as a boyfriend, _with him_, just to then…lose him…

He couldn't lose him.

And he couldn't force Will to choose.

Will was such a wonderful person, he deserved all the love he could get, and…

It was obvious Percy and Nico would be able to give him a lot more love than Jason.

Not that he wouldn't have tried.

Oh gods, and how he'd have tried.

He'd have done anything and everything for Will.

He still would.

But he couldn't, because, in six days, everything would change, and Jason would be out of the picture.

He should leave right after those three had their talk, so they could have their peace and get together and do all their stuff, while not having to worry about being rude to Jason and telling him to get lost.

Jason opened his eyes, staring listlessly at the bypassing cars, while Percy half-heartedly tried to make conversation by himself.

Nico was sleep in the front seat, and Will had turned mute ever since dinner, so Jason wasn't even sure who Percy was talking to, in the first place.

"By the way, I decided I'm going to get a tattoo. It's going to be really big, of a giant squid, and it's going right on my ass. And then, when you two manage to sort your fucking issues out and come smartass me, I'm just going to turn around, point at my ass, and tell you to talk to the squid." Percy ranted, and Jason rolled his eyes, focusing back on the cars outside.

_Right_.

He heard Will sigh, but he also didn't say anything, and Percy's rambling intensified, until he threw his arms up in the air and claimed he _hated_ them.

Then, he sulked.

Jason merely closed his eyes again, pulling one hand up to bury his face in it.

_Six days._

Oh, how he _hated_ this.

He heard shuffling, and knew it had to be Will, since Percy wasn't moving next to him.

Automatically turning his head, he saw Will pulling his legs up, half curling up into himself and staring out of the window blankly, his eyes still slightly red, as if he had cried.

The sight pained Jason more than he could ever put into words, everything inside him dying to reach out and touch, pull him close, let him know he still loved him.

He loved him.

He loved him so, so much.

But what was he supposed to do?

How was he supposed to act?

He couldn't just act as if nothing had happened, as if Nico hadn't told him anything.

How could he?

Percy scowled at him darkly, though his expression morphed into one of confusion when he took a closer look at Jason's face, which made Jason quickly turn away again, staring out of his window once more, instead.

He didn't want Percy to get involved – not more than he was already trying to involve himself, anyways.

He stared at the bypassing cars, watching people on their phones while driving, watching families bickering, watching a couple making out in the opposite lane, where traffic had pretty much come to a still-stand by now.

Next to him, Percy started humming a tune, but he neither knew the song nor particularly cared right now.

"Will, that was your cue to tell my I'm off tune." Percy insisted, elbowing Jason again and trying to make it look like an accident.

Jason only sighed.

"You're off-tune." Will said without any discernable emotion, and Jason glanced around at him again, trying to figure out whether he was just in that odd position because he was trying to sleep, or because he was in desperate need for comfort and physical contact.

Sadly, he had no idea.

Hopefully, they'd be there soon, no matter how much Jason might dread the idea of being there.

Why did this have to be such a long, tormenting drive, anyways?

Well, at least the traffic was letting up ever so slightly right now, so they might cover some more distance now…

"I need a pee break." Percy announced, and Jason wanted to groan.

Why _now_?

Right when the traffic seemed to get better?

Was Percy freaking kidding him?

Did Percy _really_ have to make them stop somewhere _right now_?

Since Jules-Albert pulled out at the next possible stop, he guessed that was a yes.

_Great_.

They stopped, and Jason expected Percy to jump out of the car and be gone, but he didn't.

Instead, he sat there, looking sheepish.

Oh, he _hadn't_.

If Percy had _made up that pee break just for the hell of it_, Jason was going to make him _pay_.

How, he wasn't sure yet, but he was sure he'd be able to think of something in no time.

How about a trip to the tattooist, for example?

"So, who is going to come with me to make sure I'm not getting mugged and murdered?" Percy asked, and Jason turned to look back out of the window unimpressed.

_Yeah, right._

Will let out a small sigh and got out the car, and Jason watched their reflections in the glass as they both looked around at him, Percy upset, and Will resigned.

Both expressions hurt, but he reminded himself it was all for the greater good.

He wasn't going to be the reason why the three of them couldn't be happy.

Nope, not going to happen.

The door slammed shut, and he waited another moment before looking after them, watching Percy trying and failing to make conversation with Will, who seemed to only shrug and look down for the most part, accompanying him to the rest room and waiting in front of it.

Jason watched him, yearning to touch, to kiss, to pull him close, to reassure, to smother him in love.

Couldn't he…

Just for those six days more…?

Who knew, maybe Nico wouldn't even talk it out…?

No, that was mean.

They deserved to be happy, and he knew how big of a deal this was to Nico, and how badly Nico and Percy needed to talk it all out once and for all.

Still, did they have to love Will, of all people?

He could totally understand why, of course, but…

Oh, whatever.

Jason sighed, glancing back towards the front seat, but Nico was still happily dozing with his head against the window.

He had looked at Jason oddly all day, too, so Jason knew he had noticed his shift in behavior, as well.

Jason had no idea how to act towards him, so he had mostly tried to avoid being alone with any of the three, to be honest.

Nico didn't know how Percy felt, and Percy hadn't _clearly_ stated he wanted a threesome, though he had indicated it on more than one occasion, manifesting Jason's believe.

Still, Nico hadn't picked up on that, and it wasn't Jason's place to tell him, nor talk him into anything.

Those two had to talk it out by themselves, it wouldn't solve anything if he did all the talking for them.

Nico also was still rather oblivious to Will's feelings towards him, so there was that, too.

So he couldn't really tell Nico he was behaving this way because he knew how things would play out for the three of them in the end.

Anyways, Jason felt like shit, and there was nobody he could talk to about it, and nobody to understand him, until six days from now.

Then they'd understand.

He glanced back to the restroom and found Percy and Will walking back to the car, seemingly in silence as they both watched their feet.

So, Percy had finally given up, too, huh?

That was a surprise.

He usually never gave up that quickly.

It had only been an hour or so since he had started rambling, after all.

Well, Jason guessed there had to be a first for everything.

Will opened the door to let Percy in, and Jason was just turning his head away to look back out of the window, when he heard Percy saying a small 'I'm sorry'.

His heart sank the moment his body moved automatically, arms and head snapping around only a second before a startled, dumbfounded Will was shoved into the car, and thus, him.

"Shit! Percy, what the _fuck_?!" Will exclaimed utterly horrorstruck, while Jason let out a loud _'Careful!'_, catching Will before he could crash into him and/or get to any harm.

Shit!

"_Floor it, Jules_! I saw some shady guys back there, we need to make a quick escape!" Percy yelled at the driver, and Jules-Albert sent them an undead – and utterly unimpressed – look, though he did indeed start the car surprisingly fast.

Jason scowled at Percy, contemplating whether he should point out how horribly _wrong_ this could have gone, with them having to go to the hospital or something because Will had broken a bone or hit his head or whatever.

But then, he decided the flailing mess in his arms had priority, so he instead tried to help Will free himself from him and sit down properly in the middle seat.

Will was cussing, looking uncomfortable and bitter and irritated, and Jason knew all of that was because he was being an asshole.

"What the fuck was that about, Percy?! You can't just _throw me into a fucking car_!"

Jason absolutely agreed, though he knew just fine _why_ Percy had done it.

As if this solved anything.

There was nothing to solve.

Will hadn't done anything wrong, after all.

He was wonderful and amazing and adorable as usual.

It was just that Jason couldn't deal with losing him.

To solve that, he'd have to deny Percy and Nico their happiness with Will, and Will's happiness with them.

And Jason wasn't going to do that.

Though…he had _still_ sworn he'd be there for Will, for as long as Will wanted him around, and no matter how long that would be.

He had meant that, too.

So why couldn't he do it now?

Jason slumped into himself, and instantly felt Will's hand on his arm, which caused an entire avalanche of sensations and emotions.

He was so warm, Jason wanted to feel him closer.

But he was touching him, he'd feel what a mess Jason was, and he'd worry even more, because he was Will.

But, by the gods, his touch was so gentle, so warm, so nice, Jason wanted to melt into it, wanted to turn around and hug him, wanted to pull him close and never let him go.

Will's hand disappeared from his arm, but Jason didn't dare to look around, everything inside him yearning for the touch to come back.

What was this?

Why was it, that, as soon as it came to Will, everything was confusing and difficult?

He usually managed just fine to make up his mind once and stick to that decision, unless there was clear evidence it was the wrong decision.

But, with Will, Jason found himself making a decision and doing the opposite, or second-guessing himself all the while.

He had told himself he would leave Will alone and not urge him to date if he wasn't ready, but then he hadn't let it go, anyways, and the two of them had settled on baby steps.

He had told himself baby steps were great, and that he'd wait for Will forever, yet he had agreed to a date and would have let Will do whatever he wanted to.

(No, seriously, if Will had dragged him off yesterday, pushed him against a wall and told him he wanted them to have sex, Jason would have probably simply breathed a meek 'okay' and let him do it.)

And Jason had promised he'd be there for him, forever and always, however long Will wanted and needed him around, yet here he was, upsetting Will and even contemplating leaving him to fend for himself for the next six days until Nico would have his talk with Percy.

Six days.

Sally's words shot through his mind again, when he had overheard her and Will talking.

It hadn't been his intention to eavesdrop, of course.

He had just been told by Paul to ask Sally and Will whether they wanted anything particular to drink, so he had gone to ask, but gotten distracted by Will's rather oddly phrased question.

So, well, he had hidden behind the wall next to the doorway to not interrupt them, listening to Sally's reply, listening to the silence that had followed, processing the words until he had heard Will's hurried, panicked voice, insisting everything was fine.

Which meant nothing was.

And when he had come to eat dinner, his eyes had been slightly puffy and red, as if he had cried, and Jason had wanted so, so badly to apologize, to comfort him, to reassure him, to make sure he knew just how loved he was.

Wasn't that what Jason had set as his goal before?

To make Will realize how loved he was?

When had that changed to Jason doing whatever was the most convenient for him?

_That_ was manipulative.

He had led Will on so far, promised him to be there for him, only to let him down now.

That wasn't what Jason was.

That wasn't _who_ Jason was.

He scowled at himself and turned his head, ready to tell Will at the very least that it wasn't his fault, but then he realized Will must have dozed off, his head on Percy's shoulder, who was still glaring daggers at Jason.

"Jason, whatever your issue is, suck it up and stop being an asshole. You're hurting him, and I'm not going to let that happen any longer." He snarled as quietly as possible, and Jason wasn't surprised in the slightest.

He merely wondered whether Percy would say that in six days, too.

"I'm sorry." He replied, instead, but Percy's scowl only deepened.

"I don't give a damn. Here." He retorted, and nudged Will to flop over and against Jason's shoulder, who reacted instinctively and caught him with a hiss.

"Careful! Damn, Percy, he's not some bag you can throw around at will!"

Percy raised a doubtful eyebrow, his eyes unusually cold.

"Oh really? Why do _you_ treat him like that, then?"

Ouch.

"I'm not." Jason replied seriously, but Percy only shook his head and averted both face and body, turning to look out of his window.

Jason scowled, then his eyes automatically hushed back to Will, taking in his face, from the furrowed brows to the slightly parted lips.

He didn't look peaceful.

He only looked tired.

Even in his sleep, he looked tired and exhausted, and it was all Jason's fault.

He moved his arm around the blonde and tugged him closer, wishing he could give him more, could give him everything, all there was, all he had to give.

_I love you_.

He wanted to say those words, out loud, for Will to hear.

For Percy to hear.

For everybody to hear.

They were true.

So, so true.

But Percy and Nico loved Will, too.

And he had decided a long time ago to support them should they ever give a relationship a try.

Will's hand found his thigh, squeezing maybe a tad harder than usual, but Jason only shuffled closer, wishing once more he could just wrap himself around him like a blanket and protect him.

Sadly, right now, he'd have to protect him from himself, which was one of the most horrible realizations Jason had ever had.

Percy glanced over at them, his expression softening slightly, and he even reached out to take off Jason's glasses gently.

"Make up with him, okay?"

Jason wished it was that easy.

He didn't reply, instead holding Will tightly, feeling his body heat and his heart beat and his breath on his skin, and he soaked it all up, as if he experienced it for the first time.

Or the last.

It might very well be.

Jason held him tightly, swallowing down the lump that was forming in his throat.

Everything would be fine.

For them.

That was all that counted, right?

...

When they finally arrived at Camp, only Frank was there to greet them and show them to their room.

Will cringed when he realized they'd be sharing a bed, though at the same time, he yearned for nothing more than just that.

Well, he yearned for the four of them snuggling up together in bed the way they usually did, the way it always was, the way he was used to and loved more than he ever should have allowed himself to.

But he knew it wouldn't be like that this time.

When he had woken up in the car, Jason had held him tightly, and for a moment, everything had felt like before: nice, warm, protected, safe.

Then, Jason had woken up, and had instantly pulled away when he had noticed Will was awake.

That had brought the pain right back, and Will had about had it with pain.

He dumped his bags in the corner of the room, right between Nico's and Percy's, though they didn't seem to care, instead sharing odd looks and seemingly having a mute conversation Will couldn't be bothered to follow.

Jason was, obviously, making the bed, already far away from the three, still quiet and weird.

Will didn't understand.

Did Jason know?

If so, why didn't he at the very least tell Will?

A simple 'By the way, I figured it out' was all Will needed.

Then again, he wouldn't have even needed that, if it hadn't been for the fact that Jason had caught him in the car, protecting him from harm, and genuine concern and worry flooding through him.

Because that had confused the hell out of Will.

If Jason was disgusted by him or simply didn't want him close anymore, then he wouldn't have given a damn whether Will would crash into anything or break his jaw on those magnificent (but hard) shoulders of Jason.

He also wouldn't have kept on holding him and helping him regain his balance (and wits) and get to his new seat properly.

And then, there was also the way he had suddenly slumped against the door, making Will momentarily jump and think Jason had fallen into some sort of hypoglycemia or something.

Instead, Jason had been lost in a cloud of misery and despair and pain, which made even less sense than anything else that had transpired today.

Though there had been plenty of guilt and reluctance, too, which would play into the whole theory that he knew, again.

But the rest didn't fit.

Will didn't know what to think of it.

He had considered asking Jason straight out what was wrong, the guys be damned, but…

Well, if he _did_ know, then Will certainly didn't want the other two to find out, as well.

This was all so complicated.

How was he supposed to talk to Jason when the other two were around the entire time, and he was avoiding him the few moments they had?

Usually, it was the other way around, with Will running away and Jason following him and trying his best to get him to spill.

Great.

How did Jason always manage, then?

If Will remembered correctly, he usually gave in after some time and resigned to his fate.

Just great.

Jason had never actually behaved this way, so Will had no clue how persistent and stubborn he could be.

With his luck, though, Jason could keep this up forever.

He kicked his travel bag out of frustration, and both Percy and Nico glanced over, matching concerned expressions on their faces.

Then, Percy nudged Nico and gave a small nod.

What did they plan to do this time?

Will didn't want to know.

He wasn't in the mood for games.

Or pretty much anything.

Time to just drop into bed and die.

Maybe he could very subtly drop next to the bed.

Wow, and what was that going to do?

"Hey, I'm starving. Nico, want to pick up a quick snack from the vending machines downstairs?" Percy asked loudly, and Will halted on his way to the bed, same as Jason halted with fluffing up the pillows unnecessarily, his head snapping around with a wild look in his eyes.

Oh no.

The guys were trying to…

"Oh yes, absolutely. Though I think I saw an 'Out of order'-sign taped to them, so we might have to look elsewhere for something to eat." Nico agreed loudly, and they both were out the door no second later.

"We'll be right back!" They both called in unison, both sending urgent looks at the both of them – then the door fell shut, and, what was worse: A key turned in the lock.

Oh great.

Just. Great.

"Well." He remarked drily, walking over to the door and trying the handle just for the hell of it, while he could clearly hear Percy and Nico on the other side, talking in hushed voices and making their way down the hallway.

_Those guys!_

_Seriously_?

What was this supposed to do?

"Hope you won't need the bathroom anytime soon." He said into the silence, but didn't bother to turn around right away.

With his luck, Jason would already have jumped into the bed and pulled the blanket over his head to pretend being asleep.

Either way, he probably wouldn't be replying, anyways.

"Hopefully." Jason said quietly, and Will's eyebrows shot up, though he still stared resolutely at the door.

Wow.

That had to be the first thing Jason had said _directly_ to him all day, next to that 'Excuse me for a moment' in the morning, and the 'Don't worry, I'm fine' before the forehead kiss.

It was a weird feeling.

Will didn't like it.

"Will…" Jason started, and Will both wanted to freeze and listen to whatever Jason had to say, and whirl around and yell at him.

Though he didn't even know what he'd say.

"It…it would have been nice if you had just said…that you changed your mind. I mean, I know I can be quite annoying and I can't deny I'd have asked why and all, but…this…this was pretty low, Jason. Especially for you." He said quietly, though the words felt empty, just like his mind.

Jason moved somewhere behind him, and Will stiffened for a moment, but then he let it go.

Who gave a damn what happened next?

Jason could lunge at him now for all he cared.

Could pin him to the door.

Could undress him from behind.

Could have his way with him while insulting him, calling him names and hurting him on purpose.

Who cared?

Will let his forehead fall against the wood, wrapping his arms around himself in an attempt to keep himself from shuddering at the thought.

"Will, it's…it's not like that."

What was it, then?

If the reason Jason hadn't just come forth with his issue wasn't Will asking questions, then what was it?

That he was too disgusted?  
Will squeezed his eyes shut again, hearing words and slurs and cold, unforgiving phrases reverberating throughout him, all spoken by the same voice.

No.

No, this wasn't fair.

Will swallowed thickly and wanted to cry, though, the next moment, he found himself whirling around, instead.

"_What_ isn't like _what_, Jason?! I get it, you figured it out, _congratulations_! I understand you feel betrayed, I understand you feel like shit, I understand I'm a disgusting piece of shit! But you could have at the very least said something! I'm still a human being, okay? And I'm not…it's not…it's not like I _chose_ that, okay? I didn't…I fought! I really did! And it's just…it's not…it's not _fair_!"

Will wasn't sure whether his voice sounded that loud because it was so quiet, or because he was yelling, but he couldn't make himself care, either, too busy trying to gesture with his hands and stomp on the ground, while simultaneously trying to brush his tears away before they could run down his cheeks.

Jason looked struck.

He just stood there, maybe three steps away, and looked as if Will had just hit him with a brick out of nowhere.

"Will, I…" He started, but Will waved off harshly as best as he could.

"I don't want to hear it." He snapped, before choking back a sob.

"That's not…" Jason tried again, but Will hissed.

"_Shut up_."

"Will!" Jason now snapped, himself, sounding agitated and frantic.

"No!" Will cut in before he could say anything else, and turned away again, away from Jason, towards that dumb, locked door.

Percy and Nico were such idiots.

How was he supposed to run away if the door was locked?

Oh, he probably wasn't supposed to run away.

Well, fail planning on their part, he still could.

Right after he found that special paper clip Cecil had given him ages ago, back when he had taught him how to pick a lock.

He pushed his hand into his medic pouch, but was stopped in his attempts by two big arms wrapping around him from behind, and a broad, muscled chest pressing against his back.

"Will, let me speak for a moment, damn it! I have no idea what you're talking about, and I didn't figure _anything_ out, other than that you're more stubborn than a mule! So stop making assumptions and _hear me out_."

If Will wasn't still shell-shocked from the sudden touch and the memory of the last time somebody had done that to him, he'd have probably wriggled out of his arms and snapped at Jason.

As it was, he was still shell-shocked, and couldn't even get his pinky to move, much less his mouth to work.

"Will, please, you got it all wrong. It's nothing you did, at all. I'm not disgusted. Far from it. I…I didn't want to hurt you, Will. I'd never want to hurt you, especially not on purpose. There was just…there is…Nico said he'd…"

Will's eyes widened, and the moment he regained control over his body, he whirled around again, partly furious, partly bewildered, but a hundred percent hurt.

"'Nico said' what? And you have a funny way of 'not hurting me' when you're fucking ignoring me the entire fucking day, as if I'm some weirdo who doesn't deserve your attention, Your Majesty."

Jason held up his arms as Will poked his chest over and over again harshly, looking down at him with pained, sincere eyes.

"I'm sorry, Will. I just…I didn't know what to do or how to act. I'm really sorry. I can't…I don't…I wouldn't know what to do if I lost you, and I just…"

Will stepped back, now definitely confused.

Wait, what?

"What?" He asked bewildered, trying to go through what Jason had just said to make sense of what the hell was going on _now_.

Jason stepped forward, putting his hands on Will's trembling shoulders.

"I was a jerk. I know I was. I treated you like shit, and there's nothing I could do to make it up to you. I'm sorry. I never wanted to make you feel as if it was your fault, Will. It's all my fault. I was being an idiot, and you have every right to hate me or cuss me out some more. I deserve it."

"But why?!" Will wailed before he could stop himself, and Jason's eyes shone with as much pain as Will was currently feeling.

"Because I'm an idiot, and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you, of losing what we have, what we might have one day, of losing all of that, like that, just because he-…"

Again, Jason broke off, and Will wanted to rattle him.

_What?!_

"What are you even talking about?! You're not making sense! Yesterday, you're all thrilled and beyond yourself with joy at the _prospect_ of a date, and now you think you're losing me and want me to hate you because of something _Nico_ said?! _What the fuck did Nico say_?"

What _was_ there that _Nico_ could possibly say?

Will couldn't think of anything.

Then again, he couldn't think at all right now, his mind as much of a mess as the rest of him.

"It's…you'll see, love. But I just…don't mind me, okay? I want you to be happy, so you do what's best for _you_ when the time comes, okay?" Jason looked so desperate as he said it, too.

It only infuriated Will more, because _nothing_ was okay, and Jason was _still not making sense!_

And Will might be spoiled and all, but Jason was that one person he had thought would _always_ make sense.

He shoved him away, fed up with the situation, with the conversation, with Jason, with himself.

"Fuck you! What makes you think I want whatever it is you're talking about? What happened to 'baby steps', huh?! Didn't you say you thought that was what would be best for an 'us'? So, what's _this_? Best for a 'not us', because you figured out you don't like me quite as much as you initially thought?" He taunted, though he was dead serious, and it satisfied him immensely when Jason put his hands in his own hair and groaned in utter frustration.

"_No_! I love you, Will! I love you so damn much I can't stand thinking of our time being so limited, okay? I thought I could do it, that it wouldn't matter, but it _does!_ I love you, and I don't want to have a week full of bliss, just to have it torn from me out of the blue! I want you happy, damn it, but I can't be selfless enough to let you go just like that!"

Will stomped his foot on the ground so hard his knee gave a rather nasty cracking sound, but there was too much adrenaline in his system for him to feel any pain.

In fact, he was pretty sure his entire body was numb.

"_You're not making any sense!_" He yelled, and could faintly hear the people to the left and right of their rooms beginning to complain, though he didn't give a flying fuck.

"_I love you!_" Jason yelled back, sounding desperate, raw and as hurt as Will.

Will wasn't sure whether it was his words, his voice, or the way he looked at Will, but he found himself cursing and moving forward, anyways.

And then, the next moment, he grabbed hold of the front of Jason's shirt and pulled him down, shoving their lips together in what had to be the harshest kiss he had ever had.

And that had to say a lot.

Jason didn't push him away, didn't hesitate, instead instantly moving his hands to cup Will's face and kissing back just as harshly, a strangled, despairing sound leaving his lips.

"I love you." Jason repeated, so much agony and pain in the words, it tore Will apart rather than put him back together, and he worked his arms around Jason frantically to hold him close, to hold them together, to ground himself and them, to make them real.

"I love you." Jason repeated a third time, this time a mere whisper, fragile and broken and desperate.

"Fuck you." Will whispered back, wanting to show Jason just _what_ he thought of Jason making decisions for him and acting as if he was going to up and leave anytime soon.

Sadly, it sounded way too soft and affectionate to not get interpreted as an 'I love you', too.

Jason let out another low whine and pushed him against the door behind him, their tongues pushing against each other and fighting for dominance.

It was the first time Jason put up a fight.

Will both hated it and accepted the challenge readily.

It didn't take long for Jason to give in with a small moan, his body melting into Will's, the tension leaving his shoulders, the fear and uncertainty and doubt quickly replaced by lust and want and need.

Will smirked victoriously.

_Yes_, he much preferred this.

At least he understood these feelings and knew what to do about them.

He nipped on Jason's bottom lip, drawing another soft moan from the blonde and moving his hands from behind his neck to his broad shoulders, feeling his muscles move under the annoying layer of fabric.

Clothes.

Who the hell had invented clothes?

Will had to look that up sometimes so he had somebody to cuss out in these moments.

"Jason…" He gasped as Jason tugged him closer for another heated kiss, and Jason shivered in response, his hands letting go of Will's face to slide down, thankfully skipping his neck in favor of stroking down his sides to his hips, squeezing slightly as if to tell him he was his.

Yes.

He was his.

Absolutely.

"I'm not going anywhere…" Will whispered the obvious, and Jason's hold on him tightened momentarily, though Will got him to relax again by moving his hands down and under Jason's shirt, stroking over bare, warming skin and sending shivers down Jason's back.

"_I_ have to. Contract…peace…travels…" Jason whispered, the words coming out every time Will pulled back from mashing their lips together, so he decided to pick up his pace and keep their lips together longer.

"Shut up, Jason. You worry too much." He retorted, and Jason huffed, though whether that was in amusement, indignity, or agreement, he couldn't tell.

"Do you always curse and swear at people when you love them?" Jason asked instead of really replying, kissing a trail from his lips to his neck, and Will chuckled.

"You also _talk_ too much." Will added with a cheeky grin, and Jason huffed again, kissing down his neck to his collar bone, his hands suddenly moving from his hips to the back of his thighs.

"We both know you love it." Jason pointed out, and Will couldn't find it in him to disagree.

He _was_ right, after all.

He gasped as Jason lifted him up in one fluid motion, and his legs automatically wrapped around Jason's waist as if they belonged there, same as his arms moved back around Jason's neck for extra hold.

Though he realized a moment later he hadn't bothered pulling them out from underneath Jason's shirt, which resulted in their kissing getting _brutally_ interrupted by a sudden layer of fabric appearing out of nowhere.

Fucking _clothes_.

Will let out a rather embarrassing, needy whine, and Jason pushed his body against him a lot harder than before, in order to let go of him for long enough to tug of that accursed piece of clothing.

Will was momentarily overwhelmed by the proximity, the intensity, the _pressure_, clinging to Jason and gasping loudly, though, in all fairness, it wasn't _entirely_ out of fear.

Jason's heart was beating as wildly as his own, and his values were just as all over the place, as well, no trace of glee or any negative emotion or the wish to _hurt_, so there was nothing that Will had to be apprehensive or scared of.

He knew that, though he still felt his body stiffening in response, anyways.

But then, Jason let the shirt drop to the floor uncaring, and was back to kissing him, his hands moving right back to their rightful place on the back of his thighs, and the pressure was gone.

Will breathed out a small, relieved sigh, and instantly deepened their kiss, most definitely having every intention on catching up on the lost time.

"Promise me…" He started, when Jason started trailing kisses along his jaw towards his ear, making him letting his head fall back against the door in bliss.

"What, love?" Jason breathed against the shell of his ear before nipping on his ear lobe, drawing a soft, long moan out of him.

"…not to ever do what you did today, again. Ever. Just…tell me. When you have…enough…" He forced out between gasps and stutters, his hands kneading Jason's shoulders in an attempt not to claw them again, though the urge to was great.

He felt the guilt gnaw on Jason for a moment, then he licked over his earlobe and sucked it into his mouth, making Will groan.

"I'll never get enough of you, Will. Oh gods, you're going to kill me in a week."

Why would he?

And why in a week?

Ugh, Jason so wasn't making sense again.

"Shut up. Kiss me." Will ordered, and, funnily enough, Jason immediately came back for a long and heated kiss.

"This is…so…not…baby steps…" Jason very unnecessarily pointed out, pulling away just enough to force the words out between them before pushing their lips together again and again and again, making it obvious he wasn't even thinking about stopping.

"Do you…want to stop?" Will asked anyways, his voice husky and barely audible as he sighed most of the words, unable to help himself as he blindly searched for Jason's lips again.

They started finding a rhythm of pulling back and moving together again, their parted lips always finding together just right to let their tongues play.

And Will was utterly high on it, too.

"Over my dead body." Jason muttered, and Will huffed out a weak laugh that lasted maybe the fraction of a second, then he was back to kissing, and Jason came impossibly closer, as if trying to crawl _into_ Will – but this time, the pressure was highly appreciated.

Will wanted it.

Wanted Jason.

Wanted everything.

Wanted to let his fingers roam over every inch of Jason's naked body, wanted to feel their bodies grinding together in the same rhythm they currently had with their kissing, wanted to feel Jason touching and kissing him, wanted to feel them making love.

He wanted it all.

"Jason, please…" Will whimpered, then cringed inwardly, a wave of self-loathing washing over him.

Why did he always have to _plead_?

Had he not learned his lesson?!

Jason tugged on his bottom lip with his teeth as he pulled away, effectively drawing Will back out of his mind before he could get distracted too much.

Will wondered faintly whether he had noticed.

Then he wondered whether Jason knew what he had just begged for.

Since Jason grabbed a firmer hold of his thigh with one hand, and wrapped his other arm around Will's back before starting to move them towards the bed, he was pretty sure he had his answer to his second question, at least.

Will prepared himself mentally for being dropped onto the bed, for having Jason towering over him, for feeling him pressing him down into the mattress – but then Jason didn't do any of those things.

Instead, he leaned over the bed and let Will sink into the mattress unbelievably gently and carefully, before dropping down right _next_ to him, instantly cupping his face to draw him into another deep, luscious, _wonderful_ kiss.

_Oh gods, yes._

Jason was amazing, wasn't he?

He kept saying he didn't know, yet he somehow…he just…he did these things that meant so much to Will, even though Jason apparently wasn't aware of any of that.

And it was beautiful, wonderful, perfect.

Will wanted to cry.

Out of gratitude, out of happiness, out of the desperate urge to yell 'I love you' right here, right now, though it wasn't the time, and Jason already knew, anyways.

"I love you." Jason breathed against his lips again, his thumb stroking over his cheek, and Will opened his eyes to gaze into Jason's dazed, beautifully blue eyes full of warmth and affection and wonder.

He pulled Jason closer, then made use of the fact that he must have thrown his leg over the blonde at some point already, moving himself on top of Jason in one fluid motion to grind their bodies together once more and deepen their kisses with a low, satisfied moan.

Alright, talking could definitely wait.

"I love you, too, you sap." He replied after what felt like forever, unable to stop himself, though he knew he shouldn't say those words out loud in a moment like this.

But they were true, and Jason was doing it, too, so Will decided not to care for now.

Jason chuckled ever so faintly, wrapping his arms tighter around him and muttering something that sounded a lot like 'Always gotta add something mean to everything honest you say'.

So not true.

Will only did that when he was laying himself open and was perfectly aware of how vulnerable and raw he was.

Like right now.

He was about to reply with something mean, but then Jason moaned softly, and everything was forgotten as he grinded their bodies together wantonly, feeling Jason's legs trembling around his waist.

Gods, was there anything better in life?

He was about to kiss his way back down Jason's neck, when he stopped and pulled back, realizing with a jolt that _Jason had his legs around Will's waist._

Will gazed down at the blonde, swallowing hard as he took in each and every single detail hungrily, trying to take it all in for as long as it lasted, for as long as Jason would let him be the one in control, the lead, the top.

Jason looked wonderful.

There was way too much clothing, though.

Will let himself drop back on top of Jason just as he opened his mouth to undoubtedly ask what he was doing, so Will claimed those wonderfully swollen lips as his once more in a searing hot kiss, his hands beginning to roam Jason's shoulders and sculpted chest once more, glad the stupid fabric was finally gone.

Oh gods, he felt so nice.

Though it made him realize he was still wearing his own sweater.

When had he put that on?

That was definitely a life choice he regretted, alright.

Though he had to admit he forgot all about that little issue when he kissed down Jason's neck and teased his sensitive skin, drawing a soft moan from Jason's lips and making him utter a series of curses so softly – as if he was whispering words of endearment instead.

Will smirked against his neck and let temptation take over, sucking gently on his favorite spot, the one he had already succumbed to the last time they had let things escalate this far.

He'd have to remember healing that later.

Though the thought of claiming Jason as his in such an obvious and blatant way definitely had a certain thrill to it.

Will dragged his nails over Jason's abs, and Jason huffed wantonly, only intensifying Will's need for more.

More friction.

More touches.

More kisses.

More Jason.

More _them_.

He wanted nothing more than kiss and lick and suck on every inch of Jason's body, though he had a hunch that most definitely went past their baby steps.

Then again, was that agreement even still valid?

He thrust his pelvis against Jason and felt Jason's equally hard dick through his jeans, and Will was immediately annoyed by the fabric all over again, though he also had to admit he was feeling rather proud.

Who'd have guessed he, Will Solace, would be the cause for Jason Grace's hard-on one day?

Yes, he felt _immensely_ proud of that.

It was like balm for his soul, especially after that horrendous day he had had.

Jason let out a breathy moan and Will instantly moved his lips back up his neck to his lips, rocking his hips again and again and making Jason tighten his grip on him to keep him close.

"I'm not going to go anywhere, Jason." He reminded him, feeling the need to clarify that, once and for all, before tugging on those swollen lips and drawing another breathy gasp out of him.

"You…"

"No." Will interrupted and gently bit his lip, and Jason writhed beneath him.

"Okay."

Good.

Will gazed down at Jason in a mixture of lust and awe, wondering how they had even ended up like this, after the day they had had, but then Jason was already moving upwards to capture his lips again, and his thoughts turned into an incoherent mess all over again as he let himself get blown away by the force that was Jason Grace.

They kissed, they moaned, they grinded their bodies together.

And Will kept wanting more.

Jason kept pushing upwards further and further, almost lifting himself off the bed entirely, apparently needing more friction, more proximity, more _Will_ – and Will was only too happy to give him what he needed, as best as he could, his heart in his throat.

Jason's hands moved from his back to his lower back to his butt, though the moment Will stiffened, Jason immediately moved them back to the waistband of his jeans, teasing the exposed skin with two fingers where his sweater had ridden up due to their grinding.

Oh, true, _clothes_.

Jason tugged on his sweater lightly and gazed at him as if waiting for permission, and Will could only nod vigorously and crash their lips together all over again.

Which made taking his sweater off pretty impossible.

Gods, they were kissing too much, weren't they?

But kissing Jason was just so…_addictive_.

How was Will supposed to stop?

Jason chuckled beneath him, though the sound more resembled a low rumbling, which sent even more pleasant shivers down Will's back.

Then, he felt Jason moving his sweater up, his hands running over Will's bare skin, and Will moaned at the shocking contrast of his own body heat and the cool fingertips.

Somehow, it hadn't felt that cool earlier.

Though he wasn't surprised.

It felt as if he was burning up, to be honest.

Jason touched him softly, making him tremble with want, then Jason managed to make Will pull back for long enough to tug off the annoying fabric, and his touches turned into the harsher, claiming touches, moving over every inch of Will's front and back and setting him on fire all over again.

Oh gods, yes.

Will moaned again, considering faintly whether he could get away with throwing himself sideways into the sheets and begging Jason to take him.

In fact, he would have probably even done that, if only he didn't loathe pleading so much.

Seriously, he already had to seem pathetic enough to Jason as it was, he didn't need to add to that with whining and pleading.

Instead, Will worked on giving back the pleasure he was receiving, mercilessly raking his teeth and tongue over Jason's neck to his collarbone, even leaving another hickey at the crook of his neck.

He simply couldn't resist.

Plus, Jason's moans made it all the more worth it.

Oh gods, Will could do this forever.

"Will…" Jason gasped as Will nipped on his skin, making his way down his chest, and he decided there was nothing better than the sound of his voice like this, so husky, so needy, so wonderful.

How far was he allowed to go?

How far would they take this?

Could he get away with moving his hands to Jason's pants?

Inside Jason's pants?

Could he get away with giving him another blowjob?

He wanted to.

He wanted to so, so much.

Though he wanted a lot more, too, and, while it partly scared him, the need far outweighed that for now.

"Jason, can I…" He started, his voice raspy and weak, and almost entirely drowned out by Jason's moan no instant later as Will's hands stroked and touched and clawed at all his favorite spots.

"Anything, Will. Anything, anything, anything." Jason gasped, panted, chanted, and Will looked up to see Jason letting his head fall back with his eyes closed, his glasses half off his face, and his expression one of bliss.

But Will knew he could make Jason look even more far gone and pleased than that.

And he was so going to do just that.

He kissed and licked and nipped his way down Jason's front, paying special attention to his abs of course, until he (finally) reached the waistband of Jason's jeans.

Yes.

He glanced up, taken by the way it felt between Jason's legs like this, the way Jason's chest rose and fell with each shaky breath he took, the way Jason's eyes were locked on Will's face with so much love and adoration and amazement in his eyes, it made Will feel as if he was going to drown in all of it.

Jason seemed to realize he was checking for confirmation once more, for consent on what would transpire next, and the blonde wasted no time nodding so vigorously Will was worried he'd snap his neck.

Oh gods, yes.

He was _so_ getting away with another blowjob.

This had to be his lucky day – which was ironic, given how it had gone so far.

He was _just_ getting his hands on Jason's jeans button, when the faint sound of noises in the hallway made him perk up slightly, though he wasn't immediately sure why.

Once he focused on the sounds, though, and realized who they belonged to, he froze.

Oh no.

Oh no, not _now!_

Why _now_?!

For a moment, he simply stayed there, between Jason's legs, mere inches away from what he so badly craved for.

Then, he realized just _how close_ they were already, and he pulled away with a low whine and lots of cussing.

Why?

Why did they have to come back _now_, of all times?

Couldn't they have waited fifteen minutes longer?

Then he could have…and they could have…and then everything could have been…

The two were maybe ten seconds away from getting here.

Will cursed some more, climbing off the bed and grabbing his sweater from where Jason had carelessly dumped it, and he saw Jason sitting up with a slightly bewildered expression on his face.

If Will had the time, he'd explain.

But there was no time, so he simply tugged the sweater over his head and shoved Jason back into the bed, throwing the blanket over him, his ears straining for each and every single sound from the hallway.

Five seconds.

Maybe.

Will looked around frantically for Jason's shirt, though he knew there was no time.

But even if Jason couldn't put it back on, it definitely had to disappear from laying around carelessly on the floor.

Especially because it was Jason's.

Will bit his lip and realized how swollen it was, cursing even more.

"Will, what…" Jason asked, and Will looked around at him with wide eyes as the blonde sat up again in his cluelessness.

"The guys." Will forced out.

Keys were fumbling with the door.

Will's eyes locked on Jason's neck and the two hickeys, not to mention his swollen lips.

Fuck.

Fuck, they were fucked.

No, wait, sadly, they weren't.

Keys dropped to the floor outside as Will threw himself at an unsuspecting Jason, and he was eternally glad for the few seconds gained.

Concentrating on his powers was difficult, near _impossible_, even, with all the rush and everything inside him in disarray, but he felt the tug, anyways, and when he pressed his lips on Jason's, he knew from the way Jason suddenly flinched and gasped in surprise, that it worked.

Good.

Because he absolutely had _no_ time to waste right now, whatsoever.

He pulled away when the key pushed into the lock, and the last thing he saw before he did the dumbest, yet only thing that came to mind right now, was Jason's stunned look and quickly normalizing lips.

Kind of a shame, really.

But, well, he could regret that together with all the things he was going to regret in a moment.

Will told himself it was worth it.

He hoped he was right.

...

When Percy and Nico finally managed to open the door and push inside, they immediately stopped dead as they bore witness to Will flying into their stacks of luggage with an almost angry squeal.

Which…had to be the weirdest thing Percy had ever seen in his life and had him stare and blink in utter bewilderment, standing in the doorway with Nico and their pizza cartons, his half-finished 'Hope you guys are decent' hanging in the air, lost in the moment.

Erm…what?

Will was now laying facedown on top of their travel bags and backpacks, and made no move to get up.

Was he…okay?

Should Percy call an ambulance?

Jules-Albert?

Anybody?

His gaze hushed over to Jason, who was sitting in bed with his shirt off for no explicable reasons, though the blanket indicated he had been about to go to bed.

But Jason looked as struck as he was, which at the very least indicated Percy wasn't the only one thinking this had to be the weirdest thing that had ever happened.

Well, at least, it definitely was the craziest thing _Will_ had ever done.

"Erm…hi? We're back? What exactly are you…doing…?" He tried tentatively, looking between the two blondes, and catching Nico doing the same, a big frown on his face.

Alright, that made three of them that had no clue what Will had just done, exactly, nor why.

Well, Jason might know _why_.

Percy would have said he had a hunch, too, but other than Jason's hair being all over the place, there was nothing particularly different or disheveled about him, and his lips looked perfectly alright, too.

Not that Percy ever paid any attention to Jason's lips, of course.

But he was pretty sure if they had 'done' anything, his lips would at the very least be slightly swollen.

Nico's lips always were, after all.

And Percy remembered Will's had been, too, after their kiss-dare.

He also thought both Jason's and Will's lips might have been ever so faintly swollen back when they had had their dating-argument-issue in the bathroom in the Underworld.

Though he could also only imagine that now, since he couldn't remember actually thinking anything of it at the time, and he was pretty sure he'd have thought _a lot_ into it if he had noticed such a clear giveaway before.

Or something.

It didn't really matter, because Jason's lips were perfectly alright.

(Again, not that Percy ever paid any attention to Jason's lips or anything, but…yeah. Whatever.)

"Welcome back. We were just…erm…" Jason started awkwardly, looking a bit weird, as if he was flustered, and Percy was about to give him another scrutinizing once-over, when he was distracted by Will moving, lifting his head and allowing Percy a fleeting glimpse of a clenched jaw and an expression that spoke of regret and _murder_.

But before he could even do as much as blink, the expression was replaced by an easy, but fake grin.

_Uh-oh._

They had seriously interrupted something, hadn't they?

Will fixed him in particular with a hard look, though his smile didn't waver.

Or maybe he was simply baring his teeth in the least obvious way possible.

"Hey, we were waiting for you to come back. What took you so long? Oh, awesome, pizza. I'm starving." Will practically cooed as he climbed out of their luggage, of course absolutely ignoring Percy's question and acting as if everything was perfectly alright.

As if leaping head-first into stacks of filled backpacks and travel bags was nothing weird or unusual, whatsoever.

Right.

Hopefully, he hadn't hurt himself, and hadn't broken any of the many rather breakable things Nico had packed.

(If he had, though, then Percy hoped he had a _very_ good excuse.)

"We weren't sure what to get you, though we hope we got it right…" Nico replied awkwardly, tentatively stepping inside and moving over towards the bed and Jason, the two pizza cartons for them in his hand, while Percy was holding the ones for Nico and himself.

Percy could only stare after him, still standing in the doorway like an idiot.

Was he just going to let this drop?

Will had just lunged into their stuff and nobody was going to ask about it?

Nico sent him an overwhelmed, unnerved look, and Percy managed to unfreeze from where he stood, finally stepping inside and closing the door behind him, locking the door from the inside.

Will was saying something about it not being a big deal and 'anything being fine', though Percy noticed how his voice still sounded rather forcefully cheerful, while Jason was still unusually quiet.

"So…why exactly did you jump into the luggage?" He asked when he couldn't take it any longer, right when the other three took their first bites off their respective pizzas.

Unsurprisingly, Jason and Nico both looked around at Will curiously (to be expected they wouldn't ask, themselves), and Will…well, Will shrugged and wolfed down half of the pizza slice he had been holding up until then, undoubtedly just trying to buy himself some time.

Right.

Then, to top everything off, Will started mumbling out his reply with his mouth still full, rendering each and every word he might or might not have said utterly incoherent.

Jason pursed his lips, though it looked a lot as if he was trying very hard not to laugh, his stiffness slowly falling off him, while Nico's frown only deepened, still looking between the two as inconspicuously as possible.

Percy merely sent Will an unimpressed face.

"English, please?"

Will sent him a hard look.

"Bucket list." He then replied seriously, and Percy wished he was sitting on the sofa so he could let himself fall back with a groan without falling backwards off the bed.

Seriously?

That was the dumbest thing Percy had ever heard.

No, he didn't believe a word of it.

He was about to say as much, too, but then he caught Will winking at Jason playfully, and something entirely different occurred to him.

"So, you two made up?" He and Nico asked at the same time, and glanced briefly at each other in surprise, before turning back towards the two blondes.

Seriously, the day had been hell, with those two being so…weird.

Percy completely hadn't understood what was going on.

The day had started out great, with Percy waking up first and acting asleep to enjoy the peace and warmth some more, the guys snuggling up to each other and him.

And then…

Then he had watched Jason and Will wake up, which had made waking up early even more worth it, seeing as those two could look so remarkably adorable.

Just that, once they had been awake, they hadn't started to do anything cringe-worthy like making out or whispering sweet nothings to each other or whatever ever, as Percy might have half expected (after yesterday and all).

No, they had gazed at each other lovingly for maybe a minute, before Jason had suddenly upped and bolted.

Yes, _Jason_.

Percy still had trouble believing it now.

He'd have probably even brushed it off as a trick of his eyes/mind or some sort of half-asleep hallucination, but the way Jason had acted throughout the day had only shown him more and more that he hadn't made that up.

Something had happened.

Most definitely.

Percy _knew_ things had been perfectly fine between those two last night, and yesterday had seemed to go great for them, even with Percy and Nico sort of crashing their date and all.

No, they had been perfectly fine.

And for that fleeting moment when he had seen Jason opening his eyes and gazing down at Will as if he was the only thing he wanted to see each and every morning, everything had still seemed perfectly fine (for them).

So, what had happened?

Had Will woken up again during the night?

Had they argued?

Will had seemed as surprised as him, though, so that couldn't be the case, right?

But then what had happened?

Will and Jason exchanged a small glance, and he guessed he didn't have to ponder that any more.

They seemed to have solved it.

(He still couldn't help but wonder, though.)

"Did we?" Will asked, and Percy blinked at the slight hint of uncertainty in his voice, his worries back all over again.

The way Jason shifted and glanced down for a moment with a conflicted expression didn't look very promising, either.

Oh shit, they hadn't made up.

But this was why Nico and he had left the room in the first place (and locked them in here)!

What had they done all this time, if not solved whatever issue had been between them?!

He glanced back at Will, who _did_ seem a bit disheveled, and whose lips _did_ seem a tiny bit swollen.

Percy's chest clenched, but he brushed it off.

No.

No, they wouldn't do that.

And if they did, it wouldn't be any of his business.

Percy let his eyes travel up and down Jason's body again for any indicators, anything that he might have overlooked before, but nothing.

It might not be his business, but if those two _did_ just get physical with each other without even talking their issues out, they could bet their backsides he'd say something about it, anyways.

"We…yeah, we did." Jason finally replied, though he wasn't looking at any of them as he said it, and Percy could see Will looking doubtful, his eyes shining with what almost resembled fear.

Uh-oh.

Percy didn't like _that_ expression, whatsoever.

"That didn't sound very convincing. Come on, dude, you treated him like shit today. Hug and make up, will you?" He ordered, gesturing with his hands and staring Jason down when he met his gaze.

"I agree. Hug and make up, okay? If you need some more time to talk it all out, I'm sure Percy and I will find some place to go to give you some-…" Nico started, but both Will and Jason shook their heads with small smiles.

Though, for whatever reason ever, Percy thought he could see similarly conflicted looks for a moment, too.

Weird.

"Thanks, but we've talked it out, no worries…well, more or less, at least." Will replied with an odd look towards Jason, but Jason was looking at his hands again.

This was it, Percy would ask him later/tomorrow what the hell was going on.

He had never seen his bro like this, and he absolutely hated having to see him like this now.

"Then hug and make up." He ordered again, and both Will and Jason shot him dubious looks.

He didn't care, motioning for them to get going.

If they had spent the past thirty minutes making out, a bit of hugging wouldn't be anything new.

If they hadn't spent the past thirty minutes making out, a bit of hugging couldn't do any harm and would establish some nice, (innocent) physical contact.

Hadn't Will said something about hugs and 'endorphins' (or something) yesterday, anyways?

There.

Will sighed and looked at Jason questioningly, as if checking whether that was okay with him, and Jason replied by moving closer and wrapping his arms around the blonde.

"I'm sorry." He said, loud and clear, for them all to hear.

Then, he buried his face at the side of Will's neck and mumbled something else that Percy couldn't catch, which was probably meant for Will alone.

He watched them with a fake, stern look on his face to stop them from pulling away too quickly, while his heart stung seeing them so close, with Will wrapping his arms tightly around Jason to keep him there.

"It's okay. Just don't do it again." Will said quietly, though they could hear that just fine, too.

Jason stayed silent for way too long, before he finally said 'I won't.'.

But Percy seemed to be the only one feeling weird about that.

He watched them hug for what felt like forever, Will with his chin on Jason's shoulder and his eyes closed, Jason still with his face buried at Will's neck and his hands moving up and down his back gently.

They looked so much like a couple.  
Percy didn't like it.

But, well, he rather lived with this than the two so miserable and sad like they had been throughout the day.

He watched Jason's hands moving lower and lower with each stroke, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

"Oi, watch it, we said 'make _up_', not 'make _out_'." He complained, and both blondes shot him an unimpressed look, before shooting each other pointed glances.

Wait, what did that look mean?

Was that a 'Oops, we already did that'-look, or a 'Hey, we could do that'-look?

The next moment, Will shot Percy a dark grin – and let himself fall sideways into the pillow, tugging Jason right along with him to bend over him.

"Oh yes, Jason, we're _so_ making out!" Will fake-moaned, and Percy scowled deeply.

Jason chuckled, going right along with it, of course, and moving his head down to the side of Will's neck, though Percy could _clearly_ see there was plenty of distance between their bodies still.

_These guys!_

Nico made a strangled sound next to him and seemed to almost fall sideways off the bed, looking struck and stunned, though Percy was certain he had to know they were only playing.

"Oh yes, absolutely." That traitor of a bro all but purred, and Percy's scowl deepened.

"_Oh Jason_!" Will called, high-pitched and exaggerated, and Percy wanted to throttle them both.

"Wow, you two are _so_ mature. Really. So grown-up. I'm impressed." He remarked drily, though they didn't seem to give a damn, with Will 'holding onto' Jason, and Jason attempting to hump Will without actually making any contact at all.

Idiots.

Absolute idiots.

He glanced towards Nico, who was staring at them with his eyes wide and his mouth open slightly, a blush quickly spreading on his face.

"Guys, stop it. That's so fake. Not even the neighbors would believe you're doing it, and they don't even _see_ this." He rambled on, but all that did was make Jason drop onto Will for real now, and Will's legs wrapping around his waist, both of them chanting each other's names in still ever so exaggerated tones.

Percy was definitely going to murder them.

He opened his mouth to complain some more, but then waved off with a loud huff, deciding to just let them finish their bullshit.

Which, funnily enough, made them 'finish up' no whole minute later.

Satisfied with their shitty performance, they both said up, with Will giving Jason a quick, _real_ kiss on the cheek, while Jason looked ready to _devour_ him for real.

"That was quick." Percy remarked drily, and they both shot him unimpressed looks.

"Somebody seems disappointed." Will teased, and Percy promptly felt the heat rising in his face.

What the…_Will_!

_This guy!_

Nico buried his face in his hands, still looking rather flustered.

"Why do you always have to _do_ stuff like _that_?" He asked miserably, and Percy frowned slightly, wondering what exactly he meant.

But Will merely cackled.

"Because I'm awesome. So, guys, are we going to go to bed, or is anybody up for a game of Truth or Dare?"

It was both amazing, and kind of sad to see how quickly all three of them were under the blanket, even though Nico and Percy were still fully dressed.

Will laughed, apparently not surprised in the slightest, and Percy watched him move over to their luggage – this time not throwing himself into it, but rummaging through two backpacks until he fished out Nico's jar of light.

Percy tried not to look at Will too much as he bent over, though he couldn't deny he _did_ peek, even if it made him feel bad a moment later.

He should really talk to Nico about 'that'.

But not now.

Will came hurrying back, getting out of his clothes remarkably fast with only one hand, and Percy suddenly became all too aware Nico, Jason _and_ he were watching Will more intently than they probably should.

Though Will didn't even seem to notice, too busy balancing the jar and tugging his pants down, before finally putting the jar on the nightstand and hopping into bed with them.

"Nico, Percy, get undressed, or you'll overheat." The blonde chided, unceremoniously climbing over Percy to wrap himself around Nico and send him a teasing grin.

Idiot.

"Oh really? I wonder why. You reckon it might have something to do with you being a walking furnace and hogging us all night?" He teased as he shrugged his jeans off without getting up, pushing them out from under the blanket with his foot and trying to get closer, before remembering Will didn't like people behind him.

Great.

Now what?

Last night had seemed fine, but he was pretty sure Will had been the one moving between Percy and Jason, so he must have been comfortable with the thought at the time (or too asleep to care?).

However, that didn't necessarily mean it was fine for Percy to be behind him _now_…

"Well, it's probably a supporting factor. But _fine_, if you don't _want_ my warmth, I'll go smother Jason in my heat." Will shrugged, and Percy could only let out one small, embarrassingly devastated whine, before Will hoisted himself over Nico and between him and Jason.

Damn.

Percy noticed he had one arm outstretched as if to hold him back, and hurriedly pushed it back under the blanket, noticing Jason shooting him a conflicted look.

What was _his_ problem?

Maybe he _was_ jealous.

Gods, what if Jason's issue all day had been something stupid like Percy getting closer last night?

Though Jason had sort of told him to.

What if he had only acted as if it was cool, though, and he actually did have a problem with it?

Will had said he had told Jason he still liked Nico, after all.

And even if Jason had said he was fine with it, maybe he wasn't, and while he tried to be like Percy and keep Nico (and thus, Percy) close to make Will happy, he inwardly wanted to keep Will all to himself?

Just like how Percy had been in the beginning?

Well, if that was Jason's issue, then he needn't worry.

Nico didn't seem particularly interested in a possible foursome/relationship with all four of them.

So there was nothing to come out of it.

Percy glanced at his boyfriend, who hadn't been able to do much about neither Will trying to hog him, nor Will moving over him, because he was struggling with his pants.

Oh.

He was about to offer help, but then Nico finally managed to tug them down and off, looking mildly frustrated.

What?

Somehow, everybody seemed in such a bad mood today.

Jason had been devastated and gloomy and had ignored Will all day long.

Will had been confused and devastated and miserable, trying to talk to Jason and getting more and more quiet the more time had passed.

Percy had been in a bad mood because those two had had that issue between them and he hadn't known how to help nor support them nor do anything about it whatsoever.

And now Nico seemed frustrated and upset about something, too.

What a lousy day.

Plus, he had had to say goodbye to his mom and Paul, and he had no clue when he'd see them again.

He felt Nico shifting, and the next moment soft lips pressed against his jaw.

Aww.

He hummed, a smile spreading on his face as he gazed down at his boyfriend, who gazed back at him with a fond expression, all frustration apparently forgotten.

Or maybe it had just been his struggle with his pants.

Percy grinned down at him, giving him a peck on the nose, which Nico instantly answered with trailing kisses along his jawline.

Eh, this day might not be all that lousy, after all.

He glanced past Nico towards Jason and Will, sort of expecting Will to snuggle against Jason's chest and them making heart eyes at each other, or having both of them sending Nico and him unimpressed looks.

Instead, Jason had his back to them and Will was busy practically wrapping himself around him, apparently dead serious about smothering Jason in his heat.

That meant neither of them could even see Nico being this affectionate and cute with him.

Percy should probably be happy about that, because it meant he could low-key make out with Nico without even being noticed, _and_ it meant he had Nico all to himself, _and_ he didn't have to take their feelings into consideration.

Sadly, he felt rather disappointed about it, though.

Maybe because he'd have loved to show them how cute Nico could be sometimes and that he wouldn't have minded sharing Nico with them, and would have loved to get some real, honest input on the whole feeling-issue.

Nico snuggled into him, and he found himself humming again, wrapping his arms around him and stroking up and down his back, resisting the urge to get them both closer to the other two.

It didn't seem as if they wanted them to, after all.

Something inside Percy clenched painfully.

Were they falling apart?

It felt as if he had only just gotten used to the four of them so close, and had only just managed to enjoy it to its fullest.

Was it really over already?

"Ugh, Jason, you're too _big_." Will suddenly complained, turning around again and coming back closer to Nico and Percy, and Percy would be lying if he claimed his heart wasn't beating happily at that.

"That's what he said." He teased with a wink, and Will flicked his forehead with a scowl, though he kept his comment to himself as he shot Jason a 'Don't-you-dare-to-comment'-look.

Much to Percy's disappointment, Jason really didn't comment.

Instead, he merely rolled his eyes and moved closer, ever so cautiously wrapping his arms around Will from behind.

Percy watched Will's face intently for any sort of reaction, but, while Will seemed to notice Jason just fine, he didn't seem bothered much, glancing over his shoulder for a moment with a thoughtful look before snuggling back into Jason's arms and making himself comfortable.

_How unfair was that?_

Sure, Will had made it look as if he was leaving the spot between Percy and Nico because Percy had said something, but he bet it was because Will hadn't wanted Percy behind him.

Mean.

Percy wouldn't hurt him.

It was Jason who always held Will way too tightly, not Percy.

So, if anything, Will should try to get _Percy_ to hold him more often, instead of always letting Jason squish him.

Percy scowled at his own train of thoughts and moved closer to Nico, which subsequently also got him closer to Will and Jason.

It was good if Will and Jason were fine again.

Even better if they were this comfortable around each other again that they could cuddle together like that.

Percy off-handedly noticed just how warm it was already, though they weren't even in bed for all that long yet, and the blanket only covered their legs to their knees, ready to be discarded entirely if necessary.

Spring-time seemed to finally make itself known, it seemed.

It made Percy wonder whether they'd actually still do this sort of thing once it was warmer.

Too warm for cuddling and sharing body heat and feeling that closeness and utter peace of mind for hours on end.

He had already woken up a few times with them more or less parted and in opposite corners of the bed.

What if they really stopped this?

What if Jason and Will would stop coming around at some point, preferring their own bed to struggle with the heat alone instead of making it even worse?

What if Nico wanted to sleep alone and Percy would have to stay all by himself in the Poseidon cabin again?

Eww, he didn't even want to think of that.

Maybe he could talk to Hades and have him kidnap his wife again.

If there was no spring, maybe there wouldn't be any summer, and they could just switch right back to autumn and winter, which meant cuddling forever.

Yeah, that was probably one of those things that would get Percy killed very fast and very soon.

It probably wouldn't work out, either.

Spring had still come, even without Persephone leaving the Underworld, no matter how weak and slow it had been.

So summer would still come, too.

Mean.

Then again, he was the son of Poseidon, maybe he could pull something off with them all sleeping at the bottom of the lake, where it had to be nice and cool.

They could put a bed down there and Percy would make sure it would stay dry.

He pondered that a while longer, only faintly noticing the other three were still talking.

Then, they weren't talking anymore, while he kept trying to plan out how they'd get one of their bunks out of the cabin.

They'd have to disassemble the bed, there was no way around it.

Nico had the most comfortable beds, as well as the biggest, but while that was great for when they were _in_ it, there was no way that thing would fit through the doorway, no matter how they'd turn it.

Will had the smallest bed, but Percy doubted they'd get it out of the Apollo cabin.

After all, he highly doubted Will's siblings would be very thrilled.

Not only would they have to make do without their head counsellor even longer (preferably forever, because Percy was selfish and knew it), they'd also have to say goodbye to a bed that could very well be used for the next child of Apollo that got to Camp.

And, most of all: They'd have to clean up in there and make enough space for them to get the bed to the door in the first place, no matter if they carried that thing over their heads or pushed/pulled it through the room.

So, yeah, they'd have to disassemble one of the beds.

Probably Nico's.

It was the most comfortable.

Though Percy would gladly sacrifice his own bed for that purpose, too.

Percy nodded to himself resolutely, and was about to tell the guys of his great plan and ask their opinions – just to notice all three of them were fast asleep already.

Oh.

When had that happened?

Damn.

He closed his mouth again, gazing fondly at the sleeping face of his boyfriend as Will mercilessly hogged him to his chest, while Jason kept his arms tightly around Will.

See? Percy had said before it was Jason always holding Will way too tightly.

And there the blonde always acted as if _Percy_ was the one doing that all the time.

He should probably take a picture as proof.

Percy glanced towards their corner full of luggage and discarded the idea again.

Yeah…no, maybe next time.

There was no way he was going to leave the bed right now, not when Nico was shuffling closer and searching for his arm with one hand, tugging it over him a bit more and snuggling back into him some more.

So adorable.

Percy hummed contently, and found Will chiming in almost instantly, which funnily enough made both Jason and Nico smirk slightly in their sleep (or that was a very big coincidence, but Percy doubted it).

Aww, so adorable.

He couldn't even say what was more adorable.

The humming or those cute smiles.

Percy let himself drop back down behind Nico and tugged him into his chest properly, just as Nico gave the blanket a pointed kick.

Nico was always the blanket-discarder.

Kind of made him remember December, when he had walked into Nico's cabin one night/morning, just to find him half hanging out of the bed and the blanket _not_ covering what it should.

Gods, he was never going to get tired of remembering that time.

It had simply been amazing.

Everything about it.

The way everything with the Advent Calendar had worked out, the way Nico had seemed to look so forward to the next gift, the way he had started smiling and laughing so much more…

Percy gazed at his boyfriend adoringly, hoping he was still happy with him, even without daily gifts and a mystery admirer.

Then, he pondered how they'd best take apart the bed, and started making plans and assorting jobs and screws until sleep finally won him over.

The last thing he thought of, was whether the guys would actually be up for all that.

But hey, they were bound to, right?

They could say what they wanted, it couldn't be just Percy to love their sleeping habits.

So, yeah, they were so going to love that idea.

He'd tell them in the morning.

Absolutely.

Now, he just wasn't allowed to forget.

Oh gods, he was going to think of this all night long.

...

"No, you gotta…move it like that…" Percy mumbled in his sleep, and Jason's eyebrow shot up as he gazed down at his bro with an amused smirk.

What was Percy dreaming about?

Didn't sound like anything Jason wanted to know about, that much was certain.

Seriously, how had Percy ended up in his arms, anyways?

Jason glanced behind him at Will, who had his arms tightly wrapped around him as if to keep him there forever, then he glanced at Nico behind Will, doing the same with him.

Yeah, well, either the three of them had moved in their sleep, or Jason had.

It wasn't as if he minded, but sometimes, he was more than tempted to put up a camera to record their nightly adventures, because they seemed to venture in their sleep _a lot_.

Who knew, maybe, one day, they'd all find themselves in a different cabin than the one they had gone to bed in.

Nah.

Just because they were shuffling and switching places, didn't mean they were sleep-walking.

Though it was still a funny idea.

"Yes…just like that…now, sun-bug, you gotta…to the left…" Percy continued whatever instructions he was giving, and Jason froze.

Sun-bug?

_Will?_

_His_ Will?

What the hell was Percy dreaming about?!

"Jason, help him, we gotta get this thing out…before he changes his mind…and won't let us do it anymore…"

_…__What?!_

Jason stared down at Percy, now definitely certain he didn't want to know.

Scratch that, he _had_ to know.

"Percy, shut the fuck up." Will grumbled behind Jason, and Percy let out a small wail, rubbing his face against Jason's chest and holding him a tiny tad tighter, making him feel almost squished between the two.

(He'd be lying if he claimed he didn't love it.)

"But the bed…" Percy whined, and Jason was even more confused.

Will, though, was ruthless as ever in his sleep.

"I don't care. You're not getting a dog. We've had this discussion before, you have to focus on your studies first. Even _Nico_ is done with school and will start work next week, and he wasn't in school for 80 years! If _he_ wants a dog, _he_ can have one." Will ranted in his sleep, and Jason snorted.

Aww, who'd have guessed Will would dream of something so sweet like the three going to school/work and thinking about getting pets.

"But we gotta get this bed in the ocean…" Percy wailed again, and Jason had no idea what to make of _that_ information.

Did he even want to know?

"Fine, ask Jason when he gets home, then. But tell him I said no." Will grumbled, accompanied by a heavy sigh, and Jason blinked, surprised by two things:

He was featured in Will's dream, too.

Will had referred to whatever place they were in as 'home'.

…Weird?

Strangely pleasing, but still…weird?

"Wait, where did that dragon come from?" Percy asked confused after a moment of silence, and Jason couldn't do anything but agree.

This was the weirdest morning conversation he had ever overheard.

To be honest, when he had woken up to somebody shifting and moving restlessly in his arms and muttering under his breath, he had at first thought it was Will and that he was having a nightmare again – which had obviously made him jolt wide awake in an instant, just to find out it was Percy having a really weird and vivid dream.

About whatever it was he was dreaming about.

Based on the first coherent couple of lines, Jason had to admit he had expected something more along the lines of Percy and Nico in a nice secluded place all by themselves (or maybe with Will, too) and enjoying…each other.

But that usually didn't involve moving beds into oceans (?) and randomly appearing dragons.

(Then again, who was he to judge any fantasies anybody might have?)

"Fuck you, Jason." Percy grumbled, and Jason rolled his eyes automatically.

What had he done this time?

"Hey, leave Jason alone, he's already got enough going on with his job." Will chided, and Jason really wondered what he was dreaming about.

It sounded kind of nice.

"_But the bed_! I need that bed underwater or we can't cuddle! Fuck summer."

"Don't fuck the summer, Percy." Nico mumbled with a pained sigh, and Jason pulled one hand out from under the assortment of arms around him to put it to his face, forcing himself not to laugh.

Seriously…

For a long moment, there was silence, and Jason was about to dare hope they had all drifted back off into sleep properly enough not to attempt any conversation again.

"Seriously, why does Will have a dragon? And why am I moving this bed all alone? You guys are so cruel."

Why was Percy moving beds in the first place?

"I'll help you moving the bed." He offered quietly when Percy started pushing against his chest as if _he_ was the bed, and Percy instantly stilled again, humming contently (which instantly made Will hum again, too).

"You're the bestest, man. Love you. We just gotta get it into the water, the rest I can do myself."

Jason bit his bottom lip to not laugh out loud, instead stroking over Percy's side lightly.

"Sure thing. Why are we moving the bed, again?" He asked tentatively, though he highly doubted he'd get a sensible reply.

"The _cuddling_, Jason. The cuddling. Fuck summer."

Right.

Jason sighed, stroking over Percy's side and letting him come closer, even though he started drooling against his chest again in no time.

Eww.

He felt Will shifting behind him, muttering something under his breath darkly that sounded a lot like 'Why does Jason have to say yes to everything all the time'.

Apparently, in whatever dream Will was having, Percy was getting a dog.

Nice.

Or not so nice, he had no idea.

He sighed again, closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep again, as well.

He hadn't even dreamed anything, or at least he couldn't remember anything.

Why couldn't he have such nice dreams like Will?

With the four of them together and happy and having some sort of normal, domestic life?

Percy gasped and clutched Jason's shoulders as if his life depended on it, breathing a horror-struck 'But I forgot we have to _reassemble_ it' against his skin that had Jason biting his lip again.

He'd love some colorful, senseless dreams like Percy's, too.

Seriously, what was he even doing?

Moving a bed into the water because of cuddles and summer?

How stupid was-…oh…

Jason glanced back down at Percy, a few things clicking into place.

Oh.

Wow, Percy was worried about _that_?

Jason wasn't sure why he was surprised, since it did sound like something Percy would think about, not to mention the 'solution' he had come up with was just so typically _Percy_, but…he was still surprised.

"I'll help you reassemble it." He said quietly, and Percy relaxed back into his arms with a relieved sigh.

"Thank the gods."

Jason smiled down at the mess of dark hair he could see, and wondered faintly whether he had to actually reassure Percy about this.

When he was in a more awake state, of course.

Then again, in five days, Percy would probably not worry about this anymore, anyways, no matter if Jason said anything or not.

Jason sighed, glancing behind him at Will again.

Five days.

Maybe it would be a bit more than that, though?

Maybe Percy and Nico wouldn't _immediately_ take Will from him.

Maybe they'd aim for a slow, more subtle approach.

Oh gods, he could so picture Percy and Nico trying to 'subtly' hit on Will.

The poor guy would probably turn to him entirely confused and bewildered.

Percy's flirting methods still sucked, after all, and Nico was bound to be an adorable, awkward mess.

But, yeah, maybe they wouldn't…not in five days.

Which meant he had a tiny bit more than five days.

And he was going to make the most of them.

Definitely.

He glanced back towards Percy, just to find he had shifted again and moved his face up, now drooling right next to Jason's neck, his face relaxed and peaceful.

Jason smiled, studying his face for a while since he had nothing better to do.

Without his glasses on, he had to concentrate pretty hard to catch all the details, after all.

Like the way Percy's right eye twitched more than his left, or the way his hair fell into his face in that rather wavy sort of pattern, or the way his lips still kept moving as if he was talking, though nothing but drool came out, happily trickling down his chin into the bed sheets.

It was sad he was so used to that by now he merely sighed, not bothering in the slightest to make him stop or distance himself at all.

Instead, he moved his hand from his own forehead to Percy's hair, tentatively stroking through a few rebellious strands.

He had such dark hair.

And such weird hair, too.

Will had these fluffy curls, and Nico's hair had that amazing, silky feel to it, but Percy's…

It was much drier, almost wiry, and while it was wavy, it didn't curl quite as nicely as Will's.

Jason tried to curl one of his strands around his finger, his lips twitching in amusement when it didn't work out quite as intended.

So rebellious.

Just like Percy.

How come he hadn't noticed that before?

Jason was pretty sure he had touched Percy's hair plenty of times already, after all.

Then again, this was the first time he actually found himself comparing the feel of their hair in such detail, so there was that.

Percy shifted, and Jason hurriedly pulled his hand back when he noticed Percy frowning and is eyelids twitching more and more, as if he was waking up.

Or maybe he was running into complications with his bed-moving plans again.

Jason wondered for a moment what to do.

The sun wasn't even rising yet, so it definitely wasn't any time Percy usually woke up at.

He considered trying to get him to fall asleep again, or act asleep, himself, to make Percy turn away and go back to sleep, but then something else occurred to him, and he leaned down with a grin.

"Hey, Perce, wake up." He whispered into Percy's ear, making him shift and let out a small huff, his eyelids twitching even more now.

Hadn't Percy complained about never getting to spend any time alone with Jason in the mornings?

Well, time to change that.

In five days, Jason might never get the chance again, after all.

He suppressed a chuckled when Percy pushed his face somewhere to his collarbones, the top of his head right under Jason's chin.

Hopefully, he wouldn't jolt up now, or Jason would be knocked out.

Jason stroked over Percy's side with one hand, feeling him shiver and shift again.

Then he pinched him, and Percy flinched, a low, drawn-out wail escaping his lips, and one eye snapping open.

"What the hell was _that_ for?" He sulked, and Jason grinned down at him.

"Good morning." He chirped instead of replying, and Percy opened both eyes now just to glower at him.

Then, suddenly, his face cleared and he shuffled slightly, propping his head up with one arm, though he stayed surprisingly close to Jason.

"Hey, I was thinking last night…" Percy started, then trailed off, and Jason resisted the urge to comment, instead waiting patiently for Percy to collect his thoughts and form the rest of the sentence.

"I decided we have to move Nico's bed." Percy finished, and Jason was glad he had talked in his sleep and had given Jason some sort of warning about this before.

Else he'd have _no idea_ what Percy was talking about, and would probably worry about Percy hitting his head at some point of the night.

"I know." He replied quietly, instead, smiling when Percy started gesturing with one hand, mouth already opening to argue and explain and change his mind – just to stop and look at Jason bewildered.

"You…you do? But…what? How?"

Jason heard and felt Will grumble behind him, and Nico started moving, too.

"You were sleep-talking. Come on, let's get up before we wake these two." He explained, already making to get up, and Percy instinctively made a sound of complaint before making sense of Jason's words.

He was even holding him back, which had Jason raising an eyebrow.

_Wow, Percy, who'd have thought?_

Then, however, Percy's expression changed to one of realization and horror, and he immediately let go of Jason to rush out of bed, himself.

"I…did I now? What did I say?" He asked, sounding almost uncertain, and Jason rolled his eyes while turning Will around so he would stop holding onto him and growling/hissing against his back like an angry kitten.

(Wow, _very_ intimidating. Will was so adorable.)

"Just that we had to move the bed because of 'cuddles' and something about Will owning a dragon."

Percy made a face, but then shrugged it off and flopped down on the sofa, acting as if he wasn't watching intently how Jason gently pried Will's hands away once and for all, before getting the blonde to wrap his arms around Nico, who sighed happily and seemed to have just waited for this all this time.

Jason could still tell Percy was watching, though, but he wasn't bothered.

Five days, then Percy would either snatch Will away right from under Jason's nose, or he'd start hitting on him and enamoring him, and then it would probably be _Jason_ watching in envy instead of Percy, so there was that.

"Yeah, that was weird. So, you're up for it?"

Will having a dragon?

Absolutely not.

Jason thought of Festus, and halted.

Well…maybe a small one?

As long as it wouldn't stay inside their cabins?

"Sure, but where would you get it from?" He shrugged, and Percy frowned at him.

"Well, as I said, I would just take Nico's bed. I mean, it _is_ the biggest. I admit I'd love the bed we had in his room in the Underworld, but that one would do just fine, too, don't you think?"

Oh. The bed.

Oops.

Jason decided not to ponder how he had just been entirely fine with contemplating whether and where to get a dragon for Will.

Yep, totally not weird.

He put on his glasses and made his way over to Percy to sit down next to him with a sigh, realizing how it was rather cool in the room, but nothing compared to how _cold_ it had been in the Underworld.

Apparently, it really was getting warmer.

He could so understand Percy's concern, in a way.

But he also knew how much all four of them liked staying together like this, so he also _couldn't_ understand how Percy could possibly worry.

"I suppose so. However, don't you think it's still a bit early to try plan anything yet? It's still months until the warmth will really bother us at night, especially since temperatures at Camp are fairly regulated and all. Nico's cabin is also known to be cooler, even in the summer months…how about we wait and see how it all plays out?" He tried cautiously, unwilling to upset Percy or make him think he was against it, after all.

Percy's face fell, anyways.

Jason was about to try say something more motivating and praising, but then Percy already caught himself and nodded.

"You're probably right. For once. So, what do you want to do?"

Jason just loved how Percy had just _had_ to add that 'for once', but he didn't comment on it.

Instead, he shrugged, leaning back and gazing up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"No idea. You know, it's not like I have a plan whenever I end up spending the morning with one of you alone. It just happens, so we get up to let you sleep and talk about nothing in particular until you wake up. It's really not all that special or anything." He explained, wondering once more why this had been such a big deal to Percy in the first place.

Sure, it had been nice, spending some time alone with Nico/Will, and he had definitely enjoyed it, but this was _Percy_.

Why would Percy want to spend a morning alone with _Jason_?

If Percy had been upset about not getting a morning alone with Nico, then, sure, Jason would have understood – or even Will, for that matter, though that thought just made him bitter – but with _Jason_?

Well, he guessed he didn't have to understand everything.

And he had long realized and accepted the fact that Percy was a mystery, even to him.

Percy let himself fall back, stretching out both arms behind him, which meant he almost put an arm around Jason's neck, though he didn't say anything to that, either.

"Hm, I think it's pretty nice, anyways. You know, this kind of reminds me of the time before December, back when you'd sometimes show up in the morning to walk me to breakfast." Percy chuckled, and Jason shot him an unimpressed look.

He had done _no_ such thing.

He had simply walked _past _Percy's cabin, and Percy had just coincidentally _walked out_ of said cabin, so he had walked to the dining pavilion _with_ Percy.

Percy caught his look and laughed as quietly as he could, though they could still hear Will grumbling in protest.

"You should see your face, Jason. Come on, you know I'm only joking. Well…I did have a few people asking me whether we're going out, but that's a different story."

Jason raised an eyebrow, but Percy was already waving off, a small frown on his face as he seemed to ponder the memory for a moment.

Oh really?

Nobody had ever asked Jason anything like that.

Though he wasn't all that surprised.

Percy was right, after all.

They used to spend so much time together, it was difficult not to imagine people thinking there was more between them than both of them pining for the same guy (Nico).

And their bromance, of course.

Though that had always been more of a deal to Percy than Jason.

Now that he thought of it, he remembered once wondering whether Percy was just insisting on them being 'bros' in order to not let things get weird between them whenever he was crossing the lines of what 'friends' would do.

Which had happened a lot, after all.

Like back when Percy had shown up at 2am in the morning, hammering on his cabin door with still puffy eyes and asking whether he could spend the night there instead of alone in his cabin.

That had been right after the war, Gaea and the deaths (and Tartarus, for Percy) still fresh on their minds.

Jason still remembered that only all too vividly.

He also remembered tugging Percy inside his cabin and getting him into one of the other bunks, sitting on the side of the bed and talking with him in hushed voices about random things to help him calm down, before Percy had fallen asleep hogging Jason's arm.

Jason also remembered waking up next to Percy hours later, he on top of the blanket, Percy beneath it, but it had still been sort of weird.

Percy sighed next to him, and Jason glanced sideways at him.

They had never mentioned that again, to be honest.

Nor any of the other nights Percy had shown up after that.

It had stopped a month or so later, anyways.

And then, the Advent Calendar had happened, and now Percy had Nico, Will _and_ Jason to comfort him should he ever have any Tartarus-related nightmares again.

Or any others, for that matter.

Jason's eyes hushed back to the bed, where Will was laying.

Well, the one with nightmares right now was definitely Will, that much was certain.

"We should do something crazy again, sometime. Like when we raced each other to the lava wall and then had to save each other from meeting an early end when we found out the Apollo kids were doing archery practice right then and there. That was fun." Percy reminisced, and Jason made a face, shooting Percy a look.

That had _not_ been fun.

He had almost been skewered by a whole bunch of arrows – mostly because he had tried so hard to keep _Percy_ from getting skewered – just to almost get his face done in by a random giant hammer flying his way, though he still had no idea who had thrown that thing in the first place.

Percy sighed, still clearly lost in thoughts.

Who'd have thought he could be so nostalgic?

Also, who'd have thought he'd actually remember all of that – and make it seem like such a big deal?

"Or remember when we thought Nico had something going on with that Aphrodite boy? What was his name again?"

Jason sighed.

Of course he remembered that.

"Mitchell? Yeah. You know, you're quite the stalker." He said with a pointed look, and Percy winced with an apologetic smile.

"What? Me? Never. That was you. Absolutely."

Right.

But, yeah, Jason clearly remembered that day, along with all the others.

Nico had been talking to Mitchell, and the two had seemed to have a good time, so, naturally, while Jason had been happy for him and had had every intention of _walking on_ and getting on with his day, _Percy_ hadn't, instead stopping dead in his tracks, stopping Jason – and tearing them both behind the nearest tree to 'spy' on Nico.

The entire day.

Why?

Because Percy 'hadn't liked how Mitchell was looking at Nico' and 'there was _definitely_ something between them'.

Gods, the things Jason had done with Percy.

Percy was absolutely right.

Compared to all of that, they didn't do _anything_ anymore these days.

They both sighed, and glanced sideways at each other, their lips twitching into small smiles.

Yeah, ok, fine, it had also been fun most of the time.

Almost all of the time.

Whenever Jason hadn't nearly been murdered or had wanted to strangle Percy for his absurd ideas.

"Still, it's nice like this, too, don't you think? Less action, less crazy stuff, but…also nice, right?" He mused, and Percy let his head drop against his shoulder with a small sigh.

"Of course. It's amazing. Nico is amazing, spending time with you guys is amazing…I wouldn't want it any other way, to be honest. It's just weird, thinking back to all of that and realizing how much has changed."

Jason hummed in agreement, maneuvering his arm around Percy and stroking through his hair thoughtfully as he stared off into space.

Yeah, he guessed so.

"I know I wouldn't want it any different, either. It all changed for the better, after all." He said thoughtfully, getting his fingers stuck in Percy's unkempt hair.

Percy chuckled against his shoulder.

"Duh. And all because I'm awesome."

_Oh wow._

Jason shot Percy a pointed look, tugging on his hair to get his fingers free again, just to then resume stroking through the strands.

"Yeah, right. Very awesome, indeed. Who's the one always providing you a shoulder to cry on and help you through all your problems?" Jason asked with a smirk, just as Percy wailed and buried his face back at Jason's shoulder.

_Ha._

Percy froze, then laughed, though he didn't pull away whatsoever.

"Touché. Guess we're both awesome, then."

Jason raised an eyebrow.

Oh? Percy was agreeing with him?

That definitely meant he had some sort of ulterior motive.

Wait…

"You're just saying that so I'll keep letting you do that, aren't you? What is it, this time? Your picture, again?" He asked wryly, and Percy huffed indignantly, pulling back to send him a pouty look.

"Such accusations…and my picture is doing _great_, thank you very much. It's _beautiful_."

Jason raised an eyebrow, studying Percy's face.

He and that weird picture he had made up.

Jason still wasn't sure whether he had actually understood the concept behind it.

He had thought he had, but with Percy, he could never be sure.

Where was he trying to go with it?

Why make the four of them into various elements and piece them together like that?

He didn't know.

He also doubted Percy really knew.

"I bet it is. How does it look right now? Everything still the same, or did you finally manage to take anything out of the picture and make it work?" He asked curiously.

After all, the last time Percy had mentioned his picture, he had told Jason how it was impossible for it to be complete if there was any part of them missing (duh).

Jason still remembered how confused he had felt in that moment, wondering whether Percy was indirectly trying to ask about his view on the whole foursome-matter.

But, well, like then, he still doubted that.

Plus, the picture didn't necessarily have to stand for a relationship, at all.

Percy had never said what it meant, only that it was the four of them, somewhat, and that they were all part of a whole.

That could mean friendship, too.

Or nothing at all.

Just them as suitable elements, harmonizing with each other.

Still, he was curious to see whether Percy had managed to kick Jason out of the picture yet.

Will could be a lot more than just sunbeams or sunlight or the sun, after all.

So he was pretty confident it would work out if Percy switched things up a bit.

Then again, he had no idea how Percy's picture actually looked.

Percy shot him an odd look, his eyebrows furrowing together in confusion.

"Why would I do that? No, it's perfect the way it is." Percy said resolutely, and Jason's eyebrow shot up.

Were they talking about the same picture?

_Well_.

Jason would be lying if he claimed he wasn't inwardly happy about the determination in Percy's voice, not to mention the slight hint of indignation, as if he couldn't believe Jason had just seriously asked that.

That meant he was a definite part of that picture, right?

It was probably stupid, but Jason was still proud.

"You know, maybe you should try to paint it." He suggested, and Percy snorted loudly, making Will and Nico both grumble from the bed.

"Are you crazy? I can't _paint_! I'm happy if I can get my lines right when writing my own _name_, I couldn't draw a _picture_!" Percy exclaimed, of course utterly exaggerating as he gestured wildly and looked at Jason as if he had just suggested they should all get married.

Then again, he'd probably agree to that.

Jason rolled his eyes, holding up his free hand in a surrendering gesture, which made him realize he still had his other arm around Percy.

When had he even put that there?

And why?

Hm, weird.

"Okay, okay. No painting, then." He tried, hoping Percy would stop being so loud so they wouldn't wake up Will and Nico.

Percy huffed indignantly, pushing himself back into the sofa, and thus, Jason's arm, and looking rather sulky.

Alright, no painting then.

So touchy.

Silence settled over them again, and Jason was just beginning to worry about maybe having crossed a line there, when Percy suddenly let his head drop against his shoulder again with a small sigh.

"I wish I could paint it, though. It's really pretty. You'd like it." Percy mumbled, and Jason's lips twitched into a smile, his hand moving back to stroke through Percy's hair again.

Oh, that's why he had his arm around Percy.

Mystery solved.

"Maybe Will might paint it for you." He said quietly, convinced Will would do close to anything for Percy if Percy only asked.

"Hmm, maybe. You think he can paint? I don't remember him mentioning anything like that." Percy replied thoughtfully, and Jason gazed towards the bed, where Will still seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

"Probably. Come on, what is there that Will _can't_ do?" Jason asked, and Percy chuckled quietly against his shoulder.

"True, true. Seriously, he's such a genius. He's making us look like losers, I'm just saying."

Jason snorted, absolutely agreeing with him.

"I mean, think about it. Will is _amazing_." Percy continued, and Jason let his head drop against his, humming in agreement.

Was Percy going to ramble about Will now?

It sounded like it.

Jason smiled to himself, definitely up for that.

Percy shifted and lifted his hands, as if to count off points on his fingers.

Oh baby, you'd need more than two hands for that.

"He's the _best_ healer, that's a known fact. He can _feel_ what's wrong with you by simply _touching_ you, I mean, how cool is that? He always knows _exactly_ what to do to make you feel better, no matter what, no matter how, no matter when. Plus, have you heard him playing the guitar? He had only _just_ picked it up! How could he just _play_ like that, Jason? I don't understand! Sure, his dad probably has something to do with it, but _please_. We both know that was mostly his own doing."

Yep, Percy was _raving_.

Jason grinned, glancing over towards the bed again.

If Will was awake right now, he'd be blushing and flustered and adorable.

He was such a sucker for praise.

And damn, Percy was most definitely praising.

"He also has a nice singing voice." Jason pointed out quietly, and Percy groaned into his shoulder.

"Oh, don't even get me started on that. He wasn't even _trying_, Jason. We were playing _SingStar_, and he wasn't even trying, and it still sounded so. Freaking. Wonderful. Why is that, Jason? Why must life be so unfair?"

If Jason didn't know any better, he'd think Percy was having an existential crisis because he was realizing just how bad he had it for a certain son of Apollo.

He knew better, though, so he didn't only think that, but was utterly convinced of it.

Jason contemplated what to reply, but Percy didn't seem to be waiting for anything, since he happily continued raving.

About Will's freckles and the way his hair curled and 'it's just so _soft and fluffy_'.

About the way his eyes seemed so expressive and 'just. so. _blue!_'.

About the way he could direct conversations to and from topics 'as if herding sheep'.

About the way Will seemed to practically _glow_ whenever he was exceptionally happy, or was really _showing_ emotions, in general.

About the way Will felt so wonderfully warm all the time.

About the way Will was all these warm things and emotions, and about how much he cared for others, and took care of them.

About the way Will was so attentive and thoughtful of each and everyone as an individual, knowing what they liked/disliked, picking up on important things in a heartbeat, but never discarding the unimportant bits, either, and how he did everything differently for each one instead of just having one universal way that could be used for all of them.

About the way Will could dance and could get others to start things they'd have never even considered before that point, and how Will always knew all these things that made time fly and everybody laugh and feel good, giving them so many good and amazing memories and moments to reminisce about later on.

And about a million other things that weren't exactly about what Will _could do_, but by now more things Will _was_.

All in all, Percy was _so_ in love with Will Solace.

Jason hummed in agreement to each and everything Percy said, his chin on top of Percy's head as Percy kept his head against his shoulder, one hand gesturing wildly, and the other drawing circles on Jason's thigh.

He felt his neck warming as the sun rose behind them, and was amused, but not surprised, by the fact they were seriously just sitting there, on the sofa, with Percy raving about Will Solace.

"He's also a great kisser." Jason mused quietly when Percy was trailing off again, and Percy was quiet for a long moment, before letting out a soft sigh.

"That he is…"

Jason rolled his eyes.

Yeah, that talk between Nico and Percy was definitely long overdue.

How anybody could _not_ realize how badly Percy had it for Will was beyond Jason.

He knew Nico liked being oblivious sometimes, but seriously?

"Nico's a great kisser, too…" Percy added thoughtfully, and Jason thought of the two times he had gotten to kiss the Italian.

Oh yes, that had been more than nice.

"Indeed." He agreed, and Percy pinched his leg gently.

"But we all know I'm the best kisser here."

Jason snorted.

_Right._

"Percy, please. We both know _I'm_ the best kisser." He humored Percy, taking him up on the challenge.

Percy actually laughed at that.

"Oh really? _Lies_. Ask Nico, he'll tell you. Or Will, for that matter."

Jason rolled his eyes.

"Percy, darling, I'd ask them, but I don't think you'll be able to live with their answers."

Percy poked his side in reply, making him flinch and almost break his jaw if Percy hadn't pulled his head away in time.

Dork.

Jason poked back.

The next moment, they were tickling each other into oblivion, with Percy grabbing Jason's sides and throwing them off the sofa with a loud war cry, and Jason pushing Percy down the moment they hit the ground, one hand holding Percy's hands up, the other one pushing his chest down so he'd stop writhing.

"Gotcha." He claimed, grinning down at Percy, who was gaping up at him in surprise, before laughing and continuing his thrashing, calling him names and declaring war on him and his loved ones at least a hundred times.

"Guys, _what the fuck_?!" Will's voice sounded over just as Jason finally managed to get Percy to hold still enough in order to tickle him properly, and they both winced and froze, staring at each other with matching shell-shocked expressions.

Oh shit.

Oh shit, Will and Nico.

Oh shit, they had been _so loud_!

They both swallowed hard, turning their heads ever so slowly towards the bed, where Will and Nico were sitting, staring back at them.

Sadly, the moment Jason laid eyes on their tousled bedheads and sleep lines on their faces, all he could think of was how adorable they looked.

Even with the death glares they were shooting them.

And what death glares they were.

Damn.

Will looked _livid_.

Nico…not so much, he seemed more disgruntled about being woken up, but other wisely more confused as to what the hell they were doing.

But his death glare was still killing.

"Erm…good morning, guys…" Percy tried sheepishly, and Jason made a face, looking down at Percy with a face that hopefully conveyed 'shut up, Percy, or you'll make it worse'.

Then he realized he was kind of sitting on Percy's crotch, with one hand still pinning his arms up over his head, and his other hand on Percy's chest, where he had apparently put it once he had stopped tickling.

_Oh_.

Yeah, maybe he should move.

"If you already have to try seduce each other, why must you do it at _7am in the fucking morning_? _We only went to bed sometime after 2am!_ Damn it, guys, I can _masturbate_ quieter than you two flirt, _and I'm a fucking screamer_! Get the fuck out of here, or I swear I'll _skin_ you!" Will ranted/snarled/hissed, glowering at them as his hand started patting the nightstand for his medic pouch, and Jason and Percy both felt a shiver running down their backs.

_Uh-oh._

Somebody seemed to have had a very nice dream, it seemed.

…Good thing that medic pouch was on the _other_ nightstand.

At least he thought that as he scrambled off Percy and pulled him up, but when he next looked, Nico – _his_ Nico, his _lovely, merciful, gentle_ and _loving_ Nico – was _passing Will the medic pouch._

Percy opened his mouth as if to negotiate, but Jason wasn't going to let him, instead grabbing a firmer hold of his hand as he tugged him after him towards the door.

"We're _so_ sorry! We'll be gone, go back to bed, love. Both of you. We're getting you breakfast! Lots of breakfast!" He called over his shoulder as he hurriedly unlocked the door with one hand and pulled Percy along with him, though Percy seemed a tad reluctant for some reason.

He didn't think much of it, though, instead opening the door and ushering them both outside, right as Will called something else after them, but then Jason had already closed the door.

"Erm…Jason?" Percy mumbled awkwardly when Jason sighed loudly, hoping instinctively Will would be able to fall asleep again.

Sleep was so important for Will right now, after all.

Together with food.

What should they do for breakfast?

Since it was Jason and Percy, it would have to be something cheap, since Percy was still broke and Jason never had a lot of money.

Though he guessed he could dip into his emergency travel money, if he had to…

"Hmm?" He hummed in question, too lost in thoughts to think much of the way Percy tugged on his hand again when he tried to move towards the stairs.

"Jason…"

It was cooler out here than in their room.

Hopefully Will wouldn't be too upset with them later.

Or Nico, for that matter.

Though Nico hadn't seemed all _that_ upset.

Well, he probably would have been, if Jason and Percy hadn't been in such a close and compromising position, since stuff like that always made Nico pause and stare in confusion.

Though, by now, Jason had a hunch it was more a sort of 'does this mean anything? And if so, what do we do about it?'-confusion, than a 'what the hell are you doing? Why can't you just stop that?'-confusion.

"What?" He asked when Percy tugged on his hand _again_.

Didn't Percy want breakfast?

If he seriously thought Will would allow them back in bed after waking him up from an apparently amazing dream (and if it was still the one where Percy was getting a dog and the four of them were apparently living together, then Jason could only understand all too well), then he was dead wrong.

He'd also be dead for real if he tried.

Jason turned his head towards Percy, ready to tell him just that, when he stopped and blinked.

Oh.

Percy was gazing at him with a flushed face, his sea-green eyes big and round and full of fluster and awkwardness, hushing towards the few people passing by or glimpsing them as they made their way up/down the stairs.

Oh.

Percy was also naked but for his boxer shorts.

Oh.

So was Jason.

Oh.

So that was why Percy had seemed so reluctant to get the hell out of their room.

Oh.

And the reason why Percy was a blushing, flustered bundle of awkwardness right now, looking mildly uncomfortable as a middle-aged lady passed them with an appraising look on her face, though she luckily didn't say anything.

Oh.

Jason felt the heat rising in his face, and they both stood there, their hands linked just like their gazes, their faces flushed, and realization washing over Jason as if somebody was pouring ice-cold water over his head.

_Oh._

"Erm…" He started awkwardly, though he couldn't think of anything to say.

"Yeah…" Percy mumbled, shuffling awkwardly as they heard some dude wolf-whistling from the stairs.

Jason instinctively stepped in front of Percy protectively, shooting a dark look over his shoulder, but the person in question was already gone.

They definitely had to get dressed.

How high were the chances Nico and Will were asleep again already, so they could sneak back in and get dressed real quick?

He glanced back at the door, then at Percy, who only shrugged and looked as conflicted as Jason felt.

Well, nothing for it?

He sighed, and since Percy made no move to open the door, he guessed it had to be him to do it.

Jason thought of all the possible reactions they might face as he opened the door, but…

Well, what met them wasn't two demigods sleeping, or two demigods glowering at them, or two demigods jumping up and ranting.

Nope, what met them was two demigods laughing and rolling in bed clutching their stomachs.

"You guys…seriously…in boxer shorts…Nico, Nico, take a photo…" Will wheezed, all signs of fatigue and anger apparently forgotten as he laid on his back and had his head tilted back to attempt to look at them, even as his eyes were tearing up from all the laughing.

Nico laughed, himself, wildly shaking his head and replying something along the lines of 'Can't, go do it yourself', though it could have also been something different, it was hard to tell.

Jason and Percy both made a face, sending each other stern, dry looks.

Then, they both chuckled and hurried in, anyways, closing the door behind them and jumping into bed no moment later to join those two evil dorks.

"Not. Funny. I thought Jason was going to drag me out on the street like that!" Percy exclaimed as he threw himself at Nico, who only squeaked in reply and tried to escape, but then Percy was already tickling him.

Will shot Jason a warning look, but Jason wasn't intimidated, instead making grabby hands at him and wiggling his eyebrows, while Will was still on his back, gazing at him upside down.

Then, Will was up and trying to run from him with a loud '_Nope!_'.

Jason huffed and went in pursuit, only to end up with a handful of air, before smacking face-first into the blanket, thanks to Percy's leg.

Thanks, Percy.

Good to know his bro had his back at all times.

Will snorted out a laugh, clearly audible over Nico's loud wailing and Percy's exaggerated exclamations of all the things that could have happened.

Jason rolled his eyes – then realized with a jolt Will wasn't actually running away anymore.

Uh-oh.

He was about to push himself back up and get away, but then it was already too late.

A warm body flopped onto his, and he groaned from the impact, trying to wriggle his way free.

"_Gotcha_!"

Nooo~.

How had it come to this?

Will's hands found his sides, and Jason couldn't suppress the laughter that bubbled up inside him immediately.

"Wow, I'm not surprised." Percy commented wryly, and Jason just knew he meant them.

Dick.

Couldn't he come and save him?

Will chuckled, the sound low and almost like a purr, probably meant to sound evil and threatening, but instead seeming oddly alluring to Jason.

Alright, he didn't want to be saved.

He was fine just where he was.

Will leaned down, something Jason could mostly sense from the way his weight seemed to shift on top of him, and the way his chest brushed against Jason's shoulders a moment later, his breath hot against Jason's ear.

"Hey, Jason…" He purred, and Jason just _knew_ he was done for, though he couldn't keep himself from shivering and his heartbeat from speeding up in response, anyways.

Not to mention a variety of other reactions he didn't want to think about while Percy and Nico were _right there_.

He knew Will would be able to tell, but that didn't mean he wanted them to notice, too.

"…this is for waking me up from what must have undoubtedly been a magnificent dream, you utter _dick_."

He was going to die, wasn't he?

His assumption was confirmed when Will started wreaking havoc on him, finding all his most sensitive spots he could manage to tickle and tease, and Jason found himself almost crying with laughter, struggling and writhing and thrashing and trying to escape, but all he managed to do was turn around – which was a stupid thing to do, indeed, since it gave Will even better access to even worse spots.

He wailed, wishing he could switch their places same as Nico had managed with Percy, but Will kept him writhing and moving too much to try anything like that.

Not that he was _really_ trying.

He hated getting tickled, sure, but…

Well, this was better than getting skinned.

And Will looked so nice towering over him with that hungry look on his face and that dangerous gleam in his eyes, as if he wanted to do something entirely different from tickling Jason.

Jason's hands closed around Will's wrists, and for a moment, Will was more stroking over his skin than tickling, giving him the chance to catch his breath as he studied him with a low chuckle.

He caught Will glancing towards Percy and Nico, who both had their backs to them – then, suddenly, Will was leaning down, his lips brushing against Jason's ever so gently.

_Oh yes._

Jason kissed back immediately, resisting the urge to sigh happily, though he knew Will knew.

"_That's_ for looking so ravishing beneath me, you dick." The blonde breathed against his lips as he pulled away, and Jason wanted nothing more than to push himself up and lock their lips again.

Instead, he let his head fall back with a small laugh a splint second before Will resumed his tickling, though a lot less intense than before.

Yeah, he was _definitely_ perfectly fine right here.

Amazing how nicely the morning had played out, after all.


	33. Chapter 33: Senate meetings

**A/N:** Hello Cupcakes :3

Aaand here comes the next chapter :D  
As a little warning, you should probably enjoy the fluff while it lasts, because I fear all hell will be breaking loose soon.

Thank you all for sticking with this story so far, I never thought it would get quite as long as it is now, nor that so many people would enjoy it.

You guys make my day :)

Also: Special thanks to my amazing beta-reader! :D (Percy would say you're the **bestest** ;))

Wish you guys all the best~,  
Tári

* * *

Mild trigger warning towards end of chapter: Shock/Fear/Dread/Premonition

(Sorry, I suck at trigger warnings. Anyways, be careful at the sixth paragraph, Will's POV, it gets a bit creepy like in a psycho movie when the MC hears the first weird noise indicating the world is gonna fall apart for them in a bit)

* * *

**Chapter 33: Senate meetings, Percy gets stuck, and other little signs of trust**

Nico sighed, wishing he was back in bed.

With the blanket over his head.

Percy, Jason and Will around him.

Everything peaceful and quiet and nice.

Preferably for the entire day.

Or the whole week.

Forever.

Yeah…

Nico closed his eyes wistfully, thinking of how wonderful that would be right now.

But when he opened his eyes, there was only chaos.

He sighed again, trying to understand whatever it was Percy and Will were bickering about, while Jason stood in the doorway with Frank, both ranting about something Nico couldn't make out, though they seemed to be on the same side, so that was at least one worry less.

Hazel was sitting next to him, patting his thigh while trying to explain the mess that was going on in Camp Jupiter right now.

Yep, because everything was a mess, and not only in this room.

Apparently, ever since the last time they had been here (which really hadn't been all _that_ long ago as everybody else made it seem!), things had fallen apart.

It had gotten so bad that Reyna had had to bring her dogs into the game to try and find out who was spreading rumors, mistrust and fights all around Camp.

On top of that, someone was stealing various old scrolls, with no discernible pattern to the information in said scrolls (probably to keep them from finding out what said person was after).

Reyna had tried to get to the bottom of things, but without success, of course, which only intensified the mistrust-issue and made Reyna seem like an incompetent fool.

While she was still respected as a fighter, and her powers were undoubted, there were now rumors she didn't trust her own people, and that there would soon be innocent blood spilled, not to mention the accusations that she was actually the one 'hiding the real culprit' somewhere, or not looking hard enough due to her going 'soft'.

Nico neither understood the accusations, nor how Reyna could still keep so calm with everything that was going on.

Though he wasn't surprised, either.

She was a fighter, and this wouldn't bring her down.

…Which was why she had demanded a meeting with the entire senate the moment she had heard they were back.

Great.

Percy jumped up next to him and started gesturing and pointing and tugging at his own clothes, as if frantically explaining something, but Will only groaned loudly, shaking his head and apparently trying to correct him.

Those two.

Needless to say, Percy and Jason had instantly understood Nico would have to be part of the meeting, but Will hadn't, so he had had to explain to him he was actually part of said senate, as the ambassador of Pluto and all.

Will had looked at him so surprised.

It still struck him as odd, even now.

He was pretty sure he must have mentioned that sometime, right?

Will should have known about him being the ambassador of Pluto.

Well, apparently, he had either forgotten to mention this little fact, or he hadn't explained it well enough.

Point was, he would have to go, and he still had no idea what was actually _happening_.

Usually, he had at least half a day to get ready, collect information, make sense of the situation, get dressed…

Oh, _that_ was probably what Will and Percy were arguing about, since they both looked as if they were trying to slip into invisible clothing.

He supposed he _could_ try to make sense of the half-yelled, agitated words that came out of their mouths, but he was _still trying to listen to Hazel and figure out what was actually happening_.

Nico almost regretted asking whether the three could (and wanted to) come along.

It had seemed like a good idea at that moment, mostly because Jason had seemed so concerned, and he did have a certain level of experience, so he might have an important point to make.

And if Nico said he should come, then he had to let his own boyfriend come along, as well, after all.

Plus, Percy tended to have the best (but sadly also craziest) ideas in the most unexpected moments.

So, if the two of them tagged along, he would _obviously_ have to take Will with him, too.

Well…alright, he was glad he had found excuses to invite them – especially since it allowed him to take Will along without it looking weird.

Will might have seemed oddly surprised, but he had also seemed utterly _impressed_, if not even _awed_.

And Nico would lie if he claimed he hadn't wanted to show him everything and…maybe show off a _tiny_ little bit…

Yeah, because Nico seemed to have nothing better to do than trying to impress his _best friend_ who kept making heart eyes at his _other best friend_, while Nico should be the one making heart eyes at his _boyfriend_ and _nobody else_.

No, wait, he had made his mind up about this before, and had decided to not break his head over this matter until five days from now.

(That _so_ didn't mean he should actually consciously _continue_ behaving like this, but it wasn't as if he could consciously stop it as easily as just let it all happen for _just_ a little while longer.)

There were hurried footsteps, and a tall boy with curly, black hair appeared in the doorway, making Jason and Frank take a step backwards each to let him in.

Nico racked his brain for a name as he and Hazel got up, and he spotted a Kool-Aid drink in the guy's hand.

Dakota? He was pretty sure his name was Dakota.

"Praetor Frank, Hazel…Praetor Reyna wants to see you. _Now_. Jas-…guys, I'm supposed to tell you to hurry up with getting dressed and be there in fifteen-…why are you not changed yet? Oh gods, this is going to turn out terrible, and the others are already onto her…" Dakota rambled, licking over his bright red lips as he spoke and moving a nervous hand through his hair, before taking a swig of his Kool-Aid.

Nico didn't know him very well, never having been the socializing type, after all (especially not at Camp Jupiter), but he knew enough to say Dakota usually wasn't this nervous, which meant things really were serious.

"We'll be there. Thanks for letting us know, Dakota." Jason said hurriedly, while Hazel patted Nico's shoulder one last time and rushed out of the room with Frank, murmuring an apology and a hasty goodbye.

Dakota waved off, mumbling something else under his breath, then he, too, hurried away, leaving the four guys alone.

And Nico still had no real idea what was even going on.

Jason sighed loudly, then made his way over to the pile of neatly folded fabric that Hazel had brought earlier, and which resembled the togas they were supposed to be wearing for the rather formal occasion.

Not that Nico would ever put on that white, bright something.

Nope, he'd so wear his…oh damn.

Nico already had his hand out as if trying to summon a skeleton to bring his own toga, the black one that declared he was the ambassador of Pluto, just to realize he couldn't.

Not without his powers, anyways.

He glanced back to Jason and the fabric he was holding, white, bright, with a broad purple stripe on the border (probably Reyna's way of giving them special rank).

No way he could put that on.

Jason passed Percy and Will theirs, who were back to bickering about the differences between togas and chitons for some reason, then he turned to Nico, stopping short when he saw his expression.

No. Way.

"Nico, it's just for one meeting."

No.

"Nico…"

No way.

Nico stared down at the offending fabric, his insides clenching at the mere _thought_ of wearing that.

Then he thought of Reyna, and of how hard everything had to be for her right now, and guilt got the better of him.

Who was he to make a fuss about something stupid like the color of the toga, when there were far more important matters to deal with?

Sighing loudly and not even trying to hide his contempt, he made to grab the toga, but then Jason was already pulling back.

"Alright, guys, here's the plan: You two get changed – Percy, make sure to help Will put it on properly – while Nico and I are going to see Gwen real quick and get him a dark toga. Since he's the ambassador of Pluto, it wouldn't do him any good to look like the other senators. With things being as they are now, they might think of it as an insult and that Nico is trying to pose as one of them, after all. We'll be back in ten minutes, so be done by then." Jason explained, his hand already on Nico's shoulder, tugging him with him towards the door before he could do as much as open his mouth to complain.

Wait…what?

"Jason, it's-…" He started, anyways, but then his voice was drowned out by Will and Percy wailing.

"You can't just leave us here! I don't even know where to go, what if you two don't make it back in time?" Percy wailed, surprisingly reasonable for once.

To be honest, Nico had half expected him to say something like 'Why can't _I_ go with Nico instead and _you_ stay here with Will? – then again, that would mean leaving Jason and Will _alone together_, and Nico was by now fairly certain Percy disliked that just as much as he did.

Though probably for different reasons.

"I'm not going to let _Percy_ help me getting dressed, forget it! He just mixed up a chiton with a himation, and you think he will remember how to properly put on a _toga_?" Will complained, and Nico turned his head to look at him with a frown, though Jason didn't allow him to stop.

"Hey, I did _not_! _You_ are the one mixing things up. And I know just fine how to put on a toga, I've done it _plenty_ of times before!" Percy shot back, and Nico rolled his eyes to himself as Jason tugged him out of the room with a sigh.

"Behave while we're gone." Was all the blonde said, completely ignoring their complaints.

Nico shot him a small look, feeling slightly queasy as they hurriedly made their way down the hallway, Jason's hand miraculously having moved from Nico's shoulder to his hand.

Oh, that would explain why he was suddenly feeling so weird, he guessed.

"Sorry…" He mumbled awkwardly.

He was causing so much trouble for them all, just because of a dumb color.

Or lack of color.

How would Gwen have anything suitable for him, anyways?

Nico couldn't picture anybody in this Camp to have a dark toga ready just in case an ambassador of Pluto might show up.

If that had been the case, Reyna would have had one, after all.

"Don't worry about it. I just hope Gwen still has the toga, else you'll have to wear this one, or call your dad."

Yeah, there was no way he'd call for his father just because of a piece of fabric.

He was pretty sure Hades would find that as amusing as he did, and while it might not seem like it sometimes, Nico still cherished his life.

Nico was about to tell him as much, but then something else occurred to him.

"Why would Gwen have a dark toga? You're not having me wear a purple one, right? They'll kill me on the spot for disrespecting their rank system, Jason." He said, a hint of panic in his voice, but Jason instantly shook his head, his hold on Nico's hand tightening a bit when Nico faltered in his step slightly.

"No, she has a dark grey one. It's not black like the one you used to have, but close. I gave it to her for safekeeping last year." Jason explained, but that just made Nico frown even more, new questions jumping to the front of his mind.

Why did Jason have a dark grey toga? He had been praetor, so Nico would understand a purple toga, but dark grey?

He had never even seen Jason in dark grey.

Not even as Pontifex Maximus would he need anything in _dark grey_.

And why would he have given said toga to Gwen, of all people?

Why not Dakota, or Reyna, or Frank, or Hazel, or…

Nico was overthinking this, wasn't he?

Jason glanced around at him as they left the building where they had stayed so far, walking briskly down the road towards what looked a bit like a school building, Nico guessed.

"I had one made for you, since we had agreed you'd come with in December, remember? And with Will so adamant about your health and not being permitted to do anything Underworld-ly, I figured I'd try help and provide something suitable for you, just in case. Of course, you ended up never needing it, but…yeah. I gave it to Gwen for safekeeping, anyways." Jason explained, and Nico found himself momentarily speechless.

Really?

Jason had…just for him…just like that…?

Then again, he guessed he shouldn't be surprised.

This was _Jason_, after all.

The most considerate and attentive person in the world, even with Percy and Will following close behind.

Still, Nico found himself strangely touched, anyways.

"Thank you." He said quietly, though it conveyed nothing of how he was feeling on the inside.

Which might not be all that bad, given his constant disarray, as well as the urge to tug Jason closer and give him a kiss on the cheek, at the very least.

As supportive as Jason was of him and Percy, constantly reassuring him and telling him he was doing fine, he was pretty sure that would change in no time if Jason knew Nico didn't only fancy Will in ways he shouldn't.

But, hey, seven days – now five.

Five days, and it would all be out in the open, anyways.

"No problem, Neeks. Come on, we'll have to hurry, else Percy will freak out and we'll come back to him crying in a corner and Will going on a rampage because of it."

Oh gods, Nico could so picture it, too.

He just hoped Percy _really_ remembered how to put on a toga, else they were bound to return to Percy and Will still bickering and at each other's throats instead of in their clothes and ready to go.

Yep, they really had to hurry up.

Hopefully, Gwen would even be there.

Nico didn't even want to think about what they'd do if she wasn't.

Well, he'd have to wear _that_ toga, and he already knew he wanted anything but that.

Which was horrible of him to say, but Nico di Angelo and light, bright clothing just didn't go well together.

Him in that horrid orange Camp t-shirt was already bad enough, but him in _white_?

No way.

He grabbed a firmer hold of Jason's hand and quickened his pace, and could swear he saw Jason smiling out of the corners of his eyes for a moment, even though he looked all serious again when Nico turned his head.

Well, it didn't matter.

As long as they'd get back in time.

Hopefully, the guys would manage.

Then again, yeah, they probably would.

They could be mature if they wanted to be, after all.

...

"Why do I have to wear a _toga_, anyways? I'm Greek, a hundred percent, everyone knows I'm Greek. Shouldn't I be wearing a chiton, instead? It would look a lot better, too. Romans had absolutely _no_ style." Will ranted, and Percy rolled his eyes, stroking over the fabric in his hands while his eyes were glued to Will's back.

His _naked_ back.

Because Will was _undressing_ himself.

In front of Percy.

Just like that.

_…__Nice_.

Alright, if one considered they spent each and every night together and generally in nothing but their boxer shorts, this should really be nothing in comparison.

But usually, Percy didn't get to watch the guys actually getting undressed.

They usually got changed in the bathroom, or when he was already in bed and half-asleep.

Last night had already been unusual, with Will practically stripping down right where Percy could see.

But this?

Now?

Entirely different.

Sadly, also very rushed and hurried, since Will wasn't actually doing this to please Percy, but to shrug on that dumb piece of fabric somehow.

Percy still liked how Will cursed and fumbled with his button, wondering what it would be like if he got undressed for something else right now.

Wow.

Wow, Percy should seriously think about what the heck he was even thinking about.

That was just _wrong_.

They had far more pressing matters to deal with right now, he should finally get going and get changed, himself, instead of ogling Will and fantasizing about things he shouldn't fantasize about.

(Not that that had ever stopped him.)

Will cursed again, this time slipping into Greek, and Percy found himself grinning.

Will cursed a lot when he was nervous, it was kind of cute.

A bit like Jason, actually, though Jason more cursed when he was annoyed, rather than nervous.

The smile died on his face when he realized that was just one more thing that those two had in common, something that made them fit together even more.

"Percy, what are you doing? Hurry up and get changed, damn it. You heard Jason, we have to be done in eight minutes, and you're still just standing there and…what the hell are you doing? Are you _checking me out_?!" Will asked incredulously, and Percy blinked, tearing his eyes away from Will's backside hurriedly and swallowing the thought 'Damn, he looks nice in blue' before it could slip out by accident.

"Why would I do that? I was just waiting for you to get done with your rant so I can tell you to stop being an idiot and just get on with it." He argued, hoping Will would buy it, though he was fairly sure there were a lot of contradictions in his statement.

Will eyed him skeptically for a long moment, but then waved off with an exasperated sigh and grabbed hold of the toga he'd be wearing, holding the fabric up with clear distaste in his features.

If he didn't want to wear it, why had he acted so enthusiastic and excited about the prospect of being part of the meeting before?

Plus, he had grabbed that toga from Jason a tad too quickly to really make Percy believe he wasn't just trying to act upset about this whole ordeal to mask how much he liked it.

Which Percy found confusing, but also kind of adorable.

It was just something Will did, sometimes.

Percy filed it under his 'living in denial'-issue.

"Percy! Get undressed! _Now_!"

Percy's lips twitched.

"Bossy. Are you that dominant with Jason, too? No wonder he can't resist you." He commented wryly before he knew what he was saying, and Will shot him an almost scandalized look, though it quickly turned into a scowl.

"You're so full of shit, Percy. Go get changed, you idiot."

Wow, harsh.

"You know it's true." Percy remarked as he pulled his sweater off, instead putting on the purple tee that Reyna had supplied for the four of them.

Will looked nice in purple, by the way, though it definitely was an unusual color for the blonde, who usually wore varying shades of orange and yellow, or the occasional blue or green, but never anything darker than maybe teal (if even).

"I know you're a dick, that's for sure." Will shot back, turning his toga for the hundredth time, and probably still none the wiser which side was which.

Yeah, Percy was trying to figure that out right about now, too.

His eyes on Will, he started tugging down his own pants while also trying to start wrapping the toga around him, mainly to try figure out how to put it on before Will noticed he had no clue.

"Me? A dick? I know I have one, but…" He teased, and Will threw him an exasperated look.

"Shut up, Gorgeous, and-…what are you doing? You didn't even take your pants off completely! Percy, you look _ridiculous_." Will exclaimed, seeming torn between the urge to laugh and pull his hair out in frustration.

Percy looked down at himself, taking note of his jeans that clung to his knee on one side, and his ankles on the other.

Oh.

Oh well.

He shrugged, then suddenly remembered he had had his pants on the last time he had had to put on a toga.

Oh shit.

They were meant to keep on their pants, right?

This was all because Will had just had to expose his backside in his boxer shorts to him.

Nice, blue boxer shorts.

That Will was still wearing.

He had such nice legs, too.

They weren't as thin as Nico's, but Will's build was rather delicate, too, compared to Percy or Jason.

His legs were as tanned as the rest of his body, and Percy could make out the freckles from all the way over here.

Percy had been able to see said freckles up close countless times in the past, due to their sleeping habits, but it still felt as if he was being given a treat.

Wait, what was he doing, admiring Will's legs, when he was supposed to defend himself and his dignity?

Also, he had to find a way to get Will to put his pants back on, even though that was the last thing he wanted him to do.

(He also didn't want Will to feel stupid, or embarrass him in any way for assuming he'd have to take his pants off in the first place, so there was that, too.)

"Oh, shut up, sun-bug. Know what, I don't care, I'm leaving my pants on. Nobody is going to care, and this way I won't stand there half-naked if somebody tugs on my toga the wrong way." He remarked, grabbing hold of his jeans and tugging them back up, fumbling with the zipper under the layer of fabric.

Maybe he should first let that drop to the floor or put it down.

Nah, it would be fine.

Will rolled his eyes, and Percy's gaze snapped back to him when Will turned around, collecting his own pants off the floor and slipping back into them.

A part of Percy wanted to stop him and tell him to just leave them off, but the more reasonable part of him decided that was definitely not a good idea.

So he had to watch those pretty legs disappearing back into the thick fabric of Will's jeans.

He sighed and finally managed to zip up his pants halfway, only to then notice they didn't want to close all the way.

What…?

No.

Oh, _please_ no.

Percy glanced down, then bit back a groan as he closed his eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath instead, his assumption confirmed.

He was an idiot.

Tugging frantically on his zipper, he tried to fix the situation somehow, but all that did was make it worse, apparently.

Great.

Just freaking great.

Percy tugged on his toga, but the fabric wasn't budging.

"Will…" He started awkwardly when he tried and failed to somehow shrug his pants off, anyways.

"What? Got stuck, Gorgeous? Hurry up and help me into this thing, because I have _no idea_ how this whole wrapping-around business works." Will rambled, and Percy bit his lip, giving his zipper another tug.

"As a matter of fact…I am. I'm stuck." He admitted, the words sounding as pathetic as he felt, and he could feel his face heating with shame and embarrassment.

Will glanced around at him with a scowl, obviously not buying it, but once he got a good look of Percy's problem, his expression changed to one of surprise.

Before he started snorting out a laugh, followed by him absolutely cracking up.

Wow.

_Thanks so much, Will._

"Shut up." Percy complained, his face now burning as he still tried to make the zipper budge, but no such chance.

It didn't move.

Nor did the toga.

Nor did anything else.

Except Will, who moved over to him, now biting his lip to stop himself from laughing, though Percy could still see the way his shoulders shook, and his eyes were full of glee.

"How did you do _that_?" Will asked, though it sounded almost awed as he watched Percy trying and failing to somehow move the zipper in any direction.

"I don't know! I was distracted and it just…" He heard himself replying and instantly shut up.

"Oh yeah? Distracted? By what? Arguing? How about you don't try to multi-task, Gorgeous." Will teased, and Percy shot him a dark look, his face still burning.

"How about you come here and help, instead of making snide remarks." He shot back without thinking, and Will's eyes widened in surprise for a moment.

As did Percy's, once he realized where Will's hands would have to go if he was to help.

_Not_ a good idea.

The next moment, to his utter _horror_, Will shrugged and moved forward.

"Fine."

_Oh no._

No, that wasn't a good idea _at all_.

Percy panicked, now trying to practically _rip off _the zipper in a frantic attempt to save himself, but that dumb thing didn't even budge an inch, and all he succeeded in was getting an imprint of it on his fingers, making them ache and turn dark red.

_Great_.

"Hold still, then." Will ordered, and Percy helplessly had to watch how slim, tanned, freckled fingers joined his and nudged them aside, before carefully grabbing hold of his zipper.

Well, one hand did.

The other placed itself somewhere close to his hip bone, but luckily there was enough fabric of the toga in the way for him to feel that touch much.

Not that that made anything any better.

"Damn, Percy." Will remarked as he tugged on the offending piece of metal, and Percy had no idea whether to identify his tone as accusing or appraising.

Will tugged again, then cursed and brought his other hand into play, too, bending over for a closer look – which promptly had Percy look far away and try not to think.

It didn't work.

The next moment, his eyes trailed right back to Will, and he was about to tell himself that, hey, things weren't all _that_ bad yet…but then, Will made another frustrated sound and went on his knees.

In front of Percy.

With his face at Percy's crotch.

Alright, this was it, he was going to _die_.

His face burned, along with his ears, his neck, his shoulders, his chest, _his entire body_, and he tried frantically to think of anything but the things currently coursing through his mind.

He was absolutely not allowed to think of those right now.

The memory of Nico in a similar position shot through his mind and he dragged his gaze away from Will, instead starting to stare down the door determinedly.

No.

No, he wasn't allowed to think of such things right now.

"How the hell did you even…by all the gods, why didn't you take off your toga first, you idiot." Will scolded, now with one hand under the toga and clasped around the waistband of his pants, allowing Percy to feel the warmth of his fingers against his bare skin.

_Oh gods._

Will gave another tug, making Percy's hips move instead of the zipper, and Percy tried concentrate very hard on the door, as to not let anything else get hard.

What a nice door.

So nice and big and hard.

Percy hated where his thoughts were going, so he instead looked around the room for anything else to concentrate on, cursing himself when his gaze immediately dropped down to Will for the fraction of a second.

Oh gods.

Oh gods, there were mere _inches_ between them now.

Will would only have to tug on his pants the wrong way, and Percy just knew those lips would end up pressing right against his-….no.

No, what a nice vase that was, over there.

Was that even a vase?

Percy had no idea, but he stared it down, anyways, admiring the floral pattern on it.

"Percy!" Will complained, and for a horrid moment, Percy thought Will had noticed.

His eyes snapped down, his lips already parting to utter an apology and a bunch of excuses that he hadn't formed yet, but then it felt as if his breath was knocked out of him as he looked into accusing, bright blue eyes and the most adorable pout he had ever seen on Will's face.

"You're moving too much! Make yourself useful and hold up the stupid toga so I have more freedom here, you dork." Will instructed, and Percy snapped his mouth shut before he said something stupid, instead finding his hands moving automatically to do as he was told.

"I swear, this looks so wrong. If you ever mention this to anybody, I swear I'm going to kill you." Will remarked darkly, and Percy snorted weakly.

"Pray tell, who would I mention this to, sun-bug? My boyfriend? Yours?" He asked, then scowled at the bitterness in his voice when he said 'Yours'.

Jason wasn't Will's boyfriend yet.

Not yet.

Though he undoubtedly would be.

Percy hated it.

Percy had no say in it.

Percy would have to live with it, had long decided he would support them with all he could.

Percy still hated it.

"Shut up and help me get you free of this thing." Will snapped back with a scowl – something Percy could only see because his eyes had once again settled on the blonde.

Will tugged on his jeans again, and Percy tried to pull away instead of push forward, though it didn't seem to make much difference.

"Damn this thing! This is it, I'm getting the scissors, we're cutting it off, I don't care. You can wear the bedsheets, nobody will notice a difference, anyways." Will ranted, though he made no move to get up, instead repeatedly tugging on Percy's jeans.

Then, miraculously, the zipper _moved_.

The merest fraction of an inch, but that didn't matter, both of them instantly had new hope.

"Yes! Will, just a little bit more…" Percy exclaimed, while Will looked up at him with an 'Oh shut up and don't tell me what to do'-expression, though he instantly returned to tugging on the accursed zipper.

Percy sighed, closing his eyes and hoping to get out of this dilemma as soon as possible.

Then he could take this dumb thing off, get his pants on right, put the toga on right, put Will's toga on right, they could leave…

"_What the-…_" He heard a new voice, _Nico's_ voice, and his eyes snapped open.

Oh shit.

Oh shit, oh shit, _oh shit_!

"Are you _kidding_ me? We were gone for _eight minutes_!" Jason exclaimed, the incredulity in his voice almost palpable.

"It's not what it looks like!" Will called through the room, his face and ears quickly turning scarlet and his eyes widening in shock, while Percy found his mouth moving with no words coming out, his brain trying to catch on with the very _bad_ turn this was taking.

"I got my stuck zipped toga!" Was all that finally made it out of his mouth, and he promptly cursed the day he had learned to talk.

The way Will's head snapped around at him, looking up at him from where he was still kneeling in front of him with a bewildered, disbelieving expression on his face, wasn't helping, either.

"_What?_" Both Jason and Nico asked in unison, both of them looking disturbed beyond measure, though Percy certainly couldn't blame them.

Though a part of him _was_ wondering why the hell it looked as if they had been about to leave the room again, because that didn't seem like something they should be doing in this sort of situation.

Or maybe it was.

Thinking was difficult right now.

"He got _his toga stuck in the zipper of his pants_, guys! I was just trying to _help_!" Will exclaimed defensively, his eyes back on Jason, his expression almost frantic.

It was that expression that made Percy snap back to his senses, and he pulled away from Will's wonderful, warm hands to step to the side, showing the guys he was, in fact, still dressed, and there was absolutely no way Will could have done _anything_ but what he had just claimed to have done.

Not with his toga still so horribly stuck in his zipper.

It was almost comical to see how fast Jason's and Nico's expressions cleared, both of them instantly hurrying over.

"How did you even…no, don't tell me, I don't want to know. Nico, help Will put his toga on, we need to hurry up." Jason instructed, and Nico gave a sharp nod with an odd, almost stony expression, tugging Will away from Percy and back over to the spot where Will had dropped his toga earlier.

Percy bit his lip in shame as he held up his fabric awkwardly, letting Jason check the severity of their problem.

Jason merely sighed, fixing him with an accusing look that made Percy feel even worse, but then his expression softened slightly, and his hands were surprisingly gentle and careful when he grabbed hold of him in a similar way to how Will had.

"Alright, on the count of three, you're going to pull back, understood?" Jason ordered, and Percy nodded, his eyes on the back of Nico's head, who was busy wrapping the toga around Will in that perfect, Roman manner Percy would have never managed.

He was wearing a dark grey toga with what seemed to be golden trimming, and any other time, Percy would have admired how amazing and royal it made him look.

Right now, though, he was still too embarrassed and ashamed to do anything but stand still and concentrate on Jason's counting.

"Three."

He pulled back his hips, and Jason gave a hard tug – and that traitorous piece of metal of course _instantly_ snapped down almost effortlessly, freeing the stuck fabric of his toga.

Percy both wanted to cry in gratitude as well as in misery.

Jason let out a loud, long sigh, though his gaze remained soft, the accusation gone and instead replaced with what seemed more along the lines of sympathy, one big, cool hand patting his shoulder.

"Percy, you look like you're going to cry. Calm down, we can still make it. Need help getting dressed?"

Percy didn't reply, instead giving a small nod as he looked down, hearing Nico and Will talk about their togas and how things had gone with Gwen.

Jason wordlessly grabbed hold of the fabric, and Percy held his arms out, letting him wrap it around him and fix it with unsurprising prowess.

Of course Jason knew how to do this perfectly, he had been in this Camp for the majority of his life, after all, and had been praetor on top of everything else, too.

Percy wasn't surprised, though he wasn't feeling anything right now, if he was being honest with himself.

All he could think of was that utter shock in Nico's gaze, the borderline anger and incredulity in Jason's, and the fear in Will's.

Why was it always Percy who ended up getting them into situations such as these?

Alright, it had been an accident, but still, it had been _his_ fault.

"Here you go. All good. _You look good, _Percy. Guys, ready to go?" Jason said, patting his shoulder again, but Percy neither registered his words nor his touch, instead moving towards the door as if on auto-pilot.

"Yeah, we're good. Though I still think a chiton would fit me better. So, why does yours look different, again, Jason?" Will tried to make conversation, and Percy didn't have to turn his head to know he was trying to get closer to Jason and make sure he knew there really wasn't anything going on between Percy and him.

The thought hurt a bit, though he wasn't sure why.

Of course Will would act that way.

Percy would, too, in his position.

Probably.

Nico fell into step next to him, and Percy glanced sideways at him.

In fact, he probably _should_ be the same way right now, show Nico everything was good, that nothing had happened, that he wouldn't have wanted anything to happen.

Nico's fingers brushed against Percy's hand, and he reached out to take his hand gently, stroking over it with his thumb with another glance at his boyfriend.

Nico was gazing at him, not seeming upset, though there was something in his gaze Percy couldn't identify.

Concern? Uncertainty? Apprehension?

Whatever it was, it wasn't good, and Percy didn't want to make Nico look like that, didn't want to make him feel that way.

He opened his mouth to say something, apologize, explain, anything, but then Nico let his head fall against his shoulder, unusually close, especially since they were just moving out into the open, and still moving.

"I'm sorry."

It took Percy a moment to realize it was Nico who had said those words, not he himself.

What?

Why was _Nico_ apologizing?

Shouldn't it be _Percy_ apologizing for this mess?

"I shouldn't have assumed. It's just…I don't know. It really looked as if he…and you…and I just…oh, whatever. I'm sorry." Nico continued, and Percy blinked, even more bewildered.

What…?

"Nico, there's no need for you to apologize. I know how it must have looked. Honestly, I'd have assumed the same if our roles had been reversed. So, yeah, it should be me apologizing for causing this whole mess in the first place." He insisted, pulling his hand back to wrap his arm around Nico, and Nico rubbed his head against Percy's shoulder slightly, though he might have also shook his head, Percy wasn't sure.

"I'm sorry, too. Nico is right, we shouldn't have assumed." Jason said quietly, and Percy was surprised to find him and Will right next to them instead of behind them.

Not to mention the fact they had heard what Nico and he had been saying, even though Percy had thought they were quiet enough not to be overheard.

Will snorted.

"Guys, stop with all the apologizing, or you'll never get done. It happened, it's done now, and we're now wiser and know that, the next time Percy gets his '_stuck zipped toga_', we'll get Jason right away to save the day." He declared, looking unimpressed by their words, though he glanced sideways at Jason no moment later, and Percy could clearly see the uncertainty in his bright blue eyes.

His stomach churned instantly, the urge to protect and reassure rising once more, though he tried to push it down, instead aiming for a small whine that may or may not have been real.

"Hey, it's not my fault, I panicked, okay? First, I get stuck and force you to help me out, and the next thing I know, my boyfriend walks in and thinks I'm cheating on him or something. Excuse you, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be any better with words than me in that sort of situation." He remarked drily, and Will sent him a nonplussed look, while Nico shuffled next to him awkwardly.

"I…I know you wouldn't cheat on me…" He heard him mumble, but all that did was make Percy feel even guiltier as he remembered how badly he had wanted Will to actually _really_ do something that would have undoubtedly counted as cheating.

He didn't want to cheat on Nico.

That was the last thing he wanted to do.

Not even.

The last thing he wanted was to die, and cheating came sometime after that, meaning there was absolutely _no way_ he'd want that.

All he wanted was…well…for the four of them to…you know?

Be together?

Like that?

Without cheating?

Just…the four of them…together…and happy…with something like a blowjob or some making out being something okay, something good, something positive, something to be considered 'normal', instead of cheating…

Will snorted.

"Of course he wouldn't cheat, Nico. He's as loyal as a dog, he'd rather rip his legs off than cheat on you. Plus, the day I start something with a taken guy – not to mention the boyfriend of my beloved Nico – is the day I-…"

"Save it, Freckles, we know what you mean." Jason interrupted with a glance towards Percy, and Percy was pretty sure Jason just did that because he knew how much Will's next words would have probably hurt him.

He knew not to take it personally, and that Will hadn't even said 'I wouldn't do this shit with _Percy_, of all people', but that didn't mean he wasn't interpreting it as such, anyways.

Will huffed out a small breath, but Percy could catch a glimpse of Jason's pinkie linking itself with Will's, so he was pretty sure those two were just fine.

Or going to be fine, at any rate.

He tugged Nico closer slightly, and his boyfriend glanced up at him quietly, searching his face for something Percy didn't know, so he aimed for a small smile.

Nico studied that for a moment, then his focus returned to Percy's eyes, his expression thoughtful.

What?

Had he said something wrong?

Was Nico doubting him now? His faithfulness? Them?

Before he could ask any of those questions, or say anything that could reassure Nico, the Italian already averted his gaze, instead looking towards his sister waving at them and motioning for them to hurry up.

Oh, right.

The meeting of the senate.

Percy wasn't sure what to make of that just yet, though he felt both honored and confused by Nico asking whether he'd like to come with.

On one hand, he was proud Nico actually wanted him around, but on the other hand, he simply couldn't see why.

Jason had known the Camp for ages already and knew the people, the history, the regulations, and he was smart, so Percy could see why he'd be important.

But what could Percy possibly do?

Well, it didn't matter.

He was glad to be part of it, anyways.

Nico pulled away from him, though he grabbed and squeezed Percy's hand one last time, before stepping in front of them and entering the building first, an air of confidence building around him as he went.

It was more than a little unnerving to watch, making Percy feel as if Nico had just left a part of him outside.

Maybe he had.

Percy glanced sideways at Jason and Will, and found both of them gazing at Nico with similar expressions, though none of them seemed very surprised about it.

Then again, neither was Percy.

It was just strange to watch, but he had seen it happen before.

Hazel led them to a room at the far end of the hall, and once they opened the door, they were hit by an onslaught of noise and chatter, making Will visibly cringe and Jason sigh, while Nico's expression didn't waver, and his step remained focused and deliberate.

Maybe it was said air of power, or maybe it was just the fact that there were four (Hazel remained at the door) new people filing it, or maybe it was a mix of both, but several people turned around to glance at them, just to fall silent and stare.

Nice.

Good thing none of them had problems with nerves.

By the sudden silence of some of those in attendance, and the gawking looks of others Percy could instantly tell who was part of the senate, and who was just company that would probably have to leave in a minute.

He could also instantly tell who among them were the ones behind Reyna, and who were the ones doubting, based on the various expressions of friendliness or outright hostility.

Nico walked towards the open seats next to Reyna and smiled slightly at Frank, who visibly brightened at the sight of them.

He looked as if he was ready to wave and gesticulate them over, just as Hazel had done, though he seemed to decide against it to avoid causing a scene people looking.

Percy and the others followed Nico, falling into step behind him to move through the hordes of demigods, and Jason urged Will to walk between Percy and him, as if he was trying to make sure he was protected.

He heard Will huff behind him, but Percy agreed with Jason.

If there were disputes in Camp Jupiter, they were bound to have an issue with the Greeks too, and out of the four of them, Will was the one they knew the least.

He thought of their plans of moving here for school and life in the future, and his stomach churned.

Yeah, hopefully, Reyna and Frank would be able to sort this mess out.

"Praetor Reyna, Praetor Frank, we apologize for our late arrival, there have been complications." Nico said, his voice formal and steady, and so unlike his usual voice.

It was way too low, way too calm.

Percy wondered whether he had such a business-voice, too, or whether that was just Nico.

Then he remembered how Jason's voice became all authoritative and commanding once in combat, and decided they probably all had that.

The thought calmed him for whatever reason, though he knew it wasn't the fact that Nico's voice had changed that was unnerving him in the first place.

He glanced behind him at Will again, who was looking around the room and at the various people with great interest, his blue eyes sparkling with curiosity, and the scene with the toga apparently absolutely forgotten.

…Apparently, he was the only one unnerved.

"We haven't started yet, so there is no need for you to apologize. We are glad you managed to make time to attend the meeting. Welcome back at Camp Jupiter." Reyna replied just as formally, and Percy looked back towards her, trying to push his personal problems aside for now.

She looked tired.

That was the first thing he noticed.

The second was that she was staring past him at Will with an odd expression on her face.

Oh please, she wasn't _still_ mistrusting him, right?

As if on cue, Will stiffened up behind him, undoubtedly either seeing or feeling her hard gaze.

Oh great.

Will was only _just_ recovering and getting better from all that Elysium-stuff, the last thing they needed was for him to freak out the way he had the last time they had been here.

Percy very subtly took a step to the side, effectively blocking Reyna's view of Will and making her look at him, instead.

Nico seemed to notice, glancing between the four before clearing his throat and motioning for them to settle into their seats.

But, while Percy had every intention of taking Will between Jason and himself, and far away from Reyna, Nico apparently had different plans, instead putting Percy right next to Reyna, then himself, then Will and then Jason.

Oh.

Oh well, that was good, too, he guessed.

Wasn't it strange that Nico chose not to sit next to Reyna, though?

Maybe he didn't want Percy and Will sitting next to each other.

Wait…

Did that mean Nico was _jealous_?

Percy's head snapped around, but Nico was busy leaning towards Will and whispering something into his ear.

Hm, didn't seem very jealous.

Then again, maybe he wasn't jealous of _Will_ on his knees in front of Percy, but of _Percy_ for having Will on his knees in front of him?

The thought made him both uneasy and hopeful at once, which was a rather weird mix and didn't sit well with him whatsoever.

Alright, he should _seriously_ get his mind off that topic for now.

At least until the meeting was over.

Nico leaned back in his seat again, and Percy finally managed to take a closer look at how damn nice he looked in that dark grey toga.

It wasn't as gloomy as his usual black one, but the golden border gave him that additional air of royalty and other-ness, allowing him to stand out more among the others, but in a good way.

This way, nobody would dare mess with him or put him down, but see him as the ambassador he was meant to represent.

Percy could see the hint of a smug grin on his face for a fleeting moment, but then it was gone, and dark, chocolate-colored eyes fixed on him.

Percy's heartbeat doubled, and he found himself swallowing, even though Nico looking at him shouldn't be anything new at this point.

However, Percy felt he wasn't being himself right about now, given that he wanted to lunge across his chair and crash their lips together and beg Nico to take him on this very table.

Which…was kind of unusual, even for Percy.

But, damn, Nico looked _hot_, okay?

"Are you okay?" Nico asked quietly, leaning towards him slightly, and Percy could feel a cool hand touching his thigh, making him want to both jump away and jump into Nico's arms, all at the same time.

He swallowed again.

"You look _very nice_." He blurted rather breathlessly, and Reyna let out a small, amused huff next to him, while Nico's eyes widened slightly in apparent surprise.

Percy felt his face heating, and promptly saw Jason leaning back in his seat and glancing over at him with a knowing smirk.

That ass.

Percy wanted to glower back at him, but then Will looked around, as well, and Percy turned his face away hurriedly, just to see Reyna smirking in a similar way to Jason, though she at least wasn't looking directly at him.

He still felt betrayed, though, huffing to himself and putting his elbows on the table to put his chin on his hands and sulk.

Nico's hand on his thigh twitched for a moment, as if uncertain whether to stay or leave, but then he started stroking Percy's thigh, leaning over to get his lips closer to Percy's ear.

"You look very nice as well, cuore mio. Though I admit I'd much rather see you in nothing at all."

If Percy had held anything, he'd have dropped it.

He'd have probably even gaped if his chin hadn't been resting on his hands.

As it was, there was nothing he could drop, so all he could do was feel his face erupting into flames as the meaning of Nico's words sank in, together with the heat pooling in the pit of his stomach due to Nico's hand giving his thigh an appreciative squeeze before retreating.

_What the…_

His head snapped around, but Nico was already turning away with a smug, satisfied grin, instead beginning to explain to Will how the senators were elected in Camp Jupiter.

Had Nico just…just like that…_here_?

"Percy, please don't start drooling." Reyna said smugly next to him, and his head snapped around to her next, even though all the turning and whirling was starting to make him dizzy.

Had she heard?

She fixed him with a knowing look, then winked at Nico with an appraising smirk when he glanced over, before she cleared her throat and stood up, with Frank following her lead.

Damn, she was _bound_ to have heard.

Percy glanced back at Nico to see how he'd take that, but Nico was merely looking at him with a dark and rather seductive expression, before turning his attention to the two praetors and acting as if nothing had happened.

What the…

Where had his blushing, adorable Nico gone, the one that would squeak and act as if the world was ending if somebody else insinuated he and Percy were having sex?

Reyna and Frank sent out the friends and onlookers, and once they finally all filed out of the room, the meeting of the senate was officially started.

Percy was only listening with one ear, the rest of his attention on his boyfriend, his heart in his throat.

Gods, a confident Nico would _definitely_ be the end of him.

He knew he had thought this before, but this was just…

Nico wasn't even just hot anymore, he was…_wow_.

The Italian glanced over to him, the hint of a smile hushing over his face, before he shifted and placed his hand back on Percy's thigh, stroking over the thick fabric of the toga, too thick to allow Percy to feel _much_, but Percy still felt his skin tingling as if Nico's touch could burn right through those clothes, even though his hand still seemed rather cool.

What wouldn't he give to have Nico really _touch_ him right now.

He saw Jason looking his way again, and knew he knew _exactly_ what was going on in Percy's head right now when he rolled his eyes and shot him a teasing smirk, as if taunting him.

_That ass._

Percy wished he sat closer, so he could kick him under the table or something.

As it was, all he could do was glower, until Nico's hand twitched and started stroking up and down his thigh with long, firm strokes – which instantly turned everything inside Percy to mush.

Oh gods, hopefully, this meeting wouldn't take too long.

He heard Jason's quiet, amused huff even over the noise of several demigods rambling at the same time, but this time, he ignored it, instead trying to relish in Nico's touch for as long as it lasted.

Which wasn't very long, because he pulled away the next moment to lean over to Will again.

_Mean._

Percy found himself shifting closer and straining his ears, but all Nico was doing was explaining the various ranks in the fastest and simplest way Percy had ever heard (now even _he_ understood the differences).

It struck him as odd that Nico would actually go out of his way to explain this to Will, right here, right now, but then Percy caught a glimpse of Will's face, and his eyebrows shot up.

Will seemed…oddly _impressed_.

_Intrigued_, definitely. And the way his eyes gleamed with wonder and amazement, hanging onto each and every word Nico was saying…

Yeah, he was _definitely_ awed.

And when Nico pulled away to lean back into his chair again, Percy could detect that hint of a smug grin again, and this time Percy was sure it wasn't because of him.

Wait…was Nico…was he _showing off_?

Wait, whoa.

First of all, Nico was being sex on legs again, all confident and breathtaking, just to then turn suggestive and even make _a move_ on Percy, and now he was showing off to Will, telling him what he knew?

Percy had to say he was more than a little impressed.

Who'd have guessed?

Nico glanced around at him, and Percy's gaze instantly dropped to his lips.

How high were the chances Nico would let them make out right when the meeting was done and they were back in their room?

"Patience, cuore mio." Nico whispered, his fingers brushing up Percy's arm, his expression telling Percy he knew exactly what he was thinking.

Percy felt a rather stupid grin appearing on his face.

Oh, chances seemed very high.

And hey, if Nico was bragging to Will, that had to mean he still had to have at least some interest in him, right?

After all, Nico di Angelo had never been the bragging type.

Yes, yes, this day seemed to actually take a turn for the better.

Percy settled back into his chair with a smug grin, and when Jason glanced at him this time, it was Percy wiggling his eyebrows at him, making Jason roll his eyes with a small smile and a shake of his head.

Oh yes, this day was definitely going to be good.

At least he hoped so.

...

"But you can't seriously expect us to be okay with you setting the dogs on all of us, just because you can't-…" A boy started loudly, but his voice was immediately drowned out by an onslaught of noises, some agreeing, others arguing.

Will raised an eyebrow, watching the chaos unfold in front of him before turning towards Reyna curiously, to see how she was taking those rather direct blows to her leadership.

But Reyna looked as formidable and in charge as ever, giving no sign she had even heard the accusing tone or words.

"Please quieten down, we're here to hold a peaceful meeting, not yell around senselessly." She said firmly, her voice loud and authoritative, and Will glanced back to the other members of the senate, who indeed lowered their voices, though they still bickered among each other and with her, even if she ignored that.

Will wondered whether all meetings went this way.

"Usually, things are done in a much more orderly fashion." Nico explained quietly, and Will gave a small nod, though he couldn't picture it.

"Reminds me a bit of our meetings back at Camp Half-Blood. Just that Clarisse would have impaled something by now…or someone." He commented, and heard Jason snort next to him.

"That's why we're holding these meetings in New Rome, where weapons aren't allowed, Freckles."

That made sense.

Maybe they should make that rule in Camp Half-Blood, too.

No weapons during important meetings.

Yeah, that so wasn't going to work out.

The day Clarisse would put her weapon down somewhere that wasn't inside a monster's or person's body, was the day she decided to give up on fighting and instead pursue something like gardening.

Which was to say: never.

And if _she_ had a weapon, nobody else would want to be unarmed.

So there was that.

"So, when are they finally going to get to the point?" He asked, right when everyone else fell quiet, and he cringed inwardly when the majority of the room turned to glower at him.

Oops.

Both Jason and Nico shifted, and the senators' eyes automatically hushed to them instead, before looking struck/taken aback and quickly averting their gazes again, making Will frown and glance sideways at his friends.

But Jason was busy studying the table with a suspiciously innocent expression, and Nico was hurriedly looking back at Percy with his hand back on his thigh, making Percy look so far gone with want again.

Poor Percy.

Was Nico even aware of what he was doing to him?

He caught sight of a rather smug grin on Nico's face, and was pretty sure the answer was '_Yes_'.

_Well_.

Well, as long as they were alright.

Not that Will had seriously thought things wouldn't be okay after that toga-accident earlier, since that of course hadn't been anything…

Oh gods, just the memory made him want to groan, though.

_Why_ had he kneeled down in front of Percy, again?

Thinking back to it, there _had_ to have been a different way to go about the matter, instead of Will dropping to his knees to get his face in Percy's crotch.

_Seriously_.

Then again, he had sort of hoped they'd be able to get out of that mess _before_ the other two came back, to spare him the need to explain.

Though he also had to admit he hadn't really expected Jason and Nico to honesty think he would have…with Percy…

Gods, no.

Well…

No.

No, he wouldn't have done that.

Hey, he might have had a special moment with Jason (alright, more than one, by now, but only one had really ended with them getting each other off for real, so there was that), but that didn't mean he would let that happen with anybody else, okay?

Especially not with a taken guy.

Especially not with Percy.

No matter if Will was interested in him and would have loved to…_explore_…that didn't mean he'd ever actually _do_ anything.

Not like that.

Not when it would mean hurting Nico in the process (not to mention Jason, even if they weren't really dating).

So, yeah, even if he _might_ have been a _tiny_ bit interested when he had been that close to Percy's crotch, there was no way it would have ever turned into more.

Then again, who was he kidding, even if he had wanted more, there still wouldn't have been anything, since this was _Percy_, after all.

Percy would have never…

Will hesitated, thinking back to the turmoil he had felt inside Percy when he had hooked his fingers in the waistband of his jeans for a better hold, feeling the heat of Percy's skin, as well as his values.

He…hadn't exactly seemed _opposed_ or _disturbed_ by Will's proximity or their positioning, to be honest…

Of course, that didn't have to mean anything, because Percy might not even have thought into that direction at all, but…

Well, whatever.

It didn't really matter.

Will glanced sideways at Jason.

What mattered was the way Jason had seemed borderline _angry_ instead of surprised, as if the thought of him blowing Percy hadn't been as shocking to him as the _timing_ of said blowjob.

Which…had kind of hurt, Will had to admit.

Did Jason really think he'd just do this sort of thing with anybody?

What they had done?

To Will, that had been something special, something unique, something he had never thought he'd have with anybody, and something he was sure was reserved solely for Jason and their weird sort of relationship.

He knew what the guys had to think of him.

He knew he had put himself into that position where they would undoubtedly come to the conclusion he was some sort of slut.

But…maybe he had kind of thought Jason would see him differently than that.

Not _completely_ differently, since this was just how Will was, and the fact he fancied three guys at once instead of one like any other person would only showed it all the more, but…maybe he had thought Jason would at least see him a teeny tiny bit differently.

Jason met his gaze, his expression instantly softening and his fingers brushing against Will's arm gently, as if asking what was wrong.

Will averted his face hurriedly and took a deep, determined breath.

No, he wouldn't let this get to him.

If anything, this should make him try harder to show Jason that he wasn't all _that_ bad, and that he knew perfectly well how to be faithful.

Though they technically weren't dating yet.

Oh well, who cared?

Jason stroked over his arm gently, and Will decided _he_ certainly _didn't_ care.

But all of that wasn't important right now, anyways.

The on-going yelling and ranting in front of him that was supposed to be a civilized discussion to find a solution to a problem he didn't yet understand? _That_ was important right now.

"You've had _months_ to find the one responsible for this, and _nothing_! I say we go and-…" One tall, lanky guy said, but was promptly elbowed in the ribs by a short, bulky girl that let out a derisive snort.

"Show some respect, I haven't seen _you_ trying to find the culprit – or culprit_s_! Who says there's only one person? The praetors have done all in their power to keep us safe and together, it is our own fault if we _wander from our spots_, isn't that right? Don't even try to tell me you haven't been sneaking off to be with a certain daughter of Venus while you were _supposed_ to be watching the entrance to the-…" She started, talking so fast and loud that she drowned out most of the voices around her effortlessly, while still being miraculously intelligible.

She was still interrupted by Reyna slamming her hands on the table, her expression alone screaming she had had enough.

"_Quiet_! We are _Romans_, so act your part! _I don't car_e who did their job the best and who didn't, I want to know _who_ is passing information, and who the one _receiving_ said information is! Now sit down and speak in an orderly fashion, _or so Bellona help me_!"

Will had never heard Reyna yell, much less like this, so nobody could blame him for practically jumping out of his seat and into Jason.

However, looking around at the struck faces and startled jumps all around the table, he was beginning to assume they had also never heard their praetor speak like this.

Jason had his hands on Will's arms left and right, his hold protective, though he didn't seem intimidated whatsoever.

If anything, he seemed impressed.

Of course he'd be.

Will would be, too, if he wasn't still too busy half clinging to Jason in shock.

He glanced around towards Nico, wondering whether he had noticed, just to notice that the Italian had moved, too, one hand on Will's back (which he hadn't even noticed, shame on him), and the other around Percy, who had apparently done the same as Will and half hoisted himself into Nico's arms at Reyna's outbreak.

What a hero.

Now Will definitely felt better about himself.

If _hero-of-the-Olympians-_Percy was allowed to have a weak moment and leap into his boyfriend's arms, then _plain-and-ordinary-_Will was definitely allowed to leap into Jason's.

He of course still let go of Jason instantly and shifted back onto his seat properly, subtly checking whether any of the other kids in here had noticed.

Luckily, though, they all had their eyes on Reyna.

It was also remarkably quiet all of a sudden.

Wow.

Will wished _he_ had such an effect on people sometimes.

Would definitely come in handy every now and then on busy days in the infirmary.

Reyna gave each of them a hard glare, only leaving out Jason and Nico, but therefore giving Will triple the judgement in her gaze.

Great.

He hadn't even _said_ anything!

Mean.

When Percy practically shrank back into his seat with a small, almost inaudible wail at the glare she shot him though, Will found himself uncaring of how much this woman disliked him, he leaned forward anyways, suddenly feeling rather protective.

Of course, he needn't have bothered, since Jason and Nico reacted instinctively, too, but his mouth was the quickest to open and utter something undoubtedly stupid that he was going to regret any moment now.

Because, so far, he had no idea what to say, yet was already talking.

Just his luck.

"So, I don't want to be rude or anything, but I still don't understand. You say there's somebody – or several somebodies – passing on information, but you don't know who, why, what or to whom?" He asked, and was surprised to find that actually made sense.

He thought it didn't even sound all that bad or rude.

However, when _everybody_ in the room turned to look at him, and only four of them without any form of anger or resentment (bless Frank for being a sweetheart and sending him a small smile. Will loved that guy), he decided it _was_ probably rude to suddenly speak after the leader of this place had just exploded in rage.

Or maybe it was forbidden for him to speak in general, since he was technically only a sort of guest, not an actual member of the senate, or an ambassador or anything.

Or ex-praetor like Jason and Percy.

Well, whatever.

He totally wasn't afraid of having all this attention on him or anything.

He was a child of Apollo, he was used to being the center of attention, even thrived to be.

At least that's what he thought, but he still felt himself shifting ever so subtly towards Jason, who put his hand on his thigh as if to tell him it was okay, and that he should go on.

Sadly, Will really only started relaxing once he felt the comfort of the touch.

Wow.

He was pathetic.

"Yes." Reyna said quietly, her voice controlled, though there was a fire in her eyes that told him he should watch his words if he ever wanted this woman on his side.

And since she was something like Nico's best friend next to the guys, Will definitely didn't want to be on her bad side, like, _ever_.

Sadly, he knew his next words wouldn't win him any favors with her whatsoever.

"Well…erm…if you don't know who the spy is, what the spy does, why the spy does it and who the spy works for…how exactly do you know there's a spy?"

Surprisingly enough, the room neither erupted into laughter nor indignant outcries, though the glares didn't lessen.

But, hey, they let him talk.

Maybe they were humoring him?

Reyna let out a loud sigh, falling back into her chair and looking between exasperated and exhausted.

Somebody seemed tired.

Will had noticed that the first moment he had glimpsed her, but at this moment, it was especially visible, almost palpable, even.

He'd offer her a massage and give her something against the headache he could feel from here, but she'd probably either think he was hitting on her, or that he was trying to kill her.

So, yeah, no.

He might give Nico something to give her against that headache, though, because he could see it in the way her eyebrows furrowed and her jaw clenched that it was getting worse.

"There have been…incidents. Shadows passing where nobody should have been, scrolls going missing – though, as we said earlier, we now keep finding them all over the place, which is even stranger. Recently, there's even been fights and people getting injured, though so far nobody has been able to even give as much as a description of the assailant. We know there's a spy, we know what they do, we just don't know _what_ they're doing." Reyna explained patiently, rubbing at her temples.

Why was she doing that? That wasn't going to help.

Some water and a lot of sleep (and less stress) would help.

Will decided not to tell her, instead giving a quick nod to show he understood.

Her gaze didn't soften.

Of course it didn't.

She still hated him.

Will remembered her offer to confide in her if he needed to.

Alright, maybe she didn't _hate_ him.

But she was definitely still wary of him, and she definitely still didn't trust him.

Oh well, it was his own fault.

Frank shifted and spoke up now, too.

"There's also been leaks of information – not vital or particularly important, but nevertheless _confidential_ information – inside Camp. Writings on walls, both in New Rome as well as the training areas, whispers in the crowds, letters placed randomly with entire conversations written down word for word. You'd guess we'd be able to find the one behind this from finger prints or handwriting, but nothing. _Nothing_." He explained, his voice a lot friendlier than Reyna's, though not lacking in authority whatsoever.

Had Will mentioned he loved this guy?

Alright, back to the matter at hand.

"What sort of information are we talking about? Could it be coincidental?" Jason asked with a light frown and leaned forward, his whole demeanor yelling '_Leader_', but Will didn't dwell on it, instead keeping his eyes on Reyna mostly to avoid her glowering at him any more than she already was.

He didn't want her to think he wasn't listening or paying attention, after all.

(Plus, didn't she used to have a crush on Jason at some point? Oh great, he'd never get that woman to like him.)

"It's random, but impossible to be coincidental. The person in question has to be familiar with us, too, since so far every person in any of the written down conversations was named with first and last name, middle names too, if there were any. Which, again, leads to the assumption of it being somebody from _inside_ the Camp." Reyna summed up, and shot Will a small look, as if refraining from saying 'I guess that means you're safe for now'.

"But nobody has seen anything? Anything at all?" Nico pressed, sounding thoughtful, and Will could practically see the thoughts churning in that pretty head of his.

Not that he was staring at Nico out of the corners of his eyes or anything.

"Nothing. I know you'll probably think of something along the lines of ghosts or _mania_, but we've already thought of those possibilities, and come to the conclusion that's highly unlikely." Reyna replied, all her attention on Nico now, which Will didn't mind whatsoever.

The other senators in the room seemed to mind, though, if the way quite a few of them started shifting stood for anything.

But they remained quiet.

One raised their hand, but didn't speak, and Will was pretty sure Reyna didn't even notice, her body still ever so slightly hunched.

Seriously, this woman needed some water (and tea, just to be safe), some cookies and a good nap.

For a week.

Yeah, if he was her doctor, a week of bed rest would be the first thing he'd prescribe her.

Good thing he wasn't her doctor, because he was pretty sure that was one of the things that would get him killed (or fired, to be nice) in no time.

Will half expected Nico to pry, to ask why they were so sure it wasn't anything already dead, but instead caught Nico and Reyna exchanging a long, telling look, as if the two of them knew something that the others didn't.

Well, he couldn't say he was surprised.

"And there were no results when you checked the handwriting? Nothing even close?" Jason asked, but Reyna once more shook her head.

"Nothing. We have samples of each and every single person residing in Camp Jupiter and New Rome, and none of them match. Sure, there were the occasional similarities, but all the people in question have been thoroughly checked and can be considered unrelated to the incidents."

Written samples of _every_ person living here?

Wow.

Will had to admit that was more than a little impressive.

It also seemed a bit paranoid, but he guessed it was just like fingerprint scans for the mortals.

"You don't have no samples of anybody from _their_ Camp." The lanky boy snorted derisively, nodding towards Will with a scowl, and Will felt Nico and Jason shuffling in their seats, both of them sitting up straighter and staring him down.

_Whoa, hey._

He put his hands on their thighs, hopefully conveying everything was good.

Who'd have guessed they could get so protective?

(Kind of cute.)

"I can give my writing sample if you wish, no problem." He said with a light shrug, and the boy crossed his arms in front of his chest with an unimpressed expression, though he averted his gaze anyways.

"We _have_ taken samples, and you are very well aware of that. You are right in saying we don't have everyone, but that is because we can't demand of the Greeks to give us that level of trust and willingly give us all the information of their registered Campers." Frank pointed out, and Will couldn't help but snort.

"Registered Campers? You won't get any information on that, because there's none. If you want writing samples or fingerprints, though, I'm sure that's manageable. But…I don't think you'll find anything there, either." He explained, and caught Nico's lips twitching into a small smile next to him, as if either amused by his words or the fact he was once more interrupting, even though he was technically nothing but a guest.

Will didn't care.

He was much more distracted by the sudden huffs around the table and the glares he received.

"Oh yeah? To be expected that a _Graecus_ would think his people are so much better." He heard one of the kids mutter, and rolled his eyes.

"That's not what I said!" Will argued, but was drowned out by the murmuring getting louder again.

Gods, such _kids_.

Jason moved forward and brought his hand down on the table.

"_Quiet_! Let him explain." He said, not yelling, but his voice still loud, clear, and so, so authoritative.

Will felt his heartbeat quicken, gazing at Jason with a mixture of awe and an unreasonably giddy euphoria at Jason supporting him like that.

Which, of course, wasn't all that surprising or anything, since Jason had decided to be Greek rather than Roman, and their insults would be directed towards him, too, as well as all the other Greeks…so there was that.

Still, Will was once more impressed by how dominant and authoritative Jason could be when the situation demanded it.

(It both impressed and scared him, but right now he was too busy drooling over Jason to think about his fears much.)

Jason turned to look at him, his expression surprisingly soft and gentle, giving him a small nod to tell him he should continue.

Will found himself smiling at him stupidly instead of talking, anyways.

Then, he heard Frank ever so subtly clearing his throat, and hurriedly did the same, looking away from Jason towards the other kids in the room, who all looked at him with great interest – or great distaste, depending on who he was looking at.

He focused on the lanky boy, who had the hostility written all over his face.

"I'm not saying we're any better. Nor that you won't find somebody doing something bad. We had plenty of bad guys in Camp at one point or another, nobody will deny that. But you're talking about acts of vandalism, violence and sabotage, which-…"

"What? Are too good for the Greek?" The boy spat, but Will continued undeterred.

"Nah, but, this stuff has been taking place for what, days, weeks, _months_ now?" He pointed out, and the boy almost snarled, sinking back into his seat.

"So?"

Will snorted.

"Well, I'd love to see how somebody from Camp Half-Blood could possibly come over here, gain inside knowledge, run around spreading rumors and scaring the shit out of you…while never leaving Camp Half-Blood."

Silence.

The boy was scowling, but so far back in his seat now that it seemed as if he was trying to subtly slide under the table.

Will let his words hang in the air for a moment before continuing.

"We might not have any fancy records of the kids at Camp, but we all know each other, and after the one or other incident…" He glanced towards Percy, but decided not to bring up Luke. "…we do watch over each other. If somebody behaved oddly and started disappearing, we'd know. Especially for so long. Travelling from one Camp to the other in such short time frames seems implausible, too. I mean, you know how long it takes Jason to travel to and fro with his group, and it wouldn't be all that faster if that somebody was alone. Since Nico is the only one I know who can shadow-travel, that's out of the question, too. So…yeah, I'm pretty sure you won't find who you're looking for at Camp Half-Blood – though you're free to check, anyways. I'm confident the '_Graeca_' will be just fine showing you once more you can trust us, even though you haven't shown us anything in return yet."

That hit.

Several senators flinched back, while the rest shot them smug, telling looks, as if they had had such discussions before.

Once more, it was plain obvious who was on Reyna's side, and who was still foolish enough to think differently.

Nico's hand found his thigh and squeezed gently, and Will took it as a 'Good job' and a sign he was allowed to lean back and let Nico take over.

"I agree, it seems unlikely that the spy is somebody from Camp Half-Blood, especially if the incidents are still on-going. As far as I'm aware, the only people in Camp Jupiter right now that aren't Roman are three Greek demigods and us, and we were in the Underworld the past weeks, so if the other three haven't been conspicuous, I don't see any possible risks there. Of course, it could be an ex-camper or the like, in which case neither Camp would have any record or knowledge of the person or their whereabouts. However…" Nico leaned forward, his arms on the table, and an air of darkness and authority around him as he gazed straight at the lanky boy, who was by now half under the table, only his head visible.

"…I believe it _unwise_ to start pointing fingers at anybody or anything just yet. It seems like that would play right into the plans of whoever is behind all of this. As you said, we don't know who we're dealing with yet, but it's obvious they want to cause distrust and chaos."

Will agreed.

So did Jason and several others, if the small nods they gave stood for anything.

Nico turned towards Reyna.

"My best guess would be to do something unexpected. I would have suggested ignoring the leaks, but with all the people involved and rumors already spreading, that would only egg the culprit on to do even worse. If you had had the time, this might have led to them messing up and running into a trap, but with things being the way they are now, I wouldn't risk it."

"What would you suggest, then?" Reyna asked, curiosity in her dark eyes, and Will had a hunch this was exactly why she had waited until Nico was back to call in such a meeting.

The Italian shrugged, leaning back and letting his eyes travel over the senators.

"Anything, really. It could be a week full of games, with everybody out and about, which would make it much more difficult for anybody to do anything sneaky, even if there aren't any guards. Or you could start spreading rumors, yourself, contradict whatever it is they are saying, no matter whether it's true or not. Of course, there's also the chance to spread such wild, unrealistic rumors to the point nobody will believe anything anymore, but since we don't know what we're dealing with, ridicule may backfire."

Will shuffled, wondering whether he could get away with interrupting Nico.

But…

Jason's hand found his thigh again, giving him a gentle squeeze, and Will glanced around at him, finding him smiling at him softly and nodding his head ever so slightly.

Will decided to take that as permission.

"Can I add to that?" He asked, mainly to be polite, and Nico shot him an almost amused look, as if he knew full well Will would talk either way.

Hey, so not true.

…Ok, maybe a little bit.

"You don't know what conversations are being overheard and which ones aren't, right? How about you have deliberate, important-sounding conversations in various places, and see which ones are being marked down and which ones aren't? Also, Nico is right, ridicule might backfire, but that doesn't mean you can't show them you aren't to be messed with. Why not spread some counter-rumors? Or even better, openly state that, yes, you've had those conversations, and that you have no secrets, and aren't ashamed. I mean, I don't know what topics were covered, but anything that would have some sort of effect on the people around you, you could offer to make known to the public, yourself. That would render anything the culprit does irrelevant and useless, and would give your people a boost, I'm sure. And…if you're suspecting somebody from inside your ranks…" He trailed off, glancing at the other senators, which were still parted in people glowering daggers at him, and people genuinely interested.

"…then start planting." He finished, and looked back towards Reyna, who very slowly raised an eyebrow.

"_Planting_?" She finally asked, albeit reluctantly, and he shrugged.

"Think of one secret, change it ten times, tell each version to a different group of people, insisting it's 'strictly confidential'. Wait a few weeks, and see which version leaked. Narrow the group of people down and repeat. You know. Takes a while, but will get you to the ones at fault in the end."

He was surprised they hadn't tried this already.

And this was supposed to be the oh-so-organized Camp Jupiter?

If this was happening over at Camp Half-Blood, Will would simply go to the Stolls and set them up to find the culprit.

They loved messing with people's heads like this, and would have thought of a hundred different tricks and methods already to catch somebody red-handed in no time, he was certain.

If he wasn't also sure they'd get lynched if they caused havoc over here, he'd have put in a nice word with them and get them to solve this little issue.

Will leaned back, and wasn't surprised whatsoever when half the room erupted into rather loud muttering and exclamations again, the arguments starting at 'That's trickery, the praetors would never get away with resorting to such medieval methods!' and ending with 'Typical of the _Graeca_, always thinking of lies, cunning and twisted as their minds are!'.

Both Jason and Nico moved, but it was Frank who loudly cleared his throat and made the person in question shut up instantly.

"You can't seriously consider this!" One kid exclaimed breathlessly, while the senators to the left and right of her shot her dark looks.

"Why not? Seems like a better idea than anything you came up with." The kid to her left said.

"I don't think it's sneaky at all. If anything, it's pretty clever." The kid to her right chimed in.

"I agree, both have presented sound arguments and suggestions that I would like to discuss in the future. I understand your concerns, but you have to consider the severity of the problem. We do not know what the spy is after, nor why, nor what might come from it. I believe it's best to find the culprit before things get any more out of hand. However, if anybody here has anything better to offer, feel free to speak." Reyna said quietly, and Will glanced around again, not surprised in the slightest when nobody moved or made to speak.

"Anything any of _you_ wish to add?" Reyna asked, turning towards Percy, Nico, Will and Jason once more, though she was mostly looking at Will, as if expecting him to give them another piece of his mind.

Yeah, no, he was pretty much done.

The only things he would want to add were some examples of 'secrets' she could use that always worked and could be changed easily while not becoming unrealistic or exaggerated – and thus, obvious.

But he didn't want to say those in front of everybody present.

He knew _his_ guys were good, but he had no clue who these other kids were, and he wasn't going to give them any pointers or anything if he couldn't be a hundred percent certain they weren't involved in the troublemaking.

The four of them shook their heads, and Will glanced at Percy to check whether he was being sane again.

But Percy was gazing at Nico with what could only be considered heart-eyes, so he took that as a no.

Damn that guy.

He usually was a lot more help in situations like these, since he was a lot like Jason.

Which was to say, a leader through and through, and his ideas – albeit generally unusual and borderline crazy – tended to always be spot on and work in one way or another, too.

Oh well.

Even a Percy Jackson deserved a weak day, he guessed.

Hopefully, Nico would have mercy on the guy and actually follow up on all his teasing, else they'd be stuck with an overly horny Percy the entire day.

And Percy was whiny when he was horny, so they definitely didn't want that.

Will frowned at his own thoughts, noticing that another discussion seemed to have started while he had been busy staring at Percy, who was staring back with a slightly dazed, almost dreamy expression that made his heartbeat quicken for no reason whatsoever.

Seriously, though, what was he even thinking about?

And why did he know Percy was whiny when horny?

What did it even matter?

It didn't.

It would be useful to know if they were dating, but they weren't, so it wasn't even any of his business.

Will leaned back with a huff, and Jason's fingers brushed against his arm again, making him smile inwardly, his mood instantly improving.

Jason was always so attentive.

Most of the time, that wasn't really a good thing, but in times like these, it certainly was nice.

Will glanced at him, and Jason gazed back with a small smile, his expression gentle and affectionate, and his lips so, so alluring.

He wondered faintly whether the fact he was staring at Jason's lips meant that he'd be the overly horny and useless person if Jason and he were in a relationship.

Then he discarded the thought because Jason would never tease him like Nico was teasing Percy.

At least he thought so until he watched Jason blink and realization wash over his face, before his smile turned into a smirk and his hand moved to stroke down Will's arm to his hand, which was resting on his lap.

Then, his hand was on Will's thigh, making his breath hitch in his throat, though the others were talking too loud for anybody to notice.

Oh wow.

_Jason, you traitor._

Will set his jaw and tried to glare, but all that did was making the corners of Jason's eyes crinkle in amusement as he leaned over.

"Say what you want, that toga suits you _really_ well."

Oh gods.

That was like killing two birds with one stone.

What a mean move of Jason, making use of his sensitive ears _and_ his newfound thing for praise!

_Fuck this guy._

(Quite literally, too, though he knew he couldn't have that.)

"Is the mighty Jason Grace flirting with me?" He whispered back, leaning closer so Jason could hear him while nobody else would (hopefully, at least).

Jason gave a small huff.

"Wouldn't know about the whole 'mighty'-thing, but, yeah, I am. Glad you noticed."

Sarcastic little shit.

Will's unhelpful mind pointed out that Jason was one of the tallest guys he knew.

Fine.

Sarcastic _tall_ shit, then.

He was about to reply, when there was suddenly a lot of movement and shuffling around him, and he realized Reyna and Frank must have ended the discussion.

At least all the other senators were getting up, half of them exasperated and shooting the other half more than a little frustrated looks, and the other half seething and muttering things under their breaths that definitely couldn't be considered nice in any sort of way.

In fact, it made him realize where Jason must have gotten his wide choice of swearwords from.

Will contemplated jumping up, as well, but then didn't, instead leaning forward in his seat and turning towards Reyna.

"Quick question, how exactly do we know anything discussed in these meetings remain our knowledge alone?" He asked, already readying himself for the onslaught of death glares and indignant exclamations he received no moment later.

"He's asking so he knows whether we'll be able to talk about this in private later on, or whether that will send us straight to hell. In Camp Half-Blood, when things go into suspected treachery-territory, they have changed it to swear upon the River Styx these days, to prevent information from leaking, especially in cases such as these." Jason explained smoothly, though that hadn't been what Will had thought about, at all.

He just didn't trust those kids very much.

But he didn't point that out.

Reyna looked at him as if she knew, anyways.

"That is a splendid idea, Jason. While most of the things discussed in these meetings are made public right after, in this case, I agree it would be best if no information gets out, at least not right now. And since the stakes are too high to be overheard, I think it would be best not to speak about any of this, to nobody, not even with each other. That will also count for you four." Reyna said, and Will decided to ignore the fact she had just acted as if this had been Jason's idea, when it was supposed to have been Will's.

(In fact, he mostly ignored it _because_ it had been Jason's idea.)

Several senators groaned, and one muttered a derisive 'Seriously? Is this really necessary? Stupid _Graeci_!', but that only made Will feel rather smug.

Frank, however – as surprising as it was – seemed to have had enough.

"The next person to refer to anybody Greek as _Graecus_, especially in such a derogatory tone, will be punished with a week of street cleaning duty, no exceptions. I will not tolerate any more disrespect directed towards our _friends_, who have done nothing but be helpful and supportive, even trying to accommodate our customs and rules as well as they can, for no reason other than to be polite." His voice was calm and collected, but with an underlying tone of utter disappointment and borderline anger, which was so unusual for _Frank_ that even Will stared for a moment.

Reyna nodded next to him.

"Agreed. As Romans, one would assume you'd value respect, dignity and politeness, instead of engaging in such primitive and offensive behavior, especially without reason."

Oh wow.

Will felt both flattered and amused by their determination to make everybody show some more respect.

Seriously, though, he didn't particularly care what they called him.

And he highly doubted Percy, Nico or Jason particularly cared, either, though he also knew the name-calling was mostly directed towards him.

Nobody would ever disrespect Nico, after all, and Percy and Jason were still admired and respected for their former rank of praetor, regardless of what Camp they ultimately belonged to.

Some of the kids made disgruntled faces, but the talking stopped, and Reyna and Frank moved over to the door to start on the oaths.

That probably meant Will, Jason, Percy and Nico should get up now, too.

Will glanced around at Nico, who had his hand back on Percy's thigh and was leaning over, whispering something into his ear that Will didn't want to know (he still caught a few words though, which only strengthened his resolve that he _definitely_ didn't want to know).

_Seriously?_

They should start making some sort of schedule to guarantee those two lovesick fools got enough time alone, even with them insisting it was okay and that they rather spent time together with Will and Jason.

Well, he guessed this meant _he_ had to ensure those two would have their (apparently much-needed) privacy.

The things he did for them, it was astounding.

He sighed, looking around at Jason, who was eyeing Nico and Percy with a rather amused expression, though he immediately met Will's gaze with a questioning one of his own.

Will wished he was asking whether the two of them could be such lovesick fools, too, but he knew Jason's gaze more meant 'What should we do now?', rather than 'Would you like me to woo you like that, too?'.

Shame.

Then again, Will should be the one doing the wooing.

Meh.

Right now, there wouldn't be any wooing, because they still hadn't really talked about what exactly had been Jason's problem yesterday.

While the (angry) making-out had certainly been nice (amazing), and they were kind of good again (somewhat), he still had no idea what had been wrong in the first place.

Why would Jason be afraid of losing him?

It had been _his_ idea to stick to Will and insist he liked him and that they'd make it work somehow, so what was this?

Was he doubting a 'them' already?

Will nudged Jason's arm to motion for them to get up, shaking off those thoughts determinedly.

No, no more assumptions.

He already had enough trouble with his constant denial-issues that he had sworn he'd work on, he didn't have time to battle his expectations and assumptions next to that, too.

After all, he had realized a _long_ time ago that things never happened the way he expected them do.

Which was unfair, because Jason's expectations usually seemed spot on, from what Will had noticed so far.

Oh well, maybe that meant they complimented each other?

Wait, since when was _Will_ this positive?

…Probably because he was suddenly confronted with Jason seeming uncertain and troubled, and Sally's words were still buzzing in his head, and he had probably gotten his hopes up way too fast and way too much.

Gods, he knew it would all be for naught in the end, but he just…he was stupid, okay?

Whatever.

They got up, and Will motioned for Nico to remain where he was for now, which made Nico both look grateful and embarrassed at the same time for a moment, before he turned back to Percy.

One by one, the senators gave their oaths and filed out of the room, and Will and Jason quietly waited for it to be their turn.

"You got a plan?" Jason asked, and Will shot him a telling look.

Of course he did.

Jason's lips twitched, and he looked straight ahead again.

They watched how the Khool-Aid-addicted kid swore on the Styx and disappeared from view with another sip from that horrid, sugar-pumped stuff that made Will's inner medic scream.

"Hey…Will…" Jason started quietly, and Will glanced back at him, concern and uncertainty instantly making him feel hot and cold at the same time at the rather serious tone Jason was using.

What?

What was it?

This sounded important.

Like something _bad_.

Was this something-…

"About last night…"

Uh-oh.

Will could feel his heart jumping into his throat, feeling the panic course through him.

Alright, angry making-out might have not been all that great, after all, considering Jason and his boundaries and whatever else.

What if he said this was too fast-moving (which it _was_, and they both knew it), and that they shouldn't continue this?

Or what if Jason insisted Will should make up his mind once and for all?

(He really should, and he knew it, too.)

Will swallowed hard, noticing there were now only two more people in front of them.

He so didn't want to have a nervous break-down in front of Reyna, when about to swear secrecy onto the River Styx.

"…what exactly did you do? That healing thing you did? I never saw you doing that before." Jason finished, and Will wanted to yell a prayer of gratitude to the universe, feeling the relief flooding through him and momentarily making him light-headed.

Oh.

_That_.

Oh wait.

Great, he hated having to explain that, mostly because he could barely understand it properly, himself.

"You don't have to tell me, of course." Jason instantly added, always the caring and considerate person.

But Will merely shrugged, trying to act unbothered as usual (more or less).

"I learned that some time ago in the infirmary. More or less. When you out-power yourself over and over again with prayers to a god who may or may not hear you, you tend to find out other ways to get what you want, you know?" He tried, though that made it sound an awful lot as if he had gone around kissing random kids in the infirmary.

Eww.

Not good.

But Jason didn't comment, merely nodding his understanding.

"So that wasn't your dad's healing?"

_Of course not!_

"Nope, that was all my own. It…it works with almost any physical contact, of course. You know. So I didn't…" He started, then cringed at how pathetic _that_ had to sound.

Jason's head instantly snapped around with an alarmed expression, his hands up as if to either soothe Will's concerns or make him shut up.

"I wasn't thinking _anything_ like that! I know you wouldn't do that-…oh…" Jason broke off, glancing back towards Percy and Nico with an almost _guilty_ look, and Will knew he was thinking of his outbreak earlier during the toga-incident.

Will pursed his lips, while Jason made a face.

"That…I didn't mean it like that, Will. I know you wouldn't…Will, I _really_ didn't think like that _at all_. I know how it must have sounded, but that wasn't what I meant. It really wasn't."

Will waved off, trying to make up his mind what to make of Jason's words, though without much success.

"It's okay. I'd understand if you did think like that. I mean, it's not like I ever gave the impression I'm particularly-…"

"Don't. Don't you dare. You're _not_ like that, Will, and I really, _really_ didn't think like that."

If he didn't, then what had he thought?

Will didn't understand.

"I used that form of healing on Nico." He heard himself blurting instead of saying anything else which might have been more sensible, and Jason momentarily froze next to him, before glancing over at him with an odd, uncertain look, as if he wasn't sure where Will was going with this.

"Okay…?"

Will looked away pointedly.

"The same way I did with you. For a different reason, though. You remember when he tried to reuse is powers?"

Why he felt the need to add that it had been because of a panic attack instead of wild making-out (which should have been obvious, of course) was beyond him.

Why he was mentioning this at all was also beyond him.

Why was it that he wanted nothing more than to go out with Jason, yet he constantly seemed to struggle between trying to keep him close and determinedly doing everything in his power to push him away?

"Alright." Was all Jason replied, and Will stiffened slightly, uncertain whether that short reply meant Jason was struggling with that tidbit of information, or whether he simply didn't know what else to respond with.

"Yeah. So don't think I'm 'not like that' or anything. I'm not innocent, Jason."

Why was he saying that?

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Jason frowned.

"I know you're not. But I also know you're not as bad as you might think you are. You had a reason for doing what you did, didn't you? As long as neither Nico or you minded, I don't see why that should be anything showing me you're anything but who I know you are."

Such a kind soul.

"I'd do it again."

Gods, Will was an idiot.

"I'd hope so." Jason replied with another frown, and Will blew out an exasperated breath.

"With Nico. Or…or anyone."

That…was a lie. The day Will would push his lips onto anybody else's for anything but CPR was the day he waved goodbye to his humanity.

Probably not even then.

"If you say so." Jason shrugged, seemingly unbothered by those news.

Will scowled at him.

"You shouldn't be okay with that, Jason!"

The kid in front of them turned around with a frown, and Will decided he definitely had to lower his voice.

Jason rolled his eyes, utterly unimpressed.

"Will, I don't know where you're trying to go with this, but this is _healing_ we're talking about. _You saving lives_. I'm not going to get jealous over something like that, no matter how hard you try. And, healing kisses? Sounds pretty awesome to me. I didn't even know you could heal without your dad's help. I mean, sure, I knew you were a genius with creams and medications and the like, but healing, too? I'd say that's pretty impressive."

Will felt his face heating, though that didn't make him feel any less frustrated.

"I…it's not really all that fancy. I still suck at it. It's…sort of draining. I keep wanting to…you know…practice? Train? But it's kind of difficult to, because it tires me out very quickly and renders me useless for any further healing."

Gods, why was he rambling about _that_ now?

Well, he guessed it was better than trying to make everything sound a hundred times worse than it was, just to see when Jason would turn around and bolt.

"Really? Wow, I didn't even notice that last night. Are you feeling okay now, then?" Jason asked, and Will definitely picked up on the concern in his words.

He shot him a dark look.

"I'm perfectly fine, Jason. That small peck didn't tire me out all _that_ much. It…really depends on how much of my power I have to use."

"Your power?"

Duh.

Will shot him a wry glance, and Jason lifted his hands again, stepping up in front of him to give his oath, but Will brushed past him hurriedly.

"I was hoping to talk with you real quick." He said quickly, and Reyna raised a perfect eyebrow, undoubtedly thinking he was going to say something about not wanting to take the oath.

"It's about the meeting. So I was hoping to do that _before_ I swear never to speak about anything that happened in here ever again." He explained exasperated, though Reyna's expression didn't change much.

"Alright." She then said, crossing her arms and apparently waiting for him to speak.

Yeah, why wasn't he surprised?

Will glanced behind him towards Percy and Nico for a moment, then back at her.

"This might take a while to explain, so, how about we go into the room next to this one? I caught a glimpse of it earlier and noticed, while it was smaller, it seemed to be great for a friendly conversation that won't look as much as if we're secretly scheming to break all the thousands of rules and betraying your people." He tried cheerily, and Frank and Reyna automatically glanced past him towards Percy and Nico, undoubtedly knowing exactly why he didn't want to talk with them in this room.

"You're aware we can't support anything that would soil the sacredness of such an important meeting, right? That includes those two giving in to their hormonal urges in this room." Reyna pointed out, sounding utterly unimpressed.

Will made a face.

"What? Nah, they'll be good." The wouldn't be, and they all knew it. "I'm sure they'll wait for us back in our room." He added loudly, glad that said room wasn't all that far away, so those two definitely had no excuse to not make it there first before being all over each other.

Though he certainly wasn't going to vouch that they weren't going to 'soil the sacredness of this room' the moment they were alone.

"I think it would be better to not stay in this room for too long, Reyna. Else the other senators might really believe you're plotting something behind their backs. Since a café is out of the question due to the risk of being overheard, I agree with Will's suggestion of the room next to this one. Percy and Nico will surely leave after they're done discussing what we've just learned and will give their oaths later." Jason agreed smoothly, and Will had to concentrate hard not to snort out a laugh at the last part, because Percy and Nico definitely weren't discussing anything related to this meeting.

Reyna seemed to think along the same lines, but then merely sighed and motioned for them to leave.

"You're not getting around your oaths, though. Just so you know."

"Of course not." They both instantly agreed, waving goodbye to their guys.

"We'll see you in our room in a bit."

"Don't _talk_ for too long."

Percy and Nico merely glanced around at them for a fleeting second, then Percy returned to his apparent task of undressing Nico with his eyes, and Nico was back to whispering something suspiciously Italian-sounding to him that made him eternally grateful his own Italian wasn't all that good yet.

It did sound nice, though.

Will wondered faintly whether Nico often spoke Italian whenever things got sexual.

Then he decided that wasn't something he wanted to contemplate when he was about to talk business with Reyna.

They filed out of the room, and Jason managed to get to the other door the fastest, holding it open for him and making him shoot him a dirty grin.

"Such a gentleman."

"You know you love it." Jason remarked with a teasing wink, and Will had to resist the urge to chuckle.

"Don't I know it." He more teased than admitted, though he winked right back, making Jason grin rather happily.

Ha.

"And there I thought we just left the two lovebirds behind." Reyna remarked drily behind them, and Will felt his face heating, hurriedly making his way over to one of the small tables that stood around the room.

"Lovebirds?" Frank asked, sounding confused as he looked between Jason and Will.

"I thought all four of you were dating. Like, _each other_." He muttered with a frown, and now Will definitely _was_ blushing.

"Nah, it's still just Percy and Nico for now." Jason explained with a small smile, though Will frowned at the 'for now' part.

But Jason probably meant that as a sort of 'Will and I might be dating at some point, too', rather than a 'We'll all end up dating each other sooner or later' sort of thing.

Though Will wouldn't have minded that whatsoever, either.

It wasn't going to happen, but one could always dream.

And gods, did Will dream.

He had actually forgotten what he had dreamt last night, but he knew he had still known when he had woken up, and that it had been so, so, _so_ nice.

It really was a shame Percy and Jason had just had to wake him up with their laughter and whatever else they had been doing.

Seriously, those two.

How come everybody else managed to remain quiet in the mornings, even those two – unless it was _both_ of them, then everything of course just _had_ to end in them screaming or laughing or fighting or doing something stupid.

Though he had to admit both of them rushing out of the room in nothing but their boxer shorts had been kind of hilarious to watch, and he and Nico had surely had their fun with that.

Will had even gotten a good morning kiss…in a way.

Though he knew he should have resisted that.

Jason wasn't his dirty little secret, and the blonde deserved a lot better than half-assed 'Yes'-s or 'No'-s and secret kisses…or angry make-out sessions…

He should probably also ask Jason out on another date, too, to make up for the last one, and to show Jason he really wanted to give a 'them' a try, even though he knew how that would end.

It was sad how his demeanor had changed so fast from 'Let's not let Jason come too close so we won't end up dating, he won't have to find out, and I won't have to deal with all the shit once he finds out and knows and will get the fuck out', to a 'I know how this is going to end, but I'm going to set myself up for the hurt anyways, because I'm stupid and selfish and can't resist this guy, and I want this to work out more than I want to run away for once'.

"Right." Reyna said, looking more amused than anything else, but she sat down opposite Will without comment, anyways, tearing him right out of his thoughts and back into the here and now.

Good.

"So, what is it you wished to talk about, Will?" She asked more or less amiably, and Jason sat down next to Will with a small sigh, while Frank sat down next to Reyna, shooting Will a reassuring smile.

As if trying to tell him Reyna didn't mean it bad.

Yeah, well, Will knew that.

He also knew she was making an effort, so there was that.

And that headache was still ever so prominent, too.

Right, he had to remember to give Nico his…wait, but would Nico even be able to give her anything, since he was definitely busy now or already on his way to get busy in a bit?

Will's hand moved to his medic pouch, but then he changed his mind.

No, he'd just give it to Jason later, and he could pass it on to Reyna.

Then again, what if she thought Jason was hitting on her because of this?

Or what if Jason told her it was from Will, and she'd still think he was trying to poison her?

Ugh, too many what-if's.

He'd simply give it to Jason and be done with it.

Yes.

"Just some ideas you can use in case you want to follow up on the planting. I know it wasn't a very popular option, but I still think it would be one of the most effective to bring in some results." He explained, putting his hands on the table where she could see them.

She glanced down at them for a moment, clearly understanding the gesture, and he could hear her sigh, though she didn't tell him he needn't bother.

Which meant she might trust him more than she let on, but also that she wasn't sure whether she should.

Alright, he could live with that.

"I apologize for the rude behavior of the senators. That shouldn't have happened. I know it's no excuse, but things have been rough around here, especially since the people in New Rome are now becoming increasingly worried, as well, and we're all on edge even more than usual." She apologized, but he immediately waved off.

"It's no big deal, I understand. If it helps, I wasn't offended in the slightest, and I know Jason and Nico weren't, either."

He couldn't exactly speak for Percy, but since Percy hadn't seemed to pay much attention to anything that wasn't related to Nico, he was pretty sure it was safe to assume he hadn't cared, either.

"Thanks. We're working on getting the Camp to be more accepting of the Greeks, but Octavian…" Frank started, but Will already knew all that too.

"It's okay. It goes both ways, after all. There's still some Campers at Camp Half-Blood that are more than a little wary of the Romans. Such things take time. As long as we watch out to correct the wrong assumptions and soothe worries, and don't let fear take overhand, I'm confident history won't repeat itself and we'll be good." He said seriously, just to hear Jason chuckle next to him.

What…?

Will's head snapped around at him, feeling positively _offended_.

What had he said?

Hello, he had been utterly serious, here!

Jason immediately lifted his hands, though he still had trouble reigning in his chuckle.

"Sorry! Sorry, it's not…it's just…I just remembered somebody telling me _I'm_ the one who is good with words, but…well, I just think they must have never heard _you_ talking…"

What the…

Will felt his face heating, and tried half-heartedly to shove Jason away, though he didn't even make his arm budge.

"Oh, shut up, I have my moments, okay?"

"I know, I'm sorry, it just suddenly struck me. I'm sorry."

Will turned his head away sulkily, crossing his arms in front of his chest and letting out a loud huff, though he felt more flustered than anything else.

Reyna cleared her throat.

"If you think we're leaving _you two_ alone as well, you're mistaken."

Will made a face.

"I don't want to say anything, but Percy and Nico would _murder_ you if you did. They hate it when Jason and I are alone together."

It was the truth, after all. They always seemed so upset, not to mention concerned.

"I wonder why." Jason remarked drily, and Will kicked him under the table, though when Frank winced, he guessed he hit the wrong leg.

Oops.

He mouthed a small 'Sorry!' across the table, and Frank gave a short nod to show he understood and forgave him, though Will also noticed he was adjusting his sitting position to get his legs as far away from them as possible.

Jason next to him was cackling quietly in what Will by now thought a _very_ Jason-like way, obviously amused by how things were going.

This time, Will's kick hit the right leg.

"Alright, back to the matter on hand." He and Reyna exclaimed at the same time, then frowned at each other.

Will took it as an invitation to start talking about what he had come here to talk about.

He had lots of ideas, after all.

Maybe he really would have made a good son of Hermes, after all.

He certainly wouldn't have minded.

Then he and Cecil would have been half-brothers, which would have definitely been awesome.

Then again, it also meant he probably wouldn't have been a healer, something he – even with his constant lamenting – would never want to miss.

Alright, no son of Hermes, then.

Will took a deep breath and leaned forward, shaking off such thoughts and concentrating on what was _important_.

Which of course instantly made him glance sideways at Jason, but he tried to tear his gaze away as quickly as possible again, instead focusing on Reyna, who was patiently waiting for him to start.

Alright, time for the real talk.

Hopefully, he wouldn't be done too quickly so Nico and Percy would have enough time to do their thing.

Then again, there was a lot to talk about.

He really did have a lot of ideas, after all.

Reyna was bound to find at least some of them useful.

Which meant Will could be of use.

Which was bound to both show Jason he wasn't a complete waste of space, and maybe even make Reyna trust him more.

And, most importantly, it hopefully really would help out with the issues at Camp here.

So it was even more of a win-win situation.

Perfect.

Now, time to make them realize the same.

...

Jason waited patiently next to Will while the blonde had to give his oath.

It was adorable how surprised he seemed to be about Reyna simply requiring him to speak the same lines Jason had.

Had he really expected Reyna to demand more of Will than that?

She might seem harsher and stricter to Will than the others, but she was still fair.

Maybe Jason should talk to her once more, anyways.

She did seem to glare at Will a lot, after all, and Will certainly had enough worries as it was.

Then again, Will was doing just fine by himself, too.

Reyna definitely had seemed impressed by his ideas, at least.

Will finished his promise on the Styx, and turned to wink at Jason cheekily, before the four made their way down the hallway towards the front door.

"That didn't take nearly as long as expected, I'm surprised." Will remarked thoughtfully, and Jason grinned.

"Probably because you talked non-stop without even attempting to catch your breath once, Freckles."

"Did not." Will snorted, sounding offended, though the corners of his lips twitched upwards.

"Did, too." Jason teased, nudging him playfully, and the blonde nudged right back.

"Oh, spare me with the cheesy flirting. I've had enough of that with Percy trying to mutely seduce Nico into seducing him throughout the meeting." Reyna groaned, rolling her eyes before fixing Jason with a hard look that seemed to say 'Can't you take this somewhere else?'.

Though it could have also been 'I'm too old for this shit'.

Yeah…Jason settled for it being a mix of both.

"Damn, I hope those two are done by now with their-…conversation." Will coughed at the last part, clearly wanting to say something different than 'conversation', but deciding against it with a glance towards Reyna.

As if she cared.

"Right. As if 'talking' is all they're doing. Based on their expressions, I hope for them they took that to their room. I swear, if I hear even the _hint_ of a complaint at there being a mess in the meeting room…" Reyna started darkly, but Will was quick to cut in.

"What? Nah, they wouldn't do anything like that. Jason and I had to spend the past _weeks_ with them in one room alone, and they never made a mess." He assured her, and Jason had to concentrate not to snort out a laugh.

_Right_.

Well, true, they hadn't exactly 'made a mess', but that was mostly due to the fact that Percy and Nico had mostly done that sort of thing in the bathroom, instead of their actual room.

But who was he to correct him?

Will shot him a warning glance anyways, as if telling him to keep his mouth shut, and Jason opted for an innocent smile.

Sadly, Reyna caught exactly that exchange and promptly eyed them warily.

"If you say so. Oh well, I'll never understand how your relationship works, I guess. Do you want us to accompany you to the waiting room for your clothes?"

Oh damn, Jason had completely forgotten about that.

They were still wearing their togas, after all, and all their clothes were in that room they had been in until Dakota had told them to come to the meeting place.

Well, at least he and Nico hadn't forgotten their things back at Gwen's, since she had told them she'd be out for the rest of the day with a few of her college friends.

"We'll be good, thanks. We're still meeting up for lunch though, right? Just so we can tell the guys." He said even before Will shot him a pleading 'Please let us get away from her' look.

Seriously, he wished those two would get along better.

He was absolutely certain they would be best friends if only things hadn't started out so rough, with Will getting too touchy-feely with Nico, and Reyna deciding she had to protect said Italian.

Which was hardly fair, especially considering she had made no move whatsoever to protect Nico from a horny Percy throughout the meeting.

He of course knew the difference, but _still_.

Jason knew she was making an effort to trust Will, and that Will was making an effort to show her she could trust him, but things would be a hundred times easier (and faster) if they simply decided to start over anew and without distrust and doubts.

But Will was still fidgety, and Reyna was still glaring, and Jason just knew this would take a long, long time.

"Yes, of course. Those two won't get around their oaths, either, after all. Also, you'll be leaving in the evening, right?"

Yes, yes they would.

"We are?" Will asked, sounding surprised.

Oh. Right.

Will hadn't been there when Nico and Jason had explained to Reyna via Iris-Message during breakfast that they'd be leaving tonight already, instead of tomorrow morning, since the blonde had been too busy bickering loudly with Percy about his breakfast choices, over at the buffet.

Now that they had a bus that could transport the lot of them, they could comfortably get back to Camp in a few hours, after all, which was great.

Though that wasn't the reason for their early departure.

Nico had been the one voicing it out first, but Jason had also thought about it ever since they had left the Underworld: Will's nightmares.

So far, things seemed to be going great, but Hades had told them whatever he had done to help Will was wearing off, and quickly, so they definitely wanted to be back at Camp as soon as possible to prevent anything bad from happening.

Of course, Nico hadn't said all that right in front of Reyna, but she had understood enough for her gaze to soften and even shoot the blonde a small look, more sympathetic than judgmental.

Maybe it was a good thing Will hadn't been paying attention at the time, else he'd have scowled and argued he was perfectly fine, and hours of arguments and discussions would have ensued.

"Yeah, we figured this way we'd be back at Camp by tomorrow and can check whether the Stolls dared to raid any of our cabins." He shrugged, and Will's eyebrows shot up just as Reyna's did.

Yeah, Reyna and Will would be best friends, alright?

"Eh? Well, there goes my plan of getting my hands on you three tonight. I was thinking of treating you to some deluxe massages, since I know all three of you have been neglecting to complain about the pains in your backs and muscles from that night on the floor. It took me a whole day to catch up on that, Jason. _A whole day_. I'm losing my _touch_, don't you think?" Will said dramatically, looking at his hands as he did, and Jason raised an eyebrow, snatching one of his hands on a whim to 'inspect' it, as the four of them came to a stop in front of the building they had previously been in to get changed.

"Hmm…let's see…" He said seriously, working his thumbs over Will's palm, who first looked surprised, then offended, then flustered, his face quickly turning a wonderful dark red, his freckles glowing.

Jason didn't dare study his face for too long, though, instead concentrating hard on Will's hand, the many freckles on the back of it, the nimble fingers, the way Will seemed to take better care of his hands and nails than Jason did of his entire body.

Then again, he had realized a long time ago Will was one of the most hygienic people he had ever met.

Which crossed out the possibility of him coming along with Jason on his travels even more than anything else did, because Will was already panicking if he had to spend a whole day without a shower.

Then again, he had managed just fine on their way to the Camp, so maybe he'd…

Jason brushed the thought off, instead tugging on Will's hand to place a chaste kiss to his fingers, before letting go.

"Nah, you're perfectly fine, Freckles. Your touch will do wonders as usual."

He heard Reyna snort next to them and cursed himself.

Right, there were people around them, still.

Will seemed as surprised as he was though, blinking and glancing sideways at the Praetors, who were patiently waiting next to them, despite Jason having told them he'd be fine getting their clothes alone with Will.

Jason wasn't surprised in the slightest when Will tugged his hand away no moment later, a scowl forming on his still flushed face.

"Right. You're such a sap, Jason."

"Agreed." Reyna remarked unimpressed, and Jason made a face, fixing her with a 'Did you have to comment'-look that she absolutely ignored.

"Yeah, well, but he's _my_ sap, so…" Will suddenly remarked, sounding unusually sour, and Jason glanced around at him in surprise.

What?

Will abruptly stopped, his expression morphing to one of surprise, too, as if he was as stunned by his own words as Jason was.

Then, the blonde hurriedly waved off.

"Whatever. Never mind. I'm going to get changed. Nice meeting you all. Frank, tell Hazel I love her. See you later. Jason, move it. Bye." He rambled, and Jason chuckled when Frank gaped after the blonde, while Reyna rolled her eyes again.

Wow.

"_What_?" Frank asked, sounding utterly incredulous.

Jason shrugged with a grin.

"He's getting changed, I think. See you guys later. Oh, and Frank? Tell Hazel I love her, too." He winked, then hurried after Will, who was shaking his head to himself repeatedly and seemed to be continuing his rambling in a quiet, muffled voice.

"Why do they love my girlfriend?" Frank whined behind him, but it was Reyna's unimpressed 'Frank, _everybody_ loves your girlfriend. Even _I_ love your girlfriend. Let's just leave them to themselves for now.' that had him chuckling all over again.

"And what are you so amused about?" Will asked sourly once he caught up to him, and Jason shrugged innocently.

"This and that."

Best not to tease him right now, after all.

Will studied him darkly from the side, though he didn't say anything else, and they made their way to the room in silence, though it wasn't exactly uncomfortable.

They knocked, just to make sure Percy and Nico hadn't taken their…'conversation' in here, but then found the room as deserted as expected, with their things exactly where they had left them.

"So…" Jason started as Will very obviously turned his back to him and began tugging on his toga.

"Hm?" Will hummed, though Jason caught the wary glance he sent him over his shoulder, undoubtedly expecting him to ask about the '_my_ sap' thing.

Nah.

Jason knew this was already more than he could hope for, and he wasn't going to push Will any further, not if he could help it.

"You love Hazel, huh?" He teased instead, and Will immediately froze.

Then, he groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"I said that? Oh gods, Frank is going to think I want his girlfriend or something. Damn, and I liked the guy."

"Oh, so you love Hazel _and_ Frank, huh?" Jason teased unperturbed, and Will's face turned blank as he turned around to face the son of Jupiter ever so slowly.

Jason tried very hard not to break out laughing.

Jason failed.

"Fuck you, Jason. You know exactly how I meant that. Though _they_ probably wouldn't be such dicks."

Jason didn't let his words deter him from his laughing, anyways.

"You should have seen his face, he looked so offended."

"He's going to hate me." Will groaned again, but Jason wasn't worried in the slightest.

"He'll only hate you if you ask Hazel to marry you when we meet for lunch."

"Jason!" Will exclaimed, but then he started chuckling, too, and then they were both laughing.

There.

_This_ was what Jason wanted.

The two of them, at ease, just smiling, laughing, having a good time without even doing anything.

Though Will was still struggling with his toga, and now frowning while giggling as he tugged on the fabric relentlessly.

Jason leaned back against the wall behind him, watching him struggle for a while, both of them still chuckling, giggling, grinning.

In the end, Will admitted defeat, flopping down onto the floor and holding up his arms, his most adorable pout in place as he looked over at Jason.

"Jason, help me~…" He whined, and Jason was over there in an instant with a small smile, his heart beating unnaturally fast as he realized this was the first time Will had sounded at ease when asking for help.

He took that as a good sign.

A very good sign.

"You open it like this…" He explained, trying to act like a professor explaining something in class – while at the same time of course absolutely exaggerating with his serious nodding and hand gestures as he _dramatically_ started undressing Will, who promptly started giggling again, nudging his hands away whenever they got too close to his sides.

As if Jason would _ever_ tickle him…

…The moment he started getting the toga off him, his hands immediately went to tickle Will.

One only lived once, after all.

Will whined and wailed and let himself fall back, and Jason made sure the blonde wouldn't hit his head on anything as he chuckled and followed suite.

There, _this_ was what he had wanted to do this morning, if only Will hadn't been so quick to run away, not to mention lunge at Jason, instead.

"Jason~…" Will whined, drawing out his name as long as possible, and Jason grinned and leaned over him, letting go of his sides in order to put his hands left and right of Will's head.

"Yes?" He asked with utmost innocence, though his lips split into a grin no second later.

Will shot him a dark look, though then he snorted out a small laugh and shook his head, gazing up at him with a gentle, soft expression.

"You're the worst." The blonde said, though it sounded more like an 'I love you'.

Jason smiled down at him, resisting the urge to lean down and kiss him.

They weren't together yet, so he shouldn't let anything escalate until then.

Last night had shown once more what happened if he allowed things to escalate and go past their baby steps.

So, instead, he put their foreheads together, the closest he could allow himself to go (and already much, much, _much_ too close).

"I know."

Will rolled his eyes, a small blush appearing on his face again, though Jason couldn't see much of that, too hung up on Will's eyes.

That's how he noticed the change, too.

The change from the affection and adoration to slight surprise, to stunned surprise, to realization, to Will's gaze hushing down, away from Jason's face, to the rest of him, the rest of them, their positioning, the way Jason was right there between his legs, the way he had his hands on Jason's arms as if to keep him there.

Jason pulled back slightly to allow Will to move his head, to take it all in, to make up his mind about what to think of this.

Was it too much?

Would he bolt?

Jason kept studying Will's eyes, waiting for a sign.

Will glanced back at him, searching his gaze, though Jason wasn't sure what he was looking for, so he merely tilted his head in question, which made Will shake his head slightly, a small smile appearing back on his face, his hands moving up Jason's arms until he managed to put his arms around Jason's neck.

For some reason, it felt as if Will had just come to a decision, though Jason wasn't sure what that meant yet.

"You know this is too close for baby steps, right? I never saw you get this close to Percy, and Percy is supposed to be your best bro." Will chided softly, and Jason searched his eyes for an indicator whether he was saying this just to say something, to tease, or whether he was uncomfortable and wanted to end it.

He _would_ ask, but with Will, chances were 99:1 that he wouldn't reply truthfully, and Jason knew how much he hated lying, not to mention he, once more, didn't want to pressure Will any more than he already was.

"You think so? I had my arm around him just this morning, stroking through his hair in a way that would have made Nico green with envy." He replied, and Will snorted, a small gleam appearing in his eyes as he raised a doubtful eyebrow.

Then again, Jason would doubt that statement too, since Nico didn't seem to be perturbed by anything they were doing, anyways.

(Unless Jason and Will were to do each other. He had a hunch that would perturb the Italian _a lot_.)

"Oh really? So you're stroking his hair now, huh? You know, I'd say I'm worried, but after _that butt-grab_, nothing you two do will ever faze me again."

Jason groaned, letting his head drop next to Will's and onto his own hand.

_Not the butt-grab!_

"You'll never let us live that down, will you?"

"Never." Will promised, and Jason let out a dramatic sigh.

"Oh well, at least I didn't do the _ultimate act of love_ and was about to eat his batch of inedible, probably poisonous brownies." He commented, and now it was Will's turn to wail, writhing beneath him slightly and making Jason pull away instantly, checking whether Will wanted to flee yet.

Why was it like this, though?

For a moment, it struck Jason as odd.

Why would Will have a problem with him being too close?

It was usually Will who got too close to everybody else, after all.

It was also Will who happily brushed past boundaries and who always seemed to seek some sort of physical contact with people.

And Will was also always the first to lead conversations into private and/or sexual territory, as well as giving advice and bragging about his experience.

So why did Jason always get this feeling that Will had a problem with things like this?

Shouldn't this be something Will knew better than Jason and thus something he should be a lot more comfortable with than Jason?

He thought back to the few moments in which Jason had rather obviously hit on Will, and the way Will had immediately backtracked and tried to run.

Why was that?

It felt like Jason should know.

It felt as if the answer was right there, but he was either too dumb to think of it, had discarded the thought ages ago already, or the answer was so simple it hadn't crossed his mind yet.

Like with the whole thing with Hades and the peace-contract.

"That was _not_ an act of love! I just felt sorry for him, damn it! You know I can't stand it when people are upset, and he looked _heartbroken_." Will whined beneath him, and Jason rolled his eyes, discarding his thoughts.

The mystery of Will Solace would be solved one day, and trying to figure it out now would only freak the blonde out again if he found out, and Jason definitely didn't want that.

Instead, he continued pulling back slightly, sitting up between Will's legs and noticing how different Will looked in purple.

Had Will ever worn purple?

He couldn't remember.

"Of course, Freckles. You were also only feeling sorry for him when you two put your heads together to trade sweets when you thought Nico and I weren't looking." He commented drily, and Will's mouth fell open, which made Jason want to smile and lean over and kiss him all over again, though he resisted once more.

"That was _one_ _time_!" Will wailed, and then Jason was suddenly confronted with Will's legs moving and his feet pushing against his chest, as if to shove him away, though there was no force in the action whatsoever.

And Jason was much more distracted by the fact Will wasn't wearing shoes.

When had he taken those off?

Oh wait, actually, he had, back when he had giggled and tried to take apart the toga from the wrong side.

Jason grabbed hold of one foot and tickled it on a whim, and Will squeaked in surprise and horror – and Jason was lucky he had quick reflexes, else said foot would have been in his face no moment later.

"_Jason!_"

Jason chortled and decided he should do that more often.

Not right now, though, else Will would end up lynching him or something.

"Yes, love?"

Oops.

Wrong pet name.

Will's eyebrows shot up and his scowl immediately softened, his eyes gleaming again.

Oh.

_Correct_ pet name.

Jason had to remember that.

Suddenly, he had a foot in his face.

"You're such an _idiot_. Go get changed, or Percy and Nico will get bored and come looking for us, and I have had enough compromising situations for one day." Will remarked, and Jason rolled his eyes as he moved Will's foot off his face with a sigh.

"Of course, darling. Whatever you say, darling." He replied as he pulled back, and wasn't surprised in the slightest when Will sent him a wry glance.

"Shush. Now, where did my shirt go? This color looks hideous on me."

Jason raised an eyebrow, watching Will turn his back to him as he went to search for his light blue shirt.

"You think so? I think it looks interesting. Don't think I've ever seen you in anything purple before."

Once he said it, he regretted his wording.

'Interesting'?

Why had he said 'interesting'?

Will glanced over his shoulder, his expression unimpressed.

"That's because I don't own anything purple. Or dark blue. Or dark green. Or anything dark, really. In a Camp where you have to wear either scrubs or orange shirts on a daily basis, dark clothes are pretty hard to come by, and in a cabin full of pubescent siblings, you're lucky if there's even a batch of clothes you _can_ call your own."

Oh.

That made sense.

Still kind of sad, though.

"Maybe we should go shopping." He suggested without thinking, and regretted it instantly.

Damn.

If he had wanted to take Will shopping, he should have gone about it entirely differently.

Talk to the guys first, make a plan, have Nico say he needed something new, or Percy, or he, himself…

Will scowled, turning his back to him again as he tugged off the purple shirt, exposing a tanned, wonderfully freckled back that Jason just knew would be warm and soft, just waiting to be touched.

"I'm fine, Jason. Don't pity me or anything, I have more than enough. My bags should show you I have more than enough. My wardrobe –_ which you saw_ – should show you I have more than enough. I don't need anything. And I'm not going to have anybody else pay for my things, either."

Jason sighed, knowing arguing wouldn't get him anywhere, at least not right now.

"Alright, it was just an idea."

Maybe he could bring him some shirts the next time he'd travel cross-country for the next god/goddess.

He still had to ask Nico whether it would be okay to borrow Jules-Albert for at least a part of said travels.

Of course, he wouldn't demand his zombie-chauffeur to drive him and his group to each and every place and back, though he didn't doubt for a moment Nico would give his okay to that, too.

He wouldn't ask for that, though.

He knew the guys would need said chauffeur themselves, especially when Will and Percy would get crazy ideas again (poor Nico).

And even if monsters were laying low so far, they might come back any moment, and Jason didn't want them stuck somewhere just because he was too lazy to travel the way he used to before.

"Jason, now that you watched me getting changed, could you finally get changed, too, so we can leave? I mean, I don't mind staying here with you, but I definitely don't want to ruin the guys' afterglow by making them fume with anger once they realize we're not still talking to Reyna and Frank." Will remarked, and Jason blinked, realizing he was still just standing there watching Will, though the blonde had by now turned around and was completely dressed, with jacket and all, patting his pockets as if to check everything was still there.

Oh.

Right.

Jason put on an apologetic smile that made Will study him unimpressed, then Jason hurriedly made to take the toga off, himself, noticing Will's eyes on him throughout the procedure.

Was he going to watch him undress, now?

Well, he guessed he had done the same just a moment ago, so it would only be fair.

Should Jason turn his back to him then, too?

Jason decided against it, then decided he was giving this thing way too much thought in the first place, so he simply tugged off his purple shirt and folded it together, placing it on top of the toga before searching for his shirt.

Maybe he should have done that beforehand.

"Damn, if you're folding your stuff, I'll have to fold mine, too. How unfair is that?" Will complained drily and Jason glanced up, just to get his other shirt thrown in his face.

Why…wasn't he surprised?

Will shot him a smug look, and Jason rolled his eyes.

Why was it that Will always had to act mean when he was being nice?

It was a mystery.

"I'll fold them for you in a moment, Freckles." He replied, mostly to _not _say 'thanks', and Will crossed his arms in front of his chest with a huff, of course picking up on it instantly.

The two grinned at each other for a moment, then Will clicked his tongue.

"Come on, get dressed. I'm starting to get the impression you're _trying_ to show off in front of me."

Jason snorted, glancing down at himself.

"If I was, you know I'd do it Percy-style and pose, Freckles." He said seriously with a small shake of his head, as if he was disappointed Will hadn't guessed that in the first place.

The blonde raised both eyebrows now, crossing his arms all over again and leaning back against the wall.

"Oh yeah? How'd you pose? Now I'm curious."

"You just want to see me shirtless." Jason remarked drily, and Will's grin widened.

"Never." He insisted, nevertheless, though he wiggled his eyebrows no second later. "If anything, I'd want to see you _naked_."

Why wasn't Jason surprised?

He shot Will an unimpressed look, though he _did_ try for one of Percy's horrid poses, which lured a snort-chuckle out of the blonde and made him clasp his hands over his eyes.

"Alright, _alright_, that's enough. Geez, I should give Percy some posing lessons, so the next time you decide to imitate him, it won't look as disturbing. I'm scarred for life now, man, mark my words."

Oh, such a drama queen.

Not quite as bad as Percy, but close.

"Eh? Then I guess you don't want to see me undress anymore, huh?" He teased, and Will instantly peeked through between his fingers, making Jason chuckle and slip into his shirt with a last wink at the blonde.

"As if I'd undress right here, where anybody could walk in any moment. I might imitate Percy every here and there, but I'll try keep it PG-13 when the door is unlocked, alright?" He remarked drily, and Will snorted out a laugh.

"Oh _really_?"

Jason eyed him warily.

He was forgetting something, wasn't he?

"Yeah." He reconfirmed, but right then, he knew just _what_ Will was thinking of, could see it in his eyes as he walked over, cheeky grin in place, his expression so, so alluring.

"So…what was that in the pillow corner, hmm?" He purred, and Jason felt his face warming, though he found himself taking a step towards Will instead of away, and their faces were suddenly a lot, _lot_ closer than expected.

"That…was an exception." He said quietly, practically breathing out the words, and the gleam in Will's eyes was breathtaking as he hummed in reply, probably meant to be teasing, but it seemed a lot more seductive than Jason would have thought possible.

_Oh._

Oh no.

He was so getting carried away.

Again.

Seriously though, where did all this sexual tension come from today?

Maybe still from the pent-up frustration from yesterday's denied orgasm.

Or maybe it was always there and Jason had simply been ignoring it so far.

His hands moved to Will's arms as he lifted them, his hands finding the front of Jason's shirt to hold onto, their eyes glued to each other, their faces getting dangerously close.

Wasn't it amazing how Jason had been able to resist Will when they had been on the floor and much closer than this, yet he could barely restrain himself from cupping his face and kissing him senseless now?

Jason thought it was amazing.

Jason also thought Will was amazing.

Both of them were breathing irregularly, and Jason noticed how Will's pupils were dilated, showing he was as caught up in this as Jason was, which still didn't make any sense, since they weren't even doing anything yet.

"An exception, hmm?" Will hummed back, and Jason made an affirmative sound, already leaning down, as Will moved up.

The next moment, there was a loud crashing sound outside their door, followed by a heavy thud as something – or somebody – smacked right into their door, and the two jumped apart as if stung.

Holy-!

"What the _fuck_?" Will exclaimed, sounding between startled and _indignant_, and Jason decided to take pride in Will's annoyance about the interruption.

They heard laughter and a small wail outside the door, and Will's expression only darkened, glowering at the door as if trying to burn it down – along with whoever it had been who had just interrupted them.

Jason had half a mind to wrap his arms around Will and pull him back closer, continue where they had left off – but the other part of him wanted to go and check that whoever had just ran into their door was actually alright.

Not to mention he had declared kissing Will off-limits when they had agreed on the baby-steps.

Well…actually…

No, no more getting-carried-away-stuff.

Not until Will could find it in him to trust Jason to stick around no matter what.

Not until Will decided he was ready for all of that.

No more excuses or angry make-out sessions or the two of them trying to seduce each other without actually doing a single sexual thing whatsoever.

Seriously, Jason had never been this tempted by anything else in life.

With Nico, there had been countless moments where he _could_ have gotten closer, but he had always decided against it, wanting Nico to know he could trust him and didn't have to have any sort of guard up.

Then again, Nico had never looked at him with such an alluring, smoldering expression, as if trying to ravish Jason with his eyes.

Nico had never come closer and let his fingers stroke over Jason's wrist and arm ever so gently, faintly noticeable, like a feather, or maybe just a breeze, but so, so nice.

Nico had never pushed against him needily and breathed out his name, followed by a series of weak moans and cries of pleasure.

Wait.

Bad thing to think about.

Jason glanced up from Will's lips to his eyes, trying to ban the images of where those lips had been 'that night' from his mind – just to realize Will was gazing right back at him, looking between unimpressed and smug.

"Thinking about something _nice_, Handsome?" He asked, the tease unmistakable in his voice, and Jason automatically glanced down at himself to check whether anything was showing – which of course seemed to be just what Will had been hoping for, if his almost _delighted_ laugh stood for anything.

"I can't believe you seriously checked. Oh gods, Jason…"

Jason contemplated whether to pout or not, then settled for not, instead rolling his eyes and moving over to Will's pile of misery (how could somebody dump _a toga and a shirt_ on a chair in a way that looked as if there was _laundry of a whole week_ piled up there? It was a mystery) to fold the pieces and put them on top of his own.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. When you said 'Thinking about something nice' I thought you must definitely be referring to my _splendid physique_, and was merely confused about why you assumed I was thinking of myself." He remarked, trying to remain serious, though his words were more than ridiculous.

It had the desired effect of making Will stop laughing instantly though, even if that only happened because he almost choked on his own spit as he inhaled sharply in surprise at the wrong time.

But the best thing was the way Will started opening and closing his mouth, apparently trying to think of a comeback, but unable to really bring anything out, which made Jason feel incredibly smug.

Ha.

That's what he got for making fun of Jason.

"You're such a dick. Just because I praised your shoulders _once_, doesn't mean you can go around bragging." Will finally huffed, but that only made Jason grin wider.

"Oh? You like my shoulders then, huh?"

Will's face turned pink again, and Jason felt his own heart thumping happily in his chest, warmth and affection flooding through him at the sight.

"Shush, now you're just fishing for compliments."

Mean.

Jason let out a fake sigh, heavy and miserable, and Will shot him a dark look, before averting his eyes and shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket disgruntled.

"_Fine_. Your shoulders are…nice."

Jason tried to fight the grin, he really did.

He failed, though Will luckily didn't see.

"Really? Nicer than…Frank's?"

Will's whole body flinched and he shot him a wild look.

_"__Jason!"_

Had Jason mentioned he loved this guy?

But now, they seriously should get going, back to Percy and Nico, or those two _would_ come looking for them, undoubtedly.

"You know you love it." He insisted, and Will scowled, though he waited for Jason to move to his side before exiting the room, anyways.

"_Dick!_" The blonde hissed pointedly, though without heat.

"_Love._" Jason chirped, and Will's freckles started glowing again.

"Seducing me won't work."

"Keep telling yourself that, _Freckles_."

Right pet name used at the right time with the right tone of voice and the right context.

Will blushed, stumbling in his step slightly, and Jason wanted to throw their clothes over his shoulder and wrap his arms around the blonde, wanted to pull him closer, wanted to ruffle through his hair, wanted to embrace the world and laugh.

"Sometimes I wish I could hate you." Will complained, though the next moment, he allowed their shoulders to brush together, and Jason could detect his scowl morphing into a soft smile, even if Will was trying to hide it from his view.

"That doesn't sound very _pleasant_." He teased, anyways, and Will nudged his arm with his elbow and an indignant huff.

"Now you're just asking for trouble! This is it, I'm going to tell _Percy_ you're making _moves_ on me!" He exclaimed loudly, then looked stunned and disturbed by his own words.

Jason couldn't help it.

He laughed.

...

Will only caught a glimpse of them by chance, just when he was turning his head away from Jason with an indignant huff as the blonde kept laughing and chuckling (so freaking adorable).

The sight made him stop dead, though more because of the sudden surprise of seeing Percy and Nico, than of seeing them _there_, in a _café_.

Though he guessed he shouldn't be surprised…?

"Will?" Jason asked, but Will only had to motion with his head for Jason to find Percy and Nico at the table, too.

Seriously…

"Don't you sometimes wonder why there aren't little hearts and glitter all around them at times like these?" He asked drily, pushing Jason off to the side of the big café window so they could take in the scene a little while longer before being spotted.

There they were, the mighty Ghost King and the much respected Son of Poseidon…standing at a café table together and sharing a giant ice cream, their eyes fixed solely on each other, and annoyingly adorable smiles on their faces.

They looked so happy, so in love, so at ease, Will felt a tug of jealousy he hadn't felt in a long time.

Though he couldn't even tell anymore what he was jealous of.

The fact that Percy had Nico, the fact that Nico had Percy, the fact they had each other and didn't want Will, or maybe just the fact they had _something_, while Will was still making things difficult for Jason and himself.

Jason snorted.

"Somebody sounds jealous."

Will boxed him in the side, though he knew Jason didn't even feel it.

Mean.

And there Will actually _could_ hit if he wanted to.

Not that Jason would ever find out about that, because Will would rather amputate his own arm than hurt the blonde.

But Will actually could do basic self-defense and such just fine.

It was just that he never did, especially ever since he had gotten better at reading other people's emotions.

Hurting somebody would only make him feel the pain he was causing them, and he was a healer, so all he should be doing was healing, never hurting.

"Am not. I just think they're too adorable for their own good."

"Of course. I bet you so don't want to try that ice cream whatsoever, either." Jason teased, and Will felt his face heating.

_Jason!_

"Stop it with your insinuations, you horrible human being. I do _not_ want to try _any_ ice cream. Maybe _you_ want to try that ice cream though, you offspring of Satan." He insisted, but the realized that his word choice probably showed Jason just how right he was.

Dick.

Wasn't Jason trying to get them towards a relationship?

Why would he keep going on about Percy and Nico, then?

Was he really that fine with it?

Will didn't understand.

Jason chuckled, putting his chin on Will's head in order to glance into the café too, watching Nico lean over and whisper something to Percy with a rather dirty grin that had Percy's face turning red, and they both watched amused how his eyes widened slightly, the spoon still in his mouth.

"Well, it does look nice, I wouldn't mind trying it." Jason then remarked with a shrug, and Will looked up with a scowl, though he doubted Jason could even see.

"At that rate, you should probably go inside. Want to bet they'll push a spoonful of ice cream in your mouth the moment you reach their table?"

No, seriously, that was so what those two would do.

Especially Percy, who had apparently never learned the difference of what one did with friends, and what one did with _boy_friends.

Not that he was complaining.

(Nor Jason, for that matter.)

Jason chuckled again, his free hand on Will's arm now, rubbing up and down as if to warm him through the fabric of his jacket, though Will was perfectly fine.

It wasn't even that cold anymore, anyways.

Not that he made any move to stop Jason, nope.

"I doubt it. But hey, how come we're discussing their ice cream, instead of wondering why they're _here_? When we left them, it didn't seem as if they wanted to get themselves some ice cream, at least not to me."

True.

True, when they had left the two, they had looked more as if they were about to ravish each other, instead of huddling together and being all lovey-dovey and sharing ice cream like the cute couple they could be.

Then again, this was Nico and Percy, when did they ever do anything anybody expected them to?

Will studied them another long moment, taking note of the way Percy seemed utterly relaxed, his face soft and elated, with that certain glow just emanating from him; as well as the way Nico's eyes were fixed on Percy, that faintest hint of smugness in them, his smile still borderline dirty, his posture still dominant and regal.

Will smirked.

He had a hunch he knew exactly what those two had done.

"Something tells me you just figured out what happened just by looking at them." Jason remarked, and Will hurriedly tried to put on an innocent expression, but Jason was already pulling away, fixing him with a knowing look.

Meh.

Will shrugged, trying to act nonplussed.

"Not really. Just realized Nico actually seems to be the jealous type, even if he usually doesn't let it show."

Jason raised an eyebrow, and Will wondered whether he caught on to what that meant.

Then he wondered why they were talking about this in the first place.

Nico's and Percy's relationship and their sex life shouldn't be any of their business, after all.

But hey, Will had helped them to that privacy, so he might as well be allowed to think about what they had done to make his sacrifice worth it.

(Excuses.)

"Hmm ok." Jason commented, and put his chin back on Will's head.

Aww, he didn't seem to have caught the hint.

Then again, maybe it was better that way.

"So Reyna is going to kill us because Nico blew Percy in the sacred meeting room, huh?" Jason continued drily, and Will broke out of his arms with a snort.

Damn.

Will had forgotten about that.

"Man, we're going to be so dead." He commented, mainly just to let Jason know he had gotten it right, and Jason let out a theatrical sigh.

Then he looked past him and a grin spread on his face again, and Will instantly glanced behind him at the window, cursing inwardly at putting himself into plain view.

Of course the guys had noticed them, both of them staring with light blushes on their faces, though Percy then resorted to push the spoonful of ice cream into Nico's mouth without any warning, moving his arms as if telling them to get in here.

"Why am I not surprised?" Jason asked, though Will knew he knew the answer to that already.

He still shot him a smug look.

"Seems like they want to share their ice cream with you, Handsome."

"Nah, that's just you." Jason waved off, but Will wasn't sure whether he tried to say Percy and Nico would only share their ice cream with Will, or whether Jason thought Will was the only one who'd share with Jason.

Well, he was wrong either way, so it didn't matter.

"I bet you five dollars the first thing Percy will do is push ice cream into your mouth." He said hurriedly as they moved towards the entrance, and caught Jason rolling his eyes amused in the reflection of the window.

"I accept and counter your bet with saying he'll do it with you, instead."

"You're his best bro he'll do you first." Will shot back as he held the door open for Jason, and Jason huffed in disbelief.

Will grinned, the two of them making their way over to their guys' table, who were both between flustered and happy to see them.

Percy was holding the spoon of ice cream, saying something to Nico that sadly was drowned out by the laughter of a table full of girls right next to Will.

He still knew he was going to win.

"Five dollars, Handsome." He reminded Jason, and Jason gave a confirming huff.

"Hey there, we were about to look for you in our room." Will greeted Percy and Nico upon reaching their table.

"We were waiting for you to get done with your talk with Reyna because of the oath. Guess we must have missed her." Nico replied, but before Will could reply, they were both distracted by Percy, who was collecting ice cream with his spoon and turning towards Jason.

"Jason, seriously, try this ice cream. I say it's cherry, but Nico insists it's not!" He lamented, and Jason's eyes widened in surprise, hands shooting up and mouth opening to undoubtedly say 'No, wait!', but then the spoon was already past his lips, and Will let out a triumphant whoop.

"_Yes! I knew it! _Jason, you owe me five dollars_!_" He exclaimed with a laugh, doing a little victory dance, and both Percy and Nico were frowning at him in confusion, while Jason buried his face in his hands in a rather adorable way.

"I swear you cheated! Can you do lip-reading or something?"

Will acted aghast and affronted, though he also decided to very subtly not answer that.

"What?! Me? _Cheating_? Never! You're just a sore loser." He insisted, instead.

"What are you even talking about? Jason, was that cherry now or not?" Percy asked, nudging Jason repeatedly, while Jason decided to put on an absolutely adorable pout, though he seemed to admit defeat.

"We bet on who you'd first try to share your ice cream with, and I insisted you'd let your best bro try it first." Will explained with a chuckle, and Nico and Percy both exchanged a look that Will couldn't read.

"You're such idiots." Percy then commented, and before Will could argue, a very cold spoon full of very cold ice cream pushed past his lips, and the retort died in his throat.

Jason huffed, as if quietly complaining about Percy not doing that right away, though when Will glowered at him, he found Jason's lips twitching into a small smile, anyways.

"So, is that cherry or not?" Percy asked impatiently, tugging his spoon out of Will's mouth again, and Will had to tear his mind away from the realization Percy had just happily shared his spoon with _all_ of them just like that, instead trying to focus on the flavor of the ice cream that was quickly disappearing.

That was _not_ cherry, though.

Or was it?

Will never got cherry ice cream, so he couldn't vouch for it.

What did it even matter?

He watched Percy eat another spoonful.

"Couldn't tell, it happened too fast." He heard himself replying, and Percy instantly rolled his eyes, holding out his spoon again.

As Will took it, he caught Jason grinning to himself out of the corners of his eyes.

Dick.

He glowered at the blonde as he collected a good portion of ice cream and popped it into his mouth, this time trying to concentrate on the taste.

"That is not cherry."

"That so is cherry." Percy insisted, as expected, and Will used it as an excuse to collect another load of ice cream and hold it out to Jason.

"Alright, Jason, solve the mystery for us, then."

"I don't…" Jason started, but Percy and Will already nudged him pointedly.

"Do it, man!" "Jason, _do it_."

Jason made a face at them _both_, then sighed and looked towards Nico, as if expecting him to have a problem with this, but Will knew without looking that Nico still had his arms on the table and was eyeing them all with a small smile, so he knew everything was good.

"Fine."

_Ha._

Jason tried again, then Nico did, then Percy stomped on the ground and complained, then the spoon went around even more, all four of them arguing over the different flavors, though it was mostly just to tease Percy and make him second-guess his taste buds.

And thus, just like that, the four of them found themselves standing there, in that little café in the middle of New Rome, sharing a giant bowl of ice cream together.

Why wasn't Will surprised?

Probably because this was _exactly_ something the four of them would do.

"Oh yeah, we're still on for lunch with Reyna, Frank and Hazel, by the way, so don't eat too much." Jason reminded them right when the ice cream was down to just syrup and cream, and Percy and Nico groaned.

Will couldn't keep himself from beaming at the three of them, feeling oddly giddy, and unusually at peace with himself and the world.

Yeah, this was so something they'd do.

Jason moved closer, their arms brushing against each other as he collected the clothes he had placed between Percy and himself (which had visibly annoyed Percy, though he surprisingly enough hadn't said anything about it), and Will could feel similar emotions coursing through the blonde, only grounding him even more, and making his smile so wide it almost hurt.

Percy was in the middle of complaining about 'exploding' if he had to eat anything after this giant portion of ice cream, but then his eyes found Will's face, and he fell silent mid-sentence, just staring at him, and Will still couldn't stop himself from grinning.

Percy looked surprised for a long moment, then he let out the smallest, softest laugh Will had ever heard from him, and his expression became soft and affectionate and adoring, a smile spreading on his lips too.

They smiled at each other, then smiled at Jason, who eyed them both with a soft look, himself – then the three of them turned to look at Nico, who was just paying the waiter and glanced around at them with a frown when he felt their looks.

Said frown only deepened when he studied each of their faces, though Will could still very well see the way his cheeks reddened, and his lips twitched as if their smiles were contagious.

Maybe they were, because, the next moment, the Italian turned his back to them hurriedly and told them to get going, and Will could _clearly_ see the adorable smile that had appeared on his face, no matter how much he tried to fight it.

Yes.

Yes, yes, yes.

...

Lunch with Reyna, Hazel and Frank turned out to be hilarious.

Apparently, Will had said something about Hazel, because Frank kept shooting him odd looks and refused to leave her side all the way to the restaurant, while Will frantically tried to show he wasn't interested in her whatsoever (which confused Percy, tremendously).

Meanwhile, Reyna had of course instantly tried to drag Percy and Nico off for their oaths when she spotted them in said restaurant, which had resulted in her almost ripping Will right off his feet, too, as his head had just sort of popped up between Nico and Percy and she had sort of tried to put her arm behind both of them to get them away from the table for a moment.

That, in turn, had made Jason lunge forward to save his beloved, which had obviously resulted in _him_ toppling right over the fiercely protected Hazel, making them fall backwards with her, chair and all – and Frank had turned into a pug for reasons unknown, though Percy assumed it must have been shock.

In other words, the first five minutes together had already rendered him unable to do anything but laugh, and the rest of lunch hadn't been any different.

They should do stuff like this more often.

Percy's favorite moment had been when Will had stood there holding pug-Frank up and away from him, looking around with a struck, panicked look and calling for help and guidance from any of them, while Jason had frantically tried to get Hazel and himself back on their feet (and away from each other. Poor Hazel. Though she had giggled all the while, so Percy knew she hadn't really been bothered), and Nico had just stood next to all that mess with raised eyebrows and a blank look in his face, as if he couldn't believe that those weirdoes were his friends.

Percy wished he could say he had been the one to come to any of their help, but he had been too busy trying to stay upright clutching his stomach in laughter, while Reyna had been the one letting out a deep sigh and moving forward to sort the mess out.

That had been funny too, though.

As had been the act of actually sitting down and eating, because that had put Frank and Will right next to each other, and Will's tries to assure Frank that he _didn't want his girlfriend_ had somehow made Frank panic and think that Will was interested in _him_ in some fashion, which had been fun to watch for all of them.

Jason hadn't helped.

Percy had sort of expected him to help, to say something like 'Hey, Frank, back off, this is the guy _I_ want, and he's only interested in me (and Nico), so leave him alone', or at least something along those lines.

Instead, Jason had merely sat next to Will's other side and laughed and chuckled and bit his hand to stop himself from chuckling, only to then apparently decide it was a _great_ idea to drop a few remarks that were the sole reason for Frank to assume Will's interest in him in the first place.

Who'd have thought _Jason_ could be like that?

Then again, it wasn't all that surprising.

Jason could be quite the tease when he wanted to, and the past had shown he could be quite the opposite of his usually so serious and responsible self. .

But the fact that he'd behave like that when around someone besides Percy, and that he'd tease _Will_ like that, that had been surprising.

Will hadn't been surprised in the slightest, constantly shooting glares at the blonde and kicking him under the table (Percy mostly knew this because Will had kicked him twice by accident, instead).

But, yeah, all in all, lunch had been hilarious.

Even Reyna had ended up smiling and laughing along towards the end, when Nico had told them about their time at Sally's, and how Percy had gotten stuck in a slide (_why…_).

Yeah, they should really do things like this more often.

Then again, that meant they'd have to visit Camp Jupiter more often, and Percy wasn't sure that would be all that possible.

Though they were definitely going to go with Jason on his future trips, so maybe Percy could put in a word then that they'd spend an extra day here each time to hang out with Reyna, Hazel and Frank (and maybe some other kids from here, too).

(But they'd probably do that anyways, no matter if Percy said anything or not, he was certain.)

They were just getting ready to part ways for the day, so the guys could get ready to leave in a few hours (because, apparently, Jason and Nico had decided during breakfast that they'd leave tonight instead of tomorrow morning), when Will brushed past Percy and tugged on Jason's jacket sleeve, murmuring something and moving off to the side with him.

Needless to say, Percy's alarm bells instantly went off.

Had something happened?

Was Will upset?

Since when did those two have secret, 'private' conversations off at the side so they wouldn't be overheard by Percy and/or Nico?

Why weren't they allowed to hear?

Was this some sort of secret?

Was Will telling Jason something important? Was he confiding in him?

Percy could feel himself dreading all sorts of things, but all of that stopped and made way for utter confusion when he saw Will rummaging in his medic pouch, first pulling out some sort of small vial that he shoved right back in with a dark scowl, then some sort of small container and an even smaller one.

…What?

Will kept on whispering something to Jason, who was shaking his head and apparently talking back, but when Will finished shaking what looked like small pills out of one container into the other, and held out the newly filled one, Jason took it, anyways, even though Percy could see his shoulders rise and fall with what seemed to be a rather deep sigh.

Then, the two guys came back over, with Jason's expression a mix of amusement, displeasure and exasperation, and Will seeming a tad fidgety, but otherwise alright.

What had that been about?

He stared at Jason for some sort of clue, but when the blonde caught him looking, he merely shook his head and walked past him towards Reyna with a last scolding look towards Will, who funnily enough stayed behind Percy.

"What was that about?" Percy asked, but Will merely shrugged and turned away from him with a small huff, marching off to where Nico was still talking quietly with Hazel.

_Ugh._

Percy glanced back towards Jason, who had by now reached Reyna and pulled her to the side, just as Will had done with Jasonone with him.

…Percy decided to take a few cautious steps into their direction, and when nobody yelled at him, he risked a few more, until he was close enough to overhear what they were saying.

"…well, alright, maybe. So what?" He heard Reyna ask, sounding defensive, and the way she crossed her arms in front of her chest indicated the same.

Jason sighed loudly.

"Nothing, really. I just thought you'd appreciate some medication. Or something. Anyways, this is for you. Supposedly, it helps against headaches, as well as other stress-induced pains." Jason said quietly, still sounding borderline exasperated, as if he couldn't believe he was doing this, and Percy watched how he passed Reyna the small container Will had just given Jason.

What…?

Why hadn't Will just-…oh…

Oh gods, Will could be such a coward.

Percy shot the blonde a disbelieving look, and promptly caught him glowering at him with a pink face.

"Supposedly?" Reyna asked skeptically, though Percy saw her taking the small container with medication, anyways.

"Yeah. Don't look, and don't tell him, but Will gave that to me to give to you. I told him to do it himself, but he apparently thinks you'll think he wants to poison you or something." Jason continued, and Percy could hear Will let out a sound of utter betrayal.

Of course he had head _that_.

Jason winced, and Reyna stared at him utterly unimpressed for a long moment, before looking past him towards Percy, who could only shrug.

Then, she looked towards Will, but when Percy glanced around at the blonde, he was hiding behind Frank, who was looking over his shoulder with a small frown, giving Will's position away.

_Coward_.

A cute one, but still a coward.

"I see." Reyna then replied without discernable emotion, but Percy could see her pocketing the container, anyways.

"Yep. Just take one of them with a glass of water, and you should notice an improvement within the next ten to thirty minutes, lasting up to twelve hours. It's self-made, so if you run out and need more, just give us a call or something. All in all, he's just trying to help. He's a healer, you know? So he can't stand it when people are in pain. This is his way of showing you're important to him, and-…"

"Jason, shut up!" Will called over, and Jason let out a frustrated huff, while Percy had to fight the urge to laugh.

Reyna still looked unimpressed, though Percy could see he corners of her lips twitch ever so faintly.

"Alright, I'll take one later and let you know if they helped. Tell Will I said thanks, and that, while I might not have been the friendliest towards him, I do not distrust him, so he can come forward himself the next time, I won't bite. Who knows, I might even pay him back for his troubles."

Percy raised an eyebrow.

"He doesn't take money, as far as I know." Jason said what Percy was thinking, but Reyna instantly waved off.

"Not money. But I'm sure I'd have found something to his liking, even if it was just the mention of something like our '_Kiss or Miss!'_ game." She replied, and Percy frowned, while Jason _groaned_.

"Not _that_! Reyna, _how could you_?!" Jason practically _wailed_, and now Percy was most definitely intrigued.

As was Will, by the looks of it, since he certainly saw him peek out from behind Frank, who was holding absolutely still with a shell-shocked look on his face as Will's hands were on his shoulders to hold himself up enough.

Reyna cackled, but didn't reply, merely winking at Jason, then at Percy, before waving Frank and Hazel over so they could leave.

The moment Jason turned around and moved towards Nico and Will, Percy was already at his side.

"Jason, what's 'Kiss or Miss'?" He asked, and Jason looked ready to bury himself in the ground.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Did you kiss Reyna?" Percy asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh, hell no."

"Harsh. Did you try to? And missed?" He teased against his better judgment.

"Percy, shut up before you hurt yourself." Jason remarked drily, and Percy pouted, though he was in no way discouraged.

Especially not when he saw Will standing next to a clueless Nico with his arms crossed and an utterly betrayed look on his face.

"Jason! How could you sell me out like that? You _traitor_! I _trusted_ you!" He complained loudly, and while Nico looked mildly uncomfortable and more than a little confused, Percy could practically _feel_ Jason shrink next to him, suddenly rather fidgety than annoyed.

"Come on, I didn't mean it _bad_, Freckles. She was fine with it, you heard it."

Will stomped his foot on the ground.

"I don't care. I trusted you to do as I asked you to and just give that to her, tell her how to take it, and be done with it. This is it, Grace, I'm _so_ done with you. That's the last time I ever come to you for anything."

_Ouch_.

And Will had said 'Grace'.

Damn.

Percy made a face, very subtly moving away from Jason, so Will wouldn't snap at him next or anything, though his heart ached in sympathy.

"No, Will, love…" Jason instantly tried to coo, but Will crossed his arms in front of his chest and turned away pointedly, though Percy noticed he didn't storm off, which meant he was at least willing to hear Jason out.

Percy glanced towards Nico, feeling slightly at a loss as to what to do.

Should he stay out of it? Should he say something?

If so, should he take sides? And which side should that be?

Nico had his eyebrows raised and was staring off into space with a stunned expression on his face, though he made no move to leave, nor speak, nor do anything, really.

So Percy mimicked him, simply standing there quietly as Jason moved forward to gently hug Will from behind, stroking over his arms and apologizing repeatedly.

It…was kind of cute to watch, actually.

Which was probably mean of Percy, since this seemed like something serious, but the way Jason acted like a kicked puppy trying to regain Will's affection was still too cute.

Just when Percy was about to at the very least put in a good word for Jason, he noticed something odd, though.

Will actually didn't seem all that upset.

He was _upset_, but he was also trying not to smile, Percy could tell.

He could clearly see it, unlike Jason and Nico, since he was standing with a perfect view of Will's face, and Will's lips were most definitely twitching, the corners trying to curl up into a smile.

Oh gods.

Will was _acting_.

At least partly, but…thank the gods.

Percy felt both relief and exasperation wash over him.

Relief because he had seriously started feeling queasy about those two having serious issues now (again?), and exasperation, because…seriously?

Will _did_ know Jason was absolutely devastated right now because of this, right?

Well, there was enough physical contact for him to catch the hint, so he definitely should.

And then there was also Nico, who was now eyeing Will and Jason with a concerned look, as well, though Percy couldn't tell whether that was because of the argument, or because Jason was so openly close to Will right now.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again. You know I didn't mean it bad, and that I'd have never said anything if I hadn't been a hundred percent certain she'd be fine with it. You know I wouldn't do anything like that, right? Please? Come on, let me make it up to you, okay?" Jason cooed, and Percy huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he thought back to all the times _he_ had been upset with Jason.

Jason had never talked to _him_ like that.

Mean.

Maybe Percy should take a page out of Will's book and act this upset the next time, too, then Jason might bother and actually act as if he was genuinely sorry.

Yeah, probably not, though.

One had to consider that Jason wanted a relationship with Will, not Percy, so obviously he'd be a lot more remorseful with Will than Percy.

Still mean.

"Make up _how_?" Will asked curtly, though Percy could see his shoulders already relaxing, so he had definitely already forgiven Jason.

"Anything. Just tell me what, lo-…Freckles." Jason insisted, though Percy could only roll his eyes at the pet name.

Oh please.

They had all heard him calling Will 'love', already, he might as well stick with it now.

It wasn't as if Percy didn't already know those two had it bad for each other.

Plus, hadn't Jason even used that very pet name just this morning?

So, yeah, he might as well own up to it now.

"Pretty, pretty please?" Jason nearly whispered against the side of Will's neck when Will didn't reply, and Percy suddenly thought those two were _way_ too close, especially since they were all still outside.

_Seriously!_

Will sighed.

"Fine. I guess you mean it. Just don't do it again." He finally caved in, stepping out of Jason's hold with a small shake of his head, though Percy thought he also looked the teensiest bit pleased.

Well, he guessed that was one way to make sure Jason wouldn't do something stupid like that again.

Jason looked so relieved, it was almost comical, though Percy knew he only felt that way because he knew Will wasn't genuinely upset – at least not to the extent he had made it seem just now.

"I won't. But…please consider what I said before, okay? She's really not that bad, and you saw now that she would have taken it from you, too, right?" Jason tried, and Percy inwardly cringed.

Wow, if Will _had_ been seriously upset, this probably would have made things a hundred times worse.

As it was, Will merely shot Jason a genuinely dark look.

"Don't push it, Grace."

Uh-oh.

Will had said 'Grace'.

Again.

Bad sign.

Jason instantly lifted his hands, and Will turned away again, motioning for them to get going.

"So, what was that Reyna was talking about? Something else you gave away at some point?"

Percy raised an eyebrow and glanced towards Jason, wondering whether he'd dare to react the same way he had reacted to Percy, and also wondering whether he'd take offense to that statement.

Jason of course didn't do either, instead shaking his head and pursing his lips.

"It's a game. Some kids from my cohort came up with it, and suddenly everybody ended up playing it."

A game?

The way Jason had reacted, one would guess it was something big and important and bad, like some sort of embarrassing childhood story of Jason's he hadn't wanted anybody to know or something.

But just a game?

How boring.

"Yeah? What's it about? What was the name again?" Will pried, clearly not thinking it boring at all.

Nico fell into step beside him, nudging his hand with his own, and Percy took it, sending him a small, reassuring smile to show him everything was good and that he'd explain later what had happened.

It happened automatically, and it only struck him a moment later Nico might have not even wanted anything like that at all, but Nico was already looking away again with a small, relieved sigh, the tension leaving his shoulders, so Percy guessed he had actually gotten it right without even knowing.

Jason let out a deep sigh.

"It's called 'Kiss or Miss', and as you probable guessed already, it's a group game. Do you know the game 'Two Truths, One Lie'? It's basically that, just the other way around and with four answers, to make it more difficult – and longer." He explained, not looking happy whatsoever.

Percy raised an eyebrow.

That didn't really sound like anything worth playing so far.

Then again, he didn't really understand it, either.

"How's it played?" Will continued, and Percy wondered whether he was genuinely curious, or whether this was his form of revenge.

Then again, Reyna had mentioned this as if she knew exactly what she was talking about, and as if she knew it would turn out to be a sort of reward for Will, so maybe it would actually be something good once they knew all about it.

"Well, either there's a bottle selecting the next victim, or you let one person start and pick the next. There's a universal starting question, and the person has to answer with three lies, and one truth. If a person picks out the next, we usually had that person have to guess which one is the truth. If the bottle decided, then everybody got to put their heads together and discuss the possible answers and work as a team. Either way, _one_ person has to state their guess, and then, it's either 'Kiss or miss', which means, if you get it right, you get to kiss the person, and if you get it wrong, you don't. Or the other way around, depending on who was playing." Jason explained, and Percy's head whipped around.

_Kiss…?_

He noticed Nico looking up with a startled look, too, though there was also a sudden _eager_ gleam in his eyes, too.

Will had both eyebrows raised, though he certainly didn't look opposed to the game whatsoever, either.

Of course he wouldn't be.

Who wouldn't love a game that would give one _the perfect excuse_ to kiss somebody?

If the four of them played that…

Percy had just found his new favorite game, that much was certain.

"And you played that? With your cohort?" Will asked, sounding taken aback, and Percy had to admit it did sound odd that _Jason_, _their_ Jason, their _virgin_ Jason, would have sat together with a bunch of other kids (friends?) from his cohort and had kissed/gotten kissed at random for whatever answers they got right/wrong.

"What? No way. I only ever watched, never participated. Once the game started getting played in other cohorts as well, there were some games with people from all of them, and even Reyna participated twice. She never really gave the impression she liked it, but apparently, she felt the need to mention it now, anyways." Jason muttered quietly, first sounding almost affronted, then just bitter.

Oh, come on, Jason, that was a cool game!

An awesome game!

The _perfect_ game!

They could play that, and ask each other some nonsense, and get the answers right, and they could _kiss_!

What could Jason possibly have against that?

Well, Percy could understand just fine why Jason might not have wanted to play that game with his cohort, but why not now, with the three of them?

"Sounds interesting. Maybe we should try it out sometime." Will finally said, and Percy breathed out a small sigh of relief.

If Will wanted to play it, they'd most likely end up playing it.

Unless Nico was against it, that might complicate matters.

Then again, if Nico was against it, Percy had a problem, anyways.

He glanced sideways at his boyfriend, but Nico was staring off into space with a rather dreamy look on his face.

Either he had zoned out, or he was all for the game, too.

_Perfect_.

"Well, I suppose we could play it on the way back to Camp Half-Blood tonight, with the other kids. It's best played in big groups, after all. If you ask Reyna, she'll probably even organize a set of cards with questions for you. The cohorts started making those at some point to get rid of the pauses that would happen when one couldn't think of something suitable to ask." Jason relented, but Percy instantly made a face.

No~.

Why did they have to play with _other_ kids?

Percy wanted to play that game just with Nico, Will and Jason!

Wait, that would probably be pretty obvious, though, wouldn't it?

One didn't just play a sort of kissing-game with only two other guys and the boyfriend, unless one wanted to admit out loud how badly one wanted to kiss those other two guys, too.

Meh.

Also, why couldn't Percy pick his own questions?

How was he to know the right answer if it was something stupid he couldn't possibly know about?

Sure, he was fairly confident he could tell Nico's truth from the lies, but with Jason and Will?

No way.

Plus, Will was amazing at acting when he wanted to be, how was Percy supposed to get _anything_ right if he didn't ask something he definitely knew?

Mean.

This was it, Jason was trying to sabotage their game somehow, he was sure of it.

Adding other people, and then the prospect of having to ask questions off cards?

_Bad Jason._

Percy turned to glower at the blonde, but when Jason (finally) noticed his glance, he merely sighed and rolled his eyes, apparently absolutely unimpressed, unbothered and uncaring.

_Mean!_

**...**

The rest of the day passed in a blur, which Will only partially felt sad about.

He wished he could have gotten a chance to really massage his guys, not just that rushed and simple back rub sort of thing he had ended up giving them to help their sore muscles after that night they had spent on Sally's floor.

Seriously, how had it taken him so long to notice that?

This was it, he should actually start _paying attention_ to their values and such again whenever he was touching them, instead of just relishing in the physical contact.

He was a _healer_, this wasn't something he should indulge in and get carried away with!

At least none of them had questioned anything, instead letting him do as he pleased.

Will had started with Nico, of course.

Who cared about the whole 'Save the best for last', when one could get their hands on Nico's back right away, no questions asked, with the Italian feeling so utterly wonderful beneath him in bed?

Will certainly hadn't cared, instead absolutely indulging in the way too quick massage he had given him, regretting not making use of their spacious bed in the Underworld.

Seriously, he could have given the guys massages _on a daily basis_ in that bed.

Why hadn't he?

_Why?_

He could have come up with some sort of excuse and given Nico _ten_ (or twenty…thirty…hundreds…) full body massages that would have blown his mind, but instead, here he was, giving Nico a rushed, simple back-massage that was over before it had even started.

Cruel world.

Not that Nico hadn't enjoyed it, Will knew he had.

He also knew Percy had enjoyed it greatly, making him wonder why that stubborn fool _never said anything_, since Will had most definitely told the lot he'd always be up for giving them massages if they needed/wanted any.

Seriously.

Though he had to admit it had felt nice, massaging Percy.

He had a nice back.

Will had definitely enjoyed teasing his lower back the first chance he got, feeling that it was a sensitive spot for him.

Percy was so wonderfully responsive, too.

More responsive than Nico.

Much more responsive than Jason.

Will couldn't wait until he could give him that full-body massage. He'd _so_ find all of this sensitive spots, and he'd make sure everyone knew he had found them.

Jason had been the last to get Will's overly rushed massage, and Will tried not to apply the 'saving the best for last'-saying here.

That had not been his reasoning behind keeping Jason for last.

He had simply wanted to push off being on top of Jason and feeling the blonde beneath him for as long as possible, what with so much bare skin to touch and see, so much temptation right in front of him, so much he was craving to do but knew he couldn't do right then and there.

Of course, Will had been right.

While it had felt amazing to get his hands on Nico like that again and make him feel good, and teasing Percy was always fun, touching Jason had proven to be much more temptation than one might have thought.

Mostly because he had wanted to lean down and kiss his way down Jason's back roughly three quarters of the time, no matter whether Nico and Percy were sitting right next to Jason on the bed or not.

Seriously, though.

Jason had formidable shoulders, had he ever mentioned that before?

Of course, Will was still Will, so he had teased him the tiniest bit, as well, though not nearly as much as the other two, and he had a hunch Jason had noticed.

Well, it didn't matter.

If anything, he could claim he had wanted to go easy on him after already freaking him out earlier, after that thing with Reyna.

That had been _so_ unfair though!

Will had known there was a chance Jason would give him away, but he hadn't seriously thought Jason would be that blatant about it!

So it wasn't as if he had actually needed to 'act' the part of being overly upset.

He _had_ been overly upset.

Just that he had also been relieved Reyna had ended up taking his medicine, anyways, and it wasn't as if it had really been that much of a big deal.

Still, he had wanted Jason to know he'd remember this, and judging by the way Jason had been all desperate and frantic to get back into Will's good grades, he was fairly certain he had accomplished just that.

Plus, they had all learned of a new game (that Will of course was itching to play).

Bless Reyna.

Maybe he should have seriously gone to her, himself.

Next time, he'd do that.

Maybe.

But seriously, how had Jason never mentioned this before, this was a _perfect_ game for the four of them.

Sadly, a tiny tad too obvious, but if Will had known about this, he was sure he could have tweaked the rules a little bit to not make it quite _that_ obvious he wanted to get away with some more kisses.

Since the guys were so adamant about not playing Truth or Dare (which he had to admit was probably mostly his own fault), this was definitely the next best, not to mention one of the _only_ ways to get that without causing unnecessary drama.

Because, well, if his senses hadn't been fooling him, he was pretty sure Percy was all for that game, too, and Nico hadn't looked very opposed, either.

Which, given Nico's usual issues with anything too straight-forward, had been a surprise, anyways.

And…while Jason had acted as if he didn't like the game whatsoever, Will had definitely felt the curiosity coursing through the blonde when Will had said they should play it sometime.

Maybe it was really just the whole thing with playing the game with other people.

Jason _was_ demi, after all, so who knew what boundaries he had in that regard.

Will could completely understand why he had never participated before.

Seriously, if Will's first thought had been 'I'd be one of the people trying to get it to be my turn asap and as many times as possible so I could keep trying to get a kiss with Jason', then he was pretty sure the majority of the other cohorts at Camp Jupiter had thought the same thing.

Poor Jason wouldn't have had even a moment of peace, with everybody trying to get a kiss with him, not to mention the drama of _'Choose me next!'_ that would have undoubtedly ensued every time it had been his turn.

Then again, some months ago, that would have been Nico's fate if they had known about this game back then.

Maybe that was why Jason hadn't told them about this game before.

But now…now, things would be a bit more evened out, right?

Will certainly wouldn't care which one of the three he got to kiss, after all, nor whom of them would get to kiss him, so there was that.

He sighed, shamelessly checking Nico out as the Italian bent over the luggage to grab one of the travel bags.

Of course, he was instantly nudged in the side by Percy, who shot him a 'I saw that, you pervert'-look that had Will flashing him a cheeky grin before ever so subtly moving over to Jason and hiding behind him to save himself any reprimand from a jealous boyfriend or anything.

Then again, he yet had to see the day Percy actually acted jealous, so there was that.

Jason glanced sideways at him with a raised eyebrow, undoubtedly guessing he had a reason for suddenly being all the way over here, but Will merely shot him an innocent smile that had the blonde rolling his eyes with a twitch of his lips.

Percy was still sending him a knowing, scolding look, though he then went to help his boyfriend with his luggage without comment.

Ha.

There, everything was good.

"Looking forward to getting back to Camp?" Jason asked, and Will shrugged, still peeking past him towards Percy, who was now the one bent over the luggage, though Will didn't get to pay much attention to that, since he didn't want Jason to think anything into that.

"I suppose so? We were gone for quite a while, so I wonder if anything happened in the meantime, or whether everything will still be the same as when we left. I do hope my siblings had mercy on me and didn't sell my stuff on _Ebay_ or something." He replied thoughtfully, thinking of the few things he possessed.

"Like your guitar pick collection?" Jason mused, and Will shot him a wry glance.

Seriously, how did these guys remember things he mentioned in passing maybe once or twice?

"Nah, Alec would never let that happen. He loves those way too much. Thinking about it, I'll have to count them once I get back, because he's bound to have 'borrowed' a few."

Not that Will really minded.

It wasn't as if he was using them, anymore.

He wasn't even sure why he still had them in the first place.

Will glanced towards his guitar, leaning against the wall behind their last travel bags, and his heart started thumping loudly again.

He…wasn't really sure what to do with it.

Leah had gone through so much to get it back for him, and playing _had_ kind of been…interesting, but…but…

Could he really do it again?

Just pick up the guitar and play?

With his siblings? Alone?

At all?

He wasn't sure.

He would have never actually played it in the first place if the guys hadn't left him alone without anything to do, and if Leah hadn't done such a horrid job at tuning it.

But ever since, he hadn't exactly dared to pick it up anymore, either.

"Are you going to play again, then?" Jason asked curiously, but Will wasn't sure how to reply, and he was pretty sure Jason could see the conflict on his face when he glanced at him a moment later.

Based on the way Jason's expression instantly turned concerned, he was right.

"You don't have to, if you don't want to. I don't think anybody would blame you if you decided it's just not for you, you know?" Jason tried quietly, as if to reassure him, but that only made Will smile and step back with a small shake of his head.

"Nah, it's okay. I just thought that I should have probably practiced a bit before showing up in my cabin with my old guitar. They're so going to make me play, and I'm never going to hear the end of how bad I've become." He exclaimed instead, and as if to prove his point, he moved over towards the wall to pick it up.

Just that he stopped dead in front of it, unable to reach out and actually take it.

"I think you played really well." Jason stated gently, standing next to him again, the same way he always seemed to do.

Will shrugged, staring at the guitar, his heart in his throat.

He should just take it.

What harm was there in it?

He had held it before.

Alright, he had made Percy carry it to and from the car in the Underworld, at Sally's, and here at Camp Jupiter, but still.

He had played it.

They whole dread-thing should have worn of ages ago.

Jason's hand brushed against his.

"Just don't force yourself to do anything, okay? And don't let your siblings get to you. If you don't want to play, don't play. If you do want to, then do." He said quietly, and Will knew he meant well, but he didn't even know what Will's problem was, so his words felt nearly meaningless to Will right now.

He appreciated them, but they were like a stranger giving you condolences about a person they never met.

Will swallowed again, trying to rack his brain for something upbeat to say, something that would take the tension out of the moment, make it playful again.

But he couldn't think of anything, and then, Jason was reaching out, taking the guitar in his place.

"Come on, let's follow the other two before they accidentally make anything explode or something. You know how they can be." The blonde said, and Will blinked, automatically taking the bag Jason held out to him, though he dimly registered it was one of the lightest ones they had, while Jason bent down to collect the last two (heaviest) travel bags with his free hand and made his way towards the door, motioning for Will to follow.

Will did, his eyes hushing from the back of Jason's head to the guitar and back.

A part of him wanted to speak up, wanted to say he could do it himself, he could carry that guitar without problem, or at the very least take one of the heavier travel bags from Jason.

But another part of him couldn't get himself to do it, instead immensely grateful Jason was such a considerate person.

"Thanks." He whispered, which was stupid, because he only said it so Jason could hear it, so he didn't know why his voice chose exactly that moment to fail him.

But Jason seemed to hear him, anyways, glancing over his shoulder before slowing down a bit, so they ended up walking next to each other again.

Jason was always next to him, somehow.

Never running off in front of him, never trailing behind him unless to 'protect' him if necessary, instead always sticking to his side, always sticking to him.

"What for?" The blonde asked and tilted his head to the side slightly, promptly reminding Will of the way he had looked at him back when he had been on top of him.

He hadn't moved, hadn't pulled back, hadn't said anything, instead just hovering over him, studying him and waiting for Will to decide what would happen next.

He had tilted his head then, too.

Will wasn't sure why he was thinking of that just now, but he couldn't stop himself, either, instead remembering how at ease he had felt in that moment, how everything between them had just felt so _right_, how he hadn't even noticed he had been on the ground and beneath Jason until it had suddenly struck him.

And Jason hadn't taken advantage of him.

Hadn't pushed anything, hadn't urged Will into anything, hadn't done anything, though Will knew he wouldn't have stopped him in any way whatsoever.

_Of course_ Jason hadn't done that!

What was Will even thinking?

He probably wasn't thinking.

Still…it had felt…kind of nice…

Will shook his head, realizing belatedly Jason had asked him something.

"Just you being you." He replied lamely, though he knew it didn't convey in the slightest how he actually felt.

Jason still smiled at him, anyways.

Will's gaze hushed back to the two travel bags Jason was carrying in one hand, then the guitar and the backpack in his other one, and the resolve inside him strengthened.

"Now give me one of your bags, I am perfectly capable of carrying something actually heavy too, you know." He exclaimed, making a grabby hand at Jason with his free hand, and the blonde snorted out a small laugh, coming to a stop to fumble with the bags.

He made no move to pass him the guitar and didn't ask about it, which Will was grateful for.

He also seemed to try and pick the lightest bag to pass to Will, which he _wasn't_ grateful for.

"Jason…" He said warningly, and Jason let out a long sigh.

"Fine." The blonde relented, holding out one of the travel bags to him, and Will gave him a last skeptical look – before going for the other one.

He _could_ lift things just fine!

Or so he thought, but the moment he took the bag, gravity decided to one-up him.

In Jason's defense, he didn't crack up laughing.

He _did_ start chuckling though, which made Will glower at him as he heaved the bag off the floor.

"_Shush_."

"Will, I can carry it, it's no problem."

"Shush!"

"That bag is almost bigger than you!"

"Jason, one more word, and I'm going to ban brownies from your diet." Will hissed through clenched teeth, cursing the person that had dumped all their heavy stuff into this very bag, at least by the feel of it.

Then Will realized that person must have most likely been Nico, so he stopped cursing and instead concentrated on lifting this dumb thing.

Jason had made it look so easy.

How had he made it look so easy?

Will never saw him lifting or anything.

Then again, that would probably explain his broad shoulders.

_Meh_.

"What? Not my brownies! No, but seriously, this bag here is still _very_ heavy, how about we switch?" Jason tried, but Will shook his head determinedly.

_Not if he could help it!_

They made it down the stairs, a lot slower than before, but Jason stuck to his side (though now probably to catch him just in case), and Will was pretty sure he only managed this far by sheer willpower alone.

There was no way he'd cave in now!

He only had to make it out of the building, down the road, and then to where Jules-Albert had parked the bus…

Will needed a break at the foot of the stairs.

Then at the entrance.

Then Percy and Nico came running, and while Percy disappeared up the stairs to their room to look for anything they might have left there, Nico grabbed the bag from him without asking and off he was, carrying it as if it was the lightest thing in the world.

"Alright, that's it, I'm gonna start working out." He grumbled darkly, knowing full well Jason was trying very hard not to laugh.

"I think you did great. You have plenty other great qualities, who cares if you can lift giant, heavy travel bags?" Jason reasoned, but Will didn't believe a word of it.

"_I_ do." He replied seriously, and Jason met his gaze in quiet challenge.

"Who does what? Hey, you're not doing any wedding vows here, right? It's much too early for that!" Percy's voice sounded behind them, and they both shot him exasperated looks.

"Wedding vows? Seriously?" Will asked, but Percy merely shrugged, eyeing them skeptically.

"Well, with you two, one never knows. Now, come on, let's get going. Need any help with that, Jace?" He asked instead, nodding towards the other big bag Jason was holding.

Will raised an eyebrow, more than curious to see whether Jason would actually give Percy anything, or whether he'd insist on carrying it all, himself.

Jason met his gaze and rolled his eyes, a small smirk appearing on his face as he passed Percy the heavy bag he had tried to convince Will to take.

Percy took it, then let it drop right on the floor.

"Seriously? What did you guys _pack_?! Jason, that's the last time I'm _ever_ helping you out with anything! _You're the worst_!" He complained, picking it up again and uttering a series of curses and complaints as he walked off to get it to the bus, all the while grumbling and cursing the weight of the bag.

Will was pretty sure he was still looking struck and speechless when Jason started laughing next to him.

"See? There's nothing wrong with-…" Jason started, but Will waved him off with a grumble and a pout.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Lesson learnt."

Whatever.

Jason sighed next to him, nudging his arm with his own as they started walking again, more or less leisurely making their way down the road, past houses, shops and people.

"You're great just the way you are, you know?"

Will shot him a wry look.

"And you're like one of those boxes full of little notes with motivational quotes and compliments." He retorted, then frowned, wondering whether that was a compliment or an insult, and then wondering which one he had wanted it to be in the first place.

"You think so? Well, then I'm hoping I can make you smile the way those boxes are supposed to, too." Jason said softly, and Will felt his face heating, hurriedly looking away.

"You're such a sap."

Jason merely chuckled, and their shoulders brushed against each other again.

They were almost at the exit of New Rome now, and Will glanced back to look at the place once more.

He still loved it.

Even though it was technically 'Roman', and with things being all complicated and troublesome here right now, he could barely wait to live here, to actually settle down.

Though he knew, out of the four of them, he had least right to feel that way, since they had gone through so much worse in their short lives than he had, so they definitely deserved to feel as if they wanted to call it quits already much more than Will did.

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly as he and Jason were about to pass the threshold, when…

"_William?_"

Will froze dead in his tracks, everything inside him freezing right along as he head snapped around, his eyes searching for the source of the voice, the name, the call.

"Will?" Jason asked, stopping too and sounding concerned, but Will ignored him, his eyes hushing over the people around them.

Where?

Where had the voice come from?

It hadn't been a voice he knew.

Coincidence?

He searched, trying to battle the feeling of dread, trying to calm his wildly beating heart.

It must have been coincidence.

It _had_ to have been coincidence.

_Of course_ it had been coincidence.

What else?

"Are you okay?" Jason asked, brushing against his wrist with one finger, and Will instinctively flinched back.

"Will?" Now Jason definitely sounded worried.

Will shook his head, trying to compose himself again with a last glance around, but there was nothing.

Nobody looking their way, nobody acting weird, and nobody calling any names out anywhere.

Everything was good.

It must have been coincidence.

Absolutely.

"Nothing. Just thought I heard something weird, that's all." He said hurriedly, and even put on a bright smile, though Jason didn't seem convinced, studying him with a small frown before letting his eyes trail over their surroundings as well, though Will refused to look around anymore, his heart still in his throat.

It had just been coincidence.

A person calling out to their friend.

Or two old colleagues seeing each other again after a while.

Nothing bad.

Just a stupid coincidence.

He stared at Jason, watching his eyes as if just waiting for his gaze to settle down on anything, to show he saw something Will hadn't, but there was nothing, and Jason looked back at him, still seeming worried.

Will smiled again, nodding towards the threshold.

"Ready to leave?"

"I guess so." Jason said quietly, though he made no move to leave New Rome until Will finally relented and went first.

Somehow, he didn't want Jason to go last.

He still let him, though, and only managed to relax when they reached the bus without anything happening.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jason asked, and Will instantly nodded.

"Of course. Stop asking, Handsome, I'm fine."

If he thought about it logically, there was no reason for him to freak out about this whatsoever.

First of all, it had been coincidence.

Second of all, the name 'William' was certainly not unusual, so what the hell was he even thinking about in the first place, _of course_ it had been coincidence!

Third of all, his was in _New Rome_, as in, _Camp Jupiter_, the _Roman_ Camp.

There was no way for…for _him_ to even _know_ of this Camp!

Not where it was, not that it existed, nothing.

So, again, it had to have been coincidence.

Plus, _it hadn't even been his voice_!

Damn, Will was way too jumpy these days.

Jason dumped their things with the rest of their luggage, unnecessarily careful with Will's guitar, then he was at Will's side again, still studying his face as if he could read more in it than Will dared to show.

"If you say so. But you'll tell me if something is wrong, right? Even if it's something stupid."

Will swallowed, averting his gaze for a moment as guilt gnawed on him, though he put on a bright smile anyways, brushing Jason off with a wave of his hand and a laugh.

"Jason, please. I'm _fine_."

"What's wrong?" Percy instantly asked as his head popped up from the side of the bus, and Nico's head followed suite, frowning at the two as well.

"Will says he's fine." Jason explained with a sigh, and Will scowled at him, while Percy and Nico put on grave, knowing expressions.

"_Oh_." They both said at the same time, as if Jason's 'explanation' explained _everything_, and Will scowled at them, too.

Idiots.

The lot of them.

The next moment, they were right there with him, huddling around him as if to form a protective circle, and he wasn't sure whether to scowl or to laugh as Percy very seriously took his chin and inspected his face, as if he could actually tell anything just by looking at him alone.

Then, he caught side of somebody at the exit of New Rome, just standing there and looking at what seemed to be them, or at least into their direction, and the feeling of dread was right back.

Sadly, while he possessed perfect hearing, his sight wasn't even near-perfect, so he couldn't even tell whether the person was female or male, much less any features.

Nico was the first to notice his gaze, instantly glancing around to find the source of his discomfort, but the next moment, the person was gone.

Just coincidence.

Nothing but coincidence.

"You do seem a bit pale." Percy finally stated, and Will tore his gaze away from New Rome to shoot Percy an unimpressed look.

"And it took you five minutes of intent staring to realize that? You'd suck as a doctor." He teased, and Percy huffed indignantly, though he did let go of his chin.

"Oh shush, that wasn't even one whole minute, sun-bug. And I'd never want to be a doctor. Way too much responsibility. Nah, I'll leave that to competent people like you."

Will felt his face heating and pushed Percy away insistently, while Jason let out a small chuckle, as if he knew exactly how Will would feel about that praise.

Idiots.

They were all idiots.

But they were Will's idiots, so it was okay.

He looked towards Nico, and found the Italian still staring off into the distance, his eyes glued to the entrance to New Rome, his eyebrows furrowed.

Will wondered whether he had seen whoever had stood there.

Then he wondered why he should care.

It was all just coincidence.

One giant, stupid coincidence.

"Are the others all set and ready to go?" He asked, mainly to get the conversation somewhere else, somewhere safe, somewhere good.

Nico looked back at him, studying his face again for a long moment before apparently deciding to let it go, his shoulders relaxing again.

Will didn't know what to make of it.

He couldn't remember _Nico_ ever getting protective.

Though he might also just be thinking too much into it, anyways.

He probably was.

"Yep, they're already bickering about the best spots in the bus. Quick question, do you two prefer the front or the back?" Percy asked, gesturing between Jason and Will, but they only shrugged.

"Well, we secured the front, because the back seemed a pretty tight fit, so we figured we'd split two-two and let the others squeeze together in the back. It was only three seats there, anyways." Percy explained and motioned for them to follow.

Will originally wanted to trail back, and _maybe_ glance towards New Rome one last time, but Percy gave him no chance to, mercilessly grasping his wrist and tugging him after him.

"Oi, wrong guy, your boyfriend is a bit further to the right, Perce!" He teased, but Percy blatantly _ignored_ him, instead tightening his hold on Will's wrist and continuing his babble about the comfort of the seats in Jules-Albert's bus.

"And I'll have you know I know _exactly_ where my boyfriend is, and who I'm holding onto." He added smartly as he pulled Will into the bus, and Will could only roll his eyes as his cheeks started warming.

Jason behind him let out a small chuckle, and when Will glowered at him, the guy even had the indecency to _wink_ at him.

_Idiots_.

_The lot of them._

Will looked past him to check whether Nico was okay with this, but the Italian didn't seem bothered in the slightest, remaining at the door with a small smile as he motioned for the other kids to come, which had huddled together in front of the bus, studying Jules-Albert with fascination.

Well, he guessed a zombie _was_ pretty unusual, not to mention sort of interesting, if not impressive.

"There. Now we're going to…wait, do you prefer to sit at the window? Or do you want the aisle seat?" Percy babbled, then stopped dead, and Will walked straight into him, with Jason stopping just in time to not collide with them as well.

"Damn it, Percy, just choose whatever! Wait, since when am I sitting next to you?" Will asked confused, but Percy already ushered him into his seat at the window and flopped down next to him with a loud, pleased sigh.

"There. Nico decided we're going to switch through, so each of us gets to sit with each of us. Any complaints about that? No? Perfect."

Will decided not to mention Percy hadn't even left enough room in there for him to voice out any possible complaint.

Jason chuckled, sitting down behind them, and Will glowered back at him, though that merely made Jason grin even more.

Great.

Now he was stuck with Percy for who knew how long.

Will's lips twitched and he settled back into his seat properly, watching the kids enter the bus and disappearing towards the back, before Nico came in last and raised an amused eyebrow when he spotted them.

"You want the window seat?" Jason asked when Nico reached them, considerate as always, but Nico already dropped onto his seat with a 'Nope'.

Jules-Albert closed the doors, and Will found himself looking out the window automatically, looking over the parts of Camp Jupiter he could glimpse and noticing off-handedly Percy had made them sit on the side with perfect view of the Camp, instead of any part of New Rome.

Will wondered whether that was coincidence, too.

Percy poked his arm, and Will glanced around at him, just to find a small pack of orange-juice in his face.

"There. You're still pale. Drink something, _Doctor's orders_." Percy declared with a serious nod, and Will made a face, making no move to take the juice.

"You can't give me doctor's orders, only Nico can do that."

"I can?" "He can?" "_Oh really?_" Nico, Jason and Percy replied instantly, and Will winced.

Oh shit.

Will scowled as he watched Percy and Jason both turning towards Nico with telling looks, and he knew full well what would come next.

Nico's eyes locked with Will's, and he didn't even need to say anything before Will sighed loudly, snatching the pack of juice from Percy.

"Fine! Seriously, you guys need a new hobby or something, because you definitely worry about me too much. Who's the doctor here, huh? _I am_. I am the one who has to worry about _you_. You just have to sit back and do your stuff. Seriously." He rambled, though he pushed the straw in anyways and took a sip of the orange juice to make them shut up.

They all grinned at him anyways, apparently utterly unfazed by his words.

Will huffed.

_Idiots._

He loved them.

...

"This game is _stupid_!" Percy yelled through the bus, but Jason merely rolled his eyes and tugged him back down into the seat by the collar of his shirt.

"Told you so. Now, my turn."

"But why did I _miss_?! Come on, you're cheating, I was right, wasn't I? Which one was the right answer, then?" Percy complained loudly, but Jason didn't really care.

"Who'd have thought I'd see the day Percy would be upset about not getting to kiss Jason?" Will teased with a dangerous gleam in his eyes, and Percy instantly fell quiet, making Jason roll his eyes again.

_Right_.

Percy fell back into his seat, still looking upset, though he now decided to pout, rather than yelling his displeasure to the world.

Which Jason's ears were eternally grateful for.

"Who are you going to pick for the next turn, Jason?" Nico asked, collecting the stack of cards, since he was sort of the judge here, taking care that all of them followed the rules, as well as passing around the stack of cards, while mostly trying to stay out of the game (smart move).

Jason turned to Will, a slow smirk spreading on his face, and Will's eyes widened with realization.

_Ha._

"Will."

"Ugh, to be expected." Percy mumbled next to him, but Jason ignored him.

He just hoped he'd get a good question.

Curse Reyna and her dumb cards, she had given them the worst stack in existence on utter purpose, he was absolutely convinced.

Maybe he should have insisted on them playing without the cards.

But somehow, he had hoped things would go smoother and less awkward if they had the cards.

Man, had he been wrong.

Nico held out the cards to him, and he took the top one, bracing himself for anything that was to come.

Reading it out to himself, he wanted to die.

Oh shit.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

There was _no way_ he could get this one right.

"So…Will…" He started, and pushed Percy away when he tried to come closer to catch a glimpse of what the card read.

Seriously, he'd find out in a moment, anyways.

What an impatient dork.

Will shuffled in his seat, looking between anxious and excited.

Jason tried to gauge how he was going to take this question, but came up blank.

He cleared his throat again, then put the card down to the other used ones.

"How many people have you dated in the past?"

For a moment there was silence, in which Jason watched Will's face turn dangerously blank.

Then, Percy grabbed the card to read it over.

"Seriously? Why do you get such questions, and I get the shitty ones?"

Shut up, Percy.

This was the shittiest question ever!

How was Jason supposed to know how many people Will had dated in the past?!

He always went on about experience, but he had never actually mentioned any names, nor numbers, and Jason had never asked.

Then again, why would he?

It made no difference how many people Will had been with in the past, at least not to Jason.

Will's expression slowly changed into a small, crooked smile.

"Ooh, bringing out the tough questions, huh? Well, alright, let me think…" He said, acting thoughtful, though Jason could see the tension in his shoulders, and the strain in his smile.

This was a bad question, apparently.

Something he didn't want to talk about.

Jason cursed Reyna and her dumb cards even more.

"Alright. Three…Five…or Ten." Will finished with a smug grin, but Jason only raised an eyebrow, while a few of the other kids started muttering something among themselves he ignored.

"That's only three, Freckles. You're one short."

Will rolled his eyes.

"Ugh, fine. Erm…hmm…alright, _one_. There. Take your pick."

Great.

Just great.

Jason shifted in his seat, trying to mull it over in peace, but the other kids started guessing more or less loudly, and he'd lie if he said that wasn't at least a tiny bit distracting.

"Well, he doesn't _look_ like he had ten girlfriends."

"Isn't he gay, though? Wouldn't it be boyfriends?"

"True that. Still, _ten_? I say three. At most five."

"Hey, haven't you heard him tease Misha earlier? He so had more than three."

"Lies, you fully well know the ones who tease or brag are actually no good at all. If zero was an option, I'd go for that."

Fucking kids.

Jason scowled at them, but Nico got there before him, very subtly clearing his throat and fixing them with a hard look that made them quieten down considerably.

Jason was about to look back towards Will, but then Percy was in his face already.

"So, what do you think?"

Jason made a face.

"I thought you said this was such an easy question?" He replied, knowing he was being a smartass, but he had absolutely no idea which one was the right option.

Percy rolled his eyes.

"I didn't say _easy_. I just think it's actually a good one for once. But still, what do you think?"

Jason shrugged, glancing towards Will, but Will merely had his chin in his hands and was watching them all with a rather detached look on his face, as if he didn't give a damn what they were saying.

Jason highly doubted that was really the case, though.

"I have no idea. What do you think?"

"No clue. Three? You need to consider, he's been at Camp for a long while, even if he's younger than us. I never heard him talk about anybody in particular, but I'd think three is a safe bet. Or five. I don't know. He _is_ bisexual, after all, so he might have dated a few girls? I really don't know. I only ever had Annabeth, and it took us _years_ to get together, not to mention all the quests and apocalypses that sort of got in the way. He doesn't seem to be as slow on the uptake as I was, so he might have actually been better at finding somebody, as well as figuring out they weren't for him." Percy rambled, and Jason was now staring at him, rather than Will.

Damn, Percy seemed to be giving this quite some thought, huh?

"Then again, it might very well just be one, and he's just trying to play with us." Percy finished up drily, and Jason chuckled.

True that.

Will very well knew it was four answers, after all, so it could be that the right answer _was_ 'One', but he didn't want them to know.

Then again, that 'Three' had come out pretty quickly, which could mean it was the right reply.

Or 'Five', because Will had packed his right answer in the middle during his past two turns, too.

(Jason had known the answer back then, but kept quiet about it, because the day he supported some random kid getting a kiss with _his_ Will was the day he wasn't Jason Grace. If Percy or Nico got to kiss him, that was fine by him, but some random kid? _Nope_.)

Jason highly doubted it was 'Ten'.

Will might brag, and he certainly had the looks, not to mention the personality to get ten people interested, but he still didn't strike Jason as a person who jumped into anything, especially not a relationship.

Or maybe that was just because he was biased because Will was so unwilling to jump into anything with _him_.

"So? Thought of an answer yet?" Will asked, making Jason look back at him instantly, just to catch Will studying him with a small smirk, though his eyes remained a tad dulled.

He knew Jason wouldn't get it right.

Great.

Jason wanted to get it right.

He really, really did.

He just didn't know what the right answer was.

Jason glanced towards Nico, but Nico merely shrugged, looking as clueless as he was.

Great.

Well then, nothing for it.

Which one to pick?

Three of five?

If he picked too few, Will might think he had an issue with him dating too many people before him.

If he picked too many, Will might think he thought he was some sort of 'slut', since he clearly remembered Will mentioning something derogatory about himself like that before.

Though he couldn't remember when or where that had been.

Three or five?

Three?

Five?

He turned to Percy.

"Three or five?"

"Don't ask _me_! I have no clue!"

"Percy!"

Percy huffed, then threw his hands up. "Five, then! Don't blame me for not getting your kiss though."

Jason grumbled.

Somehow, he had a hunch five was absolutely wrong.

He turned to Will, biting his lip, but Will looked almost bored now.

"Hm?"

"Five." Jason replied, internally wincing.

Will gave him a long, quiet look.

Then he chuckled, pulling back from where he was leaning over his chair to shake his head and momentarily disappear from sight to grab another pack of orange juice.

"Nope. Missed."

Percy groaned next to him, but that didn't even convey half of the mess inside Jason right now as he was tempted to bang his head against the seat in front of him.

No!

He had _known_ it was the wrong answer!

Damn, damn, _damn_!

"So, my turn now. Nico, my dearest Diet Pepsi, ready to be asked the tough questions?" Will chirped, his head popping up again, though he wasn't looking towards Jason, and Jason found himself slumping slightly.

Why did it feel as if he had just said something horribly wrong?

He shouldn't listen to Percy, _ever_, that much was certain.

"I'm so sorry, man. Guess it must have been three. Or one." Percy muttered quietly, maneuvering an arm around him to tug him closer and pat his shoulder in consolation.

Jason sent him a dark look.

"How high's the chance I just insulted him?"

Percy made a face, and they both glanced towards Will, who was laughing and taking the top card of the stack Nico was holding out to him with a mingled expression.

"Since he's being obnoxiously cheerful again, I'd say 80%. But hey, at least you didn't pick ten."

"Shut up, Percy. I should have gone with 'one'. Rather too few than too many."

"Nah, this way he at least knows you wouldn't mind, right?"

"I don't think he cares whether I mind." Jason grumbled, but Percy either didn't hear or didn't care, merely patting his shoulder continuously.

"There, there. Oh look, he got it wrong with Nico, too. Jason, I'd say Five is a very nice compromise, no matter if it was wrong or not. Think about it. It's not too high a number to make him feel bad, but it's also not that low a number to make him feel as if you don't think he could get that many partners. If you had said that about me, I'd feel flattered that you'd think there were five people in the world who would willingly put up with me like that. Well, I'd also think you're stupid as heck and that you must have never listened to anything I ever told you, but that's just because I told you about pretty much my entire life already, so there's that." Percy very wisely stated, and Jason let his head fall against Percy's shoulder with a sigh, both of them still watching Will as he laughed at apparent ease and let his face drop into his arms on the backrest of his seat again.

"He's upset, isn't he?"

"Yep."

"I should have picked 'One'."

"If he had wanted you to pick that, he wouldn't have made such an act about it."

"Then what did he want me to pick?" Jason asked with a huff, rubbing his face against Percy's sweater in utter exasperation and annoyance.

Percy's shrug didn't help improve his mood.

"No clue. Either three or ten, I guess? If you had wanted to get it right, probably either 'One' or 'Three'. But if you hadn't cared, you could have chosen 'Ten' with a wiggle of your eyebrows and shown him you are absolutely joking. Hey, _oh gods_, you know what you could have done?!" Percy suddenly perked up, and Jason was forced to support his head by himself again as Percy's shoulder started moving too much.

"What?" He asked skeptically, not trusting the gleam in Percy's eyes whatsoever.

Percy very seriously cleared his throat and put his hands on Jason's shoulders, looking him deep into his eyes.

"You should have picked ten, and looked at him like this, and then go all like: You know, because you're a ten to me."

Jason broke away laughing the same moment Will did, which Jason had to admit made him both self-conscious about being overheard (because there was no way that had been coincidental!) as well as hopeful that he wasn't as upset as he might seem.

"Percy, he should already know that, though!" He complained once he could control his laughter, and glanced past Percy's head ever so subtly to see Will blushing slightly, though he still wasn't looking at them.

"So? Who cares? Yell your love to the world, man. He already said he likes you back, right? That means you can tell him all your cheesy lines and all that nonsense you've been giving me up until now and know he won't turn around and run. Well…unless you tell him that thing about his eyes. He might still run if you give him all your very bad poetry, just saying." Percy told him with a serious nod of his head, though he also winked at him, which indicated he knew just as well as Jason did that they were being overheard, and he was doing his best to either make things okay between Jason and Will, or embarrass the shit out of Jason, he couldn't tell.

Either way, he took offense to that statement, anyways.

"I do _not_ do bad poetry. I don't do poetry at all! _You_ were the one claiming he had 'eyes bluer than the sky', so _you're_ definitely the one with the bad poetry here. I merely said I adore that gleam in his eyes that he gets when he's genuinely happy about something!" He retorted with a huff, and Percy gaped at him.

"I said _no such thing_! Alright, maybe I did, though you got it wrong, anyways. I said _your_ eyes are bluer than the sky, while _his_ eyes are more like water _reflecting_ the blue sky!" Percy exclaimed loudly, just as everyone else around them fell quiet, and a shocked, stunned expression appeared on Percy's face as they both realized not only Will must have heard that.

Will behind them started laughing, hitting the backrest of his seat with the flat of his hand over and over again as he seemed to try very hard not to crack up laughing, while the rest of the bus was disturbingly quiet.

Jason bit his lip, looking past Percy to all the other kids in the bus, including Nico, staring at Percy with raised eyebrows.

"What exactly are you two talking about?" Nico asked, sounding between amused and doubtful, and Percy sent Jason a desperate, _pleading_ look.

Oh, hell no.

How was Jason supposed to get him out of _this_ one?!

"We're…trying to find the best similes for compliments on a person's eye color. We already covered brown and green, but now got stuck with blue eyes. Do you guys know anything good? We already covered gems, Percy brought up blue icing at some point, at the moment we're comparing what we've heard about skies…" He babbled, and Percy looked as if he wanted to kiss him out of gratitude for a moment, though he very luckily didn't.

Because Jason had no idea how he would have possibly explained _that_.

A few of the kids threw each other confused glances, which Jason absolutely couldn't blame them for, while the others slowly nodded, then shook their heads, murmuring out apologies about never having given this much thought.

Yeah, _good_.

He didn't really want to have this sort of conversation right now, anyways.

Nico still had his eyebrow raised, looking from them to Will and back, as if he knew _exactly_ what they had been talking about, not to mention what they were doing, in the first place.

Then he moved over and leaned over the backrest behind them to get his head between theirs, and his lips to their ears.

"Try this: Bright blue eyes like a sea of sapphires, illuminated by the warm light of a cloudless summer's day, sparkling and beautiful and impossible to look away from."

Jason's mouth went dry, the same moment Percy gazed at Nico in utter wonder, and Will suddenly fell quiet with a startled gasp and his face turning scarlet, before he hid it to very seriously drink his orange juice.

What the…

"Don't look at me like that, I hung out with a lot of dead poets and such, and they loved telling me stuff like that about their loved ones." Nico muttered defensively, turning slightly pink in the face as he pulled back, but both Percy and Jason quickly shook their heads.

"That was _beautiful_!" They both insisted, trying to shove each other away as they tried to get Nico to come back closer and know they weren't judging or anything.

But _damn_.

Alright, they could all pack up with their half-assed pick-up lines and similes and metaphors, because Nico definitely rocked that, even though he never let anything show and had never actually participated in their games and madness.

Jason had always thought he was just too shy.

Now, he had reason to believe Nico just didn't want to make them feel bad.

Seriously though.

All three of them looked towards Will, who had his back to them and was still drinking his orange juice, though they could all very well see his dark red ear.

"Thanks, Nico, you're a life-saver." Jason heard Percy say, and could only nod in agreement.

Nico chuckled.

"No problem. Jason, Kim wants to ask you something next."

Damn, they were still playing that accursed game, weren't they?

So far, nobody had gotten anything right when it had come to Percy, Nico, Will and Jason, but that didn't mean they might not actually manage at some point.

And while Jason completely wouldn't mind his guys winning, he definitely minded if anybody but them got an answer right.

He sighed loudly, but then gave in to his fate, and felt Percy patting his shoulder again.

"No worries, I got your back. If they consider the right answer, I'll throw them off track completely, yeah?"

Jason shot him a wry look, biting back his remark.

He knew Percy meant well.

Still…the past times Percy had tried to throw anybody else off what he had perceived to be the 'right' answer, he had ended up pushing them dangerously close to the _actual_ right answer.

"Save it, Gorgeous. If anythin_g, I'll_ have Jason's back." Will suddenly stated, appearing in the seat in front of them with a small, almost shy smile at Jason that had his heart beating wildly in his chest once more.

He found himself smiling back automatically, hoping this meant things were good between them, still.

"Alright. Jason, how many times have you gotten drunk before?" Kim asked, and Jason's smile faltered.

This was it.

He was going to _murder_ Reyna when he next saw her.

Seriously, _what cards had she given them_?!

Percy's eyes widened, then he started laughing uncontrollably.

_Ass._

"Damn, this is going to crush their whole view of you, Jason. I'm guessing you haven't told them about Leo and his secret stash of cocktails, have you?" Will chuckled, trying to be as 'quiet' as possible, though he instantly saw two kids looking around at him with wide eyes, before they put their heads together with the others, passing on the new information.

Bless Will's brilliant mind.

Jason gazed at him with utter adoration, before remembering he actually had to give an answer.

"Erm…once, five times, fifteen times, or never."

Percy bit his fist as to stop himself from laughing, while Nico gave Jason a sympathetic look, moving back towards the kids to fetch the stack of cards before they peeked (again).

Will snorted.

"Really? Then you're definitely not counting…oh wait…wait…" He trailed off, starting to ever so subtly count something off on his fingers, which made one of the kids perk up and try to catch a proper glimpse of Will's hands, though Will was mean enough to hide them behind the seat and from their sight.

"Five!" Kim exclaimed loudly, and Jason fell back into his seat in relief.

"Missed."

"_Shit!_"

Will laughed, while Percy was patting Jason's back, still chuckling.

"You do know they think you've gotten drunk fifteen times now, right?"

Jason absolutely didn't care.

"Percy, that's it, it's your turn next."

"Noo~!"

Will snorted, though he looked pleased at being spared, and Jason turned to give him a soft, hopefully apologetic look.

The blonde met his gaze with a warm one of his own, the corners of his lips quirking up again.

Yeah, they were good again.

Bless the guys and their constant help.

Bless the guys in general.

He loved them.

The whole lot of them.

Will smiled, as if he could read his mind, and Jason smiled back, blindly taking one of the cards Nico was holding out to him.

Then, he read the question on it and groaned.

"_Reyna!_"

He absolutely _hated_ this game.


	34. Chapter 34: Haircuts

**A/N:** Hey there, Cupcakes :D

Sorry for the delay, I'm having troubles with my hand and had to focus to get through work, so I ended up not managing much else.

Buuuut I hope you'll enjoy the chapter :D  
(Best enjoy the peace while it lasts, because...well, you'll see next chapter...Q_Q)

Wish you guys all the best~  
-Tári

* * *

**Chapter 34: Haircuts, Babies, and Will comes to a decision**

When Will opened his eyes groggily, it was utterly dark around him and he was…being carried?

Confused, he turned his head, realizing it had been resting against the side of somebody's head.

Nico's head?

Nico was carrying him?

Why?

Even more confused, he found himself frowning at the Italian for the longest moment, his mind needing unusually long to catch up.

Then he realized the buzzing he was hearing wasn't actually buzzing, but Percy and Jason having some sort of 'hushed' conversation behind them, which more resembled hissing than anything else.

"I can't believe my own boyfriend beat me at Rock-Paper-Scissors."

"Percy, stop whining, or you'll wake him up. Seriously, you're such a kid sometimes."

"Oh, don't even _try_ to pretend you weren't more than a little disappointed when you lost against me right away."

What…were they even talking about?

Will realized dimly they must have arrived at Camp Half-Blood.

He could even make out some of the other cabins as they were making straight for the Hades cabin.

To be honest, he couldn't even remember falling asleep.

Sleeping in that bus with all those obnoxiously loud and hyper kids around hadn't seemed very possible back when he had been awake and sane, that much was certain.

Oh well, he merely hoped he hadn't had any sort of nightmare, even if he couldn't remember anything of the like right now.

"Was not. You're the only sore loser here, Percy. I don't particularly care who carries him, as long as he gets to the cabin in one piece."

"Oooh, how selfless. Then why, pray tell, did you not just agree on letting me carry him to the cabin in the first place?" Percy hissed back, and Will could hear Jason utter a loud sigh.

Then Nico huffed and slowed, turning his head slowly to look over his shoulder.

"Would you two stop it? We're almost there, anyways. _I_ won, so _I_ get to carry him."

Will's eyebrows shot up the tiniest bit – as much as they could in his still groggy, half-asleep state.

_Well_.

Was it just him, or was Nico getting the teensiest bit more dominant and straight-forward lately?

_Nice_.

Especially in this case.

"Yes, dear." Percy instantly said with a small sigh, apparently giving in.

"He started it." Jason grumbled, and Will huffed amused to himself.

Those two were so similar, in a way.

Nico turned his head, and Will wasn't sure, but he thought Nico was looking at him, though he'd have had to open his eyes further than that fraction of an inch to really tell.

He waited for Nico to say something, or let him down, or anything along those lines, anyways, but then Nico merely let out a small sound like a chuckle.

Or maybe it was just another exasperated huff.

Will waited until the Italian was looking forwards again, then he moved his face back to the side of his neck, the warmth practically drawing him in like moths to the light.

If Nico noticed, he didn't point it out.

Not even when Will let out a soft, content sigh, feeling himself drifting off again.

It dawned on him then, that he should have probably said something.

Nico was carrying him, after all, when Will should have been perfectly capable of walking.

Didn't that just show he was being weak and dependent on others again?

Will couldn't even make himself think further about it.

Instead, he simply decided he didn't care.

These were his guys.

They wouldn't judge him for it.

They'd always be there for him, and always catch him, and keep him safe.

No matter whether he was strong or weak.

They probably wouldn't even think of him as weak, because they were too kind to be mean.

Will hummed, and faintly noticed how all talking came to a stop, though it might have also been because he was quickly falling asleep again.

It didn't really matter.

He was safe.

.

When Will next woke up, he was even more confused than the last time, but this time at least he wasn't feeling groggy.

Though that might also be because he was sitting bolt upright in bed, beaded in sweat and panting heavily, while Percy was dabbing a wet cloth against his forehead, Nico was stroking over his arm and thigh, and Jason…where was Jason?

"Jason?" He heard his own voice ask as soon as he realized he couldn't spot the blonde, his voice shaky and scared, but both Percy and Nico instantly motioned towards the bathroom, whispering reassurances and looking at him worriedly.

Will felt relief flooding through him and let himself fall against Percy like a log, feeling an ache spreading through his body he hadn't noticed before.

Though, the more he became aware of it, the more he realized it was much worse than just a simple 'ache'.

It was more like a sort of _burning_, as if there was fire in his veins, spreading through his body rapidly and trying to tear everything down in its wake.

Percy kept dabbing at his forehead, then his cheeks and neck, and Will instinctively flinched back.

"Shh, it's just us. Do you remember what happened?" Percy asked, and funnily enough he could talk quietly just fine right then and there, without any hissing like earlier.

Though Will wasn't sure why he realized that, of all things, but not how Jason came back from the bathroom with a glass of water for him.

He kind of only noticed that when Jason's face was suddenly in front of his own, and the glass of water only made sense when it was pressing against his lips.

Sadly, the moment he decided it was a good idea to drink, was also the moment he decided it would be a great idea to start talking.

Needless to say, he promptly choked.

Jason pulled the glass back and far out of his reach instantly, while Nico and Percy went to adjust his position and pat his back ever so cautiously.

"Careful. First drink, then talk. You screamed quite a bit, so I'm pretty sure your throat is burning up right now." Nico said softly, and now that he said it, Will noticed his throat did feel rather dry.

Well, more than just 'rather dry'.

It felt as if he had swallowed sandpaper.

Lots of sandpaper.

But he was far more concerned about that burning sensation still inside him.

He nodded numbly, and felt Percy brushing a few strands of hair out of his face, while Jason came back closer with the glass of water.

Drinking worked a lot better when one didn't try to inhale the water by accident.

So, he had had another nightmare, huh?

Well, he guessed it made sense.

Just his luck that it would happen the moment they got back.

And Nico had mentioned screaming?

Oh gods, hopefully he hadn't woken anybody.

Well, anybody but Percy, Nico and Jason.

Which was already horrible enough, really.

"I'll get you another one." Jason said quietly, and Will nodded again, watching him go with an odd feeling in his stomach, as if he wanted to yell after him to stay.

But there was no reason for that?

Maybe it had to do with the dream/nightmare?

Will frowned, trying to remember anything, but the flashes of color and blurry images didn't make any sense.

As always, it was right_ there_, but he still couldn't grasp it.

Percy dabbed the cloth against his face again, and Will looked up at him tiredly, noticing he was still mostly leaning against him, though nobody seemed particularly aware of that, nor bothered in any way.

Percy gazed back at him, looking concerned and wide-awake.

Will should probably apologize for waking them up and interrupting their undoubtedly nice dreams.

He felt a pain shoot through his jaw the moment he opened his mouth to speak, so he only groaned instead.

How had he even managed to get Jason's name out?

This was torture.

Nico muttered something next to him, and Percy gave a small nod, before Will felt them moving him, further towards the middle of the bed than the side, allowing them to get closer to him on his left and right.

"Is this okay? It's not painful or anything, right?" Nico asked softly, and Will shook his head, feeling nothing but exhaustion coursing through him right now, the pain only ever so slowly lessening.

"Here you go…" Jason said quietly, suddenly appearing in front of him again, but Will's reaction time was so slow he didn't even jump, instead staring at Jason unseeing for the longest moment, before reaching out for the glass somewhat, allowing Jason to bring it back to his lips and help him drink.

Why were things like this?

It struck Will as _immensely_ unfair.

Why did he have to get these nightmares?

Why did he have to go through this and force the guys to go through it, too?

Why did he have to be rendered useless by these nightmares?

Couldn't they be just like any other damned bad dream that just made you jump and wake up and curse the movie you just _had_ to watch even though you knew it wouldn't be good for you?

Couldn't they just _not happen at all_?

Why did it have to be _nightmares_, anyways?

Why not…alright, he had no idea what else could happen, instead, but he was pretty sure he'd rather have that than this bullshit.

If this was going to happen every night again, he was going to kill something.

Preferably whoever was behind these dumb nightmares, anyways.

The memory of Hades/Persephone talking about 'godly interferences' flashed through his mind, almost as indistinguishable and blurry as his nightmare, and the thought of revenge was discarded again.

Stupid gods and their immortality.

"Better?" Jason asked, and Will nodded, clearing his throat carefully.

"A lot. Thanks." He replied, his voice still scratchy and weird, but he had other worries right now.

"No problem. Do you remember anything?" Jason asked, though Will knew they all knew the answer to that already.

He tried once more to concentrate on whatever might have happened in his sleep.

It was _there_, but it just…he couldn't grasp it.

Looking down, he shook his head, half expecting to feel the disappointment surging through Percy and Nico.

But it didn't.

For some reason, that hurt even more.

If they weren't disappointed, that meant they must have not even had an inch of hope he could have remembered.

Did that mean they didn't think he could do it?

"Don't worry, sun-bug. I'm sure it will come to you in time." Percy reassured him, his hand on Will's back, moving up and down in long, soothing strokes.

Hm, when had he stopped with the wet cloth?

Just as he thought it, he felt said wet cloth moving down his left arm, and realized Nico must have taken over.

"Percy's right. We'll figure it all out one day, sole mio." The Italian said softly, and Will frowned slightly at the pet name.

Hadn't he used that before at some point?

But he usually only used Italian with Percy, didn't he?

Ugh, whatever.

That completely did _not_ matter right now.

"I want it to be someday soon." He heard his own voice say, a bit stronger, but still slightly raspy.

Jason's thumb stroked over his cheek, and Will wondered when he had even put his hand there.

Seriously, he should pay more attention.

He gazed at Jason, noticing all those small details like how his hair stood off more on one side than the other, looking all adorable and messy, and how his eyes seemed to be reflecting the light of Nico's jar of fire, as well as the faint, silvery light from the window…and he decided he was now paying _too much_ attention.

This was it, he wanted to go back to bed.

Will made to turn sideways and flop back into bed, but then he realized that going back to sleep meant he'd run the risk of having another nightmare.

Yeah, no.

He stared up at the ceiling, letting out a deep sigh.

Resting it was, then.

He hated that.

It just wasn't the same.

Now that he had had decent sleep again, the thought of not getting any seemed a hundred times worse than before.

Maybe he'd get away with staying awake until sunrise.

It wasn't as if that was all that far away, anyways, at least from what Will could tell.

"We all do. Now, do you want to try sleeping, again?" Jason asked, and Will felt Percy and Nico moving him as if he couldn't do it himself.

Though, in all honesty, he felt almost too exhausted to move, anyways.

This kind of reminded him of his sprint through the Underworld a bit.

Oh well, at least he wasn't out of breath.

Wow, such positivity.

Will huffed to himself, then shook his head at Jason, realizing he hadn't replied yet.

"So you'll try to 'rest' then? Not that you think you'll be staying up the next some hours until sunrise, mister." Nico chided, and Will made a face, causing Percy to snort in apparent amusement, muttering something under his breath that sounded an awful lot like 'Caught in the act'.

Shush, Percy.

"Nico's right. You can try for some more sleep if you want, Will. We're here and ready to wake you if you need us to." Jason offered as he settled down behind Percy, but Will only shook his head again with a sigh.

"It's okay. I'll try the resting thing again. It worked before, after all."

He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice, though he was pretty sure they could still tell, anyways.

There was a collective sigh, then he was being adjusted and nudged around to fit snugly between Percy and Nico, and all their arms tried to find their favorite places to settle down on.

Needless to say, Percy and Jason started batting each other's hands away almost _instantly_, making Will chuckle weakly before Nico let out a low growl and got them to stop.

Remarkable, how much power that tiny bean had over them.

Alright, Will was pretty sure he'd get murdered if Nico heard his thoughts right there, but _still_.

Then again, he guessed he shouldn't be surprised at all.

Nico had them wrapped around his finger, after all.

Oh well, it wasn't as if they minded.

They preferred it this way, really.

Will closed his eyes, focusing on the task at hand.

"Please don't let me wake them up again." He heard himself mutter instead of just think, and he thought he could feel Percy stiffening behind him for a moment, but nobody said anything, so he hoped it went unnoticed as some sort of incoherent muttering.

Percy sighed behind him, his breath tickling his skin at the back of his neck.

It only occurred to him then that he was pretty much naked but for his boxer shorts.

Had they undressed him?

Thinking about it, they probably had, back when they had put him to bed.

Wow.

And he had just let that happen?

Apparently.

Then again, he was letting Percy and Jason this close from behind him right now, too, so there was that.

Wait…did that mean he was actually getting better?

Now that he _really_ thought of it, he realized it didn't even bother him all that much, just like it had been before…before Elysium.

Did that mean he was finally making some progress?

That things could be 'normal' again?

(Or as normal as they could get?)

Will felt the faintest hint of hope flare up inside him, and he buried his face in Nico's chest, wishing with all his might to be right.

Wouldn't that be something?

Him, getting better again?

That meant he could…maybe…with Jason…?

Will found himself biting his lip, knowing full well he was getting his hopes up way too much and way too quickly now, already.

But still…

He'd have to pay more attention to that.

Maybe he really was going to be fine again, without his stupid quirks nobody should have to worry about.

He really, really, _really_ hoped so.

But now he really had to get started on his resting, or he'd get in trouble with Nico once the Italian noticed he _had_ stayed up until sunrise.

And he wouldn't want that, would he now?

Smiling, and with the hope still happily growing and coursing through him, Will took a deep breath, and concentrated on the things Clovis had taught him to do.

Maybe he really could do it.

Wouldn't that be something?

.

"Noo, I don't want to! I have lived this way for _years_, what do you _mean_, you're _cutting it off_?!" Nico lamented loudly, and Will and Percy had to hold onto each other and keep their heads together to hide their snickers, while Jason sighed loudly and tried to persuade Nico to hold still, so Piper wouldn't cut his head off instead of just his hair.

Seriously, who'd have thought _Nico_ would be the one making the most fuss about this?

Then again, he had also been the one completely against Persephone's make-overs…

Nico let out a high-pitched, very frustrated sound, and Will thought he could hear him stomping on the ground.

Then he let himself fall back into the chair they had put him on.

"Fine. But only the tips."

Percy bit his fist, tears appearing at the corners of his eyes, and Will had to exert all his self-control to not do the same.

_Seriously_!

"Bossy. Come on, you guys look as if you've been living under a rock for the past years. Plus, you promised me half a year ago I'd get to give you a haircut." Piper chided, and Nico huffed loudly, grumbling something to himself about 'deeply regretting his tries to improve his social skills', which made Will snort out another laugh, though he faintly tried to cover it up with a cough.

Since he could practically _feel_ Nico's glare on him not an instant later though, he was pretty sure the Italian wasn't fooled.

"Nico, if you really don't want to, then you don't have to." Jason said quietly with another sigh, all serious and considerate as usual.

How he could keep himself together was beyond Will, but it surely was admirable.

Meanwhile, Percy seemed to be close to absolutely cracking up, which now got Piper to scowl at them, too.

"Guys, stop your snickering over there, you're next."

Percy and Will gasped.

Wait, _what?!_

"What? Nah, I'm good, Lou Ellen cut my hair…erm…some time ago. I'm all good." Will quickly put in, while Percy pushed away from him and moved him in front of him like a shield.

"He'll go first! I…I think I'm good for now, but thanks, Piper. I was thinking about letting my hair grow out, you know? See how that works for me…?"

Will glowered over his shoulder at Percy, who had the audacity to look at him and put on a sheepish smile.

_Seriously_.

Piper sent them unimpressed looks.

Then she pointed her scissors at them, and they both made a face, knowing full well they were done for.

"I'll cut both of your hair. Now no more excuses, or I'll do both of you _at the same time_."

Will pouted, and caught Nico grinning smugly to himself.

Mean.

He glanced towards Jason, faintly hoping for support, but Jason had his face buried in his hands.

Yeah, he guessed it _was_ kind of exhausting to put up with three toddlers, instead of the usual one (Percy).

Meh, that probably meant Will had to behave like an actual adult again.

"Alright, whatever you say." He relented with a shrug, and felt Percy poke his sides from behind, making him flinch.

"Traitor."

Will winked at him and blew him a kiss quickly, before ever so subtly moving over to Jason, who instantly seemed to perk up, studying his face before shooting Percy a dark look.

Hey, he was _fine_!

He was only coming over here because…erm…

Because Will missed Jason, yep.

…Wait, what? _No_!

_Bad_ excuse.

Will frowned at himself, discarding the thoughts.

Who needed excuses, anyways?

He stopped next to Jason so their arms brushed together, and Jason replied to the touch with letting the back of his hand brush against Will's, making him want to hum and take his hand.

He didn't, of course.

Piper already looked at them so oddly, he didn't need her reading even more into the whole matter than she undoubtedly already was.

(Not that he had stopped her in any way or attempted to clear up any possible confusion whatsoever.)

(Nor had the other three, for that matter.)

Percy appeared next to him again, trying to abuse Will's shoulder as an armrest.

Will shrugged him off with an unimpressed look.

No matter that _fraction_ of an inch Percy _might_ be taller than him, there was no way he'd let him rub it in like that.

Jason let out a small chuckle next to him, though his face was impassive and serious again the moment Will glanced around.

Piper let out a long sigh and started pushing the chair closer to the big mirror, then she started stroking through Nico's now damp hair with a thoughtful and concentrated expression, as if she was trying to make up her mind as to what to do with it.

"Not too short." Nico reminded her, looking disgruntled, but not all that displeased.

Will knew he was only worried, not utterly against the idea of getting a haircut.

If Nico had really been against it, he wouldn't have come along when Annabeth and Piper had ambushed them right after breakfast.

Will was still a tiny bit disgruntled about the way Piper had reached up and ruffled through Jason's hair five minutes into seeing them, as if it was the most normal thing to do (even if she had then run her hand through Nico's hair and decided she'd give them haircuts, which had brought them here), while Annabeth had bombarded them with questions about their trip, Reyna, and the Underworld.

Of course he hadn't _said_ anything, but he _had_ to admit he had kind of wanted to very subtly tell her to get back to her girlfriend and leave his Jason alone.

Apparently, going on a long-ass trip alone with his guys made him even more unwilling to share them with anybody outside their group than ever.

Plus, Jason wasn't even his boyfriend or anything, so he had no right to get possessive.

At least not yet.

Jason's hand brushed against his again, and he noticed he was worrying his bottom lip , so he hurriedly stopped and put on a grin, winking at the blonde when he caught his gaze.

He'd have probably even said something, but Piper was doing that for him, beginning to tell Nico to sit straight and look forward properly, else she'd put a pot over his head and cut his hair that way.

And there she called Nico bossy.

Will looked around at Annabeth, the only person Piper hadn't chased out the cabin the moment she had ushered the guys in here.

(Though he had no doubt the hissing and rustling and other assortment of noises outside was half of the Aphrodite cabin trying to sneak a peek through the mostly closed curtains of the windows.)

Annabeth was sitting on Piper's bed, watching them with an odd gleam in her eyes that he didn't like, but at least she had stopped asking the weirdest questions about the places they had stopped at during their travels.

Seriously, she had made it sound as if they had had the time to spare to go sightseeing everywhere.

Then again, they probably could have, in all honesty.

Thinking back, it didn't even seem all that bad anymore.

Though he was pretty sure he had thought differently back then.

He definitely knew he wanted to save up some money somehow before the next trip, so they could at least afford a hotel room or something, which would give him the opportunity to shower regularly.

If they managed that, then Will was willing to go anywhere Jason wanted them to.

"Are you sure you just want me to cut off the split ends? An undercut would suit you _so well_, Nico." Piper tried (again), and Will smirked to himself as he looked back over to Nico, who was glowering at the mirror (and especially Piper), while Piper still moved her hands through his damp hair, now with another deep sigh.

"It would." Annabeth put in from the bed, though she now had her nose buried in a book, apparently done with watching them.

Will looked back towards Nico, but the Italian seemed unfazed.

Then, Will watched him glance towards Percy ever so quickly, and his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes filling with doubt.

To be expected.

"Nah, I'd say just the tips. If you give him an undercut, half the Camp will drool all over him, and we won't have a single quiet moment anymore. Plus, Percy might get jealous. Wouldn't want that now, would we?" Will put in loudly, and Nico's face cleared almost instantly, the doubt lessening again.

Percy opened his mouth next to him, but since Will wasn't sure whether that was to agree with him, or to say something stupid like 'I don't get jealous!' (wouldn't be the first time, after all), he decided to elbow him in the ribs and silence him ever so subtly, unwilling to take any risks.

Piper sighed again.

"If you insist. But if you do end up deciding to change up your style a bit, you know where to find me."

Nico shifted uncomfortably, but then he nodded, and Piper started cutting his hair slowly.

They watched quietly, half expecting Nico to start complaining again, but he didn't, instead moving his skull ring nervously and staring at the giant pile of magazines on the small table next to the mirror.

Will waited another moment, but when he didn't stop fidgeting, he moved forward, grabbing a chair and settling down next to Nico, putting a hand on his thigh.

"Getting all pretty again, huh? Not that you needed it." He said with a wiggle of his eyebrows, and Nico gave him a long look.

Then Piper told him to keep his head straight and he mumbled a 'Sorry, I'm gay', which made both him and Will laugh quietly, while Piper only rolled her eyes and continued on her task.

Percy and Jason started moving somewhere behind Will, but Will tried to focus on Nico, instead, stroking over his thigh gently and thinking of what to say next.

Something provocative that would make Percy take over.

"Bet you're going to look ravishing, no matter if it's an undercut or not." He purred, just as Percy and Jason were pulling chairs over to sit to Nico's other side, and he could see Jason rolling his eyes amused, while Nico blushed ever so faintly.

Percy, of course, scowled.

"Stop trying to charm my boyfriend, sun-bug. Do I have to remind you again that you're trying to get your own?" He asked, nodding towards Jason, who promptly nudged him in the side.

Thanks, Jason.

Will made a face at him.

Then he grinned.

"You're just jealous because I can charm your boyfriend better than you can."

"Lies. Everybody knows I-…"

"We're not starting this again." Both Jason and Nico interrupted, and Will practically gloated, while Percy made a disgruntled face and started drawing patterns on Nico's arm with a pout.

Piper shook her head behind Nico quietly.

"You're a weird bunch, you know that, right?"

"Yep." Will and Jason replied, popping their 'P'-s in unison, while Percy and Nico merely huffed in confirmation and agreement.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then Annabeth started chuckling from where she was on the bed, and Will could see Piper exchanging a telling look with her through the mirror.

He didn't even _want_ to know what they were thinking.

(He already had a wonderful hunch he absolutely wanted to be correct, so he definitely didn't want to know for real.)

"Alright, we'll be cutting Will's hair next. Then Percy's, and then it's Jason's turn." Piper declared, and Will made a face.

Why did Jason have to be last?

And wait, why did _he_ have to be next?

"Oooh, Will, guess you'll be 'made pretty' next, huh?" Percy teased, and Will scowled at him.

"Piper only wants me to go next so she doesn't have to put up with the wires you call hair, so I wouldn't brag about it, Perce." He smart-assed back, and Percy acted aghast.

Thought it might have also been real, it was hard to tell, sometimes.

Funnily enough, he turned towards Jason for support, instead of his boyfriend.

"Jason! Did you just hear that? Say something to your lo-…"

"Can't fight the truth, Percy!" Will interrupted him, and Percy glowered at him, repeatedly nudging Jason to apparently get him to defend his hair.

Jason was staring off into space with a face that said 'What did I do to deserve this?'.

"Wires, huh? I was thinking of straw, but wires work, too…" Piper muttered thoughtfully, and Will snorted out a laugh, while Percy's mouth fell open with an indignant cry.

Nico groaned, undoubtedly knowing what would happen next.

Will knew it, too.

"It's not like _all of us_ can use up a whole bottle of conditioner every time we wash our hair!" Percy argued indignantly, and Jason gave Will a long look, as if telling him not to reply.

The hint of desperation also seemed to imply a very loving 'Pretty, pretty please'.

Of course, Will never let _anybody_ tell him what to do, anymore, though, so…

"Oh please, as if you know what conditioner is."

"I know full well what conditioner is! _You_ don't know how to properly _use_ conditioner!"

Right.

"Which is why my hair is silkily soft, while yours is wiry and dry." Will pointed out unimpressed, and Percy crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You know you like it that way!" He shot back, and Will blinked, slightly taken aback.

Erm…

Unexpected, but okay?

No…just very unexpected, not okay at all.

What was he supposed to retort to that?

"Erm…"

Damn, he had no idea.

Percy's eyes lit up in triumph, and Will scowled, quickly gesturing.

"While…I can't deny that statement _entirely_, that does _not_ mean that's a good thing! Also it has _nothing_ to do with _anything_. Your argument is invalid, Percy. Stop laughing! I said it's _invalid_! _Jason_, make him shut up!" He rambled when Percy started laughing and exclaiming something about one-upping Will (as if that was possible!), while Nico was staring at them both in what seemed to be disbelief.

Jason merely sighed loudly.

"_Jason_!" Will called indignantly, and the blonde made a face, turning towards Percy, who immediately raised his eyebrows at the blonde, still chuckling.

"You can't say anything now, bro. You didn't do anything when _I_ asked you for help, you can't just go and help _him_ now!"

Jason looked towards Will again, who crossed his arms in front of his chest, raising his eyebrows as well.

The blonde studied him for a moment, then studied Percy again, then stared off into space.

For a moment, they waited in silence to see what he was going to do.

Come on, he _had_ to take Will's side here!

(To be honest, Will wasn't even sure what he was being upset about, but that didn't mean he was going to give in, anyways.)

Finally, right when both he and Percy started shifting, wondering whether Jason even intended to do _anything at all_, the blonde moved and looked at them, again.

"You're both very beautiful."

Will opened his mouth to argue, but then found he couldn't.

Neither could Percy, for that matter, his mouth opening and closing as his mind wrapped around Jason's words.

They stared at each other for what felt like ages, trying to think of how to reply to that.

When they couldn't find anything, they resorted to huffing indignantly and crossing their arms in front of their chests at the same time, looking into opposite directions.

Piper chuckled quietly.

"Wow, how smooth, Jason. Nico, are they always like this?"

"_Always._" Nico instantly replied, making Percy and Will wince.

"But that's okay. It keeps things from getting boring, and Jason usually manages to keep them in line, if necessary. Plus, half of that is acted, anyways. They generally start bickering right when things are rough or somebody is down and there's a need for distraction. It's their way to show they care." Nico continued, and Will and Percy both pursed their lips guiltily.

Caught in the act.

Still, that didn't keep them from exchanging a telling look and putting on indignant faces no instant later.

"What? An _act_?! Lies! All lies!" Percy insisted, while Will started gesticulating wildly.

"The impudence! As if Percy can _act_! He can't even pose for pictures, and you dare insinuate he tries to _act_?! _Preposterous_!" He exclaimed dramatically, and Percy made a high-pitched, offended sound, jumping up.

"Who can't act? I can act just fine! And my poses for pictures are top notch, I'll have you know!"

"Guys…" Nico started, while Jason didn't even bother, merely putting his elbows on his thighs so he could bury his face in his hands once and for all.

_Poor guys._

Will would surely prefer to behave like an adult, but…

He looked towards Nico, who by now seemed to not mind the whole haircut-thing whatsoever anymore, with his lips even twitching ever so faintly when he thought they wouldn't notice.

Yeah, well, the things they did for one another, right?

.

"You know, now that I'm already in the middle of this, I suppose it's okay for me to let you know I have zero idea how to cut curly hair." Piper said conversationally, and Will decided it was a good thing he had chosen not to look in the mirror until she was done with her madness.

"Erm…nice. If that's supposed to reassure me…"

"It's not. I thought it would be easier than this. But hey, Mitchell has a shaver laying around here somewhere, so if it looks too horrible, we can just shave the whole thing off. I'm sure you'll still look…decent." Piper tried to sound certain, though it certainly didn't feel that way.

Will tried to picture himself bald, and decided he'd rather glue all his hair back on if he had to.

There was no way he'd let the guys see he had freckles on top of his head, too.

He'd never hear the end of it.

"Stop scaring him, you're doing just fine. Will, you look adorable as usual." Percy stated next to him, and Will's head snapped around, making Piper curse.

"Keep your head still! Seriously, you guys! I know you have ADHD, but at least _try_ to work with me, will you?"

Percy snickered, and Will tried to very subtly kick him, but that only made Piper whack him with the magazine she now kept close for this sole purpose.

_Mean_.

Then, he heard her whack Percy across the back of the head, too, and grinned smugly to himself.

_Better_.

Wait…

"I am _not_ adorable. _Nico_ is adorable, but I-…"

"I am no such thing. I'm the Ghost King. Fear me." Nico grumbled next to him, and they all turned to give him a long glance.

He looked adorable with his hair cut.

It was still long enough for a ponytail, but not quite as shaggy and wild as before, and his fringe was finally under control, falling nicely around his face, instead of into it.

"Very fearsome." Will agreed, and Nico stepped on his foot with a scowl, before Jason reached out to take Will's chin and move his head straight again, so Piper could continue with her work.

Will would have loved to snap at him for it, but he merely relished in the familiarity of the touch, before being confronted with Piper's once more.

It was so…weird.

Somehow, over the past weeks, he had gotten so used to feeling Percy's, Nico's and Jason's values, one would think it would feel natural now to sense the sudden rush of information.

Yeah, well, it wasn't.

Not when it was somebody other than the three.

It also made him realize just how attuned he was to them already, since he knew exactly how they felt the moment they established some sort of physical contact with him, while with Piper…

Well, he knew she wasn't as frustrated as she tried to sound, and he knew he didn't have to be all that worried, because she wasn't, either.

Though he knew the concern she did feel was genuine, and she hadn't lied when she had said she had no clue how to really cut his hair.

But she seemed to be managing alright, and he could feel a sort of confidence in her that made him trust her enough to let her continue.

Beyond that though…he couldn't really tell.

There was something warm whenever Annabeth said something, so he guessed that must be affection or love or something along those lines, but nothing as distinct and sensible like what he was used to from the guys.

Though that was more because he couldn't yet differ between the nuances of her emotions, not because her feelings weren't as strong or anything.

She had a wide range of emotions, and very strong emotions, he could already tell.

But he didn't know her well enough to read them all just yet.

Though he didn't exactly plan to, either.

He knew her values, he knew she was healthy, he knew she was good, and that was all there was to it, all he wanted to know, all he wanted to pay attention to.

That was all he should be paying attention to when touching his guys, too, but…yeah.

"Dude, if you uncurl your curls, your hair is almost as long as _mine_." Percy suddenly stated in what almost sounded like awe, and Will tried to catch a glimpse of his face out of the corners of his eyes, not daring to turn his head again.

"You don't say." He smart-assed, anyways, and felt Percy squeeze his knee, making him jump and Piper click her tongue.

"Behave. Both of you." She said sternly, adding the last part when Will tried to kick Percy again, and he let himself fall back into the chair with a small grumble.

He knew they all needed haircuts badly, but…_now_?

They had just gotten back last night.

He had only been able to glimpse his siblings at breakfast real quick, most of them already gone by the time the guys and he had arrived at the pavilion.

Of course they were restless.

There were friends to greet, stories to exchange, Percy's to tease…

Also, Will should check the infirmary to get an overview of who was there, still or again, and get an update on what had happened while he had been gone.

He was confident his siblings had managed just fine without him, but he was also pretty sure they'd be glad once he was back and actually took over his duties again.

And…okay, he had missed his siblings a teensy bit, okay?

Will absolutely wasn't looking forward to getting his stuff back in there and let them see his guitar (he had even contemplated leaving it at Nico's, but he had a hunch that would make the guys worry all over again, and he was _so_ done with making them worry), but he was looking forward to getting back to them, all the same.

Though, after last night, he knew he wouldn't be sleeping in his cabin anytime soon.

Not that he had really planned to, but with his nightmares, he'd rather sleep out in the woods than wake his entire cabin full of siblings because of his nonsensical screaming and burning up.

Oh well.

Hopefully, this whole mess with his nightmares would be over by the time Percy and Nico finally had enough of him and Jason always being around.

If that day ever came.

With those two, one never knew, after all.

"Alright, this should be…it. What do you think?" Piper asked, and Jason tugged off the sweatshirt they had put over the mirror haphazardly when Will said he didn't want to even catch a glimpse until the very end.

His eyebrows shot up.

_Well_.

Actually…it didn't look half bad?

In his opinion?

He glanced sideways at Jason and Nico, and found them both smiling at him, both putting up their thumbs.

"Adorable." Both of them said, and Will scowled at them, waving his hand in their faces to get them to shoo, which only made them laugh.

Then he turned to look at Percy, _daring_ him to say anything along the lines, too.

But Percy was too busy frowning at him, his fingers inching closer to Will's head, as if he wanted to touch, but wasn't sure whether he should.

Will watched him quietly, waiting for him to make up his mind.

Percy's fingers were _inches_ away now, and he was worrying his bottom lip, still apparently not realizing Will was practically staring at him.

Then, his eyes hushed to Will's, and his hand shot back, a sheepish smile appearing on his lips.

"Nice?"

Will raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

Then he rolled his eyes, grabbed Percy's hand and moved it into his hair.

"Just do it already, Gorgeous."

Percy's cheeks flushed slightly, though he didn't argue or pull his hand away, instead moving a bit closer and bringing up his other hand.

It felt weird, having Percy play around with his hair.

Only Jason really did that, at least when Will was aware of it.

"And? What do you think, Percy?" Piper asked, sounding amused as she waited behind the chair ever so patiently for them to get done, so she could continue with Percy.

"It only curls around once now. I could make it curl around my finger twice before." Percy stated seriously, and Will could hear Jason chuckle.

"That's what happens when one cuts hair, Percy. It gets shorter." Annabeth called over unimpressed, and Percy made a face, his cheeks turning darker.

"I know that, Wise Girl. It's just…blah, never mind. It looks good. Not as good as Nico, of course, but…yeah, good."

Will made an unimpressed face, and Jason inhaled a sharp breath behind him.

"You're hopeless, Percy. Just say you like it already and get it over with. At this rate, you'll be hurting his feelings."

"Shut up, Jason, I just said I liked it." Percy snapped back, and Will rolled his eyes, looking towards Nico, who was just reaching out to brush through Will's hair, too.

"I like it, too. Though Percy's right, it's weird when it only curls once." He said quietly, and Will felt his face heating.

When exactly did they even have their hands in his hair?

Where was he when that happened?

And how come they were paying so much attention to something so trivial, anyways?

"So it's good? Splendid. Now, Percy, get over here, it's your turn next. Sweetheart, get the bolt cutter."

Will snorted and vacated the seat, though he had to admit he was a tiny bit disappointed Nico had pulled his hand away again.

He wouldn't have minded that staying there for a while…

Since he got up off the chair and moved towards the left, Will suddenly found himself facing Nico and Jason, with no option to sit nor really get past them.

Oops.

Turning around, he found Percy eyeing him, eyeing the situation he was in, then grinning maliciously and dropping right into the seat, kicking his legs up to 'get comfortable' which basically meant Will couldn't get past him, either, unless he started climbing over his legs.

_Mean!_

Will made a face, more than a little tempted to kick Percy, but then he saw that smug grin again – and suddenly, he had a far better idea.

He turned back towards Jason, who was already eyeing him warily, as if wondering what he was going to do now, one hand already on the armrest as if he was readying himself to get up and move the chair out of the way to let Will past.

Nope, he wouldn't have to do that.

Will moved over to him, too fed up with Percy still to really think straight, which was why he only started wondering whether Jason was actually okay with this…when he was already sitting right on his lap.

"Jason, Percy is being mean to me." He lamented, as if this explained _everything_, though a part of him started seriously _worrying_ whether he might not be crossing some invisible line right now.

They _were_ in a different cabin, after all.

"I didn't even say anything!"

Not to mention Percy and Nico were around.

"You better keep your head straight, or I swear I_ will_ get the shaver."

Not to mention people _other_ than Percy and Nico were around.

But then, Jason leaned forward and wrapped an arm around him, tugging him further onto his lap.

"You know, I'm not surprised. Seriously, what am I supposed to do with you two?" He asked gravely before putting his chin on Will's shoulder, and Will wiggled his eyebrows at Percy smugly when he scowled at Will darkly.

_Ha_.

_Percy_ definitely wouldn't have gotten away with this.

"You should ground him." He suggested, and Percy's mouth fell open.

"How dare you! Jason can't _ground_ me! And anyways, you started it! If anything, he should ground _you_!"

Will stuck his tongue out at Percy, and Percy tried to kick him, only to get whacked across the back of his head with the magazine again by Piper.

"Hold still."

"You know, I should ground you _both_, but that would only give you even more time and reason to cause trouble, and neither of you would even bother to listen, in the first place." Jason deadpanned, and the next moment, his nose was nudging against Will's neck.

Will held perfectly still, feeling his heartbeat speed up and goosebumps appearing on his skin as he waited for Jason's next move.

What was he _doing_?

"You could always get Nico to ground them." Annabeth put in quietly from where she was now lying on Piper's bed, still reading her book.

"Unfair!" Percy and Will both instantly wailed, and Will glanced around at Nico for the first time since sitting on Jason's lap.

Somehow, the Italian had become so quiet he had almost forgotten he was there, which was…kind of unusual, actually.

Nico was looking down at the ground, kicking listlessly at some invisible dirt and looking between upset and conflicted.

_Uh-oh._

What was wrong?

What had happened?

How had Will not noticed that until now?

Was that because of Percy and Will being idiots again?

But they were only doing that because they were bored!

Jason's nose nudged against his neck again, and this time Will glanced around at him, just to find Jason studying him with an odd look on his face.

Then one arm unwound itself from around Will's waist and moved up, so his fingers could brush through Will's hair right by his ear.

…What?

Will looked back towards Nico, who glanced up at them for maybe a second, then looked down again, still looking between conflicted and absolutely miffed.

Had…had Will done something wrong?

Jason moved his head to Will's other side, away from Nico, and nuzzled against the side of his neck again, his fingers brushing against Will's ear ever so faintly.

Will closed his eyes with a small sigh, trying not to lean into either touch, and he could hear the faintest hint of a chuckle escaping Jason's lips.

Then, he felt said lips against the side of his neck, right where his hair now ended.

"I like your new haircut. Gives much better access to your ears and neck." Jason breathed barely audibly, though Will could hear him perfectly fine, his face erupting into flames.

He hurriedly glanced towards Nico, but he was still glowering daggers at the ground.

Then he looked towards Percy, but luckily, he seemed to have missed the exchange, too, sitting in his chair with his head tipped back and his eyes closed.

Though, of course, he just _had_ to open his eyes and look at Will right then and there, when Will was still fighting the heat in his face and neck and…entire body, really.

Percy studied him for a long moment quietly, then his eyes moved towards Jason.

Then back.

Then he rolled his eyes and shook his head, looking away with a last chiding look at them both, as if he was disappointed in them for misbehaving in public.

"Shut up, Percy." Will huffed indignantly, but all that did was make Percy huff, Jason chuckle, and Nico glance up at him again with a now slightly guilty, but ever so upset look.

Piper looked at them all in turn for a moment, then exchanged another look with her girlfriend, who seemed to magically feel Piper glancing over at her, because she instantly returned the look with a small shrug, before returning to her book, while Piper returned to the task of cutting Percy's hair without comment.

Will eyed them warily for a moment, then realized with a jolt Jason might have misunderstood his statement of 'Shut up, Percy' as a reply to Jason's comment about his hair, as if he had mixed up their names.

He grabbed hold of Jason's wrist hurriedly, trying to get an overview of Jason's emotions, whether he was upset, disgruntled, disappointed, anything.

But all he could feel was warmth and affection and amusement, with a growing portion of concern as Jason tightened his hold on him and moved his head to shoot him a questioning look, as if asking him what was wrong.

Will relaxed again.

Good, he hadn't misunderstood.

At least it didn't seem that way.

He turned his head to him, after glancing towards Percy once more for confirmation that he had his eyes closed again.

"Percy was acting stupid again." He explained to Jason ever so quietly, just to make sure he _really_ wouldn't misunderstand.

Jason smiled at him, his hands stroking over Will's sides faintly before wrapping around him properly again.

"I know. I saw."

"Oh."

Of course he had.

Stupid Will.

Jason's expression didn't change, nor did his emotions, and Will wondered for a moment whether he'd get away with turning towards him and wrapping his arms and legs around the blonde and never letting go again.

The answer was undoubtedly no.

What a shame.

He looked straight ahead again with a deep sigh, and promptly felt Jason tugging him closer.

That felt nice, too.

Seriously, how could Percy and Nico live with the two of them around constantly?

Will wasn't even dating Jason and he already wanted to be _alone_ with him much more than he'd have thought possible.

He'd go crazy if he really _was_ dating Jason and the other two would keep being around and keeping him from getting touchy-feely with the blonde.

Mostly because he'd want to get touchy-feely with him _and_ them, and he tended to do lots of stupid things whenever Jason gave him the chance.

Still, how _did_ Percy and Nico manage to resist being all over each other all the while?

Because he definitely couldn't do it.

With newfound respect for Percy and Nico and their self-control, he glanced towards Percy, just to catch Piper apparently having some sort of mute conversation with Jason, since she was _definitely_ looking at him, and he could most definitely feel Jason giving a small shrug and a nod.

What?

Wait, what had that been about?

Will studied her warily, especially when she looked at him, and the two stared at each other quietly for what felt like forever.

Though he had no intention of backing off or looking away, instead staring her down and just _daring_ her to say anything.

He had no idea where all this defensiveness and…well, alright, maybe even a tiny hint of jealousy…was coming from, but now that it was there, he couldn't manage to keep it down whatsoever.

Piper's eyebrow shot up, and Will was pretty sure that, if he were a cat, he'd be swishing his tail right about now in agitation and annoyance.

Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, Jason moved and nudged his nose against Will's neck again, making him blink and look sideways at him in confusion, and the spell was broken.

"Is there a reason you're glowering at Piper as if you're thinking of murdering her in her sleep?" Jason asked quietly, a hint of humor in his voice, and Will felt his face heating again.

_Damn it!_

He glanced back at Piper again, but she was grinning to herself and cutting Percy's hair again, so he focused back on Jason again hurriedly, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Erm…no, not particularly, no. I don't really know what you're talking about. At all. As if I'd…erm…" He mumbled, trying to keep his voice down, while also trying to sound sure of himself.

Needless to say, he failed at both, but other than Percy opening one eye to peek at them for a moment, before reaching out to take Nico's hand, and Nico putting his forehead on Percy's arm, nothing happened, and they seemed to get ignored.

Good.

Jason chuckled quietly behind him, and Will made a face.

"You know, I never took you for a very jealous person."

Will's head snapped around.

"I am _not_ jealous!" He hissed, but was pretty sure Jason didn't believe a word, though he did lift his hands in 'surrender'.

"Of course not, Freckles. And it's great if you're not. I mean, you have no reason to be, after all."

Yeah, yeah, Will knew that.

"Duh, I'm the best you're ever going to get." He deadpanned – then he realized what the hell he had just said and he froze.

That…that sounded as if he was _sure_ they'd…they'd…

_Was_ he sure?

_Could_ they?

Could _he_?

He…maybe he really could…

They could…give it a try…?

Maybe…?

But what if…

And then there was…

Will stared off into space, pondering all that for a moment.

No, they couldn't.

Not unless he told Jason about…_him_.

Jason knew there was something wrong, and Will was pretty sure he wouldn't just let that go ignored.

Jason was that sort of person who believed that everything could be 'talked out', after all.

Yeah, well, Will had tried that, okay?

It hadn't worked.

One only had to remember his two times in Elysium to know just how much that had _not_ worked.

He remembered the breakdown he had had the second time, and just the thought of risking something similar around _Jason_ made him all sorts of sick.

He didn't want anybody to see him like that.

Especially not his guys.

They had already seen too much, anyways.

Jason put his chin back on Will's shoulder, and Will absent-mindedly let his head drop sideways against his.

"I don't doubt that whatsoever. Now, I'll have to move you."

Wait, what?

Will turned to look at him in utter confusion, but then Jason was already grabbing him firmly by his hips and practically _lifting him up_ as he was, saying something to Nico, whose head snapped around just like Will's, both of them only managing to open their mouths before Will already found himself on Nico's lap.

_Him_.

On _Nico's lap_.

Nico's. Lap.

Will stared at the Italian, and Nico stared right back, looking as dumbfounded and struck as he was, his hands gingerly on Will's sides, as if fearing he'd hurt him.

What?

_What?!_

Jason laughed next to them and got up, and now they were both looking around at him with big, round eyes, but Jason merely ruffled through both their hair in turn, before switching seats with Percy, who…apparently was done getting his haircut.

Oh.

Oh, that made sense, then.

No, wait, it didn't.

_Why was Will on Nico's lap?!_

Why hadn't Jason just let him get up and take his seat?!

What?

_What?!_

Percy snorted, taking in both their faces with an expression full of glee and mirth, and if Will hadn't still been so stunned, he'd have kicked him.

_Hard_.

…Alright, maybe not so hard, he didn't want any bruises to happen, after all.

"Feeling comfortable on my boyfriend's lap?" Percy sassed, and Will snapped out of his stupor – but only to put on a dangerous grin and adjust his position on Nico's lap, wrapping an arm loosely around him.

"Of course. What do you think?"

Nico made a startled sound in the back of his throat, though Will could feel him gripping his sides harder, as if to make sure to keep him there.

Percy merely huffed, though he funnily enough didn't seem disgruntled, upset, or jealous, in the slightest.

Seriously, this guy made _no_ sense.

He could throw a hissy fit about Jason not spending any time alone with him in the mornings, but he didn't even blink when a guy who was clearly interested in his boyfriend was sitting on his boyfriend's lap?

Plus, said boyfriend might or might not have been interested in said guy at some point, too.

In Will's opinion, that should at the _very_ least cause a frown, or make Percy put on a show of kissing Nico right in front of Will and showing him Nico still was his and as taken as usual.

That was as if Piper or Reyna suddenly started hitting on Jason again.

At the mere thought of either of them on Jason's lap, Will felt his blood boil and the urge rising inside him to go and do something stupid, like mentioning he had gotten to suck Jason's dick before either of them had had the chance to.

_Well_.

Since when was he this possessive?

He shifted a bit on Nico's lap, who loosened his grip on him for a moment to give him more freedom, but the moment Will wondered whether that might not be a sign he should _get off_, his arms were right back around Will, keeping him in a firm hold.

That…felt unusual.

Different from Jason.

_A lot_ different from Jason.

Jason tended to hold him _tightly_, but in a way that still allowed him to jump up and flee, should the need arise.

Nico's hold was less _tight_, but therefore…harsher? More claiming?

Will had more moving freedom, in a way, but Nico's hands didn't waver from their spots, as if to make sure Will knew he had him and wouldn't let him go unless he _had_ to.

Will frowned at himself, pretty sure that sounded pretty much the same, but it absolutely wasn't.

Oh well, it didn't matter.

Not really.

Will glanced towards Jason, noticing the blonde was eyeing him curiously, while Piper stood next to him, mercilessly working over his sides.

That…looked pretty short…

"Are you sure you're not cutting off too much? He's not Roman anymore, after all." He heard himself muttering uncertainly, and Piper looked up with a questioning look.

"Oh, no worries, I'll only do that at the sides, else they'll be sticking off at horrible angles, since he's too lazy for gel and wax. Wouldn't want your boyfriend to look all serious and Praetor-ish again, would I now? He looks much goofier with a bit longer hair."

Will wasn't convinced, but decided not to say anything, while Jason's lips split into a wide grin.

Hey, what was _he_ grinning about?

Because Piper said he looked goofy?

Nico stiffened behind him, and he could feel Percy's gaze on him, but he assumed they were just waiting for him to pick a fight with Piper or something.

Which…actually, no, that seemed unusual for them…?

But then what…

Well, Jason _did_ look a lot friendlier with his hair not cut super short.

So it wasn't as if he was going to correct her on that statement, unless he had to.

But Jason would probably think he was doing it out of something crazy like jealousy or something, and Will absolutely didn't need that, so…yeah.

After another moment of contemplation, he decided to simply shrug, leaning back into Nico's hold.

"Well, alright, if you say so."

Jason let Piper move his head around and Will could see him gazing off into space with a rather elated seeming grin, while Percy and Nico seemed to share a look behind him.

Piper glanced towards Will for a moment, her multi-colored (and disorientating) eyes gleaming with mischief and glee, which confused Will all over again.

What?

Had he missed something?

He thought over her words once more, then wanted to smack his hands against his forehead.

"And Jason's not my boyfriend." He added hurriedly, though he knew it didn't sound very convincing, especially not thrown in this belatedly.

Jason's grin didn't waver in the slightest – if anything, it got even wider.

As did Piper's, for that matter, though she merely shrugged and concentrated on Jason's hair again.

Will turned to look sideways at the other two, catching them exchanging another long look.

_Crybabies_.

_The lot of them._

Will stepped on Percy's foot.

"See? _This_ is what happens when you keep trying to set us up with each other, Percy. Now Piper is getting the wrong idea."

Nico very cruelly pulled him away, moving him onto his other thigh and away from Percy before Percy could attempt to try anything (and also to prevent Will from stepping on any feet again).

But Will's words already did the work for him, anyways.

Percy let out an indignant 'What?!' that was surprisingly high-pitched, even for Percy, and his face seemed to be unable to make up its mind whether to turn pale or pink.

"I did no such thing!"

"Did too."

"Did _not_! You two are simply-…"

"Both of you, stop it. We're not having this argument again." Nico cut in, and both their mouths snapped shut automatically, though they still managed to scowl at each other.

Annabeth chuckled from where Will assumed her to still be on the bed.

"'Again'? Seems like you have quite the work on your hands full with those two, Nico."

"Oh, you have no idea." Jason put in very helpfully, and Will and Percy turned to scowl at him together, instead.

Annabeth laughed.

"Oh, I think I do. But hey, what do you know, teasing is a sign of affection, right?"

"That's what I keep telling them, too." Nico muttered, and Percy and Will both wailed in unison.

Though Will decided not to say anything to that, for obvious reasons.

Instead, he decided to pointedly redirect his concentration to Piper's hands moving through Jason's hair _a lot more_ than she had with Nico, Percy or Will.

Wait, that wasn't what he was paying attention to.

He was paying attention to how she cut his hair.

It seemed like an useful skill, after all.

Absent-mindedly, he put his hand on Nico's wrist, the way he usually did with Jason – just to blink, confused by the sudden rush of emotions.

Nico was…a mess.

Confusion, concern, dread and guilt, but also longing, need/want and affection coursed through the Italian, all somewhat intermingled with the other, and the guilt seemed to get stronger the better and warmer and fuzzier he felt.

Will frowned, glancing around at Nico, who didn't even seem to be looking at anything in particular, his face fairly blank.

His frown deepening, Will looked towards Percy, who was looking from Nico to Will and back, looking…hopeful?

The moment he noticed Will looking, though, he hurriedly looked away, seeming somewhat conflicted and fidgety.

Alright, this was it, they made _zero_ sense!

Will scowled, and he pushed back into Nico's hold automatically, still hung up on the fact that it was usually _Jason_ holding him like that, and Jason always let him do that.

Nico's heart fluttered, and his hold on him tightened, a warm, hopeful feeling surging through him for the faintest moment, before the guilt was back.

But why? It just didn't make any-…

Oh wait…

Oh.

_Oh_.

Will glanced back around at the Italian, who met his gaze with an almost troubled look on his face, though he instantly masked it with a small smile.

Oh Nico…

Will felt the guilt gnawing on himself now, too.

He should probably get off him.

Seriously, he was kind of just staying to indulge himself, but if this put Nico in such disarray, that made everything even more wrong than it already was.

Oh gods, Will was an idiot.

He tried to move, tried to get off, thinking he'd just come up with an excuse as he went, but then he found Nico's arms tightening their hold on him, keeping him there.

"You okay?" The Italian asked, sounding the tiniest bit unnerved, which showed Will he knew what he had wanted to do.

With his hand still on Nico's wrist, he could also sense the unmasked _fear_ shooting through Nico, but…not necessarily of Will leaving.

It could just be Will, but this struck him more as that sort of fear he had when he thought somebody had figured something out and was going to tell, rather than somebody getting up from his lap because of lack of comfort or something.

Though they were both fairly similar of course, and felt pretty much the same way to an outsider, so it really just might be Will.

It didn't really make a difference, anyways.

Will turned his head, smiling at him gently, and feeling Percy's gaze hushing between them.

"Oh, I'm great, Nico. Your lap is wonderful. I was just wondering whether your boyfriend won't get jealous, after all. Maybe we should switch or something, so he'll-…"

"I'm not jealous. You stay right there, or so the gods help me." Percy grumbled, and Will wanted to strangle him.

That _idiot_!

And wait, what did he _mean_, Will had to stay right here?!

Ugh, that _giant_ idiot.

Will wanted to scowl at him.

Will smiled at him, instead.

"Aww, but Percy, I thought you'd like having me on your lap for a while. It was going to be an early birthday gift."

That wasn't what he had had in mind whatsoever, but it felt good watching Percy's head snapping around and his eyes widen.

Why Percy reacted that way was beyond him, but it looked funny, anyways.

Then, Percy scowled, and Will had to control himself not to laugh.

"You're so full of shit, Will."

"I love you too, sweetheart." Will deadpanned, and Percy's cheeks flushed ever so faintly, though his scowl only deepened, and he turned his head away again.

"Whatever. Just stay away from my lap."

"Rude." Will pouted, and turned sideways on Nico's lap again so he could drop against him completely, but Nico funnily enough didn't seem surprised in the slightest, simply adjusting his hold on him and stroking one hand over his back (which felt really nice, might he mention).

"Nico, your boyfriend is mistreating me."

"Nico's boyfriend has a name." Percy grumbled, and Will sent him a wry look.

"Fine. Nico, _Perseus_ is mistreating me."

Funnily enough, Percy seemed satisfied with that.

Seriously, if Will hadn't witnessed how Percy _could_ react to that name, he'd have never believed it.

"Maybe you should stop teasing him, then." Nico said quietly, and Will huffed, letting his head fall onto his shoulder.

"Impossible. The temptation is too great."

Percy huffed loudly, but Will ignored him.

"Then what am I supposed to do about it?" Nico asked and Will turned his head to grin at him, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"_Ground him_."

"You know what!"

Will cackled.

Then he wailed.

Percy was way too _mean_!

.

"_Somebody_ is liking your new hairstyle, Jace." Percy stated drily, and Will scowled at him, though he made no move to remove his hands from Jason's head, going through it over and over again.

It was so _short_.

Well, at the sides.

Piper hadn't lied, after all, so Jason's hair was still longer on top, but it still looked so…_different_.

(It really didn't, but Will was still low-key freaking out about it.)

It looked _good_, but also…couldn't she have left it a teensy bit longer?

He stroked through it again, making Jason glance sideways at him.

Yeah, he had a hunch he shouldn't be doing that when they were sort of in the middle of lunch, but…

"Actually, I think he's doing that because he _doesn't_ like it." Jason corrected, and Will hurriedly pulled his hands away.

"No! No, it looks good. It's just…different." He rushed to explain, then wondered why he even bothered.

Jason smiled at him faintly and patted his head, and Will made a face at him, though he had a hunch Jason just wanted to touch his hair again without being quite as obvious as Will about it.

Which was the only reason he let him do it, of course.

"It's okay, it will grow longer again soon enough."

"I said I liked it!" Will exclaimed loudly, tempted to slam his hand on the table.

"Why didn't anybody even as much as comment on _my_ hair? Everybody is making a fuss about everyone's hair but mine. How unfair is that?" Percy suddenly mumbled from where he was sitting next to Nico, staring down at his plate with a pout, one hand playing with the tips of his fringe.

"I think you look great, Percy. It looks very nice." Nico rushed to say, patting Percy's shoulder as if in consolation.

Percy kept pouting, probably having hoped to get him to stroke through his hair, too.

Will rolled his eyes, shooting Jason a quick look.

"Well, that's because it's no surprise you're good looking, Gorgeous. She barely cut yours, so it looks pretty much the same, just a bit more…orderly. So it wasn't as much of a change to us as Nico's or Jason's new haircut." He stated dryly, but all that did was make Percy huff.

Oh gods, what a drama queen.

Seriously, the Ghost King and the Drama Queen.

Nico and Percy made a _perfect_ match.

Will sighed and leaned forward, nudging Percy's hand aside to stroke through his fringe.

"Percy, of course we like your haircut. Do you really think I'd have let you live it down if you looked stupid? I'd be cracking jokes this entire time, you know I would."

Percy's lips twitched, but he kept his eyes downcast and forced the pout back.

Alright, now he was just begging for more attention.

Dork.

Jason sighed next to him and leaned forward as well, reaching out with one hand to brush a longer strand of hair behind Percy's ear.

"Will is right." Jason said quietly, and Will huffed in agreement.

When was he _not_ right?

Percy now _did_ grin, looking rather pleased with himself and the situation.

Of course he did.

He had all their attention on him now, after all.

Seriously, in situations like these, Will knew _exactly_ why Jason and he had to stick around all the time.

Percy's need for attention was unbelievable.

"There you are-…oh…right. Want me to pet your head, too, Jackson?" A voice sounded behind them, and Will managed not to jump or freeze, which instantly made him feel stupidly proud of himself.

Though he did find himself pulling his hand back as he looked around at Clarisse coming closer.

"Morning, Clarisse." He and Nico greeted automatically, even though it wasn't technically morning anymore.

They were in the middle of eating lunch, after all, but…yeah, whatever.

"With my luck, you'd try to 'pet my head' with your new spear." Percy retorted drily, and Will was about to defend her, but then didn't, because…well, with those two, he wouldn't put it past her to try it…gently…

Clarisse cackled at that, flopping down next to Will, and he wasn't sure whether she was doing it on purpose, but that kind of moved him further towards Jason, who of course made no move to make more space, instead letting Will press against his arm and side.

Will would probably complain about that, but…well, he kind of didn't mind.

And the fluttery feeling he could feel surging through Jason made it even better.

"Eh, can't deny I didn't think about it. But anyways, hey there, kiddos. Had a nice trip? Ginny and Merve told me a bit about your travel complications in the beginning, and the smooth drive back. Surely has its perks to have a personal chauffeur, huh?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows at Nico, who shrugged with a small smile and a light blush.

"It would have been more helpful if we had known beforehand, that way we would have been able to avoid said travel complications, but…yeah, it was fun."

"Hey, the travel complications were _great_. We got to swim in the Salt Lake." Percy put in quickly, and Will couldn't help but smile.

Somehow, that really seemed to have been the best thing about the trip to Percy.

"We also got to see a lot more than just the Salt Lake." Jason added, and Will thought of all the places they had gone through and not even really looked at.

Maybe they _should_ have gone sightseeing.

There he was out of the Camp for once, and all they had done was rush through the world to get to their destination asap.

Kind of a shame.

Though he knew he had been more than a little stressed back then already, without having to plan any sightseeing tours, so he was sort of glad they hadn't done anything of the kind, too.

Then, he suddenly thought of their Pocky game, especially the Pocky kiss with Nico, and decided to much rather study Clarisse's profile, while Nico and Percy talked about some other things they had done.

"We also visited my mom."

"And my dad refurnished my room in the Underworld into a gaming room."

"Oh, and we went to Elysium!"

"We also met Silena."

Will winced, but Nico's gaze was firm and levelled as he gazed at Clarisse, waiting for her reaction.

Clarisse…didn't react for a long moment, her face blank, her breathing even.

Then she let out a small sigh and her jaw clenched for a moment.

Will moved his hand to her shoulder, but more to get an input on her values, rather than for comfort.

She didn't want his comfort, he could already tell that much.

"Oh really? That's nice. Is she…" Clarisse started, but then trailed off, probably wondering what word to best use.

Will wouldn't know, either.

Okay? Alright? How alright could somebody be when they were dead?

"She's with Beckendorf. They're happy. We…told her a bit about how things are up here, and she told me to tell you she's proud of you. She also demanded I should tell you that you better let her know if/when you're getting married, because she has 'the best speech ever' and it would be such a waste if you never heard it." Nico explained quietly, and Will frowned slightly.

Really?

When had she told him that?

Then again, Will barely remembered anything from Elysium other than Leah, Lee and Michael, so…yeah…

Clarisse laughed, though the pain and sorrow coursing through her were still ever so vivid.

"Oh really?"

"Oh yes. She showed me a giant stack of papers, so if that's it, then let me warn you: It's going to be long." Nico replied with a small smile, and a sense of nostalgia rushed through her.

"True, she always said she'd be my bridesmaid, and that her wedding speech would be as slaying as my fighting skills…" She mumbled absentmindedly, staring off into space, and Will patted her shoulder gently.

"So how was your time here? Everybody still alive? Will said he's scared of checking the infirmary, because he fears you cut up too many people." Percy asked, and Will shot him a dark look.

Clarisse chuckled, nudging Will in the side.

A lot harsher than the guys usually did, but fairly gentle for Clarisse's standards.

"Aww, you flatter me, Solace. Nah, you'll only find the regulars and some newbs who couldn't hold their weapons right, if even. Everything is good. Chuck is growing splendidly, too. Which…is actually why I came, in the first place. He's missing you, Neeks. You said you'd visit him by times." She didn't exactly say it in an accusing tone, though Will immediately saw Nico shrinking back slightly.

"I wasn't at Camp!" He defended himself meekly, but Clarisse merely waved off.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Could have dropped by before, but I get that you're…you know, _busy_. Young people in love, and four of them, as is? I picture that to be pretty difficult in the beginning. But I'm glad you managed to find yourself some decent people for once, Solace. Didn't like your ex much."

Will felt his blood turning to ice, his body going rigid.

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

Not now.

Deep breathing.

Everything was good.

She was just…it was all no big deal.

Will tried to smile, but he was pretty sure his bottom lip was trembling.

If she noticed, she didn't comment on it.

"Oh! We're not-…" Nico started, but Clarisse didn't let him get any further.

"Whatever. No, what I was trying to say, is that today's your lucky day! I was supposed to watch over Chuck this afternoon, since the Coach is busy teaching the younger satyrs whatever it is they need to be taught, and Mellie was hoping to go to some nymph meeting. As you might guess already, I kind of have something coming up, though, so I'd much prefer if _you_ could go in my place. Don't worry, you can take your boyfriends with, the kid always loves meeting new people." She rushed to explain, not really giving them much opportunity to say anything at all.

Which was great, because Will was still trying to regulate his body temperature, and his fingertips were numb, while the rest of his body seemed to tingle.

Gods, he hated this sort of shock.

Why was this always happening?

He had looked into it before, and he should already be way past this stage!

It had been so long ago, it shouldn't even faze him anymore.

He wasn't _traumatized_, or anything, after all!

Will had researched that before, and had decided the symptoms didn't fit, and there was that!

…Will might have tweaked that a little bit.

But Will still wasn't traumatized!

He was just…

Jason's hand moved to his thigh, and Will jumped slightly, though he was glad when Jason didn't immediately pull away again.

"I'd love to go." Jason said quietly, while Percy seemed to have started rambling about always having wanted to meet Chuck, and that he loved babies, and that he couldn't wait, but that he also wasn't going to change any diapers because he didn't want to break the baby (which made no sense, but okay).

"We're not boyfriends." Nico mumbled for the third time, but was once more ignored, and any other time, Will would have probably laughed about it.

Right now, though, he merely let himself fall against Jason slightly, staring at his still full plate with absolutely no appetite at all.

In fact, he felt sick.

Oh, so that's why he kept dancing around Jason.

He had almost forgotten.

Seriously, one had _one_ good day, and suddenly it felt as if one could take on the world again.

Apparently, not.

Will pouted, and suddenly found a glass of juice pushed towards him.

"Sun-bug, you're paling again. You don't like babies? Come on, it will be fun! You helped Mellie through labor, right? So I'm sure you won't do anything horribly stupid like dropping the baby. Whoa, what if Chuck still remembers you? Do babies do that? Can he remember you? Who knows, maybe he'll think you're his dad because he saw you first." Percy rambled, leaning forward to grab Will's hand and wrap it around the glass when Will didn't do it, himself.

Then, he even started guiding that stupid glass to Will's mouth, and Will moved away with a scowl, sipping on his drink against his better judgment.

He was perfectly capable of drinking!

Percy merely blew him a kiss that made Will glower at him even more.

Then, he mulled over his words, glad for the distraction.

"I doubt he'll remember me, but sure, I'd love to see him again and check that everything is alright. And Percy, I do like babies. Who doesn't?"

He was pretty sure he didn't want to know the answer to that.

Clarisse was already up and going, and Percy and Nico were right behind, as if they had all just waited for Will to give his okay, which seemed…weird.

"You're such a doctor, Will. Come on, grab your food and let's go!" Percy exclaimed, sounding obnoxiously cheerful again, but Will merely sighed.

It only occurred to him that the reminder 'Come on and let's go' was just because he still hadn't made a move to get up.

Yeah, well, his legs didn't want to obey, it wasn't his fault.

Jason got up slowly, making a show of packing up a couple of sandwiches out of nowhere, and Will let out a small sigh, trying to ignore the pricking in his legs as he moved them to get him up and going.

It felt as if they had fallen asleep, but that usually didn't come with the feeling of nausea currently coursing through him.

He decided to ignore both, wordlessly taking the sandwiches from Jason to have an excuse to stay by his side.

"You alright?" Jason asked, sounding good-naturedly enough, but he was studying Will again in that way Will didn't like.

Will let him scrutinize him all he wanted, merely shrugging his shoulders.

"Just thought of all the work my siblings must have left me in the infirmary. So not looking forward to all the paperwork." He exclaimed with a sigh, and Jason's lips twitched.

"If you want, we can try to help…?"

"Hell no. The day I let somebody else touch my paperwork, is the day I'm dead in my grave. Or wherever I'll be. Why do you think my siblings leave me that work?" He asked indignantly, then realized that probably sounded pretty contradictive, regarding his whining just now.

Jason chuckled, linking their pinkies together without asking, and Will let it happen without comment.

"Oh, I wouldn't know. To make things more difficult for yourself? You love doing that, after all." The blonde remarked, and Will sent him a wry look.

"Behave, Jason, or I'll appoint you the diaper-changer."

Jason rolled his eyes, absolutely unfazed by his statement.

"Sure, I doubt Percy and Nico will want to do it, anyways, so it will either be you or me."

Yeah, pretty much.

"You do know Chuck is a baby _satyr_ though, right?"

Jason's face changed for a moment, then he put on a sheepish smile, just as they caught up to the others.

"Well, in that case…have fun, Freckles." Jason stated, and Will's head snapped around.

"Hey, Perce, Will says he'll be the diaper-changer."

"Perfect! We were just wondering who'd do it." Percy exclaimed, moving to Will's side to _hug_ him, telling him he was 'great and amazing and the _best_', while Nico had his face buried in his hands, repeatedly muttering '_We're not boyfriends_' under his breath that still went ignored.

Well…Nico, in all honesty, by now, it was hard to tell what they were, exactly.

Of course people would assume them to be boyfriends.

There were moments even Will caught himself thinking they were boyfriends.

(He called it wishful thinking, but that didn't make it any less valid, he just decided.)

He'd like them to be boyfriends, too.

Will shot another sideways look at Jason, who grinned back at him, earning him a dark scowl and a very affectionate 'Fuck you!' from Will.

That only made him laugh.

Of course it did.

Jason was such a dork.

Will wondered why the thought of just dating the three of them seemed so much easier and more possible than dating Jason by himself.

Probably because dating Jason was actually _possible_, while the other option _wasn't_, so the thought of it was of course a lot simpler than if Will was actually confronted with the possibility for real.

If the guys suddenly tried asking him out for one giant foursome, he'd probably turn on his heels and run back to his cabin and never come out again.

Wow, he was such a coward, it was almost hilarious.

Will sighed, then grinned as he watched Percy hop around in front of him, now all over Nico again.

Yeah, alright, maybe taking care of a baby right now wouldn't be all that bad.

It would certainly keep him busy, and who didn't like some nice distractions from life?

Plus, this was his perfect chance to show Percy and Nico what they were in for, should they ever opt to adopt a baby/small child.

Or adopt, in general.

All kids were difficult and needed proper care and attention, no matter their age.

This would certainly be interesting.

Jason started sneaking closer again, and Will acted as if he didn't notice until the very end, when Jason's pinkie tried linking itself with Will's again, and he shot him a questioning, expectant look.

Jason put on a pout, batting his eyelashes at Will.

Rude, using his charms like that.

Will looked away, trying to resist.

"I'll help you a teensy little bit?" Jason tried tentatively, and Will rolled his eyes with a sigh, glancing back at Jason to find him blinking hopefully at him, again.

Let it be known, Jason was a horrible human being.

Will loved him.

He allowed their pinkies to link and shook his head with another small sigh as Jason's other hand snatched the sandwiches back for whatever reason ever.

"Alright. I hope he pees on you at least once, I'm just saying." Will grumbled, then Percy suddenly appeared at his other side, still excited, still obnoxiously loud, but Will loved that, too, and he decided to let that be his reason for not saying anything when Percy grabbed his now once more free hand, even though Will was definitely not Percy's boyfriend.

Percy's _actual_ boyfriend was to his other side, holding hands with him too, while his free hand was still covering his face, though he had stopped muttering.

(Will thought he could glimpse a smile on a flushed face, but that might also just be wishful thinking as usual, so he decided not to think too much into that.)

Clarisse marched ahead of them, explaining something about a feeding schedule and how to prepare Chuck's food, but Will hoped she'd explain that once more when they got there, else they'd be screwed.

And so, they made their way towards Mellie's and Coach Hedge's place in the forest.

Will didn't even want to know how many people could see them like this, how many of his siblings would undoubtedly spot him holding hands with Percy, and sort-of holding hands with Jason.

But hey, if they assumed anything, it was their own fault, right?

Will certainly wasn't going to point anything out to the guys.

He also had no intention of clearing things up whatsoever.

(Nico, Percy and Jason would _probably_ do that for him at some point, anyways.)

So, yeah, he was good.

This was great.

And now, it was baby-time.

.

"You know, I was _joking_ when I said he would never put the baby down, but…" Will started quietly, shaking his head with an amused smile playing on his lips as he, Jason and Percy watched from the sofa how Nico ventured around in the small kitchen, preparing Chuck's food…while holding Chuck like a pro all the while.

Adorable.

Absolutely adorable.

"That's okay, he doesn't have to put the baby down, after all, right?" Percy waved off, watching his boyfriend with a dreamy expression on his face.

He had only gotten to hold Chuck once so far, and that only for a few minutes, before Clarisse had taken him back and given him to Jason, instead.

It had been a 'practice run' to ensure they all knew what they were doing when holding him.

Of course, Clarisse needn't have worried, but Jason and Will surely had needed that nudge to really dare and _take_ the baby.

Else, Will was pretty sure he'd have contented himself with just trailing behind Percy and Nico and letting them take turns in carrying him whenever the need arose.

Well, it wasn't as if it was any different now, to be honest, but at least he felt confident he was capable of holding Chuck if he _had_ to.

Nico had kind of taken to him after the first some minutes though, and ever since then he hadn't put him down a single moment, even though Chuck had stopped crying for his parents (and Clarisse) ages ago.

Will would be concerned, but he had read plenty of stories of mothers holding their babies the majority of the time until they could crawl/walk, and none of them had seemed to have any lasting damage from that, so everything was good.

If anything, the babies saw it as their parents being extra loving and protective.

A child was absolutely defenseless, after all.

Will much preferred the thought of spoiling his baby and carrying it around all day, than being like some people were and leaving it in a different room and letting it cry.

It all had its good sides and bad sides, but personally, he'd rather keep the baby close.

And so did Nico, apparently, since the Italian was now humming some song Will didn't know, with Chuck professionally hoisted on his hips, while his free hand worked on Chuck's second lunch.

Chuck was grinning up at him with big, round eyes, making grabby hands either at the bottle, or at Nico's face, and Will caught Nico smiling in a rather serene, content way.

Seriously, if Chuck didn't have goat legs, Will could so picture this being Nico's child.

He sighed, putting his chin on his arms and noticing Percy doing the same.

Will also noticed Jason glancing over at him faintly, but he was too taken by Nico and his baby skills to react in time to look back.

"Alright, this should be it. Do you want to feed him or should I?" Nico asked, coming back and adjusting his hold on Chuck, who made a squealing sound and smacked his lips, as if he knew exactly what they were talking about.

Clarisse had explained to them that he wasn't yet very good in eating solids – though he certainly loved trying – and that they could attempt to give him some of the fruit from the basket in the kitchen, but they had settled on only trying that later, once they had the basic feeding of the milk down.

Since Chuck was a satyr, not a human baby, things were a tiny bit different from what Will had read on the topic, and pretty confusing too, but he was confident they'd manage.

From what he had gathered so far, everything was either a lot _quicker_ than for human babies, or a lot _slower_.

Chuck could already crawl like a baby, and hop around like a goat, but he couldn't yet eat much other than milk, and the occasional grass, as they had been informed.

From what Will could tell though, he was a healthy little thing, so all was well.

"You can do it, if you want." Percy waved off, still with a dreamy expression on his face, and Will wondered whether he'd start drooling.

If he did, hopefully it wouldn't make Chuck drool, too.

And if it did, then he hoped Chuck had drooled before then already, so it wasn't anything Percy had accidentally taught him.

Nico eyed them warily for a moment, probably wondering why all three of them were kneeling on the sofa and leaning over the back of it, instead of sitting on it properly, but he didn't ask.

Good.

He wouldn't have liked the answer, anyways.

Nico walked past them and settled into the armchair, changing Chuck's position so he could eat, and Chuck let himself fall into his arms only all too willingly, letting out a loud 'Oooh!' and eyeing the bottle with what was definitely _hunger_, smacking his lips again before reaching out and urging Nico to hurry up.

So cute.

Nico chuckled softly, muttering something in Italian Will couldn't catch, then he tested the temperature of the milk on the back of his hand once more before giving it to Chuck, who started drinking immediately, gazing up at Nico with amazement and wonder.

Aww, alright, Will was going to burst from that overload of cuteness right there.

"I swear, if you're not getting kids, I'm going to adopt for you." He whispered over to Percy darkly, and Percy pushed him away with a small laugh.

"Don't you worry, I want an army of those."

They snickered, and Jason looked over to them with an amused look.

"I think one or two will be good enough for a start, Perce."

"Lies. At least six or seven. We'll manage somehow." Percy stated confidently, and Will bit his lip so as to not laugh out loud.

Of course they were only joking, but somehow, he could so picture Percy with a whole bunch of kids.

But he also knew children weren't always adorable and quiet, and he was _so_ going to ask Percy again about just how many babies he wanted, once Chuck showed his not so peaceful side.

He had cried earlier when he had realized Clarisse wasn't coming back, and had cried even more when he realized his parents weren't hiding anywhere, but that was nothing to what Will knew he was capable of.

Also, the way Clarisse had wished them 'Good Luck' indicated there was much worse to come, too.

But for now, everything was peaceful, and he agreed that kids were wonderful.

"Would you adopt? Like, do you want kids?" Percy asked curiously, and it took Will a moment to realize he was asking him.

Blinking surprised, he found himself shrugging.

"I don't know. Maybe? It depends."

"On what?" Percy pried, eyeing Will oddly.

Will looked past him at Jason, who was also watching, looking just as curious.

He shifted, glancing down.

"Well, on my partner, for once. Alone, I wouldn't want to adopt. But if I had a partner, and they wanted a kid, then sure. It wouldn't have to be a baby, though. There's so many kids waiting to be adopted, and the older they get, the smaller their chances get to actually _get_ adopted, so…I'd probably try to take in one or two of those. I don't know." He explained awkwardly, and both Percy and Jason smiled at him.

"True that. In all honesty, I'd probably do the same. But you have to admit this is nice, right? A baby?"

Will threw Percy a dry look.

"Percy, if you're hoping for a surrogate mother, I can't help you with that. I'm still a guy, in case you haven't noticed."

Jason snorted.

"Damn, Percy, you got found out." He joked, while Percy was too busy looking indignant and offended.

"That was _not_ what I was doing! I was just…oh, come on, you two are such-…"

"Watch your mouth, Percy. I'm not having you teach Chuck any swearwords." Nico interrupted sternly, while Jason and Will cackled in unison at Percy's dismay.

"Of course not, my Angel. But they are being their usual horrible selves again, you know…" Percy whined, and Nico sent the three of them warning looks that had Will and Jason exchanging another amused look.

Aww, somebody was in parent-mode.

"You'd make such a wonderful dad." Will charmed effortlessly, sending Nico a little wink, while Percy groaned and rolled his eyes, muttering something darkly under his breath Nico luckily couldn't decipher.

"A child suits you wonderfully, Nico." Jason agreed amiably, and Will reached out to high-five him, unable to resist.

Percy between them leaned forward and let his head fall on the living room table, while Nico eyed them skeptically, an adorable blush creeping up his neck.

"Alright, Percy, it's your turn." The Italian then announced and made to get up, and Percy instantly jumped up, looking shocked and frantic.

"No! No, it's alright, I'll just hold him later, it's no problem at all-…" He started hurriedly, but Nico ignored his wailing and moved over, pushing Percy back into the sofa with one hand and working on getting Chuck's puny hands to let go of his shirt.

"It's alright, Chuck. Percy is going to give you the rest of your bottle in a moment." Nico soothed when Chuck started whining slightly, and the baby satyr instantly tilted his head and smacked his lips as if in question.

"Yes, food. Now, go to Percy." Nico said softly, and finally managed to get the little fist to let go of his shirt, before passing Chuck to a very overwhelmed looking Percy.

"But what if I hurt him? Or what if he chokes? I can't do CPR! Well, I learned, but I think I _just_ forgot how to do it!"

"Will knows how to do CPR. You'll be fine, Percy." Nico replied utterly unfazed, fixing Percy's hold on the baby and pushing the milk bottle into his hands.

"But…but…but…" Percy started, now looking around at Will with a pleading look, as if he hoped Will was going to volunteer to feed the baby.

Oh, hell no.

He shook his head wildly, and Percy looked ready to cry, now turning his head towards Jason to his other side.

"You'll be _fine_, Percy. Stop making puppy eyes at Jason, I know you can do it. See, you hold the bottle like _this_, so he gets the milk, not any air. Yeah, like that. And then, he already does the rest by himself-…see? There you go, he's drinking. You're doing great, Percy." Nico assured, his tone still so unusually soft, and Will put his chin on his hand as he watched the scene with a stupid grin on his face.

Aww, they looked so adorable.

Like a little family.

Jason inched closer to Percy and peeked over his shoulder at Chuck, who switched from looking at Percy to Jason and back, interrupting his drinking to grin at them both with a toothless smile.

Nico chuckled, placing a quick peck to Percy's forehead before pulling back and moving back to the kitchen to clean up the mess he made, while Will slowly shifted closer, too.

"He's so cute." He said softly, and Percy nodded, worrying his bottom lip as he tried to make Chuck drink again, but Chuck was too busy beaming at the three of them now.

"You want to take over?" Percy then asked hopefully, but both Jason and Will instantly shook their heads.

"You're doing great, bro."

"Nah, you're a natural at this, Gorgeous. Just keep going."

They grinned at each other for a moment, while Percy sighed deeply and nudged the bottle back against Chuck's lips, who did start drinking again now.

Though not for long.

Mostly because Jason was starting to make stupid faces, that absolute dork.

Well…okay, Jason might not be the only one making faces.

Every time Percy turned his head sharply to catch Jason making faces (and making Chuck laugh), Will was the one making a different grimace at Chuck (making him laugh even more), which resulted in Percy's head snapping towards him, but he failed to catch either of them, frustrating him more and more (which seemed to make Chuck laugh the hardest. He was so much like Clarisse, it was both amusing and worrisome).

They kept it up until Nico came back, who made them stop the best entertainment ever with a scolding look at them both and a promise they'd be holding Chuck next.

_Mean_.

It wasn't their fault teasing Percy was so much fun.

"You're always so mean to me. I'm feeling so unloved." Percy fake-sobbed, and Will and Jason both started patting him on the back with matching 'Aww'-s.

"We're so sorry, Percy. You know we love you dearly." Will insisted seriously, and Percy looked as if he wanted to push him away, but thanks to the baby in his arms, he couldn't.

Will would have to remember that.

"Yeah, well, _Will and Nico_ love you dearly. _I_ tolerate your existence." Jason stated drily, and Percy wailed, while Will and Nico simultaneously boxed Jason's arms from both sides, making him laugh.

"_Liar_! You adore him. Tell him you love him, you d-…"

"Will! Not in front of the baby!" Nico interrupted him sharply, and Will winced, lifting his hands immediately.

"I was going to say 'darling'!" He insisted (and lied) loudly, and Chuck started laughing and beaming at them again, making them all fall silent and look at him.

"You still owe me an 'I love you'." Percy said quietly, a small smile playing on his lips as he put the bottle down and gave Chuck his finger to hold onto, instead, which Chuck did, laughing brightly at him.

"I love you." Nico, Will and Jason replied automatically, and Will felt his face heating.

So did Nico's, for that matter, and Will absolutely wasn't surprised that Nico was right behind him when he fled the living room to check whether there was anything left to do in the kitchen.

Of course there wasn't, but Nico pushed past him and started going through the cupboards for some glasses, so Will busied himself looking for the juices that Clarisse had told them to help themselves to earlier.

Seriously, talk about an awkward moment.

Why had he replied, too?

It was _obvious_ Percy had meant Jason.

That Nico would reply was obvious, too, but that didn't really mean it was okay for Will to just chime in.

What was he thinking?

He was being way too obvious.

Even though he doubted either Percy or Nico would take it seriously, he knew Jason might.

And after Jason's whole 'I'm going to lose you'-issue, Will didn't want him to think he was only not dating him already because he was hoping for more with either Percy or Nico.

Though Jason had said he knew that wasn't the case.

Which seemed weird enough already, anyways.

"No, Jason, don't leave me alone! Bro! Bro, you can't…" Percy started wailing, and Will wasn't surprised to find Jason in the doorway to the kitchen a moment later, poking his head in to check on them.

"You two quite alright?"

Will guessed their flight from the living room had been a tad too obvious to go ignored.

To be expected.

"We're good. Just getting some drinks." Nico answered for them both, while Will opted for a small smile.

Jason smiled back and nodded, returning to Percy, who was now _blessing_ him with all sorts of things like longevity, fertility, luck, and tons of other stuff he had no control over.

Will and Nico exchanged an amused grin, then brought the drinks, not surprised in the slightest when they found Percy maneuvering Chuck into Jason's arms.

"He drank his bottle, Nico. It's only fair if Jason holds him next. I'll hold him in a bit again, okay?" Percy hurried to explain himself, and Will nudged Nico to take his seat next to Percy, instead deciding to claim the armchair.

Or so he thought, but then Jason's arm came out of nowhere and snatched his wrist, tugging him over to sit on the armrest next to Jason.

"Stay here. Chuck adores you. Look how he smiles at you." Jason said softly, and Will reluctantly sat, looking down at the bundle of joy that was showing him another one of his toothless smiles, making a squeaking sound when their eyes met.

Babies were way too adorable.

"Well, who _can't_ smile when they're looking at our sun-bug?" Percy put in seriously, now being the one to peek down at Chuck over Jason's shoulder, while Nico put his chin on Percy's shoulder with a broad smile.

"Maybe he's seeing that miniature sun I keep talking about. I once heard babies can see things grown-ups can't see anymore."

Will frowned for a moment, something nagging at the back of his mind.

Miniature sun?

He had heard that before…

Hadn't Jason said something like that before?  
Wait, that had come from Nico?

_Nico_ had said that?

"Like spirits and stuff? That's cool." Percy muttered, and Nico chuckled.

"You know, other people would call it 'creepy', but okay."

Chuck started holding onto Jason's finger, blowing bubbles with his mouth, which made Will react automatically and use his napkin to wipe the drool away.

Suddenly, he had three guys shooting him soft, knowing grins, and he felt the heat rising in his face.

"Hey, we should get you one of these, Percy. They'd come in handy when you drool into my neck at night, again. Do you think they'll have these in blue?" He asked hurriedly to get them to stop looking at him like that and Percy promptly scowled, opening his mouth to undoubtedly snap a very loving 'Fuck you' right back at him.

Nico clapped his hand over his mouth before he had the chance.

"Don't even think about it."

"But Chuck can't even talk yet! He surely won't remember it by the time he'll even start talking, I'm sure of it! Plus, have you heard Clarisse and Coach talk? They cuss _all the time_!" Percy complained, but Nico's stern look didn't waver, and Percy resorted to pouting, while Jason and Will chuckled.

Chuck chuckled too, beaming up at them and now apparently trying to _squish_ Jason's finger.

Definitely Coach Hedge's kid, that much was certain.

(If the goat legs hadn't been indicator enough.)

"Aw, look at how strong you are." Jason nearly cooed, and Will nudged him pointedly when Chuck now looked confused.

"Jason, you have to at least _act_ like it's hurting." He chided, and Jason blinked.

Then he sent Will a hopeful look, batting his eyelashes at him.

Which might not have worked nearly as well as when Percy did it (because Percy was the master of the baby seal face™), but still worked well enough to make Will want to move mountains for him.

He sighed and made a grabby hand at Chuck to signal he was going to touch him.

Of course, he vaguely realized a moment later that was probably a really stupid and unnecessary thing to do, but oh well.

Funnily enough, that caught Chuck's attention instantly, and he let go of Jason's hand to make grabby hands right back at Will.

"Aww, see? He adores you." Percy cooed with a broad grin, and Will shot him a dark look before letting Chuck touch his hand all over, grabbing hold of each finger once before settling on his thumb, holding onto it with both hands and tugging, as if he hoped Will's finger would fall off.

What a charming child.

Will grinned down at him with an encouraging smile, wiggling his finger around a bit and making him laugh, before Chuck started looking almost _determined_, making strained sounds and squishing Will's finger..

"Ouch, _ouch_. Man, Chuck, you're so strong!" Will said seriously, wincing whenever Chuck gave an especially good tug, and Chuck all but _gloated_.

Yes, a truly charming child.

By the looks of it, he was definitely taking right after his father.

Probably with Clarisse's help, too.

"Oh wow, Will, that looks painful. Such a little warrior." Percy teased, and Nico bit on his lip to stifle a laugh.

Will put on a pained face.

"Yes, I think I'll lose my finger before this is over." He lamented, before uttering some more exaggerated 'Ouch'-s and 'Nooo'-s, that all made Chuck laugh and beam at him.

Then, he finally let go and stroked over Will's hand again, before getting distracted by the striped pattern of Jason's (horrible) sweater.

"Does he have any toys to play with? Just in case he gets bored of us anytime soon." Percy asked curiously, and the three of them looked around at him with knowing looks.

"_I don't want to play with them_! I just want to know whether he has any!" Percy exclaimed exasperated, as if he knew what they were thinking.

They grinned at him, but decided not to comment (for now).

"Yeah, Clarisse showed us his box while you were too busy holding him and cooing about how cute he was." Will explained, and Percy made a face, while Nico sighed and stared off into space.

"I should have brought my camera."

Oh yes, he really should have.

If they had known they'd watch over a baby satyr, Will was sure that would have been the first thing the four would have searched for in their luggage.

"Want me to go get it?" Jason offered, but Nico waved off with a small shake of his head.

"Nah, it's okay. We can always offer to watch over him again some other time. Mellie would be grateful, for sure."

True that.

Chuck made a small noise and Will looked back down, finding him looking up at Jason with big, round eyes, a look of anticipation on his face.

It took another moment for Will to realize that was because Jason was making faces again.

Seriously, such a dork.

"Wonder if he likes playing airplane." Percy mused, and Will could see Jason's eyes light up.

_Oh gods._

"Jason, whatever you're thinking…" He and Nico started at the same time, the concern barely concealed, but Jason was already pushing off the sofa, asking Chuck whether he wanted to try 'something fun'.

Jason, no!

…Jason, yes.

While Percy bent forward laughing, and Nico and Will clutched each other in horror behind him on the sofa, Chuck started laughing loudly, right along with Jason, as the two started playing 'airplane'…with Jason flying around right under the ceiling, holding Chuck out in front of him like Rafiki did in The Lion King with young Simba.

"If he drops him we are all dead." Nico breathed, sounding devastated, and Will could only nod numbly.

They seemed to be the only ones worrying, though, since Percy was practically on the floor laughing, and Chuck seemed to think this was the best thing in the world.

Were satyrs even supposed to…well…fly?

Satyrs were usually said to have a connection to the _Earth_, not the _Sky_.

Oh gods, Coach Hedge was probably going to murder them once he found out.

Nico and Will exchanged another long, shocked look.

Then Nico suddenly broke out laughing, and Will did, too, pushing him back into the couch with a 'We're so doomed! Stop laughing!'.

"You stop laughing! Mellie will have a heart attack if she finds out!" Nico shot back, still cracking up, while Will started tickling his sides.

"Hey, you two better behave, there's a child watching." Percy chided with one look at them, and Will wanted to inform him that 'a child watching' should be the _least_ problem he should have with this, but then didn't, instead turning to tickle Nico again as they both laughed and talked about just how doomed they were.

It didn't make any sense, but it felt like the right thing to do, anyways.

Gods, how had he ever lived without these three dorks in his life?

It was unimaginable.

Impossible.

Surreal.

Well, anyways, he never wanted to miss them in his life, again.

And one of them _definitely_ had to get a kid at one point or another!

.

"Why won't he stop crying?" Percy whined, and Will buried his head under the sofa pillow with a shrug.

Had he mentioned babies were _loud_?

Because they absolutely were.

And satyr babies apparently sometimes drifted off into bleating.

Very, _very_ loud and _frantic_ bleating that made Will feel scared somebody was going to think they were slaughtering something in here.

"Maybe we should check his diapers." Jason suggested, but they had done that no ten minutes ago, so Will highly doubted it.

Also, he was never changing satyr diapers again in his entire life.

Clarisse had explained the process to him, but _hearing_ one had to wash a satyrs backside with lukewarm water didn't sound _half_ as difficult as it actually was.

Also, while Chuck's puny hands had close to no strength in them, his goat half certainly could kick perfectly fine.

Of course, Nico and Percy had helped both with the bathing and the drying, and Jason had put the clean diapers on (a cheer for teamwork), but the whole ordeal had still left Will more drained than he'd have thought.

Somehow, ever since that fateful encounter a good hour ago, Chuck had decided to start screaming and crying, though, and so far they hadn't managed to figure out what he wanted.

He didn't want to eat, Nico had tried that.

He didn't want to play, Percy and Jason had tried that.

His diapers were clean.

He made no move to sleep.

What were they supposed to do?

Maybe he wanted to sleep, but didn't trust them enough?

No, it didn't seem like a trust-issue.

Will groaned, burying his head further under the pillow, though it didn't drown out much noise.

Chuck probably missed his parents.

It was to be expected, really, but did he have to be so loud about it?

Seriously, what were they supposed to do?

Somebody patted his lower back, and he grumbled, waving off with one hand half-heartedly, though he still felt the anxious tug in his gut and a sense of dread growing inside him.

He ignored both and pushed it all right back down, pulling his head out to look around at the culprit and glower at him.

Unsurprisingly, it was Percy, urging him to make space with a pointed shove at his backside, making Will glad he had looked up before _that_ touch had happened.

Idiot.

Will reluctantly made space and sat up somewhat, and Percy flopped down, just to fall against him with a groan and a sneaky attempt at stealing his pillow.

"Try singing to him or something." Will suggested to Jason as Jason was the baby-holder at the moment, then he swatted Percy's hands away, determined to protect his pillow until the very end.

Chuck started bleating again, making Will's heart ache and his head pound, and he lifted the pillow so both he and Percy could bury their faces in it.

"I can't sing! Why don't you do it?" Jason asked indignantly, but Will merely groaned again.

He was so not singing right now.

"Don't know any kids songs or lullabies, sorry."

"What sort of childhood did _you_ have?!" Percy asked, pushing the pillow down to shoot Will a bewildered look.

Then he seemed to realize what he had just asked, his expression turning horrified and guilty and sheepish.

Will merely stared at him wordlessly.

Should he actually reply to that?

Should he tell Percy about his childhood?

There wasn't much to tell, after all.

Based on Percy's struck look, there was no need for that, though.

"I'm sorry…" Percy mumbled awkwardly, but Will waved off.

"Don't worry about it. I know how it was meant."

"Not like that…" Percy muttered guiltily, but Will ignored him, instead letting himself fall back sideways with his pillow.

He could still feel the guilt and devastation rushing through Percy where Will's bare foot was brushing against Percy's side.

Sighing, he held up an arm to signal he should get closer.

It only occurred to him a moment later that he was practically inviting Percy to lay down on top of him, but luckily, Percy wasn't stupid enough to try that, instead falling down behind him and pushing his head under the pillow with him.

Better.

Awkward, and Will was absolutely not going to make any space for him whatsoever, nor turn to his side no matter which way, but better than Percy drowning in misery at his feet.

They heard shuffling and movement around them, but didn't think much of it until they suddenly heard Nico clearing his throat.

For a moment, Will wondered whether he wanted to get under the pillow, too, because space was one thing they definitely did not have here (though they'd try if needed?).

Then, he wondered whether Nico had something against Will and Percy so close.

When he and Percy peeked out from under the pillow though, they found Nico several feet away with the baby cradled in his arms, his face full of concentration.

What…?

Before he could ask what he was doing, though, Nico was opening his mouth already.

And then, out of nowhere…

Nico started singing.

Singing.

Nico.

Nico di Angelo.

Who had claimed he couldn't sing.

(Not that Will had ever believed him, especially because he had made him chime in back during their picnic in December, but whatever.)

Will felt as if the world stopped for a moment.

Percy next to him gaped, looking as stunned as Will felt, and Will could feel a similar rush of emotions rush through him as did through Will right then and there.

Just…wow.

Alright, Nico sounded a tiny bit rusty every here and there, and his voice did crack a couple of times, and Will had no idea what he was singing, because he was singing something definitely Italian, and with a lot of accent, and very fast, and Will was rambling, but…

Yeah, it was beautiful.

"I'm in love." He mumbled, and Percy made a weak sound, as if that was an understatement.

"Shouldn't you be faithful to your almost-boyfriend?" He asked after a moment of silence, and Will huffed.

Though it wasn't him smacking Percy's arm, but Jason, who had moved to stand behind the sofa they were sprawled on.

"Don't tell him such nonsense, Percy."

Percy made a face, looking at them both in turn.

"You make a great couple. You're both crazy."

"Says the one letting us hang around all the time while knowing we're pining for your boyfriend." Will shot back, and Jason made an affirming sound.

Percy rolled his eyes, pushing Will over so he could use his shoulder to prop up his head and watch Nico.

Will momentarily stiffened at both the sudden push, as well as the sensation of Percy pressing against his back, but then he took a deep breath and let it go.

Hey, was it just him, or was this getting a bit easier?

Did that mean he was getting better?

Will definitely hoped so.

With a wistful glance towards Jason, he glanced towards Nico again, watching how he was slowly shifting his weight from his left foot to his right, still singing softly to Chuck, who had quieted down considerably, now staring up at Nico in what was either stunned horror, or amazed awe.

In either case, he was only whining quietly, then not at all anymore, so Will decided that was all that mattered right now.

"Percy, can you take over singing?" Nico asked between two verses, the switch in language making his accent much more pronounced than usual, and Will found himself blinking surprised.

Had Nico always rolled his 'r'-s like that when saying Percy's name?

Had he always drawn out his vowels like that?

Oh gods, that had sounded so unlike Nico, Will was both amazed and disturbed.

Percy behind him seemed to be in a similar state, though he then started shaking his head wildly.

"Can't. No way. No. Can't sing. Nope. And Will won't let me go. I'm so sorry, babe."

Coward.

Will glanced towards Jason, but Jason was already looking at him and shaking his head, as if he knew full well what Will wanted from him.

Meh.

_Fine._

"Alright, I'll try something slow. If he starts crying again, it's not my fault." He grumbled and swatted Percy's arms away as they tried to snake around him as if to keep him there (which made no sense, anyways).

Then he jumped up and made his way over to Nico, racking his brain for any possible song.

This was undoubtedly going to be very embarrassing, and he was fairly certain Chuck would cry again in no time.

Nico passed him the now confused looking baby satyr, still singing his last verses until Chuck was safely nestled in Will's arms.

Was this the right moment to mention Will was still the one least confident with his baby-holding skills?

He could do it, but he still feared he'd drop him.

And that while he had helped birthing him.

Chuck looked up at him, looking expectant.

Then, he looked like he was going to cry again, and Will made a face, hurriedly bobbing up and down on his heels somewhat, still racking his brain for something to sing.

He knew of nothing.

He decided to simply start singing, anyways, not surprised in the slightest when it turned out to be 'You are my sunshine'.

Yeah, well, whatever.

At least it was a quiet song.

He half expected the guys to laugh, but they didn't, though he also didn't look away from Chuck to check their expressions.

Instead, he started shifting his weight from left to right like Nico had done, then he started slowly walking through the living room, singing the song softly, and as quietly as he could, hoping Chuck might be tempted to fall asleep.

The baby satyr stared up at him with big, round eyes, one fist in his mouth, the other one around the finger Will was offering, and Will guessed he must be doing _something_ right, after all.

To buy himself some time, he sang some verses several times, wondering whether he could get away with just singing this song until Chuck would fall asleep out of boredom.

But then he thought the guys might seriously laugh, so he tried to find something else he could sing.

The satyr baby was still gazing up at him with wide eyes, though now he was smiling again, bright and toothless and adorable, and Will poked his nose when he let go of his finger to make grabby hands at Will, showing he wanted him to lift him up differently.

Will smiled, keeping up his 'lullaby' as he adjusted his hold on Chuck, so he could now look over his shoulder if he wanted to – though the baby made no move to, instead burying his face in Will's sweater with a small squeal, his hands holding onto the fabric.

Apparently, he liked the sweater.

Will sighed, clearing his throat and glancing over at the guys, just to see them beaming at him and motioning for him to continue.

Ugh.

Will turned away to hide his warming cheeks, instead clearing his throat again and starting another song, soft and slow, just some random love song.

Chuck blew bubbles, and Will guessed it was too fast to work as a lullaby, so he switched mid-song to a different one.

Good thing he knew a lot of songs.

The perks of being a son of Apollo, he guessed.

Sadly, Chuck didn't seem very impressed, now right-out drooling and making rather goat-like noises again.

"Try 'We're in heaven'!" Jason tried to call over and whisper at the same time, just as Percy went and exclaimed "How about 'Come Little Children'?", which caused all three of them to send him a long, unimpressed look.

Percy merely shrugged with an innocent grin.

"I thought it would be a good one."

Will rolled his eyes, but went with Jason's suggestion, anyways.

Definitely a good thing he knew a lot of songs.

Chuck instantly went quiet again.

Hey, was that one actually used for kids?  
Interesting.

Oh well, the more one knew.

His mother had only ever sung one song to him, a song he thought might or might not have been called 'Smile', but…

Well, it was sort of private.

She had rarely managed to even read him a bedtime story, so it had been _very_ rare for her to actually sit down and _sing_ to him.

At least for the part of his life he remembered.

Knowing now how tedious and difficult her life must have been, he couldn't blame her, of course.

Still, the memory hurt as much as it filled him with warmth, and he wasn't sure he wanted to sing that to Chuck.

Not here, not right now.

Not with the guys right there, hearing every word.

They probably wouldn't understand, anyways.

It probably wasn't even a lullaby.

But it had been the song his mother had sung for him, undoubtedly knowing the hardships he'd have to go through.

Hopefully, Chuck would have a much more protected and safe childhood and life, though the chances were slim, even if he was a satyr, not a demigod.

He sang softly, drawing out his words, and noticing he had started moving through the room again slowly, though Chuck actually seemed to like the movement, now stilling and holding onto his sweater once more.

Will caught the guys watching him and wished he had a hand free to shoo them away, the attention making him much more self-conscious than it should.

Why was it that he could play _SingStar!_ with Percy just fine, but the moment he had to sing lullabies for a baby, he started feeling self-conscious and wished they couldn't see nor hear him?

_Now_ he was at least trying to sound presentable.

Then again, he guessed it didn't matter, because he knew they wouldn't judge him, anyways.

…He still stuck out his tongue at them, before turning his back to them pointedly, and he could hear all three of them chuckling quietly.

Will smiled to himself, moving through the room and stroking over Chuck's back as he sung, and he could feel him becoming more and more drowsy as he continued, now back to singing whatever came to mind, though Chuck stayed quiet this time.

And then, slowly, ever so slowly, he could feel him drifting off.

Perfect.

It still took another two songs until Chuck was fast asleep, but by then, Will was glad to get a break, feeling almost as drained as when he had been in the Underworld.

Yes, babies were definitely exhausting.

Jason popped up out of nowhere, taking Chuck gently from him, while Nico helped to get his tiny fists to let go of Will's sweater without waking him.

Will smiled at them gratefully, turning around to make straight for the sofa to drop dead onto it, but was suddenly confronted by Percy holding out a glass of juice in his face.

Seriously, Percy and his urge to make Will drink more.

Will was the doctor here.

Which reminded him he still had an infirmary to check on once they could leave here.

He groaned at the mere thought, drowning his glass in one go before all but running for the sofa, forcing himself to sit down properly instead of just flopping down onto it.

This wasn't his place, after all.

Percy flopped down next to him with a sigh, winking at him when he caught him looking.

"Good job on getting him to sleep, sun-bug. I knew you could do it."

Such praise.

Will was horrified to realize his face was actually _seriously_ warming slightly at the words.

No! Why?

Percy was only _joking_!

Jason and Nico came back from where they had put Chuck down in his crib so he could sleep in peace for a while, and Jason made straight for him.

Uh-oh?

"Here, you look tired, and I know you barely had anything to eat all day." Jason said upon reaching him, placing the wrapped up sandwiches in his lap, though Will was more surprised he hadn't noticed Jason must have stopped by the kitchen, rather than the fact he had given them to Will.

(Or probably even packed them just for Will, in the first place.)

He decided not to argue, instead just nodding in gratitude and unwrapping the foil, offering Percy one of the sandwiches without looking, and Percy let out a delighted squeal.

Dork.

Jason rolled his eyes, then sat down to Will's other side, letting his head tip back onto the backrest with a loud sigh.

"Kids surely are something, huh?"

Absolutely.

Will took a big bite out of his sandwich, letting Percy and Nico reply with dry chuckles and matching sighs.

There went that 'army of babies' Percy had talked about earlier.

Not that he doubted they'd be able to do it.

But he had time to tease them about that, later.

Now, it was time to eat.

Jason was right, after all.

After his nightmare, he hadn't felt like eating much for breakfast, and lunch had sort of been interrupted by…Clarisse…so he really _was_ starving.

Glancing past Percy and Nico at the clock, he realized it was 4pm already.

Which was great, since Coach Hedge would be back by 5pm, but also horrible, because that meant he'd have to get to the infirmary in close to no time; and he still hadn't gotten to meet a lot of his siblings.

In fact, he had only caught a glimpse of Alec and a few others, and only managed to actually say hi to Austin.

He hadn't even yet seen Cecil and Lou Ellen anywhere.

Oh well, it was only his first day back at Camp.

Plus, it wasn't as if he was going to leave anytime soon.

In fact, he wasn't even sure for how long they'd be staying until Jason would take them to the next god/goddess.

So, yeah, all was well.

Except the pile of paperwork undoubtedly waiting for him at the infirmary.

Jason's hand started stroking over his back in slow, soothing circles, and while Will wasn't sure _why_ he was doing that, it certainly felt great.

…Yeah, okay, fine, the paperwork would probably not even be all that bad.

Will did love his work there, after all, that included all the stuff he didn't love.

More or less.

Whatever, it was going to be okay.

Maybe the Camp had had mercy on him and it wouldn't even be all that much, so he might even finish sorting through it tonight.

That was a great thought.

Will decided to think positively for once, leaning against Jason slightly and catching him smile out of the corners of his eyes, in that typical giddy way that usually made Will want to either kiss or tease him.

But Will merely closed his eyes and continued eating.

Yeah, all was well.

.

Will stared at the lines of text in front of him without comprehending a single word, though it took him another two minutes of staring before realizing that.

Letting out a frustrated huff, he started at the beginning of the paragraph again, but found his mind wandering almost instantly once more.

Coach Hedge had come back half an hour early, meaning he had found them huddled on the sofa talking about baby names (surprise, surprise, Percy said he'd be good with 1-3 kids, after all. So much for that army of babies), though he hadn't commented on that with anything but an exasperated huff before checking on his son.

He had seemed pleased with their care, though he had seemed surprised that Chuck was sleeping.

Apparently, that was the time of the day he usually got to hop around and 'dance' to some pipe music from whatever satyr was there at the time.

Which would explain why Chuck had been so restless in the first place, and nothing they had done had seemed to help.

Thanks, Clarisse, for pointing that out.

Good thing the singing had helped.

Will didn't want to know how Coach Hedge would have reacted if he had come home to the four of them rushing through the living room trying to somehow make the baby stop crying.

But all had gone well, and they had left with the promise to watch over Chuck whenever it was necessary and they had the time.

Will smiled slightly at that.

After getting out of the forest, he had immediately run into Lou Ellen and Cecil, and the four had decided to split up for a while to get done with their actual responsibilities.

Meaning Nico and Jason had left to go to Chiron and inform him of their return (which he probably already knew, anyways), the newly acquired signatures, and the situation in Camp Jupiter, while Percy had left to get to the sword-fighting group and check up on who was doing the teaching, so he could let them know he could take over again.

Will had first taken his time catching up with Cecil and Lou Ellen, of course, who had apparently momentarily joined forces with the Stoll brothers for some major coupes against the Ares and Apollo cabin, all because Will hadn't been there.

'We're so sorry, man, but you're all that's keeping us in line.' Lou Ellen had said sympathetically, and he still remembered Cecil nodding ever so humbly.

'Indeed. Better take us with you next time when you go on such dangerous and mighty quests.' He had added, and Will had only been able to roll his eyes at both of them before laughing right along with them.

It was good to be back.

It really was.

He wasn't sure what he had been so anxious about, after all.

Seriously, the Camp was the same as always.

Which kind of made him wonder what Hades had meant with his ominous 'the nightmares will be the least of your worries once you get back'-statement.

Everything seemed the same as usual.

Upon getting to the infirmary, Will had even immediately checked the summary of illnesses and injuries for any patterns or a possible epidemic, but next to a few kids catching a rather bad flu, there was nothing bad or particularly worrisome.

Sure, they had two kids with rather bad gashes that would most likely scar (for once not Clarisse's fault, the two had apparently gotten into a personal fight with each other and crossed the line), but seriously, other than that, things at Camp seemed to have gone rather smooth, with only minor injuries.

So nothing really indicated anything bad.

He looked around the room, at all the papers and files and folders lying around, and heaved a sigh.

Yeah, well, next to this place looking like a mess.

Then again, this was _his_ room, and he wasn't nearly as clean and tidy and neat as Jason, so what else did he expect?

Well, _technically_ his room.

Originally, it had just been a small supply room, but he had refurnished it to have a desk, and the shelves held all the paperwork instead of any supplies.

Mostly Will's work.

When he had taken over as the head of the infirmary, he had set out to sort through all the reports and papers he could find and get everybody to put more effort into a bit of order and system.

If Reyna had anything to say about their files now, she certainly would have been shell-shocked by how it used to be like here at Camp.

Then again, barely anybody had seen much sense in documenting anything, what with everybody having dyslexia, and the on-going battles, and the ever-so-short lifespan of demigods.

But he had his room now, and they had a much better system now with regular check-ups and whatever else.

Not as fancy as Reyna's 'We have handwritten samples of every freaking person that sets foot in this place', but good enough.

Will sighed again, rubbing at his temples and contemplating whether he shouldn't just continue on this tomorrow.

Then again, he had hoped to finish up tonight, so the four could spend more time together tomorrow, with him only having to help out in the infirmary for a few hours, instead of the entire day.

(Plus, Jason and Percy had talked about doing a little 'warm-up battle' tomorrow before Percy would teach the kids, so Will had kind of hoped to be able to watch.)

It would be so difficult, getting used to not spending all their time together.

Especially because of their different schedules.

Sure, Will could shift his hours a bit, but he'd still have to help out in the infirmary daily – not just because he was the head of his cabin and the head of the infirmary, but also because he wanted to be there for people and help them, for real.

Jason had to do his planning and talk to Annabeth and Chiron and gods knew who, Percy had his teaching to do, and Nico…well, Nico could do as he pleased, though Will had a hunch he'd probably want to rather help Percy with teaching swordplay, than hang out with Will in the infirmary, in all honesty.

In other words, tough times were ahead of them.

Maybe they'd even stop sleeping together in a cabin…

No, probably not.

Percy had made too much of a fuss on their way out of the forest about how they _had_ to keep that up, _no matter what_, so Will highly doubted they'd just drop that.

Though they would probably have to, sooner or later.

It was getting warmer, too, so they definitely couldn't use the whole 'abusing Will as a blanket'-excuse for much longer.

Which only left his nightmares as possible excuse, and he hated the mere thought.

Huffing to himself, he tried to concentrate on the report once more, though his eyes hushed over the text without comprehending it, just like before.

This time, though, he realized that was because it was _literally_ just a bunch of letters jumbled together without sense or system.

_Alec!_

This was the _last_ time Will let him type up any sort of report, _ever_.

He had met most of his siblings on his way to, and inside, the infirmary, and as expected, they had been overjoyed to see him, had told him _plenty_ about the tricks his friends had played on them, and had instantly told him where he'd find his piled up work.

So caring.

Nah, he knew how it was meant, so it was okay.

They had also talked a lot, with him telling them tidbits of the Underworld and New Rome, which had made most of his siblings exchange meaningful looks with each other.

Since they hadn't called the guys his 'boyfriends', he had had no reason to 'correct' them, so…yeah, he was feeling pretty damn good about that, still.

Will shook his head to himself, but decided he could still clear up any misunderstandings tomorrow.

He also still hadn't brought his luggage back to his cabin, including the guitar, so that was another thing he could to tomorrow.

Maybe.

Maybe also just the day after that.

Maybe he'd just smuggle the thing inside when everybody else was outside, and if anybody asked at a later point, he'd insist it had always been there.

…Yeah, he wasn't sure what to do about that just yet.

It was just…it was difficult.

All of it was.

Will sighed, then put on a smile.

But he'd manage.

With new determination, he put the report into his folder, scribbling the date and his signature in the top corner to show he had read over it.

Then he circled the last paragraph with the scribbled nonsense and wrote 'No more reports for Alec' next to it to mark it down for future generations that his brother was an idiot.

So, there was that.

Satisfied, he went to put the folder back into the shelf, noticing with a grimace how all his joints started cracking.

Damn.

How long had he been in here?

True, it surely seemed ominously quiet.

Oh well, he'd just finish up sorting through his stuff real quick, then he'd go and check the time and leave.

Sitting back down with a yawn, he grabbed the other papers with the summaries and notes Kayla had taken in his absence that he had already read through, trying to sort them by date.

After this, he was pretty much done.

How awesome was that?

That meant he only needed another thorough update from Kayla tomorrow (to make sure he caught everything), then he'd be able to start fresh with the new patients, since the other ones were already in the best care.

And he'd get to see Jason and Percy and their fight, should they really decide to pull through with it.

He was _so_ not going to patch them up if they ended up getting hurt.

…Which was to say, he absolutely would, but he'd definitely chide and tease them about it all the while.

With a sigh and another tired yawn, he put his head down on his arms for a moment, just to get a moment of rest.

It surely had been a long day, hadn't it?

He pondered that for a moment, then closed his eyes, just for a minute or two.

Next thing Will knew, he was quickly dozing off, the guys the last thing on his mind.

.

When Will opened his eyes again, he wasn't at his table.

He wasn't even in the infirmary.

He was out in the open, curled against Percy's chest with Percy's jacket thrown over him like a blanket, and Percy was carrying him to what he assumed to be Nico's cabin.

"What…" He mumbled confused, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, and Percy glanced down at him in surprise, before smiling.

"Hey there, sun-bug. Go back to sleep, we're almost there."

Who was he to take orders from Percy?

Will grumbled, though then he realized he was actually moving his face further into Percy's sweater, instead of away from him.

Oh well.

"What are you doing?" He asked unnecessarily, and Percy chuckled quietly, the sound and the motion reverberating through Will, though it wasn't unpleasant.

"I came to pick you up. It's 10pm at night, sun-bug. We got worried because you didn't show up anymore. Jason even went to the Apollo cabin to check whether you had simply forgotten about us."

Will wouldn't do that.

"Rude." He mumbled, and Percy chuckled again.

"Yes, you are. Falling asleep in the infirmary. Seriously, do you have any idea how long it took me to find you? I went through each and every room. Somebody threw a pack of tissues at me, by the way. How mean is that?"

Sounded as if Percy had caused havoc in the infirmary just to find Will.

Will would undoubtedly hear about that tomorrow.

The thought was oddly comforting.

"You came looking for me?" He asked groggily, and Percy nodded.

"Duh. I also pried the paper off your cheek that you fell asleep on." He replied smugly, as if that was something to be proud of.

Will smiled to himself.

"Gee, thanks. Didn't know you could be so nice."

Percy wiggled his eyebrows at him.

"Oh, I can be many things, you'd be surprised."

Will's eyebrows shot up.

Did Percy know that sounded an awful lot like flirting…?

He decided not to point it out.

Instead, he realized they were almost at the Hades cabin, and he started shifting in Percy's arms, suddenly feeling a lot more aware of the fact he was _letting Percy carry him_.

He hadn't even complained about that yet!

In the end, Percy would think he actually liked that!

…Well…he sort of did like it.

A tiny little bit.

Though not princess-style!

"Can you put me down?" He asked, his voice surprisingly meek, but Percy instantly stopped and let his legs down carefully.

"Sure. If you think you can walk."

Will scowled at him, and Percy automatically lifted his hands.

"Not like that. I mean…you seemed in a pretty weird position when I found you, and I know_ my_ legs always fall asleep when I sleep like that, so I thought it might be the same for you." He explained, and Will's expression softened again.

_Oh_.

Oh, okay, that made more sense.

He also knew what Percy was talking about when he put weight onto his legs and promptly swayed.

It was as if he had gotten out of bed too quickly, to be honest.

At least his legs weren't asleep.

If that counted as a plus.

Will decided to let that count as a plus.

Percy stayed close for support, but other wisely let him do his own thing, which Will was grateful for.

Together, they made their way to Nico's door, and Will noticed a shadow at the window disappearing, before the door was pulled open by the Italian.

Seriously, they had stayed up just for him?

It was stupid, but he felt strangely moved.

"Well, hello there, Doctor Solace. How did the first day back in the business go?" Nico asked with a raised eyebrow, and Will suddenly thought of something entirely different, of Nico older, taller, standing in the doorway to their place, their _house_, looking at him with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow, a smug, but pleased smile on his lips as he asked him how his first day in his own doctor's office had went.

Will blinked confused, and then saw his Nico again, and the cabin, and while he had no idea what had just happened, he decided to brush it off as some sort of wishful thinking combined with the fact he was still half-asleep, apparently.

"Eh, exhausting, but quite alright." He replied with a shrug as Percy tugged him up the stairs with a huff.

"And by 'exhausting' he means to say he fell asleep. Guys, you should have seen him."

Percy!

Why?!

Will pouted at him as Percy closed the door behind them with a small chuckle.

"Did you have to sell me out like that?" He hissed over quietly, but then Nico and Jason already uttered matching exclamations of 'What?!'.

Great.

"I just closed my eyes for five minutes! I didn't know I'd fall asleep…" That…sounded pretty stupid.

He waved off.

Whatever.

"Anyways, I'm done with all my stuff, isn't that great? Now I can jump right back into action tomorrow. Is that great or is that great? How did your days go? Did everything go well with Chiron? What did he say?" He asked hurriedly, trying to change the topic, and was met with three unimpressed faces.

But then, all three of them sighed and exchanged telling looks…before Percy and Nico took Will left and right by the arms and tugged him towards the bed.

Wait, wait, he had to get to the bathroom first!

Shower, get clean, get changed…

The next moment, he found Percy unbuttoning his pants, while Nico tugged his scrubs and shirt over his head, and Will could only squeak in surprise and horror, before he felt four arms pushing him into bed.

"But…but…"

"No." Came in unison, and Will wailed quietly, though a smile started tugging at the corners of his lips.

Jason appeared out of nowhere, squishing himself between Will and the wall with a small chuckle, before wrapping his arms tightly around Will and tugging him against his chest, a tad harder than he usually did.

Will completely didn't mind.

He also didn't mind Percy and Nico getting undressed in record time, before having some sort of mute battle and trying to stare each other down.

_Percy and Nico._

Staring each other down.

Who'd have guessed?

Needless to say, Nico won, and Will's eyebrows shot up when the Italian grinned triumphantly and hopped into bed…just to get closer to Will, while Percy sighed and got in bed behind his boyfriend, though he didn't look all that unhappy.

In fact, he looked oddly hopeful, for whatever reason ever.

Will glanced behind him at Jason, but Jason was merely smiling at him softly, so he guessed he either hadn't noticed, or it wasn't important.

Oh well.

"So…erm…about Chiron…?" He started, but was shushed again.

"Shh, goodnight, Will."

"Go to sleep, sun-bug."

"I'll tell you tomorrow."

Nico, Percy and Jason replied, and Will decided to scowl at Percy, wink at Nico, and smile at Jason over his shoulder, since he at least was nice to him.

Jason stroked over his side gently, looking so oddly content, it was strange.

But Will liked it.

Even with his new haircut and all.

(That still unnerved him a tiny bit.)

"Good night, guys." He said quietly, and they hummed, Nico already starting to drift off.

Seriously, they must have had a just as tiring day as Will had had.

And he had made them wait for him, too.

Will decided he'd try make it up to them tomorrow.

Maybe some brownies for breakfast?

Jason and Nico would appreciate that, for sure.

And Percy could get himself some blue whatever.

He smiled to himself, then closed his eyes and snuggled back into Jason's hold, who was still stroking over his side, his hands feeling so wonderfully cool against his quickly warming skin.

If they were dating, this would be the sort of moment Will would want to turn around and kiss him.

Jason put his face into Will's hair, placing a gentle peck on the top of his head, and Will had to resist giggling.

Seriously, why wasn't he dating Jason already?

He had the _chance_ to.

And they were practically doing everything already that people did when they were dating, anyways.

They might as well just…give it a try?

Will was almost confident enough to say 'Fuck it' and just do it.

But then he hesitated.

He wanted to.

He really did.

But right now, they could still pretend everything was as usual.

If they started dating, they'd actually be acting like an actual couple around actual people…

If they messed up now, they could simply stay friends somewhat.

If they started dating and Will messed up then (which he would), then…

_But he wanted to!_

Will opened his eyes again, stroking through Nico's hair absent-mindedly while watching Percy starting to drool again, also fast asleep.

What if he…what if he told Jason?

Not everything, but at the least a part of it, to explain his reluctance?

Not to mention to prevent Jason from coming to the wrong conclusion should he one day figure it all out by himself (which he undoubtedly would).

But seriously, what if he told Jason a tiny part of it, to explain it, to rest the case, to make Jason understand and not question anything anymore?

If Jason reacted badly to that, Will could still backtrack.

And if Jason reacted well to it, then…then Will could…they could try…

But how far could he go?

Before their night in the pillow corner, Will hadn't even realized there might be any sort of problem there.

He knew that, after…after _him_, he hadn't wanted to risk anything anymore, hadn't wanted to get himself into that sort of situation ever again, and had thus put up his walls automatically.

He had set boundaries he was determined to keep up, and until the pillow corner, he had thought that was all there was to it.

Then, the pillow corner had happened.

Sure, the whole thing with Elysium probably had had to do with it, riling it all up inside Will and opening old wounds, bringing back memories he had wanted to bury so, so long ago, but that didn't mean that night would have turned out any differently, even if Elysium hadn't happened before.

The pillow corner had happened.

Jason had happened.

_They_ had happened.

Will still remembered how good it had felt, how much he had enjoyed the feeling of Jason beneath him, the feeling of Jason on top of him, the feeling of skin on skin contact, the feeling of his hands and lips everywhere on Jason, the feeling of Jason's hands and lips everywhere on Will.

And he'd die to have that again.

But Will also remembered the not so good parts.

How scared he had momentarily gotten when Jason had put his hands on his head while he had given him that blowjob.

The way he had tensed whenever Jason's hands had gotten too close to his backside.

How his jaw had clenched the moment Jason had gotten too close to his nipples.

The way he had enjoyed it all, but had also been so, so scared something would happen, something bad, that Jason would hurt him.

It hadn't occurred to him quite as strong back then, but thinking back now, it was obvious.

And then, most of all, that scene in the bathroom that would be burnt into his mind forever.

He had _pleaded_.

He had pleaded, and he had gotten scared, and he had momentarily forgotten what it meant to be his own person, had momentarily fallen back into old patterns, not thinking straight, not thinking at all, and only knowing what he had been used to up until that point.

If it hadn't been for Jason complimenting him at just that moment, Will would have probably had a breakdown, would have started crying, would have started begging for him to give him permission.

Permission.

_Permission_.

How was he supposed to explain that to Jason in any sort of way?

He didn't want any freaking permission!

He was his own person, he had read up on it, nobody needed any permission for sexual release!

Well, unless they were into that whole S&amp;M-thing, but that was still built on _consent and trust_.

And they had _safewords_.

Will hadn't had any such thing!

…But that wasn't important right now.

Important was thinking about how he was going to get Jason to understand without telling too much.

If Will didn't know how badly it still seemed to affect him, he'd have just mentioned it at the side, like 'Hey, I've made a bad experience with this and this sort of thing, could we not do that' and be done with it.

But this wasn't something he could just brush off.

Jason would notice, especially if he didn't start complimenting Will out of nowhere at a convenient time again – and with Will's luck, he'd then have to explain just what he meant with a 'bad experience'.

Will wanted to try, though.

With Jason.

A relationship.

An actual relationship.

Could they do that?

Could he do it?

…Or was he just rushing it?

Because he knew Jason couldn't wait for him forever?

Because he wasn't sure he'd ever get over this in the first place?

Because a demigods life was short and full of nasty surprises?

Because he rather wanted that week of bliss than a life full of misery?

But even if, then so what?

His feelings were still genuine.

And he had the chance.

Why not do it?

Who cared whether it was rushed?

They had all rushed into things before, but that didn't mean they were bad.

Percy rushed into things _all the time_ and he was still alive and well, _and_ had saved the world a couple of times.

Wow, he couldn't believe he was using Percy as an example to justify his own stupid actions.

Will stroked through Percy's hair, smiling at the lack of knots in it due to Piper's excellent brushing.

Tomorrow, that hair would be all over the place again, he was already looking forward to seeing it.

The guys…they'd deal with it.

They knew Jason and Will were pretty much on their best way _to_ a relationship, anyways, so it wasn't as if it was going to surprise them much.

It would mean a lot of change, though.

…Then again, their whole life was change after change after change.

They'd adapt.

Will raised an eyebrow at himself.

Wow.

Just wow.

Since when was he being so positive?

Must be the guys' influence.

…Jason's influence, undoubtedly.

Percy tended to have a negative view of life, after all, and Nico was a doom-and-gloom, realistic yet delusional sweetheart.

Will collected his thoughts, then turned his head around.

Alright, he could do this.

"Hey, Jason…" He started, then stopped dead again.

Oh.

Right.

It was the middle of the night.

And Jason was fast asleep with his nose in Will's hair.

Of course.

Will bit his lip, trying to hold onto his determination.

He'd just talk to him later.

Tomorrow.

He'd talk to him tomorrow.

They'd work it out, for sure.

Will had no idea what to really tell him, nor what to do if Jason in fact did react badly, but…

He'd talk to him.

Yes.

Tomorrow.

Absolutely.

Snuggling back into Jason's chest and watching Percy crawling ever so sneakily over Nico to take his spot, Will decided to take another deep breath and close his eyes.

_Tomorrow_.

Promise.


	35. Chapter 35: Kyle

**A/N:** Hey Cupcakes :)

As promised, the next chapter.

(I am so sorry. Though I DID warn you.)

On another note, I have tendinitis and am not allowed to use my writing hand whatsoever. Not that I even CAN use it anymore by now. FML :D

Thank you all for sticking to this story for so very long, and thanks to everybody who liked/followed - and who left me a lovely comment!  
I know I keep repeating myself, but you guys have no idea how much you make my day when I get the notification in my email :)

Also, special thanks to my amazing beta-reader(s) ;)

I'd say I hope you enjoy the chapter, but it's full of pain and misery, only a sadist could 'enjoy' it.  
Trigger warnings below.  
PLEASE don't read this if you think/know it might trigger you. If you wish to know what happens in a very indirect and watered down way, shoot me a message/comment and I'll try sum it up as well as I can.

Wish you guys all the best,  
-Tári

* * *

**Trigger warning(s)!**

\- Attempted rape/assault  
\- Talk about past/abuse/rape  
\- Implied child abuse/pedophilia  
\- Shock/Anxiety/Panic/Utmost Dread  
\- Fighting/Attempted murder  
\- _Pain  
_\- Very bad misunderstandings  
\- Arguments  
\- Nightmares about past/abuse/ex-boyfriend  
\- Panicked/Crazed/Delirious behavior  
\- **Graphic!**

**Please don't read this if you know/think it might trigger you!**

* * *

**Chapter 35: Kyle**

This was such a weird day.

Percy pondered that as he took another bite of his blue cake he was permitted to eat by his doctor (a certain, absent-minded looking Will Solace), thinking back to their morning, and what had happened so far.

Seriously, such a weird day.

Will's nightmare last night had taken nobody by surprise except Will himself ('_Oh, I forgot I had these...sorry, guys_.' – Seriously, what the hell, Will?), and other than that, the night had passed fairly peaceful…after Will had taken _a two-hour long shower_, making all three of them think he had passed out in the bathroom or something.

Or, well, they would have thought that, if Will hadn't kept chanting a very loving 'Fuck you, Percy, turn my heat back up you fucking -insert random swearwords here at will-!' whenever Percy had tweaked with the water a bit to see whether he was actually still alive.

Seriously, though, what had he been _doing_ in there?

Alright, in a way, Percy preferred not to know (that was a lie).

Still, _other than that_, it had been a normal night, and a normal morning, with them getting up, and Nico sprawled over him, and Will sitting in bed looking nervous and eager and anxious, all at the same time…ah, wait, that was _another thing_ that hadn't been quite that normal.

But Will had waved him off the moment he had asked whether something was wrong, instead glancing sideways at a still-sleeping Jason with an odd expression.

Percy had no idea what that had been about, but whatever it was, he hoped it wouldn't turn into anything like that day when Jason had outright ignored Will for reasons Percy still didn't know.

True, he had been meaning to ask about that.

_Anyways_.

Even with all that, the day had so far been pretty uneventful.

Will had taken another shower for inexplicable reasons, Nico and Percy had taken theirs together and regretted not having a soundproof room anymore, Jason had been super quick as usual with his shower and already sorted through his things to bring them back to his cabin later by the time Percy had managed to button up his pants.

They had met a few people on the way to the dining pavilion, exchanged pleasantries, the whole Apollo cabin had come to snatch Will away 'for another five minutes' which had then turned into thirty minutes of Percy, Nico and Jason sitting there and watching Will trying to escape his siblings' clutches…

(Apparently, Will had been 'too vague' with his details last night, and a few of his siblings hadn't been there, so he pretty much had to tell them everything all over again, which was absolutely adorable to watch.)

…In other words, it had been a quite fun, but still uneventful morning.

After that, they had returned to Nico's cabin and sorted through their luggage and laundry, finding out none of Nico's gifts had gotten damaged at any point during their travels (thank the gods…and Leo's craftsmanship/teaching skills).

Their paths had parted for a short while as Jason had taken his things back to his cabin, then helped Will with his things (which Percy had offered to do first!), but they had all gotten back together right after, and had originally wanted to help Will out in the infirmary.

But upon getting there, Kayla had given Will a super quick run-down with tons of terms Percy had never heard before, before basically kicking them all back out again, telling them to 'do their thing' and let her enjoy the peace of the moment.

Apparently, it really was a quiet time in the infirmary right now.

Which was great, of course.

That meant Will could hang out with them all day long, like before.

Percy had kind of feared things would suddenly change from one day to the next, with Will being out of order the entire time, and them having to fight to get the blonde's attention.

(Probably quite literally, too, since the only way into the infirmary to get Will's attention was to have an actual wound as an excuse.)

So they had left again, and gone back to Nico's cabin to sort through the DVDs and games from the Underworld.

It might sound boring, but it hadn't been.

Though it hadn't been all that exciting or anything, either.

Again, nothing very…eventful.

And Percy wasn't sure why this was bothering him so much, why this was such a big deal to him.

Somehow, it felt…strange.

_The day_ felt strange.

There was something in the air he didn't like.

The way it was neither warm nor cold, and the wind was there for one moment, and gone the next, as if the weather wasn't sure what to do, either.

What to prepare for.

_What was this?_

It felt weird.

Like the quiet before the storm.

And Percy didn't like it.

A part of him kept fighting the urge to grab his guys and lock them up in Nico's cabin, wait for it all to pass.

Another part of him wanted to finally find out what this wrongness was and face it and punch it in the face.

And the rest of him was basically thinking he was going nuts and that being in the Underworld for so long must have made him unusually paranoid or something.

Oh well, at least he had cake.

Maybe that was all there was to today.

Cake.

Brownies for Nico and Jason, blue cake for him.

And Will…Will wasn't eating, still looking nervous.

Maybe Will felt the wrongness of the day, too.

Or maybe he would do something stupid that would bring upon the apocalypse.

Percy's nosebleed had done that before, after all.

Wow, that was one horrible thought.

Percy shook his head and pushed that far out of his mind, instead holding out a forkful of cake to Will, nudging his arm with his other hand to make him look around at him.

There he was, sitting next to him for once, and he didn't even look his way.

When _Jason_ sat next to him, it seemed as if he was _always_ looking at him.

Was Percy jealous?

…Yeah, a tiny bit, yeah.

Still, he had every right to be.

Those two weren't boyfriends _yet_, so Percy, as a friend, demanded the same treatment as the one Jason, as a friend, was getting.

Yep.

Will turned his head faintly, though his eyes were still on a spot far away, and when he opened his mouth automatically, Percy blinked and fed him the cake.

Will…actually took it.

He stared off into space, seeming completely lost in thought as he chewed, and Percy looked around at the guys, to check whether they had just seen that, too.

They were both watching, Nico with his eyebrows raised, Jason with a small frown, though his lips were twitching.

Will put his arms on the table with a sigh, still staring off into space, and Percy tried the same thing again, nudging his arm before holding out another forkful of cake.

The blonde let him feed him again, this time even turning more towards the fork.

_Aww, how cute!_

Percy grinned, then looked at the guys in what he knew was a way too elated and triumphant way, but Nico merely smiled back at him and concentrated back on his actual lunch, while Jason acted as if he was clapping, but without sound.

_Dork_.

Percy beamed at him.

Then he beamed back at Will, who had his chin on his hand now, a pout and a frown on his face, as if he was contemplating something, but was stuck.

Percy nudged his arm again, and funnily enough, Will automatically turned his head slightly and opened his mouth, as if expecting more cake.

Not one to disappoint, Percy fed him another forkful.

"Like the cake?" He asked hopefully, and Will hummed distractedly in reply, reminding him a bit of how Annabeth used to be whenever she was lost in her work.

In that case…

"Anything I can help you with?" He tried tentatively.

While Percy might not be all that smart, he was told to be good at brainstorming sometimes.

Plus, this was a perfectly fine question, even for Will's standards.

Sure, he hated to need 'help', but he had yet to react badly to a genuine offer for help when it didn't make him seem weak or incapable.

Will hummed again.

"No, no, I'm just…thinking…" He replied after a moment, then let Percy feed him some more cake.

Hey, maybe he could make him eat the whole rest of his piece.

Why hadn't he had this idea before, he could have tried to make him eat _an entire piece_.

After that small breakfast, and the basically non-existent lunch, that would have certainly been a great accomplishment, at least in Percy's book.

"About what, sun-bug?" He asked casually, and noticed Nico and Jason now watching with utmost interest.

Ha.

Finally something Percy had been able to do that they had so far failed at!

_Ha!_

Not that Percy was gloating or anything.

…Okay, maybe a tiny bit.

"Hmm, no." Will replied absent-mindedly, and Percy sighed.

Aww, apparently this was as far as he could go.

Damn Will and his secrets.

It probably didn't even have to do with anything like that whatsoever, but still.

"Alright, I respect that." He stated quietly, and Will's lips twitched for a moment, before he actually turned to look at him, an unusually soft and warm expression on his face.

"Thanks, Percy."

…

Yes, this day was definitely…strange.

Very strange.

And it still felt like there was a blow coming.

A blow that wasn't Will, and definitely not as pleasant as the rush of warmth and fluttery _something_ inside him right now as he smiled back at Will automatically, feeding him another piece of cake.

And Will _looked_ at it and _still_ ate it, before turning away again, resuming his staring off into space.

But that was okay.

Everything was okay.

Percy felt giddy and happy and euphoric, looking towards his guys, who were grinning back at him, Jason doing his little 'clap' again, though he looked a lot more at ease now than a moment ago, while Nico shot Jason an exasperated look before joining in, his cheeks flushing slightly.

_Aww_.

Yeah, okay, maybe Percy had really just imagined it all.

Maybe this really just was a day like any other, just that he had been blessed with these three wonderful dorks.

He looked back at Will, studying his profile.

And Will would be fine, too.

If that something he was thinking about started bothering him, he could always come to them, and he should know that by now.

Shaking his head at himself, he ate a piece of his cake thoughtfully, before offering some more to Will, who let him do so without complaint.

Yeah, everything was good.

Percy should stop being so paranoid, seriously.

...

Will wasn't sure what to do.

No, that wasn't it.

He knew _what_ he wanted to do, but he wasn't sure _how_ to do it.

First of all, though, he had to convince the guys to move a bit faster as they left Leo's and made their way back to Camp.

There were training lessons to give, after all.

Well, Percy and Nico had to give training lessons.

As expected, Nico had offered to help Percy out permanently with the sword-training, and Percy had obviously been all for it.

At this rate though, they'd both be late to their very first lessons, and Will wasn't going to have any of that.

Plus, that would give him a chance to be 'alone' with Jason – at least alone enough to initiate a conversation about…yeah, he still wasn't too sure about that part.

He had thought about it last night after his nightmare (which had, hands down, taken him by utter surprise, since _this_ demanded all his attention), in the shower, then in bed when the others had fallen asleep again, then in the next shower he had taken (thanks to being too beside himself with thoughts and fears and doubts), then at breakfast,…

He was still thinking about it now.

One would think once he went and actually made the decision 'Yes, I'll tell Jason', everything would be simple and easy, but…it wasn't.

If anything, keeping quiet about it and acting as if the thought had never crossed his mind sounded a hell lot easier by the minute.

But Will was at least going to try.

Something really small.

Maybe a remark at the side.

A nudge into the right direction, something that hinted at something, but without shoving it all into Jason's face out of nowhere.

Something small.

But what was small?

Nothing Will could think of was particularly small, since all the 'small' stuff was connected to the nasty stuff.

And thinking like this hurt his brain.

It felt as if he was thinking of himself as a toddler and didn't dare look at the things the way they were.

But…well…he had tried that, too, during his first shower, and it had resulted in him crouching in the shower with his hands over his mouth trying to keep himself from crying with all his might.

So, yeah, he was going to call it whatever the hell he wanted, even inside his own head.

Will sighed loudly, tugging on Nico's and Jason's sleeves to get them to pick up their pace, so they could finally get out of the forest and back to the actual Camp grounds.

Seriously though, if he couldn't even address the matter in his head without breaking down, how was he supposed to have a serious and civilized and mature conversation with Jason about any part of this?

Maybe he really shouldn't…_no_, he had made up his mind.

He wanted to date Jason.

To date Jason, he had to admit at least to _something_, though.

Of course, Jason wouldn't push, but Will knew he connected that to trust.

It wasn't as if Will didn't trust Jason.

It was just that he couldn't gauge how Jason was going to take it, and he didn't want him to know in the first place, he didn't want anybody to know, and…okay, that did sound a bit as if he didn't trust Jason, even to himself.

He _did_ trust Jason.

He just didn't want him to know.

Gods, this was going to be so difficult…

"In such a hurry to see us in action?" Percy joked behind him, and Will scowled at him over his shoulder.

That guy should rather be happy he hadn't gotten a concussion earlier, when he had been so distracted in trying to ask Will something he still had no idea what it had been, before one of Leo's wrenches had suddenly come flying and whacked him right across the back of the head.

It was Percy's own fault, of course, since Leo had told them not to stand in that particular spot and to watch out, but Will had of course instantly tended to him without teasing (much).

But it was just going to be a small bump, probably not even that, really.

(It had still distracted Will from the matter at hand, though, which he hadn't appreciated one bit.)

"Maybe I'm just hoping the fighting will shut you up, Perce."

"Rude!" Percy exclaimed, though he grinned, so all was well.

Will smiled back at him, then glanced towards Jason and was right back to worrying.

How was he to even address this?

'Jason, I have to talk to you.'

Way too ominous, Jason might think he did something wrong and worry too much.

'Jason, I was thinking…I want us to date.'

Too direct, and also kind of rushed, as if Will hadn't given the matter any serious thought.

'Would you like to go out with me?'

They had already established that Jason, in fact, would like to go out with him, so why would he even ask that again?

In the end, Jason would think he hadn't taken him seriously.

'I'd like to tell you my ex-boyfriend was an abusive asshole that has done more damage than I originally thought, but I'd still like to try and go out with you, if that's okay?'

Yeah…how about no.

Way too…informative.

It sounded as if he wanted pity or something.

He didn't want any pity.

He just wanted Jason to understand and to let the matter drop and tell Will he was going to date him, anyways.

He _hoped_ Jason would date him anyways.

What if he said no?

Or what if he said yes, but then realized just how broken Will actually was, and changed his mind again?

What if he thought Will had lied to him if he found out it was much more than just a small remark at the side?

Should Will say more, then?

But what could he tell?

Again, he didn't want Jason to know!

Anything!

Ever!

In his life!

This was as far as Will was willing to go.

As far as Will was _able_ to go.

He didn't want to talk about all that.

He didn't want to think about it, didn't want to remember it, didn't want it to have happened in the first place.

But he wanted to date Jason.

And it was his own fault things had come to this point where Jason _knew_ something was wrong, putting Will into this situation where he had to spill.

_Of course_ he knew Jason would drop it if he asked him to, would date him and let him live with his secrets for as long as he wanted to, but…

But Jason knew.

He knew something was wrong, and he'd probably never forget it, and Will had read and heard of enough stories of people turning bitter over time, of people feeling their partners didn't truly trust them, of people _hurting_ over their partners being stubborn and secretive.

Will didn't want to do that to Jason.

Jason was right in saying a relationship was best built on trust and communication.

He was right in saying he wanted that for them, too.

And Will wanted to give him that.

Will wanted to give him everything.

So if that meant he had to at least let him know a bit – not all, but a tiny bit of it – then he'd do that.

He'd do it.

He had sworn to himself he'd do it.

He'd at the very least try.

Will nodded stubbornly to himself.

If Sally had been able to make the decision to have a few weeks of bliss with the god of the sea, even while knowing of the dangers she'd put herself and her child in, then Will could confide a part of his fucked up past to Jason and see whether Jason was willing to date him, anyways…or not.

He could do it.

He would do it.

Yes.

They left the forest and made their way towards the sword-fighting area, but were distracted by campers rushing past, all into the same direction.

Either they were running _away_ from something, or _towards_ something.

Since they came from various directions and all met at a certain spot near the bottom of the hill, Will was pretty sure it was the latter.

What…?

What was it _now_?

A hurt camper?

Oh no, please not.

He had just gotten a free day from Kayla, and he wanted to use it to ask Jason out, there was no way he was dealing with any bullshit right now!

"Hey, what's going on?" Percy asked a Hermes boy as he rushed by, but the kid just shrugged.

"Something about a visitor or something." He said vaguely, then the girl that had run in front of him came back to pull him with her.

"Hurry up!"

A _visitor_?

If he had said a newcomer, or one of the search parties for newcomers, sure, but…a visitor?

The last visitor Will could remember had been Quintus.

Was this going to be another crazy teacher that unleashed monsters onto the kids and gave Will another headache, along with a freshly filled infirmary?

It better not be.

Will exchanged a look with his guys.

He didn't want to know.

He didn't want to go.

Couldn't they ignore whatever visitor that might be and just get on with their day?

Percy looked apprehensive, too, looking up at the sky as if it held answers Will couldn't see.

Nico and Jason however were already moving towards the commotion.

Ugh.

Fine.

Percy looked at him once more, but when Will started reluctantly following the other two, he followed suite as well with a small sigh.

Weird of Percy not to rush forward to find out more.

Then again, after two wars, Will was pretty sure _he_ wouldn't be very curious about anything that could be serious, either.

_…__Yeah, right._

As if a _visitor_ was a very serious business.

It was probably just a lost mailman that had finally made it past the Camp border, because one of his ancestors had had demigod blood or something.

Wouldn't that be something?

Oh well, whoever it was, it was probably-…

As they got closer, a few people shifted, and Will glimpsed a flash of dark blonde between the heads of a few kids.

Something in him clenched painfully, and he slowed down, now falling behind Percy, too.

No, it must have been a trick of the light.

Or anything.

There was no reason…

Will's heart started hammering in his chest, and that ominous feeling that had been lurking inside him for a while now started welling up inside him all over again, filling him with dread and making his hands and feet tingle, his blood pounding through him.

No, it was nothing.

It was nothing, he was imagining things again.

He was…

Another flash of blonde.

A flash of a smile.

An arm with scars that reminded Will of darkened rooms and harsh touches and pain, pain, pain.

_No_.

No, it wasn't…

_It couldn't be…_

Nico tapped a girl on the shoulder, and she stepped to the side, and Will's world ended.

It just ended.

He was standing, having come to a stop at some point apparently, and he wasn't breathing, and the world had stopped moving.

No.

_NO!_

"K-Kyle?" His voice was feeble, a mere whisper in the breeze, but it held all the disbelief Will felt right now.

In the middle of the commotion, next to Chiron, stood his worst nightmare.

"Will? Hey, you okay?" Percy asked, apparently having come back once he noticed Will wasn't with him anymore.

But Will wasn't looking at him.

His eyes were glued to the tall man with dark blonde hair and cold, dark eyes that had once allured Will.

"Will?" Percy repeated, but Will tried to make him shut up, tried to shush him without words, without moving, just by thinking '_NO_!' over and over again.

He couldn't use words, he couldn't move, he couldn't think of anything.

No, no, no.

Why?

It couldn't be.

It had to be a mistake, a _mistake_!

It was just…just coincidence.

It couldn't be _him_.

It couldn't be, it couldn't be, it couldn't be.

It had to be somebody else, somebody else, somebody else.

Will felt sick, his body trembling, his head in disarray.

A hand touched his arm, and he flinched back with a small cry.

"Will?"

"I…I have to…I forgot something in the infirmary!" He excused himself, stumbling backwards and trying to think, to _think_!

And then, right then, _he_ turned towards him, his eyes settling on Will as if he was a predator, and Will was the prey.

Will didn't think.

He did the first and only thing that came to mind: _Turn around and run_.

**_Run_**.

...

He crashed through the door of the infirmary, breathing heavily and the tears pricking at his eyes.

No, no, no, no, _no_.

It couldn't be.

_He_ couldn't be back.

_Kyle_ couldn't be back.

It wasn't _possible_.

Not now.

Not ever.

He had left.

He had left, he had left, he had left.

_Kyle had left!_

Left after the war against Kronos, after the big battle in Manhattan!

He had left, and he hadn't returned!

He couldn't be back now!

_He couldn't be!_

Will choked back a sob, rushing through the hallway towards any room at all, knowing they'd all be free, anyways.

Slamming the door shut behind him, he slid down to the ground, curling into himself.

_It wasn't true._

It wasn't true, it wasn't true, it wasn't true.

He had imagined it.

He had dreamed it.

That was it, this was a dream.

Nothing but a dream.

A horrible dream.

_The nightmare!_

Yes, this was the nightmare.

He just had to wait until he woke up.

He'd wake up and forget, the way he always did, and everything would be okay…

Will tried to control his breathing, but the moment he tried to let out a perfectly controlled breath, panic decided to smack him in the face again and he wheezed instead, dry sobbing into his sleeves.

No, it couldn't be!

It was a dream!

A dream, a dream, _a nightmare_, a dream!

Will started rocking back and forth on his heels, his arms tightly wrapped around himself.

It was nothing.

It was _fake._

Everything was fake.

_He'd wake up._

He'd wake up, wake up, wake up.

Will felt himself dry-heave, but luckily didn't puke, and he forced himself off the ground, forcing his limbs into motion.

Motion was good.

He wasn't allowed to stiffen up.

He had to stay mobile.

_He had to run._

…No, he didn't have to run.

_There was nowhere to run._

...There was nothing to run from.

Will thought he heard a door creak.

_No._

No, no, no, no, _no_.

He made a small, stricken sound, everything inside him screaming '**RUN!**', but he remained, frozen in fear.

He couldn't be back.

_Why would he be back?_

_He had no reason to be back._

If he had made it in the mortal world so far, he'd make it there now, he didn't have to come back.

_What if he had come for Will?_

He had let him go back then, _what if he wanted him back_?

Will's breathing hitched and he stumbled backwards, away from the door, towards the window, but it didn't open.

It never opened.

This was the window an Ares kid had once broken, and they had had it replaced with a thicker glass, but made a mistake when building, and it didn't open.

He had chosen the only room with faulty window.

_There was no way out._

No way out.

No way out.

No, no, no, no, no.

_Footsteps._

Will heard footsteps.

It could just as well be his heart pounding in his head and ears, but his eyes snapped around to the door.

He had come back.

He had come back, and he had seen Will.

_He had seen him._

_He knew he was there._

**_He would take him_**_._

And Will was right here, defenseless and stupid and stuck.

Like a rabbit in a trap.

_He was the rabbit._

The rabbit, the rabbit, the prey, the rabbit.

No, this was the infirmary.

He was safe in the infirmary.

Kyle had _hated_ the infirmary.

He hadn't liked Will going here.

Had said it was a place full of healing, he didn't like it.

Will was safe here.

…No.

Will was only safe here when there were people healing.

The infirmary was empty.

_No!_

No, Kyle didn't know that.

Kyle didn't know anything.

Kyle couldn't be here.

Kyle couldn't be alive.

No, no, no, no, _no_.

Footsteps.

They were louder than before.

_Nearer._

Will made a feeble sound and rushed to the cupboard, ripping open the first compartment and scattering the contents all over the floor.

No scissors.

No knife.

He needed a knife.

Scissors.

A needle.

_Anything._

Will found nothing, ripping open the next one.

_Nothing._

_No!_

No, no, no, _no_.

Will heard the steps coming closer and whimpered, rushing to the window again and pulling with all his mind, but it didn't budge, so he ran back to the cupboard, ripping the last two drawers out and whining at the noise, tears crashing down his cheeks like waterfalls.

A weapon.

_Please._

Anything.

_Anything_!

The footsteps stopped, and he knew they were right there, right in front of the door.

Will hadn't even locked it.

No.

No, no, no, no, no!

Will stopped breathing, hoping whoever was there would continue on their path.

**_Please…_**

The door opened, and he looked into the eyes of his doom.

The predator.

The monster.

"Hello there, William. Long time no see."

Will was an idiot.

Will was the prey.

Will was dead.

...

Jason frowned to himself, making his way to the infirmary.

It didn't make sense.

Why would Will need anything in the infirmary?

He had told them plenty enough times he had finished everything he had needed to do, and Kayla had made it obvious the infirmary was, frankly said, empty.

Or going to be empty by noon, since that's when she'd kick out the last two patients.

But it was afternoon.

What could Will possibly need in there?

Well, Percy had said he had looked sick.

What if he had caught something, after all?

What if he was getting medication from here?

Still, it didn't make sense.

Will could have just told them he wasn't feeling well.

He had seemed so distracted all day long already, though…

Maybe he really wasn't feeling well.

Or maybe he was thinking he might catch something and had contemplated whether or not to get his sibling's help for it.

Would any of his siblings be in the infirmary when it was empty?

Maybe?

Then again, right now, everybody was probably too busy chattering about their new 'visitor'.

Seriously, Jason didn't know what to think about that guy, either.

He was definitely quite a bit older than them, and even taller than Jason, but other than the fact that he had a strange, but powerful aura around him, he hadn't made much of an impression on Jason.

Nico's reaction had been a bit odd, with him frowning at the guy as if he was contemplating whether this was friend or foe, but when he had caught Jason looking, he had merely shrugged, and the two had turned around to _originally_ continue with their original plan of going to the sword fighting area.

Just that, instead of Percy and Will right behind them, Percy had run to them looking stunned and confused, while Will…had been gone.

It was so…unlike Will.

To suddenly disappear like that.

Next to that one time in Elysium, of course.

But that didn't count, Will had been confronted with seeing his dead best friend out of nowhere, after all.

Still…it was weird.

Then again, it was also unusual for Jason to let Will out of his sight like that.

Seriously, all this time he had made sure to stay close to Will, to show him he'd always be there for him, to protect him should the need arise.

And right when he wasn't looking for one minute, Will just disappeared?

Seriously, something was wrong.

Jason just _knew_ it.

He stopped in front of the door to the infirmary, finding it open the slightest bit.

…Strange.

Will always closed his doors properly.

_Always_.

Jason pushed the door open slowly, entering the infirmary quietly and trying to listen for any sounds.

Maybe he wasn't here, after all?

He was about to call out, to ask whether there was anybody there, but…then he didn't.

Had he just…had there just been a sound?

It was faint, but he could have sworn…

_There_.

There it was again.

Jason's alarm bells rang, but he brushed it off.

They were in _Camp_, there would be no attacks in _here_.

Plus, this was the _infirmary_.

Jason perked up when he heard the noise again.

Was that…a whimper?

No, it was too quiet for that…and why would anybody whimper, anyways?

Maybe there was a camper in here, after all?

Maybe they were sick.

Or maybe _Will_ was being sick.

Maybe he hadn't taken well to Percy's blue cake.

No, he doubted it.

But something was definitely off.

Jason felt his insides churning, and he forced his hand away from the sword at his side, instead making his way down the hallway slowly.

This was an infirmary, he shouldn't pull out his weapon in here.

He moved past the rooms, all the doors pushed all the way open except for one, where the door was just ajar the smallest bit.

As expected, there was nobody in the other rooms, the beds freshly made and the windows open to let in a fresh breeze.

He stopped in front of the ajar door.

Will…?

Should he…announce himself?

Will always preferred knowing when somebody was close by.

Jason wasn't sure why, but he blamed it on the same thing that made Will so scared of people behind him.

Which he also didn't know the reason for.

Once more, Jason opened his mouth, but found the words stuck in his throat when he heard a voice that _wasn't_ Will's.

"Now, now. Is that how you greet me, William? Is that how you greet _old friends_?"

…What.

Jason's skin pricked, and his alarm bells were all going off at once, though he found himself rooted to the spot.

_Who was this?_

Jason didn't recognize the voice.

And what did they mean, 'greet old friends'?

And who the fuck dared to call his Will 'William'?

Will made a small sound, and Jason realized with a jolt it _was_ a whimper.

_Will's_ whimper.

Will did _not_ whimper.

What the fuck was going on?!

"I…I…I…am not…you're not…this…you…_no_…" He heard Will stutter, his voice wispy and frail and interrupted by sobs, laced with what Jason could only read as _fear_.

He moved one hand to his sword, placing the other flat against the door, pushing it open ever so faintly to look inside, to check what exactly was going on.

A part of him wanted to rush in and _destroy_, but he pushed that down for now.

It wouldn't do anybody any good if he-…

He stopped thinking when he saw the new guy from earlier.

He stopped thinking when he saw the new guy from earlier, who was _pinning his Will against the wall_ by holding both hands above his head, while his other hand was on Will's chin, lifting it up so he could look at him.

He stopped thinking when he saw the _terrorized_ look on Will's face, the tears running down his cheeks, his bottom lip trembling, same as his entire body seemed to be.

He stopped thinking, when he saw and heard the new guy laugh – a short, cruel laugh, laced with glee, rather than joy.

"What? Cat got your tongue? Aw, how sweet you still are. Just like I remember you. Only that I remember you greeting me differently. Didn't we decide you look best on your knees, William?" The stranger purred, though it sounded nothing like a cat.

It sounded predatory, dangerous, _bad_.

Jason was rooted to the spot, trying to process what he was seeing, what he was hearing, what he was witnessing, trying to piece it all together, but he wasn't even fully comprehending the first half of his statement, much less the rest.

Will whimpered again, the sound tearing something inside Jason, making him want to break free and rush forward and tear into the guy, tear him away from Will, _protect_ Will.

"I…no! No! I…Kyle, no! _Please_!"

Kyle? Was that his name?

Jason didn't care, too hung up on the rest of Will's cry.

Will had said please.

Will _hated_ saying please.

Kyle laughed.

"Aw, you know I hate it when you beg. What have I told you? Begging is for the weak. The only time you're allowed to beg, is when I'm-…"

"_No_! I…I have…_I have a boyfriend_!" Will interrupted, sounding frantic, sounding scared, sounding as if he was _begging for his life_.

Kyle now had his finger on Will's lips, rather than his chin.

"Oh yeah? And what's his name, pray tell? I'd love to meet this…boyfriend…of yours." He said sweetly, and Will looked as if he was about to reply, but then Kyle added a 'You know what I've told you, after all. Nothing comes between me and what I want.', and Will's mouth suddenly snapped shut again, his face paling even further as his eyes seemed to be devoid of any emotion but utmost fear.

"That's right. You don't have anybody. You're _mine_, you forgot? _Mine._" Kyle's voice was sickly sweet, making Jason's skin crawl, but it was nothing to the way Will started shaking.

"N-No…" He whimpered, but Kyle merely smiled – and moved.

And the next moment, Jason's world was turned upside down, as Kyle leaned forward and pushed his lips onto Will's.

Kissing him.

The stranger.

Kissing his Will.

No.

_No._

Will made a despairing sound, and suddenly, something snapped into place inside Jason.

Suddenly, it made sense.

Suddenly, _everything_ made sense.

No.

No, it couldn't be.

It _couldn't_ be!

Kyle pulled back suddenly as if bitten, blood dripping from his lip, cursing loudly before snatching Will by the neck.

"You'll regret that, you little bitch!"

Jason was moving.

He was moving, his vision turning red when he saw Kyle pulling his arm back.

He let out a low growl when Kyle's fist connected with Will's cheek, making him cry out in pain as he flew off to the side, hitting the ground and instantly curling into himself as if to protect him from further punches.

As if he _knew_ there would be more punches.

Kyle didn't see him coming.

Kyle only knew he was being attacked when Jason's fist buried itself in his face.

Kyle only knew he was being attacked when Jason caught him by the front of his shirt with his other hand as he was toppling back, punching him again and sending him into the ground, just as Kyle had done with Will.

His Will.

_His_ Will!

Jason snarled, all sense and reason forgotten as he pursued his prey, who was pushing himself up and moving as if to defend himself.

Jason didn't let him.

He moved his arm, punching him in the jaw and sending him stumbling backwards, a deep scowl on his face, but Jason wasn't intimidated, already moving to land another blow.

But then, Kyle showed he _could_ fight back, trying to land a blow on Jason with a hiss, his leg trying to trip Jason, but Jason tore him down with him, and suddenly, they were a bundle of flying fists and growls and hisses.

Somewhere behind him, he could hear thunder, and flashes of white, but he paid it no mind.

_Will was hurt._

_This guy_ had hurt his Will.

This guy had _hurt_ his Will!

Will was whimpering, still curled up into a ball, and Jason wanted to _comfort_, wanted to _hold_, wanted to _heal_, but the moment he allowed himself to look towards him, Kyle used his chance and smacked him straight in the jaw with his knee, making Jason momentarily think he had snapped something in his neck, black and white spots appearing in his vision, the pain numbing his other senses for a moment.

Then Kyle was on top of him, trying to choke him, and Jason snarled, scratching at his wrists and pulling them off him again with utmost effort, punching his jaw with a very poorly formed fist that made his knuckles crack and ache, but he ignored it, instead shoving Kyle backwards and trying to get the upper hand again.

There was another flash of white at the window, and Kyle momentarily glanced towards it as they both stumbled to their feet.

Jason used his chance to lunge forward with a growl, shoving Kyle backwards and straight out of the room, making him hit the wall in the hallway before Jason was at his throat.

_Kill_.

He had hurt Will.

Jason was going to hurt _him_.

Make him _pay_.

_Hurt him._

_Kill him._

Kyle looked him into the eyes, dark eyes searching his, and Jason saw no fear, just analyzation.

Before he could make sense of that though, Kyle shoved his knee into Jason's gut, and Jason winced and lost his grip on him, giving Kyle the chance to kick him into the side to send him into the ground, though he tried to catch his balance again, stumbling forward several times, Kyle following right behind him for the next blow.

They both snarled at each other like animals, Jason turning around to catch Kyle's attack and try to force him back, but Kyle was stronger than expected, and they both stumbled further backwards, towards the still open front door.

Jason struck Kyle's face, and Kyle tried to grab him by his hair to pull him down, making him eternally glad they had gotten their haircuts yesterday.

Though Kyle still managed to shove him into the wall next to the doorway rather painfully, his knee shoving into Jason's gut several times, making him dry-heave and choke, feeling as if he was momentarily about to black out.

"Kyle, _no!_" Will yelled behind them, and Jason tried to spot him, but his vision was too blurry.

Kyle looked around, too, and Jason decided that, if he couldn't see Will, he might as well make use of this moment.

He shoved him backwards, making use of the shift in Kyle's balance due to his turned head and kicking him right in the side, sending him crashing into the open door.

Kyle gasped, then they were at each other again, snarling and growling and hissing and spitting, trying to get to any patch of skin they could get to.

_Kyle was out to kill._

Jason could feel it in his movements, the way he didn't care _where_ he hit Jason, as long as it was painful.

_Kyle thrived on the pain._

Jason could see it in his sneer, the way he seemed to gloat more and more the more times he struck Jason.

Jason was on the ground again, and Will cried out, but this time, he didn't have to worry.

Jason had his knees up, pushing them up against Kyle and hoisting him right up and over his head, sending him outside and down the front steps of the infirmary.

Then he rolled over and threw himself out the door and at him all over again as Kyle sputtered and tried to push himself up, his shoulder seeming dislocated.

Good.

Let him_ hurt._

"You must be the _boyfriend_." Kyle spat as they rolled in the mud, and Jason only growled in reply.

_Kyle was talking._

Which meant he was running out of power or ideas, trying to trick Jason with his words.

He had to be stronger.

Had to not listen.

"It's to be expected. You look quite like me, after all."

Jason snarled, and they could hear the sky roar in agreement with Jason, lightning bolts turning everything white around them as they struck random trees and cabins, causing mass panic.

_Jason didn't care._

"But tell me, does he still feel so nice and tight? He used to feel so good around me. Especially when I made him beg for it."

Jason tried not to listen.

Jason also felt sick.

Jason _also_ wanted to rip him to pieces.

He rolled them over, his hands rushing to Kyle's throat instantly.

_Kill_.

Kyle sneered up at him, his eyes dark and dangerous.

"You know you'll never be able to replace me, no matter how hard you try. He _needs_ me. He **_loves_** me. Whenever you'll touch him, he'll think of _me._ Of _my_ touch. You're _nothing_ in comparison."

Jason's grip tightened, squeezing Kyle's throat until he could feel him being unable to breathe.

_Kill_.

_Murder_.

_Destroy_.

Kyle's sneer died.

Jason was going to make all of him die.

"_Jason_! What the fuck is going on?!" He heard Nico's voice cut through his haze, but he merely snarled, irritated beyond reason when the Italian pulled him backwards off Kyle.

**_NO!_**

"Let me _go!_"

"Jason, you're _destroying the Camp_! What's happened? Stop it! No, what, _no_!" Nico yelled as Jason ripped himself free and lunged at Kyle again, who had the audacity to laugh upon seeing Nico pulling him away.

"He hurt Will! He _raped_ him!" He yelled at Nico when the Italian tried to pry him off Kyle _again_, and he vaguely noticed there were people collecting around him, kids gasping, others calling something to others.

Nico froze, and Jason ripped free once more, throwing himself at Kyle again with a war cry, but he had been expecting him, laughing gleefully as he countered his attack, and they were all over again.

He would destroy him.

Kill.

Kill.

_Kill_.

**"****Enough!"**

...

Will was standing in the doorway of the infirmary, staring at the scene in front of him unseeing.

Jason.

_Kyle._

Jason was there.

_Kyle was back._

Jason had found him.

_Kyle had come for him._

Jason had saved him.

_Kyle had claimed Will was his._

Jason was fighting Kyle.

_Kyle was going to kill Jason._

Will was shaking, trying to move, trying to yell, trying to act, trying to help Jason somehow.

_He had to help him._

Kyle was strong, strong, strong.

Will had never seen him lose a fight.

Kyle was hurting Jason, hurting him.

Will wanted to move, wanted to run to Jason, wanted to stop the pain, wanted to heal Jason's.

_Kyle was back._

_Kyle was there._

Will couldn't move.

Couldn't run.

Couldn't stop it.

Couldn't heal.

He saw people coming from everywhere, because of the storm, because of the fight, because of Will, Will didn't know.

Will didn't care.

Kyle was back.

He was back, he was back, he was back.

Will wasn't safe.

He was never safe.

_Never._

_And nowhere._

His eyes focused on two running figures, identifying them as Nico and Percy as they rushed forward and through the group in what seemed like slow motion, Nico making straight for Jason, while Percy stopped, looking confused and bewildered, before his eyes roamed the crowd.

Then, he spotted Will, and made straight for him, making Will reach out automatically, a small whine escaping his lips.

Percy didn't hesitate, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close, catching Will as his legs gave way, and Percy lowered them to the ground, his hold on Will tight, secure.

"_Will_! Will, what happened? Will, what's wrong? Oh gods, sun-bug, your cheek…" Percy exclaimed, his loud voice making Will wince, though he merely clutched Percy harder, unable to let go.

"Percy! Percy, _he's back_! He's back…" He sobbed, and Percy tried to calm him, tried to soothe him, but Will's mind turned blank again, fear taking over as his breathing spiraled out of control.

"Babe, babe no, no, Will, look at me, look at me and breathe. _Breathe_! In and out, slowly, come on, it's okay, I've got you, I've got you, sun-bug…" Percy tried frantically, first trying to pull back, but then resorting to moving his head sideways at an awkward angle when Will was unable to let him go.

Will forced himself to follow his directions, forced his eyes down to Percy's lips, more reading the words than hearing them, his pulse pounding in his ears too loud, muffling all the noise around him.

Percy started nodding, giving him a small, reassuring smile, before his eyes moved away from him, towards the commotion, and Will felt the dread tug on him again, his fingernails digging into Percy's skin.

"Jason! You have to help Jason! Kyle is strong, Percy!" He warned him, searching Percy's gaze instantly once he looked back down at him, trying to find out what was happening around them.

Was Jason okay?

Was he even still alive?

Oh gods, what if he…because of Will…

"Shh, calm down, Nico is helping Jason, it's all good, I've got you, babe…" Percy rushed to reassure him instantly, gently rocking him back and forth as Will held onto him as if his life depended on it.

"_Nothing's good_! Kyle is _back_, Percy! He's back, he's back, he's…he's…" He squeezed his eyes shut.

"The new guy? Will, what does it matter? What happened? What did he do?" Percy asked, not understanding.

Will clenched his jaw, trying to keep himself from speaking.

It didn't work.

"He's my ex-boyfriend…" He sobbed pathetically, the same moment Jason yelled something behind them, and there was a jolt going through Percy, though his hold on Will didn't waver.

"Will…?"

There was uncertainty in his voice.

_Fear._

Will shook his head wildly, trying to keep his mouth shut, trying to keep the words in that threatened to tumble from his lips.

No, no, not now, not here, not anywhere!

"He's my _ex_, Percy. We dated. I…I…it was like you and Luke. He was older, he was mature, he was strong. I…I admired him. Looked up to him. I _liked_ him. And he took notice of me, Percy! He saw me, even though I was just a small kid, useless at everything, unloved and unclaimed, and all by myself. He saw me, Percy, and he said I'm cute, that he hasn't seen someone as pretty as me around…" He started babbling, started sobbing, while still wildly shaking his head, trying to make himself stop, trying to make himself shut the fuck up.

"Will, stop, you don't have to tell me this…" Percy started, his voice sounding strained as he started moving, trying to get up and pull Will along with him, but Will's legs didn't work properly, and his grip on Percy's front made it difficult for either of them to move, but he couldn't unclench his fingers.

_Shock_, he numbly thought to himself, but discarded it, his mouth already opening to ramble on.

"I felt flattered, Percy. He seemed so honest, and I never heard anybody talking to me like that. I fell for him. I fell for him _hard_. And he knew it. I thought he didn't, I thought I hid it well, but he knew, he told me he knew, he told me I was obvious about it, he told me he knew from the first moment on, he told me I was so pathetic, he said…he…I…_Percy it hurt so much_…"

Why was he talking?

There was no sense in him talking.

Not about this.

Not now.

Not ever.

Not to Percy.

Not to anybody.

"Will, _breathe_. I'll get us to Nico's cabin, okay?" Percy said briskly, and Will automatically took a deep breath, but all that did was make him dizzy as he nodded, allowing Percy to pull him onto his feet.

He started stumbling into the vague direction of the cabins, and Percy cursed behind him, making him want to curl into a ball and beg for forgiveness.

But Percy didn't hit him.

Instead, his hands moved to his sides, unbelievably gentle and timid as they steadied him and moved him into the right direction, letting him try his walking/stumbling for a few more steps before he said 'Careful' and swooped Will up in one fluid motion.

Will still let out a startled cry, only soothed when he felt Percy's wrist pressing against his bare skin at his arm where Percy was holding him, feeling the rush of familiar values.

It didn't matter _what_ he was feeling.

All that mattered was that he could instantly identify it as _Percy_.

"And he was so nice, Percy. He was there for me, he sat with me at the Camp Fires, he was so happy for me when I was finally claimed as an Apollo kid. He didn't mind that I was bad at everything. I thought he didn't mind. He acted like he didn't mind. It was all an act. It was all a game to him. He toyed with me, just to see whether I'd take the bite, he told me. He bound me and he told me, and I felt so stupid, I'm so stupid, I should have seen it, I should have known, but I didn't…"

Percy said nothing, so Will went on rambling, unable to stop himself.

He told Percy of how Will had been so confused at first, because he had only liked girls up to that point, that he hadn't understood his own feelings for the longest time, that it had taken him overhearing some other kids talking about sexualities to figure out he was bi.

…And he told Percy of how upset Kyle had gotten when Will had mentioned it three months into their 'dating' that he had liked others, other than Kyle; how he had avoided Will for days on end until Will had come running, begging for forgiveness, telling him it had all been nothing, that he had only ever felt so strongly for Kyle, that those other people had been nothing to him.

Told Percy of how nice and kind Kyle had been, how he had comforted Will when he had cried, how he had told him to ignore the people talking badly about him.

…And he told Percy of how unforgiving Kyle had been when Will had upset him, like when he had hesitated with introducing himself in front of a few of Kyle's friends, back when Kyle had finally allowed them to be 'official'; he told him how much it had hurt to have Kyle being so disappointed, hear him say he had expected better, that he had thought he had meant something to Will, making Will cry and insist he _did_, over and over again, until Kyle had finally 'believed' him.

He told Percy how Kyle had told him to stop crying and be strong, because only the strong survived, and he could see it inside Will he was strong, he was a fighter.

…And how Kyle had pushed him against the wall, telling him he was a nothing, that he was weak, that he was just going to cry again, and how bored Kyle was of seeing Will cry - he even told Percy how badly he had tried not to cry, but he hadn't _wanted_ anything to happen yet, that he hadn't been ready yet, that he had been a _virgin_, that he had had no idea about anything, that he had been _scared_ – and how Kyle had ignored him, rather getting upset with him all over again until he finally drew out a forced 'Yes' out of Will.

He told Percy of how sure of himself he had felt in the beginning, how he had thought Kyle had to be the best person in the world.

…And how the mere thought of Kyle had started scaring him to the point he had made up a game with Leah that allowed him to hide for a few hours, to get out of Kyle's line of sight, because Kyle saw _everything_ – he saw everything, heard everything, knew everything, and he had always, _always_ found Will.

He told Percy how Kyle had started leaving hints he might like him back, how Will had hoped so badly there could be more, but that at the same time, he had been so scared to be brushed off, because Kyle had been so much older, and Will had been so young…

Percy's head snapped towards him, and Will automatically snapped his mouth shut.

There was a storm raging in Percy's usually so gentle and peaceful eyes.

It scared him and soothed him at the same time, though he couldn't explain either emotion.

"How old were you?"

The question was harsh, making Will wince, and Percy's expression instantly softened, trying to show him he wasn't going to attack him.

Will knew he shouldn't reply to that question.

Kyle had forbidden him to tell anybody they were dating in the beginning.

Only when he had gotten older had Kyle allowed their relationship to be known.

Will hadn't questioned it.

Hadn't questioned anything.

Will had been so, so stupid.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered, but Percy shook his head, placing a gentle peck to the top of his head as he took a right, hurrying up the steps to a cabin that wasn't Nico's.

It was Percy's.

"It's okay, sun-bug. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have interrupted. Do you want to continue?"

Will shook his head no, then opened his mouth and continued on the story as if he had never stopped, everything just pouring out of him as he laid in Percy's arms with his hands drawn to his own chest, trusting Percy to hold him up entirely.

Percy adjusted his hold on him and pulled something out of his pocket as Will told him of how Kyle had started being more obvious, but still never saying it out loud he was interested, and how Will had hoped and dreaded each and every night, until Kyle had _finally_ kissed him for the first time, behind the small storage room with all the weapons and armor.

…And he told him of how Kyle had forced him onto his knees at a later point in their relationship, telling him everybody did this, and that, if Will loved him, he'd try it at the very least – and how he had then told him he'd be a natural at it, for sure, and how that had made Will agree to it all, had made him want to do a good job, had made him want to please Kyle, to show him his trust had been well placed, and to show him he really loved him.

Percy didn't interrupt again, though his mouth was a thin line.

He didn't want to know this.

Of course he didn't want to know this.

Will didn't want him to know, either.

Will couldn't stop it.

"Don't listen, Percy. _Please_ don't listen. Don't judge me. Don't pity me. I don't want you to know. I didn't want you to know. I didn't want any of you to know." He sobbed in a surprisingly sane moment after he finished listing off how amazing he had felt after their first kiss, and how that had been his first _real_ kiss, and how he had just been so _happy_ for once.

The first time he had been really happy since the death of his mother, who had died when monsters had tracked a demigod team in the area and stumbled over Will.

…And he told him how his first blowjob had been a fiasco, and how Kyle had punished him with a deep sigh and a shake of his head, telling him in a sad and broken tone he should have expected as much, before leaving him to himself on the floor and making him feel as if he had ruined _everything_.

Percy pushed the door open with his foot and got him inside safely, turning the lights on with his elbow and kicking the door shut again, making straight for the bed.

Will didn't want to, but it happened automatically.

He convulsed and cried out, thrashing in Percy's arms and making him stop dead in the middle of the room, realization washing over his face as he lowered them both to the ground hurriedly, to prevent Will getting hurt should he jump out of his arms somehow.

"Will! Will, I won't hurt you. I won't…I would never…" He exclaimed, his voice cracking, and Will could _feel_ his pain at the unspoken accusation.

He shook his head wildly, whimpering and reaching out to clutch him again, to pull him closer, whining against his throat.

"I know…I know, Percy. I know…I'm sorry. I can't…I just can't…"

Percy put his arms around him tightly, so tight it almost hurt, but Will let him, curling up against his chest and allowing Percy to wrap his arms and legs around him, as if he was wrapping all of himself around Will.

He liked that thought.

"Ok. I got you, Will. I got you…"

Will soaked up all the warmth and comfort he could manage, letting out a long, rattling breath.

"I'm sorry…I know you don't want to hear-…"

"Let it out, Will. I'm here for you, always and forever, you know that. And I'll listen. I won't say anything about it if you don't want me to, but I'll listen. Do you trust me?" Percy said softly, and Will squeezed his eyes shut, before giving a small nod.

"Please don't tell the guys…" He whispered, and Percy was quiet for a long moment.

Too long.

"Please…" He forced himself to say, and Percy moved his head to the side of Will's neck slowly, breathing against his skin.

"They won't judge you, Will…"

"_Please_!" Will begged, self-contempt flashing through him, and Percy winced.

"Okay. I won't tell them. I promise." He agreed, albeit reluctantly, and the tension left Will, together with a relieved breath.

Then, he shook his head and started whispering, telling Percy in a shaky voice how Kyle had started changing slowly, how he started seeming more bored than anything, how he started telling Will to be at certain places at certain times, but then hadn't shown up, himself – just to react upset when Will had asked him about it or gone looking for him, telling him either he hadn't said anything like that at all and that Will must have misunderstood, or that he had been right there, but Will hadn't been.

…And he told him of how he had done his research on _everything_ he could find, anything that had anything to do with sex, with kissing, with _anything_ of the like, fearing he'd fail again; told him of how he had practiced with his pillow, had practiced by himself in the bathroom, had practiced blowjobs on random fruit he could find that didn't immediately raise suspicion. He also told Percy of how the next time he had managed to get Kyle to forgive him, he had tried it again, to blow him, and how that had worked a lot better, but that Kyle had immediately shoved him off and pushed him down, hands at his throat, asking him whether he was cheating on him, and how long it had taken for Will to explain it all to him, to make him understand.

And how Kyle had laughed afterwards.

"It's…not so simple. You think you can tell who's the abuser, and who's the abused, but when you're _there_, you just…you don't know. I hurt him, so he was right to be upset, and I was wrong to have hurt him, so I had to ask for forgiveness and make it right." He whispered, as if he seriously thought he could explain the terrors he had felt, the guilt, the despair, the urge to _make it right again_.

To make Kyle forgive him.

Be kind to him again.

_Love_ him again.

Percy looked like he had a different opinion, but he didn't interrupt Will, only holding him safely tucked into his chest and stroking over his back.

"He didn't always hurt me. In the beginning, he never hurt me. He was kind, Percy. And when he kissed me for the first time, he was gentle and soft. He said we had to go out in secret first, because he was worried people would bother me if they knew I was the guy he finally settled for. He was popular, after all. It made sense. He was…with a few girls a few times while we were secretly dating, but back then, he told me it was all just for show, so I believed him. It took over two years for him to allow us to 'officially' date, and now, I know _that_ was only because one of his friends saw us making out in the forest once. You remember Ethan? He saw us, and he wasn't happy, and Kyle wasn't happy, and he avoided me for a whole week, telling me it was my fault for being so loud. I was…I was always too loud…"

It felt horrible, saying all that out loud.

But the more he talked, the more he realized that, as soon as it was out, and as soon as he saw Percy's expression and touch unwavering, he was feeling…better.

Not lighter, not like a weight was lifting off him, but just…warmer, more assured, more certain of himself, more certain that he was right, that he hadn't been the one abusing Kyle, but that Kyle had been abusing him.

It was stupid, of course, but…he had doubted himself for so long, and saying it out loud now, and seeing Percy hear it and not look at him in either scorn or pity…it helped.

Will remembered Elysium for a moment, how this should have happened back then, this realization, and the way it all became easier for Will to cope with.

But it hadn't.

Instead, the memories had crashed over him, taken over him, getting out of control and causing him to panic, to break down, with nobody holding him, because, in his panicked state, he hadn't been able to register his brothers properly.

Only Mrs. O'Leary had helped, curling around him after breaking through the too small bathroom door and growling at the others to get away, before offering the only comfort Will had been able to feel.

He was still not proud about how he had clutched her and sobbed like a baby, nor how glad he had been when she had started licking over his face affectionately, getting him back down from his delusional, crazed state and even managing to make him smile slightly, which had shown his brothers and Leah that he was slowly coming to his senses again.

Will rubbed his face against Percy's sweater, knowing full well that was disgusting, but he couldn't help it.

The fact that he realized a moment later he had just told Percy all that about Elysium, too, didn't make him feel any better, either.

But Percy didn't comment on either, instead swaying him back and forth gently, his strokes even and soothing.

"He was still nice when we started going out, as some time passed. It all…it was just small things, unnoticeable at the time. Things he wanted me to do, stuff he wanted me to bring somehow, such things. But he was still nice, he was still there for me, he let me talk and he listened, and he never raised his voice or threatened me in any way. He was just…_disappointed_…when I did something wrong. Or didn't manage to get something. And I felt bad for it. But anybody would be like that, right? He would be disappointed, and then he would stop talking to me, and if I didn't try to immediately fix it somehow, because I was a stubborn idiot and thought I was right, he'd drop hints he wanted to end it. He'd say things like that he wasn't sure why we were even seeing each other, and how I obviously didn't love him as much as he loved me, or that I didn't love him at all. He'd say I'd be better off with somebody my own age, and I of course argued all those points and tried to make him see I wanted him to stay. _Needed_ him to stay. And I tried so hard to change, to be more mature for him, to be better for him, so he'd be happy with me."

He explained, feeling the shame coursing through him, and felt Percy pressing his lips to the top of his head, whispering something that sounded a lot like 'You're way too good for him, sun-bug. That rotten asshole hasn't deserved you a single moment of his fucked up life.', but he wasn't sure, and when he looked up at Percy, he found Percy gazing back at him with a gentle, encouraging expression.

So he continued.

He told Percy everything.

The good stuff and the bad, the innocent and the impure.

He knew he was oversharing.

He knew he was telling Percy things he hadn't even told his brothers, and would have definitely never confided into anybody.

But it all flooded out of him, as if he was a bathtub, and somebody had pulled out the plug.

He told Percy how Kyle had started getting more and more impatient with Will, because Will hadn't learned fast enough, hadn't changed enough, because Will had no virtues he could brag to his friends about.

Will was just Will, after all.

(That statement had made Percy tense and fight with himself to remain silent, but Will had a hunch he'd hear something about that sooner or later.)

He told him of how Kyle had started becoming more demanding, always pushing Will to his very limits and beyond, especially when it came to sex.

…And Will was more than ashamed of himself, but he also told Percy about most of his sexual encounters, how Kyle had made sure he had enjoyed it, but also how he had acted as if it was Will's own fault when he hadn't.

Especially when Will started saying 'No', rather than 'Yes', and Kyle would do it, anyways.

Will started shivering, the cold from the ground and the cold cabin seeping through his clothes, cooling his already chilled body down even further.

Percy noticed, and tried to keep him warm for a little while longer, then he asked Will whether it was okay for him to get the blanket.

Will didn't want him to leave.

Even if the blanket was only three steps away, he was scared Percy wouldn't come back.

Will gave Percy a long look, feeling a lot more in control of himself now than when they had entered the cabin.

Percy was right, he wouldn't hurt him.

There was nothing to fear.

Will nodded, but as Percy made to get up, Will tried to get up with him.

"Will?"

"Your…your bed is probably more comfortable than the ground…" Will explained hesitantly, fearing for a moment it would come across wrong, that Percy might think he was trying to insinuate anything, but Percy's expression instantly cleared, and he gave a small nod, taking him by the hand and taking him to his bed slowly, his eyes fixed on Will to check for any sign he changed his mind.

Will didn't, instead explaining to Percy they had rarely used a bed, since Kyle had been unclaimed and thus in the overfilled Hermes cabin, and Will of course had had plenty of half-siblings, himself.

It was just the way a bed was always connected with sleep and sex in some way that had freaked Will out the first moment Percy had moved towards it, right after entering this cabin instead of Nico's, contradictive to his words, and with Will telling him about being sexually assaulted, basically admitting he was easy prey.

Percy flinched at that.

"You're not prey, Will. I'm sorry I didn't take you to Nico's cabin. I wanted to, but I wanted you _inside and safe_ first and foremost, and mine was closer. If I had known that would bother you, I'd have taken you to Nico's cabin, of course."

Will shook his head, waiting for Percy to get in first, though he then realized Percy was waiting for him to make the first move, probably wanting to keep him safe between the wall and himself.

The rational part inside Will knew Percy would never hurt him and would never take advantage of Will, especially not here, and not now.

The still delusional and irrational part of him still freaked out, making up all sorts of horrendous scenarios that could happen if he let Percy trap him.

He swallowed, forcing himself to move, and Percy held up the blanket as he slid under it.

Then he jumped back up.

"Clothes! I can't…your bed will get…" He exclaimed breathlessly, frantically tugging on his jacket and beginning to hyperventilate again as he realized he was _still wearing his shoes_, but Percy was right there in an instant, stopping him and cupping his face, trying to soothe him with gentle 'Shh'-s, and 'It's okay'-s.

"Just lay down. Nobody cares about the bed, Will. It's just a bed. I can clean it. You're more important than that. It's okay. I'll get in with my clothes, too. See? Everything is good. Calm down. _Breathe._"

Will forced himself to take a deep breath, then mimicked Percy's slow inhaling and exhaling, feeling himself relaxing ever so faintly again as he laid pack down, while Percy was right there next to him, rolled to his side so he could look at Will properly.

"Do you want me to lay on top of the blanket, instead?" Percy offered when Will tried to measure how close he was, but he shook his head.

"Percy, we've been sharing a bed the past months, I can do this."

"You weren't suddenly confronted with-…" Percy abruptly broke off, his eyes widening with realization.

Will pursed his lips, rolling onto his back and looking up at the ceiling, waiting for the blow.

"You don't like people behind you." Percy breathed, and Will closed his eyes, his lips trembling.

"As I said, the longer we dated, the more frustrated he got. I wasn't enough, Percy. No matter what I did, I wasn't enough, and he kept wanting more. It got to the point where he made it a game to…to follow me when I thought I was alone, jumping me at the most random times, in the most random places, and demanding I do things like suck him off or let him fuck me. Other times, he'd simply shove me against the first flat surface he found and take me without even saying a single word, other than to threaten me to keep quiet or he'd blame it all on me if we were found." He replied, though he knew that was too much, too graphic, too much detail, too much Percy didn't need to know, Percy would never want to know, Percy _should_ never know.

Will felt his eyes pricking with fresh tears.

Well, good thing he had never had a chance with Percy in the first place.

If he had had, he'd have lost that now, after all, and that would have felt a lot worse than never having had a chance at all.

Percy was absolutely silent next to him, and Will forced himself to look around at him, just to find him trying to hide part of his face behind his hand, tears running down his cheeks.

Will made a startled sound, instantly moving to wipe them away, whispering apologies and trying to find a way to comfort Percy, but Percy clasped his wrists, stroking gently over his pulse point with his thumbs as he looked up at Will with a small, weak smile and a shake of his head.

"I'm okay, sun-bug. Don't mind me. Just let me comfort you, okay? Can I be there for you, for once? Instead of you always being there for us?" He asked softly, and Will opened his mouth to argue, to tell him he had already been there for Will countless times, but the urgency and the silent plea in Percy's gaze made him halt.

Then he nodded his head, stroking over Percy's cheeks once more before moving closer, imitating how they usually slept, though it was a lot more awkward and weird with all the clothes, and them both wearing their shoes, and Will not wanting quite that much proximity right now.

"I'm sorry we put you through that, love." Percy whispered into his hair, but Will immediately shook his head.

"You put me through nothing. And there's nothing to apologize for. I did what I did because I wanted to, don't you even doubt that for one second." He said, his voice firm and determined, letting Percy know he was dead serious.

Percy was quiet for another long moment, then he nodded slowly, and his hands started working themselves around Will awkwardly, trying to stroke his back again, the same way he had done earlier.

"Do you…do you want to keep going?" Percy asked hesitantly, and Will hesitated.

The rational part of him said no.

Percy knew way too much already, anyways.

But another part of him was hoping to really just…get it all out.

His mouth didn't open and let it all flood out of him anymore, though.

He had no excuses.

This was him, Will Solace, and while he was still confused and hurt and raw, there was also a sick sense of peace and wonderful detachment from the world coursing through him right now, letting him think more or less sensibly again.

"I wouldn't want to-…" Will started, though he wasn't sure what to say.

'Be a bother'?

'Push even more onto you'?

'Force you to put up with _all_ of my shit'?

"You're not. Just let it all out, Will. Talk about anything and everything you want or need to. I'm here. And if you think of something in a week that you want to add, you can come back, drag me off by my ears during practice, or wake me up in the middle of the night. Seriously, Will, I know I've told you countless times now, but I'm serious when I say I'll be there for you." Percy cut in, and Will started drawing patterns onto his arms, closing his eyes to listen to the sound of his voice, allowing it to soothe his worries, at least for now.

"Thank you, Percy."

He knew that didn't nearly convey his gratitude, or anything else he was currently feeling, but it was all Will could think of to say, and Percy resumed the stroking of his back.

Will thought of what he had told Percy so far, then hesitantly started again, though now he tried to pay attention to how much he said, and cut back on the details.

He also tried telling him everything in a more sorted manner, from beginning to end, rather than the jumbled mess he had thrown at him before.

But like before, Percy kept embracing him and running his hands up and down his back gently, not interrupting, even when Will told him of how Kyle had started actually _beating_ him.

Which had started when Will had begun trying to be more out-going and social towards others, putting on a smile the way his mother had taught him, and trying to make friends past Leah.

He had managed to find friends much easier then, not to mention connect to his siblings for real (especially with him getting good at healing and all), but it had come at the price of Kyle beginning to get paranoid, thinking he was trying to cheat on him, was talking about him to others, was 'giving away what they had' – which had probably just been Kyle fearing he'd get found out.

He had started trying to isolate Will again, telling him to be wary of people, that they had talked bad about him behind his back, but Kyle had never been able to take Leah from him, and when she had encouraged Will to keep going, to show people how 'awesome' he was, he had taken all his courage and confidence from that and kept it up, telling Kyle he'd try, anyways.

Which had made Kyle threaten him, questioning him every time he got him alone, teasing and taunting him, making fun of him for thinking others could like him, and convincing him Kyle was the only one who truly cared for him.

Will had been so torn about what to believe back then, too.

But Leah had told him to keep going, and so he had, and Kyle had started being harsher with him during sex, 'forgetting' the lube, forcing him to do practically _impossible_ things just to then punish him by either ignoring or taunting him…or hitting him, no matter where, no matter how hard, any part of him, he hadn't been very picky.

That was also when he had started finding pleasure in _hurting_ Will for real.

Will broke off there, closing his eyes and banning the pictures from his mind, deciding for himself that some things were best left in the dark, for Percy's sake and for his own.

Percy didn't ask.

He merely kept stroking him softly, his fingers sometimes starting to trace patterns when Will started struggling for words, which helped soothe him considerably.

He told him about how Kyle had started actually _punching him in the face_, and how Will had then needed some sort of solution, because up until then, he had been able to hide his injuries, but if his face was swollen, of course people would ask about it, and Will had never been a very good liar.

So, instead of letting everybody see and telling them the truth and getting out of the hell he had put himself into, Will had started experimenting with creams and lotions and hymns to Apollo, lastly creating creams that would help speed up the healing process, as well as heal the scars he had acquired from the past ordeals.

Of course, that had made Kyle be even more careless than before, and the whole thing reached its peak when a certain Nico di Angelo had shown up.

Which made Percy freeze up all over again.

"I was there…I was right…right _there_…" He heard him breathe in disbelief, and Will's heart ached.

"You had enough worries as it was, Percy. Nobody can expect you to save everybody." Will replied softly, but Percy was shaking his head.

"I should have at the very least noticed, Will. I saw you countless times. I even saw him walking around sometimes. I…I didn't even know you two were dating. I didn't know anything…but I should have. I should have paid more attention…"

Will poked his side gently.

"Then he'd have killed you, and you could have never fulfilled the prophecy, Percy. He didn't let anybody tell him what to do or not do. You hear me? _Nobody_ could tell him what to do. And seriously, barely anybody really knew. We were 'officially' dating, but that only really meant his friends and my siblings knew, since he never wanted to really…be affectionate or anything around others. I doubt a lot of kids here know we dated, so you're not alone. Anyways, after I saw Nico, I of course promptly found myself head over heels in love with him, and from that point onwards, I started fighting back, so, in a way, you did help me greatly, you know? You got Nico to Camp when I needed him to be there the most. Any time before then, I'd have probably still been too blinded to as much as glance at Nico, and any time after then, I'd have probably been dead. But then, I started fighting back, started reading up on the topic, started _yelling_ 'No', instead of just saying it, and started trying to be around people as much as I could. It's why I was always near the lake. Everybody was always at the lake. Always near water. So I was always near water, too." He explained, and Percy shook his head softly, tugging him closer and stroking over his back again, while Will continued talking.

He told him of the setback he had had when Nico had disappeared again without even knowing of his existence, but how he had then decided to keep fighting Kyle in any way he knew, anyways, now thriving to get out of the relationship.

Of course, _surprise-surprise_, Kyle hadn't wanted to let him go by then, anymore.

But then, the Battle of Manhattan had happened.

His talk with Michael had happened.

Percy was tracing patterns onto Will's back and arms as he told Percy of how he had played with the thought of telling people, of how he had read other victims had done that and found help, but how he hadn't wanted to endanger anybody, since Kyle had made it obvious he _always_ got what he wanted.

So he hadn't been able to tell Leah, or any of his other closer friends or siblings, but had thought of telling Michael, since he had held at least some power as the head of the cabin.

He told Percy of the talk, of him running away like a coward, of hiding from Kyle as well as the rest of the world, of the battle, of losing Leah, of finding out he had lost Michael, too…

And then, he told him of how Kyle had found him right after the battle, but when Will had straightened his back and decided he'd be like Nico just this once, facing whatever was to come and telling Kyle he had had enough…Kyle had merely smiled at him and declared he had been about to leave, anyways.

Percy stopped drawing on Will's back, but Will didn't tell him of how Kyle had told him he was Will's _everything_, and that he knew full well Will would never forget him, and that he should always know he would be _his_, and his _alone_, forever.

He didn't, because that meant admitting out loud he still belonged to him, and that Kyle had been right in claiming him today.

No.

No, it wasn't right.

Will didn't belong to anybody.

He shook his head to himself, whimpering softly, and Percy instantly started stroking over his back again, so Will urged himself to continue, telling him instead of how Kyle hadn't even consulted Chiron or anything, and had simply left.

Left, while everybody else had been busy mourning their losses, and Percy and the others had been in Mount Olympus, getting their rewards for the won war.

Left and disappeared without a trace into the mortal word.

Just like that.

"He never showed up again, and wasn't seen by any of the teams that had gone out to look for demigods in general. I thought he might have died, and used the time to recover and get over it, hoping to get to know Nico in the meantime – which of course hadn't worked out, because he had already disappeared again, but, well, that's just my luck. I…I seriously thought…I thought I was over it, Percy. It wasn't until…until I suddenly met Leah, and Michael, and Lee, that I really _remembered_ it all again and…and then there was that thing with Jason…"

Percy flinched, and Will cringed, snapping his mouth shut.

Then, Percy took a long, deep breath.

"Did…did Jason…" Percy started, the strain audible in his voice, and Will almost had a heart attack.

"**_No!_**_ Percy, what the __**fuck**__?!_" Will exclaimed, unnaturally loudly after the rest of their conversation had taken place in a hushed, choked tone so far.

"I didn't mean that! I meant…did he…do something wrong? Something that…well…_triggered_ you? Is that why you're not…you know…dating…?" Percy explained, though his voice was still strained.

Will allowed his shoulders to relax again.

"No. I mean…no. He didn't. There was just…I…Percy, I can't really…"

He couldn't tell Percy.

That was Jason's and his moment, something private.

Something wonderful and beautiful, and Will wanted to keep it to himself, and didn't want Jason to think it was anything bad, that it was something that had to be said at the end of…all of this.

That night with Jason had been something beautiful, it didn't deserve to be said along with these horrors.

"You don't have to tell me, Will. I mean, I have a pretty good idea what happened, but I absolutely wouldn't mind leaving it at that idea, only. If you _do_ want to talk, though…I'll listen."

Percy was a great person, had Will mentioned?

Sadly, all Will could do about it was cry, because he was now thinking of Jason, and of what he had almost had, and of what he now would never have.

But he wasn't about to cry about all that to Percy.

Instead, he quietly sobbed into his sweater and let Percy hold him.

"Shh, it's okay, sun-bug. I got you."

Why was it that those simple words seemed so reassuring?

Will wanted to give it all back somehow, to show Percy how much his words meant to Will, wanted to tell him he was more grateful than words could convey, wanted to tell him he loved him, wanted to apologize for pushing all of this onto him without even asking first.

Instead, he whispered a weak 'How are you not tired of me already?', which sounded pathetic and self-pitying.

"Never. I'll never get tired of you, Will." Percy replied determinedly, and Will could feel the honesty in him.

"I'm seriously nothing but a crybaby." He pointed out, because it was true, and Percy should know it, too.

"Then I'll be your shoulder to cry on, each and every time." Percy countered unfazed, and Will couldn't help but laugh weakly.

"You should say that to your boyfriend, not somebody like me, you know?" He whispered back, and Percy stayed quiet for a long moment.

"You know what I don't understand?" He then asked, instead of answering, but Will wasn't surprised.

"Hmm?" He hummed instead, already bracing himself for something like 'Why didn't you tell anybody like Chiron or Mr. D?' or 'How could you not realize what he was doing was wrong?'.

"How could you be who you are, with all the shit you've gone through? I mean, don't get me wrong, you're wonderful, but…how do you do it? You smile so brightly, you laugh so freely, you make sexual puns and drop the most insinuating statements I've ever heard in my entire life – and I've been in more colleges than I can count, mind you –…and you've gone through all of that." Percy muttered quietly, and Will propped himself up on one arm, studying his face quietly.

"You know, I could ask you the same question, Percy. You're the biggest dork I've ever met, but you've literally went through hell, not to mention two wars. How do _you_ do it?" He then replied, but Percy instantly shook his head.

"That's different. I had friends, I had people helping me at every turn. You did most of that by yourself…like Nico did. You both had to make do on your own, yet I don't see you broody and closed-off and wary of the world like how Nico used to be."

Will let himself fall back down, curling into Percy's chest again.

"I don't know. My mother always told me to smile. She said: 'William, if you just smile, you'll see the world already looks a hundred times better…and also, it will make you look more friendly and trustworthy, and you'll get friends easier and make people more likely to help you. It's science.'."

Percy _snorted_ into his hair, and Will let out an exaggerated 'Eww!'.

"She really said that?"

Yep.

"Sure did. Do you know the song 'Smile'? I don't know whether it's actually called that, but it's basically a song about how you should smile at whatever life throws your way, because there's no sense in crying…? That's the song she sang for me a couple of times, when she wasn't coming home too late from work. I remembered it yesterday, while singing to Chuck."

Percy shook his head, stroking through his hair now, before wiping his hand on his pillow case, and Will decided he would have to take a very thorough shower at some point in the future.

"Surely explains a few things. Still, it's important to let it all out sometimes, you know?" Percy said wisely, and Will smiled up at him with a cheeky smile.

"Like letting all the contents of your nose run free inside my hair?"

Percy poked his nose affectionately.

"No. Not like that. That's all at once and very messy. Leaves you feeling a lot better and gets all the shit out, but we're aiming for a slower, smoother, and more permanent approach, okay? Like the occasional talk, and plenty of honesty." He suggested pointedly, and Will sighed loudly, burying his face back at Percy's chest as he tried to enjoy the surreal feeling of the moment.

Somehow, right now, nothing else mattered, other than Percy and himself, in this bed.

Everything was out in the open, and Percy had accepted it, and he was still close, he was still acting like a dork, he was still seeing Will as Will.

"Thank you, Percy." He whispered quietly, and Percy kissed the top of his head again.

He did that way too much.

"Anytime. Do you feel a little better now?"

"Plenty." Will replied instantly, and concentrated on Percy's heartbeat as he could faintly hear it, even with their clothes in the way.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the steady beat of it.

"Good." Percy said softly, and resumed his stroking, and Will hummed quietly, blocking out the noises coming from outside.

It didn't matter.

Not right now.

Later, he'd have to deal with Kyle being back, with Jason knowing, with Nico figuring it out, with whatever else the future had in store for him.

But right now, all that was far away, and thus all that mattered was the here and now.

Percy and him.

In Percy's cabin.

_He was safe._

Will closed his eyes again, allowing himself to slowly drift off in the peace and quiet around them, starting to rest, as if his body was trying to make up for the lack of rest last night/this morning.

It didn't matter.

He trusted Percy.

All was well.

For now.

...

Jason was _fuming_.

He wanted to pace, wanted to pull out his sword, wanted to run it through the man opposite him on that fucking sofa, looking as if he owned the place.

He wanted to tear into him with his teeth and rip him to shreds like how the wolves had threatened foes back when he had been with Lupa and her pack.

What wouldn't he do for fangs right about now…

Nico put his hand on his shoulder, but Jason knew it was only to hold him back, not to soothe.

While Nico looked a lot more in control of himself, his eyes were darker and more murderous than Jason had ever seen them, so he had not a trace of doubt he felt about this the same way Jason did.

His fingers dug into his own thighs, but he didn't care, trying to murder Kyle just by staring him down.

But Kyle sadly didn't curl up into a ball and die.

He also didn't get struck by lightning, even though the storm was still raging on outside.

It was the main reason Chiron had ordered them inside in the first place.

Why was he protecting Kyle?

Didn't he understand?

Didn't he understand, didn't he see, what Kyle was?

What he had done?

Why were they here?

Why did they have to 'talk'?

What was the point of talking?

This was nothing to be solved by words.

This was only solvable by a fist in Kyle's already heavily bruised face.

By a second dislocated – no, better, _broken_ – arm.

By a sword to his gut, making his rotten intestines fall out.

Gods, Jason should have used his freaking sword.

He had no idea why he hadn't, anyways.

It had been _right there_, but the thought hadn't even occurred to him.

Kyle gazed back at him, looking smug and in control, as if he had nothing to fear whatsoever.

He even sneered when Chiron turned his hide to them as he kept pacing back and forth next to them, his tail swishing, showing how angry and agitated he already was, but Jason didn't give a shit.

He growled at Kyle, and Nico's grip on his shoulder tightened as he felt Jason's muscles tensing, readying themselves to hoist him through the room right back at Kyle.

Chiron whirled around.

"_Jason Grace_! Stop it! You two have caused enough harm to each other, let it rest."

Kyle made an innocent face, shrugging as if he had no idea what Jason's problem was.

Snake.

Fucking snake.

Fake snake.

Dead snake.

"I don't know what's wrong with him, Chiron! I told you, I was just talking to William, when he suddenly barged in and started beating me up! Of course I was going to _defend_ myself…" Kyle lamented, and Jason bared his teeth.

Chiron's eyes snapped to him, and Jason forced himself to lean back against the stupid sofa they had been forced to sit on.

"He wasn't 'talking' to Will, he was fucking pinning him to the wall, trying to…to…force himself onto him!" He spat, trying to be calm, but calmness was something he currently didn't possess.

Who needed calmness?

Who needed reason?

Will was _hurt_.

"I was _not_! Chiron, seriously, you might want to reconsider letting _people like that_ stay here at Camp. I was just having a nice chat with Will, and suddenly _Jason_ here came running in like a jealous boyfriend, beating me and even _pushing Will away_ when he tried to come to my aid! I'm sure that his cheek will bruise, too…poor boy…" Kyle said with a heavy sigh, looking down with a sad shake of his head, and Jason jumped up.

"YOU PUNCHED HIM, YOU FUCKING-…"

"_Jason! Sit. Back. Down!_" Chiron interrupted him, and Jason snarled at him, though he let Nico tug him back down onto the sofa.

"See? He's lying. He just claimed I was 'trying to force myself onto Will', and now I'm supposed to have 'punched' him? That's a bit of a contradiction, don't you think?" Kyle went on smoothly, and Jason had to clench his jaw so tight he thought he might break his teeth or something, thunder and lightning erupting behind them at the window.

"It is. However, Jason _has_ proven to be a very honest, and genuine person, Kyle. He has never yet shown aggressive behavior towards anybody, and has thus given me no reason to distrust him nor his words. He may have perceived things differently from how they were, but I don't doubt you weren't entirely innocent for what has transpired." Chiron replied curtly, his tail swishing in annoyance.

Jason knew his words meant he believed him to at least some extent, but he still wanted to argue the point of 'having perceived things differently'.

He knew what he had seen.

It made him sick just thinking about it.

It made him sick realizing he had just stood there like an idiot, instead of helping Will right away, of protecting him from that punch, from that kiss, from that _man_.

No, he was no man.

He was a monster.

"He even told me he has raped Will before." Jason snapped, and Nico next to him stiffened again, while Kyle threw him a bored look.

Chiron's jaw clenched.

"Did you say that, Kyle?" He then asked patiently, and Jason wanted to howl in frustration and agony.

What the fuck?!

_Will was suffering _and all Chiron was doing was_ asking Kyle some dip-shit question he'd lie to, anyways_?!

"Of course not! I have merely told him to lay off me, Chiron, sir. He must have overheard me speaking with Will, talking with him about our past together. Maybe he took it the wrong way when Will said he loved me."

"He doesn't love you." Jason snarled, and Kyle looked at Chiron with a telling look.

"See what I mean?"

Chiron shot Jason a stern look.

Then he took a deep breath.

"Kyle, please tell us what happened out of your point of view. From the moment you've left your assigned spot in front of the Big House."

The way he added the last part showed Jason Kyle was at the very least in trouble for _that_.

Kyle didn't seem perturbed in the slightest though, instead nodding soberly and leaning forward, gesturing faintly with his hands as he talked.

"Well, I was waiting as you told me to, but, you see, when I saw Will, after all this time, I was just so _happy_ to see him again, I just couldn't wait to talk to him. He had seen me when you were talking to me, and he gave me that…that cute sign we sort of made to each other, to show he wanted me to meet him asap. I really _did_ want to wait for you, and finish up everything before going to him, but I just…" Kyle sighed dramatically. "…I just couldn't resist. It had been so long, and I just couldn't wait to talk to him again, to catch up, to see how he was doing. We used to be so close, after all."

Jason bared his teeth again, though he didn't interrupt.

'Cute sign we made to each other'?

Did he mean Will running away in terror?

Nico's hand found his thigh, squeezing hard, and Jason forced himself to look neutral.

"Go on." Chiron said, seeming unimpressed by Kyle's words and actions, though he also didn't look very disbelieving.

Kyle shook his head a moment longer with a reminiscent look on his face that made Jason think he hadn't bruised it nearly enough as he should have.

Sure, his eyes would be swelling shut in the next some hours, and there was blood running down his temples that was sadly not enough to kill him, but maybe a concussion would.

Jason still hoped he had broken his nose.

It looked broken, but Kyle didn't really seem very perturbed by it, so maybe it wasn't.

Or maybe he was used to broken noses.

The rest of his face, mostly his jaw, was already turning satisfying shades of purple and green.

Not nearly enough, but at least something.

"Well, I am not proud, but I ran off to the infirmary, since it was close by, anyways, and I just so badly had to see him again. As expected, he was at the room in the back, where we tended to meet a lot before. I was so happy he'd remembered. I came in, and he immediately hugged me and told me he's so glad I'm back, and that he missed me. Of course, I hugged him back, glad to meet him again after such a long time…"

Jason was going to be sick.

He didn't doubt for a single moment that Kyle was lying, especially because 'he hugged me and told me he's so glad I'm back and that he missed me' definitely contradicted the panicked and petrified Will pleading for Kyle to let him go, to leave him alone, that he couldn't possibly be back.

Still, the thought of this man ever touching his Will, of this man having been here before, of having forced himself onto Will before…

It was sickening.

It was disgusting.

It was despicable.

Jason forced down the bile rising in his throat.

"After what felt like forever, we finally let go of each other, and then we started talking. I don't really know what to say. He looked so stunning, smiling at me like that, I thought I was falling in love with him all over again…"

"Pedophile." Jason huffed under his breath, and Chiron shot him a reprimanding look.

Jason didn't care.

Kyle looked at him sadly.

"It's so sad when demigods judge other demigods like this. We all have such limited time, and you are upset about age differences?"

If it was a giant-ass age gap, and the younger person was a _minor_ barely even in puberty, then, yes, Jason was going to _fucking get upset about it_.

Especially when his Will was involved.

…Hopefully he was okay.

Nico had told him Percy was with Will when Jason had started panicking, making for the infirmary instead of following Chiron, and Jason trusted Percy to keep him safe, but that didn't mean he wasn't worrying.

Jason gave Kyle a look of open contempt, and Chiron cleared his throat.

"Jason, no interruptions. Please continue, Kyle."

Fucking Chiron and his fucking righteousness.

Jason wanted blood.

Kyle's blood.

"Well, there's not much more to tell. We chatted, and I asked him how things are going for him relationship-wise. You know? I just…wanted to know whether I could, like, ask him out on a date sometime. As I told you, I don't intend to stay here very long, but I was hoping to see whether we'd match." Kyle tried to explain, gesturing as if struggling for the right words, his face conflicted and desperate to make his feelings understood.

_Shut up, Kyle._

Kyle looked at him through his swelling eyes, and his lips curled into a small, malicious smile.

"Well, he told me about _this one guy_ who kept making moves on him, but he wasn't quite sure he was ready for that, yet. He still liked me, and he hadn't been able to get over me. He said: 'Kyle, I think I still love you. I haven't been able to forget you, and I've tried to be with this other guy, but he's just…it's not the same, Kyle.'."

_Liar!_

Jason struggled against Nico's hold as he wanted to throw himself across that dumb living room table and at Kyle.

Better yet, _throw the living room table at Kyle_.

He tried to kick it, but Chiron put his hoof on it.

Fuck.

"Jason! This is the last warning."

Or what?

What could Chiron possible do?

Kick him out?

He'd take Will and Percy and Nico and put them in Camp Jupiter, far away from _this_.

"And that's it. After that, _Jason_ here came rushing in with an angry growl and threw himself at me, punching me in the face before I could even look around properly. I hit the cupboard and all the contents spilled out, so I tried to pick them up, confused as to what was going on, when he threw himself at me and started repeatedly punching me. Then Will came rushing forward, telling Jason to stop, pleading with him to let go of me."

Lies.  
Lies!  
_Lies!_

"But he didn't. When Will tried to grab him by the arm, he shoved him away, his fist connecting with the side of his face and making Will cry out. Of course I wasn't going to let that happen. Of course I'd help Will. Of course I'd defend myself. Wouldn't you have defended yourself in my position?" Kyle asked Chiron rather breathlessly, sounding agitated and bemused, and Jason wished he had punched all his teeth out when he had had the chance.

Lies.

He sprouted nothing but lies.

"Please continue." Chiron said tiredly, and Jason wanted to rattle the old centaur.

He knew he was beside himself.

He knew he wasn't being rational or sensible or whatever.

But this was about Will.

His Will.

His wonderful, wonderful Will, who had looked more terrorized than Jason had ever seen him.

So this was his great secret, huh?

An abusive, lying rapist ex-boyfriend.

So many things made sense, so many things suddenly seemed like such blatant, obvious indicators, it was almost comical that Jason hadn't guessed it before.

How had he not?

Seriously, it had all indicated just this.

The way Will had started acting, his reluctance in starting a relationship, _even his bragging and exaggerated sexual innuendo at every turn_ had indicated just that.

Jason wanted to bang his head on the table.

How had he not seen this?

How had he not guessed this?

He had even asked Will _who_ had hurt him, how had he not connected the dots?

The way Will had suddenly seemed so odd after Silena had mentioned his ex, the way he had suddenly seemed so odd after Clarisse had mentioned his ex, the way he had never mentioned anybody or told them about any of his boyfriends.

He should have seen it.

He should have seen it, should have hugged Will and reassured him and comforted him.

Kyle started explaining how Jason had kept punching and kicking him, and how he had tried to reason with him to stop it, but how Jason hadn't listened, but Jason wasn't listening.

Instead, he remembered with a jolt how Will had stood in their room in New Rome, yelling at Jason that he 'hadn't wanted that to happen' and that he 'had fought it, he really had', and his heart sank even further when he realized Will had thought he had figured it out, and that he had avoided him because of that.

_Oh, Freckles…_

Then, even worse thoughts occurred to him, and he found himself freezing.

This was Will's secret, the thing he hadn't wanted him to know, the thing that had _kept him from dating Jason_.

Did that mean…

Did Will think he'd…

No, it couldn't be.

Will knew Jason would never hurt him, would never push him to do any-…

Jason felt his blood turn to ice.

_Their night in the pillow corner._

Oh gods.

Oh gods, Will had thought he had asked him for that blowjob, that he had used his no-questions-asked wish for that.

Will, who might have been too scared of Jason getting upset to say no.

No.

No, it _couldn't_ be.

Will had assured him right after that he hadn't forced him to anything, that it had been his own decision…

What if Will had just said that, though?

What if Jason _had_ forced him into it, same as he had forced him to consider baby steps, same as he had been trying to force Will into a relationship with him?

No, it couldn't be true.

Jason wasn't…he wasn't…he couldn't be like…

He looked up at Kyle, who was sneering at him as if he knew exactly what he was thinking about.

But all Jason could think of was that this might very well be a mirror.

"Jason, please describe what happened out of your point of view, from the moment Will has left your group. From what I've gathered, he was with you before leaving to meet Kyle?"

Jason was still staring at Kyle, trying to see himself in him, piecing all the pieces together, everything he had ever said and done to Will, compared to what Kyle had let drop so far.

Nico's hand squeezed his thigh, and he looked sideways at him with a lost, desperate look.

'Please tell me it's not true.', he pleaded mutely with Nico, and Nico's gaze softened, his squeeze turning into a gentle caress.

Jason closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Later.

He'd think of this later.

Now, he had to tell Chiron what _really_ happened.

And he had to get him to get rid of Kyle.

"He didn't leave to meet Kyle. The four of us were on our way to the sword-fighting area, so Nico and Percy could start their lesson. Will and I were going to watch. But on the way there, we noticed there was a commotion, so we went to check. When we saw Kyle, Percy said Will suddenly went very pale and said he had forgotten something in the infirmary, before running away as if he was being hunted down. Confused, I decided to go and check whether everything was alright, since he had been…acting sickly all day already, and I didn't want him passing out anywhere on his own. I told Percy and Nico to go ahead to their sword-fighting lessons, then went to the infirmary, thinking he might be getting some medication, or that he might be consulting one of his siblings."

Nico kept stroking over his thigh as Jason felt his voice beginning to shake.

"The infirmary seemed empty when I got there. I wanted to call out, but then heard a whimper, so I thought Will might be in pain and went to check. When I stopped in front of the only room that wasn't open and empty, I wanted to announce my presence again, because Will doesn't like being surprised. But then I heard Kyle talking, telling Will…telling him that this was no way to greet him, and that he…that he 'looked best on his knees'…" He repeated Kyle's words, bitter on his tongue as he now realized the meaning behind them, the reference making him sick all over again.

Nico's fingers dug into his skin, and he could see his arm trembling.

Jason was trembling, too.

Out of anger and contempt.

Kyle made a disbelieving, indignant sound, but didn't interrupt, and Jason knew he was trying to win himself favors with Chiron, as well as trying to rile Jason up again to make him yell and shout.

So he took a deep breath and tried to continue as calmly as he could.

"Will said no, and asked Kyle to stop. At this point, I pushed the door open, just to see Kyle pressing Will against the wall, his hands tightly held up above his head with one hand, while Kyle's other hand was at Will's chin, forcing him to look at him. Will was…he was crying, sobbing, pleading with Kyle to let him go and to stop it, telling him he had a boyfriend."

Kyle huffed, as if he was amused by this story Jason was coming up with.

Nico's fingers dug into Jason's leg further, bruising him, but Jason didn't care.

He knew his face looked a lot like Kyle's, and his whole body ached already as it was, one bruise more or less didn't matter to him.

What mattered was that Will must have been hurting a thousand times worse.

"Kyle asked about that boyfriend, saying he wanted to meet him and that Will very well knew nobody got in the way of what he wanted. He also claimed Will was his, and then he…he kissed Will. Will said no, but he still did it, forcing his lips on him. Will bit him almost instantly, and Kyle had to pull back." As he said it, Jason regretted beating up Kyle's face quite this much, since else he'd have had the perfect proof.

"At this point, I was already rushing forward to help Will, but I didn't get to Kyle before his fist slammed into Will's face, making him crash into the ground and curl into a ball, as if expecting more attacks, indicating this was a recurring experience for him. I punched Kyle in the face, then pulled him back before he could fall backwards to punch him again. From then on, I threw punches until he started punching back, and this went on until we ended up outside. There, Kyle started trying to taunt me with words, asking me whether…whether…"

He couldn't say it.

Nico's knuckles were white as he clawed Jason's thigh, and Jason looked at him for help.

But Nico didn't know what Kyle had said.

He hadn't heard.

Only Jason had heard.

Only Jason could tell.

He took a deep breath.

This was to get Kyle away, to get Chiron to understand, to get him to take action.

"He asked me whether Will was still 'as tight as he used to be', and how he had…how he had felt so…so good around Kyle back in the day…especially when he made him beg…" He recounted, the words forever engrained in his mind, the mere thought of saying them out loud making him want to retch and rinse his mouth out with soap.

His Will.

His poor, poor Will.

Jason didn't even want to know what he must have gone through.

And Jason had tried to force him to tell him.

Had tried to force him to date him.

Jason swallowed the bile, looking down at his lap again as he felt something wet trickle down his cheek.

A tear.

Great, he was crying.

Jason didn't care.

"He told me that Will loved him, and that Will needed him, and that he'd think of Kyle every time I'd touch Will. At this point, I tried to choke him, until Nico pulled me off him. I tore myself free and threw myself back at him. Then you came, and that's all." He summed up bitterly, and looked up at Chiron, realizing the centaur suddenly looked a century or two older.

Jason hoped it was a sign he believed him and would get rid of Kyle.

"Oh please, that's absolute nonsense. Plus, why would I do any of that? Chiron, please, you can't seriously even consider that. He's jealous and upset because Will doesn't want him. I mean, just look at him, he's basically admitted trying to kill me." Kyle retorted with a loud huff, and Jason's head snapped to him with a snarl.

"You raped him! You _hurt_ him!"

"Why would I do that? I've only just come to Camp, why would I go and hurt Will?" Kyle asked, and Jason growled.

Sadly, he knew it was a legitimate question.

There was no reason for Kyle to pop up and hurt Will, mere minutes after his arrival.

"And I didn't rape him. Please, we were just chatting…"

"You raped him in the past. You're his ex-boyfriend. The guy who made him scared to trust. The guy who made him scared of people behind him. The guy who made him so scared of being pushed down. The guy who told him crying was a weakness, the one who played with his fears, the one who-…"

Kyle laughed.

He. Laughed.

Nico's posture changed, but Jason paid it no mind, staring at Kyle in disbelief.

"Oh please. Do you even know what you're saying? Because all I'm hearing is: 'Blablabla, Will doesn't want to trust me, blabla, Will is scared of me being behind him, blablablabla, he won't let me push him down, blablabla he won't cry for me when I want him to, and he seems so scared of me, blablablablabla'…are you sure you're even _trying_ to make this about me? Because it sounds an awful lot as if you're just trying to justify your own actions, _Jason Grace_."

Jason flinched back, and Nico moved forwards.

The next moment, Kyle's laughter died as Nico had one hand at his throat, with one knee on the table, the other leg still firmly on the ground, his other hand at the hilt of his sword.

"You will not speak to Jason like this. You will not speak about Will like this. _I will not let you._" Nico hissed, his voice dark and dangerous, an aura of darkness and power around him that made Kyle's eyes widen.

"Nico! Let go of him _this instance_." Chiron ordered sharply, stomping his hoof on the ground, but Nico remained in his position, staring Kyle down.

Jason knew his grip on him wasn't choking Kyle yet, that he could still breathe.

Yet Kyle looked more struck than when Jason had tried to strangle him to death.

"Who are you?" Kyle asked, when Nico finally let go of him and settled back on the sofa.

"Your death." Nico replied darkly, and Chiron sighed gravely.

"Kyle, this is Nico di Angelo, son of-…"

"He has no business knowing my heritage." Nico snapped, and Chiron's tail swished dangerously, though he fell silent, anyways.

"Secrecy? And there I thought I was a guest at this Camp." Kyle replied sweetly, and Jason bared his teeth again.

"Pretty low, coming from somebody who hasn't told us their godly parent, and has tried to rape a camper the first five minutes they are at Camp."

Kyle merely sneered at him for a moment.

Then he turned to Chiron.

"I've explained to you I don't know who my godly parent is. After the war and losing my closest friends, I've decided to turn my back to Camp, and thus have never been claimed here. I thought I saw _something_ once, when looking in the mirror, but I was alone at the time, and didn't see it right. Might have been my godly parent, might have just been dirt." He said with a grave shake of his head, but Jason didn't believe a single word of it.

Kyle was a liar, after all.

Everything he had said so far was a lie.

Why would anything else he said be any different?

Jason wished they had Reyna's dogs.

Then Chiron would know instantly just what a fucking liar this asshole was.

"Claimed or not, those are grave accusations that I can't ignore." Chiron said with a small shake of his head, and Jason looked up hopefully.

Did this mean…?

"Then ask William, himself!" Kyle exclaimed.

"His name is 'Will'." Both Nico and Jason hissed, then realized what Kyle had just said.

They shared a confused look.

Will would undoubtedly tell Chiron exactly what Jason had just said.

What…?

Then again, Jason couldn't tell how Will was feeling right now, nor whether he'd be in any state to talk, at all.

"That would be my next move, yes. However, before that happens, I will have to make sure you won't be at each other's throats the moment you leave this room." Chiron said, and especially looked at Jason as he spoke.

Jason looked down, trying to compose himself enough to seem obedient.

"Kyle, you will be staying in the Hermes cabin, same as before. The kids there will give you a bed for the night. You are to make your way straight there, and I will appoint a person to stay by your side at all times. This is for your own safety, as well as the safety of the campers. No matter whether the accusations are valid or not, you two have caused quite the trouble, and I will not take the risk of more."

Jason scowled at the thought of Kyle having any protection whatsoever, but then he realized that meant he couldn't sneak anywhere or do anything bad, so he quickly calmed again.

"Jason, you are to make your way straight to the cabin you'll be staying at, and I entrust Nico here to keep you in line. He seems to be the only one who can. Neither of you are to leave the cabin until tomorrow, when I have talked to Will. Alone."

Jason hesitated, thinking over Chiron's phrasing.

He had said 'the cabin you'll be staying at', which indicated he knew of them generally staying over at Nico's cabin, but the way he said the rest indicated he didn't want Jason talking to Will until then.

He _had_ to talk to Will.

If he didn't talk to Will, he'd combust.

Plus, Will needed all the comfort and reassurance he could get…if he even let them touch him.

Oh gods, what if he didn't?

What if he didn't even want to see Jason?

What if he was-…no, there was no point in pondering that now.

"How do I know Jason won't manipulate Will into saying something dishonest?" Kyle asked, and Jason snarled in fury at the accusation, but Nico's hand shot to his shoulder, keeping him in place.

Chiron was quiet for a long moment, and Jason realized he was watching him.

He knew.

He knew they always spent their days and nights together.

He knew they were close.

He knew that, if Jason's words were true, Will would need him to be there.

But he also knew that, if Kyle's words were right, which Jason knew Chiron had to consider, then it would do more harm than good to let Jason near Will.

Jason could practically hear his thoughts, could feel them, bitter on his tongue, his insides pure acid all over again.

"You are both forbidden from speaking to him directly. Now, it is late already, so let's be on our way. Jason, I'll be expecting the storm to let up soon."

Over his dead body.

This storm would rage on for as long as Kyle got to get away with his crimes.

"Come on, Jason. Let's go." Nico said quietly next to him, and Jason realized he was still sitting on the sofa, glowering at the dark blonde across him, who had already gotten up to move towards the door.

Kyle looked back at him, his lips twitching into a small, cruel smile.

Nico put his hand on Jason's shoulder, and Jason forced himself to get up without lunging himself at Kyle.

Tomorrow.

Everything would be okay.

Will would tell Chiron tomorrow what had happened, and everything would be okay.

They'd kick Kyle out.

Maybe a monster would pop up out of nowhere and swallow him whole.

Or maybe Jason could get a few lightning bolts to strike him 'accidentally'.

But he'd be gone.

And Will would be safe.

Everything would be okay…

And Jason wouldn't get to talk to Will.

No, he _had_ to talk to him.

Had to be there for him.

Had to apologize.

Had to explain.

Had to apologize even more.

Jason thought of their night in the pillow corner.

…Maybe it was better if they didn't talk.

But he had to see him…

"You're foolish if you think he will choose you, Jason Grace." Kyle said quietly as they met again at the door, and Jason glanced behind him at Chiron, but the centaur was busy rubbing his temples with a loud sigh, telling Nico to keep an eye on Jason.

"William is _mine_. He will _always_ choose me."

Jason snarled, and Chiron's eyes snapped to them again.

"Jason. Last warning."

Why was it he kept getting warnings, and Kyle didn't?

Nico studied his face, then looked towards Kyle again, his eyes gleaming dangerously.

His patience was wearing thin.

Jason could feel it.

Jason looked towards Kyle, and found him studying Nico with an odd look, as if still trying to place him.

He'd find out soon enough Nico was the son of Hades.

One of the kids in the Hermes cabin was bound to tell him, after all.

He wondered faintly whether Kyle knew who Jason was.

Which made him wonder whether he knew of the Roman demigods.

But then, his thoughts drifted back to Kyle's words.

Will would tell Chiron what happened, right?

Will wouldn't lie.

Will hated lying.

But Will might be scared…

No, everything would be okay.

Nico and Percy would have to be there for him until Jason was permitted to be with him, but Will would be okay.

They parted ways, and Nico and Jason watched Kyle leave with Chiron, who had apparently changed his mind about letting Kyle make his way there by himself.

_Good_.

At least something.

Though it gave Kyle the chance to charm the centaur.

No, Chiron wouldn't be moved by that…right?

Nico started moving, tugging Jason after him.

"Come on, let's get back to the guys."

Jason blinked.

"Chiron said I-…"

"First of all, I don't give a flying fuck, and second of all, he said you're not allowed to _talk_ to him, he didn't say you weren't allowed to see him. He needs you now, Jason." Nico snapped at him, and Jason could feel the tension and anger radiating from him.

Jason looked down, letting Nico drag him along towards his cabin.

Would Will really want to see him?

Had he ever wanted to see him? After their night in the pillow corner?

Had everything from then on onwards just been Jason forcing him?

But Will had said that he…that he wanted to date Jason.

That he liked him.

Jason wasn't allowed to doubt that.

Kyle would want him to doubt that.

Jason wasn't allowed to let it get to him.

He wasn't.

Jason closed his eyes, trying to push down the hurt, the pain, the doubts, the anger.

Nico was right, Will needed them.

As they ran through the Camp, past countless kids muttering or pointing, all Jason saw was his Will, curled into a ball, whimpering and expecting to be hit, to be hurt.

All he could hear were his cries and his pleas.

And all he could think was that they should have never left the Underworld.

...

There were no words when they came in, but Will could hear the door opening, could hear the soft sighs of relief, could hear the footsteps hurrying over to the bed.

He tensed for a moment, feeling his heartbeat picking up as he recalled _other_ footsteps, but then Percy's hold on him tightened, showing he was safe, he was protected.

And then, there were hands on him.

A small hand, clammy and shaking, brushing his hair away from his face, though that wasn't necessary anymore with his new haircut.

A bigger, cool hand, touching his shoulder, his arm, disappearing and moving to his face, fingers gently stroking over his cheek, right above where the bruise was forming.

Will leaned into the touches, a small whine escaping his lips.

Both hands withdrew, making him worry he'd scared them off.

He shifted again, but Percy started stroking up and down his back softly, and he could hear movement, rustling, items dropping to the floor.

Then the bed creaked as Jason and Nico climbed into it, slipping under the blanket from behind him, coming closer, closer, closer.

Will clawed Percy's chest, feeling the panic washing over him, even though he was 'resting'.

Nico's chest – his clothed chest – made contact with Will's back, one arm pushing under the pillow and his head, the other arm moving over his side gently, stroking over it – and Will could feel it, could feel _Nico_, could feel his values, instantly relaxing, instantly falling back into the embrace, into Nico, a relieved sigh escaping his lips.

Jason's hand came next, settling timidly on his arm, and Will wished he'd touch him for real.

But it was okay.

At least Jason was here.

At least he was here, and he was safe, and he was here, and he touched Will at all.

Will turned his face towards the pillow, new tears running down his cheek, practically scorching his skin.

Or maybe that was just because of the bruise.

It didn't matter.

It was okay.

They were here.

That was all that mattered.

...

Nico felt movement, thrashing, but he didn't wake up until a hand smacked him in the face, making him cry out and sit bolt upright, his eyes snapping open.

"What the-…"

"NO! No, no, stop it, no, Kyle, no, _please_!" Will cried frantically, thrashing and shoving and kicking, and Nico could feel his heart breaking.

Oh no…

He heard shifting behind him, indicating Jason was waking as well, but he didn't look around.

"No! Not again! You said you wouldn't…no…no…why…" Will started sobbing uncontrollably, his whole body convulsing and shivers running down his back as he clutched Percy's shirt, who moved his hand up and down Will's arm, stroking and soothing gently, his eyes full of pain and concern.

"Shh, it's okay, Will. I've got you. We've got you. We'll protect you. It's nothing but a dream." He whispered softly, and Nico's heart clenched painfully as he heard Will gasping and whimpering against Percy's chest.

He laid back down slowly, glancing behind him at Jason, who had his jaw clenched and looked ready to take on the world.

Nico would help him.

Their eyes met, then they both turned towards Will again, whose sobbing slowly subsided, though the shivers kept running down his back, and he kept trembling.

But at least he wasn't thrashing anymore.

Nico failed to truly see anything positive in that.

Moving his arms back around Will, he pressed his lips to the side of his neck, feeling him turning his head ever so faintly.

"Nico…"

How Will knew, he had no idea.

"It's me, sole mio. Everything is okay, we're here."

Will gave a small nod, then he stilled again, and Percy and Nico exchanged a long, sad look.

Jason came closer behind him, and Nico looked around at him again, too.

Then the three settled back down, closing their eyes, their hands on Will.

There was nothing they could do, other than hope he'd sleep better, and that the night would be over soon.

.

"NO!" Will screeched, and Nico jolted upright again, instinctively reaching out as he felt somebody thrusting against his chest, shoving themselves _away from Nico_.

But his hands grabbed air.

There was a surprised whelp, then a loud crash, and Nico hurried to look over the side, Jason jolting up behind him.

"What the-…" Both he and Jason started, but then screaming drowned out whatever else they might have wanted to say.

_Terrified_ screaming.

_Will's_ screaming.

"Will! Will, it's _me_! Will, Calm down! Breathe! Wake up! Will! _Will_!" Percy yelled frantically, struggling under Will, who was thrashing and _fighting_ in his sleep, trying to get away from Percy, away from everything, screaming bloody murder.

Nico rushed forward, trying to help somehow.

Will managed to push himself off Percy with a rather nasty kick into his gut, and Percy rolled to the side, gasping and groaning, looking as if he was going to be sick.

Nico was at Will's other side in a heartbeat, stopping him from smacking his head against the bedside table as he thrashed around uncontrollably, yelling something about Kyle, about pain, so much pain, pleading for it to stop, for help to come, for _them_ to come.

Nico's heart ached as he leaned over Will's head carefully, whispering to him, trying to get him to wake up, to realize everything was okay, that they were _there_, that he was _safe_.

Jason suddenly grabbed hold of Will's jacket with a curse, realizing first that Will had his arm stuck in one sleeve at a bad angle, and instantly freeing him off the fabric by tearing it open and struggling it off him.

Will could have broken his arm in that…and Nico hadn't even noticed.

Suddenly, Will's eyes snapped open, and Nico flinched back at the utter, unmasked _terror_ in his gaze.

A loud gasp, a strangled cry, then Will reared back, away from Jason, away from Nico, away from Percy, who was just sitting up again, trying to catch him before he could get to harm.

Away from _them_.

"Will, it's-…" Jason started, but Will _howled_ in horror, his gaze shooting around unseeing, going right through them as if they didn't exist.

"NO! No, don't! DON'T!" He screamed, scratching at his arms, and Nico instinctively reached out to stop it.

Bad decision.

Will flinched back hard at the touch, then he turned and apparently tried to _bolt_, too quick for Jason to catch him.

The next thing they knew, Will was in the small space between the cupboard and the bed, trying to curl into himself, his arms over his head as if to protect himself from incoming blows.

Then, as Jason tried to get closer, he wailed and threw himself _under_ the bed, hitting his head, leg and hand in the process, though he didn't even seem to notice, curling himself into a ball and whimpering, calling for them over and over again.

Nico felt his eyes burning and tried to call out to him, tried to get to him somehow, and looked around at Percy helplessly, who was right next to him, flat on the ground, looking at the outline of their terrified Will.

Will thrashed again, and Nico worried he'd seriously hurt himself.

"We have to get him out of there before-…_Jason_?!" Percy asked with a startled gasp, and Nico's head snapped around, just to find Jason stomping towards the door, only managing to catch a glimpse of his face.

Jason looked _livid_.

Dangerous.

_Murderous_.

Before Nico could even open his mouth to ask, though, the door was already thrown open, then slammed shut, and he felt his boyfriend moving, rushing after the blonde.

"_Jason_! Jason, _wait_! Don't do anything stupid!" He heard him yell, but then Will let out a choked sob, and all of Nico's attention turned to the blonde again, shivering and trembling, blue, fearful eyes staring right through him.

It was scary.

Too scary.

Nico was the Ghost King, he had seen _plenty_ of scary things, had heard of them, had witnessed them in dreams and visions and whatever else.

He should be immune to 'scary'.

But this…this was different.

"Va tutto bene, sole mio." (Everything is okay, my sun.)

He whispered quietly, stretching a bit further so his fingers could brush against Will's wrist.

Will flinched, drawing his arms closer to his body, though Nico thought he could see him perk up the tiniest bit.

"Sono qui, starai meglio." (I'm here, you're going to be okay.)

He tried softly, and Will let out a small whimper, moving slightly, but he wasn't rushing away.

It seemed almost as if he was listening.

Of course, it could just be Nico's imagination, but he decided to be hopeful, anyways.

Licking his lips, he tried to reach out again, his fingertips making contact with the back of Will's hand.

"Ho te, sole mio. Sei al sicuro." (I've got you, my sun. You're safe.)

He spoke quietly, clearly, wondering whether Will could understand him.

Sure, he had learned Italian, and Nico knew he had understood before, but now, he was practically crazed out of his mind.

Nico was pretty sure he wouldn't understand a word of anything in any language in that sort of situation.

Will shivered, but stilled, his breathing still hard and fast, but not spiraling out of control like before.

His hand twitched slightly, but he didn't pull it away, letting Nico's fingertips stroke over it softly.

"È vero. Sei al sicuro. Ti proteggerò io. _Ti proteggiamo_ _noi_." (That's right. You're safe. I'll protect you. _We'll protect you_.)

He heard noises behind him, Percy coming back, cursing and muttering something about Jason being crazy, but Nico paid him no mind, instead managing to wrap his hand slowly around Will's wrist, giving it a very gentle, very careful tug.

Will let out a feeble sound, but didn't fight him, his breathing slowly evening out, his eyes now half-closed, staring down at the ground as if he was concentrating, thinking, mulling over the words and making sense of them.

Or maybe he was merely too exhausted to scream anymore.

Percy settled down next to him, and Nico turned his head to him slightly, mutely asking what was going on.

"Jason ran off. I first thought he's out to kill…_that guy_, but it looked more like the Big House, so I think he's getting Chiron. The cleaning harpies…Nico, he sort of just…_electrocuted_ them…Nico, they're _dead_. This is going to be bad, Nico…" Percy whispered, and Nico's heart sank, though he merely nodded, moving his other hand towards Will, trying to get him to accept that touch, too.

Nico kept whispering to him slowly, soothingly, telling him over and over again they were here, they wouldn't hurt him, everything was going to be okay, while Percy watched quietly, not daring to speak or ask what he was saying, nor daring to touch Will, just letting Nico do his thing.

Then, Nico tried his luck and whispered he was going to get him out from under there now.

He waited for a moment, but other than a small whimper, Will didn't react, and he drew a deep breath and pulled on his wrist slowly, moving his other hand to get a better hold of Will.

Percy was holding his breath as he watched, and Nico was, too, when Will started tensing slightly, though he allowed Nico to pull him out ever so slowly.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise behind them, and Will reared back with a scream, pulling Nico a good foot along with him under the bed, and Nico cursed in Italian.

"See? And then you're fucking telling me I'm 'perceiving things the wrong way'? Does this look like _a fucking joke to you_?!" Jason hissed, anger and pain lacing his words, and Nico could hear what sounded like a hoof passing the threshold of the doorway, indicating Chiron was with him, and at the very least taking a look.

"Shh! He almost had him out!" Percy hissed, moving away from Nico with a last, reassuring touch to his side, before rushing over to Jason, starting to explain to Chiron what had happened.

Nico took a deep breath, ignoring them as he focused back on Will, who looked like a lost kitten.

A lost kitten that had just faced hell and was expecting it all over again.

"Starai meglio, sole mio. Prometto che andrà tutto bene." (You're going to be okay, my sun. I promise everything will be okay.)

He let his fingers stroke over Will's wrists, drawing patterns gently as he spoke, but it took a lot longer for Will to calm down this time.

Maybe because there was still so much noise behind them.

Nico still decided to try his luck again, telling Will he'd pull him out, even though he was fairly certain Will still couldn't understand.

It didn't matter.

What mattered was that he let Nico pull him out slowly, carefully, his blonde only flinching back lightly when his eyes met the light.

Somebody must have turned on the light.

Nico whispered gentle reassurances to him all the while, and Will seemed glued to each and every word.

Maybe it was the _sound_ of the language.

Maybe Will didn't understand the actual words, but the fact it wasn't English told him it wasn't _Kyle_.

Nico didn't know, and decided he didn't care.

As long as it helped Will, he'd gladly learn any language in the world.

He pulled him out gently, and drew him into his arms the moment his feet were far enough away from the bed frame to guarantee he wouldn't injure himself immediately, should he start thrashing again.

Will whined quietly, then his hands grabbed hold of Nico's shirt, and Nico's arms tightened around him, continuously whispering to him in Italian.

After some time, he wasn't even sure what he was telling him anymore.

He was just talking, swaying Will gently back and forth, similar to how he had done with Chuck the day before.

It was disturbing to think, that, just yesterday, all he had had to worry about was whether or not they'd manage to watch a baby satyr for a few hours.

He whispered that to Will, too.

The talking behind him stopped, and he glanced towards the door, while his fingers ran through Will's hair softly.

Chiron had his front legs bent and was looking in, his expression grim and concerned, while Percy and Jason looked over with matching worried, yet soft looks.

"Nico…?" Will whispered, the first time he didn't whimper or sob as he spoke, and Nico's gaze instantly hushed down to him.

"Si, sono io-…Yes, it's me. Are you awake now?" He started, then hurriedly switched to English.

Will was still for a moment, then he shook his head.

Nico smiled softly, stroking through his hair.

"Where's Jason and Percy?" Will asked after a moment, and Nico glanced over towards the door, where both boys were turning to send Chiron a meaningful look, as if Will had just confirmed something they had been saying.

Nico decided he didn't want to know.

It would probably just make him angry all over again, and Will needed comfort right now, not him livid about things he couldn't control.

"They're here, sunshine. Everything is okay." He replied quietly, and Will nodded ever so faintly in reply.

"Is Jason okay?" Will asked uncertainly, and Nico glanced at Jason, whose face looked…pretty damn horrible.

Those bruises looked nasty.

And it was a miracle he seemed to be able to see, really.

"He's fine. Handsome as usual." Nico lied, not wanting Will to go and attempt healing anybody anytime soon.

Jason took a little bow, and Percy's lips twitched, even with the seriousness of the situation.

Will chuckled faintly.

"He's _always_ handsome, Nico."

Nico stroked through his hair again.

"Yeah, I know. Just how Percy is always gorgeous?"

Will let out a small huff.

"Exactly. 's not fair…" Will mumbled, then his voice trailed off into something indistinguishable, and his breathing evened out.

Nico relaxed with a sigh.

He had fallen back asleep.

Hopefully, this time, he'd sleep till morning, and with no more interruptions.

Nico noted worriedly how this had been the second nightmare, and yet neither had seemed like the _actual_ nightly nightmare.

But he could merely hope that wouldn't happen on top of everything else.

Maybe he should ask his dad to do another one of those protective spells he had put on their room in the Underworld.

Sure, Will had to go through them sooner or later (apparently), but right now was seriously not the time…

He looked around at the guys again, and noticed they were just closing the door, moving back over towards him.

Apparently, the whole thing with Chiron was done.

Good.

Maybe now, the centaur would take action against _Kyle_ right away.

Nico's stomach filled with what felt like acid, and he was glad the guys were there no moment later, distracting him again as they tried as a group to maneuver Will back into bed.

It wasn't easy, but manageable, and when they settled back into bed, Nico and Percy went between the edge of the bed and Will's front, while Jason covered his back.

This way, if he started thrashing again, they could hopefully react faster and keep him safe, as well as keep him from flying out of the bed again.

"What did he say?" He whispered into the silence, hoping for good news.

Because good news would be freaking awesome right about now.

"He still wants Will to talk to him. Though he seems a lot more…inclined…to believe my part of the story." Jason said quietly, and Nico felt the resentment burn through him again.

He thought of himself as a rather reasonable person.

He was aware it had to be difficult for Chiron to run a Camp full of mostly pubescent kids, especially if one considered the whole godly aspect in it, as well as the thing with monsters and lots of death.

He was aware that Chiron wanted to be fair, wanted to give everybody a fair chance and the possibility of redemption and whatnot, especially with their numbers already so limited.

But Chiron had let a _rapist_ into Camp.

A person who was _harming_ other campers, who had the audacity to act innocent, while knowing full well of his doings.

How could Chiron let that happen?!

How had Chiron let this happen before?!

This Kyle person had been in Camp for _years_ before miraculously disappearing right after the battle against Kronos.

How many of those years had he hurt Will?

Had he hurt anybody else?

How had he gotten away with it for so long?

And his Will…

Nico's hold on his blonde tightened, trying to stomach the pain, the guilt, the anger.

Why hadn't he told them?

Why had he run away?

If he had grabbed them by the arm and dragged them with him, they would have come, they would have held him, they would have protected him from Kyle…today…

Nico's jaw clenched and he squeezed his eyes shut.

How many times had Will had to go through that?

Was this what had been bothering him all this time?

Was this what his brother had wanted to talk about with him?

Why hadn't he told them?

Nico didn't know what he'd have done, but there had to be _something_ they could have done to help him.

Instead they had all just been there uselessly, even asking Will for-…

Nico's eyes flew open, suddenly feeling sick.

Oh gods.

Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods.

They had…they had…

Nico's eyes brimmed with tears again, and he felt Percy's hold on him tightening.

Turning his head, he found Percy looking at him with matching pain and guilt in his gaze.

"We…we…"

"I know, Angel, I know…" Percy whispered, and Jason shifted, running his undamaged hand through Will's hair with pursed lips.

Will moved slightly, his hands opening and closing around Nico's shirt, a small, rattled breath escaping his lips.

_What had they done?_

How could Will have just…

They had been so ignorant.

So horribly, horribly ignorant.

"Let's sleep for now, love. It will only make him worry if we're unrested and beyond ourselves in the morning. He's so scared we'll take it badly, let's not play into that fear, okay?" Percy asked softly, pressing a kiss to the back of his head.

Nico felt a tear running down his cheek.

"He bragged about it…" He whispered, thinking of the countless times Will had winked at them, claiming to be 'experienced'.

The countless times he had told them to come to him for advice.

The countless times they had talked about anything sexual, in general.

Then he thought of how he himself had asked Will to teach him how to deepthroat, how Percy _had gotten Will to teach him for real_.

Why?

Why had he never said anything…?

"He didn't want us to know, Nico." Percy replied, and Nico shook his head, another tear rolling down his cheek.

Why?

"He was scared, Nico. Still is. It's nothing you just talk about out of nowhere, and he feared we'd treat him differently."

Nico huffed weakly, sniveling quietly.

He wouldn't have treated Will any different!

Will was still Will!

All he'd have done is watch out they wouldn't say or do anything that-…

Oh…

Nico sobbed into Will's hair.

That wasn't the same!

Will was still his Will!

Being considerate of somebody and what happened to them in the past was _not_ the same as treating them differently!

Percy stroked him gently, whispering against the back of his head for him to sleep, that they had to pull themselves together, that they had to show Will they'd be there for him no matter what, especially now.

Nico found he didn't care.

He didn't want to sleep, he didn't want to pull himself together, and he wanted to rattle some sense into Will and make him understand that they'd _always_ be there for him, which he _should already know, gods damn it!_

Was he agitated?

_Yes!_

Was he going to sleep?

_No!_

Jason's hand moved to his face, stroking through his hair and sending him a mournful look.

"He'll blame himself if you guys don't sleep." He said quietly, and Nico made a face.

Why did Jason always have to be the voice of reason?

Did he need Nico to remind him that it had been _Jason_ to beat Kyle to a pulp?

That it was Jason who had a beaten up face that would probably give Will a heart attack in the morning?

He was about to notify him of that, but then decided against it, not wanting to upset Jason.

Jason was already upset enough, after all.

As was Nico.

Though…somehow, it still didn't make sense.

Something wasn't right.

Nico had thought so the moment Kyle had shown up, had felt that unsettling feeling in his stomach, that sensation of wrongness.

Kyle was _wrong_.

Something about him was…_off_.

Nico couldn't pinpoint it, but the moment he had seen him, his alarm bells had gone off.

There was an odd aura around the guy.

Dark, like the shadows that used to surround Nico all the while.

But it wasn't shadows.

It was…something different.

And the worst was that it _reminded_ Nico of something, he had felt that sensation _before_, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

He had decided then and there not to trust Kyle, and to take his words with caution, but had also brushed the matter off, thinking Chiron would know best.

Thinking back to it, Nico should have probably said something, gathered information, asked why Kyle had come back all of a sudden, where he had been up until now, and what he thought of doing now that he was here.

But he hadn't, because he had been stupid.

And then Will had been gone, and Jason had told them to go to the training area, and then the storm had suddenly started out of nowhere and he had just _known_ something horrible must have happened.

Of course, seeing Jason trying to kill another person had turned out to be nothing he had ever expected to see, and far worse than 'horrible', but now he wished he hadn't tried to pull Jason away.

It was wrong, and it would have gotten Jason into even more trouble than he already was in, but a part of Nico absolutely agreed, that, knowing what he knew now, Kyle would have more than have deserved it.

And all of that still didn't explain the one big question.

_Why_?

Why had Kyle come back?

He couldn't have just shown up to check whether Will was still there and ready to be abused by him again.

That didn't make any sense.

And Nico didn't buy that bullshit of 'I just couldn't wait to see him again' for one minute, either.

But then why had he instantly pursued Will?

Why had he pursued him at all?

Why had he come back?

What were his intentions?

He was a bad person.

Nico could feel it.

When he had sneered at Jason after Nico had pulled him off, Nico had momentarily remembered Bryce, had remembered him threatening Reyna, the way he had tried to manipulate people around him to accommodate his wishes, to get what he wanted.

Nico had felt the tug in his gut, the urge to do the same he had done back then, to protect Jason, to protect everybody around them, but the lack of powers and the way too many kids around them had stopped him.

There were still too many questions unanswered, too.

It was obvious Kyle must have promised Chiron _something_, else the centaur would have undoubtedly kicked him out at the merest sign of him bringing trouble, especially with the dire times and the complications in Camp Jupiter right now.

Monsters might be laying low, but there was enough damage inside the Camps to give them enough to struggle with already.

But what did Kyle have to offer?

Information?

If so, on what?

He had left after the first war, and the gods only knew how he had survived all this time 'by himself', especially with the second war and the recreating monsters and all, but Nico still didn't see how anything he could tell them could possibly be of any use.

It would either be information they already had, or useless information they didn't need.

So why had Chiron let him stay?

Even if Jason had 'misinterpreted' something – which he hadn't, and Nico knew it – then the mere fact that Will _hadn't been there to protect Kyle at any given point_ should have told Chiron there had to be at least something true to Jason's story, and that Kyle's nonsense was just that: nonsense.

Still…

Nico stroked through Will's hair softly, noticing Percy must have fallen asleep behind him.

Kyle's calmness disturbed him.

He had brought up asking Will, which should make it obvious Kyle had lied.

Why did he seem so certain he'd get away with it?

It didn't make any sense.

Especially because he was forbidden from speaking to Will beforehand – not that Nico would have let him close enough to try, anyways.

Still, there was no way Will would walk up to Chiron and say 'Yeah, Jason so overreacted, Kyle and I are best pals, so yeah, sorry about everything, bye-bye'.

First of all, he'd never lie like that.

Second of all, he'd never get Jason into trouble, and most definitely not for something Jason hadn't done.

And third of all, that would require him to actually walk up to Kyle and act like best buddies, and from what Nico had gathered so far, the mere thought of Kyle _existing_ was freaking Will out to the point he wanted to run and hide.

Nico's stomach filled with acid again.

He wouldn't let Kyle close to his Will.

Nico might not have been able to be there for Will in the past, but he was here now, and he'd protect him until the very end.

Nico stroked through Will's hair, hearing him hum softly, the first hum Nico heard in what now felt like forever.

He saw Jason shift, not even pretending to be asleep, but Nico didn't say anything.

There was nothing he could say.

Only Will would be able to soothe Jason's pain.

He would also probably try and heal Jason's wounds first thing in the morning.

Nico realized they should have probably gotten one of the other healers to take a look at Jason before coming here.

…Jason wouldn't have let that happen.

Nico himself knew all that had been on his mind after finally getting out of the Big House had been to run and get to Will ASAP, only able to breathe again when he had seen Will sleeping in Percy's arms, and instantly rushing to join him.

To touch him.

Feel him.

To know he was there, he was with them, he was safe.

Nico closed his eyes, burying his face in Will's hair and ignoring the uncomfortable heat that was building around them.

He didn't care.

He needed this now.

Hopefully, Will would be able to sleep peacefully for the rest of the night.

Nico stroked over Will's arms, hearing him hum again ever so faintly.

Hopefully.

...

When Will woke up that morning, everything hurt.

He shifted, wincing when he lifted his head and brushed his bruised cheek against Nico's arm, and feeling his joints crack and muscles ache.

What had he done, run a marathon in his sleep?

He made a face, pulling a hand up to touch the puffy skin at his cheek, just to notice his knuckles were swollen as well.

Seriously, what had he-…

_Oh_.

Memories flooded Will's mind, of yesterday, of _him_, of falling asleep in Percy's arms after practically shoving his entire life story into his face, of nightmare after nightmare after nightmare, of waking up in Nico's arms on the floor, the Italian whispering sweet reassurances into his ears and cradling him like a baby.

Will groaned.

Oh no, what had he _done_?!

He was about to bury his head under the pillow and never come out again, when he froze, his mind snapping back to _yesterday_.

_Jason!_

Will wanted to turn around, knowing it had to be Jason behind him, because he could clearly see Percy's mop of dark, unruly hair poking out from behind Nico.

He _knew_ it had to be Jason – but he still found himself hesitating, afraid of it _not_ being Jason.

Afraid of Jason not being here.

Which was stupid, because he could _feel_ it being Jason, too.

Could feel it was his arm around him, could feel it was his breath against the back of Will's neck.

Could feel his values, showing he was sleeping- and also showing he was in pain.

Will's bottom lip trembled.

Pain.

Kyle had hurt him.

_Will_ had hurt him.

Taking a deep breath, Will forced himself to turn around slowly, just to gasp.

"No…"

His hands shot up, bruised knuckles be damned, his fingers instantly brushing the few hairs out of Jason's face that still fell into it, resisting the urge to touch the bruises all over Jason's face.

He looked _horrible_.

His eyes were swollen and purple, and the area around was varying shades of purple, black, green and pale blue, there was dried blood on his lips and his jaw looked even worse than his cheeks.

Will thought he was going to be sick.

_This was all his fault._

Feeling hot and cold at the same time, his hands started trailing down Jason's face to his chest to the hem of his shirt, slipping under it and moving back up to press his palms flat against Jason's chest.

Closing his eyes, he shoved the disarray inside him aside to focus solely on Jason.

His lungs were undamaged.

There were more bruises along his arms, sides and legs, as well as scratch marks, but nothing infected.

His kidneys and heart were alright.

His stomach was upset but alright.

His hand was-…

Will's eyes shot open and he jumped up, snatching Jason's arm, the one he had placed above their pillow, where nobody would get to it.

That _idiot_!

Why hadn't he said anything?!

How had they just let him go in this condition?!

Had nobody taken a look at him?

Where were his siblings, why wasn't Jason in the infirmary, were they all trying to give Will a freaking heart attack?!

He took Jason's hand gingerly into his own, feeling for the broken bones in his fingers.

How had this idiot even been able to sleep at all?

What sort of sick pain tolerance did one have to have to just brush off three broken fingers?

Why did Percy and Nico let this happen?

Hadn't they looked at Jason at all?

Will forced himself to take a deep breath, placing the hand gingerly on the pillow, where he had had his head until now.

_This was all his fault._

But he could fix it.

_He could still fix it_.

It was all okay.

He just had to go to the infirmary and-…

Will tensed, fear pooling in his stomach again.

Alright, he…he could…he still had…

Will searched for his medic pouch, but wasn't surprised when he couldn't feel it at his side.

Kyle had ripped it off.

When Will had pushed his hands into it to grab whatever he might find, Kyle had taken two big steps towards him and ripped it off, throwing it to the floor and snatching Will by the-…

Will's breath hitched in his throat, his body beginning to tremble again.

He had to think of something different.

_Now_.

His eyes hushed back to Jason.

Jason.

Jason was hurt.

Will had a job to do.

He was a healer, he was meant to heal, meant to help, meant to mend.

Will moved, still trembling, still breathing heavily, but he forced himself to focus solely on Jason.

He had to heal.

He had to fix this.

Will's hands moved up Jason's arm, trying to find the best spot.

If he had his creams with him, he could apply those first and sing some hymns to Apollo to speed up the healing of the creams.

Since he didn't, that meant he had to rely on hymns alone, and his dad wasn't the most helpful of late.

Plus, he was in the Poseidon cabin.

Maybe he could pray to Poseidon, instead.

Who knew, maybe he would have more mercy on him than his own dad ever had.

Will felt the resentment welling up inside him, but he pushed it down.

Now was not the time.

He was too old to still get angry at his father for never hearing his prayers.

His father had many children, after all.

One could not expect him to take care of any of them.

Apparently.

Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath, placing his palms back over Jason's heart.

Jason shifted slightly in his sleep, but didn't wake.

Will didn't want him to wake.

He had no idea what would happen when he woke up.

When he saw Will.

When he remembered what had happened.

When he remembered everything.

Will swallowed hard and tried to concentrate as he started humming softly, trying to reach out to Apollo.

It was wispy and feeble, but he could feel _something_, which he took as a good sign.

Humming a bit more, he waited until Jason's skin was as warm as Will's palms before beginning the first hymn.

At first, he inwardly winced at how loud his voice seemed in the quiet cabin, but the guys didn't stir, so he hoped they were in deep enough sleep to let him finish up first.

He wasn't even sure Jason would be okay with Will healing him.

What if he thought Will was-…no, then he wouldn't have come back with Nico.

Will had to believe in that.

He sang softly, repeating the hymn twice more before moving on, feeling Apollo's power flowing through Jason, slowly mending the bones in his hand, and speeding up the healing process in his face and body.

It would be okay.

He'd be okay.

Will could fix it.

There were no open wounds, so most likely no scars, but even so Will definitely wanted to rub him down with his healing cream, anyways.

Or have one of his siblings do it, if Jason preferred that.

His fingers would be okay, no lasting damage.

He'd be okay.

Will kept singing, though he felt the powers weakening, as if Apollo decided this was enough.

It wasn't.

There was still plenty of healing to be done!

Will cracked one eye open, checking Jason's face.

The bruises were only just lightening up, this couldn't be all his dad gave him!

_Come on!_

Frustrated, Will kept on going until the flow broke off with a small _'Zap!'_ that only Will could feel and hear.

Needless to say, Jason was still not completely healed up.

"Thanks a lot, dad." Will grumbled, checking Jason's hand first, relieved to find at least his bones had mended entirely.

At least something.

With a sigh, he let himself drop back onto the pillow, gazing at the blonde.

He could use his own power.

He knew he could do it.

But he also knew the guys might be upset if they woke up and he was already out-powered.

Then again, only Jason and Nico really knew he had his own power in the first place, and Nico might not even remember, and he could tell Jason he was just still…tired…

Yes, that was exactly what he should do, right after everything he had just put them through.

Deceive them and lie to them even more.

Could Will be any more despicable?

Will huffed to himself, but then his eyes hushed back over Jason's face.

He still looked pained.

Will knew it wasn't all just his physical injuries, but the medic inside him wanted to see Jason completely healed, anyways.

But…again, what if Jason didn't want him to?

Then again, who wouldn't want to wake up and find their injuries gone?

Jason wasn't the sort of guy who ran around sporting a black eye and bragging about it, after all.

He didn't want to show off in how many fights he had gotten.

Jason didn't even show off the scars he had gotten in battle.

If anything, Will sometimes felt as if he was trying to hide them.

Like Nico tended to do.

Only Percy really didn't seem to give a damn, but…well, that was Percy.

It didn't matter.

What mattered was that Jason was hurting, and wasn't it Will's job as a healer to fix that?

To heal him?

He might not be able to take his emotional pain from him, but he could at the very least take all the physical pain.

And, since he had the ability to do that, why not do it?

Will reasoned with himself for a while longer, then he came closer, cupping Jason's face gently.

Jason immediately shifted again, moving his face down and placing a soft kiss to Will's forehead, momentarily stunning him.

Then Jason's arms moved around him, tugging him closer – and disabling Will from doing any serious healing.

_Jason!_

Will wanted to be upset with him, but his heart was thumping too hard and loud in his chest for him to even fool himself.

He wiggled around a bit, not exactly trying to get Jason to loosen his hold or let go of him, but also kind of hoping he'd get a bit more freedom to move properly.

Jason sighed softly, running his hands up and down Will's back.

That…that felt pretty damn nice.

Couldn't Will just stay here for a little while longer?

(Forever…)

With a deep sigh, Will pushed himself upwards, his hands back to cupping Jason's face, feeling him beginning to wake ever so slowly.

_Uh-oh._

Alright, he had to hurry.

Will closed his eyes, concentrating all over again, but this time on his own power, not Apollo's.

It was difficult.

Much more difficult than he'd have thought.

Jason started shifting more, his fingers trailing over Will's side softly, before his hand set right on the exposed skin at Will's hips, where his shirt had ridden up, and his opened pants (?) had slid down.

Will shivered at the contact, then suddenly felt the tug in his gut.

Oh.

Well, okay.

Focusing on Jason's face in his hands, he collected his powers, then let them flow through his fingers into Jason.

It felt…different from channeling it through his lips, and he could instantly tell this was a lot more exhausting, remembering Leah all over again.

Will took a rattling breath, focusing on the job at hand.

It was a lot more precise though.

He could feel his powers seep through his fingertips right into Jason's skin, spreading out and doing their magic, much better than he had felt it during the two times he had resorted to…'kissing'.

Jason hummed softly, and Will found himself smiling slightly, opening his eyes the smallest crack.

Jason's face was glowing.

Probably because Will's hands were glowing.

Will had a hunch the rest of him was glowing, too.

He had to work on that in the future.

No wonder he got worn out so quickly, if his powers just decided to flow out of him like that.

He looked up at Jason's face again, stroking his thumbs over his cheekbones, feeling and watching the bruises disappearing, and his skin regaining its natural color and texture again.

Good.

Will slowly let his powers fade out, panting heavily when the glow finally stopped, his vision slightly blurry.

But it was okay.

Jason was alright now.

At least physically.

Will kept his hands on his cheeks, his thumbs still stroking over them softly as he tried to get his eyes to focus again.

Then, he felt the relief flooding through him as he took in Jason's once more unmarred face.

Yes, this was much better.

Tired, exhausted, and giddily pleased with himself for the moment, Will leaned up and placed a gentle peck to Jason's jaw, then let himself drop back against his chest with a loud sigh.

Alright, he was done for.

Time to go back to sleep.

He felt Jason stirring, slowly waking up.

…Apparently, no more sleep for Will.

All of his earlier doubts and worries came rushing back, and he felt himself tensing.

How would Jason react when he woke up?

Will _would_ contemplate acting asleep, but Jason was bound to notice he was all healed up, so he'd know Will was awake…or at the very least had been awake…

What if he left?

What if he just woke up, remembered everything, realized who he was holding…and pushed Will away, before rushing out of the cabin?

Will couldn't blame him if he did, of course, but…

Jason shifted, then let out a low hum, tugging Will closer, his nose moving to the side of Will's neck, close to his ear.

Swallowing hard, Will could feel his heart beating even faster in his chest, so loud Jason was bound to hear it, and thus another reason Will wouldn't be able to pretend being asleep.

Will squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm his breathing – but then he suddenly remembered _him_, remembered the way he had held Will pinned to the wall, remembered him grasping Will's wrists tightly with one hand, holding him in place.

_Trapping him_.

Jason's hold on him tightened, and Will let out a small gasp, his body tensing up involuntarily.

No, no, this wasn't _him_, this was Jason, everything was okay!

He _knew_ everything was okay!

Jason's eyes snapped open, and he instantly let go of Will.

"_Shit_! I'm so sorry, I shouldn't…" Jason started, pushing away from Will and sitting up, and Will let out a small, desperate whimper, trying to reach out in time to stop him, to hold him back.

But his hands didn't cooperate, and by the time he managed to move them, Jason was already out of the bed.

Will sat up, feeling his heart aching as he watched Jason staring at him with nothing but pain and guilt in his gaze.

"Jason…"

Jason drew a sharp breath, then suddenly blinked, his hands flying up to his face.

Will struggled to get out of the bed, moving over Percy and Nico as carefully as he could, looking up at Jason with utter apprehension.

What was he going to say?

Would he be upset?

Did he even remember?

Will wasn't sure what to think, nor what to hope for, his heart in his throat, and his hands beginning to tremble with fear.

Not fear of Jason, but of how he might react.

He watched the realization washing over him, then the blonde looked at him, his expression…guarded.

Oh no, that couldn't possibly be good.

"You healed me?"

That didn't sound good.

That didn't sound good at all.

Will swallowed, then nodded slowly, looking down and noticing he wasn't wearing his shoes anymore.

He'd have to clean Percy's-…

"You shouldn't have healed me, Will." Jason said slowly, and Will's heart sank.

He should have waited.

Should have asked Jason.

He usually always asked permission to heal, unless it was a matter of life-or-death.

"I'm sorry. I thought I'd…since it's my fault, I…" He started, noticing his voice was shaking, though he couldn't help it.

His heart ached when Jason took a step away from him.

"It's not your fault. I was the one throwing the punches, not you." Jason said, still sounding so horribly guarded.

Will couldn't help but flinch at his words, anyways.

Jason had thrown the punches, not Will.

Will had just stood there and let Kyle do as he pleased.

Oh gods, he didn't even want to know how it must have looked to Jason.

Who knew what he had seen, how long he had been there.

But Will had tried to fight!

He had tried to…to find a weapon…to find anything to help him.

Of course, he had ended up being stupid and useless and throwing packs of band-aids at Kyle while trying to run away from the corner he had put himself in, only remembering his medic pouch with possible weapons when it was too late, but…but…

He had tried…

"I…I know…" He replied slowly, unable to think of anything else to say.

A part of him wanted to apologize, wanted to explain, wanted to fall to his knees and beg for Jason to _understand_.

Another part of him wanted to turn around and run.

He did neither, instead just standing there and staring at the ground.

Jason took a deep breath, and Will squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the blow.

Not physical, Jason would never hit him.

No, he was waiting for the-…

"So…that was your big secret, huh?"

There.

Will drew his shoulders up, as if it would protect him somehow.

It didn't, of course.

It probably only made him look even more pathetic.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered, his voice still shaking, and for a moment, he thought he could hear Jason moving towards him.

But then, he seemed to be stumbling backwards again, and Will had to bite the inside of his mouth to stop himself from something stupid like sobbing.

He was disgusted of him, wasn't he?

He knew, didn't he?

Jason took another deep breath.

"What are you sorry for? If I remember correctly, it's not you who's the lying, abusive asshole."

Will flinched, drawing into himself more and more.

Yes, Jason knew, alright.

Not that Will had really doubted it.

_Of course_ Jason knew.

Will thought of what to reply, what to say, but all his mind came up with were more apologies.

But that would only upset Jason even more, wouldn't it?

So Will remained silent, unable to even as much as lift his head to look Jason in the eye.

Jason let out a pained sigh, tearing Will apart from the inside.

"If anything, it should be me apologizing, don't you think?" He said, and Will's hands balled into fists at his side, his body beginning to shake rather than tremble now.

_No_.

No, please not.

Jason was going to tell him there was no chance for a 'them' anymore, wasn't he?

He was going to tell him he had been wrong, that Will had been right, that it was too much.

This was too much.

Of course it was.

It was too much for Will, too.

Last night had shown that only all too well.

"I can't believe I didn't figure it out before." Jason muttered, and Will glanced up at him for a moment, seeing him rubbing at his face with his hand, looking grave, looking pained.

Will looked down again.

He wanted to say so many things.

'I'm sorry.'

'I tried to hide it well.'

'I didn't want you to know.'

'I wanted to tell you.'

'I love you.'

Will said nothing.

"I mean, there were enough signs. Gods, I was so blind." Jason continued with a grave sigh, and Will cringed inwardly.

"And it explains so many things, too."

Will tensed.

"I'm sorry…"

It slipped out.

He instantly regretted it.

"Stop saying that, Will. I get why you didn't tell me, I get it. I understand that it's not something you just mention at the side, I understand you were afraid. I know now why you were so adamant about…about us not working out…"

Will flinched hard, his breath hitching in his throat.

He had been right.

Jason had changed his mind.

Of course he had.

Will had known he would.

"…I mean, I get it. I hate it, but I get it…" Jason continued, running a hand through his hair as he talked, but Will started shaking his head rapidly.

"No…"

"And I…I know I fucked up, Will. I know that…that what we did was…was…"

No…

Jason couldn't…

Will felt the tears running down his face, his hands now clawing his thighs in an attempt to hold onto _something._

"Don't…" He whispered feebly.

But Jason didn't seem to hear him.

"I know it was wrong, that I shouldn't have…I should have cleared up the misunderstanding right away. And I'm sorry. I know it won't fix anything, that this won't fix anything but…I'm sorry. I really am."

Will's heart broke, pain searing through him as his gaze snapped up to Jason, though he couldn't even see him clearly anymore, his tears blurring his vision.

"No! Jason, Jason please, I…I…we can…"

"Don't. Will, I'm sorry I was pushing you all this time. I didn't…I didn't mean to…I just…I just wanted you to…I thought…" Jason started struggling for words, moving two steps towards him, and Will wanted him to come closer, wanted him to hold him, wanted to hold him back.

Wanted another chance.

Just one.

Jason took a sharp breath, stopping again.

"You…you should have told me, Will. I know now you tried to stop me, but…you should have told me."

Will had wanted to!

Tears ran down his cheeks, and he rubbed at his face with his arms hastily, sobbing pathetically.

"I…I couldn't…I tried to…I wanted to…I didn't…I didn't know how you'd react!" He found himself bristling, unable to help himself.

He even felt himself stomping his foot on the ground.

This time, it was Jason flinching back.

"I've never talked about this with anybody before, Jason! And no, my dead brother doesn't fucking count! I couldn't just walk up to you and say 'Oh hey, Jason, sweetheart, by the way, I was raped', could I now? I didn't want you to know! I didn't want any of you to know! Do you have any idea how people react when they hear you were raped? Half of them will fucking laugh in your face, saying something like 'Guys can't get raped, they always want it' or 'You wanted it, just get over it', and the other half will pity you as if you're not a functioning person anymore! I didn't want you to know, and I didn't want to see how you'd react!" He yelled, and heard movement behind him, signaling he had just successfully woken Percy and Nico.

Good job, Will.

"Well, it would have been important to know that I was doing the same fucking thing to you, Will!" Jason snapped back, and Will winced.

There was a gasp behind him, but he ignored it.

"That's different!" He shot back but Jason snorted derisively.

"It's not, and you know it. I did the same fucking thing to you he did."

"No!"

"Then why are you scared of me?!" Jason snapped loudly, and Will took a step back.

It was automatic.

Instinctive.

It was the worst thing he'd ever done.

Jason was shaking, his expression full of pain, and Will stared back at him, opening and closing his mouth, no sound coming out.

"I'm not…" He whispered, but Jason just shook his head.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jason asked, his voice unbelievably soft.

Will shook his head.

"You should have stopped me, Will."

Why?

Why was this happening?

Why did Will have to be right?

Why did Jason have to leave him?

Why did Jason have to regret everything?

Why did Will always fuck up?

"I tried to…" He whispered, and Jason looked away, swallowing hard.

"I'm sorry." The blonde then said, his voice sounding hollow, broken.

Will took a step towards him, searching for something, anything, to say that would fix this, fix them, that would allow them to…to be okay again…

"I _wanted_ to tell you! I really did, Jason! I…I really…I hoped we could…but I didn't know how you'd react! I didn't know what you'd _do_, Jason!"

He was bristling again, was yelling again, was looking down with the tears clouding his vision, flowing down his cheeks, his nose, crashing down around him like the rain he could hear outside.

Suddenly, there was movement, and two big, strong arms wrapped around him, Jason's arms, pressing him tightly against him.

"_This_, Will. _This_ is what I'd have done." Jason whispered, his voice cracking, and there was something wet trickling into Will's neck, right where Jason's face was.

He gasped, too stunned to react for a moment, standing there uselessly and frozen.

But the moment he managed to move his arms, to get them to move around Jason, to hold him there, to keep him close forever…Jason was already pulling away.

And by the time Will opened his eyes, all he could see was the cabin door slamming shut as Jason stormed out.

Jason was gone.

Will stood there, staring at the door, the realization sinking in.

Will stood there, staring at the door, the tears running down his face like rivers.

Will stood there, staring at the door, the guys moving into his field of vision from left and right, gazing at him worriedly.

Will stood there, staring at the door, the guys talking to him, saying words he couldn't hear, the pounding in his ears too loud.

Will stood there, staring at the door, the realization _sinking in_.

Jason was gone.

Will had fucked up.

Jason was gone.

Will had lost him.

Jason was gone.

Will broke down, the guys barely catching him.

_Jason was gone._

He was gone, gone, gone.

And it was all Will's fault.


	36. Chapter 36: Whispers

**A/N: **Hey Cupcakes :D

First of all: Thank you so much for all the (surprisingly positive) feedback on the last chapter!

Next: I'm so sorry, but there'll be more angst coming Q_Q

Again, if anybody needs me to sum the chapter up, just shoot me a message, leave a comment, anything, with a way of reaching you, and I'll do it.

Thank you all for sticking with this story, and let's hope there'll be happier times ahead.

Wish you all the best,  
-Tári

* * *

**Trigger warnings for this chapter:**  
\- People talking/muttering  
\- Negative comments / Downplaying of abuse/rape  
\- Mentioned past abuse of family member  
\- Nausea due to shock/fear  
**\- Attempted rape**  
**\- Violence / Murder**  
\- Playing with fears

**!Please don't read this if you think/know it might trigger you!**

* * *

**Chapter 36: Arguments, Whispers, and Will's pocket watch goes swimming**

The day already started so horribly, Percy wanted to call it an end and drag them all back to bed.

Seriously, what had _that_ been?!

One moment, he had been sleeping, dreaming of them all on a ship at sea, with no worries, no problems, just the four of them having fun…and the next moment, he had woken up to Will yelling and sobbing, and Jason being a fucking idiot.

_Could anybody believe it?_

Had Percy expected there to be a talk?

_Yes._

Had he thought Jason and Will would be yelling at each other from one end of the room to the other, until Jason bolted from the room and Will broke down crying?

_No!_

In his head, it had more played out with the four of them staying in bed and Will saying as much as he wished to let the other two know, and Jason being understanding and supportive – maybe threatening to kill Kyle in every other sentence – but them all being…well, _okay_ again.

Apparently, no such chance.

Jason hadn't shown up again either, that major idiot.

What had all that been about, anyways?

What had he meant with his whole 'I did the same to you as Kyle'-thing he had sort of thrown at them?

From what Percy had gathered, Jason knew full well just what Kyle had done to Will.

And Will had told Percy yesterday that the thing with Jason hadn't been anything like that.

Percy wasn't stupid, he knew those two had gotten sexual, his guess so far still being either hand- or blowjobs, though he liked neither option.

(He didn't understand how they had just randomly decided to do that in the middle of the night, but who was he to judge?)

(He had his opinion on the matter, of course, but that was of no importance right now.)

Still, Will had said Jason hadn't raped him, hadn't done anything of the kind, so why would Jason throw that out there?

Maybe he _should_ ask Will to tell him about that…fateful encounter.

Sure, he'd hate it, but at least it might explain a few things.

Maybe it was all just a misunderstanding.

After all, it seemed like there were a lot of misunderstandings between those two.

Or the four of them, in general.

Like when Will had thought he hadn't been invited.

Laughable, but for Will, one seriously had to spell out everything.

_E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g_.

And somehow, it just felt that, when it came to Will and Jason, they _both_ needed everything spelled out for them.

Now, if only Jason was here, so Percy could rant at him about this.

But he wasn't.

He was gods knew where (hopefully in his cabin), being an idiot.

Percy was _so_ done with him.

He sighed, looking sideways at Will, who was wrapped up in a blanket, looking like doom and gloom, and holding Percy's glass of water as if his life depended on it.

If he wasn't in such a horrible condition, Percy would probably rant at him, too, and tell him to go after Jason.

But Will was in absolutely no condition to do any such thing, so Percy was glad if he at least drank his water.

He had no idea what he was even doing.

No idea what they _should_ be doing.

How did one reassure and comfort somebody in this sort of situation?

How did one react after…after finding out almost everything there was to possibly find out?

Percy still had Will's words swirling around in his head, had the pictures in his head said words had created, had the anger and resentment and contempt at Kyle bubbling inside him permanently now.

How should he deal with this?

Was he supposed to talk to Will in a specific way?

In normal conversations?

Right now, they more focused on either reassuring him or talking about random things to get his mind off Kyle, Jason, his past, everything.

But how was he supposed to act in the future?

Will had made it obvious he hadn't wanted them to know _specifically_ because he didn't want them treating him any differently.

But they couldn't really just act like nothing had happened and continue as if everything was fine, could they now?

Especially not anytime soon.

Will wasn't fine.

He was far from fine.

It was like back in Nico's room, when they had come back from Elysium, when Will had seemed like an utter wreck, when they had suddenly been confronted with comforting the person that usually always comforted them.

Just that now they knew that the reason behind it all wasn't anything Will had done or hadn't done, but all the things that _had been done_ to Will.

Rage bubbled up inside Percy again, the white hot anger making itself known again and making him want to find Kyle and continue Jason's work of thrashing his face.

But he didn't.

Instead, he put an arm around Will and stroked over his back, the same way Nico was doing from the other side.

"Do you want us to get you some breakfast?" He asked, trying to sound casual, but Will shook his head, sipping on his water listlessly.

"Not hungry, thanks."

Percy and Nico exchanged a telling look.

"You barely ate anything yesterday, Will. It won't do you any good to starve." Nico said quietly, and Percy tensed slightly.

If this was anybody but Nico speaking, Will would snap at them, he was certain.

Even now, it looked as if Will was ready to argue, his brows furrowing and his lips already parting to undoubtedly pick a fight.

But then, he didn't, instead slumping slightly again.

"Yeah…alright. Alright. You're probably right. Plus, can't have you two starving, either, after all. Okay, let's go." He declared, sounding as if he was trying to convince himself.

Then, to both Percy's and Nico's surprise, he suddenly made to get up.

"What are you…"

"I can walk just fine, Percy. Let's go grab something to eat. Unless you're saying I shouldn't show my face outside anymore?" Will snapped at him, and Percy instantly lifted his arms placatingly to calm him down.

Seriously, this was a _horrible_ day.

Will's expression softened, and he looked down, guilty and rueful.

"Sorry. I…I didn't mean it like that." The blonde said softly, and Percy inwardly cringed.

"It's okay. If you want to come with, then of course you can. I just thought you'd be more comfortable staying here with one of us, that's all."

Nico nodded in agreement.

Will halted for a moment, his gaze seeming searching as he looked Percy in the eyes, though Percy wasn't sure what he was looking for.

"Do you want me to stay here?" Will asked, his voice ominously quiet and blank, and Percy blinked in confusion.

Was that…not a good thing?

Kyle was still out there, what if he was at breakfast?

Was Will really ready to face Kyle? Face even just the _possibility_ of facing Kyle?

And what about the other kids?

Percy didn't like to think about it, but Jason _had_ kind of yelled it across the Camp that Kyle had raped Will.

And he knew from the muttering and murmuring that plenty enough kids had heard.

While Percy had close to no doubt nobody would actually start any 'Guys can't be raped'-bullshit, he was pretty sure there would be people giving Will the pity he seemed to despise so much.

Then there was still the fact that Chiron was letting Kyle stay until he had heard Will's part of the story, so who knew what rumors or bullshit some kids might come up with.

Kyle seemed to have been rather well-known back when he used to go here, after all.

Percy couldn't really remember.

It had been _years_, after all, and he could only vaguely remember seeing the guy in passing, never paying him much attention.

_'__It had been like you and Luke.'_

Percy inwardly made a face.

Why was everyone always bringing up Luke like that?

Sure, Percy had to admit he had sort of…been impressed…and…okay, maybe, if he hadn't been raised thinking he'd end up with a girlfriend, he might have entertained the thought of having a…a minor crush…on Luke, but that didn't mean anything!

…Right, and Will was still waiting for an answer.

Percy shrugged.

"It's up to you, sun-bug. I just want you to be comfortable. We…don't know who'll be in the dining pavilion, after all." He tried carefully, not wanting to say 'Kyle', but also wanting to remind Will there was the possibility.

Will tensed, something flashing over his face that looked like uncertainty and fear, but then it was gone, and he glanced sideways at Nico in apparent surprise.

Percy realized a moment later that this was probably because Nico had taken Will's hand.

"He's forbidden from speaking to Will. If he's there, he won't bother us. Let's go." Nico said, sounding unusually brisk and cool, and Percy felt the air around his boyfriend shift, as if daring anybody to harm what was his.

The thought was oddly disconcerting and comforting at the same time.

He glanced at Will again, and found him nodding quietly, before Nico tugged him over to the door, giving him his leather jacket, since Jason had kind of torn Will's jacket last night.

Percy could still see it where Jason had thrown it, could see the seam right next to the zipper torn from top to bottom, could remember glancing around and seeing Jason's frantic expression as he tried to free Will of his confinement.

He shook his head hurriedly, getting up and bringing Will's shoes to him, before slipping into his own.

Somehow, he still didn't think taking Will to breakfast was a good idea.

But Nico and Will seemed to have made up their minds, so he guessed he'd just have to go along with it.

"Ready to go?" Nico asked, and Percy watched Will nod resolutely, pulling the jacket closed in front of him with one hand, as if to ward off the world.

His other hand was still in Nico's care.

They left the cabin, Nico to Will's left, Percy to his right, and he could instantly spot a few demigods looking over at them and putting their heads together, all talking in hushed voices and _staring_ at Will.

Great.

They hadn't even completely closed the door, and Percy already wanted to drag his guys back in there, bolt up the door and get back to bed.

But Nico was tugging Will along, so Percy had to swallow the bile rising in his throat and followed, shooting dark looks at anybody and everybody that stared at them for too long.

Will tensed next to him when they passed a couple of Athena kids, and Percy looked sideways at him worriedly.

Was he going to be okay?

They could still turn around…

Will met his gaze, and the uncertainty was back for a moment, but then his eyes hardened, and he shook his head slightly.

Percy's jaw set, but he didn't argue.

If Will wanted to do this, then they'd do this.

"We…we have to go by the infirmary later. My…my medic pouch is still there." Will said as they neared the dining pavilion, his voice sounding strained.

Percy couldn't blame him.

He couldn't even imagine how horrible it had to be for Will to even think of the infirmary right now, to think of what had happened yesterday.

Wait…his medic pouch was still there?

Why was it still there?

Had Will taken it off?

Had _Kyle_ taken it off?

Just how far had Kyle gotten with his assault?

"We'll pick it up for you if you want." Nico offered, and Will gave a small nod.

"Thank you. It's…I don't know if my siblings picked it up already. If not, it's in the last room to the left, on the ground. Next to…next to the window. I don't think anything spilled, so if there's still a mess next to it, that's not…that's all from the cupboard. Nothing important." Will started babbling, and Percy inwardly cringed, trying hard not to think of _why_ the pouch was on the floor, _why_ there was a mess from the cupboard, _why_ anything was the way it was now.

"Okay, we'll check. Is there anything else you need from there?" Nico asked almost casually as he strolled into the dining pavilion, his hold on Will's hand unwavering.

Will paled as he glanced around at the people already seated, all of which of course instantly looking around at him, some seeming curious, some apprehensive (?), some outright hostile (?), while the rest looked at him with rather pitying and sympathetic looks on their faces.

"I…no, I'm good, thanks. Everything I need is in the pouch." He replied, licking his lips nervously and making to move to the Hades table, but Nico apparently had other ideas, going straight for the Poseidon table, instead.

…What?

Percy frowned, but followed, only realizing once Nico ushered Will onto the bench that this got them further away from the Hermes table.

It was that realization that made Percy look around, and his blood froze in his veins.

_He was there._

Sitting next to a tall, lean kid that Percy faintly thought was called Simon, and with Travis and Connor sitting opposite him staring daggers at him, was Kyle, happily eating what appeared to be toast.

Somehow, he didn't even have to look their way for the anger to nearly overflow inside Percy.

He knew full well Kyle knew they were there.

But he forced down the snarl threatening to escape his lips, instead noting with great satisfaction he was still sporting the bruises Jason had given him.

Plus, most of the other Hermes kids sat a tad distanced from the 'guest', meaning he at the very least wasn't feeling very welcomed.

Not that Kyle seemed to mind in any way.

"Percy, sit. Do you know what you'll have for breakfast?" Nico asked, seeming perfectly unbothered by the looks of everybody around them.

Percy looked around at him, grinding his teeth and contemplating possible replies.

Kyle's head on a silver platter was the first thing that came to mind.

He had a hunch Nico wouldn't appreciate that answer, though.

"What does my doctor say?" He asked instead, figuring this was as good a chance as any to get Will's focus away from the people around him, since he was tense and stiff and staring down at his plate with a forcefully blank look, undoubtedly catching every single word that was being said around them.

At his words, Will looked up at him, looking rather miserable, and Percy wished they hadn't let him come.

"I don't know. Eat whatever you like…actually, eat something sweet. I think your blood sugar was low earlier. Could have also been Nico's, though. Or…" Will's mouth snapped shut again, and Percy's insides churned.

Jason, you _idiot_.

Idiot, idiot, idiot.

Where was he?

Why wasn't he here?

Why wasn't he helping them watch over Will and protect him from the vile evil that was still so very close?

"Will do, Doctor Solace. Want to share something?" He asked hopefully, sitting down and concentrating on his plate, thinking of what to eat.

He didn't have high hopes for Will to actually say yes, of course, but he guessed it was well worth a try.

"…Sure. Are you guys coming with for the offering?" Will seemed nervous, fidgety, and Percy realized a moment later Kyle was looking over at them.

Could Will see it?

Could he _feel_ it?

Or was it just coincidence?

Will paled even more, closing his eyes to take a deep breath, though Percy could see his hands beginning to shake, his knuckles turning white.

Nico shifted closer, casually putting his hand over Will's, and Will's expression turned conflicted for a moment, before he forced himself to take another deep breath, urging his shoulders to relax again.

"Of course we will." Nico replied calmly, and Percy wondered how he did it.

How could he be so composed, so…calm?

Percy wanted to rip out trees, wanted to pull out Riptide and casually turn it in his hands as if he contemplated how to best use it next, wanted to flip the table and rush to Kyle and beat him up just as Jason had done…and Nico was just sitting there, conjuring up food and seeming utterly composed and casual.

Kyle was right _there_, yet Nico paid him no mind, same as he paid nobody else around them any mind.

It made no sense.

This was _Nico_, _his_ Nico, who usually _always_ cared about what people around them thought.

Yet, right now, Nico acted as if nothing around them mattered, as if he was a king, and everyone around them was beneath him, and thus unworthy of his attention.

The Ghost King.

Nico radiated power.

Percy wished he could do the same, act the same, be the same way.

Will looked ready to be sick, but nodded, and the two got up, leaving Percy to hurriedly conjure up a bunch of random things and a piece of blue cake before following the two, trailing right behind them as Nico took to Will's side – 'coincidentally' the side facing the Hermes cabin.

Percy noticed most of the kids were still watching them, though he couldn't make out any of the words that were being whispered and mumbled all around them.

He didn't know why they all seemed so 'curious' in the first place.

He especially didn't know what the _hostile_ looks were for.

It wasn't many kids, but it still stood out among the other, more curious or sympathetic (or sickeningly pitying) expressions, and Percy racked his brain for a possible explanation.

But there was nothing that really gave him any pointers or clues.

They weren't even all from one cabin or anything, one of them seeming like an Ares kid, another at the Demeter table, and two were just standing there, outright glaring at them.

The only thing he could see they had in common, was that they all seemed older already, so Percy's best guess was that they knew Kyle from years ago.

Though that still didn't explain how they could glower at them when the actual abusive son of a bitch was right over there.

Maybe they believed the whole 'Jason had misinterpreted it all'-thing Percy had caught wind of last night, when Jason had gotten Chiron and snapped at him about it.

He didn't know much else though, since Nico hadn't yet told him much of the talk with Chiron.

Apparently, Kyle seemed to have made up a rather doubtful story saying Jason had beaten him up without reason, or something along those lines.

Percy wouldn't know how these kids would know of that cock-and-bull story if Kyle had had to stay in the Hermes cabin all the while up until now, but he didn't particularly care, either.

If those kids were dumb enough to believe it, it was their problem.

They stopped at the fire, and Percy gave some scrambled eggs to his dad, a piece of toast to Hades, and a mixture of the rest to Demeter, Persephone and Apollo.

'_Please keep Will safe_.' He thought, hoping his prayers would reach at least one of them, though he knew the chances were slim they'd care enough.

Maybe Persephone would help somehow.

She _had_ claimed that Will was her favorite, after all.

And she _had_ said she wanted to 'adopt' him.

If Apollo didn't help…

Percy felt sick as he realized what Will had meant with 'My dad has never been there for me in my life' all that time ago.

That explained so, so much.

And Percy's insides filled with even more misery and pain.

He forced himself to shake the thought off as he turned towards Will and Nico, nodding quietly to show he was done, and the three made their way back.

"You know, therefore that he's _supposedly_ been so 'raped' and all, he seems perfectly alright."

"I know right? And I thought he was dating Jackson, Grace and the di Angelo kid? Doesn't sound like something somebody would do after being 'raped', does it now?"

Percy's jaw clenched, and Will stumbled over his own feet, but Nico kept him upright, walking past the tables as if they couldn't hear them.

_Who had said that?_

Percy let his gaze wander, trying to pinpoint the mutters he could make out, trying to memorize faces for later.

It was no use.

Too much muttering, too many faces, too many words and voices at once.

"Shut up! Leave him alone, will you? He has enough shit going on as it is!" Another kid snapped, but was only met with a quiet laugh, and they fell silent again.

"If he was truly feeling so shitty, he wouldn't have shown up. I say Grace simply snapped for no reason, and now they're trying to frame Kyle for it."

"I know Jason, and he doesn't just snap for no reason."

"Maybe he's finally showing his true nature. He isn't from _here_, after all, if you know what I mean…"

What the hell?!

Nico shot him a warning look as Percy searched for the owners of the voices, but no still no chance.

"Does Will look like a rape victim to you?"

"Are we playing the 'Spot-the-victim'-game? Because I don't remember participating. My sister was abused and raped by our step-dad, and I don't remember there being a fucking stamp on her forehead saying 'Rape Victim'. She was all smiles and laughs until I found her beaten up and half-dead in a cupboard in the kitchen after he had 'gotten bored'. You think this is funny? Think it was funny when I carried her two blocks down to my aunt to get her to a hospital? Watch what you're fucking saying."

Percy knew _that_ voice.

Looking around, he met Bill's gaze at the Ares table, the girl next to him spilling her drink everywhere with a loud gasp, and Percy thought she might have been the one glaring at them before.

Now she wasn't glaring anymore, instead staring at the young boy next to her in horror.

Bill nodded at him, and Percy nodded back, silent understanding passing between them.

Then Percy started hearing more supportive muttering, though the glances and stares didn't subside.

"Percy. _Focus_." Nico reminded him sternly as they sat down again and Percy nearly missed the bench.

He nodded ruefully, catching Will looking at him so oddly again, just like earlier.

"Ignore them, cuore mio. If you pay them any attention, they have won. We are above that. Will has done nothing he has to be ashamed of, so there is no reason for him to hide. Nor is there any reason for us to be affected by the empty, ignorant words of others." Nico said calmly, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world, and…maybe it was.

Percy nodded, noticing Will looking down at his plate with a conflicted look on his face, not touching his food.

Nico was right.

There was nothing Will had to be ashamed of.

If anybody should be ashamed, it was the asshole over at the Hermes table.

Percy wasn't ashamed of being here with Will, either.

Sitting up straighter, he started collecting some of his food on his fork, blocking out the rest of the world.

"Want some, sun-bug?" He asked softly, and Will looked up at him with sad eyes, the blue eerily dull compared to the vivid, bright gleam they usually held.

Will looked from him to the fork, then shook his head quietly.

Percy wasn't discouraged, instead smiling at him and watching him _finally_ beginning to eat his own food.

Right when he was about to concentrate on his own plate, somebody stopped next to them, and all three of them looked up to see Cecil standing there, a torn look on his face.

"Will…"

Will's jaw clenched, though he automatically made to get up.

Nico held him back without even looking, and Will halted, though he absolutely didn't look happy about it.

"Is it…is it true? What they say? I wasn't there yesterday, but they say there was a fight, and that you…you…" Cecil started, looking almost as pale as Will, and Percy looked around at Will again, who was staring down at the table, working his jaw.

Nico was looking at him, too, his eyebrows furrowing slightly when Will didn't reply.

All it took was a 'Yes'.

Or a nod of his head.

Why wasn't Will doing any of that?

"_Cecil_! I told you to leave him alone!" A female voice suddenly sounded, and Percy glanced around at Lou Ellen stomping towards them, a livid look on her face.

Cecil winced.

As did Will.

"I just wanted to _know_!"

"And I told you to leave him alone, especially with tons of fucking nosy people around us who can't mind their own business!" She hissed, and several campers hurriedly looked away, suddenly seeming unbelievably busy.

"Oh, but why's that? Shouldn't everybody have the right to ask? All he wanted was a definite answer." A new voice said, loud and clear in the hushed muttering around them, and Percy's blood started boiling again immediately.

_Kyle._

Will flinched, his entire body going rigid.

Cecil caught the movement, same as Percy and Nico did, and Percy could see the son of Hermes paling even more, his eyes widening in realization.

"It's true…" He breathed barely audibly, disbelief lacing his words.

Will didn't look up.

He was staring at the table, looking as if he was either going to be sick, or jump up and run.

Lou Ellen looked around at Kyle darkly.

"Shut your mouth, you liar. Will owes _nobody_ any answers. If anyone should spill, it's _you_. Then again, nothing but _trash_ seems to come out of your mouth, anyways." She spat, and the way she said it indicated Kyle must have been giving a little speech at some point, probably even here, sprouting more of his lies.

That would explain the looks and the muttering.

How had Percy not thought of that?

He glanced towards Will, just to find him wide-eyed and petrified, pale as a ghost.

Not a good sign.

Kyle didn't seem perturbed in the slightest, looking around at Lou Ellen as if he was merely disappointed she'd think that way of him.

Then, a smile formed on his face that looked a lot more like a sneer, though that might have also been because of his bruises.

"I'm sorry if I have offended you, Miss. It was not my intention. All I wished to say was that things would be a lot easier for everybody if _William_ told them what truly happened."

Percy saw Nico's hand flying to Will's, squeezing it tightly, and it took him a moment to realize Will now _really_ looked as if he was going to be sick any second now, the fear in his eyes making way for utmost _terror_.

What?

_What?_

What did this _mean_?

What was he scared of?

Kyle couldn't possibly do anything from so far away, couldn't do anything with all these people around!

If Will just said 'You're an abusive asshole', or an 'It's true', or a simple, yet effective scream while looking at Kyle…that would solve it all, and Kyle could fucking pack his shit and get out of here!

"Will is going to tell Chiron just fine what happened, thank you very much. I wouldn't know why this would be anybody else's business." Nico said, loud and clear, his voice laced with an underlying threat of '_Back off or I will destroy you_', which eased Percy's nerves a lot more than it probably should have.

He looked back at Kyle, expecting a sour look, or a scowl, or a forcefully impassive face, anything.

Anything but the bright smile Kyle was giving them.

"Great then! Then the misunderstanding will soon be solved, I hope."

Why did he sound so…cheerful?

Unbothered?

Certain of his victory?

What was he planning?

Percy felt the unease rushing through him all over again.

The muttering started again, but then another voice sounded through the pavilion.

"I thought I was being clear when I said you are forbidden from speaking."

_Annabeth._

Percy wasn't sure he had ever been this glad to see his ex-girlfriend.

Especially the wonderfully cold and stormy look in her eyes as she stared down Kyle.

"Will, _drink_." Nico said quietly, but when Percy tore his eyes away from Annabeth and Kyle, he found Will shaking his head weakly, still looking green in the face, his freckles ashen and barely visible anymore.

"_Now_. If you're going to retch, you better have at least some liquid in your stomach, else it will just hurt even more."

Wow, Nico, that wasn't comforting whatsoever.

Percy stared at him in disbelief – then stared at Will in disbelief when he grabbed his water and forced himself to nip at it slowly.

There was a ruckus around them, and Percy looked around again in confusion, wondering what he had just missed.

Lou Ellen spat something he couldn't catch, and his eyes snapped back to Kyle, who acted surprised, while several other kids yelled something at either each other or Lou Ellen, he couldn't tell.

What?

"I'm so sorry, Will. I didn't know…I know I joked about you two, and it's just…" Cecil started quietly in the noise around them, and Percy's gaze shot back to Will, just to see him flinch. Hard.

Nico caught his glass as he nearly dropped it, gently lifting it to his lips again and telling him to continue drinking, before he shot Cecil a dark, murderous look.

"Not now. _Leave._ Will will come to you when he's ready to talk, but that's_ not now_." He said with a dangerous undertone, and Percy's eyes widened.

This was _Cecil_.

Nico was _friends_ with him.

Right now, Nico didn't seem to give a damn.

Cecil flinched back, and Lou Ellen snatched him by the arm, exchanging a long look with Nico.

Then she dragged Cecil away and out of the pavilion without another word, leaving Percy to look around at the kids around them again, but the yelling had turned to muttering once more, some kids looking utterly disturbed, others doubtful, and others glowered towards where Lou Ellen had disappeared to.

What had she said?

Must have been something good.

Percy huffed, watching in relief how Will managed to empty his water ever so slowly.

Though he still looked ready to bolt.

And ready to puke.

Couldn't Kyle just _leave_ already?!

He glanced towards Annabeth for a moment, who remained by the exit, though he wasn't sure whether she just wanted to be able to oversee everything, or whether she was waiting for her girlfriend.

Percy looked back at Kyle, but he was finishing up his toast, smiling reassuringly at a couple of kids from the Demeter table, though Percy was glad to see they looked more apprehensive than anything else.

Nico kicked him under the table, and he winced, concentrating back on his own plate and reluctantly beginning to eat.

Who had put all this stuff on it?

There was no way he'd eat all of this.

Maybe they should just leave.

Percy was about to suggest that, when suddenly, there was a loud _crash_ and yelling, people whooshing past, yelling even more, and Annabeth yelling '_Di Immortales!_' in apparent disbelief and exasperation.

Percy looked towards the commotion on the opposite side of them, then looked towards Annabeth in confusion, his hand already in his pocket for his pen, but she didn't seem particularly _unnerved_, which threw him off.

He also noticed Nico hadn't even moved, though he seemed tense.

Percy looked back at the commotion, realizing with a jolt it might be at the Hermes table.

Had Kyle had a heart attack?

(One could always dream…)

No, wait, it seemed more as if the demigods weren't crowding _around_ something, but _on top_ of something.

"_Guys_! Stop it! Get off him, he's already beaten up enough!" Annabeth called, moving over at a snail's pace, and Percy saw Nico's shoulders stiffen even more, which didn't make any sense at all to Percy.

Who was beating Kyle up?

Percy kind of wanted to join in.

"No…oh no…_not them_…no…he'll hurt them…Nico, Nico stop them…Percy…please…" Will whispered, whimpered, starting to shake again, and Percy tore his gaze away from the turmoil reluctantly once more.

Will was more important.

And so were his words.

Who was 'them'?

Why was Will asking Percy and Nico to stop Kyle being beaten to a pulp?

And why was he so convinced Kyle would hurt them?

Was that why he wasn't talking?

Because he was afraid of Kyle taking action against them?

The thought was laughable.

Kyle was one person.

No matter how strong he was, he couldn't take on an entire Camp.

Plus, as far as Percy had noticed so far, he didn't even seem to have a weapon.

He also definitely wouldn't be able to take on Nico, Percy and Jason, especially not if they fought together – which they absolutely would.

Nico suddenly got up, grabbing the napkins next to his plate to collect the rest of their food and push it into Will's arms, who automatically took everything, moving to get up, as well.

"We're leaving. _Now_." Nico declared, and Percy gave a small nod, though his eyes were already back on the Hermes table, spotting a few familiar faces as Annabeth and a few other kids were trying to break up the fight somehow.

And things suddenly made a lot more sense.

With 'them', Will had meant _his siblings_.

Because the entire Apollo cabin seemed to be on Kyle right now, a snarling and hissing ball of blonde and brunette heads and blazing eyes.

Which also explained why Nico wanted to leave.

If Will's siblings were here, it was only a matter of time until they'd be all over Will, and the last thing he needed was even more Cecil's.

As they moved, Annabeth seemed to regain control, even going out of her way to ask Kyle whether he was still alive – to which he sadly replied with a 'Yeah' and a small laugh, which only made Percy's hand hush to his pocket, grabbing his pen and only _barely_ containing himself not to pull it out.

No, he shouldn't.

Jason was already in trouble, if Percy did something stupid next, Chiron might separate them completely, and there was no way he wanted Will alone right now, nor in the care of twenty siblings whose reactions to the whole issue he didn't yet know.

They were just reaching the exit, and Percy was just about to breathe out in relief, when…

"_Stop._" Kyle said, though Percy had no idea who he was even talking to.

Will _froze_.

He didn't flinch, he didn't jump, he _stopped dead in his tracks_, as if somebody had hit the pause-button.

Percy ran straight into him, and Nico almost tripped, but Will stood where he stood, as stiff as a poker, and whatever his expression was, it made Nico's eyes widen in shock, so it couldn't be good.

Before Percy could ask what was going on, though, Nico put his arm around Will's waist and pushed him forward with an urgent 'Will, _move_! He does _not_ control you!' that made no sense to Percy, but Will's legs reluctantly worked as Nico urged him forward, and the two stumbled down the steps.

"I do have to wonder, though…who of them _is_ supposed to be his boyfriend? I thought it would be Mr. Jealous, but…" Kyle's voice sounded over, annoyingly smooth and gleeful, as if he hadn't just been reprimanded by Annabeth not to speak, as if he hadn't just clearly freaked Will out (most likely on utter purpose), as if he hadn't just had a ton of Apollo kids trying to smash his face in.

Percy wished they'd have tried to impale him with some arrows, instead.

That would have surely done more damage.

Percy knew he shouldn't let Kyle affect him.

Percy knew he should ignore him, should move down the steps, should run after Will and Nico – who stopped abruptly, with Will breaking off to the side and throwing up.

But it was exactly _that_ that made Percy turn around, that made him stare Kyle right in the eye, that made him cause all the glasses with liquid around them _shatter_ as he let the storm inside him show.

"_We_ are Will's boyfriends." He spat, ignoring the surprised and startled gasps around him.

Then he turned around and hurried after Will and Nico.

...

"Will, you _have_ to talk to Chiron…" Percy tried again, and Nico didn't need to look around to know Will was shaking his head again.

They were in Percy's cabin again, in the faint hope Jason would show up again, but so far without success.

Maybe he needed more time.

Nico felt his insides churning, but pushed it down.

No, everything would be alright again.

Jason would come back.

He _had_ to come back.

It must have been a misunderstanding.

A miscommunication.

The way they had talked, the way Jason had spoken, Nico couldn't help but feel it hadn't been about 'Kyle' at all, but about them – about Jason and Will.

Which made no sense.

Had something happened between the two?

All Nico knew of was that 'accidental' kiss those two had had, and that one date they had been on.

But then what had Jason referred to when he had said he had 'done the same to him' as Kyle?

Did he mean that accidental kiss?

That was just stupid, and Nico discarded it immediately again.

Had they…had Jason and Will…

No.

No, they _couldn't_ have.

Percy and Nico had always been around as well, after all.

There was no way they could have seriously…right under their noses…

_When?_

Nico put the pen down for a moment, glancing around at Percy.

_He_ seemed to know something.

The way he looked, the way he acted, Nico _knew_ he knew something.

Did he know what happened between the two?

Had they told him?

Was Nico the only one who didn't know?

Again?

"Will, you don't have to tell Chiron what you told me. You don't even have to mention anything like that, if you don't want to. Just tell him Jason's story is correct, that he protected you. Then Kyle will _have_ to leave." Percy emphasized, but Nico saw Will shaking his head determinedly again, clutching the bucket on his lap so tightly his knuckles turned white again.

"And then what? Percy, he's _back_. It doesn't matter _where_ he is. It doesn't matter whether he's at Camp or outside the Camp, he's still _there_, he'll still come back, he'll still…still…I'll be…" Will broke off, and Nico watched with a pained look how Percy immediately reached out to stroke over Will's back in big strokes.

"Shh, you're safe here. We've got you. He can't get to you anymore, Will. And he won't get to us, either. Once Chiron bans him from Camp, he won't be permitted to cross the border anymore, Will. He can't hurt you, and he can't hurt us. Plus, we're kids of the Big Three, have you forgotten?"

Will didn't look convinced in the slightest.

Nico lowered his gaze, then turned his back to them again, picking up his pen once more to continue on his work.

He wasn't even sure why he was doing this.

There was no point in it.

There was nothing to gain from it.

But it was something he just had to do.

"Want me to put some more cream on your cheek?" Percy offered, and Nico glanced at the medic pouch next to him on the desk.

They had almost forgotten about it, not remembering until they had almost been at Percy's cabin, so Percy had ran off to get it, resulting in Nico having the biggest struggle keeping Will from running after him, looking stricken and horrified, pacing inside the cabin restlessly and beside himself with worry until Percy had _finally_ (seven minutes later) shown up safe and sound with the medic pouch in his hands .

Will had immediately checked the contents, breathing out in relief once he seemed to find everything present, and he had even allowed Percy to apply the healing cream to his cheek and wrists softly.

For a short while, things had seemed okay.

Well, as okay as they could get, Nico guessed.

Then Percy had asked Nico about the conversation with Chiron yesterday, and the moment Nico had told them about Chiron wanting to see Will and hear 'his part of the story', things had gone downhill once more.

To the point where Will had rushed to the bathroom and ridden his stomach of everything they had managed to coax into him up until then

Had Nico expected that?

Kind of.

(At least he hadn't been surprised, not after the whole thing at breakfast.)

Was he worried?

_Very_.

He still remembered the look on Will's face, the way his legs had automatically stopped at Kyle's order, the sound of Kyle's voice, at the tone Kyle had used.

Nico knew that look.

Knew the tone of voice Kyle had used.

It was the same tone of voice Minos had adapted when he had tried to control him.

Kyle seemed to have controlled Will in a similar way in the past.

But that was over now.

Nico wouldn't let Will fall back into it, wouldn't let Kyle force Will into obedience, wouldn't let Kyle scare Will into doing anything he didn't want to do.

He wouldn't let it happen.

He _couldn't_ let that happen.

But that wasn't anything he could enforce from Will, and he wasn't foolish enough to try, either.

It was something that came with time, with a strong will, with the knowledge one was their own person, not somebody else's property.

Nico knew he saw himself as 'Percy's', and Percy was 'his', but they still only _belonged_ to themselves.

He was not Percy's property, and Percy wasn't his, and even though Nico might not have much experience with relationships, he knew this was the way it should be.

Nico nodded to himself resolutely, dragging the pen over the paper hastily.

Percy moved behind him, putting his hand on his shoulder softly for a moment, not asking what he was doing, and not peeking, giving him his privacy.

Instead, he merely grabbed the medic pouch and collected the small tube of cream, before moving back over to Will with a last pat on Nico's shoulder.

He was glad for it.

This would already be weird enough once it was done, he didn't want anybody to see nor comment on it anytime before then.

"I can't do it…" Will whispered, and Nico stopped again, contemplating whether he should reply.

"You can. He doesn't own you, Will. No matter his words or actions, he is only human, and your fear of him is greater than he could ever be. Don't let your fears consume you, or you're already letting him win. Do you want him to win?" He asked, turning in his chair to look Will dead in the eye.

The fear, the panic, the _dread_ was still ever so evident inside them.

Just what had Kyle done to him?

What had he threatened to do?

How could Nico ease his fears?

How could he rid Will of those terrors inside him?

Will broke the eye contact, looking down and turning towards Percy slightly to let him apply the cream gently.

"No…" He finally replied at last, though the words were weak.

But they were words.

Will had spoken them.

And that was as best a start as any.

"Then fight it. You've done it before, you can do it again. You are you, and you belong to nobody but yourself. Do you understand that?"

Percy shot him a look that said 'Stop.', but Nico acted as if he didn't see it.

Will tensed, his expression turning stony as he waited for Percy to finish up treating to his bruise, which had improved considerably, but was still visible, and undoubtedly still painful.

"I do…"

Good.

"Then you're already stronger than he'll ever be." Nico said softly, and Will looked around at him, his expression doubtful, yet Nico thought he could detect a hint of hope sparkling in his eyes, which were usually so bright and joyful, but now they only seemed dulled and worried.

But it was a start.

"You'll see Chiron, then?" Percy asked, sounding hesitant, as if he wasn't sure whether he should bring that up again now.

Nico gave him a reassuring nod, then looked at Will for his answer.

As expected, Will started fidgeting again, looking uncertain and conflicted.

"We can wait until tomorrow, if you prefer. It will give you the opportunity to think over what you will say, as well as sleep a night over it." He offered quietly, though he didn't like the idea of Kyle being at Camp another night whatsoever.

He couldn't even stand the thought of him being at Camp another five minutes.

If he had his powers…

But Will was in no constitution to train with Nico, and Nico wasn't stupid enough to suggest anything of the sort.

Trying it by himself with things being the way there were right now was out of the question, too.

If he faded, he couldn't protect Will, and Will would only end up blaming himself for it, only adding to all the stress he was already facing.

And even if Nico managed to regain control of his powers, that didn't mean they'd work the way he wanted them to.

After all, there was a reason it had taken him forever to control the shadows to transport him correctly.

The darkness was unpredictable, ruthless and all-consuming.

Nico halted, his frown deepening.

"That…yes, I'd like that." Will replied hesitantly, pulling Nico out of his thoughts.

"Okay, tomorrow it is, then. But, Will, don't drag it out for too long." He warned, and Will nodded quickly.

"I promise. Tomorrow. Just…just not now."

Nico studied him for a moment longer, but he could see the honesty in Will's eyes, the same way he had seen the deception and lies in Kyle's.

He nodded, then turned away from them again, leaning back over his 'project'.

The darkness was unpredictable, ruthless and all-consuming.

Like _Kyle_, in a way.

Nico didn't like that thought, whatsoever.

But it was true, there was a lot of darkness in and around Kyle, Nico could sense it.

Was he a child of Hades?

He couldn't be.

Pluto was out of the question, too.

His father had told him he and Hazel were his only living children, and Nico trusted him enough to believe that statement.

Still…who could Kyle's godly parent be?

He feigned ignorance, but Nico _knew_ he knew.

If they figured that out, they might be able to know more about possible powers he had kept hidden so far.

With somebody sneaky like Kyle, one could never be careful enough.

And then there was still the question of _what_ he really wanted.

It was obvious Will played into it somehow, but that couldn't possibly be _all_.

Or…

Nico turned his head minimally to glance back at Will, who seemed to listen to what Percy was telling him about Blackjack and his apparent lack of musical talent.

…Or maybe it was.

Maybe Will was all he wanted, but for reasons they couldn't yet see.

Nico thought back to the Underworld, to his father's words, to Persephone's words, to Demeter's words.

Then he thought of Will's nightmares, the way they seemed to have to do with the gods.

The day when Will and Clovis had both been momentarily 'lost'.

Something big was coming, Nico could feel it.

Nico also didn't like it one bit.

Because, by the looks of it, his Will played a big part in it.

…And if Nico's gut was right, Kyle either knew something, or had something to do with it.

...

"I can't believe he's just not showing up." Percy grumbled for what had to be the fifth time, and Will sighed, nibbling on the cold, dry toast Nico had brought him for dinner.

After the fiasco at breakfast, Will of course hadn't left the cabin whatsoever anymore, depending on Nico or Percy to get food for them, though they hadn't complained once.

Will had known the kids would talk, had known they'd know (though he hadn't known quite to what extent), but actually _hearing_ them talk, _hearing_ them calling him a liar, calling it a '_show'_, calling it '_fake'_, and downplaying everything as if it was naught but a minor annoyance…Will had to admit it had hurt.

A lot.

Percy grumbled again, and Will finished his toast, suppressing another sigh.

Needless to say, Percy was talking about Jason.

Jason, who had left.

Jason, whom Will had lost.

Jason, who of course hadn't shown up anymore ever since this morning.

Will didn't know why Percy had really thought he would.

Will felt the ache spread inside him again, but at the same time, he could understand Jason's decision.

And whether he wanted to or not, he had to accept it.

…Which didn't mean he didn't miss him.

_A lot._

Missed his ever so annoying, searching gaze when he studied Will as if he could look right through him; the sky-blue eyes that had held so much affection when he had looked at him.

Missed his soothing, calm voice and his ever so sensible and reasonable words.

Missed his arms, wrapped around Will, holding him tight and protecting him from the world; his hands, stroking over Will's body as if it was something to be treasured; his fingers, tracing patterns onto Will's skin.

Missed him being here, with him, with them.

Will closed his eyes for a moment, letting himself dream, imagining how Jason's arms would feel around him, how his breath would tickle his skin, how his words would soothe the turmoil inside Will and allow him to breathe, to relax, to let it all go.

Then he opened his eyes again, and reality was still as cruel as always.

"Just give him some more time." Nico reasoned quietly, having abandoned whatever he had been doing at Percy's desk.

They hadn't asked.

It had been obvious Nico had wanted his peace over there, so they had left it at that.

After all, it was already miracle enough they managed to spend so much time together without being sick of each other, so whenever somebody needed privacy, they were quick to respect that.

Nico would tell them if he wanted them to know, anyways.

"Some more time? It's _evening_, Nico. He had _a whole day_ to get over himself and realize what an idiotic-…"

"Don't." Will interrupted, unwilling to let Percy talk bad about Jason.

Jason didn't have to stay.

Jason could make his own decisions.

Jason had left.

That was all there was to it.

"But…" Percy started, but fell quiet when Will shook his head.

Nico sighed deeply, ushering them both into bed and shoving a plush-dolphin into Will's hands, though he had no idea why.

To be honest, he wasn't even sure where it had come from, in the first place.

Knowing Percy's cabin, he also decided he didn't _want_ to know.

"He'll come around." Nico stated resolutely, but Will doubted it.

"It doesn't matter." He said quietly, and both guys looked around at him as they climbed into bed, Will automatically making for the spot at the wall, though Percy and Nico immediately made a cut through his plan, with Nico falling down next to him and urging him to either make space or get squished.

He was just glad it was Nico who was doing it and not Percy, else he wasn't sure he might not have thrown another one of those horrible and utterly unnecessary panic fits.

Not quite panic attacks, but close, and he had had them throughout the day with the dumbest things.

It had broken his heart to watch his guys struggling to help him somehow, even though he knew they didn't know how, and he wasn't even sure there _was_ a way to help him.

"How so?" Nico asked against his neck, and Will felt himself stiffening _even though_ _it was Nico_.

This was it.

He was broken.

There was no other explanation.

He was the one thing he had repeatedly told himself he wasn't.

Good thing Jason had gotten out when he had had the chance.

"Jason is free to make his own decisions. And if he decides I'm…if he decides this is…if he thinks this is too much, then he is free to leave. I don't blame him for it. And I'm asking you to do the same." He replied, and both guys halted in their movements for a moment.

Then Percy grumbled again, muttering something under his breath darkly that Will couldn't catch.

"I don't think he left because it's too much, Will. I think he left because he's hurting. Could there…could there be a misunderstanding?" Nico asked softly behind him, his arms snaking around Will and trying to take the dolphin from him again.

But Will had sort of already accepted that plush-toy as his now, so he kept it safely pressed against his chest, trying to fight Nico for it and making his lips twitch slightly.

A misunderstanding, huh?

How so?

Will was pretty sure he had understood Jason just fine, and he couldn't see how his own words could have really been misinterpreted for anything but what he had meant, either.

"I thought the same thing. You know…he did seem to be…sort of _convinced_ that he…that he abused you, Will. That he hurt you." Percy agreed cautiously, and Will winced, the mere thought nauseating.

For a long moment, there was silence, in which Will tried to compose himself enough to _not_ empty his stomach again.

They had only just taken the bucket away from him an hour ago, after all.

"Did he?" Nico asked hesitantly, and Will flinched.

"_No!_" He exclaimed, horrified _Nico_ would even _consider_ that!

Then again, so had Percy.

Didn't they know who they were talking about?!

"I don't mean like Kyle, Will. Percy is right, I had the same impression." Nico explained, the same moment Percy said: "Well, he seems to be convinced of it.".

Will was _not_ going to have this conversation with them.

Not here.

Not now.

Not _ever_.

"Well, he didn't! How could you even _think_ that for one moment?" He snapped, then cursed himself for snapping at them like this.

If he didn't watch out, they'd leave in no time, too.

Maybe they'd all leave.

Maybe that would make Kyle lose interest.

Or maybe it was his goal to distance him from everybody again, so he could snatch him and repeat everything all over again.

And again and again and…

"It's not like I _want_ to think that, Will. It's that he said it with so much conviction, as if there was _no doubt_ he hurt you, that he did something against your will, something you didn't give your consent to. Of course it hurts to think of Jason like that, but we're just trying to figure out why things turned out this way." Nico reasoned with him, and Will hated that his words seemed to make sense.

Jason was gone, but there was still a voice of reason.

Did this mean they were going to try and replace him if he didn't come back?

_They couldn't._

_Nobody_ could be like Jason.

And as much as he needed the guys, he needed Jason, too.

Nobody was ever going to replace that.

"Things turned out this way because I was stupid. I did something stupid, and he was too good-natured to stop me. Then he was too good-natured and naïve, thinking he could make an 'us' work, when in truth I'm broken, just damaged goods. Now he knows, the mystery is solved, he made his decision, and that's all there is to it." He replied briskly, curling around the plush-dolphin and burying his face in his pillow to hide his face before he could even feel his eyes pricking.

"You're _not_ 'broken or damaged goods', Will! Don't you _ever_ say that again! Don't even _think_ that!" Nico snapped behind him, sounding borderline _angry._

Will felt Nico's wrist pressing against a patch of exposed skin on his arm.

Scratch that, Nico _was_ angry.

Very. Angry.

_Angry_.

Will froze, fear throwing everything inside him in utter disarray once more, but then there was Percy, closer than before, his hands cupping Will's face.

"Don't panic. Nico won't hurt you. We won't hurt you, Will. You're not broken. And you're not property." Percy soothed, but all Will could do was sob.

Oh great.

Tears.

_Again_.

He was sick of it.

He was so, so sick of it.

"Just _look at me_, Percy. Look at _this_. Look what I dragged you into. You know as well as I do that I'm a wreck, and I'll always be. I thought I could be different, that I could fight it, that I could be _normal_, but…but you see how well that worked…" He tried to keep his voice steady and even.

It was a losing battle.

Percy stroked his thumbs over his cheeks.

"You really think so? I see something completely different."

Will laughed without humor.

If anything, it sounded bitter.

"Only because you're being delusional. Stop lying, Percy. Stop it. There's no need for it."

Percy was unfazed by his words.

"You want to know what I see?" He asked, sounding and looking dead serious.

Will raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, enlighten me." He snorted derisively, already readying himself to not believe a single word that would come out of Percy's mouth.

"I see a strong, beautiful person, and a great friend, struggling with something absolutely horrible and vile that has been done to them." Percy whispered gently, and with utmost conviction in his voice as he moved closer, his face so, so, so close, his sea-green eyes burning into Will.

Will wanted to huff in disbelief, shake him off, anything.

He felt his mouth becoming bone-dry, his limbs disobeying him again.

"I see an unbelievably kind person, whose trusting and gentle nature has been used and abused by somebody twisted and sick, yet they pulled through it and stood up again, no matter how many times they were put down." Percy continued, impossibly close and coming closer, mere inches between their faces now.

Will closed his eyes, his heart beating loud and hard and fast in his chest, as if he was running a marathon.

What…what was Percy…what was he _doing_?!

"I see a horribly stubborn person, trying to take on all the horrors in the world by themselves, unwilling to let others help, out of the fear anybody _else_ could get hurt." Nico joined in behind him, and Will's eyes flew open the moment Percy's lips met his forehead, soft and gentle, but sending a small jolt through him all the same.

"I see a wonderful person full of talents and potentials they don't know they possess, that they've been taught to overlook and downplay, and I see them doubting themselves at each and every turn, but pushing onwards, anyways." Nico went on, and Percy pressed a few more kisses to his temples and the side of his face, as Nico placed a timid kiss to the side of Will's neck, right under his ear.

Will shivered, clutching Percy's shirt for dear life and trying to make sense of what was happening.

What they were doing.

What was going on.

What he should do.

Say something?

Stop them?

Tell them they were mistaken, that they must be looking at each other, talking about each other, and Will just so happened to be in the middle?

He didn't want to.

He didn't want to stop them.

His voice didn't work.

See? He couldn't stop them.

Will felt himself beginning to pant, and he swallowed, his dry mouth suddenly not quite so dry anymore.

He wanted to believe they were talking about him, to him, doing this to him because that's what they wanted to do to him.

Percy flashed him a cheeky, crooked smile with heavy-lidded eyes, and Will let his eyes fall shut again with a soft gasp, feeling Nico's lips on his ear.

_What were they doing?!_

"And…you know…" Nico breathed against his ear.

Will could barely hear him.

"…it's okay to be weak sometimes…" Percy continued, his lips at the very corners of Will's mouth, so close, yet still too far away.

"…and it's okay to accept help from those around you…" Nico whispered, moving back down his neck, because he wasn't Jason, and he didn't know.

"…to think of your flaws, though you shouldn't dwell on them…" Percy reminded him, his lips at his chin.

"You are a wonderful…"

"…strong…"

"…beautiful…"

"…stubborn…"

"…and amazing person…"

They worked in unison, as if this was a practiced speech, as if they knew what the other would say, no hesitation in their replies, nothing to let Will doubt for even a moment they were being absolutely honest.

He let himself fall back into Nico, wishing he wasn't wearing his shirt, wishing they weren't wearing theirs, wishing his hands could let go of Percy's front so he could touch them, could feel them, could know _what_ they were feeling, what this _was_, what this _meant_.

But then, suddenly, they both pulled away.

He opened his eyes, looking at them dazedly as they propped themselves up to study him.

"…and Jason knows all of this as well." Nico said with a convicted nod.

"So, unless you say there's even the _slightest_ chance for a misunderstanding that would make him feel like he _has_ to get away from you to make you happy…" Percy continued, drawing patterns on his side before poking him in the stomach, making him gasp as he rapidly blinked, their words slowly dawning on him.

"…then he'll come back in no time. If there _is_ such a chance for a misunderstanding though…" Nico said, and Will's mouth opened and closed, looking at them both in disbelief.

Percy and Nico shared a quick look, then looked back down at him.

"Then we should think of something we can do to clear it up, don't you think?" They both suggested in unison, and Will was at an utter loss.

They had just…hadn't they just…but how did that…and where did this…and how even…

"But that can wait until tomorrow. Sleep a night over it, sleep a night over everything, and tomorrow we'll see what we're going to do, okay? After the talk with Chiron, the thing with Jason will be easy, I'm sure of it." Nico stated, sounding absolutely certain, not a trace of doubt in either words or demeanor.

"And then, I'll punch him real hard for being such an idiot in the first place. Deal?" Percy grinned at him, and Will found himself torn out of his stupor.

"No punching." He said, his voice breathless and weak.

But the guys merely grinned at him.

"But the rest is a yes? Perfect." The both exclaimed, and Will blinked again.

Then he let out a small wail and moved, burying his face in Percy's shirt.

"You two are _unbelievable_!"

They were going to be the death of him.

Will could just feel it.

He was pretty sure his lifespan had just been reduced by _at least_ five years.

…Somehow, it felt as if it had been worth it.

...

_Dreams were wonderful_, Percy thought, as he held his guys close, covering them in kisses and letting his hands roam free, because this was a dream, and he was allowed to do it, and the guys were his, and they loved him, and everything was okay.

.

_Dreams were amazing_, Nico sighed, giving in to temptation and allowing himself to touch, to kiss, to feel, to claim what wasn't his in real life, because this was a dream, and he could do it without being judged, without fearing rejection or losing them, and it felt wonderful, beautiful, perfect, loving them and being loved back.

.

_Dreams weren't real_, Will realized sadly, as he gazed at the lake from his safe place in their clearing, his and Percy's heads on Jason's stomach/chest, while Jason and Nico were stroking through their hair, and he felt at utter peace, loving and loved, enjoying the calm and quiet around them, nothing to worry about, and nothing to fear.

.

_"__Dreams are pathetic."_ Kyle said disdainfully, his voice cold and cruel as he appeared in Will's clearing, in his dream, ripping him off his calm and quiet, off his peace, off his guys, making him jump up and try to run for it, but he was frozen in terror, a part of him knowing this had to be just a dream, that he could wake up, that there was no danger, that he could control it, but the rest of him didn't listen, and he found himself staring at Kyle like a deer at its hunter.

Kyle smiled at him, his gaze full of triumph.

"_Long time no see, William._"

...

_(Trigger warnings for the next paragraphs until end: Attempted rape, violence + murder, playing with fears, anxiety/panic, shock)_

...

Will was running, yet he couldn't leave the forest, couldn't get away from the clearing, no matter how far or fast he tried to make his feet carry him.

Kyle was laughing behind him, loud and clear and gleeful, the sound making his skin crawl and his stomach curl.

_It was a dream._

A dream, a dream, a dream.

Nothing but a dream.

He could wake up.

He _had_ to wake up.

There was no danger.

This wasn't real.

_Kyle_ wasn't real.

He couldn't hurt him.

Couldn't do _anything_ to him.

He was safe, he knew it, but at the same time, it felt so _real_ – so he ran.

But it was pointless.

Kyle was catching up, strolling behind him almost casually, as if in no hurry, while Will was running, running, _running_.

Why wasn't he moving faster? Further?

Why couldn't he _get away_?

"Oh, but I've told you before, haven't I? No matter how many times you run away, I will always get you in the end." Kyle answered, as if Will had asked, and Will shook his head wildly, racing through the trees and trying to be as spontaneous as possible, to throw Kyle off somehow.

A glance over his shoulder told him Kyle was closing in, anyways, his hands in his pockets, the look on his face full of satisfaction.

He liked seeing Will like this.

He _wanted_ to see him run.

Wanted to _see_ him scared.

Wanted to see him _suffer_.

Will snapped his head around again, narrowly avoiding slamming into a tree and instead jumping around it – just to find himself right back in his clearing, his safe place, the place Kyle had never seen and never been in and had never known of, his place for himself and his guys, the place _Will_ had found and had named his sanctuary.

Will came to an abrupt stop, his eyes brimming with terrified tears as he gazed out at the lake, feeling the hopelessness welling up inside him, threatening to consume him.

"Have you realized it, yet? You're _mine_, William. What are you doing, whoring around with these other guys, huh? Do you really not care about their wellbeing? Are you so set on making me hurt them? You know I don't like it when you look at anybody but me, little one." Kyle said behind him, but Will perked up.

_His guys!_

_They could help him!_

He just had to run to them, had to find them, they'd surely come to his aid, would protect him-…

But what if Kyle hurt them?

He _couldn't_ let them get hurt.

Will shook his head rapidly.

Wait, no, this was a _dream_, this was nothing but a dream, there was _nothing_ he had to be scared-…

Kyle's hand grabbed the back of his neck, and Will screamed, bolting forward blindly, towards the water.

Water.

_Life_.

Water.

_People_.

Water.

_Percy_.

Percy would help him!

If he got into the water, Percy would surely feel it, as he had done before, and he'd come to help!

Will ran for the water, and he heard Kyle laugh behind him, _close_ behind him, though he didn't dare turn his head, not wanting to see just _how_ close.

"Oh William, you know there's no escape from me. I came back just for you. Well, you, and something else, once I find it, but I wouldn't want to bother you with that, would I now, little one?" Kyle said sweetly, but Will wasn't listening.

He was _almost there_!

Almost at the water!

Just a bit further…

Ten steps!

Nine steps!

_Eight_!

Kyle snatched him by the elbow, and Will was thrown off balance, tripping and falling, and then Kyle was shoving him into the ground, onto his back, landing on top of him harshly and instantly making to pin him down and get between his legs.

_NO!_

Will struggled, screaming and kicking and thrashing and howling in terror, his gaze snapping up to the water, so close, but still too far away.

_Percy!_

Kyle grabbed him by his momentarily exposed throat, and Will tried to claw his hands, his wrists, his arms, staring up into Kyle's unmarred face, looking so much like before, like years ago, when Kyle had stopped in front of him at the Camp Fire, had smiled at him softly, reassuringly, comfortingly.

Will gasped and tried to wiggle out of his hold, tried to escape, tried to reach the water somehow, anyhow.

"But why are you struggling? Don't you want me to make you feel good? I used to make you feel so good, did you forget?" Kyle purred, and Will shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut to ban Kyle's face from his mind, to ban the memories from his mind, to concentrate on _getting away_.

He thought of Nico, of him telling him to fight it, that Kyle didn't control him, _that he could do it_.

Will took all his confidence from that statement, bringing up his arms and shoving his elbows down against Kyle's arm, forcing him to loosen his hold on his neck.

Then, Will put his feet flat on the ground and pushed himself away, just the fewest inches in order to…

He brought his legs up, his knees to his own chest, his feet against Kyle's chest, and thrust as hard as he could, shoving Kyle backwards and off him.

Kyle _snarled_.

Will felt part of him freezing up, but the other part rejoiced at getting this far, at _defying_ _Kyle_, and he forced himself to roll around and push himself off the ground, making straight for the water.

But Kyle moved, too.

He could hear it.

Could _feel_ it.

Knew what would happen next.

Will's hand snapped to his medic pouch at his side, fumbling with the button before tearing it open, the contents spilling out as he ran, but he didn't care.

Kyle was closing in.

_Fast_.

Will wouldn't make it.

His hands closed around a small, rounded object with a chain, and he pulled it out without looking at it.

"Help!" He screamed at the lake, the water, his only hope, and he threw his pocket watch as far as he could, before Kyle slammed into his back, tearing him down three steps away from the water and holding him pinned down by the back of his neck, his other hand snaking around to shove under him and open his pants.

Will thrashed and yelled, but his eyes were fixed on the flying object, glinting in the setting sun, before it finally landed in the water and disappeared from view.

_Percy._

_Anybody._

_Please._

**_Help_**_._

...

"Nico!" A voice rang out and Nico's face snapped up in horror as he let his guys disappear in a puff of darkness and smoke, turning to the intruder.

_Clovis_.

Oh gods, had he _seen_?!

Had Nico's dreams somehow bothered Clovis?

Had Clovis been watching all this time and about had it with him and his…phantasies?

"By the gods, you guys are so mind-blowingly stupid, it's painful." Clovis remarked darkly as he looked around for a second, and Nico hurriedly changed the scenery to the Camp Fire, instead of his room in the Underworld.

Particularly the bed.

"What is it? Did I disturb you? I-I'm sorry if I…" He started awkwardly, feeling the heat rise in his face, and it took all of his self-control not to beg Clovis not to say anything about this.

But Clovis' face cleared, and he rushed forward, suddenly seeming urgent.

Desperate.

_Serious_.

"It's Will! He's in danger, Nico! I don't know how it happened, but suddenly, there was this guy, Kyle, I think he's called, and he-…" Clovis exclaimed hurriedly, but Nico could only sigh in relief.

"You mean the assault in the infirmary, right? That already happened. He's with Percy and I, he's safe and-…"

He stopped when Clovis shook his head desperately, grabbing his shoulders so hard it _hurt_.

"No! Not the infirmary! I don't know how this Kyle-person did it, Nico, and I _swear_ I had nothing to do with it. Everything was normal, some nice dreams here, some disturbing ones there, and then there's you guys I usually give a wide berth…"

Thanks, Clovis.

"…but then I realized there was something _wrong_. I couldn't pinpoint it, so I went to check, and suddenly, Will's dream was all murky and dark! He's _there_, Nico! Kyle is _inside Will's dream_. Right _now_! And from what I glimpsed, it's _bad_."

Nico's blood seemed to turn to ice, even though this was just a dream-him and shouldn't even have any blood.

Kyle was…_what?!_

He grabbed hold of Clovis' arms.

"_Take me there._"

Clovis stared at him.

"But that means there will be _four people_ in Will's dream-realm, including himself! Nico, he's in no state to carry that-…"

"_Now_." Nico interrupted, his voice dripping with power and menace.

There was a flash of fear in Clovis' eyes, though whether that fear was directed at Nico or at what they were about to do, he didn't know.

Then Clovis nodded with a grave look on his face and grabbed hold of Nico's wrists.

Nico felt the uncomfortable shift and tug as he practically left his own body, then everything around them went dark.

.

When Nico manifested again, he could only catch a faint glimpse of Clovis before he seemed to be thrown right back out of the dream, leaving Nico to make sense of his new surroundings by himself.

Recognizing their clearing, he knew instantly he was in the right dream.

Which only filled him with relief for a total of one second, then the screaming reached his ears, making him whirl around.

What he saw made him _sick_.

There was his Will, his face shoved into the ground harshly and held in place by Kyle's hand on the back of his head, while his other hand was trying to rip Will's pants down, though Will's continuous struggling luckily seemed to prevent most of it.

Kyle was cursing, forcing his weight onto the arm holding Will down, and Nico's skin crawled as he heard Will howling in pain as his face pushed further into the ground, the dirt in his mouth making him gag and cough and cry out even more.

But his hands remained beneath him, trying to pull his pants closed, trying to keep them over his hips, trying to keep Kyle from raping him.

And Nico could see Kyle's triumphant, gleeful sneer, could hear the chuckle in his words, could hear the sickening things he purred at Will, of what he would do, of what he had done, of how he would make Will 'feel good' again, of how Will needed him to be happy, to be satisfied, to be whole.

That this was Will's punishment for 'whoring around'.

That Kyle would leave this place once he got what he wanted, and that he'd take Will with him this time, too.

Contempt. Disgust. Anger. Hatred.

The words were _nothing_ compared to the emotions flashing through him.

Kyle ripped Will's pants down, and his blonde cried out again, crying for _them_, for Percy, Nico, Jason, _anybody_ to help, as his hands started desperately clawing at Kyle's arm, which was wrapping around his midriff from behind as the monster struggled to get his own pants open.

_No._

_Nico wouldn't let him_.

He strained against the limits of Will's dreams, urging them to accommodate him, to allow him to move, to allow him to be more than just a bystander, to allow him to _take action_.

The next moment, he broke through, and he rushed towards Will.

His Will.

_His_.

Kyle turned his head, probably having learned a thing or two from the incident with Jason, and Nico watched his eyes widen in disbelief as he shoved Will away from him, down into the ground.

Nico kept moving forward, stretching out his arm to the side and commanding Will's dream to comply with his wishes.

He was the son of Hades, the Ghost King, the commander of shadows and the dead.

And while there was a difference in sleep and death, Will's dream yielded to Nico instantly, supplying him with what he wanted.

The next moment, he was in front of Kyle, swinging his Stygian Iron sword at him with a low, menacing snarl.

Kyle dodged the blow by _inches_, a startled, yet threatening hiss escaping his lips as he hadn't seemed to have expected a _weapon_.

_"__How did you get here, boy?"_

Nico ignored him, slashing his sword at him again, and Kyle had no option but to jump backwards.

This was already enough of a strain on Will as it was, he wouldn't add to that by _talking_.

Plus, Kyle was the last person who deserved answers.

Kyle started moving backwards, dancing right out of Nico's reach, but Nico wasn't discouraged, pursuing him relentlessly.

"You're the offspring of Hades, are you not? The kids told me." Kyle continued, but Nico didn't bother showing he had heard.

"Though I should have guessed. I remember you, Nico di Angelo. You came to Camp with this girl…you know? The one that died? What was her name again? Oh yes, _Bianca_. And you were her useless, unwanted little brother, too cheerful for his own good, too obnoxious for everybody, including your own sister."

Nico ignored him, though his jaw clenched, anyways.

They kept moving further away from Will, which was _exactly_ what Nico wanted.

Get the monster away from Will.

Then get it out of his dreams.

Then out of his life.

Kyle kept talking, about Nico being a bother, about Will just entertaining Nico out of fear and uncertainty of what to do if there was nobody to submit to, about him never having wanted Nico in the first place, and how Nico would never be wanted by anybody else – basically trying to get to Nico in some way.

Nico wasn't fazed in the slightest.

This was a stranger telling him nonsense to weaken his senses and make him vulnerable.

The only way this could distract him was by making him laugh at this guy seriously thinking his words held any meaning to Nico.

Instead of replying or showing he even as much as heard him, he feigned left and struck right the moment the opportunity arose, his sword cutting through the thin branches of a bush and impaling Kyle's shoulder, making him utter a startled, pained sound.

No cry.

No scream.

Just a _sound_.

_That_ did throw Nico off.

Sadly also for long enough to allow Kyle to pull away from his sword – just to smack it right out of Nico's hand, causing it to clatter to the floor.

What…

Suddenly, Kyle moved forward disturbingly fast, and Nico only managed to duck at the last possible moment, avoiding the blow just to get Kyle's leg smacked into the side, sending him flying sideways and crashing into a tree.

_Shit._

He looked up, just to see Kyle advancing on him, and he pushed himself up and forward, slamming into him midway.

Of course, he could have_ probably_ also dived sideways and thought of a plan.

Yeah, well, this was good, too.

Kyle let out a surprised sound, and they hit the ground, Nico's elbow immediately thrusting into Kyle's throat, before he pushed off him with ramming his knee into Kyle's chest, lunging for his sword.

There.

Just as planned…ish.

Kyle was still gasping for air, but when Nico's head snapped around, he was already making for Nico, his face a grimace of anger and fury.

_Well, suck it up, bitch._

Kyle made to grab Nico's sword by the blade, undoubtedly trying to throw him off, to make him hesitate, to make him _not_ impale him.

Unfortunately for Kyle, Nico didn't give a shit.

He shoved forward, putting all his weight into the attack, and his Stygian Iron sword slid straight past Kyle's palms and into his chest.

Kyle howled in agony, and Nico forced him into the ground, shoving his sword through him as far as he could.

"I'll remember this, Nico di Angelo. Mark my words." Kyle spat at him, but Nico stared him down with an emotionless face.

Then, he changed his mind, and turned his sword, making Kyle gasp loudly, his image flickering.

"_Get out._" Nico said coolly, and Kyle stared at him a moment longer, the hatred and silent threat clear in his cold, dark eyes.

Then, he disappeared, and Nico could feel the strain on Will's dream loosening considerably, showing him the danger was truly gone.

Good.

Nico waited a moment longer, just in case Kyle thought of returning, then he stood up and brushed off his clothes unnecessarily, staring at the ground where the man had laid.

So Kyle could access dreams?

Was he a child of Hypnos, then?

Like Clovis?

No, it didn't seem that way.

Nico would have to talk to Clovis about this.

He'd also have to talk to Chiron about this.

If Kyle was able to get into Will's head, he could get into other people's heads, and was thus a threat to the entire Camp, even Chiron would have to see that.

Who knew, maybe Kyle had already made use of this before now, which would explain why some people seemed so convinced of Kyle's innocence.

But Nico still didn't know what he wanted.

All he had said to Nico were taunts and meaningless rubbish, and all he had overheard him saying to Will had been about getting him back and taking him with him to wherever he'd be going.

But Nico just _knew_ that wasn't it.

Not _all_ of it, anyways.

Nico's head shot up.

_Will_.

What was he doing, standing here contemplating what to do once he woke up?

He could still do that when he was _waking up_.

Rushing back to the clearing as fast as he could, he off-handedly noticed how much _detail_ Will had in his dreams.

The trees so tall and strong, the colors vivid and beautiful, the lake glittering and reflecting the setting sun.

It was so much like the real thing...

Nico found Will curled into a ball, whimpering awfully, oblivious to the beauty he had conjured up around him.

His heart ached, and he dropped his sword, allowing it to disappear into nothingness as he moved up to Will, kneeling down beside him and tapping him on the shoulder hesitantly.

"He's gone, Will. You're safe." He said softly when Will looked up at him, his bright blue eyes widening when they realized it was him.

Though the fact he had looked up at all indicated he knew that at least _somebody_ had heard his plea for help.

"Nico…" He breathed, and Nico was about to nod, but then he could already feel Will pull him down, pull him against him, wrap his body around him as if he was trying to crawl into Nico.

Nico had never witnessed Will reacting like this, with such intensity, such despair.

"Nico! Nico, you came! Nico, Nico, Nico…" Will repeated over and over again, and Nico was amazed to feel Will's heart hammering in his chest, even though this was technically just a dream.

He moved his arms around him slowly, gently, returning the embrace.

"Of course I did. I promised you, didn't I? We'll protect you."

Will shook his head in apparent disbelief, his face disappearing into the side of Nico's neck, and Nico copied the position.

"He'll be angry. He always gets what he wants. I'll regret this. I'll regret fighting back. I tried fighting back, Nico. I tried. But I'm too weak. I can't fight him. I can only run, and only beg for mercy, for help. You'd be so disappointed if you knew, Nico." Will whispered against his neck, and Nico frowned slightly, something about Will's wording seeming off.

Wait…

Nico looked back down at Will, feeling the conflict rising within him.

Will didn't know he was real, did he?

He thought Nico was some sort of dream-object he had made up.

Did that mean he thought Kyle hadn't been real, either?

Was he even talking about just now?

Or was he talking about the past, the reality, when Will had 'tried to fight back'?

Should Nico ask?

Should he…tell him?

That this had been 'real'?

Nico swallowed, trying to think his options through as he started stroking over Will's back soothingly.

"You did great, Will. I know I'd be proud if you told me."

"He almost got me, Nico. I can't even stop him in my dream. I should have…should have…should have made something explode, should have been able to breathe fire, should have been able to do _something_ against him, but I just…I just…" Will started rambling, and Nico shook his head.

That would have demanded way too much off his dream with Kyle already meddling with everything.

Nico had no idea what would have happened then, but he decided he never wanted to find out, either.

"But you fought him off, sole mio. You didn't let him do as he pleased. And you called for help." He pointed out, moving his hand through Will's hair now, since he seemed to like that.

"I threw your pocket watch in the water…" Will said quietly after a while, and his tone indicated he thought Nico would be upset.

…His pocket watch?

The one Nico had given him for Christmas?

Why had he done that?

"I thought…I thought maybe Percy could…could feel it…" Will whispered, and Nico tugged him closer.

Oh.

"That was a _great idea_, Will. I'd have never been able to think of that." He said, and he meant it.

If there was ever any situation in which Will was in danger, and he'd drop that watch into the water, Nico knew that, no matter where Percy was, he'd drop anything and everything and rush to his aid.

That was a splendid idea.

It would have never crossed Nico's mind.

"Didn't do any good though, did it?" Will mumbled miserably and moved his head, looking out at the lake, as if he was mourning the loss of his watch.

"It did. I came, didn't I?"

Nico had no idea how Clovis had picked up on 'something being wrong', but since that hadn't been clarified, he was going to make it about this, end of story.

"Nico, you can't even feel it when I throw things into the water." Will muttered doubtfully, his eyes moving up to look Nico in the eye, not hiding his tears the way he usually did.

Nico couldn't help but feel slightly guilty.

Was Will aware he was talking to him?

Like, _really_ talking to him?

"I don't. But you called for help, and I was the closest one. Else you bet Percy would have been by your side in an instant." He replied, and hoped Clovis would have really gone to Percy or Jason next for help, in case Nico had been inaccessible for whatever reason.

Suddenly, Will moved upwards, placing a gentle kiss to the corner of Nico's lips, and Nico found himself freezing.

Uh-oh.

Erm.

Oh.

Ah…not good.

Not good at all.

"Thank you, Nico." Will breathed, looking up at him with those beautiful, bright blue eyes that held such an alluring gleam in them, unlike how dull they had seemed earlier, before they had gone to bed.

"You're welcome." Nico breathed weakly, his voice a bit (very) breathless and barely audible as he gazed down at Will, until he suddenly didn't have to gaze down anymore at all, because Will was pushing himself up.

Oh gods, they were going to kiss.

Oh gods, they were seriously going to-…

Nico's eyes snapped open as a loud crashing noise filled the cabin.

_What the-…_

"Shit! Ouch! _Fuck_! What the hell? Who, in the name of all the gods, put their stupid-ass shoes in the middle of-…oh…those are mine…oh…" Percy's voice rang out, first loud and irritated, then suddenly sheepish.

Nico let himself fall back into the pillow again with a groan.

_Percy!_

There was a wince, then footsteps moved over to him, a hand stroking through his hair.

"Oh gods, I'm sorry if I woke you, my Angel. Go back to sleep, okay? It's only around 4am in the morning. I was just grabbing something to drink. I'm so sorry. Sleep. Go back to whatever dream you were having, okay?" Percy whispered, sounding affectionate and adoring as usual – and next to feeling irritated beyond reason, Nico started feeling the guilt wash over him as he realized what had just almost happened.

What he had wanted to happen.

Which luckily (or not so luckily) also reminded him of what _had_ just happened.

He turned to Percy, ready to tell him about Kyle, about his ability to access dreams, about all the amazing details in Will's dreams-…alright maybe not that, but other than that, yes.

But the moment he opened his mouth, there was Clovis in his head.

_'__Don't tell. Not yet. I'm trying to figure something out. I'll keep you updated.'_

…What?

Nico would have liked to send back an 'Are you sure?', but…he didn't know how.

So he merely looked back at Percy, blinking in bewilderment and hesitation, while Percy gazed down at him softly, still stroking through his hair.

"Are you okay?"

Nico wasn't sure.

"Just thinking about a very strange dream." He replied truthfully, and Percy nodded in understanding.

"Want to talk about it?" He offered, and Nico considered Clovis' words for another moment.

What was he trying to figure out?

Did he mean it the 'I'm trying to figure out what to do about this'-sort-of-way, or the 'I'm trying to figure out what's going on'-sort-of-way?

And when would Nico be updated?

With 'Don't tell', had he meant Chiron, or had he meant in general?

"Maybe later. Come back to bed, Percy." He replied after a small pause, and Percy grinned at him, before leaning down and pressing his lips to the corner of Nico's mouth, right opposite where Will had kissed him just moment's ago.

"Your wish is my command, my Angel."

Nico smiled at him automatically, though the smile slid off his face again as Percy climbed into bed again and he realized what he had just almost let happen in Will's dream.

Oh gods, he was no 'Angel'.

He was _horrible_.

Will shifted next to him, huffing rather upset to himself.

Nico took it as agreement.

Sulking to himself, he tried to go back to sleep, unsure whether he was more upset with himself, or the world.

But at least Will was safe for now.

That was much more important.

The most important, even.

Nico still sulked, anyways.

When he heard Percy beginning to snore what felt like an eternity later, Nico gave up and got up, moving over to the desk to turn on the small lamp and work some more on his new 'project'.

He had no idea whether this would even go anywhere, but it felt good working on it.

And they had talked about an '_Ipod_'-contract plenty enough times already, anyways.


	37. Chapter 37: Past Promises

**A/N:** Hi Cupcakes :D

Aaand here comes the next chapter :3

On another note, one person already guessed Kyle's godly parent right! :D (Though I'm not telling who ;))

Okay, as usual, if you need a summary of this chapter due to the trigger warnings, don't hesitate to contact me or leave a comment. This also counts for past chapters, no matter when they are read.  
Since I had quite a few people asking for summaries, I'm also gonna put them up on my Tumblr (mel-chan366, tag 'sequel stuff'). Seriously, please don't push yourself to read these chapters if you think they might trigger you. :(

Hope you enjoy the chapter, and special thanks to my beta-reader(s)! :D

Also, another special thanks for all those lovely comments/reviews you left ont his story :) I know I say that a lot, but they really, really make my day. Each and every one of them.

I wish you a relaxing weekend, and a great week ahead~  
-Tári

* * *

**Trigger Warnings:  
**\- Fear/Dread (of losing friends, of friends being hurt, of people getting hurt, of a repeat of the past, of ex-boyfriend,…)  
\- Hopelessness  
\- Life-or-Death-decision  
\- Mentioned past abuse  
\- Forced promise  
\- Angst**  
**

* * *

**Chapter 37: Stealing keys, IPODs, and past promises**

When Will woke up in the morning, he felt as if he had repeatedly been run over by a lawnmower.

Or anything, really.

Stretching and groaning, he could hear his own stomach grumbling loudly and made a face.

He didn't want to go outside and get breakfast.

He didn't even want to get up.

Where was Jason and his lazy days when one-….

Oh.

_Jason_.

Will slumped, wishing he had a blanket to hide under.

No Jason.

Jason had left.

Jason wouldn't be coming back.

Will remembered what the guys had said last night, but he still doubted Jason had misunderstood.

He also doubted Jason would want to see his face anytime soon – if he ever wanted to see him again at all.

Percy and Nico seemed pretty convinced, though.

Maybe he'd try talk to him, a simple 'Hello' at breakfast or something, to see how Jason would react.

He sighed, and there was movement next to him, making him glance sideways at Percy, who had one arm thrown over him and was hogging the plush dolphin from last night with the other one, drooling against it with a rather pleased seeming look on his face.

Will found his lips twitching automatically, though it didn't last.

There was too much bad stuff going on right now for him to really laugh.

He remembered his nightmare from last night, how real it had all felt, and his face instantly darkened.

He turned around to get closer to Nico – just to notice the Italian wasn't even in bed at all.

That would explain how he had managed to put so much space between Will and himself that Will hadn't been able to feel him anymore.

Will mused that thoughtfully for a long moment, then he suddenly sat bolt upright in bed.

"_Nico?_" He asked, panic in his voice as he realized Nico was _gone_, he wasn't _here_, what if he had left, just like Jason had, having had enough of Wi-…

There was a crashing sound, then footsteps rushed over, and the next moment, there he was, his Nico, climbing into bed and cupping his face, stroking over his cheeks.

"What is it? What's wrong? Are you okay? In pain? Need me to get you something? The bucket?" Nico bombarded him with questions, and Will blinked, thrown off course by both the questions as well as the physical contact.

But then, he relaxed, relief flooding through him as his hand closed around Nico's wrist, feeling the familiar sensation of _Nico_ rushing through him.

"I'm okay. I just thought you'd…well, _left_. Sorry for freaking you out." He admitted hesitantly, and Nico relaxed, though he didn't let go of Will, and didn't make to move away from where he was almost straddling him.

"Will, nobody is going to leave you. Not because of this. Who'd be stupid enough to-…" Nico started, his voice between reassuring and chiding, as if he couldn't believe Will would seriously worry about this, of all things.

But then he broke off, undoubtedly thinking of the same person Will was thinking of.

Nico made a face, stroking over his cheeks again before moving his hands up, ruffling through his hair and pushing it all into his face, though it didn't even reach his eyes anymore.

"Jason doesn't count. I still say it was a misunderstanding. Seriously, it sounded…weird. Like you were talking completely past each other."

Will considered the past times they had had such misunderstandings, trying to clear things up without saying 'the thing' outright, just to then think they had gone perfectly understood.

Well…

Nico did sort of have a point, he guessed…

But Will still doubted it.

Plus, what was he supposed to do about it?

Run to Jason and plead with him to explain what he had meant, so they could check for a possible misunderstanding?

That just sounded pathetic.

"Guess we'll have to wait and see." He mumbled evasively, not meeting Nico's eyes, and Nico suddenly shifted closer, now definitely straddling him.

"Does that mean you'll talk to him?" The hint of hopefulness in Nico's voice wasn't lost to Will, but neither was the spark of uncertainty in Nico's eyes.

Was that uncertainty that Will would talk to Jason, or uncertainty that it was a good idea to talk to Jason?

"I don't know yet. I was sort of planning to at least say something like 'Hello' to him at breakfast, see how that goes. If he starts scowling or staring at me in disgust and disbelief, I have my answer right there, right?"

"He won't do that." Nico cut in instantly, and Will could momentarily feel him bristling, becoming defensive of Jason.

Will felt his lips twitch.

"I'm sorry. You're right. He's such a kind person, I don't think he's even capable of being mean." He backtracked, though he knew these were going to be the signs he'd be looking for.

If that didn't help, all he could do was try establish some sort of physical contact, though he doubted Jason would let him – especially since he knew just how much Will could feel.

Though, in all honesty, it was _weird_ how much Will could feel these days.

From the guys, at least.

By now, he was so used to their values, they practically felt like his own and didn't cross his mind unless he concentrated explicitly on them.

Instead, he found himself much more drawn to the swirls of emotions going through them, like now with Nico.

The doubt, the hope, the anger and resentment, but at the same time the rush of affection and warmth and love.

How could Nico still even feel this way for Will, especially with all…this?

There was no disgust, nothing indicating he was forcing himself to do this, or anything else, he was still gentle and still looked at him the same way he had before.

He wasn't being overly careful, and he wasn't pitying him.

It was wonderful.

Will loved it.

"Didn't think I'd see the day Will admits to being wrong." A voice mumbled next to them, and they both turned their heads to look at Percy, just to find him shifting closer, wrapping his arms around Will's side.

"Lemme join in, make it a group hug. You're always leaving me out, I swear." He lamented with a yawn, his face disappearing momentarily as he pushed it into the shirt Will was wearing.

Will's eyebrows shot up.

Nico let out a small chuckle, not seeming bothered in the slightest.

These two.

"So, now, seriously though, no more important conversations in the mornings when others are asleep. First of all, I'd have liked to participate. And second of all, when I woke up, I thought you two were having sex. Just imagine my shock! I was already dreading having to hide in the bathroom or something!" Percy then exclaimed, and Will's gaze snapped around to Nico again, noticing he must have moved his arms around Will's neck at some point, same as Will had moved his hands to Nico's sides.

This…looked _compromising_, but not quite like sex, did it now?

Too much clothing! And while Nico was still straddling him, it certainly wasn't nearly close enough for any sort of-…

Wait…

"Percy, why would you even think of _hiding in the bathroom_, you idiot?!" He snapped back at him as Nico hastily let go of him and moved away, his face scarlet – and part of Will's irritation in his voice came just from the loss of that warm sense of comfort Nico's proximity had given him.

Percy stiffened, then wailed quietly, hiding his face in Will's shirt again.

"Leave me alone, I'm tired! Anyways, you were talking about a giant, good-looking, but stupid idiot, yes…?" Percy tried to change the topic, and Will sent him an unimpressed look, just to get confronted with Percy moving his head to look up at him with his messy hair and beautiful eyes.

…Damn.

Will swallowed hard and pushed Percy away from him with a huff.

"I'll get Nico to tell him you called him that, Perce."

"Tell him yourself." Both Nico and Percy retorted, and Will rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Maybe at breakfast. Will make a great conversation starter. 'Hey, Jason, Percy said you're good-looking.'"

Yeah, that was definitely one of the things he wouldn't say.

"Breakfast?" "Just tell him he called him an idiot, I think that will get him to believe you more." Percy and Nico replied, and Will's eyebrows shot up as he glanced towards the Italian.

Was it just him, or did Nico seem a teensy bit pissed off somehow?

Maybe because Percy had once more implied he thought Nico would actually 'do' anything with anybody but Percy…?

While Percy seemed to be an idiot and not know one shouldn't 'hide' when their partner was practically cheating on them, and disturbingly enough didn't seem all that worried about any sort of cheating, Nico seemed…pretty touchy about the subject.

Though Will could completely understand where Nico was coming from.

Seriously, he'd have been pretty pissed off too if Jason had kept implying he'd be whoring around with others-…

Whoring around.

Whoring.

Will's nightmare snapped to the front of his mind, and he retreated, away from the guys, away from their touches, not wanting them to notice anything.

It had just been a dream.

Nothing more.

Everything was good.

Kyle didn't know he liked the guys.

Sure, he thought Jason and Will were dating, apparently, but that was Will's own fault.

He had messed up on that.

Had dragged Jason into this whole mess more than he should have, already.

But that could still be solved.

Now that Jason had made it clear he wasn't interested, he could just say they broke it off, and Jason should be safe.

Wait…didn't that contradict Will's plans of checking whether there was any sort of misunderstanding?

"Will wants to greet Jason at breakfast and check how well he reacts to that. Though, now that I think about it, I doubt he'll even be there." Nico explained, and Will looked up.

"That's what I was thinking. I know _I_ didn't see him at any point yesterday, and when I asked Piper where the idiot had gone, she merely shrugged and said she hadn't seen him since his fight with…" Percy started, then very subtly coughed and broke off, glancing sideways at Will.

Will scowled at him by default.

"He wasn't at dinner, either." Nico mused, and Will's scowl faded, replaced by concern.

Jason was okay, right?

They surely had just had a shitty timing and missed him by a few minutes or so.

Then again, Percy had told them yesterday that Piper had sort of stuck to the dining pavilion all day in order to stop any more fights from breaking out.

The thought of people fighting for Will's sake both comforted and disturbed him.

Though the comfort lessened greatly when he considered who they were picking fights with.

Kyle was nobody to be messed with.

Will had meant it when he had said he was strong.

The fact he had made it all these years by himself only showed that all the more.

Will could only hope he wouldn't hurt anybody.

Since he was on a sort of probation right now from what Will had gathered, that might keep him from doing any serious damage, but Will knew how vengeful he could be.

What if he sought out everybody who-…

Suddenly Will felt sick, his thoughts snapping back to Jason.

_Was he okay?_

What if he hadn't been in the dining pavilion because Kyle-…

No, no that couldn't be.

Nico would have felt it if Jason had been in any near-death situation, and while the storm had lessened up considerably and turned into a faint, mournful drizzling, it was still there.

Jason was fine.

He was probably in his cabin, wondering what to do with all his free time now.

He had probably just not gone to the dining pavilion to avoid others talking.

For sure.

That was all there was to it.

Jason would be okay, everything was okay, he'd probably laugh if he knew Will was worrying sick over something like this.

"You want to use the bathroom first?" Nico asked, and Will nodded, climbing out of the bed and already halfway across the room before Percy could even utter his 'Are you sure you want to come with for breakfast again?'.

Yes, he was sure.

He had heard the muttering, and it would still be there today, but now he knew what to expect, so it would be okay.

Plus, it was really early in the morning, barely anybody would be there, in the first place.

Except Jason, because Jason woke up early by default, unlike Nico or Percy, who usually slept forever, if given the opportunity.

Will felt the queasy tug in his stomach and slammed the door shut behind him, locking it and falling against it for a moment.

No, everything was okay.

Jason was okay.

He'd be at breakfast.

For sure.

Will would see him, would know he was okay, would try to talk to him…

But what if he wasn't there?

Could Will send the guys to check?

What if they didn't look right?

Should Will check?

Will clenched his jaw and started stripping down, glad Percy had lent him his sweatpants, even if they were far too big.

Sleeping in his jeans would have been unimaginable.

Especially because Will had been wearing the same things for two days in a row now, and he could barely stand the thought of having to wear them _again_.

He faintly wished for one of Jason's sweaters, but discarded that thought again, instead stepping into the shower.

It was okay.

He was okay.

Jason was okay.

Everything was okay.

For sure.

He'd see Jason at breakfast.

He'd get his answer.

Everything would be good.

For sure.

.

He wasn't at breakfast.

Will's heart was beating in his chest, loud and hard, as his gaze roamed the tables, searching for his blonde, though he knew he wasn't there.

_He wasn't there._

Where was he?

Had something happened?

Was he okay?

And if he was, then why wasn't he in the dining pavilion?

Maybe he was sick.

Maybe Will had overlooked something when healing him and he was sick and needed medical attention.

Maybe Will should send somebody from his cabin over.

Or maybe Jason was seriously injured.

Maybe he had taken a stroll through the forest to work off some steam, and had been attacked.

Maybe Kyle had found him and-…no, that wasn't an option, Will wasn't allowed to even _think_ that.

He looked around for the tenth time, but there definitely was no sight of Jason.

Maybe Will should check on him.

But how?

Jason wouldn't open the door for him, not after the way they had parted.

And taking the guys with him seemed stupid, too, given that Percy was cursing Jason in Ancient Greek again, apparently utterly fed up with him and his behavior.

Nico seemed agitated, too, so Will didn't want him around, either.

In the end, they'd pick a fight with Jason for Will's sake.

And none of them deserved that.

Jason's decision was his decision.

But maybe…

Maybe Will could…

Maybe he could try to explain it all to him.

Explain to Jason _why_ he hadn't told him about Kyle.

He wouldn't tell him anything like he had done with Percy, there was no need for that, after all.

Jason already knew, so Will didn't have to talk about that.

But he could…maybe explain his reasoning to Jason, in case he hadn't already figured that out by himself.

Will was about to really consider that option, when he realized he still had no idea where Jason was and how he'd get him to talk to him.

Was he in his cabin?

Was it locked?

Could Will sneak in?

Could Will pick the lock?

Will's eyes fell on Percy, who was sitting next to him this time, with Nico opposite them to have a better view of the entrance, since Kyle wasn't here _yet_.

Something nagged at the back of Will's mind, and he tried to pinpoint it as he kept studying Percy.

What was it…

Wait…

_Wait._

Percy had a key!

He had that key he had used before to get into Will's cabin!

That key he had said Leo had made for him, the one that could 'open any lock'!

Would that work on Jason's cabin?

Would Percy give it to him?

…Was Will seriously entertaining the idea of _breaking into Jason's cabin_?

Will brushed off the thought.

Jason could be hurt, could be sick, could need his help, no matter whether he'd want it or not.

Will had to make sure he was okay!

Now, back to the real question: Would Percy give him the key?

Once he knew what Will wanted to use it for, he probably wouldn't.

Instead, he'd tell Will to not abuse his key for that, and to just knock on the door and get Jason to open up for him like that.

But Percy was still so set on the idea it was just a misunderstanding, just as Nico was, so neither of them would understand Will's doubts.

Will sighed, eating his mashed up (and tortured) banana with a glance at the people around them, all of which of course with their eyes on Will, their heads together to mutter 'quietly'.

Will paid them no real mind, blocking out their voices to focus on the problem at hand.

If Percy wasn't going to give him the key, and Will didn't want to go lock-picking, then that just left him with one option.

He put his fork down, then took a deep breath.

_Sorry, Percy._

Will let himself fall sideways against Percy, who jumped in surprise and horror, his fork clattering on the table as he instantly turned towards him to wrap his arms around him.

"Will! Hey, what's wrong? Hey…" His voice was laced with worry, fear even, and Will felt even guiltier as he let his fingers trace over Percy's pockets, making out the key in his right pocket.

It was disturbing how easy it was to sneak his hand in as he let out a small sound and shifted closer, shaking his head softly as if that explained anything.

"I hate bananas." He lamented as his hand closed around the key, and Percy stopped with his stroking.

For a moment, Will thought he had noticed.

But then, the tension left Percy's shoulders and he breathed out a quiet laugh.

"Really, sun-bug? You had me worried there! And you were the one saying you want to eat banana, not us. Want some of my food?" Percy then offered softly, and Will pulled back with a small smile, trying not to let the guilt show.

Sorry, Percy.

So, so sorry.

"Maybe for lunch." He said with a nod, and Percy smiled at him, his eyes sparkling hopefully.

Thinking about it, Percy would probably figure it all out sooner or later.

Will shook off the thought, eating the rest of his banana.

He could worry about that _after_ he was done talking to Jason.

Though, now, Will still had to think of how he'd get the guys to let him go to Jason's cabin by himself.

Let it be known, Will was a horrible human being.

.

"What do you mean?" Nico asked, narrowing his eyes at Annabeth as she pulled him a bit further away from the people still watching them.

"Exactly what I said. Get him to talk to Chiron asap, Nico. Something is wrong with that Kyle guy. While you guys have been busy being all over each other, Pipes and I tried to find out what-…"

"We were _not_ all over each other. Excuse you, but if you haven't noticed, Will was-…" Nico bristled, but Annabeth interrupted him immediately again.

"I know what happened, Nico. I'm not stupid. Still, while you were busy _being there for each other_, Pipes and I tried to find out more about Kyle.

Piper was there when he showed up all of a sudden, and she still says it was weird. He was just suddenly _there_, Nico. People don't just suddenly appear out of nowhere. Also, where is his weapon? From what I can tell so far, his build and reflexes indicate he's a close range fighter, yet I asked the Hermes kids to give his things a check, and, surprise-surprise, there's _nothing_, Nico. Not even a dagger or a pocket knife. And I don't know about you, but he doesn't seem like a pacifist to me."

Nico let that sink in for a moment, remembering the lack of weapon in Will's 'dream' last night as well.

He had to ask him about that.

Since Will had been…had known Kyle from before, he should know his preferred weapon, which might give them a clue.

Then again, Annabeth had been in Camp for almost as long as Will had been, so she should have been able to tell, too.

She seemed to read the quiet accusation in his gaze, the mute 'Why did you not see this and stop it', and her expression hardened for a moment.

But then, she shook her head, apparently deciding an argument about this wouldn't be wise.

Nico knew the same thing, though he still wouldn't mind picking said fight, anyways.

"I talked to Chiron about it, and so far, all I managed to figure out is that Kyle thinks he knows where all the monsters have gone. And…Nico, this might sound weird, but Kyle seems to have mentioned some sort of 'nightmare' or the like. Like sort of visions he supposedly gets, and that he'd like to talk to Chiron and people at Camp about it – and Mr. D, once he shows up again. Nico, how did he even know Mr. D wasn't here? It makes no sense. He knows something, I know he does, and I know he's just trying to get us to pity him, to trust him, but-…"

"Nightmares? Visions?" Nico asked, his eyes narrowing all over again, his alarm bells ringing.

His gaze shot towards Will, who was standing next to Percy, seeming fidgety and restless, but alright so far.

Did Annabeth mean the sort of nightmares Will was getting?

With all the stuff about 'godly interferences' and that incident with Clovis, did that mean they were 'visions', as Kyle had said?

If so, what did that mean?

Did Kyle really get them, too?

"Do you know something?" Annabeth asked, following his gaze.

Nico instantly looked away from Will, glowering at her instead.

"_No._"

Annabeth studied him for a moment, undoubtedly trying to read the truth of that statement in his eyes.

Then she waved off.

"Anyways, there's something else."

"Even more?" Nico asked doubtfully, and she shot him a dark look.

"There's _a lot_, Nico. If you guys weren't busy playing mother hens and actually _looked_, you'd see it, too."

Nico merely lifted his hands defensively, wondering faintly why she was talking to _him_, anyways.

Why not to Percy?

One would guess she'd talk to Percy about this.

Or to all of them together.

Well…maybe not Will.

Though they couldn't very well just leave Will standing around by himself while talking to…oh.

Alright, point taken.

But still, why him?

"You listen better than Seaweed Brain does. And I know he's beside himself with worry for Will right now, so he wouldn't think over my words half as much as you do." Annabeth explained with a shrug, as if she had read the question in his face.

He scowled at her, already opening his mouth to argue.

Percy could listen just fine!

Annabeth cut in before he could even start.

"Save it. Anyways, listen: He knows of the Roman Camp."

Nico stiffened.

What?!

"How?" He asked, already racking his brain for possible explanations.

Maybe he had accessed somebody's dreams of the Roman Camp?

Unlikely, given that only a handful of people had actually even seen it so far.

Maybe he had overheard some kids talking about it?

Unlikely, they were all busy talking about Will and Kyle.

Then again…they had brought up the whole 'Roman'-aspect in a way when talking about Jason.

Maybe he had asked some well-phrased questions and one of the Hermes kids had let something slip…?

"It's weird, right? Pipes and I couldn't find an explanation, either. After Jason and Kyle had had their little fallout, I knew Chiron would be forced to wait at least one night before kicking him out, both for fairness reasons, and to keep his promise of providing shelter to those who ask. Since Kyle had told Chiron he didn't know of his godly parent back when Pipes had still been close by, we knew he'd have to stay in the Hermes cabin, so we went there to give them a warning, as well as make them promise not to let anything slip. And…from what Piper can tell, they kept their word. Nico, he just suddenly asked about how people can handle this whole thing with 'the Romans around' and everything, as if somebody had told him, but all the people that _could_ have told him swear they hadn't."

Nico didn't like those news one bit.

Not that he had liked any of the other things Annabeth had told him.

But still, this brought everything to an entirely different level.

"Call Reyna. Ask her how things are going. Ask her whether there's anything…" He broke off, his eyes on the two people who had just entered the dining pavilion.

Kyle and his bodyguard.

Nico's gaze snapped to Percy and Will, just to notice it was just Percy, talking to a kid he didn't know.

Where was Will?

Maybe he was talking to somebody else?

Nico's eyes roamed the tables, but couldn't detect Will anywhere.

His alarm bells went off.

"Ask her about it. Tell her about him, describe him, maybe even snap a picture. I have to…" He started, already turning away from Annabeth and making straight for Percy, who looked up with a questioning look.

Annabeth said something behind him, but he ignored her.

"Where's Will?" He asked Percy, instead, his voice already showing the panic rising inside him.

Percy blinked, looking behind him just to jump and look around.

"He was just _there!_ I know he was!" His boyfriend exclaimed, and Nico felt the urge to strangle him.

Both their eyes fell on Kyle, who was sneering at them, his face looking unmarred once more.

Nico didn't even want to know who had had to stoop so low and heal him.

Now wasn't the time to ponder that.

Now was the time for him and Percy to storm out the dining pavilion and search for Will.

He couldn't have run _again_, right?

Please not.

.

Jason let out a long, deep sigh and turned around, curling into himself further.

This was the worst.

All of it was.

What had he done?

He had hurt Will.

He had done the same thing Kyle had done.

Had pushed himself onto Will, and Will had been too scared to speak up, too worried he'd react badly, too worried Jason would be like…like Kyle.

Jason cringed, pulling the blanket back over his head.

Why?

What had he done to scare Will like that?

To make him feel that way?

Why couldn't he have just pulled back and left Will alone?

Will had made it so obvious, too.

Had he ever really liked Jason?

Had it all just been an act, a sort of 'survival-instinct' he had developed after Kyle?

Had Jason really been that _blind_ all along?

Why had he forced himself onto Will like that?!

He had even kissed him _in front of the guys_, pushing him even more into this whole situation where he had had no other option but to go along with it.

Oh gods, what had Jason _done_?!

And what was he doing now, wallowing in self-pity in his cabin?

He should…he should…

He should beg for forgiveness.

Should try to set things right with Will.

Should try to-…no.

No, that would only force Will right back into having to pretend everything was okay.

Jason wouldn't do that to him.

No.

He was done forcing himself onto Will.

Gods, this was all just horrible.

Jason started sweating under the blanket and pushed his head back out to breathe.

And this sucked.

He had showered earlier, the first shower since Kyle had shown up, but it hadn't made him feel any better about himself, nor the situation.

So he had gone straight back to bed, ignoring the twisting of his stomach.

He wasn't even feeling hungry.

He had gone way past that, instead feeling right-out sick.

It didn't matter.

He could eat later.

Maybe Annabeth or Piper would bring something for lunch again.

He wasn't even sure whether it had been one of them, but there had been wrapped up food in front of his door yesterday, after somebody had knocked timidly on the door and disappeared right after.

Since there weren't many other people he was particularly close to, he assumed it had to have been either Annabeth or Piper, probably knowing what had happened from the guys.

His stomach churned, and he made a face to himself.

No, he couldn't go to the dining pavilion now.

He didn't want to show his face where anybody could see it.

Plus, Will would probably be at breakfast right now, given the time.

Jason opened his eyes slightly, thinking.

Would he be at breakfast?

Was he eating?

Was he drinking?

Was he okay?

Was Kyle still at Camp?

Hopefully the guys were taking care of Will.

Who was he kidding, of course they would.

Hey, who knew, maybe this was the necessary push they needed to get together.

Though Jason kind of doubted the guys would make a move on Will _now_, of all times.

Not with this whole mess, not with Will being so beside himself.

Maybe he was better already?

Jason hoped so.

He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping faintly he'd fall asleep again.

Then, suddenly, there was a ruckus at his door, and he frowned, straining his ears as he heard somebody knocking and trying his door handle several times.

He had locked the door.

Mostly to keep Percy and/or Nico from storming in and telling him what he already knew.

He was an idiot.

An asshole.

A monster just like Kyle.

Jason cringed and turned around, away from the door, tugging the blanket up and waiting for whoever was at the door to disappear.

Probably just Annabeth or Piper, to check whether he was still alive.

The guys wouldn't come over, not after what he had done to Will.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a key pushing into a lock and turning, and Jason's eyes snapped open.

What…?

His front door was thrown open, and he stiffened, wondering who the hell had a spare key.

His sister?

No, the hunters had no reason to come to Camp right now.

Plus, he was pretty sure Thalia didn't even have a key.

But then who…

Jason considered all his options, wondering how he should react, whether he should turn around, but then he decided against it, simply staying where he was.

What did it matter?

It really didn't.

If he was getting attacked, then so be it.

"Oh, thank the gods, you're in here…" A voice sounded behind him, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

_Will_.

The door closed, and Jason could hear the click announcing it was being locked again.

A part of him wanted to jump up and turn around, look around, look at Will, see whether it really was him, or whether Jason was hallucinating.

Another part of him refused to move the smallest inch, fearing it was really just his imagination, his mind playing tricks on him.

"Jason…I…I know I kind of just broke into your cabin. I know you probably don't want to talk to me right now…or ever again, really, but…the guys said that…well…I…" Will stammered, and Jason frowned in confusion.

…What?

Will took a deep breath, then moved two steps towards him.

"Jason, I've decided. You remember that wish you still owe me? I decided I want to make use of it."

Oh, the wish.

This was real, then?

Will was here?

Why was Will here?

Where were Percy and Nico?

Had something happened?

Was that why Will was here?

Or had they urged him to come here?

Why would they do that?

Too many questions.

And Jason didn't have the answer to any of them.

"I know you can hear me, Jason. Your breathing is off and the tension is clear in your shoulders, so I know you're awake. I understand you don't want to talk, but can you give me a sign at least, to show whether you accept my request to use my wish?" Will asked behind him, and Jason stiffened even more.

A sign.

What should he do?

What was Will even doing?

Jason wanted to look around again, wanted to see Will, wanted to see how he looked like, wanted to reach out for him, wanted to tug him close, wanted to touch…

Which was exactly why he stayed as he was, merely moving his head ever so faintly, as if to nod.

What would Will wish for?

That Jason left Camp?

That Jason never talked to him again?

Probably not.

Will wasn't like that.

If anything, he'd ask Jason to never do anything of the sort to anybody else.

Jason wouldn't.

He'd rather be by himself for the rest of his life than risk that.

Jason had already decided he'd focus entirely on his job of getting all the signatures, of binding all the gods to the peace contract, so future generations would be safe from the gods at the very least.

After that, he'd just go and…do something else.

He wasn't sure.

It didn't matter.

But he wouldn't push himself onto anybody again. Ever.

"Thank you, Jason. Alright, here goes: I wish for you to hear me out. Completely, with no interruptions. I…I know what I've done wasn't right, and that I shouldn't have…I should have…I should have told you, Jason. At least a part of it. I know it was wrong of me not to. But…I want to explain why. Do you accept that wish?"

That…was the dumbest wish Jason had ever heard.

Of course he'd hear Will out.

He'd _always_ hear him out.

He'd always be there for him…

He couldn't be there for him anymore, though.

Pain seared through Jason, and he found himself nodding again, readying himself to hear Will confirm all the things Jason had realized the past days, to hear him confirm all of Jason's fears.

Will sniffled behind him – barely audible, but Jason still caught it, and his heart ached.

And then, because he was an idiot, he automatically moved and lifted his blanket, mutely inviting Will in.

No.

No, what was he _doing_?!

There was no way Will would want to-…

Will moved, and the next moment, a cool, trembling body pressed against his back, and Jason stared at the wall, shocked, stunned, surprised.

He pulled his hand back and his fingers brushed against Will's bare forearm for a moment, making them both shiver.

Then Jason forced himself to keep his hands _to himself_, while the rest of him concentrated solely on Will behind him.

"I didn't want you to…to know about Kyle, Jason. Not you, not the guys. At first, when I started getting to know you more, I…it all didn't bother me that much, Jason. I _am_ over it. It all happened a long time ago, after all. But it really didn't bother me all that much. I barely even thought of it. After losing Leah, I just sort of pushed everything down and focused on other things like healing and helping other people, until there were so many other things to think and worry about to care about _that_, in any way." Will muttered, and Jason's heart ached, though he wasn't sure why Will was telling him this.

"So when I started talking to Nico more, and realized I actually _really_ could have a chance with him, if only I had something going for me that you guys didn't have, of course I started bragging, started acting as if I was oh so experienced. I know it was stupid, but, hell, _I_ was stupid. Come on, I was crazy in love with him, okay? Still am. But I know myself, I know compared to you two, I'm-…whatever, that doesn't matter. Don't say anything."

Jason shifted slightly, wanting to interrupt, wanting to correct, wanting to point out how wonderful Will was, how special he was.

But Will's hands curled into his shirt, holding onto him almost desperately, and Jason stayed silent.

"I bragged and boasted, and before I knew it, I knew you guys had to think I was some sort of…you know. But that was okay. I was fine with it. I didn't get to date Nico, but I figured being friends with you guys was good enough, too. And when you came to me for advice, I loved it. It made me feel as if all the stuff I…knew…wasn't all that bad, after all, that I could use it to _help_ you. This way, I couldn't date you, but I could still make sure you'd be great with the people lucky enough to get you. You know what I mean?"

Yes, but Jason still didn't understand why Will was telling him this.

He seemed nervous, uncertain.

Maybe he was scared of Jason.

Of him doing something.

The thought hurt.

"But then, the thing with Leah…Elysium happened. And it all just…suddenly it was all _back_, Jason. I didn't know what to do. All these memories I thought had faded, they were just suddenly back, as if it had only just happened, not years ago. And I know I should have told you guys at least _something_, but…I didn't want to lose what we had. We were so close, you guys were so close, I feared that, if you knew, you'd distance yourself from me, that you'd pull back, that you'd avoid me. A part of me even feared you'd all just leave, that you wouldn't want to hang out with somebody like me anymore…"

Stupid, stupid Will.

They'd have _never_ done that.

"So I didn't tell you anything, hoping that was all there was to it, hoping it would all just go away again, the way I had managed to make it go away before. And then…then I woke up in the middle of the night, just to find out I was molesting you. Again."

Jason's heart sank.

It was time.

Will was going to tell him how Jason had been just like Kyle.

He might try to make it sound a bit nicer, but it would still be the same.

"And I was so stupid, so, so stupid. But you were _there_, so affected, so alluring, so _tempting_, and I just…I don't know what I was thinking. I wasn't really thinking. You looked at me with those beautiful eyes of yours, and I wanted you to want me, I wanted you to want more. So, when you asked for a kiss, I just…I interpreted it as something _I_ wanted. I wanted more, Jason. I wanted everything. I knew I might not be able to handle it, but that didn't keep me from _wanting_ so badly. And I know I should have confirmed things with you before agreeing, before trying to seduce you, before doing something I knew you'd end up regretting."

…What?

Jason frowned, confusion spreading inside him.

What?

What was Will talking about?

"At first, I kept reasoning with myself, excusing my actions by thinking that 'Jason asked for this', and who was I to not give you what you wanted, especially when it was something I'd been craving for, for so long, anyways?"

Jason blinked, his heartbeat picking up as he thought of Will actually _wanting_ to do more with Jason, of him wanting Jason just as much as Jason had started wanting Will.

"Before I knew it, I was going down on you, and then we were in the bathroom, and everything came out, and I was _shocked_. Of course I was. Because now my excuse was gone, and you'd realize I liked you, you'd realize I wanted this, you'd think I was just some sort of slut who'd just do anybody."

Jason would _never_ think like that!

"But then you didn't, instead despairing over pushing me into anything, and I remember feeling so surprised about that. You didn't even _know_, not of my past, not of Kyle, not of anything, yet the first thing you worried about was whether you had forced me to anything. As if you were capable of doing something like that, am I right?" Will chuckled without humor, and Jason was more confused than ever.

If…if Will wasn't saying he had forced him into that blowjob, then…what exactly was he saying?

Where was he going with this?

Was he trying to downplay it?

Was there more to come?

Was it not their night in the pillow corner, but what had followed?

Had it been a sort of build-up issue to Will, with Jason becoming increasingly pushy and disregarding of Will's boundaries?

"And the next thing I know, you're going down on me, and it felt so wonderful, so amazing, and I just…I wanted to stay there forever, Jason. I never wanted you to figure anything out, and I wanted to stay there forever with you, and do nothing but cuddle and have sex and waste our lives away on the bathroom floor."

He made it sound like such a bad thing.

Jason would have loved to do nothing but.

A glimmer of hope shot through him, wishing for this to mean there was a chance for them, still.

He could show Will he would watch himself, would make sure not to cross any boundaries, that he'd be a good boyfriend, that Will wouldn't have to fear him…

"But I knew I couldn't. That was the worst, Jason. _Wanting_ it so badly, and actually h_earing you ask me out_, while knowing full well it wouldn't work out. What if you wanted more than I could give? You didn't know, after all, and I wanted to keep it that way, but I also knew how close I had gotten to letting it show, and I was so scared I'd _actually_ let it show, that you'd figure it out, and that you'd…well, _leave_."

Jason frowned.

What did Will mean by 'letting it show'?

Letting what show?

That he had been raped?

That made no sense…?

Jason felt Will trembling behind him again, and he felt the urge to speak, to interrupt, to reassure and comfort.

"But you wouldn't stop, wouldn't back off, and I wanted to say yes so badly, Jason. But I couldn't tell you, and I couldn't let you know. So there you were, wondering and worrying why I kept saying no when I kept insisting I wanted more, and there I was, _wanting_ so badly but knowing I'd lose it all over again. Jason, I'm sorry for not coming out to you, for not telling you right away and sparing you all that. I…I just couldn't bear the thought of you _knowing_."

Jason found himself turning around automatically when Will sniffled again, and he caught a glimpse of Will's pained face before his arms wrapped tightly around Will and pulled him closer and into his chest.

Will instantly grabbed hold of him, burying his face further in Jason's shirt.

"And I regret it now. I know I should have told you, to make things fair, to show you what you almost got yourself into. I…I was actually thinking of telling you. I wanted to ask you out, Jason. When…before _he_ showed up again. I wanted to tell you, to let you know, and then I figured you'd either say you don't care, or you'd…you know? But I really would have told you, Jason. I know it sounds empty now, but I really…I wouldn't have deceived you like that, Jason. I wanted to, at first, hoping I could push it all back down and act the part, go along with whatever you'd ask and want, but I knew you'd notice, you'd look right through it, and I just knew one day you'd wake up and realize and then you'd either be disgusted and shocked, or you'd even come to the wrong conclusion and think this was all your fault, that I hadn't told you because I was scared you'd do the same…"

Jason froze.

Wait…

"You're not?" Jason asked, his voice raspy from disuse, and Will pushed away from him, looking up at him with a frown.

"Am not what?" He asked, surprisingly enough not reprimanding Jason for speaking.

"Scared. Of me doing the same." Jason said, the words bitter on his tongue, and the next moment, Will shoved him back harshly.

"_No!_"

Jason was blinking rapidly, trying to make sense of what was happening, while Will was pushing himself up, looking borderline _angry_.

"But I…" Jason started, but Will moved and pushed him back again, not even giving him much of a chance to sit up properly.

"_Shut up_, Jason. You could _never_ be like that! Why would you even-…"

Suddenly, Will broke off, his eyes widening as the realization seemed to wash over him.

Jason didn't understand for the longest moment, until the memory of himself rushing out of Percy's cabin came back to mind, of their argument, of Will's words and of his own.

Of the pain at finding out Will was scared of him, of him really having forced Will to go along with everything, that he had messed everything up so badly and beyond repair.

And of the fact Will had just told him the exact opposite, making it sound as if _Will_ had been the one forcing himself onto Jason, that _he_ had been the one at fault for everything, that _he_ had been the one who had messed everything up.

It sounded so much like Will, too.

But then what had he talked about back when…

"You thought I ran away because _you were raped_?" He asked, his voice breathless and disbelieving, and Will averted his face, guilt and discomfort clear in his features.

"I…I thought you…" He started awkwardly, but Jason was already moving.

"Will, I thought _I_ had raped you! That I forced you into everything, and that you were too scared to tell me! Will, how did you _not_ catch that? You even _confirmed_ it!" He exclaimed, his arms closing around Will, and Will's arms were around him no moment later, hugging him back just as hard as Jason was.

"I did no such thing! You were rambling about why I didn't tell you about Kyle, so I figured you were upset that I had left you in the dark for so long!" Will defended himself, and Jason couldn't believe they were _arguing_, while also hugging the hell out of each other.

"I meant why you hadn't told me I was pushing you to things you didn't want!" Jason asked breathlessly as he moved his face against the side of Will's neck, inhaling his scent, feeling his warmth, getting high on the sensation of _Will_, of Will _in his arms_.

"But you didn't!"

"I made you blow me."

"Oh please. Weren't you listening? Come on, don't make me repeat it. I hate admitting to things." Will grumbled, and pushed him away again, but then pulled him back in, apparently struggling between being fed up with Jason and trying to get him to come closer.

Jason could only relate to that all too well.

"I tried to push you into a relationship with me." He breathed, his lips moving over Will's neck as he tried to think of what exactly it was they were doing.

"You would have stopped the moment I told you to." Will retorted with utmost conviction, his hands now in Jason's hair, pulling him closer with a small gasp.

Jason felt his heart hammering in his chest, then felt Will's heart beating in a similarly wild rhythm.

"You're not scared of me?" He asked hopefully, barely daring to speak the words, and was instantly met by Will shoving him away again to fix him with a dark look.

"_No_! Seriously, stop asking me that! Would I have broken into your cabin if I was scared of you?"

…Fair point.

Jason was just opening his mouth, trying to think of something else to say, but then Will's finger was on his lips, shushing him.

He wasn't sure why he did it, but he kissed his finger, and Will blinked, the frown disappearing from his face, the same way the finger suddenly disappeared.

The next moment, hands cupped his face, and Jason felt himself getting pulled forward.

And then, their lips met.

_Yes_.

Jason gasped just like Will, and his arms were moving, his hands trying to find Will, find him and touch every single inch of skin he could find, everything that was him.

Will's arms moved around his neck, pulling him down with him as he let himself fall back into the bed, and Jason followed only all too willingly, lowering himself on top of Will ever so slowly as their lips kept meeting and parting in rushed, desperate, open-mouthed kisses.

"Jason…"

Gods, his_ voice_.

Jason felt the shivers running down his body as he felt Will's legs wrapping around him, something nagging at the back of his mind, though he paid no attention to it, too busy getting lost in the sensation of _Will_.

"I love you." He heard himself whispering, breathless, raspy, his voice an absolute mess, but it didn't matter.

What mattered was the way Will's lips split into a soft grin before he continued drawing Jason in further and further, kissing him over and over and over again, before Jason dared to deepen their kiss, pushing against Will ever so faintly.

Will hummed as he tilted his head further, but at the same time, his hands on Jason's upper arms tightened their hold on him.

The nagging in the back of his mind became louder, and he broke their kiss to ask, to make sure, to confirm-…but then he already found himself on his back, Will straddling his hips, and their lips mashing together all over again.

"I love you too, you giant idiot."

Jason laughed into their open kiss, then allowed Will to push against him further, hands flying up and down his body, first above his clothes, then suddenly beneath, and Jason heard himself gasping loudly in response.

"I love you." He repeated, to make sure Will had heard, to make sure he knew, and Will bit down on his bottom lip and tugged on it, as if hoping that would shut him up.

"It won't be easy." Will whispered as he let go of Jason's lip again, his voice shaking the faintest bit, but Jason shook his head, his hands settling on Will's hips when he couldn't decide where to touch him first.

"We'll figure something out."

"What if I'm too broken?" Will breathed, and Jason's hands shot up to cup his face instead, keeping his face closer than before.

"You're not." He whispered back, and licked his way back into Will's mouth, desperate for more.

Will moaned, and they both closed their eyes, Will lowering his body to allow them to feel each other, feel the heat, feel the friction, feel everything Jason craved for.

"But what if I am?"

"Then we'll make it work, anyways."

"So much conviction."

"I love you."

"So sappy."

"You know you love it."

"I do. Now kiss me properly, you fool." Will ordered, and Jason was quick to comply.

His hands were trembling on Will's hips, dying to roam free, to touch, to claim, to feel Will's skin under his fingertips, to feel his heat, to feel _him_.

"Can I touch you?" He asked as their lips parted again for the faintest moment, and Will huffed almost indignantly, before grinding down on him and making them both moan.

"If you don't touch me, I swear I'll go crazy." Will breathed instead of replying, and Jason's heart leaped in his chest.

"Is that a yes?"

"_Jason_!"

Will cracked an eye open, then bit Jason's bottom lip again as he started grinding down into Jason's crotch in the same rhythm their kisses had.

It felt _amazing_.

"Of course it's a fucking yes."

Jason's hands abandoned Will's hips, moving up his back, down his front, over his arms, over his neck, into his hair and back down, roaming free and touching every inch he could find.

He pushed them under his shirt, noticing off-handedly how loose it was, and how it was actually Percy's shirt, but all that faded the moment he felt Will's skin, felt him shiver at the touch, felt him leaning into it.

Jason couldn't help it, he cursed.

But Will merely chuckled in reply, now starting to kiss his way down to Jason's neck, and Jason cursed even more.

"You sound so far gone when you curse. I love it." Will breathed, and Jason huffed, trying to at the very least _act_ indignant, but then he felt Will's hands moving down his front to his pants, and he couldn't even act anymore.

He could only moan, feeling Will palm him through his sweatpants.

"Never seen you in sweats before, Handsome."

Did it matter?

Will licked over Jason's neck, then bit down, and Jason decided with a gasp that nothing mattered but this.

"Like what you see, then?" He asked as he let himself fall back further into the pillow, while Will was now moving to the front of his throat, and he bared it for him, trusting him with his life.

Will grinned against his skin, licking over his Adam's Apple ever so softly and making him swallow automatically.

Then, Will pulled back to give him a tantalizingly slow once-over, making Jason regret he had said anything in the first place.

For a moment, Will's expression changed, but then he was shaking his head, smiling softly at Jason and moving back closer, his hand immediately teasing Jason through his pants again, because Will was an absolute tease.

"You bet I do. You should wear them more often, makes things a lot easier, don't you think?"

And then, just like that, Will's hand disappeared inside Jason's pants, and all Jason could do was pant and groan and pull Will's face back down to him to kiss, to touch, to feel, while the rest of his body started trembling as Will started stroking him.

"Shouldn't I be the one making you feel good, Freckles?" He pressed out as Will started mouthing at his neck again, and Will laughed.

"Oh, don't you worry, I'm feeling more than just good right now."

Jason hummed, then gasped as Will's thumb started teasing his tip.

_Mean._

Suddenly, they found themselves getting cruelly interrupted by somebody banging on the door.

"Jason! Jason, please tell us Will is in there with you!" Nico called, just to have Percy add to it.

Two somebodies.

"Though, if he is, I _swear_ you two better be decent, or so the gods help me!"

They both froze.

Then Will's expression turned guilty, and Jason didn't even _want_ to know what exactly he had done this time.

"They didn't know you were coming here, did they now?" He asked quietly, while Nico and Percy started arguing in front of the door about whether or not they'd be angry with Will if he was in here – very subtle and comforting, indeed.

Will winced faintly, pulling his hand out of his pants and hopping off the bed.

"Nope. I sort of ditched them right after breakfast, when a Demeter girl started talking to Percy about the sword fighting lessons he hadn't been giving."

That explained _a lot_.

Jason half expected Will to move to the door, to let the guys in, to explain himself.

Instead, his blonde moved towards the small bathroom.

"If you'll excuse me, I think I need a toilet."

Jason shot him an unimpressed look as he waved and slammed the door shut.

Why wasn't he surprised?

He sighed, getting out of bed and fixing his clothes as well as he could as he hurried over to the door, knowing full well he was still panting, and a glance at the mirror in passing told him his face and neck were flushed a light pink, his lips definitely swollen.

Oh well, nothing for it.

At least his shirt was long enough to cover his front perfectly.

He unlocked the door hurriedly before Percy could break it, and came face to face with a worried Nico, and an upset looking Percy.

"Is he here?" They both asked in unison, and he stepped aside to let them in.

"He's in the bathroom."

They sighed in relief, then Percy scowled at him again, while Nico gave him a slow once-over as they brushed past him inside his cabin.

"I hope for you that you used this chance to make up with him." Percy snapped, and Jason held up his hands.

"We did. It…was a sort of misunderstanding."

"You don't say." Percy smart-assed, indicating they had known that much already.

How much _did_ they know, though?

Nico eyed him oddly, his eyes hushing from Jason's eyes to his lips and back.

Uh-oh.

Did he know?

…Would it make a difference if he did?

"Listen…I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have run off the way I had…" He started, but both Percy and Nico held up their hands immediately to shut him up.

"Stop right there." Percy said, and Nico continued.

"There's no reason for you to apologize to us. It's not _us_ you left behind when we would have needed you."

_Ouch_.

Percy's eyebrows shot up and he glanced sideways at Nico with a surprised look.

Jason had to admit he wasn't very surprised.

First of all, Nico was always more direct than Percy, and more cruel when people messed with what was important to him.

And second of all, the look in his eyes told Jason he knew full well just what he and Percy had interrupted by showing up.

The bathroom door unlocked, and Will came out, looking sheepish and with his hands in his pockets, but not displeased.

"Hey guys…"

He didn't get any further, because the next moment, both Percy and Nico had their arms around Will already, pulling him close.

"You _idiot_!"

"How could you just disappear without warning?!"

"I let you out of my sight for _one minute_ and you suddenly disappear!"

"I'm sorry!" Will wailed from where he was hopelessly squished between them.

Jason sighed, closing the door quietly, though he had no idea whether they'd stay for very long.

His father's figure stared down at them disapprovingly.

Oh, he had almost forgotten about that.

Which made him wonder faintly how his dad would react if he knew Jason's feelings for these dorks.

He decided he didn't want to know.

"Never. Do. That. Again. And also, you know I'd have given you the key if you had just _asked_ for it, right?" Percy scolded, ruffling through Will's hair, and Jason frowned.

Key…?

What key?

"You have a key to my cabin?" Jason asked, the same moment Nico looked up at his boyfriend in confusion, and Will guiltily pulled out a key out of his pocket, holding it out to Percy sheepishly.

"I'm sorry. I kind of…wanted to do it on my own. Completely." He mumbled awkwardly, but Percy closed Will's hand around the key, his scowl softening, showing he wasn't all that upset.

He seemed too relieved that Will was okay to really be upset with him.

"It's okay. Just tell us next time, sun-bug. And keep it. The gods know you need it more than I ever will."

"You have a key to my cabin?" Jason repeated, still utterly confused.

Had he missed something?

And why would Percy have needed a key to his cabin in the first place?

And why was he passing it on to Will?

What?

"No, dummy. It's a…well, I don't know what it is, really. Back in December, I asked Leo to forge me a copy of Nico's cabin key so I could drop off the gifts at night, and then this key came to be, instead. Sort of opens any door I've encountered so far." Percy explained with a shrug, and both Jason and Nico gave a slow nod.

Oh, okay, that made sense…

No, wait, it didn't.

What?!

"You tried to forge my key?" Nico asked surprised, while Jason was more thrown off about the whole 'Oh yeah, by the way, this key opens any lock, ever'.

Will held the key out to him, as if sensing his confusion, but Jason made no move to take it.

Percy was right.

Will needed that key much more than any of them ever would.

It would give him much more options of where to run to.

And if the key could unlock doors, it could also lock doors, keeping him safe.

Jason definitely liked that idea, of Will being safe.

Will gazed up at him, and Jason gazed right back, a small smile forming on his lips as he studied the blonde, watched the way his hair fell so evenly and nice around his face now, how his freckles stood out again on his skin, much better than when they had almost faded entirely, how his eyes were so, so blue and wonderful.

Percy and Nico stopped talking, and Jason noticed they were both watching him almost expectantly.

What…?

Had he missed something?

Will chuckled.

"Yes, we're fine. I guess you were right, guys. It was just a misunderstanding." He explained, and Jason raised an eyebrow, glancing at the guys.

_They_ had told Will it was a misunderstanding?

Why?

Jason knew he shouldn't be surprised, but…still.

"Don't give me that look, bro. Of course we figured it had to be a misunderstanding. Though you certainly freaked Nico out. Almost made me reconsider bringing you food-…" Percy broke off with a look that spoke of regret, and Jason blinked.

What…?

"You brought him food?" Nico and Will asked, and Jason looked around at Percy in surprise, who had his arms crossed now and was looking around at the interior of his cabin with greatest interest.

"Hm? What? What did you say? I don't know what you're talking about…"

Oh gods, what a dork.

Jason sighed, then moved to pull Percy and Nico into a hug.

They all knew it was long overdue, anyways.

"I'm sorry, guys. I know I was an idiot, and not just to Will."

"Just don't do it again. That's the second time you avoided Will. The next time that happens, I'll run in your door and impale you with Riptide, just so you know." Percy grumbled, sounding a lot like Will when he tried to act tough, and the way his arms wrapped around Jason almost instantly indicated the same.

"As long as you two made up and everything is good now…" Nico mumbled, also holding onto him tightly.

Jason smiled softly, noticing off-handedly how unusual this felt, the way they felt against him.

It probably didn't matter, but it still struck him as odd.

It also made him want to hug them more often, to make this _less_ unusual.

"And thanks for the food, Percy." He added, and Percy grumbled again, his nose at Jason's neck.

"I picked all the food you don't like. Hope it tasted horrible."

Jason thought back to the wrapped up sandwiches and chicken, and how he had wondered why the girls would be so nice, given the situation.

The fact that _Percy_ had brought him that only made it all the weirder.

"It tasted so good it made me feel horrible, if that helps." He said quietly, and Percy fake-cackled against his skin.

"_Good_."

"You guys are such saps. Hey, if anybody is still thinking about a possible birthday gift for me, I want my own camera. I'll take pictures of you being dorks all day and night. Oh, and I want a recording function, to catch how the heck you guys move at night." Will rambled next to them, and all three of them moved their heads to shoot him telling looks.

Then, Nico and Jason reached out and tugged him into their hug, too.

"Aww, a group hug, how sweet." Will tried to tease, but they weren't fooled.

"I missed you guys." Jason admitted quietly, wondering faintly how he had ever managed to leave them, in the first place.

"Nico and Will missed you more." Percy retorted, and both Nico and Will huffed.

"You know, it wasn't _Nico_ whining around about Jason not being there last night…" Will pointed out teasingly, and Jason raised an eyebrow again.

"Seriously, Percy, if you weren't dating Nico, I'd think you're starting to have a little crush on me."

"You better take that back this instant, or so the gods help me." Percy grumbled, and the three chuckled quietly.

Then, after what felt like forever, they let go, and Jason left to get changed, so they could leave.

It definitely felt good, being back with the guys.

It felt even better knowing Will still liked him, and that Jason hadn't forced him into anything.

Though he still felt stupid for not having figured it out before, and horrible for not being clearer and letting Will know why he had left.

He had never meant to hurt him, after all.

He had only left in order to _not_ hurt him.

Hopefully, Will knew that now.

Jason glanced around at Will as he left the bathroom, and Will met his gaze with a small, warm smile.

Yeah, he seemed to know.

Jason decided he'd tell him later again though, just to make sure.

He didn't know what this made them, whether this put them back to baby steps, or whether baby steps even still existed.

He remembered Will saying he had intended to actually ask him out, which instantly made him hope…though with the whole thing with Kyle still so recent and fresh on all their minds, he definitely wanted to give Will all the time he needed, which included no pushy questions that might make Will rush anything.

Nope, he had time.

They had time.

Everything was well.

.

"So, what do you want to do until lunch? Hey, this is great. We can send Jason to pick up something for us. Maybe he'll smash Kyle's face in again, now that it's gotten all healed up by whatever unfortunate soul had to help him." Percy mused as they exited the cabin what felt like an eternity later, and Nico shot him a pointed look, while Jason froze in the middle of locking his door.

"Don't even joke about that, Percy." Nico remarked drily, but his boyfriend merely winked at him.

Dork.

Jason turned around, looking confused and shocked, making the three of them stop in their tracks to look at him in question.

What?

"Kyle's still here?" He asked, sounding stupefied.

They all looked at each other in surprise

"Damn, bro, you really haven't left your cabin, huh?"

"Will didn't talk to Chiron yet."

"I…I'm sorry…"

Percy, Nico and Will replied, and he and Percy instantly shot Will scolding looks.

"No more apologies, sun-bug, we've talked about this. You'll talk to him today. Then Kyle will have to leave, and everything will be okay." Percy tried soothingly, and Nico nodded in agreement.

Come on, all Will had to do was tell Chiron 'Jason's story is right', and the centaur would be able to guess the rest from there, no doubt.

Will didn't reply, merely looking down at the ground with a small, hesitant nod, his lips a thin line.

Nico didn't like it.

He didn't like seeing Will like this, and without knowing _why_ he was this way.

He didn't like not knowing what to do about it.

He didn't like _not knowing_.

"Let's get back to the cabin for now." Nico said quietly, hoping that, with Jason around, they could talk some confidence into Will, so he could go have his talk with Chiron right after lunch.

Nico would much prefer _right now_, but Will was already paling again, and the last thing he wanted was for Will to be sick again, especially when they had only just managed to make him eat more or less properly again.

"Sure. Your cabin this time, love? Most of our things are there, anyways. I mean, I have spare clothes at yours, anyways, so Will can wear those-…unless you want us to go by your cabin, sun-bug? Or…or would you like to go there, yourself…?" Percy asked hesitantly, and Nico shot Will an assessing look.

The Apollo kids had shown with their attack on Kyle that they were all behind Will, and would protect him no matter what.

Will wouldn't have to fear anybody there calling him a liar.

But…

Nico was also fairly certain Will would much prefer not to talk to his siblings right away, especially if Kyle was still at Camp.

"I'm okay. Maybe…maybe later." Will mumbled evasively, pushing dirt around with his feet.

Nico looked towards Jason, and found him studying Will quietly for a moment.

Then, he suddenly turned around and unlocked his door again.

"Jason? What are you-…" Percy started before Nico could, but Jason only shook his head, already disappearing inside.

"Be right back."

They shot each other questioning looks, while Will let out a loud sigh, burying his face in his hands.

Nico could swear he heard him muttering something like 'Pull yourself together, at least for them!' under his breath, but he dearly hoped he was wrong.

Percy looked sideways at Will, too, then sighed and ruffled through his hair.

"Seriously though, you gave us a heart attack with just disappearing like that. It's only because I noticed the key was missing that we even came here so quickly. Else Nico and I would have turned the whole Camp upside down looking for you. At least leave us a note, will you?"

Nico huffed.

A note?

He wished Percy would rather tell Will to never run away again.

Seriously, if Will had just told them he wanted to talk to Jason alone, they wouldn't have stopped him.

If anything, they'd have brought him here safe and sound and waited for Jason to let him in – and Percy could have given him that weird key he had if Jason had been uncooperative.

So, really, Will should have just told them.

Then again, they'd have probably stayed outside the door the entire time those two were in there, and Nico had a hunch that might have bothered the two blondes.

Especially given since they had apparently had nothing better to do than being all over each other in the meantime.

Nico had eyes in his head.

He had seen the way Jason had panted, the way his pupils were dilated, the way he was disheveled and slightly flushed, with his lips slightly swollen and the heat radiating off him, though Jason was one of the coolest in their group, temperature-wise.

Same as he had seen that gleam in Will's eyes, with similarly swollen lips and his gaze raking Jason's body up and down almost hungrily, while Jason had gazed at him as if he was his entire world, telling Nico both of them had much regretted getting interrupted.

Nico's jaw clenched.

It wasn't any of his business, of course.

What they did or didn't do, it was up to them.

He still didn't like it.

Nico knew that was selfish, but his heart didn't seem to care much, happily aching in his chest at the thought of those two getting…closer.

Then again, who knew what those two had actually already done…

Seriously though, what _had_ they done already?

Percy seemed to know, but Nico didn't dare to ask, and he couldn't very well ask Will or Jason.

It seemed way too nosy and inappropriate.

But Nico still wanted to know.

He also felt the greatest urge to keep an eye on them from now on, to prevent 'more' from happening again.

Did that count as cockblocking?

Was he trying to cockblock them?

He guessed he was.

…Maybe Percy would help him.

Then their roles could be reversed from back when he and Percy had started dating, and Will and Jason had always been so eager to interrupt.

Wow, that was just mean.

"I'm really sorry. I think…I don't think I was thinking straight. I was just…when he wasn't at breakfast, I started freaking out a bit. I thought something might have happened, that he might be sick, and I just…I just _had_ to check on him. But I didn't want to risk you starting to argue with him or anything, and I thought you wouldn't give me the key if I told you I wanted to break into his cabin, and then…I don't know. I just thought I should do it all by myself. _Wanted_ to do it all by myself."

Nico sighed, exchanging a look with Percy.

One of these days, Will would realize he didn't have to face every single thing life threw at him all by himself.

Percy ruffled through Will's hair again, making him scowl and make that shooing motion again he liked to do so much, though it was as ineffective as usual, merely making Percy chuckle.

"Why do you always have to be so stubborn, sun-bug. I clearly remember Nico and I told you just last night, while keeping your attention with kisses, that you do _not_ have to do everything by yourself. Ever. Accept some help, damn it."

Nico nodded in agreement, but had a hunch Will wasn't really listening, still waving his hands in Percy's face with a small wail and trying to get him to stop messing up his hair.

"Who kissed who? Did I miss something?" Jason asked with a slight frown as he stood in the doorway again, one of his backpacks over his shoulder and a sweater in his hand.

"Oh yes, absolutely. You know, since you weren't there to make out with Will, we did it for you, you know? We're so dating now. You're the odd one out, Jace." Percy declared, and Nico's eyes widened, while Will snorted loudly.

"Dream on, Percy. As if that's ever gonna happen. Jason, don't believe a word of it."

"Oh, come on, you could have let him be shocked for a few minutes, at the very least, sun-bug. He left us hanging, he deserves to be punished." Percy huffed indignantly, and Will rolled his eyes.

Nico glanced towards Jason, who was still frowning and looking over at Nico with a questioning look.

What?

What was he looking at him like that for?

If this was about the whole talking-to-Percy-thing, he could forget about it right away again.

Nico was not going to bother with that talk right now.

There was enough much more important stuff going on right now, he didn't need Percy even more beside himself than he already was.

Jason sighed.

"Well, I wouldn't have been surprised either way, in all honesty. Anyways, Will…"

"Yes?" Will instantly piped up, looking at Jason with that gleam in his eyes that made Nico's heart ache.

But it wasn't as if he could really do anything about it.

"Oh wow, look at that, sun-bug is making heart-eyes just because Jason exists. Go figure." Percy grumbled, crossing his arms in front of his chest with a disgruntled huff.

Will and Jason both threw him exasperated looks.

"_Percy!_" They both exclaimed, and Percy held up his arms, though he still looked upset.

"I'm just glad he's back, you dork. And for your information, the only one I'm making heart eyes at is Nico. I mean, have you _seen_ that backside in those skinny jeans of his? Damn…"

Nico felt his face heating, though he knew Will was just joking.

Seriously, though.

One would expect he would talk differently, now that those two seemed to be practically dating (without actually calling it dating?).

Not to mention that they seemed to have…gotten closer…

Damn it all, what had they _done_?!

Nico had to know.

He _had_ to know!

And anyways, why was he feeling _happy_ about Will talking like this now, when it was obvious he was joking, and when Nico should more be concerned what this could mean for Jason and Will?

Why was he inwardly happy about it? Relieved, even?

This was not a good thing!

Even if Will was actually serious – or especially then – that was not a good thing!

"You should reconsider your words, since you and Jason want to-…"

"Percy, not again. I told you, don't tell him any nonsense, he might actually believe it." Jason said sternly, then turned towards Will, while Percy crossed his arms again with a huff and a low grumble.

"Will…" He started with a sigh, but Will already rolled his eyes and waved off.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'll watch out not to make Nico uncomfortable, and only exclaim my love for him when he's not around, and-…"

"Not that. Will, just take the freaking sweater already. Better yet, let me…" Jason groaned, then moved forward and pulled the sweater he had been holding over Will's head, making whatever he was saying (which wasn't much, more him blushing profusely and stammering something incoherent) even more indistinguishable.

Oh.

So that's what Jason had wanted to say/do.

_Comfort Sweater._

Why hadn't _Nico_ had that idea?

Probably because neither he nor Percy had baggy enough clothing for Will to get lost in it like in one of Jason's sweaters, and even if Nico had gone through his wardrobe for that one sweater he might or might not have kept after Jason had 'lent' it to him, the memory of Jason would have probably upset Will even more, given the situation.

Jason's lips twitched for a moment as he looked at Will, standing there with the sweater over his head and ranting with a muffled voice, though Nico couldn't even make out any words.

The blonde wasn't even moving or fidgeting in any sort of way, just standing there and waiting for Jason to finish what he started.

Was that a sign of trust?

Nico was pretty sure it was.

Jason smiled, then tugged the sweater further down to let Will's head pop out, and the blonde thanked him by scowling at him darkly and grumbling a 'How dare you just do that without warning, who even said I wanted this in the first place? The audacity!' under his breath that made even Nico's lips twitch.

Seriously, these guys…

(He still didn't want them making out, though.)

(He knew it wasn't any of his business, but _still_.)

"So, are we done now? Or are you two going to keep flirting in front of your cabin all day long?" Percy remarked unimpressed, and Jason and Will short him exasperated looks again.

Nico sighed.

If he didn't know better, he'd say Percy was jealous.

Good things he knew better, since he definitely had other things to do than getting his hopes up unnecessarily.

"I think he's upset he's not getting one of your comfort sweaters, Jason." Will mused, and Percy scowled at him darkly, while Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Good thing I packed some more, then. Percy, you can have the blue one."

"You have a blue one?" Percy instantly perked up, and both Will and Jason grinned.

Nico sighed.

See? It was just the sweater-thing that had bothered Percy.

Nothing else.

"I have a variety of colors, but only a handful of actually decent looking ones." Jason replied quietly while helping Will work his arms into the sleeves, which ended up being adorably too long.

Nico had forgotten how adorable Will looked in Jason's sweaters.

Then again, they had all looked between hilarious and adorable the last time they had ended up wearing Jason's sweaters for the hell of it.

Nico glanced up at the sky, noticing off-handedly it had finally stopped raining.

Apparently, Jason's storm was finally letting up completely.

Good.

Though hopefully, that didn't mean it would end up getting all that warm again, else Percy and Will would melt in those sweaters.

Nico looked back towards Jason, just to find Percy going through his backpack, pulling out the bright blue sweater in question, while Jason and Will threw each other soft, amused looks.

What were those looks for?

What was Percy even doing?

Couldn't that wait until they were in Nico's cabin?

There were people around, after all…

He contemplated telling them just that, but then he realized they probably wouldn't care either way.

They had never cared before what other people thought, they wouldn't start now.

So, instead of saying anything, Nico watched how Percy pulled the sweater over his head, bragging about it fitting _him_ better than Will, which immediately made Will step on his foot rather harshly.

Percy whined and looked to Jason for support, but Jason was already moving towards Nico with a sigh.

"Ready to go?"

What, he wasn't getting a sweater, too?

Not that Nico really cared, but…

"Where's _his_ sweater?" Both Percy and Will immediately asked, appearing left and right of Jason and shooting each other dark looks.

They could be such kids sometimes.

Nico studied Will's face, noting his normal skin color had returned, and there was a small spark in his eyes that Nico hadn't seen in way too long.

It was good they could be such kids sometimes.

But Nico really wanted them in his cabin right now, to keep it that way.

"He still has one of my sweaters back at his cabin. I gave it to him a while ago." Jason shrugged, and Nico flinched, his face heating.

Wait, Jason actually still remembered that?

Percy's and Will's eyebrows instantly shot up, both of them looking at Nico instantly.

Then, while Percy started looking hopeful (?), Will put on a knowing grin.

"Oh really?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Nico instantly retorted, averting his gaze and turning away to march off towards his cabin, knowing the guys would follow.

"It's in your wardrobe, second shelf from the bottom, far right, in the back beneath the plastic bag." Jason piped good-naturedly, and Nico felt his face _burning_.

Oh gods.

How did Jason know _that_?!

Nico decided to walk a bit faster, and heard Will letting out a teasing 'Ooh' that reminded him a lot of the other Apollo kids.

They used to do that every time Will would ditch them to run over to Nico to greet him and 'check up on his health' back after the war.

"Why is Nico getting a permanent sweater and I'm not? I thought _I'm_ your bro? Is there something you want to tell me, Jason?" Percy piped up, and Nico sighed.

What was it with Percy and those sweaters?

"He only lent it to me. I must have forgotten to return it." He mumbled, just as Jason fell into step next to him, and he tried to ignore the small, knowing look Jason shot him.

Whatever.

Now that he knew Jason _hadn't_ actually forgotten about the sweater, he'd have to return it to him, anyways.

Which was quite a shame, Nico had actually really liked it.

Then again, Percy would have known instantly it was one of Jason's, so maybe it was better if it _wasn't_ hidden in his wardrobe anymore.

Plus, with the guys always around, it wasn't as if he ever really had a chance to wear it, in the first place.

"Oh, you can keep it. And you two can keep those, if the colors are okay." Jason declared with a shrug and a grin, and Nico both wanted to argue and sigh in relief.

Seriously, didn't he have anything better to do than think about Jason's sweaters?

Kyle was on the loose in camp, damn it!

He should be looking for Clovis, if anything!

…Actually, that wasn't a bad idea at all.

He hadn't seen him at breakfast, so maybe he was still sleeping in his cabin.

"Actually, can you go on without me? I just remembered I need to ask Clovis something." He explained quietly, just as Will started arguing with Jason about how he couldn't just give his sweaters away, while Percy was already making plans to go shopping with the lot of them to get better colors for Jason.

Guys…please…

"What?" All three asked in unison, stopping in their tracks and staring at Nico as if he had just announced he'd move to Mars.

"I need to talk to Clovis real quick. It won't take long. Just wait in my cabin, okay?" He repeated, and instantly saw the concern and uncertainty appearing back in Will's eyes, though Nico saw Percy taking his hand firmly the very next moment, so he knew he'd be okay.

"Clovis? Why? We haven't talked to him in ages." Percy asked, while Jason just studied him quietly for a moment, before glancing towards Will.

For a moment, Nico had the distinct feeling Jason had a hunch why he'd want to see Clovis, though he knew Jason couldn't possibly know about last nights…nightmare.

"Do you want us to come with?" Will asked cautiously, but Nico shook his head.

"It's nothing big, and won't take long, I promise. I just wanted to check something." He assured them, though the apprehension in Will's eyes didn't lessen.

Instead, he looked around towards the dining pavilion, as if he knew full well who was at breakfast right now.

Maybe he did know.

Maybe he had seen Kyle entering the dining pavilion earlier, when he had snuck away from him and Percy to go on his quest to make out with Jason.

Or make up with him.

Whatever.

Same difference, really.

Nico absolutely wasn't bitter about that, nope.

Not one bit.

…Seriously though, why couldn't Will have just…you know…made out with Percy and him, instead?

Last night, things had gotten so close to that, Nico had been so surprised Percy would let that happen.

He had to admit he had sort of really liked that, though.

Really, _really_ liked that.

Though he knew it hadn't been meant that way.

Once Nico told Percy how he still felt for the guys, Percy would probably be a tad more cautious, anyways.

…Right, and Nico was trailing off again.

"I'll make it quick. You won't even notice I'm gone." He assured them once more, and the three nodded quietly as he lifted his hand as if to wave, then turned around and hurried off towards the Hypnos cabin.

Hey, he'd be back in a moment, what were they even so worried for?

Nico glanced over his shoulders, and saw Jason and Percy both looking at Will, who was staring after Nico with an apprehensive look, before glancing back towards the dining pavilion.

Kyle wouldn't get to Nico.

Kyle _couldn't_ get to Nico.

There were too many kids around for him to try anything, and Annabeth would have his head instantly.

Not to mention Nico had his sword with him, so even if Kyle tried anything, Nico would simply repeat what he had done in Will's dream and fight that asshole until he was on the ground pleading for mercy.

Then again, he hadn't pleaded…

Well, it didn't matter.

Kyle couldn't get to him, and Nico had a job to do.

He had to check with Clovis for that update he had been promised, and he had to ask him how the heck Kyle had managed to get into Will's dreams in the first place.

Nico knocked on the door of the Hypnos cabin, glancing around him faintly to check who else was close by.

But next to a few Demeter kids encouraging some plants to grow at the cabin to his left, there wasn't really anybody around.

When nobody opened the door, Nico sighed and knocked again.

Was Clovis still sleeping?

What about his siblings?

As far as Nico knew, they hadn't been at breakfast, either.

He knocked again.

Then tried the handle.

The door opened, and he made a face.

Could he just…?

Nico contemplated his options for a moment, then pushed the door open with a loud 'Hello?', before poking his head in.

"Ugh, who the heck…oh, it's you. Clovis ain't here. Turn the light off, damn it." He heard instantly, and looked towards one of the only two occupied beds in the cabin.

"The…the light _is_ off. Where…exactly _is_ Clovis? I didn't see him at breakfast…?" He asked hesitantly, and the kid grumbled loudly, before pulling the blanket up all the way and beginning to snore again.

…Right.

Nico cleared his throat.

"Where's Clovis?"

The kid didn't respond.

Therefore, the occupant of the other bed moved.

"No clue, try the pavilion. Left sometime earlier. Real early in morning. Mumbling to himself. Wanted to talk to you, anyways. Seemed important."

"He's not at breakfast, though…" Nico replied hesitantly, and saw the entire blanket shrug.

"Look somewhere else, then. Clovis has lots of sleeping places. Maybe try the Aphrodite cabin…"

Why the Aphrodite cabin…?

"Okay, thanks. If he comes back, tell him he can find me in my cabin. It's important." Nico said loudly, and both kids grumbled in reply, so he took his message as well received and closed the door again.

Alright…maybe this _would_ take a while, after all.

Hopefully, Will wouldn't be too worried.

.

"He's still not back. Where is he? Maybe we should go looking for him." Will muttered, and Jason and Percy both looked sideways at him where they were huddled on the bed together, watching the first movie they had found.

Will had been patient, okay?

He had waited half an hour.

But Nico still wasn't back.

Will scowled, trying hard not to freak out.

This was Nico, of course he'd be okay.

Why he had to talk to Clovis was beyond Will (though his nightmare from last night instantly came to mind again, and he dearly hoped it didn't have anything to do with that…then again, Nico shouldn't even know anything about it, anyways), but Will had had to let the guys go on their own to fetch food before, and they had always come back safe and sound.

Of course they had.

Just because Kyle was at Camp now, and definitely set on either getting Will back or tormenting him in every other possible way, that didn't mean he'd be a threat to Nico.

Kyle couldn't harm anybody, after all, he was still being tightly watched, and Annabeth and Piper would never let that happen.

…Or so Will hoped.

He still worried, though.

"It's okay, sun-bug. He'll be back in no time, you'll see." Percy reassured him, patting his thigh under Nico's Christmas blanket.

Will wasn't convinced one bit.

Percy had already said that half an hour ago, and Will _had_ been patient!

"If he's not back in ten minutes, we can go check the Hypnos cabin, will that help?" Jason offered, and Will relaxed slightly.

Yeah…okay.

Ten minutes…was way too long in Will's opinion, but if _Jason_ said they'd check, they'd actually check, so it was better than nothing.

"Okay. Yeah. Ten minutes…" He muttered, then pushed back into the pillow behind them, his gaze still hushing to the door every few seconds.

"Will, it's going to be okay. Nothing is going to happen to him. We're at Camp, you forgot?" Percy tried after a minute of restless shifting and Will checking the time three times, and he scowled.

He was very well aware they were at Camp.

But so was _he_!

Will knew the guys didn't understand.

They were underestimating Kyle.

Definitely.

Come on, he had lived and survived in the mortal world, even with the war against Gaea ongoing, and monsters regenerating instantly and all, didn't that alone show not to underestimate him?

Will couldn't remember Kyle ever losing a fight back when he had been at Camp, either.

Of course, that didn't mean all _that_ much, since Kyle had never actually let Will be around much when he had been training, and by the time Will had been a more or less good healer and around the training grounds more to help immediately, Kyle had stopped training with others altogether.

Why he had done that, Will didn't know, and he had never asked.

But Kyle had also mostly been by himself in the Battle of Manhattan, battling off monsters away from the others, so that also showed he was _strong_.

Didn't the guys understand?

Didn't they know how dangerous it was for them to even hang out with Will right now, when Kyle had made it obvious Will was his?

No, wait, he wasn't.

Will didn't belong to Kyle.

Will only belonged to himself.

…But Kyle didn't believe that, and wouldn't care if Will insisted on it.

If anything, he'd laugh at him…

Will took a deep breath.

It didn't matter.

He'd simply stay away from Kyle.

He'd…what?

Hide in Nico's cabin? Percy's cabin? Jason's cabin?

Will was such a coward.

He should…should…

Well, first of all, he should get a hold of himself, stop worrying, and take care of his life by himself, for once.

What was he even doing, loitering around here?

He should be out there, marching to the infirmary, and taking care of any patients.

If there were no patients, there was still plenty of paperwork to be done.

And then, if he met Kyle, he'd…he'd…

He'd turn around and run again, wouldn't he?

But what else was he supposed to do?

Stand his ground and fight?

Please, he couldn't even hurt a fly, how was he supposed to do _anything_ against Kyle?

He hadn't even been able to do anything against him _in a freaking dream_!

How pathetic was that?

Will pulled his legs up and wrapped his arms around them, trying to stare at the blanket instead of the door.

Yeah, he was simply going to stay in here.

Wait for the danger to pass…

But wasn't that just putting the guys into even more danger?

What if Kyle got bored of waiting and decided to attack them somehow, anyways?

What if he wasn't even going to attack them physically, but destroy them with his words, same as he had torn Will apart so many times?

No, the guys were strong, they wouldn't be affected by that…

Then again, didn't that mean Will was okay with the possibility of his guys getting hurt?

Didn't that mean Will was willing to let them suffer and fight unnecessary fights, just because Will wasn't capable of protecting himself?

But then what was he supposed to do?

What was there he could possibly do…?

Percy put his hand on Will's shoulder, and Will jumped slightly, not having expected the touch, and not having seen it coming, too lost in thoughts.

He could instantly see Percy's expression darkening, his lips forming a thin line.

"Will…you should seriously talk to Chiron. Once you do, he's _bound_ to kick Kyle out. I mean, think about it, if you had talked to him yesterday, Kyle might already be gone by now, and you wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore."

Will's hands clawed into his legs.

No…

Not the talk with Chiron…

Will didn't even want to think about it.

And Chiron didn't know _anything_, had never even seemed to _notice_ anything.

Why would he believe Will now, when Will could have told him a thousand times before?

But Kyle had never allowed them to be particularly close to each other whenever Chiron or anybody with a lot of contact with the centaur (like Annabeth) had been nearby.

Even when they had been 'officially' dating, and Will had been so happy and _proud_ (which was disturbing to remember, but it was the truth), Kyle had insisted on 'not bothering' the centaur, so…well, Will had never told him, never mentioned anything, keeping it 'hidden', in a way.

It hadn't felt like hiding.

Kyle had made such good arguments, what with Chiron's age and all his other worries and duties, and…well, why would Chiron care?

Why should Will bother him with an overly enthusiastic 'Hey, I'm dating Kyle now!'?

Plus, Kyle had seemed so insistent on being on good terms with Chiron, and Will had always tried to be on good terms with Kyle, so he had never said a single thing.

Not even when Kyle had started getting violent.

Especially not then.

It seemed stupid _now_, but back then, Will had somehow…thought it had all been his fault.

That he had deserved what Kyle was doing, and that his words were true, and that, if others knew, they'd all think Will was the worst, would shun him, would make fun of him, would taunt and tease him.

So, while half of him had been shit scared Kyle would harm his friends if he told them anything, the other half had been ashamed of himself and had kept him from consulting Chiron, thinking the old centaur wouldn't just be disappointed, but undoubtedly furious with Will for being such a failure, when demigods had to be strong and work together and be…well…_useful_.

That wouldn't stop him now, not anymore.

What stopped him now…was the fact Kyle had made him promise never to tell Chiron about 'them' after he had punished Will so badly for talking back, right after Nico had left the Camp.

He had made him swear, had told him he wouldn't stop his punishment until Will relented, had told him he had brought it upon himself, and this was the least he could do.

And Will had sworn.

He hadn't been thinking straight, had been too delirious with pain and dread and the never-ending thought of 'Will I die this time?', that he had babbled, had pleaded, had insisted he wouldn't, but Kyle had kept on going, anyways, until…

Until Will had sworn on the Styx he wouldn't tell Chiron about them.

Had sworn on the Styx he'd keep their relationship a secret from the centaur, as well as Mr. D.

Had sworn he wouldn't seek help from them, as he had threatened before, had sworn he wouldn't tell them of what Kyle was doing to him.

Was that still valid now?

Had it ever been valid?

Will had made that promise because he had hoped the pain would stop, but Kyle had kept on going until Will had lost consciousness, anyways.

Maybe it had never been valid.

But maybe it had been, and still was.

Will didn't know.

Will also didn't know what was included in that promise.

He couldn't remember _everything_ he had said, especially not after all this time.

Was he just not allowed to talk about their relationship?

Was he just not allowed to say Kyle had abused him?

Or was the mere notion of letting Chiron know about anything related to Kyle and Will already enough to make Will 'break' that promise?

He didn't know.

All he knew was that he was scared.

He hated being scared, but he was, and there was nothing he could do against it, nothing he could comfort himself with, nothing the guys could comfort him with.

"What is it you're so scared of, Will? You know he can't hurt you anymore, right? And he won't hurt us, either. Chiron won't judge you or anything. If anything, he'll ask you why you didn't go to him before." Jason said softly, but Will could only squeeze his eyes shut and shake his head.

"I couldn't…" He whispered, but his voice cracked, anyways, and Percy's hand appeared on his arm, stroking softly.

"Shh, it's okay. You don't even have to tell him anything, Will. Just walk up to him and say 'Jason's right'. Do you want one of us to come with you? Nico said Chiron insisted on talking to you alone, but I'm sure he'll…"

Will shook his head.

No, he didn't want the guys there.

He didn't want them to see.

Didn't want them to see him struggling, trying to make up his mind whether or not to risk it or not, and how to best tell Chiron without telling too much, like he had done with Percy.

Plus, if there was a chance he'd die because of this…

Will couldn't bear the thought of the guys witnessing that.

It would be bad enough if Chiron left the Big House by himself and announced Will was gone (if Nico hadn't already felt it by then), Will definitely didn't want them to be _there_ while it happened.

Then again…even if he didn't die, what did it matter?

What would it change?

Even if Kyle was banished from Camp, he'd still be _out there_, and the moment they crossed the Camp border, they'd run risk of running into a trap, of running into Kyle, of having Kyle come after them.

What if he started attacking the demigod search parties out of spite of being forced to leave?

What was it he was running from, in the first place?

Then again, was he actually running from anything?

He thought he had heard Annabeth saying something about Kyle asking for sanctuary, though he might have as well imagined it.

But even if she had said it, that didn't mean it was true.

Kyle could be very convincing, after all.

He could probably even lie to Piper and she wouldn't be able to tell.

Who was he kidding, Kyle could probably even lie to Reyna's dogs and they'd be none the wiser.

"Well, we'll bring you there, at the very least, so if you change your mind, let us know, okay?" Percy said softly, and Will gave a small nod, though he knew he wouldn't take him up on the offer.

He wished he didn't have to go to Chiron.

Wished there was a different way.

But there wasn't.

He knew it.

They all knew it.

Will still wished, anyways.

Of course, his wishes had never been heard before though, so they went ignored now, too.

Will glanced sideways at Jason, thinking of their talk earlier, the way Jason had felt, the way Jason had been feeling, the way Jason had kissed him and touched him and treated him so lovingly and gently – not as if he was broken, but as if he was something to be treasured.

Jason always made him feel that way.

Will loved it.

He still remembered gazing down at Jason, amazed all over again how willingly Jason let himself get pushed down by Will, as if he truly didn't mind.

Remembered gazing at him full of wonder, his eyes raking up and down Jason's body, seeing how affected Jason was by their actions, by their kisses, the same way Will had been able to feel it, feel the love, feel the lust, feel it all radiating off Jason, and feeling it mingle with his own emotions and desires.

It had been amazing.

Though he did remember there had been that one _odd_ moment, in which he had felt a strange pain in his head, not enough to make him wince or hold his head, but enough to be felt, and he still remembered the weirdest sensation washing over him, cold and dark and ominous, reminding him of Nico's shadows for the faintest moment.

He also remembered blind hot _fury_ shooting through him as he had gazed at Jason, but the moment he had blinked and tried to make sense of it, it had all been gone again, and he had felt nothing but the love and affection for his blonde.

Not to mention the lust.

Plenty of lust.

Needless to say, due to said emotions, together with Jason so irresistibly flushed and willing to be Will's, he hadn't dwelled on the odd sensation nor the fury, instead continuing right where he had left off.

And he would have so gotten away with a handjob at the very least, had the guys not interrupted them (again).

Seriously, it was just _unfair_.

They had complained so much about being cockblocked, one would guess they would know better than to do the same to Jason and Will.

…Then again, they didn't know what they had interrupted, while Jason and Will had always known what they were doing, so…

Yeah, okay.

Whatever.

He still wished they'd have waited just a tiny bit longer, so he could have found some much-needed relief, especially since Jason seemed to have been putting off just like Will.

Oh well, nothing for it.

Will checked the time.

Two more minutes, then they'd go looking for Nico.

Will both wanted those two minutes to be over already, and for them to never end, so Nico could come back safe and sound, just as he had promised.

One minute.

Will closed his eyes, trying not to watch the seconds tick by, though he instantly started counting them down in his head, anyways.

Percy was stroking over his arm, but Will didn't respond.

Thirty seconds.

Fifteen…

Nico wasn't going to come back, was he?

What if something had happened?

What if he hadn't even gotten to Clovis?

They should have accompanied him to the Hypnos cabin.

They should have gone with him in general.

What had Will been thinking, letting the guys convince him to let Nico go on his own?

Stupid Will.

Five seconds.

Jason stiffened as Will drew a rattling breath, and Percy squeezed his shoulder.

Will counted zero and opened his eyes, staring at the clock without even seeing it properly, a feeling of hopelessness and fear washing over him.

Nico wasn't back.

They'd have to go looking for him.

Would they find him?

Was he okay?

Or was he hurt?

Had he been prevented from returning?

Or had he just forgotten the time?

Will made to get up, and the guys didn't stop him, though he could see them turning their heads towards each other, undoubtedly sharing a look.

He didn't care.

He felt sick.

What if something had happened?

If so, it was all Will's fault.

Everything was his fault.

The guys were right, he should have talked to Chiron yesterday, already.

Who cared whether he might die, his guys were in danger as long as Kyle was here.

Once he was gone, they'd only be in danger when they left Camp, and then they'd be ready to fight, he was certain.

But as long as they were here, they were bound to let their guard down, making them easy prey for Kyle.

Will had been foolish to not see it before, to not act before.

What had he done, feeling sorry for himself and being scared for his own life?

There were hundreds of other lives to fear for.

As long as Kyle was here, nobody was safe.

Even if he got bored of Will, he might find himself somebody else, and Will definitely didn't want anybody else to go through the same as he had.

Will slipped into his shoes, and noticed Percy and Jason had gotten up as well, mutely putting on their jackets.

At least they kept their word, instead of arguing for some more time or anything.

Then again, Jason had promised, and Jason always kept his word, which was why Will had trusted him in the first place.

Will gazed at them quietly for another moment, then turned towards the door, just to get stopped by both of them, their hands on his shoulders, with Percy holding out Nico's leather jacket to Will.

Will still felt weird wearing that.

It fit him somewhat (still too big, but as long as he didn't close it, it wasn't all that noticeable), but the fact it was Nico's made it weird for Will to wear it (albeit not unpleasant).

As he slipped into it, he still felt glad for it, anyways, because it smelled so wonderfully like Nico, and, in a disturbing and horribly comforting way, like the Underworld, which Will had by now connected with all sorts of _positive_ things, it was remarkable as well as scary.

"He'll be okay, you'll see." Percy reassured him as Will turned towards the door again with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Yeah, but what if he wasn't?

Will took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping out with his eyes squeezed shut, trying to project Nico right _there_ – just to run face-first into something.

A small gasp, then arms maneuvered around him at an awkward angle, and he realized it was _someone_, and they seemed to be holding…something…?

Will's eyes snapped open the moment Nico's face connected with his chest.

_Nico!_

"Will! What the…where are you guys going? Did I miss something? I brought lunch." Nico explained, and Will stared at him with wide eyes, hearing Jason and Percy let out relieved breaths behind him.

Nico was back!

"Will was worrying sick because you didn't show up again. We were going to go looking for you now." Percy said, and Will could sense him moving behind him, apparently taking whatever Nico was holding, and Will found Nico hugging him a moment later.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know I'd end up being gone for so long. I'm sorry, Will."

What was he apologizing for?

Will wrapped his arms around him, feeling for any injuries, any pains, anything that could possibly not be okay with Nico, his hands moving from his shoulder blades down his spine under his shirt to his lower back.

But Nico was fine.

He was fine.

He was unmarred.

Everything was okay.

Will pulled him into a tight hug.

"Send a freaking IM-call next time, you idiot!"

Nico squeezed him back, not complaining about either the hug or the fact they were right outside the door, where anybody could see them if they just looked their way.

"I'm sorry. I will." Nico said quietly, burying his face at Will's collarbone.

Will moved his face to the side of Nico's neck, noticing off-handedly he smelled…weird.

Flowery.

Wait…_flowery_?

Will stiffened, just as Jason put his hand on his shoulder.

"How about you two come back inside? Nico, how did the talk with Clovis go? Is everything alright now?" He asked, but Will's head was still spinning.

The Hypnos cabin didn't smell like flowers.

The Demeter cabin did.

Or the Aphrodite cabin.

What would Nico do in either?

Had he lied?

Hadn't he actually needed to talk to Clovis at all?

No, his Nico didn't lie.

Plus, why would he?

"You were in the Aphrodite cabin?" He heard himself asking before he could help himself, and Nico stiffened in his arms.

"I…I was. How'd you know?"

"The Aphrodite cabin?" Both Percy and Jason asked bewildered, and Nico sighed, putting his hands on Will's chest to slowly push him backwards and into the cabin, since Will had so far not made any move to…move.

"Yeah. When I went to the Hypnos cabin, Clovis wasn't there, and his siblings told me to check the dining pavilion again, or the Aphrodite cabin. Needless to say, he wasn't at breakfast, so I checked a few of the spots some of his friends told me of, where he likes to…well, where he likes to sleep, pretty much. But when I couldn't find him anywhere there, either, I decided to pay the Aphrodite cabin a visit. Let it be known: Don't set foot in there unless either Annabeth or Piper are there to save you. On another note: Don't be gay. They'll think you want advice on make-up and perfume. Why would I even wear perfume?" Nico exclaimed, then threw his arms up as if he didn't understand, frowning at the lot as if they had the answer.

Perfume.

So that's where the flowery scent came from.

"Thinking about it, I think Drew got me right when I was about to leave. Oh. Is that how you knew?" He asked, looking straight at Will, but Will was too busy staring at his neck, sort of…wanting to sniff again.

He usually didn't like perfume.

He also didn't think Nico was really the type for flowery/floral scents.

This one somehow didn't smell all that bad, though.

It had a certain…something…to it…

"They sprayed you with perfume? Rude. Piper once sprayed me in the face with one of those super strong ones, I thought I'd go blind – and then I thought I'd never get my face to stop smelling like 'lily of the valley' or whatever the fragrance was called." Percy lamented, rubbing at his face absent-mindedly as he moved over, before he leaned over and took a whiff of Nico, making the Italian blush ever so faintly, though he didn't move away.

"Was Clovis there, then?" Jason asked, moving over as well to smell on Nico's neck, making Nico's blush darken.

Sometimes, Will had to wonder whether this was what any friends would do.

Then again, he had seen plenty enough (more or less straight) girls do the same thing to check whether a perfume was good or not, so he didn't see a reason why they couldn't do the same.

"Hey, that's not too bad. Bit flowery, though, don't you think?" Percy commented, and Nico sighed, pushing both guys away firmly to undoubtedly get a grip on himself again, judging by his expression and his pink face.

"Yes. No. No, yes. No…ugh. Yes, it was something flowery, though she insisted it was very mild and barely noticeable, which made me tell her I don't see a reason why I'd wear it, then, if it didn't make a difference in the first place. She apparently didn't like that reply. And no, Clovis wasn't there. Mitchell didn't see him since yesterday's lunch, though he said he'd look for him in his other sleeping spots around Camp." Nico explained, now rubbing at his neck self-consciously, while Jason and Percy exchanged amused looks.

Will frowned to himself.

But if Nico hadn't found Clovis, how come it had taken him this long to come back?

How many spots had he checked?

What was it he needed to talk to Clovis about, anyways?

"And then you got us lunch?" Percy asked, already moving over to the food Nico had brought (and almost dropped when Will had run into him).

"Yeah, pretty much. I realized I must have been gone quite a while, so I went and got some food, then ran by your cabin when I remembered we hadn't locked the door. But I needed to get something from there, anyways. Want to see? It's what I was working on yesterday." Nico replied, though he looked solely at Will at the last part, as if he wanted to show _him_ especially.

"You mean thi-…what…" Percy started, lifting the stack of papers he must have taken from Nico along with the food, now placed on the small table next to the door, but he broke off as his eyes hushed over whatever was written on there.

Will frowned, and the next moment, Nico was over at Percy's side and snatched the papers from him with a pink face.

"_Don't say a word_! I didn't say it was anything _great_ or such, it's just something small I suddenly felt like making, okay?" He exclaimed defensively, sounding…flustered.

Will watched Percy stare at Nico in surprise for a long moment, then his expression changed, turning into a soft, warm smile, his eyes gleaming with adoration.

Nico shoved him away before he could get his arms around him, instead moving over to Will, who still was none the wiser.

Neither was Jason, though he patiently waited for Nico to do the explaining, too.

What…?

Nico still looked flustered, his eyes hushing over whatever text there was on the papers, and he seemed almost reluctant before he held them out to Will, with Jason coming up next to Will to take a peek, too.

Will hesitated, studying Nico's face a moment longer with apprehension, before curiosity won over and he took the papers, eyes hushing over the rather elegant and surprisingly easily readable handwriting.

What the…

"Oh gods, you really…Nico, that's _perfect_." Jason exclaimed as Will wordlessly passed him one of the…contracts.

_Ipod_ contracts.

Nico had made them contracts for their very own dork group.

Just as they had joked before.

Will felt his eyes watering as he read over the lines again.

Nico was _crazy_.

Why would he even…

This was…

"I…it's just something small…I mean, feel free to add anything you want to it, I only wrote whatever I could think of and undoubtedly missed something. And…and we should probably type the whole thing up on the laptop, anyways, so it's easier to read, and…" Nico babbled, now dark red in the face again, but Will interrupted him by throwing his arms around him, pressing him against his chest with all his might.

"They're _perfect_, Nico!" He breathed, his voice breathless and cracking as the tears spilled from his eyes, though this time it was tears of _joy_, rather than fear and dread and hurt.

Which felt so, so _good_.

Nico hugged him back, then stiffened when he heard him sniffling.

"Are you…Are you crying?" He asked aghast, his voice high-pitched and worried, but Will didn't allow him to pull away.

"He is." Percy confirmed with a soft smile, rubbing over Will's back with one hand, looking as if he wanted to cry, too.

"Why are you crying?" Nico asked, sounding borderline panicked, but Will could only shake his head, burying his face in Nico's hair, inhaling that flowery scent again, though he didn't pay it any mind, concentrating on the underlying scent of _Nico_.

"Because I'm happy…" He whispered when Nico wouldn't stop moving, and the concern became palpable.

"I need to sign this. Percy, bro, lend me your sword. Now." Jason muttered behind Will, and Percy huffed loudly, though the hand on Will's back momentarily left, and he heard Jason utter a quiet 'Thanks, man', so he was pretty sure Percy had given him Riptide, anyways.

Did Jason even know how to use it in its pen form?

It didn't matter, Percy wouldn't let him come to harm, so all was well.

"I want to sign it, too." He sobbed into Nico's hair, and Percy started patting his shoulder with a small chuckle.

"You'll get to sign it in a moment, sun-bug. Nico, I must say, this has to be the best surprise ever. I was wondering what you were working on yesterday, but I'd have never thought…yeah, this definitely is the best surprise. And hey, now Will and Jason can't exclude themselves anymore. We're a thing now, guys. There's no way out anymore." Percy exclaimed, then tried for one of those badass maniac cackles, though it sounded weird.

They didn't point it out, though Will could see Nico's lips twitching when he pulled back slightly to look down at the Italian.

He kind of wanted to kiss him, though he knew he couldn't.

So he merely pulled him back into another hug.

_He loved this guy._

Had he ever mentioned just how much he loved him?

Probably not, because there weren't enough words to describe nor explain it.

"'A thing', huh? Well, not the term I'd have used, but sure, I'm in. Percy, your sword writes golden, is that normal?" Jason asked casually, and Will could feel him coming closer from behind, passing the 'pen' back to Percy, who used it to sign his own copy as well as Jason's with a smirk and a little wink that Will caught out of the corners of his eyes..

Nico had seriously sat down and written this contract not just once, but four times.

Could anybody believe it?

Will somehow wished he had known, so he could have helped him somehow.

But this was absolute perfection.

"Yep, completely normal. Neeks, Will, pass your copies. Are you ready to sign, too?" Percy chirped, beaming at them, and Will reluctantly let go of Nico, who pulled back even more reluctantly and eyed him with a lingering hint of concern in his gaze, though he seemed to know Will really was just happy, not upset in any way.

Will ruffled through his hair and nudged him on his way to sign Percy's and Jason's copy, as well as his own.

Dorks.

The lot of them.

Will loved them.

Loved them so, so much.

He shook his head to himself and looked back down at the papers in his hand, feeling a bit like hugging the world.

It was weird, how such a small and 'trivial' thing could have such an effect on them.

But he loved it, anyways, and read over it all over again while waiting for his guys to finish their signing.

** I AM PART OF THE DORK GROUP**

**-****_IPOD _****Contract-**

**The History behind The Dork Group™:**

Founded by four great minds, The Dork Group™ came to be on a day like any other, which turned into a day like no other. No regrets.

**The Purpose of The Dork Group™:**

The purpose of The Dork Group™ is to ensure all Members (IPODs) know they are valued and important and the group could not be complete without them.  
This is important especially for certain somebodies who enjoy leaving themselves out.

**Requirements for joining The Dork Group™:**

The Dork Group™ is a closed group specialized in doing the weirdest, craziest, and more often than not dangerous things.  
The only requirement is that the person has a strong will and can survive all sorts of moments, ranging from awkward to…zombies.  
(Yes, zombies may happen by times, you have been warned.)

**What does it mean to be member of The Dork Group™:**

Members of The Dork Group™, also called IPODs, will have to follow the following rules to ensure the safety and happiness of The Group:

**1\. Respect**: Be respectful of each other (which should be obvious, but there needs to be something sensible before the nonsense starts)

**2\. Communication is the Key**: Talk about problems, wishes, hopes, dreams, fears and boundaries that The Group should know about (this also includes: _Everything_.)

**3\. Cuddles**: Every night. It's law.

**4\. Nobody gets left out**: IPODs have to tell _all_ members of The Group everything of importance, and not leave anybody (especially me, Nico, thank you) out, even if it may seem convenient at the time

**5\. Secrets**: Secrets can be kept as long as they do not bother the holder of the secret and do not pose a threat to The Group, their surroundings, or the entire world.

**6\. Apocalypses**: Apocalypses are to be avoided! (Always carry a pack of tissues in case of nosebleed of doom.)

**7\. No Bottling Up:** No bottling up of emotions or problems. If there is a problem, a secret, a fear or a doubt to be addressed, please check Point 2, 4 and 5.

**8\. Group Travels**: Upon signing this contract, the IPOD in question agrees to be part of Group Travels automatically upon finding there is a Group Travel planned, unless other wisely (clearly) stated.  
Automatically assuming to be excluded is forbidden!

**9\. Crazy Activities**: The Group does not guarantee the members' safety (though we'll try keep each other alive, I guess?), as the activities agreed on much differ in intensity and danger. IPODs are to decide before participating whether they are willing to take the risk.

**10\. Showing Emotions**: While with The Group, IPODs may show their emotions and do not need to be ashamed of crying, acting immature, or doing something society would deem inappropriate for people our age/gender/whatever. Other IPODs are asked to offer comfort and reassurance as best as possible, as well as provide shelter and safety if necessary.

**11\. **I ran out of ideas. Love you, guys.

**12\. **Oh yeah, **no** **embarrassing stuff **during Truth or Dare games! (I'm looking at you, Will.)

**13\. **[Please Add More Here]

If you agree to all of the above (which you better, this took forever to think through), feel free to sign here to make it official:

**Party 1: _**

**Party 2: _**

**Party 3: _**

**Party 4:** _Nico di Angelo_

**Congratulations! You are now an official member of The Dork Group™ and may now proudly call yourself IPOD.  
**

Will wanted to hug the stupid paper until it became a part of him.

He knew full well most of those 'rules' were specifically because of him (what, with the 'Secrets', 'Group Travels' and 'Showing Emotions' sections and all. Very subtle, Nico), but he found he didn't mind one bit.

He was just still so awed Nico had actually sat down and bothered with this, in the first place.

They had _made up_ that group name for _no other reason_ than to pass the time and do something stupid!

Who'd have thought one day – _today_ – they'd actually have a _contract_ to make it 'official' they were part of that group?

Their group.

Their dork-group.

Because the guys were dorks.

Will's dorks.

And Will was one of them.

And this had to be the best thing ever.

Percy passed him Riptide, and even though it was in its pen-form, Will still felt weird holding it, as if he was holding the sword itself (he wasn't very good with that).

But he didn't mind, instead smiling at Percy as he beamed at him, watching him sign his own copy, before Will suddenly got three more shoved into his face.

"Mine, next!"

"No, I waited longer than you!"

"Guys, behave. Will, sign mine first, you know you like me the most."

Percy, Jason and Nico exclaimed, and Will's eyebrows shot up at all three of them.

Percy and Jason were just starting to bicker, when they both stopped and looked around at Nico, seeming speechless and stunned.

But Nico ignored them, merely gazing at Will with a hopeful, though also close to seductive look.

Needless to say, Will signed his copy next.

"_Unfair_! I can't believe my own boyfriend just got sun-bug's signature before I did!" Percy wailed, and tried to shoo Jason away so his paper would be closer to Will, and maybe animate him to sign that, next.

"Aww, don't fight, guys. Come on, the last one gets a compensation kiss." Will declared as he watched Jason struggle to stay where he was, cursing Percy and his antics in Latin.

At his words, both guys froze, their heads snapping around to him, both their eyes sparkling.

The next moment, they were suddenly trying to get the other one to go first with all their might.

Erm…okay.

Not expected.

Weird.

But okay?

Will had kind of…thought that would make Percy go first and Jason not get upset about coming last.

"Don't you have a boyfriend, Jackson?" Jason hissed, and Will watched with a raised eyebrow how Percy slipped out of his grip and behind him with impressive speed, before pushing him forward towards Will, though Jason was still putting up plenty enough fight.

"Yeah? Remind me again who kissed _my_ boyfriend the one moment I wasn't yelling no? Also, like hell I'm going to let you two kiss after you just left him to himself for an entire day! _Compensate_, dude!" Percy hissed back through clenched teeth, and Will looked towards Nico, who was leaning back against the table with a sigh and buried his face in his hands.

Yeah…same.

"Never. You already took the Dare kiss from me, I'm not letting you take this one, too!" Jason insisted, and then, the two started trying to put each other into a headlock, both their contracts hastily dumped on the pulled out chair at the table.

Will sighed, watching them for another moment with a heating face and a wildly beating heart.

_What the hell?_

And what the hell were they even saying?

What were they even _doing_?

He sighed again, then moved over to sign their copies, so he could stop this before they ended up actually hurting each other.

Nico still had his face buried in his hands, muttering something in Italian Will couldn't quite catch.

Will patted his shoulder in consolation, but Nico merely sighed, and they exchanged a long, telling look.

"May I?" Will asked quietly, and Nico let out a small huff.

"_Do it_."

Well, at least Will could claim Nico had set him up to it, if anybody ever asked.

Or something.

He nodded curtly, then moved over to the two bickering demigods, who were now cursing each other in Latin/Greek and looked more like mortal enemies than best friends.

"Guys, I signed them." He informed them, stopping right next to them, even though they were still moving around rather wildly.

He trusted them not to plow him into the ground.

As expected, they both instantly stopped in their tracks, with Jason still having Percy in a secure headlock, and Percy unbuttoning Jason's pants for whatever reason (as if that was going to stop him…).

"Whose did you sign last?" They both asked, panting heavily.

Will smirked, batting his eyelashes at both of them.

"How about you let go of each other first?"

The speed in which they let go of each other and fixed their clothing and appearance was both astounding and impressive.

Will felt oddly in power for once, he kind of liked it.

Nico snickered from where he was still at the table, but the guys kept gazing at Will in a mixture of hope and anticipation.

Will took the step forward, and couldn't resist getting just a tiny bit closer to Jason, curious whether Percy would notice.

As expected, Percy _instantly_ noticed and made a face, looking hurt and upset and exasperated and ready to pick another fight.

He never had the chance to speak up and complain, though, because Will already leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss to his cheek.

Then he leaned up to give Jason a matching kiss on his cheek, too.

"As if I know whose paper I signed first or last. You're such dorks. Now, no more fighting, or Nico will cry."

"I will. I'll cry _rivers_. And then Will and I will go on a canoe trip. Alone. _Without you_." Nico instantly agreed, and Will had to admit he really liked it when Nico had these confidence boosts that made him so cocky and self-assured.

Especially because it never failed to make both Jason and Percy stare in wonder and amazement, not to mention it made them so wonderfully speechless.

Though Will liked to think they were also a tiny bit speechless because he had just given them those kisses on their cheeks.

Of course that was unlikely, because there wasn't anything particularly special about kisses on cheeks, but he liked to think so, anyways.

And with the guys, he was allowed to indulge in wishful thinking.

"You two should hug it out, I'm just saying. How did you say it, Percy? 'Kiss and make up'?" Will suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at them and pulling them out of their stupor as they looked back at him, making sense of his words.

Then Percy huffed.

"I said 'Hug and make up'. I'm not kissing this guy, forget it."

"Only because you know I'd sweep you off your feet with my formidable kissing skills." Jason remarked drily, and Will heard Nico slap his hand against his forehead.

Oh gods, guys.

"My kissing skills are top notch, man, you could never compete with that. Ask Nico."

Seriously…

"Leave me out of this. I'm not answering anything. Forget it." Nico instantly called over, then Will watched him brush past him towards his cupboard next to the bed, pulling out his photo album to put his copy of the contract inside.

"Percy, we've talked about this before, and you know full well I'm the better kisser, here. You simply don't want to admit what you're missing out on." Jason exclaimed, and Will faintly wondered how this could be the very same Jason that was always so gentle and timid with Will.

Not to mention the very same Jason that had instantly felt the need to confirm that Will had enjoyed himself during their…special night.

Then again, those two were _always_ like this, so he was pretty sure they weren't petty with what they were boasting about, as long as they were better than the other during their argument, no matter whether they actually believed what they said.

"Guys, we all know _I'm_ the best kisser here. You're _all_ missing out." Will decided to chime in, and effectively broke up the argument as they both opened their mouths, then closed them again, mutely deciding to let that be the end of the discussion.

Not because they knew Will was the best kisser here (which he of course _absolutely_ was), but because they were naturally not as competitive towards him than each other, and didn't want to cross any lines.

Though Percy looked as if he was close to trying, anyways.

Thinking about it, hadn't they had this argument before?

Still, whenever Percy and _Will_ had arguments like this, there definitely wasn't this sort of underlying sexual tension, he was fairly certain.

Somehow, whenever _those two_ started bickering and trying to one-up each other, it seemed they were getting closer and closer to rip each other's clothes off and have angry sex.

Will thought back to Percy unbuttoning Jason's pants, and decided to take that as verification for his thoughts.

Though that only made him wonder why nobody was particularly worried about anything.

Then again…those two didn't really seem to know.

So it was probably okay.

Nico had to have noticed by now, and since he didn't say anything, it had to be okay, Will guessed.

Will sighed and looked back at them, just to find them patting each other's shoulder awkwardly, apologizing while looking anywhere but at each other

Wow, how awkward.

Will wasn't impressed, nor did he feel sorry for them.

Instead, he moved over to the table to check the food Nico had brought them.

Some blue pizza slices, some chicken, something that looked like some sort of wrap, and two bananas, as well as what seemed to be a small bowl of plain rice.

Will made a face, knowing full well what was meant to be his lunch.

Mean.

Of course, he knew Nico meant well, but _still_.

He'd much prefer the pizza…

Or whatever wrap that was.

Or even the chicken.

Just the chicken wouldn't be good for Jason, anyways, since he needed to start eating more vegetables again.

Or fruit!

He could have the fruit, and Will could eat his chicken…and the pizza…and the weird looking wrap…

Alright, Will was _hungry_, okay?

It wasn't his fault!

It was simply the fact that he was feeling so much better right now compared to earlier or yesterday, so of course his stomach would yearn for more than bananas and dry rice.

He made a face, just to have Percy catch a glimpse as he moved over to inspect the food, too.

Needless to say, he stopped dead in his tracks and words, studying Will's face before looking back at the food.

"Want to share?" He then asked amiably with a small smile, picking up the wrapped up pizza slices and holding them out to Will, as if he really thought Will would take some.

Will would love to.

But he was pretty sure Nico was right, and he should take it slow.

This would be his first 'real' meal since Kyle had shown up, and he hadn't even eaten all that much that day, either.

Damn, maybe he should consider making a diet plan for himself, too.

That would probably also make the guys worry less.

He let out a pained sigh, grabbing the bananas and the rice.

Oh well, nothing for it.

He was just going to assume this was his rice, at least.

If that belonged to Jason, too, he was screwed.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks, though."

"Want some of mine?" Jason offered, appearing next to his other side and instantly making out his chicken, though he also took the wrap, probably intent on bringing it to Nico, since Percy had his hands full of pizza now.

"No thanks."

"You sure?" They both asked in unison, and Will made a face.

He was trying to resist temptation here!

Why did they have to tempt him _even more_?!

Cruel human beings.

"You can, if you want to. That's why I brought a bit more of each, so you can have some, too. I just didn't know whether or not to get you an _actual_ meal, so I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry. You don't have to eat that, though." Nico piped up, taking his wrap from Jason as he moved over, too, and Will wondered faintly why they always ended up huddling together in random places like this.

After all, Nico could have very well stayed near the bed, and the guys could have moved away from him ages ago already, yet here they were, standing much closer together than necessary in such a big cabin.

Not that Will minded whatsoever.

All he minded was the scent of heavenly food that wafted over from their meals and made Will's mouth water even more, though he was _still_ trying to resist temptation!

Seriously, how dare they?

He let out a deep sigh, trying to ignore the fact all that did was make him inhale those way too alluring scents all over again.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks, though." He forced himself to reply, telling himself he'd have all the unhealthy stuff in the world for dinner, while the others would be forced to eat something super healthy.

The thought didn't cheer him up half as much as he might have hoped.

Meh.

He was about to unpeel one of his bananas, when he caught the guys exchanging telling looks out of the corners of his eyes.

Then they looked towards him with determination in their eyes.

Uh-oh.

"Will…" Percy started sternly to his right, and Will looked around at him with big eyes.

What?

What had he done?

Come on, couldn't they just let him suffer in peace?

But Percy nodded past him, and when Will turned his head towards Jason and Nico, he found Nico holding up the contract he had just signed.

"What does it say at Point Two?" The Italian asked darkly, and Will made a face, glancing at the rules.

Oh_, come on_.

"This isn't anything I have _to talk _about! It's not even important!" He argued, but his banana was taken from him, anyways, and Percy replaced it with a slice of pizza.

"Being miserable and forcing yourself to eat something you don't want to counts to…erm…" Percy started, but then seemed unable to think of anything suitable, and Will huffed, already opening his mouth to cut in.

Unfortunately, Jason was quicker.

"It counts to making your own life more difficult than necessary and trying to solve all your problems on your own. Don't make us add another rule that says nobody is allowed to suffer alone. That should be obvious, Will."

Damn it, Jason.

"I'm not suffering! I was just thinking this was a lot more sensible than me stuffing my face with super greasy food and immediately regretting it again."

"Then let me get you something else…" Nico started, already setting down his wrap and moving towards the door, and Will felt panic shoot through him at the thought of Nico leaving on his own _again_.

"_No!_"

All three of them froze, and Will knew they had noticed, had undoubtedly heard it in his voice, had seen it in the way he had instantly moved to stop Nico, nearly dropping the pizza slice in the process.

"Will…" Percy started cautiously, and Will's face hardened.

He knew what he'd say.

He knew what they wanted to say.

What they wanted him to do.

He knew he had to do it.

He knew he had to talk to Chiron.

He knew it would put an end to this, at least for as long as they were at Camp.

Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then snatched another slice of pizza from Percy, before making grabby hands at Jason's chicken, who mutely gave him a piece.

"Fine, you convinced me, I'll give it a try. What would I do without you, I have no idea." He exclaimed lightly, though his heart was still pounding in his chest.

He tried not to let it show, anyways, instead moving over to the bed to flop down on it.

Was he supposed to eat on the bed? Probably not.

Was that where they usually ate? For whatever reason, yes.

The other three exchanged glances again, but he ignored it, instead beginning to eat on his pizza as if nothing was amiss whatsoever.

Needless to say, it didn't work, and no minute later, his personal space was being invaded once more.

Percy sat down to his left, shooting him an innocent smile that made Will's alarm bells ring.

Jason sat down to his right, not hiding his concern one bit, though he surprisingly enough didn't make any move to speak or reprimand him in any way.

Then there was Nico, who climbed into bed and behind Will before he could even comprehend what was going on, and wrapped his legs around Will's midriff, getting _way too close_ to him.

"What are you…" He started after swallowing _hard_, food all but forgotten.

"Let me massage you." Nico replied.

It wasn't a question, it wasn't a request.

It was more of a statement, almost an order.

Will gulped.

Why…how…but…

"Just keep eating, don't mind me." Nico added, then his hands moved under the sweater and shirt he was wearing, and Will shivered as he felt his fingers trailing along his spine, up to his shoulder blades.

What in the name of all the gods…

Will glanced at Percy and Jason, expecting them to start 'the talk' or…or start anything, really.

But they were merely smiling at him, beginning to eat their food as if everything was completely normal.

Nico started massaging his shoulders wordlessly, and Will felt himself shiver again, the sensation too _nice_.

Will dared to take a small bite of the pizza slice.

Maybe they'd try to talk to him when he was eating…?

…They didn't.

Instead, they kept acting as if everything was as always, now focusing entirely on their food.

Will eyed them apprehensively for another moment, then Nico's hands moved slowly down his back, and he allowed himself to relax ever so slightly, closing his eyes in bliss.

Maybe this was what they were waiting for?

For him to let his guard down?

He peeked sideways at them again, but they weren't looking at him, Jason reading over his contract again that he had placed next to him on the bed, and Percy rubbing at a spot on his jeans where he had just accidentally dropped half of the cheese of the pizza slice he was eating.

Will waited another moment, then allowed himself to lean back into Nico's touch and focused on finishing his pizza.

Maybe they'd wait until he was done with eating?

Or maybe they were just letting it drop, after all?

Nico's hands worked over his back, slow, in no rush, and Will focused on Nico's emotions for a moment, trying to figure out what the guys were planning from that.

But other than Nico feeling overly concerned and worried about Will, there wasn't really anything that could give him any sort of hint.

Maybe they really would just let it drop.

Alright, fine by Will.

More than fine.

Perfect.

Will concentrated on his second slice of pizza, then devoured the chicken, beginning to relax more and more as nobody made a move to speak up or do anything.

Plus, Nico's hands felt so, so nice.

Why was he doing this, though?

There wasn't really any reason for him to massage Will, especially not now.

But Nico did.

Will loved it.

Though he had to admit he was beginning to feel somewhat…guilty.

The guys were way too kind and patient with him.

They always were.

Will should have talked to Chiron yesterday already, but hadn't, yet they hadn't been upset (though they _had_ said they had forgotten all about it).

They also hadn't been upset with him when he hadn't kept any of his food inside him yesterday.

Nor had they been upset with him for anything else, even though they would have had plenty enough reason to be.

…Yet all Will was doing to thank them was being an idiot.

He stopped eating, looking down at his lap quietly, and he felt Nico halt for a moment, suddenly getting even more concerned than he already was.

"I'll talk to Chiron." He said quietly, though he knew they had already agreed on this before, that he had already assured them he would.

Percy and Jason looked around at him, studying him as they both swallowed their food, and Will could feel Nico hesitating for a moment before he put his hands on Will's back again, resuming his massage.

"Are you sure?"

Of course he wasn't.

"Yes."

"And you're sure you don't want at least one of us to be with you?" Percy asked, looking apprehensive.

Oh, he wanted them with him, alright.

But for obvious reasons, he also _didn't_ want them there.

"Percy could go with you, he already knows, doesn't he?" Jason put in, and Will wasn't surprised he knew.

If only it was that whole knowing-or-not-knowing-thing.

"I'm okay." He said, and hurriedly went on to prevent them from throwing a fit again, since they tended to do that whenever he dared to say 'I'm fine/okay' or anything of the sort.

"Though I hope you're still up for bringing me there. I'd really appreciate that."

"Of course. We'll drop you off safe and sound and pick you up afterwards." Percy instantly insisted, and Will's lips twitched without amusement.

Yeah, if he was still alive afterwards.

Gods, this was horrible.

Demigods risked dying so many freaking times throughout their lives, from monster attacks to training accidents to gods simply disliking them for whatever reason.

It seemed so surreal that Will might actually face his demise today, just because of a dumb promise that had been forced out of him years ago.

Then again, what had he expected, a hero's death?

Fat chance.

"Everything will be fine, don't worry. Chiron isn't stupid, he knows you well enough to know you won't be lying." Jason assured him, and Will wished that was his only concern right now.

"Yeah, Kyle will be out of here in no time, you'll see." Nico agreed, massaging down his spine to his lower back, and if Will wasn't still contemplating his possible impending death, he'd moan at how nice _that_ felt.

He knew they'd call the whole thing off the moment he told them of what he was risking.

He knew they'd do anything and everything they could think of to _keep him far away_ from Chiron, as well as Kyle, and that they'd break their pretty heads trying to come up with any alternative solution.

Which was exactly why he kept quiet.

No, he'd talk to Chiron, he'd get this over with, once and for all.

Kyle would have to leave, and even though he'd still be out there, and undoubtedly mad at Will for acting up against him, he'd still be away from here, from the other campers, from his guys, from Will.

It would all go well.

…Or Will would die.

If only he remembered what exactly he had babbled back then.

What had he promised?

He wished he knew.

But he didn't.

"Yeah, you're right." He said quietly, letting himself fall back into Nico's touch again, becoming putty in his hands and allowing Percy to steal the rest of his chicken, while Jason made space so Nico could make him lay down.

If he really died, at least he had spent his last moments with the guys.

Gods, they'd be so upset.

Will gazed at Jason sadly.

Would Jason say yes if he asked him out now? Maybe.

Would he know something was wrong if he did? Probably.

Would it make a difference whether Will had gotten to date Jason for an hour or not? Probably not.

Jason tilted his head slightly, studying his face with a small frown, and Will hurriedly averted his gaze again.

"When would you like to leave?" Nico asked, moving back up his back now.

Never.

He wanted to stay here forever.

"I don't know. After this massage?" He replied instead, and Nico halted again.

Would he pull away now and get them to leave asap?

Would he drag it out longer and try to keep him here for as long as possible?

"Want anything else massaged? Nico told me I give good head-…_Jason, stop laughing_! You dirty-minded pervert, my statement was absolutely _innocent_!" Percy exclaimed, shoving Jason away as he chuckled and bit his lip, making Will roll his eyes.

Those two.

"Ooh, so you're good at giving head, huh?"

"Jason, I'm going to hurt you. I meant _massages_, you know full well I meant ma-…wait, yes I am. I absolutely am. I'm the _bestest_." Percy insisted, and Will heard Nico sigh.

"'Bestest' still isn't a word, darling." Jason retorted, and there was a loud wail.

Gods, those two.

"_Jason_! Will, say something!"

What was he supposed to say to that?

He sighed.

At least he wasn't really thinking all that much about his death anymore.

Did that count as something positive?

Will was going to let it count.

At least for now.

And Nico's hands felt so, so nice on his back.

It was a shame the peace and quiet he felt would be over in mere minutes.

But it was okay.

Everything would work out alright.

The guys believed in that, so he had to, too.

For their sake, at the very least.

.

Will tugged Nico's jacket closed at his chest, noticing off-handedly he was still wearing Percy's shirt and Jason's sweater.

He wasn't surprised.

Percy and Jason were still acting like idiots, and by now Will was pretty sure it was just to keep his mind off what he was about to do.

Nico held his hand gently in his own, not tugging him along, but also not letting him trail behind as they walked across the Camp grounds to the Big House.

Everything would be okay.

He'd go inside, he'd talk to Chiron, he'd tell him in the vaguest way possible what had happened, and everything would be okay.

"Are you okay?" Nico asked quietly, and Will nodded automatically, though he knew it was a lie.

"You'll feel better afterwards, sole mio. Everything will be alright."

Will hoped so, too.

"_What the fuck_?" Percy snarled, and they instantly looked around, Percy's tone making their alarm bells ring instantly.

He never used that tone with _Jason_.

…He wasn't looking at Jason.

Jason wasn't looking at him, either.

They were both scowling darkly towards the front porch of the Big House, where…

Will's heart sank.

_Oh_.

Of course.

He should have expected as much.

"Why, hello there." Kyle greeted them amiably, pushing away from the wall he had been leaning on, though he made no move to walk towards them or get away from the front door in any way.

Will felt the lump forming in his throat instantly, could feel his hands becoming sweaty and clammy, could feel his heartrate nearly tripling in speed and intensity, making him dizzy and filling him with the urge to _run_.

He didn't.

Instead, he slowed, trying to control just how much he was squeezing Nico's hand, though he was pretty sure he was nearly crushing it.

Nico didn't stop him, instead slowing down with him and acting as if everything was okay.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Percy snapped, while Jason growled, the two of them much closer to Kyle already, though they luckily didn't get _too_ close.

Else they might get into trouble.

Will didn't want them to get into any trouble, not for his sake, and definitely not now.

"He can't hurt you, Will." Nico said quietly next to him, and Will realized they had stopped walking.

Because he had stopped walking.

Will clenched his jaw and tried to step forward, to move, but his legs didn't cooperate, filling him with even more fear.

If he was stuck, he wouldn't be able to run!

"Take a deep breath, Will. He can't hurt you. He's a snake in a glass cage. All he can do is hiss, but he can't bite." Nico told him, now stepping in front of him to look him in the eyes, though he didn't even attempt to let go of his hand.

Instead, he placed his free hand on Will's cheek, making him flinch slightly.

He wanted to speak, wanted to reason, wanted to let Nico know Kyle would be able to escape that glass cage if he wanted to.

His mouth didn't work, though, and the words in his head were nothing but a mess.

"He can't hurt you. I won't let him."

Will stared back at Nico, searching his eyes.

"Aw, that's a bit rude, don't you think? I was told to wait here, Percy Jackson. Not that it is any of your concern."

Will was crushing Nico's hand all over again.

Why did Kyle have to say Percy's name like that?

He didn't like how he said his name!

Will's eyes hushed over to Percy, and to his horror, he found his Percy ready to argue.

No, they couldn't argue with Kyle!

No more fight picking!

"Where's your bodyguard?" Jason asked, the question sensible as usual, his tone, however, dangerous and threatening.

Will's eyes hushed back to Kyle in fear, but then Nico distracted him by stroking over his cheek.

"Do you want us to leave and come back later?"

Yes.

Will shook his head.

Then he cursed himself for being an idiot.

"He's…on the toilet." Kyle replied with a small pause, and Will instantly had at least a hundred different horrendous scenarios playing in his head of what Kyle could have possibly done to the Hermes boy that had been watching him.

Nico brought him back to earth again, stroking over his cheek again before tugging on his hand.

Funnily enough, Will's legs complied just fine as Nico pulled him along.

"Where's Chiron?" The Italian asked loudly, cutting in before either Percy or Jason could say anything else that might provoke a fight.

Will risked a glance towards Kyle, and instantly realized he was staring right at him.

Then, Kyle nodded towards the door.

"Inside, of course. He's waiting for you, William."

"You have no business speaking to Will." Nico stated calmly, tugging Will along further, until they were maybe three steps away from Kyle.

"You have no business entering here with him. Chiron wishes to speak to him alone, you know? Just so he won't feel…_obliged_…to tell any lies."

Will's skin crawled, and he felt Nico hesitating for the smallest moment.

It was enough of a sign to Will.

This was where he had to make his choice.

He could either walk on and past Kyle and get this hell over with…

…Or he could turn around and run like a coward all over again.

"Move away from the door, then." Jason growled, but Kyle merely stepped one step to the side, leaning against the wall once more.

"Sorry, but I was told to wait right here, you know? It wouldn't do me well to defy Chiron's orders again, would it now?"

This time, it was Nico's hand squeezing his.

"Do you want to come back later?" Percy asked as he and Nico stopped next to him, but Will shook his head again.

Stupid him.

Jason shot him a concerned look, then glowered at Kyle again, his stance making it unmistakable he was ready to strike the moment Kyle made a wrong move.

"Don't fight. Please." Will whispered, his voice barely audible, but the guys heard him, anyways.

"If he doesn't pick one first, we won't, sun-bug." Percy said quietly, and Will forced himself to let go of Nico's hand – though the Italian seemed just as reluctant to let go of him as he was.

"You don't have to do this…" Nico whispered, his final try to get Will to change his mind and leave, to make him come back later.

But what difference would it make?

Will knew what he had to do.

The way there didn't matter.

What mattered was the end result.

And Will had to ensure his guys were safe.

No matter what.

"Jason?" He asked, but then smiled bitterly to himself.

No, that would be too much of a cliché.

Plus, if Kyle heard, he might only target Jason even more.

"Yes?"

"…Never mind. See you guys in a bit."

Hopefully, at least.

"Just tell Chiron what happened, Will. Everything will be okay." Nico repeated for what had to be the hundredth time.

Will wished he could believe it.

He swallowed hard and nodded, then took a deep breath, making his way up the front porch, up towards the door, up towards where _he_ was.

Kyle was smiling, not looking bothered nor perturbed in the slightest.

Instead, he let his gaze travel up and down Will's body slowly, making Will's skin crawl and fill him with the urge to scratch it all off.

He didn't.

He merely kept walking, trying to concentrate on the door.

Kyle couldn't hurt him.

He was in a glass cage, Nico was right.

All he could do was hiss, and all Will had to do was ignore it.

"Don't forget your promise, William. If you spill, not only you will die, I'll make sure of it. So no funny ideas."

Will froze in his tracks, his breath hitching in his throat.

"_Will_!" Three voices instantly exclaimed, but he hurriedly held up his hand to stop them from coming any closer, amazed his muscles were even obeying him.

His eyes were on Kyle, staring at him in terror.

No.

"Don't you _dare_ say a single word to him." Percy snarled, but Kyle was acting innocent again, lifting both arms and raising his eyebrows with a small shake of his head – though he then shot Will a telling look, letting him know he had heard that just fine.

No.

He couldn't.

He couldn't hurt them.

How would he?

He didn't have a weapon!

Will had thought he had heard Annabeth say he didn't have a weapon!

He swallowed hard, trying to compose himself, to make sense of the things swirling in his head, the explanations he didn't have.

But if he couldn't tell Chiron _anything_, then what was he supposed to do?

What _could_ he possibly do?

Just then, Will remembered Kyle's words, though he couldn't remember where nor when he had heard them.

'This time, I'll take you with me.'

No.

No, he _couldn't_.

Why?

_What for?_

Will stared at Kyle, and Kyle looked back at him, not saying a single word, but his eyes spoke volumes.

And Will looked over his shoulder towards his guys, his wonderful, amazing guys, who were all staring right back at him, concerned, worried, _oblivious_.

Will felt his bottom lip trembling, then moved to the door, pushing it open and stepping inside.

It didn't matter what he'd do.

All that mattered was the end result.

And the end result was that his guys would be safe.

Will swallowed thickly, clenching his fists for another moment, before letting it all go.

He was going to do something he'd regret, wasn't he?

Oh yes, he was.


	38. Chapter 38: No

**A/N:** Hey Cupcakes :D

Here's the next chapter~ uwu

Special thanks as always to my beta-reader(s). You're the best ;3

And also special thanks to all the likes and the lovely comments/reviews, you gave me the best day I've had in years XD  
(Except that ONE guest, whom I'd like to address with: "Rude. I do what I want. Love, Tári. :)" )

Also: THERE'S FANART! Pink drew our BEAUTIFUL FRECKLES! Idk if FFnet/AO3 takes links, but you can find it on her Tumblr (artistpinksnb) in her art tag (seriously, check it out!)  
(Alternatively, you can also find it reblogged on mine, tagged 'sequel fanart'. **It'S AMAZING**!)

As always, I'll send anybody a summary if they want/need one, and I'll put it up on my Tumblr asap as well, in case somebody wants/needs it but doesn't wish to contact me directly.

Hope you enjoy the chapter, and wish you a great week ahead~  
-Tári

* * *

**Trigger Warnings (I am so sorry):**  
\- Anxiety/Fear/Dread  
\- Taunting  
\- Waiting  
-** Lots of crying and heartbreak**  
\- Unconsciousness  
**\- Possibly fatal injuries**  
**\- Blood**  
\- Fighting  
**\- Mind-control**  
\- Shock  
\- Maniac/Psychotic laughing  
**\- Near Death**  
**\- Sacrifice**  
**\- Trauma**  
\- Angst

**Please don't read this chapter if you think/know this might trigger you :(**

* * *

**Chapter 38: No.**

Percy was pacing.

Jason hated it.

He was pacing right next to Jason, which meant Jason could see it out of the corners of his eyes, and it was distracting.

Also, _he_ wanted to pace.

He also wanted to give in to the urge to fling himself up those stairs and at Kyle.

Why couldn't he do that?

Oh yes, because it might get him into trouble, and because people should be reasonable and above themselves and calm and collected.

The object of his loathing and disgust sneered at him, and Jason bared his teeth, wishing for fangs all over again.

Kyle.

Why was he here?

Why was he _there_?

Had he known they were on their way to Chiron and had planned this to rile Will up one last time before he had his talk with the centaur?

Had he maybe even spent this entire time waiting right there for just that?

No, that couldn't be.

Chiron would have noticed him loitering around in front of the Big House and would have told him to get lost, for sure.

He had seen how much the whole incident with Kyle had freaked Will out, after all, so the centaur would have definitely made sure that Will wouldn't be forced to go through something like _this_.

Yet, if one believed Kyle (which Jason _didn't_), Chiron had apparently told him to stay right there next to the door and wait.

Wait for what?

Them?

Will?

Chiron's decision?

Will's talk?

Why would Kyle have to wait?

It made no sense.

Jason still felt as if he had missed something.

Will had just suddenly stopped with a small, panicked gasp, just like that.

Had Kyle said anything? Or had it just been his presence, the fact that Will had pushed himself too much trying to move closer without bolting, that had made Will momentarily panic?

Jason didn't know.

Jason hated not knowing.

Percy was still pacing.

Jason wanted to tell him to stop, but the moment he opened his mouth to snap at him, Kyle pushed himself away from the wall, and he snarled, instead.

"Aw, aren't you just adorable? So what, you're going to wait here for him? How sweet."

Had he mentioned how badly he wanted to punch this guy in the face?

Percy growled, stopping in his pacing and bristling where he stood.

Jason knew he should probably move, should stop Percy from doing anything stupid, but he had no intention whatsoever in stopping Percy.

If Percy rushed forward and punched Kyle in the face, Jason would be right behind him and join in.

He was almost hoping for it, too.

Damn, and there Jason was supposed to be calm, supposed to be collected, supposed to be reasonable and above this.

He used to be praetor!

…Jason didn't give a fuck.

This was about Will.

His Will.

"What we do or don't do is none of your business. Please refrain from speaking to us, we have no interest in having a conversation with the likes of you." Nico said coolly, and Jason saw Percy nodding curtly out of the corners of his eyes.

He didn't nod, instead baring his teeth further as Kyle looked Nico up and down, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

"That's a bit rude, don't you think?" The man asked, and Percy snorted, muttering a small 'Wonder if you'll consider my sword in your gut 'rude', too' under his breath.

Yes, please.

Nico elected to ignore him, instead moving over to Percy and Jason, positioning himself between them and urging both of them to hold his hands.

Ugh.

The voice of reason.

Wasn't _Jason_ supposed to be the voice of reason?

Why did Nico have to take over and keep them there?

"Don't let him get to you, guys. Will is going to have his talk with Chiron, and everything will be okay. He'll be gone. Let him talk all he wants." Nico said quietly, wisely, and Jason made a face, though he relented, anyways, adjusting his stance to a casual one, rather than the almost-crouch to throw himself at Kyle at moment's notice.

Percy sighed and did the same, though the look he shot Jason told him he felt the same way about this.

Kyle chuckled.

"How sweet of you to keep your dogs in line. Very wise."

Jason bristled, though whether that was because of the chuckle or the taunt, he couldn't say.

Maybe both.

It made no difference.

Nico didn't even blink an eye, though Jason could see Percy baring his teeth, and could feel Nico tugging on Percy's hand in warning.

Then, the Italian turned towards Jason.

"So, what should we do later? Watch a movie? Or rather play something?"

How could Nico sound so unbothered, when Kyle was no ten feet away?

Jason surely admired his resolve.

"Though I do have to wonder, doesn't it bother you at all?" Kyle asked loudly, unfazed by their obvious lack of interest.

"I mean, it's just…I picture it being pretty rough, knowing your lover loves somebody else, too." Kyle continued, and Jason felt Percy flinch through Nico.

He wasn't even sure who Kyle was talking to, but it didn't matter.

"Not everybody is an entitled asshole trying to _own_ people, you know? So shut the fuck up about things you don't understand." He snapped, and Nico squeezed his hand in warning.

Jason didn't care.

"Oh, feisty. I was wondering how long it would take for you to snap back at me again. I mean, it was to be expected. The ones in the wrong will always start snapping and getting angry for no reason whatsoever. It's what shows they know full well they're in the wrong." Kyle replied wisely, moving down the front steps.

So much about 'Sorry, but I have to stay right here, wouldn't want to piss Chiron off'.

That fucker had just stayed right there to torment Will.

And Jason had let it happen, too.

Why had they let things go this way?

He and Percy should have turned around, grabbed hold of Nico and Will, and gotten the hell away from here.

Maybe he could have even persuaded Chiron to come to one of their cabins, instead of Will having to seek him out here.

Gods, all the possibilities, and they were only really occurring to him now, when it was already too late.

Unless he wanted to storm in there and get Will out.

Yeah, not going to happen.

Will had already made it this far, now it would just be a matter of a few more minutes, and they'd hopefully be rid of Kyle forever…

"So, how does it feel?" Kyle asked, now looking right at Jason with a crooked grin, though it looked entirely different from Percy's crooked grins he had sometimes.

Percy looked cocky and teasing, but in an attractive, rather appealing sort of way.

Kyle looked like he was about to snap your neck and laugh at you wasting your dying breath to curse him, everything about him more _appalling_ than anything else.

Nico squeezed his hand so hard it hurt, mutely telling him not to react, to just ignore Kyle, to be above this.

"How does _what_ feel?" He asked, anyways, and Nico's nails dug into his skin, mutely telling him he was an idiot.

Yeah, he was aware.

"Knowing William needs more than just you. I mean, I suppose it was to be expected. After me, how could _one_ guy possibly please him?" Kyle boasted, and Jason didn't even have the time to react, because there was a tug on his hand, and the next moment, Nico let go of him in order to hold Percy back, who was snarling and hissing and spitting, cussing Kyle out in Ancient Greek.

"You have _no right_ to speak like that! Not about Will! Not about them! Not to Jason! No! Nico, _let me go_! I will cut his tongue out! Slice his gut open! _Let me_!"

Nico hissed something into his ear, pulling him back and keeping him there, showing once more he was much stronger than he looked, especially since Percy put up quite the fight.

"I wouldn't know. I'd say it feels pretty good, having Will love us and trust us enough to let us be with him. How does it feel to know you did nothing but hurt him and that he'll never look at you with that love and adoration in his eyes that he has when he's looking at us?" Jason shot back at Kyle, and Nico groaned next to him.

Percy stopped his thrashing, though Nico kept holding him back, anyways, and the murderous look in his eyes was still ever so intense.

Kyle studied Jason's expression quietly for a moment, as if considering his words.

Then he smiled.

"Do you really think he'll choose you, Jason Grace? Are you guys really so dense, so _in love_, that you truly believe he'll choose you over me?"

Jason didn't like the conviction in Kyle's voice and words, as if he knew what he was talking about, as if he knew something they didn't, as if he already knew how this was going to end.

What did he know?

"He will." Percy snapped, and Kyle turned to look at Percy, his expression bored and unimpressed.

"Oh really?"

"Yes." Percy replied, his sea-green eyes blazing like a storm at sea.

Kyle chuckled quietly.

The sound made Jason's skin crawl all over again, his insides clenching.

Why was he laughing?

Why did he seem so unbothered?

It was unnerving.

The fact that Will was right in there with Chiron should make Kyle uneasy, should unnerve him and make him realize his time here was up.

Yet he merely stood there, sneering and laughing at them, while trying to taunt them and get to them in any and every way possible.

"Will isn't stupid. If you're hoping that, after all you've done to him, he'd even _consider_ picking you, then you're the dense and delirious one. Seriously, I'd pity you, if I were capable of such a compassionate emotion for the likes of you." Nico spoke up as well now, his grip on Percy only slightly loosening.

Kyle's smile widened.

"Oh, but he _will_ pick me. He's already helped me out greatly, too, with giving me a whole day to gain the information I came here for. It all played out so nicely, don't you think? At first, I thought I'd have to come up with some cock and bull story that would allow me to leave once I have what I want. But now, I got all I wanted, and even get to have Will coming with me willingly. Isn't it wonderful?"

Jason's blood froze in his veins.

What…?

What was Kyle _talking_ about?!

What did he mean?

What had he come here for?

Jason had wondered that before, but never really thought into it much, everything else around and inside him too distracting for him to focus.

Now, however, he realized he should have paid much more attention to this, should have pondered it in detail, should have searched for answers.

What _had_ Kyle come here for?

What was it he had now? _Did_ he have anything now?

And most of all, what made him so sure Will would pick him? Would 'willingly go with him'?!

That wasn't even an option!

Will would _never_ willingly go with that asshole!

There wasn't any reason for him to!

If one of them was hurt, or missing, then sure, he might feel compelled to do something stupid like going with Kyle, but they were _right here_ and they'd protect him and keep him safe from Kyle, so there was _nothing_ Kyle possibly had against him.

He was defenseless, he was alone, he was weaponless.

Percy, Nico and Jason were children of the Big Three, their weapons were right by their sides, and they wouldn't hesitate to use them or their powers against Kyle in a heartbeat.

So why would Will do anything like that?

Nico glanced towards him, and he glanced back, spotting the faintest hint of uncertainty in Nico's dark eyes, hidden behind an otherwise impassive, neutral expression.

"He will not."

They both looked around to Percy, who pulled himself completely free from Nico and straightened up, his expression dark, threatening and imposing.

Jason thought he could hear waves crashing onto the shore somewhere in the distance, and the wind seemed saltier than usual.

Kyle either wasn't impressed, or wasn't realizing what was happening, because he merely chuckled again, eyeing Percy with what almost seemed like pity.

Jason instinctively felt the urge to step in front of Percy, to _protect_, but he knew Percy wouldn't appreciate the gesture, so he remained where he was, though it was more difficult than expected.

"Well, it doesn't matter either way, I guess. Though your resolve is admirable. I can see you care greatly for him – even if I can also see you don't seem to know him at all."

There Kyle went again, trying to get to them.

And of course, they were completely falling for it, weren't they?

Jason growled, and Percy snarled, his hand hovering at his pocket.

Nico wasn't stopping them anymore, though Jason could see out of the corners of his eyes that he wasn't in fighting stance, even if his hand was close to the hilt of his sword, and his eyes were fixed on Kyle.

If anything, their behavior seemed to amuse Kyle.

It annoyed Jason to no end.

Didn't this guy realize he was one step away from getting killed?

How could he still look so in control, as if he could do as he pleased and they'd have no choice but to comply?

What was it he _thought_ he had?

"I know all I need to know about Will. You're the one who doesn't know a single thing about him." Percy snapped back, and a part of Jason agreed whole-heartedly, while the other part started whispering for them to stop, to just go along with what Nico had done earlier, ignoring Kyle, ignoring his presence, ignoring everything that had to do with him.

But he couldn't.

They couldn't.

There was something about Kyle that rubbed Jason the wrong way, and it wasn't even just the thing with Will (though that _definitely_ made him want to run that asshole through with his sword).

Maybe it was the way he held himself, or maybe it was his aura, but whenever Kyle was around, Jason felt himself getting angry, getting upset, but not only with Kyle, but with _himself_, too.

Things crossed his mind that didn't seem to make any sense, memories that upset him, that dragged him down, that made him miserable – which in turned made him even more upset at Kyle.

It reminded him a bit of what Percy had told him about the one time he had met Mars- no wait, _Ares_, the Greek god of war.

Maybe Kyle was son of Ares?

"Oh, I know him. I know him like the back of my hand. Know his past, know his fears, know his pettiest worries. I know what he likes, I know what he wants, and I know what he needs. You boys will never be able to give him that. You're too young, too inexperienced, too _soft_." Kyle remarked with a low chuckle, his gaze on Jason once more, and Jason felt his balance shift as he readied himself to pounce without even meaning to.

"Shut up." Percy snapped, but Kyle merely laughed.

"It appears I hit a nerve. Does the thought of not pleasing Will upset you? Does the knowledge that you're nothing but a replacement to him hurt you?" Kyle asked, his tone sweet and almost melodic, as if he couldn't think of anything better than causing them pain, than hurting them, than seeing them torn down and broken.

Jason caught himself wondering whether Will had had to go through the same thing, too.

The thought was sickening.

"Is your self-esteem really that low, or are you just trying to taunt us for extra kicks? Save your breath, Kyle, because it's not working. You'll never make us doubt Will, nor ourselves. We've seen him happy in ways you will never know of, because all you could do was hurt. It's time you face it, Kyle. It's over. He's not yours. Never has been. Never will be." Nico spoke up calmly, though his voice had an air of finality about it, and both Jason and Percy found themselves relaxing automatically.

Jason couldn't even explain it, but it just felt as if Nico had just ended it, as if he had just broken a spell that had loomed over them, setting them free from the darkness inside them.

Which was weird, but Jason wasn't going to complain.

For the first time ever since their talk with Chiron, Jason saw Kyle's expression change into a scowl, though it was fleeting and quickly replaced by a sneer again.

"Is that so? Who does he belong to then, pray tell? You? Mr. Jealous? Mr. Poor Self-control? Or maybe even all three of you?" He asked, sounding amused, though there was an odd gleam in his eyes that still spoke of irritation, anger and annoyance.

Nico had gotten to him somehow, though Jason couldn't see what it might have been.

"He belongs to no one but himself." Nico stated with a small huff, as if this should be obvious.

Kyle's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

But then, he merely laughed again.

"And that…" He started, and Jason felt his insides churning in hatred and disgust as Kyle tilted his head slightly to smile at them almost brightly, _triumphantly_, as if they had said the exact thing he had wanted to hear. "…is exactly why he will choose me, son of Hades."

Nico flinched, and the next moment, there was a low rumble in the ground, like the beginning of an earthquake.

Like a warning.

Jason glanced sideways at Nico, worry gnawing at him.

If Nico used his powers now…

Then again, there was no darkness pooling around him, and he still looked too composed and in control of himself to give the impression he was going to wreak havoc on the camp at random anytime soon, so everything should be okay.

Kyle's eyes widened ever so slightly, and he took half a step back, which gratified Jason more than he could ever put into words.

Jason glanced at Nico again, but then all four of them were distracted by the door of the Big House opening slowly.

_Will_.

Jason perked up ever so slightly, and noticed Percy doing the same to Nico's other side, even though all his focus was on his blonde, looking…gods, he looked horrible.

He was pale, but with his head bowed like that, his skin seemed almost ashen, his freckles not even visible anymore in the slightest, and even the blonde of his hair seemed faded and washed out and lifeless.

Worst was his expression though, the way his lips were pursed to a thin, trembling line as if he was about to cry, the way his eyebrows were scrounged together as if in pain, the way he kept his eyes firmly cast downwards, not looking at Kyle, or anything.

Or them.

Jason wanted to move, wanted to rush forward and past Kyle and up those stairs, wanted to rush to Will and pull him close and keep him close, keep him safe, protect him, comfort him, everything.

Anything and everything.

But he found himself unable to move, glued to where he stood and staring, hoping to catch Will's eye, hoping to figure out how it went, hoping to find out what would happen now.

If Chiron truly didn't kick Kyle out instantly, Jason _would_ grab the guys and get the hell out of here.

He could still do his peace-contract while living in Camp Jupiter the rest of the time, and the guys would surely be taken in instantly by Reyna and the cohorts, especially since Percy and Nico had sort of already been part of the Roman Camp before.

Will lifted his head slightly, and all thoughts came to an abrupt halt inside Jason as he studied his face all over again, though Will _still wasn't looking at them_.

What was wrong?

He wasn't crying, but he was trembling, and if anything, he seemed even more scared than before.

Shouldn't he feel better after the talk with Chiron?

Jason thought he heard the sound of hooves, and then Chiron stepped out behind Will, looking grave and much older than usual.

Will wasn't looking around at him, either.

Instead, he let his eyes trail over the Camp, as if he was seeing it for the first time in forever.

Or the last.

Jason's insides clenched, Kyle's words rushing through his mind again.

No.

Will wouldn't.

Will wasn't stupid.

They weren't in danger, nobody was, not from Kyle, anyways.

There was nothing Kyle could use to threaten him, and no possibility for him to have threatened him in the first place.

They'd have heard, after all, right?

Kyle couldn't have even said anything to him the past days, since the other two had been with Will all the time then, too, and Will would have surely told them if he _had_ said anything.

…Or so Jason hoped.

Will started moving, and Jason wanted to move, too, but then he glimpsed Kyle's triumphant smile out of the corners of his eyes and froze, dread spreading through him all over again.

Nico's hand grabbed hold of his, squeezing it so tightly it hurt, and Jason knew without looking he was seeing the same thing Jason was, and not liking it one bit, either.

No, everything would be okay.

Will would come to them.

He would surely come to them.

His blonde moved down the stairs slowly, his eyes downcast again, but he wasn't rushing for them.

He wasn't even moving towards them.

At first, it seemed as if he was, but then…he didn't.

He moved dangerously close to Kyle, though.

No, it didn't mean anything.

Will would come to them.

Jason had to believe it with all his might.

Will wouldn't put himself back into that hell, wouldn't do that to himself, nor to them.

Will stopped, maybe two or three steps away from Kyle, and Jason tried so hard to tell himself he'd turn and run to them.

He would turn.

He had to turn.

Please.

"The conflict has been solved." Chiron announced loudly, and Jason cringed when he saw Will wince, gripping Nico's hand right back, both their knuckles turning white with the force.

Will had to turn and come to them, everything would be okay, Will would be fine, they would be fine, Jason would take them back to Nico's cabin, everything would be okay.

Kyle smiled 'warmly' at Will, though Jason was glad Will wasn't really looking at Kyle, either.

Instead, he was looking down again, his hands fumbling with the hem of his sweater.

Jason's sweater.

Why was he not coming over?

"And as such, Will and I have come to a decision that should work for all parties involved." Chiron continued with a heavy sigh, moving down the steps as well and moving towards Will.

Jason felt sick.

Why did that…that _didn't_ sound good.

Not at all.

Whatsoever.

And why wasn't Will coming over?

He _had_ to come over!

Please…

Nico started shaking next to him, and Jason turned his head minimally so he could see Percy out of the corners of his eyes, who clutched Nico's arm and stared at Will with a searching, desperate look, though he seemed to be the one most composed right now.

Please.

Jason concentrated back on Will's profile, watching with a sinking feeling how he was lifting his head ever so slowly, how he forced his eyes up to meet Kyle's, how his body stiffened and his hands started shaking as he balled them to fists he tried to hide in the hem of his sweater.

Will had to come to them…

He had to…

What…what was he doing…being over there…and so close to Kyle…?

Jason didn't understand…

Kyle's words shot through his mind again, and something in him snapped.

Jason didn't _want_ to understand, either.

No.

He wasn't going to let this happen.

He wasn't going to let Kyle take Will away from him.

He wasn't going to let Kyle hurt him again.

Never.

Jason shifted, adjusting his stance the same way he had done earlier.

If Chiron _dared_ to let this monster stay, if Kyle _dared_ to even as much as speak to Will, if Will _dared_ to be so stupid and take on the world by himself again…

Jason wouldn't let it happen.

He didn't care.

Didn't care for Chiron's decision, didn't care what Kyle would do, he'd fucking rush forward, grab his Will, and get the fuck out of here.

They wouldn't even know what had happened, and Jason would already be airborne with Will and his guys, as simple as that.

Will looked straight at Kyle as Chiron stopped next to him.

And then, Will turned his head to look at them, his eyes meeting Percy's, meeting Nico's, meeting Jason's.

Jason forgot all about his plans, the need to protect, to reassure, to comfort growing near unbearable inside him, and he felt himself reaching out automatically, wishing he was closer, so he could grab hold of Will and pull him close and keep him safe.

Will's eyes were empty, hollow, his pupils seeming near nonexistent in the pale blue that stared at him.

Jason heard Nico make a small sound, though whether that was because of Will, or because of Jason crushing his hand, he didn't know.

All he knew was that he needed Will with them now.

But Will merely gazed at them a moment longer, then turned his face back towards Kyle.

No.

No, no, no, no, _no_.

Jason felt the despair, the disbelief, the _fear_ coursing through him, and even though he tried to push it all down and believe in what _had_ to happen any moment now, he more and more began feeling as if he was going to be sick any moment now.

Will took another step towards Kyle, and Jason's heart ached in agony.

No!

No, what was he _doing_?!

"Kyle…" Chiron started, and Jason wanted to interrupt, wanted to yell, wanted to stop whatever was _happening_ right now, wanted to howl in agony and horror and pain and confusion.

Will took another step towards Kyle.

Then, he stopped abruptly.

"No." He said, loud and clear, for everybody to hear, even though his voice was quivering.

Kyle's eyebrows shot up, the triumphant smile sliding off his face.

Then Will turned and ran.

He _ran_.

And he ran towards _them_.

Relief flooded through Jason, and he found himself moving, found Nico moving, found Percy moving, and the next moment, they had him, they had him in their arms, they had him in their midst, they had their arms flung around him, covering him from all sides.

_They had him_.

"You are hereby banished from the Camp for attempted rape, assault, dishonesty, provocation and false pretenses. Please fetch your belongings, you are no longer welcome. I expect you to be out of the Camp by the next five minutes, or you will be forcefully removed. You are forbidden from speaking, as well as communicating with anybody or anything in any other form until you have crossed the Camp border. You will not be able to return, though I believe you know this already. Under different circumstances, I may have bid you goodbye. I choose not to." Chiron announced loudly, firmly, but Jason barely heard him, his arms wrapped tightly around Will's head, his nose in his hair, his lips against his skin, whispering his name over and over again, as if in trance.

He was with them.

Kyle was getting banned.

It would be okay.

Everything would be okay.

Jason inhaled Will's scent as he took a deep breath, and a part of him readied itself for Kyle's reply, for his reaction, for loud exclamations or wailing or arguing.

But then he realized Kyle probably wouldn't be able to speak, given the ban and the very direct 'no communicating'-order Chiron had issued.

Jason wouldn't know how bans worked, after all, since he had never been banned before, nor seen it happening.

He pried one eye open anyways to look over towards where Kyle was still standing, his expression murderous and deadly.

But right when Jason felt inexplicably smug at showing Kyle Will _had_ chosen _them_, not _him_, Kyle…suddenly started laughing.

_Laughing_.

Chiron's tail swished in agitation, but then he merely motioned for Kyle to get moving, and Kyle did, though he was still laughing, shaking his head and looking straight at Will with a malicious, yet scarily elated look on his face.

He was crazy.

That man was crazy.

He had to be.

Jason clutched Will tighter, keeping him from looking around, keeping him against his chest, keeping him safe, and he could feel Nico and Percy doing the same, though their eyes were fixed on the retreating shape of Kyle, too.

He was absolutely crazy.

There was no other explanation.

Nobody else would laugh in a situation like this.

Jason could feel his skin crawl and shuddered, but then realized Will had to be able to feel everything they were feeling, so he quickly tried to compose himself again, stroking through Will's hair and pressing his lips to the top of his head.

Then his forehead.

Then his hand moved to Will's chin, lifting it up slightly so he could kiss him on the lips.

Will leaned into it, his hands and body shaking as he clung to him, to them, a small whimper escaping him as he pulled away again.

"He's going to kill you. Oh gods, what have I done, he's going to…he's going to…" Will whispered, his voice cracking and shaking as much as his body was, and they squeezed him tighter, though Jason found himself vaguely wondering whether they weren't actually _hurting_ him now.

If so, Will didn't mention it and didn't seem to care.

"It's okay, sole mio. Chiron banished him. He has to leave. He can't hurt you, and he can't hurt us, either." Nico replied softly, pressing his lips against the side of Will's neck, but Will seemed to barely hear him, repeatedly whispering to himself.

"Will, you're safe. You did so well. You did it. You fought him, Will. I told you you'd be able to do it." Percy said from Will's other side, making Will shiver slightly as he nuzzled against his ear, but then the blonde merely shook his head with a small whimper.

"Stupid. I'm so stupid. What have I done? I…don't praise me, Percy. I wasn't…in the beginning, I…I was just…it was horrible. I thought I could do it, that I could bear it, that I could keep you safe. Instead, I…I…" Will rambled, and Jason didn't understand a single thing he was saying.

"You did the right thing, Will. You beat him. He was so sure of himself and that he'd get to drag you back into hell with him, but you showed him." Jason said softly, anyways, and Will looked up at him with fear and terror and guilt in his eyes.

"But I didn't. All I did was make him angry, Jason. He's so vengeful, what if he…what if…I can't let you get hurt. Not you. Not anybody."

"Nobody will get hurt, sun-bug. He is forced to leave Camp _right now_. He can't get to us, and he can't get to you. We've got you." Percy assured him, and Jason nodded in agreement.

"Let's go back to the cabin, okay?" Nico suggested, and Jason wondered why they hadn't immediately rushed off with Will, anyways.

He looked around, but Chiron wasn't looking at them, instead moving after Kyle faintly to keep him in his line of sight, his tail still swishing agitatedly, his arms crossed at his chest, and his expression between thoughtful and skeptical.

Well, if he wanted anything else from them, he'd send somebody to tell them.

He pried Will's hands off his sweater carefully, and Nico instantly claimed one of them, clasping it in his own and stroking over the back of it with his thumb, while Percy was looking towards the Hermes cabin, just as Kyle was disappearing inside, still seemingly cackling to himself.

They'd have to go past that cabin, wouldn't they?

Unless they went along the forest, instead, and took the roundabout way.

Jason wanted Will safe and sound in one of their cabins asap, but he also didn't want to push him even further by forcing another encounter between Kyle and him.

He glanced towards Nico for a second opinion, but Nico wasn't looking at him, instead staring off into the distance with a frown, as if pondering something.

Jason looked at Percy, and found him looking from the Hermes cabin to the forest, too, as if thinking the same as Jason was.

They nodded at each other, then ushered Will onwards and away, glad he wasn't whispering to himself anymore, though he was still shaking rather badly.

Chiron made a small sound behind them and Jason looked around in question, but the centaur still wasn't looking at them.

Instead, he was slowly making for the Hermes cabin, apparently deciding to check what was taking Kyle so long.

Jason didn't want to know.

Instead, he allowed Percy to take Will's other hand in his place, so he could get them to pick up their speed.

Seriously, the sooner they were back in Nico's cabin, the better.

Then Will could calm down in peace and they could do something simple and stupid like watching a movie, and/or think of what they wanted to do next, now that Kyle was finally _gone_.

…Why _had_ Kyle come…?

Jason frowned, the question bugging him, same as Kyle's words were bugging him.

The danger had passed now, right?

Kyle had to leave.

Granted, he'd still be _out there_, but he needed food and water to survive, so he wouldn't be able to stick around outside the Camp border for too long, and Annabeth had explained to him in passing that banished people, like mortals, got confused whenever they got close to the border.

Though in a more sneaky way, with them taking turns without noticing, or something else occurring to them that was more important, or anything that didn't immediately yell 'Hey, you're on the right track!'.

So Kyle couldn't even sit and wait for them to leave to attack.

He might be able to stick to nearby cities, but those were _cities_, there was no way he would be able to simply find them at a snap of his fingers and hunt them down.

So there was nothing to fear.

Then again, it wasn't as if Jason feared Kyle in any way, anyways.

He was crazy, sure, and Jason would have still preferred to feed him to Festus or Peleus, but he saw no reason why he should fear him.

Will's warning sounded in his head again, back when he had urged them not to underestimate Kyle.

Jason wasn't.

He knew there had to be more than met the eye, especially since Kyle was still alive, and especially because it was obvious he was scheming _something_.

But Jason really rather had him gone than bother finding out what exactly Kyle was planning.

He sighed, relaxing ever so faintly as they moved further and further away from the Big House, and he glanced up at the Pine – Thalia's pine – wondering faintly where Peleus was, anyways, since he was usually quite strict about guarding the fleece.

Oh well, it probably didn't matter.

What mattered was that they'd make it to the cabin before Kyle came out and started freaking them out with his insanity again.

Everything would be okay.

Kyle was banished.

Once he crossed the Camp border, everything would be okay again.

Jason wondered to himself why he _still_ felt that odd, ominous tug in his stomach, then.

...

Nico's mind was swarming with questions and thoughts and memories, but nothing made sense.

What had Kyle meant, he 'had what he wanted'?

What did he have?

Did he have anything?

Had he taken something?

Had he sneaked away and stolen something?

Thanks to Jason, there was only a handful of cleaning harpies left, after all, so what if Kyle had managed to leave the Hermes cabin at night and taken something from the Big House, or anywhere else?

What if he had had anything hidden somewhere and had now fetched it?

No, Annabeth had his things frequently checked, she had told him.

The Hermes kids were thorough in their checking, they wouldn't have missed anything, especially nothing that was meant to stay hidden.

At least he wouldn't take Will from them.

Nico had to admit he _had_ started doubting when he had seen Will making for Kyle instead of them.

Gods, he was so glad Will had rushed to them, he couldn't even put it into words.

He only knew he had never wanted to let him go again.

He still didn't want to let go of him.

Even if Jason's (very subtle) kiss had shown once more Nico had no right to hold onto Will anymore.

Then again, Percy was clinging to Will's other side as if his life depended on it, so Nico wasn't going to let go of Will anytime soon, either.

At least until they made it to their cabin.

Once they got there, they'd be-…

A sharp pain shot through his mind, then there was a voice.

Clovis' voice.

_'__Nico! Get Will somewhere safe! He knows! He __**KNOWS**__! I failed! __**I failed**__! Get away! __**NOW**__!'_

Nico clutched his head, letting out a loud gasp and feeling his knees giving way momentarily, feeling dizzy and _weird_, the words only making sense when he heard Percy and Jason calling out, suddenly by his side with their hands on his shoulders, asking what was wrong.

He blinked his eyes, feeling as if he had just stepped out of a dark room into the light, but when he looked up, he immediately looked past Percy and Jason to look at Will, who was the only one who had _retreated_ the moment Nico had felt Clovis in his head.

The way he stared at Nico in utter shock and confusion and disbelief showed he must have felt it, too.

Maybe he had even heard Clovis' words.

What had Clovis said?

Nico's mind was still swirling, but he forced himself to focus, forced himself to make sense of what had just happened.

Oh gods.

Oh gods, no.

Where was Clovis?

What had he failed with?

By all the gods, why hadn't he just talked to Nico and gone straight to Chiron?

"Nico…" He heard Will say ever so quietly, fear lacing his words.

Percy and Jason were still talking to Nico, too, but Nico only saw Will, only heard him, Clovis' words dawning on him more and more.

Kyle knew.

Kyle knew _what_?

"We have to get going. _Now_." He said curtly, his voice sounding strained and exhausted.

"What just happened? Are you okay? Nico, what's _wrong_?!" Percy asked, looking almost scared, and Jason studied him with an odd look too, before suddenly looking towards Will.

"Nico, was that…was that _Clovis_…?" Will asked hesitantly, but Nico pushed himself off the ground hurriedly, ignoring Percy's and Jason's tries to help him.

Instead, he moved forward and shoved Will rather harshly in order to make him start _moving_.

They had to get to their cabin.

Hades would never allow anybody to harm them in that cabin, Will would be safe in there.

"Move. Now." He snapped, and Will winced, though he immediately started stumbling forward – only to stop again.

"Nico…" He started, but Nico pushed him again.

"No."

"But Clovis…"

"I'll look into it, Will. I'll check on him. Everything is okay. Keep moving." Nico snapped, intent on _moving_, on _getting away_.

_Now_.

"Nico, what the fuck is going on?!" Percy asked and for a moment it felt as if he was going to hold Nico back, but then he merely fell into step next to him, though the panic in his eyes was enough to make Nico _want_ to stop.

"Clovis contacted him. I felt his presence in Nico. He was…Clovis is _hurt_, Nico! I can't…" Will started again, suddenly making to stop again.

And what was worse, it even looked as if he seriously intended to move into the opposite direction, back towards the Big House, towards the inside of the Camp, towards where Kyle just had to pass through on his way out.

No.

Nico grabbed him by the arm, fear coursing through him.

He wouldn't let him get hurt.

"Clovis will be fine. Everything is fine, Will. We're going back to the cabin."

"But…"

"What did Clovis say, then?" Jason asked, but Nico shook his head sharply, his mind still reeling.

First of all, they had to get Will somewhere safe.

Then he could backtrack and look for Clovis and find out what was going on.

But Will's safety was-…

They heard a scream, and Nico's blood froze in his veins, the four of them stopping in their tracks and looking around automatically to look for the source.

The next moment, Will started moving, and even though Nico lunged forward to grab him by the arm, Will escaped him by inches, bounding up the hill with a panicked gasp.

"Will! No!"

Nico followed, cursing Will, cursing Kyle, cursing everybody and everything, while wondering why the hell Will was running away _now_.

And what was more, why towards the Camp border?

Jason and Percy followed, and he could hear them cursing and trying to make sense of the situation just as much as Nico was, but then his thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he realized Will wasn't running _away_, at all.

He was running _towards_ something.

Or someone.

A camper.

On the ground, next to Thalia's pine.

An hopefully only unconscious camper with a gash across his chest.

_Clovis_.

Nico could hear Jason gasp loudly, and Percy uttered a sharp curse, but Will made straight for Clovis, falling down next to him and immediately searching for a pulse, his expression frantic and panicked, though his movements were precise and controlled.

What was happening?

Why was Clovis here?

Had he been here all that time?

Had he been the one screaming just now?

How had Will known he was here?

Too many questions.

Nico shook his head, still moving towards Will slowly, and he found himself looking at the pine for a moment for no real reason whatsoever – just to realize one crucial thing.

The Camp border.

They were right at the Camp border.

"Will! Get away from him!" Percy yelled just as Nico opened his mouth, and his boyfriend suddenly rushed past him, grabbing Will by the arm and dragging him backwards, away from Clovis, away from the border – and away from the hand that appeared out of nowhere, snatching at the air right where Will's neck had been mere seconds ago.

What the…

Nico stared in disbelief how the hand seemed to manifest itself out of nowhere, an arm and shoulder following, before suddenly there was an entire person standing there, right at the Camp border, right next to Clovis, staring right at them with cold, cruel, unforgiving eyes.

_Kyle._

Will, who had at first struggled, yelled and fought Percy to get free and get back to Clovis, froze where he stood.

Percy put his arms around Will tightly, eyes fixed on Kyle.

Jason stepped in front of Percy and Will, his sword already out.

"Why, hello there." Kyle said amiably, straightening up slightly and eyeing them with what could only be described as some sort of sick amusement in his gaze, the corners of his lips curling upwards.

Nico was still trying to make sense of the whole fact Kyle had just manifested right there out of nowhere.

"Get out." Jason growled, and Nico's eyes fell on Clovis, who was still unconscious on the floor, the blood now pooling around him, showing just how fresh the wound on his chest was.

How had this happened?

Why had Clovis been up here?

Had he even been up here?

It made no sense.

Nothing made sense.

"Oh, I will. Right after taking what is rightfully mine." Kyle chirped, sounding unbothered and unfazed, and Nico _knew_ he meant Will.

"If you're looking for your abusive ass, you'll have to get your twisted, sick head out of it, first." Percy snarled, and Nico half agreed, half wanted him to shut up.

"Nothing here belongs to you. Leave. You have no business here anymore." He spoke up, and Kyle shot him an almost bored look.

Then the corners of his lips quirked upwards again, and he reached out with one hand, though there was nothing he could possibly grab.

…Or so Nico thought, but then, something long and slender seemed to appear out of nowhere, just as Kyle had done.

This time, Nico actually saw what looked like dark shards, milliseconds before the actual object seemed to come into focus.

It was as if it was being _reassembled_, rather than moved from one place to the next, like with shadow-travelling.

Though it still made no sense.

"I'll try again, nicely, because you're the most comical bunch I've met in a while." Kyle started, his voice laced with amusement and humor, as if he didn't have a single thing to fear in the world.

Then, his expression changed, becoming hardened and serious and _evil_.

"Give me William, and I will leave you and your Camp alone."

Percy snorted, but Nico could hear Will gasp, and he wished they would have dragged him back to the cabin back when they had still had the chance to, so he wouldn't have to see this, hear this, experience this, witness this.

"No." Nico, Percy and Jason replied in unison, and Kyle's lips split into a dark, malicious grin.

Nico noticed with a sinking feeling how the object had finished materializing, showing a long, oddly shaped scythe that momentarily made no sense to Nico.

He knew scythes were often depicted as practical weapons, and nearly always drawn wrong wherever one went, but he also knew they truly made shitty weapons, no matter which way their blade pointed.

The realization Kyle had a scythe was already weird enough.

The realization Kyle had made said scythe appear out of nowhere was more than weird.

The realization Kyle had a scythe and looked as if he knew _exactly_ how to use that useless thing in battle was the absolutely weirdest and freaked Nico out more than anything else had so far.

"I thought so. Not even giving William a chance to decide for himself, I see. Oh well, I guess you don't care about what happens to your little friend here, then…" Kyle said with a dramatic sigh, and Nico only truly realized what he was intending to do when Kyle was moving the scythe.

Towards the ground.

Where Clovis laid.

"No!" Will yelped, and Nico cursed as his blonde tore free from Percy's hold and made to rush forward.

Will, no!

Nico made straight for him to stop him, while Jason and Percy moved past them towards Kyle, their swords out and already slashing at the snath of the scythe, forcing Kyle backwards and away.

Who the fuck even used a scythe in battle?

Those things were _useless_!

Plus, this one was built wrong, who had done this, some sort of idiot?!

They were drawn wrong already, with the blade attached wrong and all and alienating it from its original purpose of reaping, yes, but who in his right mind would go through the trouble of _crafting_ one?!

Nico yelled at his own mind to shut the fuck up, grabbing Will by the back of his sweater and throwing him backwards, before making to grab Clovis and drag him inside the Camp border, to prevent him from getting any more hurt.

If anything, he should be glad Kyle was an idiot with a useless weapon.

…Or so he thought, but then he heard Kyle laughing, and when he looked up, the man was jumping back and thrusting the end of the snath down into the ground with a gleeful expression on his face.

It occurred to Nico then, that this scythe was not actually a normal scythe.

Because the next moment, the blade snapped upwards, and as Kyle moved, he could see just how _thin_ the blade was.

All of it.

There was no _edge_ of the blade, no shift from dull to sharp.

The whole entire thing was one smooth, thin, deadly line of doom.

"Merda." He muttered, then he realized with a jolt Kyle was moving straight _past_ Jason and Percy, instead making for _him_.

Merda.

Shit.

_Fuck_.

"Don't!" Will cried out behind him, and Kyle looked up for a moment, his concentration wavering.

Nico took his chance and dropped Clovis, grabbing his sword and swinging it just in time to block Kyle's scythe before it could cut him into two.

The thing now more resembled a war scythe or fauchard.

Just with a bigger blade, a wider range, and a lot more chance of _death_.

Terrific.

Nico's sword connected with the blade, and the force of the impact made him almost lose his balance.

_Shit_!

Just how much force had Kyle put into that one thrust?!

…How many more of these would Kyle be able to do until he got tired/exhausted?

Nico shifted his balance and shoved forwards, smacking the blade of the scythe/war scythe/_whatever_ away and making to slash at Kyle, but he merely lifted the snath and parried the attack.

Then he moved backwards, and Nico pursued, nearly toppling over Clovis' body.

His boyfriend and Jason came to his aid, and Kyle was forced to retreat again, though he still seemed utterly unfazed, grinning at them as if this was the most fun he had had in a while.

The three stood there, shielding Clovis, shielding Will, their swords raised and ready to fight.

Kyle laughed at them.

_Laughed_.

A sickly elated laugh, sending shivers down Nico's spine and making his insides clench, as if somebody was scraping a chalkboard with their fingernails.

They exchanged wary looks.

Why was he laughing?

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun. William, I warned you. I told you what would happen if you didn't obey me, didn't I? But you didn't listen. Did you really think you could trick me? Did you really think they could protect you? That _you_ could protect _them_?" Kyle's voice was sweet, yet dripping with venom, and Nico could hear Will whimpering faintly behind them somewhere, while Jason and Percy spat and cursed him with all they could think of.

But Kyle ignored them, instead reaching out with one hand, a gleeful grin on his face.

"But hey, I'll be _generous_. Come now, William. Come, and I won't hurt them. Come, and all will be well. Stay…and I will take them from you. I will take everything from you. Everything you ever valued, everything you ever cared for, I will-…"

"_Shut up!_" Percy yelled, the same time Nico called 'Don't listen to him, Will!', effectively interrupting him as they rushed forward and slashed at Kyle, who brought up the snath of that horrid scythe and blocked the blows, before suddenly swinging it around with disturbing ease, even though the angle should have prevented it.

Percy let out a surprised gasp and jumped back, but Nico couldn't manage to regain his balance in time, making the perfect target.

"_NO!_" Will cried out, then Jason suddenly rushed past Nico and tried to thrust his sword into Kyle's chest, forcing him to retreat once more, avoiding the attack by mere inches.

So did Nico, as a matter of fact.

"_Don't you dare!_" Jason snarled, his voice lower and more ferocious than Nico had ever heard.

As Jason and Percy pursued, Nico looked back over his shoulder, just to see Will-…

"Get back inside! Will, don't you _dare_!" He yelled, and cursed all the gods in existence.

Why, _why_, couldn't Will run away _now_?!

Run away from them, from here, from all of this, back into Camp, to the Big House, to their cabin, _anywhere_?!

Why, by all the gods in this godforsaken world, did Will have to move towards them _now_?!

Merda!

Merda, merda, _merda_!

"Yes, William. Come with me. Or do you want your lovers to end like this fool?" Kyle nearly cooed, and gestured vaguely towards Clovis, before blocking both Percy's and Jason's attacks with disturbing ease, forcing them both backwards to avoid the blade.

"No…" Will whispered, but Nico already shot him a dark look.

"Don't listen to him, Will! He's a rotten liar, he would take you and still hurt everything in his path."

He regretted it as he said it, knowing Will would misunderstand, that Will was already blaming himself for all of this, that, in his frantic state, he probably wouldn't even make proper sense of Nico's words, in the first place.

"He tried to trick me, this boy did. Fed me lies. Told me it was him who had the visions, that it was he I had been looking for. Isn't it ironic that it is actually _you_, William? Who would have thought _you'd_ be the key to everything? The last thorn in our eyes to destroy, to crush the last chance your futile camps might have had?" Kyle explained, and Nico momentarily lost his balance, feeling as if his head was going to explode any moment from that sudden piece of information, from the thoughts and realizations and confusion and panic it brought forth.

What?!

Will whimpered.

"Don't hurt them…"

Nico's heart ached at the pain and devastation in his voice.

"You made me do this, William. You make me hurt them."

"Shut the fuck up!" Percy roared, trying to attack again, but Kyle deflected the blow as if it was nothing, and this time, the blade of the scythe grazed his arm before Jason got to save him from the blow.

He winced and cried out, and so did Will, taking two steps towards them before Nico could react.

"Will, _don't_!" He snarled, and Will instantly froze, his entire body shaking uncontrollably.

Guilt coursed through Nico, but he pushed it down.

"Enough of this kindergarten already. You can not beat me, have you not realized that by now? Now, William, will you come with me? Or will you-…"

"Like hell he will!" Jason and Percy bellowed at the same time, and then they attacked, but this time as a united force.

Kyle was forced back, but they kept attacking, and Nico noticed with satisfaction Kyle's sneer finally disappeared.

Then, Nico moved to join in, too.

They had to end this.

_Now_.

...

Will watched in utmost terror as his guys advanced on Kyle over and over again, slashing, stabbing, evading, blocking.

His guys were fighting Kyle.

Kyle.

Kyle, who had what seemed like some sort of scythe Will had never seen before.

Kyle, who kept looking at Will with something close to pity and disappointment, as if he couldn't believe Will was letting them fight against him.

Kyle, who kept deflecting all of their blows, even though the guys seemed to get better and better by the moment.

There was noise, the guys yelling at Kyle, snarling curses or hissing and growling as they moved, but Will could barely hear them.

His mind and ears were entirely focused on Kyle, catching his every move, his every glance into Will's direction, his every ever so silent word.

He had come for Will.

He had truly come for Will.

To take him.

To take him with him, away from here, away from them.

To kill him? Torment him? Do the same he had done before?

Will was a key?

Will had visions?

Did he mean the nightmares?

What did it matter, he couldn't remember them anyways?

He was a key?

Kyle had been looking for him?

What thorn in whose eye?

Who else was there?

Kyle had said 'our', meaning more than one.

Where were the others?

What should Will do?

What _could_ Will do?

He should have never done what he had done.

He should have never tried to trick Kyle, should have never believed he could possibly get away with this.

Suddenly, Kyle's stance shifted, and Will's blood froze in his veins.

"Watch out!" He yelled, then slapped his hands over his mouth when he saw the rage in Kyle's face as his scythe soared down and hit the air instead of Jason.

Because his guys had heard, had realized, and had reacted just in time, jumping back and far out of reach.

"Will, grab Clovis and get back inside the Camp border!" Nico called over, his words not allowing a refusal, and Will's body moved automatically, as if on auto-pilot.

"Do you really not care for your lovers at all, William?" Kyle's voice sounded over, sweet, surprised, disappointed.

Will froze again.

Then there was Nico, grabbing hold of his wrist and pulling him with him, and everything blurred for a moment as Will couldn't make sense of anything anymore.

Not Nico's values, not his own, not the sounds around them, not the ones inside him.

When he next looked around, he was toppling towards the Camp border with Nico, and Percy and Jason were close behind him, shielding them from Kyle, though he was just standing there, watching.

Laughing.

"Aw, you can't beat me, so you are aiming for a retreat? How pathetic. Unfortunately for you, it won't work."

That sounded horrible.

Worse than horrible.

Maybe Will should just…

"You know, I didn't want for this to happen, William. I tried to stop this. But…you leave me no choice…" Kyle said gravely, and Will stopped dead in his tracks, his gaze snapping around.

Nico cursed and tried to pull him along with him, but his legs didn't cooperate, everything zeroed in on Kyle, the way he stood there, the way he smiled at him, knowingly, gleefully, triumphantly.

What was he going to do?!

He made it sound as if he had some sort of-…

"Will, he's bluffing! He can't get to us, so keep moving! He can't get back inside Camp! The moment you're back inside, we'll follow, okay? He can't hurt us, Will!" Nico pleaded with him rather than yelling, but Will still flinched and winced and whimpered.

No.

No, he had to go with Kyle.

If he didn't go with Kyle, he'd hurt them.

He had something planned, Will could feel it.

He'd hurt them, he'd kill them, he'd take them from Will.

He'd take everything from Will.

Will had to go to him.

He had to.

What had he been thinking, defying him in the first place?

What had he been thinking, forcing his guys into all of this?

What had he been thinking, not thinking at all?

"Oh, it won't be me hurting you, Nico di Angelo. It will be you yourself doing the hurting. You, and these two here."

Will shook his head, whimpering and beginning to beg.

He didn't care how pathetic it sounded, and how much Kyle would punish him for it later, he had to do it, he had to find something he could do to stop this.

He begged with Kyle to stop this, he begged for Nico to let him go, he begged for Jason and/or Percy to tell Nico to let him go, begged them to let him go, to let him go with Kyle, that it would be okay, that everything would be okay.

He begged, he pleaded, he babbled, but nobody seemed to hear him, because Nico kept holding onto his wrist, and Kyle kept laughing.

"We'd never hurt each other, and there's nothing you can do to change that!" Percy insisted, and Will cried out for him to stop, to leave Kyle be, to make Nico let go, to let Will go with him, but Percy ignored him, too.

Everybody was ignoring him.

Then, he felt a stabbing pain in his head and gasped, just to realize it wasn't his pain at all.

It was Nico's.

Nico, who was suddenly gasping and collapsing, clutching his head similarly to how he had earlier, when Clovis had invaded his mind momentarily to warn them.

Will fell down next to him, wrapping himself around him with a desperate cry and more pleading, wanting to protect, to save, to heal, not thinking straight, not thinking whatsoever.

Nico struggled, fighting against the alien sensation in his mind, and Will could feel it, could feel it all, could feel it as if it was happening inside himself.

Emotions gripped Nico that weren't his own, commands were sent through his body that didn't come from his own mind, his hands jerking as his muscles tried to make sense of what to obey and what not.

But Nico fought.

"Nico!" Both Jason and Percy exclaimed, while Will yelled out a frantic 'Stop it!', though that went ignored, too.

"Guys, watch out, he can…" Nico pressed out, then he clutched Will, his expression scrounged up in pain and concentration.

"I will not…be…controlled…" Will heard him whisper, then he was distracted by Percy and Jason slumping together and hitting the ground.

"NO!" He yelled, and he forced himself off Nico, trying to get to them, to check for a pulse, to check whether they were alive, to make sure they'd be okay…

But then his eyes fell on Kyle, who had his arms outstretched and his eyes closed, a disturbingly satisfied, gleeful smile on his face – and Will froze again.

_He_ was doing this.

_He_ was causing his guys harm.

Will wanted to stop him.

Had to stop him.

But he only managed one step towards Kyle before his body stopped cooperating.

Fear was a horrible thing.

Shock was even worse.

In movies and books, they always made it sound as if it was something easily overcome, as if one only had to tell themselves to move, and suddenly, they did.

Life wasn't like that.

There were things one could do, and things one couldn't do.

By the looks of it, Will had reached his final limit.

He wanted to move, yelled at himself to do it, trying to order himself to, trying to forcefully make his limbs move, but he couldn't.

Instead, he stood there like a fool, his mind blank, his body shaking, and his guys suffering.

_Suffering_.

Because of Will's stupidity.

He should have gone with Kyle.

He shouldn't have told Chiron about how Kyle had attacked Jason, how he had shown up in the infirmary by surprise, how Jason had tried to protect him after realizing he was in danger.

He hadn't said anything about rape, nothing about Kyle's assault on Will himself, nothing about their past together whatsoever, but Chiron had seemed to understand, anyways.

Will had felt torn back then.

Had thought he shouldn't do it, had thought he should just say it was all a misunderstanding, and that he and Kyle were best friends, and that he would leave with him if that was okay with Chiron.

He should have done it.

It would have kept his guys safe.

What had Will done?

"Please stop…" He whispered, and Kyle opened his eyes, looking at him with dark, horrible eyes.

"No." He replied sweetly, and Will's entire being seemed to shatter.

Then, he heard Nico groan, and Jason and Percy cursed as they suddenly got up and grabbed their weapons.

Was it over?

Were they okay?

Had they beaten it?

Whatever 'it' was?

"Ready to watch your lovers die, William?" Kyle cooed, and Will shook his head weakly, whimpering again when he saw the struggle in Percy's and Jason's eyes, the disorientation, the confusion, the pain.

"What the…" Percy started as he suddenly lunged forward, bringing his weapon up and aiming straight for _Jason_.

No!

Jason seemed to struggle with his arms, which seemed unwilling to do as he wanted, though he managed to deflect the blow at the last possible moment.

"Aw, don't you two fight. I thought you love Will so much you don't care that he needs more than you?" Kyle taunted, and Will shook his head frantically now, trying to speak, trying to beg, trying to plead, but nothing came out, and no words were in his mind as he stared.

No.

What was happening?

What were they doing?

"Jason!" Percy cried frantically, swinging his sword at Jason, and Jason barely dodged it, before gasping as his own sword thrust forward.

It grazed Percy's arm, but luckily only cut through his jacket.

Will still sobbed, anyways.

No.

Not his guys.

"Isn't this precious, William? Look how they're fighting it. They're doing such a good job, don't you think? It's really horrible of you to make them do this, William."

Will tried to force himself to move, to get to his guys, to get to Kyle, to get anywhere, to do something, anything.

Anything that would allow him to help them, to stop this, to stop them, to stop all of it.

"Stop it…" He whispered, but Kyle merely laughed.

Then he flicked his wrist, and a jolt went through both Jason and Percy.

And that's when the real fight began.

They slashed, they stabbed, their voices the only thing they seemed to have control over as they kept crying out each other's names and futile gasps of 'Get down!' and 'Watch out!'.

It was almost as if they were training.

Just that they had never moved this ferociously during training, and had never aimed to kill.

Now, they were.

They were also crying.

Will didn't understand.

Why were they doing this?

How was Kyle doing this?

What did Will have to do to stop it?

"Fight it! You can fight it! You just have to concentrate, Jason, Percy!" Nico suddenly exclaimed from the ground as he shoved his limbs under him to push himself upwards, swaying slightly but other wisely seeming alright.

What was more, he still seemed to be himself.

"Oh, but you see, they can't fight it. They can't help it. Same as they won't be able to help…this…" Kyle said sweetly, and Will cried out as the guys suddenly turned towards Nico, who paled as he realized what Kyle intended to do.

"No!" Both Jason and Percy howled, but their bodies were moving, anyways, rushing towards Nico, who should still have enough time to jump out of the way, but he didn't.

Instead, he barely managed to lift his sword to block the attacks, though the force almost knocked him right off his feet.

"Not Nico!" Both Jason and Percy exclaimed in unison, and they seemed to struggle against the hold Kyle had on them for a moment, but it was futile.

They attacked again. And again. And again.

Nico deflected the blows, though he didn't attack back, and Will looked back at Kyle, racking his brain for anything that could help them.

"I…I'll go with you! Please!" He tried again for what had to be the hundredth time, but Kyle merely laughed, making the guys rush after Nico as he tried to retreat.

"You had your chance, William. You let it go to waste. I will get you anyways. But now, watch your beloved boys die. Who should I kill first? The one who puts up the most fight? The one who adores you so much he's thinking of killing himself to 'ruin' my plans? Or the one who still thinks he has an ounce of control over what is happening?" Kyle asked, and Will whined in terror.

No.

Not his guys.

Please not his guys.

He couldn't kill them.

Will had no idea whom he meant with what statement, but it didn't matter, either.

"Please don't…" He whimpered, but Kyle's gaze remained unforgiving and cruel.

"If you can't decide, let's do it this way, then…" He then replied with a shrug, and turned his attention to the guys again – only to narrowly avoid Nico as he slashed at his throat with his sword, missing by _inches_.

Kyle snarled, and Nico growled, then he advanced again, trying to strike Kyle while simultaneously trying to avoid Jason and Percy, who kept attacking, though they also seemed to have worked out a way to block each other's blows from getting to Nico.

"You think you can beat me, just because you can ward off my special gift, Nico di Angelo?" Kyle sneered, as if trying to taunt Nico, but all Nico replied with was 'Watch me, bitch'.

Which, apparently, was the wrong thing to say to Kyle, because he immediately swung his scythe around to strike.

Percy's hand closed around Nico's arm, tearing him away from the attack at the last moment, though he paid for it a moment later, when Jason's sword grazed across his cheek.

Jason and Percy both wailed, as if they were both feeling the pain, and Will howled in agony, trying to make his body move, trying to act, trying to think, trying to do _anything_.

He had never felt more helpless.

More useless.

_What had he done?_

Nico snarled, and the ground shook as he started hacking away at Kyle, and even though he parried each and every attack, he still seemed strained, and Will could see Percy and Jason struggling again, trying to free themselves from Kyle's invisible hold on them.

"Enough of this!" Kyle suddenly snapped, and Will screamed in terror as he tripped Nico with that scythe of his, before swirling it around, the blade right at Nico's neck, Nico's blade the only thing in the way between the edge and his throat.

Percy and Jason both let out horrified gasps, but then they were moving, lifting their weapons, turning towards each other.

"Let's let them all die, shall we, William?"

And Will saw it.

Saw it all.

Saw it inside his head.

Saw it outside his head.

Saw what Kyle was planning to do.

Saw what Kyle was doing.

Nico forced the blade away with his own sword, but his attention wasn't on Kyle.

Instead, it was on Percy and Jason, same as Will's was.

Because Percy and Jason were rushing towards each other, their struggling only visible in their eyes, only audible in their voices, their movements precise, perfect, without hesitation, their weapons raised, ready for their final blow.

Their final blow.

They had their defenses down, nothing to deflect each other's blow with, not even their arms.

And Will saw it, saw it happening inside his head, felt the time slowing down around him as the realization hit him.

They would die.

He could see it.

Could sense it.

Could hear it in Nico's frantic cry.

Will moved.

Nico screamed.

Time suddenly seemed to speed up.

Or maybe it came to a halt.

Will heard Jason yelling at him, could hear Percy's choked sob, but he couldn't comprehend the words, his body moving between them, angling himself perfectly to catch the blows.

He couldn't let them die.

He wouldn't let them die.

Never.

Will closed his eyes, bracing for the impact.

The pain.

The end.

"_LET THEM FREE!_" A voice yelled behind them, and Will's eyes shot open.

The next moment, Percy and Jason seemed to stumble, throwing their weapons away at the last moment, before crashing right into Will, sending jolts of pain through all three of them.

Their arms wrapped around him, clinging to him, Percy gasping and wheezing and hyperventilating as he sobbed against his back, while Jason's hands seemed to be everywhere at once, touching, squeezing, grabbing, holding.

Will was frozen in shock, not comprehending, not understanding.

There were voices around them, and as he numbly turned his head, he saw Piper, Annabeth and Chiron at the Camp border, just as Chiron let an arrow fly.

Will tried to look around, and saw Kyle, standing there with his scythe, the arrow going through him as if he was a mere ghost.

Then, Will realized he seemed to be dissolving into what appeared to be black glass shards, the sneer on his face more murderous than ever.

And Will could hear him, could hear his words, even though Kyle seemed to barely even move his lips.

"You'll live to regret this, William. Mark my words. I will take it all from you. Everything."

Nico collided harshly with Will, blocking his view of Kyle as he whined in terror and cupped Will's face, his eyes full of fear and shock, his thumbs so painfully _gentle_ on Will's cheeks it made his skin burn.

Then he realized it was actually the tears streaming down his face that made his skin burn, not Nico's touch.

He was crying.

They were crying.

All of them were crying.

"Never do that again, Will. Never. Promise you'll never…we would have…you could have…" Percy whispered, his body shaking worse than Will's did, and Will realized he was holding onto him, him and Jason, even though he had no recollection of moving his hands.

"Guys, what happened? Why did you cross the Camp border?" Annabeth rounded at them, appearing at their sides to apparently rant at them, but nobody reacted.

Instead, Will clutched his guys harder, feeling Jason swaying them back and forth slightly, his arms around all three of them.

It had something soothing to it, but also something scary.

Will sobbed.

Percy joined in.

Nico let out a small, pained wail.

Jason squeezed them tightly.

They were not okay.

...

There were no words as they entered the Hades cabin, no words as they fell into bed together, no words as they curled into each other.

Percy was still crying softly.

Nico still had tears streaming down his cheeks.

Will was still staring into space with an eerily blank look on his face.

Jason was still trying to cope with what had happened.

It was afternoon, but it might have as well been the end of the world.

Thunder rolled in the distance, mournful and quiet, so much like Jason, yet nothing like the turmoil inside him.

His grip on Percy, Nico and Will tightened, drawing all three of them closer.

They came willingly, Percy still not meeting his eyes, but he didn't say anything.

There was nothing to say.

Chiron had taken Clovis straight to the infirmary, while Piper and Annabeth had tried to get them to talk, to tell them what had happened, what had moved them to be so stupid and cross the Camp border, why they hadn't gotten reinforcements or anything.

They didn't understand.

They seemed to understand so much, yet they didn't understand this.

They couldn't have left.

One of them should have left, or they should have told Will to go and fetch help, but they hadn't, because they couldn't have.

It hadn't been possible.

Jason couldn't explain why, but it simply hadn't been possible.

Kyle.

Why had he been so strong?

Why had he been one step ahead the entire time?

What had he meant with his whole talk about Will being 'the key' to everything, and being the only chance for the camps?

How did Kyle even know of Camp Jupiter?

Had he even meant Camp Jupiter?

Questions swirled through Jason's head, but he could barely focus on them as he shuddered over and over again, remembering that horrible sensation of that monster in his mind.

His fingernails dug into Percy's back, but Percy didn't even seem to notice.

He was still shaking, too.

Will and Percy were both shaking so badly.

Maybe they were cold.

Jason knew it wasn't that, but he moved his arm downwards to grab the blanket to their feet, anyways, throwing it over them and trying to get closer.

Closer, closer, _closer_.

Close enough to feel their breath on his skin, to feel their heartbeats against his, to feel the blood flowing through their veins, showing they were alive, showing they were okay.

They weren't okay.

Jason started wondering whether they ever had been.

He also wondered whether they ever would be.

He clutched them harder, and Will let out a low, drawn-out wail, his fingers clawing at Jason's chest, before suddenly moving downwards and under his shirt as his breathing suddenly changed, becoming quick and rapid and uncontrolled.

His hands were harsh and clumsy and disturbingly cool as he shoved them upwards against Jason's chest again, as if checking his heartbeat.

He didn't seem to find it, because his breathing started spiraling out of control, and his movements across Jason's chest became frantic.

All three of them reacted simultaneously, grabbing hold of Will's hands and stilling them, right over Jason's heart, allowing him to focus, to feel.

Will stared at Jason's shirt, then he looked up at Jason, his breathing calming ever so slowly.

Jason wished he could smile at him, reassure him, comfort him, anything.

But he couldn't.

Instead, he wrapped his arms around Will and pressed him against him with all his might, as if he was trying to fuse their bodies – or break all of Will's bones.

Will didn't complain, instead hugging him right back with a choked sob.

Nico inched closer, looking pained and guilty, but Jason understood.

He _understood_.

Will did, too, turning around in Jason's arms and pulling Nico closer.

Jason moved to hold the three of them again, his thumbs stroking away Percy's tears again as he kept sobbing quietly, now keeping his eyes closed and his head bowed.

They were not okay.

Nothing was okay.

If it hadn't been for Piper and her Charmspeak, Will would be dead.

Nico probably, too.

They'd all be dead.

How could Will have just…

Jason squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ban the pictures from his mind, the memories, the feelings, the dread that had washed over him when he had realized that was _it_.

The dread he had felt when he had realized he wouldn't be able to deflect Percy's blow.

The dread he had felt when he had tried and failed to move his sword in any other way than what Kyle had wanted, struggling so, so hard, yet with no effect whatsoever.

The dread he had felt when he had seen Percy coming closer, the tears running down his face like rivers, his beautiful sea-green eyes wide and full of fear and similar dread, his lips chanting Jason's name as if he had pleaded with him.

But Jason had still thought he might have made it somehow.

Might have been able to move his sword somehow, unwilling to be the one to strike Percy.

Then Will had happened.

Will, his beautiful, wonderful Will, who had moved forward, rushing between them and spreading out his arms as if to stop them, angling his body in a way that had shown he knew exactly what he was doing.

Jason choked back a sob, and a hand stroked over his cheek, wiping the tear away that escaped the corner of his eye.

He knew without looking that it was Percy's hand, though he didn't know how he knew.

He leaned into the touch, anyways.

Percy hesitated for a moment, then continued stroking over his skin with trembling fingers.

Jason moved his hand up to return the favor, and they just laid there, wrapped up in each other, the heat spreading and burning them under the blanket, but none of them cared.

It didn't matter.

What mattered was the comfort.

The reassurance they were alive.

They weren't okay.

But they were alive.

And for now, that had to be enough.


	39. Chapter 39: Three Days To Recover

**A/N:** Hello Cupcakes :D

Aaand here comes the next chapter :3

But first, I have to brag: **FANART! WHAAAAAAAA!**

**catastrophiq** and **Pink** drew some absolutely beautiful FanArt for this story :D

You can find the links here:  
(sta-sh)/055hx09e5r9  
(sta-sh)/0h2pt887zfi  
(sta-sh)/02yxyl0gpdx  
(sta-sh)/0qy6lka69y2  
(sta-sh)/01m8rr04z97n  
(sta-sh)/0145j1edvepc  
(nicodamnangelo-tumblr-com)/post/149016380617/fanart-for-my-favorite-fanfic-love-dreams  
(artistpinksnb-tumblr-com)/post/148907674701/some-more-fanart-of-mel-chan366-s-lovely-fanfic  
(artistpinksnb-tumblr-com)/post/148608464261/fanart-for-mel-chan366-s-awesome-fanfic-that-you  
^take out () and replace the - with . inside the () :)

:D :D :D

Special thanks to both of them for being absolutely amazing!  
Also, special thanks to my beta-reader(s). You're the best!  
AND special thanks to all you wonderful people out there who leave such amazing reviews/comments. You brighten my day.

(On that note, I also apologize for always taking 300 years to reply to reviews on FFnet. The website has issues loading on my laptop, so I tend to reply whenever I find a tiny bit of time at work, which sadly isn't very often. But please know that, even if I don't reply, I still love you, and your reviews give me life.)

So, here goes chapter 39 :D Only one more chapter to go. Who's excited for the end? Who's dreading it?  
(Well, there'll be an epilogue, and a second story, but one step at a time, alright? XD)

Once more, there's trigger warnings for this chapter, and if anybody thinks/knows they might be triggered, please don't push yourself to read it.  
I WILL send you a summary, even if you read this in a month or a year or whenever. Just shoot me a message, and I'll try reply as soon as I manage.  
The summaries are also up on my Tumblr (mel-chan366), tag 'sequel stuff', though you can also use the tag "chapter 39" (or 35/36/37/38) to find it.

Thank you so much for reading this story :D  
Wish you all the best, and a great week ahead~  
-Tári

* * *

**Trigger Warnings:**  
\- Lingering fear/shock/unease  
\- Trauma/PTSD  
\- Mentioned panic/anxiety attacks  
\- Basically lots of coping and trying to recover from all the blows from Chap38  
\- Struggling  
\- Talk about fears

Compared to the other chapters, I'd say this chapter is fairly mild on TWs, but I really rather am safe than sorry ;/  
But on the bright side, there'll be smut~ Muahahahaha

* * *

**Chapter 39: Three Days To Recover**

They didn't sleep.

Percy knew all four of them were tired, but they didn't sleep.

They _couldn't_ sleep.

Everything was still too much, too real, too recent for them to be able to close their eyes, to let it go, to find some rest.

They weren't speaking, just huddled together on the bed, sometimes under the blanket, sometimes on top of it, sometimes sitting, sometimes laying.

But always close enough to touch.

Will proved to need a lot of touching, even more than Percy did.

It was similar to the time when Jason had been gone, and Will had freaked out at the most random times, about the weirdest things, suddenly fidgety and panicked and all over the place, often hyperventilating.

Percy found it impossible to believe that had been mere days ago.

It felt like much more time had passed.

Then again, what was time?

Percy didn't know.

He also didn't particularly care, instead falling against Jason, who clasped his hand tightly and allowed his head to rest against Percy's, the two of them staring off into space quietly as they sat together on the bed with their backs against the wall, while Will and Nico were huddled together under the blanket.

Percy closed his eyes, just to take a deep breath, but the images flashed through his mind immediately again, making him flinch and bury his face at Jason's shoulder.

Jason let him, his thumb stroking over Percy's wrist, as if trying to find his pulse point.

Maybe he was.

Maybe he also had to check he was still alive, just how Will had to reassure himself of that over and over again.

Percy couldn't blame them.

He noticed how he was tensing up again, so he allowed himself to slump back against Jason again, and Jason turned his head minimally, placing a soft kiss to Percy's hairline.

Percy dared to close his eyes again.

The next moment, he remembered the disturbing, horrifying sensation and the stabbing pain that had shot through him as Kyle had invaded his mind, and he cringed.

He noticed Jason pulling his hand away, and momentarily panicked he had hurt him, or had held him too tightly – but then Jason moved his arm around Percy's shoulders, tugging him closer and encouraging him to lay down, even though he didn't say a word.

Percy complied, though he didn't really understand what Jason wanted until he was curled up next to the blonde with his head on Jason's lap and Jason's hands in his hair, gently stroking through it.

That…actually, that felt quite nice.

Almost too nice.

Percy wasn't sure he wanted to allow himself to feel that nice right now.

But he didn't stop Jason, anyways.

Instead, he kept staring into dark room around them, trying to tell real shapes from imaginary ones.

He knew he had to get a grip on himself.

He knew they were all trying to cope with what had happened.

But just the thought made him want to cry again.

He had almost hurt Jason.

Why was it that he had been able to fight Kyle's control momentarily when they had been ordered to hurt Nico, but he had almost cut Jason to pieces?

He had tried.

Had tried to stop it.

But it hadn't worked.

Why hadn't it worked?

Percy wanted to apologize.

Needed to apologize.

Needed to explain.

He had tried so hard to stop it.

It wasn't because Jason meant less to him than the other two did.

It wasn't.

But Percy knew Jason wouldn't believe him.

He also knew he wouldn't accept his apology, no matter whether he'd believe him or not.

Percy turned his head, inhaling Jason's scent.

It seemed more pronounced here.

Percy wasn't surprised.

He closed his eyes again, trying to focus on Jason's hands instead of the horrors inside his mind.

When that didn't work, he merely opened his eyes again and continued staring at nothing.

This was horrible.

...

Jason gazed at the window, watching the sunrise.

He watched as night turned to day.

Watched as Percy shifted and snuggled into him, his arms around his midriff, his eyes open and blank, as if he was in trance.

Watched as Will and Nico sat up and joined him, with Will curling up against his side, and Nico leaning against Will for comfort.

They were a mess.

Jason knew that, but it became even more apparent when Percy made to get up to move to the bathroom, and the three of them followed automatically.

He couldn't explain it.

They couldn't explain it.

They also didn't question it.

Instead, they followed and huddled together in the doorway in front of the ajar door until Percy was finished, then they switched through, for the first time taking notice of their neglected bodily needs.

After that, they moved back to the bed, and for the first time, Jason found himself taken into the middle, Nico pressing against his back, Percy pressing against his front, and Will staying behind Percy, though all three of them had their hands on Jason, stroking, caressing, comforting.

It was almost too much.

If Jason had had any tears left in him, he'd have probably cried.

But he had already cried all his tears when he had almost stabbed Percy, when he had almost stabbed Will, when he had wrapped his arms around them and hugged them so hard it had hurt.

Percy still cried every here and there now.

Jason knew Nico and Will did, too, but they were more quiet, more reserved about it, as if ashamed of their tears.

Percy didn't have that.

Jason wished he could comfort him enough to take the need to cry away.

Then again, maybe crying wasn't all that bad.

It was something one could let out, something that might lessen the pain they felt inside.

Jason partly wished he could cry out some of his own pain.

But he couldn't, so the pain remained, only dulled by a hollow, empty feeling in his gut that he knew wasn't good.

Will stroked over his cheek with one knuckle, and Jason lifted his gaze to meet his eyes, though it was more like looking into a mirror.

He wished he could smile.

Wished he could reassure.

Wished he could say something that would ease the tension, the pain, the horror inside them.

But he still couldn't think of anything, so he remained silent, staring into Will's eyes, while Will stared right back.

Nico started weeping behind him, and he wished he could turn around to wrap himself around him.

Then he realized he could, so he did.

Percy and Will shifted behind him to adjust, and he felt Percy moving his leg over him, though he didn't mind, instead pressing Nico against him and running his hands up and down his back, his lips against the side of his neck as Nico hid his face at his chest.

Why were they like this?

They hadn't even really gotten hurt, not physically, at least.

Shouldn't they be…not better, but…different?

Kyle was gone now.

Will was here with them.

Kyle couldn't come back.

Will wasn't going to leave them.

Technically speaking, they were okay.

They were alive.

They had each other.

They were okay.

But at the same time, they weren't okay.

They had been stupid, rushing into a fight with a stranger like that.

They had been stupid, getting distracted by their fear for each other, instead of working as one to beat the foe.

They had been stupid, doing all the things they had done.

And Jason had almost killed his own…

Percy stroked over his side gently, soothingly, letting him know it was okay.

It wasn't okay.

Nothing was.

Jason had hurt him.

Had attacked _Percy_.

It shouldn't hit him this hard, since the two had been in a similar situation before, back when the eidolons had possessed them, but…

This wasn't the same.

It should be, but it wasn't.

The eidolon had _possessed_ Jason, had taken over for him and had let his actions get fueled by that urge to compete and one-up each other that had been so strong between Percy and Jason.

Kyle had suddenly _invaded_ Jason's mind, looking at memories and thoughts that were none of his business, laughing his maniac laugh inside Jason's head and wreaking havoc, talking to him, taunting him, trying to seize control and make his body move in ways that Jason had so badly tried to fight.

Gods, he had tried to fight it.

Had tried to fight the emotions that hadn't been his, the voice that hadn't been his, the thoughts he hadn't wanted to have.

Yet he had still moved.

Had still stabbed at Percy.

Had still attacked him.

Had still attacked Nico.

And he would have killed Will.

His Will.

His Nico.

His Percy.

Jason had hurt them all.

Even if he had tried, even if he had managed not to strike Nico, even if he had managed to miss Percy by inches, in the end, he had still hurt them.

And if it hadn't been for Piper and her Charmspeak, he wouldn't have been able to let go of his sword, he wouldn't have been able to move his arm aside, he wouldn't have been able to slow down, he wouldn't have been able to _not_ hurt Will.

He'd have killed him.

He'd have killed him, same as he would have killed Percy if Will hadn't jumped between them.

Nico sobbed against his chest, and Jason held him tightly, wishing he had been able to fight it the way Nico had managed to.

Wishing he had been able to do something,_ anything_, other than the things Kyle had made him do.

Somebody tapped his shoulder, and he glanced back to catch Will's eye, who still had that horribly empty look in his eyes.

Will gestured faintly, and Jason nodded, letting go of Nico to allow Will to climb over Percy and him, to take his spot.

He didn't know why Will wanted that, but it didn't matter.

Anything was okay, as long as they were here together.

Jason closed his eyes, arms already wrapping around Will, and he shivered when he felt how cold Will was, even though he was the only one of them wearing a shirt again.

He stroked over his side, not daring to go beneath the shirt, and Will didn't stop him.

What time was it?

Then again, did it matter?

They weren't going to leave the cabin, anyways.

Outside, the rain hit the windows, but Jason couldn't say whether the weather was that way because of Percy and him, or whether that simply was the way it was.

That didn't matter, either.

Jason moved his nose into Will's hair, inhaling the scent of sweat, dirt and Will.

He buried his face in his hair, wishing there was something in the world that could ease the pain inside them all.

But he guessed only time could do that.

How much time?

Did they have that?

Did they have any time, at all?

What was time?

A soft hum sounded, and the sudden sound in the otherwise silent cabin made him jump slightly.

Then, he was even more surprised to find it came from Will, and that he continued humming softly.

Though it made a tad more sense when he realized Will was humming a tune.

…Then again, no, that didn't make any sense at all.

Jason frowned, opening his eyes to look down at Will, but his blonde had his eyes closed, his hands still stroking up and down Nico's back – who was also gazing at Will in surprise.

They listened quietly for a long moment, wondering what Will was doing.

Then Will started glowing, and warmth started radiating off him – not scorching or hot like when he had his nightmares, but soothing, soft warmth that seemed to stroke over Jason's skin before sinking in, flowing through him and seeming to heal him from the inside out.

It wasn't much, of course.

The pain was still there, and it wasn't as if he suddenly felt happy and alright.

But that hollow feeling that had spread so much in the past hours seemed to diminish slightly, and for the first time since that fight, Jason managed to let out a long, deep breath that seemed to take at least a small part of the pain along with it.

Percy relaxed slightly behind him, though he also started trembling again, and Jason reacted automatically, turning onto his back and pulling Percy closer.

Closer to Will, closer to his healing, closer to that warmth that seemed to make Jason _feel_ again…and he also pulled him closer so he would be closer to Jason, too.

Percy immediately moved to allow his head to rest on Jason's chest, and Jason even managed to feel the tiniest bit surprised, though that ironically made him feel as if he _shouldn't_ feel surprised.

He decided he didn't care, glad to be capable of feeling anything at all anymore, past the pain and misery in his mind.

Percy gazed at him quietly for a moment, then they both looked back at Will, watching him glow, listening to his tune, feeling the warmth settle down inside them, hopefully to stay.

And for a while, there seemed to be a little peace.

...

When evening came, Annabeth knocked on their door, calling for them to check whether they were still alive.

They ignored her.

Nico wasn't sure why the other three did, but he knew _he_ couldn't make himself get up, couldn't make himself call out, couldn't break the silence that had settled over them.

Annabeth tried again three times, asking them to open up, asking them whether they had eaten at all.

She sounded worried.

None of them spoke.

Percy didn't even open his eyes completely.

Will was staring at the wall.

Jason had his head turned but looked as if he was too exhausted to even as much as open his mouth.

Nico wanted to move, to touch him, to put his arm around him, but his muscles felt like lead, the after-effects and exhaustion from the battle and the lack of rest settling in.

Though Nico knew very well most of this was just inside his head.

Will's healing had taken care of their physical injuries, after all, as well as eased their minds for a little while.

It hadn't exactly…'fixed'…them, but it had calmed them – at least it had calmed Nico, had slowed the onslaught of thoughts and guilt and fear, had given him some time to breathe and just…let it go.

In a way.

Sadly, it hadn't lasted very long, and it had seemed to tire Will out greatly, too, so Nico preferred if he didn't do it again.

They'd be okay eventually.

Maybe.

He hoped so.

Annabeth let out a loud sigh in front of their door, then they heard her footsteps as she walked down the front steps and seemed to give up, leaving for the night.

Nico merely turned his face further into the pillow and closed his eyes.

It was evening already.

An entire day had passed, and other than their bathroom trips, they hadn't done anything, least of all talked.

Wasn't that just sad?

Nico opened his eyes again, gazing at Will quietly as Will stroked through his hair tiredly, the exhaustion written all over his still so, so pale face.

He felt himself reaching out again, stroking over Will's cheeks, tapping out the freckles he knew by heart, even though they were barely visible now.

They had been visible earlier for a little while again, when Will had hummed his song for them.

They had even glowed.

Nico wished he could see them again.

It was a stupid wish, of course, and entirely not what should even be on his mind, but it was something he held onto, anyways.

Will's freckles were something that was _always_ there.

Not having them now felt…pretty horrible.

Unnerving.

Abnormal.

Nico wanted the freckles back.

He also wanted Will's smile back.

And Percy's smile.

And Jason's smile.

Nico wanted to see them smile again, wanted to see that amused gleam in Will's eyes, that teasing sparkle in Percy's, that soft look in Jason's.

He just wanted things to be okay again.

But he didn't know how to make that happen.

Will's eyes were closed now, and for a moment, Nico almost hoped for him to have finally found sleep, but then Percy suddenly jolted behind Will, and the three of them jumped slightly in surprise, Will's eyes immediately snapping open again.

Nico glanced past him to his boyfriend, and found Percy moving, looking tired and upset, as well as guilty as he seemed to realize he had just woken them from their dazed, possibly near-asleep states.

It didn't matter.

They'd find sleep sooner or later.

The only question was whether that was a good or bad thing.

Nico looked back at Will, stroking over his cheek again.

How long would this last?

How long would it take for them to heal, to leave this behind them, to get over it all and move on?

How long would it be until they could smile again?

Nico felt something hot trickle down over the bridge of his nose into the pillow, and realized it was a tear.

Apparently, it would still take a long time for them to smile again.

Nico hated it.

...

That night, exhaustion got the better of them at irregular intervals, and Will could feel his guys drifting off into light sleep every here and there.

It never lasted, though.

The moment they would have started dreaming, they always jolted awake again, often accompanied by a sense of fear and dread washing over them, and almost always they ended up hyperventilating for a little while.

Will hated it.

Hated this.

He wanted to help, but he didn't know how.

That he himself wasn't any better didn't help whatsoever either.

When he found himself falling asleep sometime in the early morning hours, for example, he promptly saw his guys die in the most horrific ways and nearly leaped out of the bed in terror, before clutching his guys and needing almost ten minutes to calm down again and reassure himself they were still alive and well and with him.

Gods, they were such a mess.

What had he done?

He had dragged them into all of this.

He had just gone and dragged them into all of this.

Percy trembled behind him, and his hold on Will tightened, though Will knew he wasn't asleep.

Will let him, simply moving his hands up to stroke over Percy's arms, wishing he could take away the guilt he could sense in him.

There was nothing Percy had to feel guilty about.

This hadn't been his fault.

None of this had been.

It had all been Will's fault.

Nico rubbed his eyes tiredly, and Will wished he could do something to grant them their much needed, and much deserved, dreamless sleep.

Or even better, some sleep _with_ dreams – positive, _nice_ dreams that could cheer them up.

Will turned his head to stare up at the ceiling, thinking of Clovis.

Hopefully, he was okay.

Will hated himself for it, but with everything that had been happening, and _his guys_ in danger, he hadn't done much healing at all.

In fact, all the healing he had done had been in the first few seconds he had been able to touch Clovis and felt how critical his condition was, which had made him cast a quick healing spell that would slow everything down to give him enough time to work with.

But right when he had tried to do the _actual_ healing, Percy had dragged him away, and then there had been Kyle, and then there had been the guys, and Will knew there had been moments where he had _wanted_ to rush to Clovis and helped, but…he hadn't.

If Clovis didn't make it, that would be Will's fault, too.

He…he really should have just gone with Kyle…

"I'm sorry…" He whispered, the first words uttered since they had crashed into each other outside the Camp border, the first words spoken in over a day, the first words spoken in the absolute silence of the cabin.

The response was immediate, and while it was exactly what Will had expected in a way, it was all the things he didn't want, all the things he couldn't make himself accept.

Percy's eyes snapped open and he whined, looking at Will as if he had smacked him in the face.

Jason flinched and let out a low, strained growl.

Nico moved and pinned Will down, looking _furious_.

"Don't you _dare_!"

Will's body stiffened under him, though he couldn't muster any fear, instead gazing up at Nico sadly.

"Nico." Jason warned, but Nico shook his head, his hold on Will tightening, his nails digging into his skin slightly, though he could barely feel it.

"No." Nico snapped, and Will could see the pain in his eyes.

"Nico, you're hurting him." Jason said softly, and Nico flinched, immediately letting go of Will, though he didn't make to get off him.

Will reached up to stroke over his cheek, making him shiver.

"Nico…"

"No. Don't you dare say a single thing, Will. I know what you're thinking. This is not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. So don't you _dare_ say you're sorry." Nico snarled, though his voice cracked halfway through, and a single tear ran down his cheek as he leaned into Will's touch.

"I'm sorry." Will said, anyways, and Nico sobbed, his hand squeezing Will's shoulder as if that could shut him up.

"Shut up…" Nico whispered as he shook, and Will started to pull him down gently.

"I'm sorry I put you through this, guys." Will continued, and Nico wailed quietly, though he moved to lay down on top of Will, anyways, his face at his chest, his shoulders shaking as if he was crying, though there were no new tears coming.

Instead, he merely dry-sobbed and told Will repeatedly to shut up.

"You didn't put us through anything, Freckles. You warned us, we didn't listen. If anything, we should apologize for putting _you_ through that." Jason said softly, his voice slightly raspy from disuse again, and Will felt him coming closer.

He still shook his head.

"It's my fault he came here in the first place. You heard him, Jason. I…I should have just…"

"What? Gone with him?" Nico snapped, lifting his head again to look straight at Will, and Will flinched at the intensity and the hurt in his gaze.

"Oh yeah, sure, leave us all behind and throw your life away. That would have made everything so much better, don't you think? Will, don't be stupid!"

Will flinched again at Nico's harsh tone, but Nico didn't stop.

Instead, he sat up on top of him again and made to 'shake' him in the gentlest and most ineffective way possible, cussing him out in Italian.

Under different circumstances, Will might have even smiled.

Now, he merely cried.

"You idiot! Idiot, idiot, _idiota_! What would you say if it was the other way around, huh? What if this hadn't been your crazy-ass ex, but mine? Or Percy's? Or Jason's? Would you have wanted _us_ to leave and get our asses raped again by the likes of _him_? Would you have been totally fine with us just walking off and deciding to rather go with that abusive son of a bitch instead of trusting you to help us, be there for us, protect us?!" Nico ranted, still 'shaking' him, but all Will could do was rub at his own face to try stop the tears that didn't want to stop.

"You'd have never…" He started, but Nico's wail drowned out his words.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid! How dare you say that, Will? How can you even _think_ that?! Don't you have any idea how happy I was when you ran to us? When you chose us over that jerk? When you actually showed him you're not his toy he can order around at will, but your own person? When you actually showed you trust us to keep you safe?" Nico still sobbed without tears, now hiccupping between words and choking on the rest, but Will understood him just fine, even though he didn't want to understand him.

"Of course I trust you! But that doesn't mean I want to put you in any danger!"

"We're demigods! We're _always_ in danger!" Nico exclaimed, but now it was Will who wailed.

"But not like that! He could have killed you, Nico! He could have killed all three of you! He _would_ have killed all three of you, and I just stood there, _watching it happen_!"

He slapped his hands over his face, trying to ban the pictures out of his mind, but they were there, anyways.

Wailing, he turned around, away from Nico, turning his back to him and half wishing he'd just get off him and move away, but Nico stayed where he was, now sitting down on his butt, apparently not giving a damn.

"I just stood there and…and…" Will whimpered, and he felt Nico leaning forward, resting his forehead against Will's back.

"It's okay, Will."

"Nothing is okay! I would have let you die, Nico! I'd have let…all of you…just…" Will broke off, sobbing loudly and pathetically, but Nico didn't seem to understand, because he remained where he was, his hands now stroking rather than trying to shake him.

"You wouldn't have."

"I would have. I did. Didn't you see? I just stood there like a fucking idiot…"

"You were in shock." Nico stated, but Will merely huffed agitatedly.

"That's no excuse. You guys were shocked, too, yet I didn't see you freeze up and watch him murder the people you love."

"No, but therefore I laid on the ground and felt sorry for myself for a good five minutes before getting a grip on myself again. I didn't see _you_ curling yourself into a ball on the ground at any given point during that battle." Nico pointed out, and Will stilled for a moment.

Then he shook his head.

"You were in pain. That's different."

"We were all in pain." Nico countered, and Will's hands balled into fists.

"No. _You_ were in pain. I just-…"

"Will, you've been in pain ever since Kyle set foot in Camp. Don't even try to invalidate that just because you didn't carry any physical injuries." Nico snapped back before he could even finish.

Will whined.

"That's dif-…"

"It's really not. Nico is right, Will. And you know it, too. Or would you say these things if our roles were switched? Would you have blamed me if I had been the one in your position?" Jason put in softly, but Will didn't want to hear it.

Instead, he scoffed.

"You'd have never gotten yourself into that situation, Jason. Don't make me laugh."

"While I'd love to make you laugh, I doubt you would. Also, it's not all that unlikely. You know I'm demi. You know I get overly attached easily. What if I had fallen for the wrong person, and they'd have hurt me? What if they had left and now come back to hurt me again? Would you have let me go? Would you have let it happen? Would you have blamed me for being shocked and scared out of my mind?" Jason retorted, and Will let out a quiet, drawn-out wail.

"No! But you would have…you would have _fought_, you're _strong_, you could have-…"

"Do you _really_ believe that, Will?" Nico asked, his voice oddly quiet and empty, and Will's mouth snapped shut.

"You're right, Freckles. I can fight. I can wield a weapon and I can hurt others with it. Yet when the eidolon possessed me and made me attack Percy, I couldn't do anything against it. Yet when I was faced with Sciron, I couldn't do anything to stop him. Yet when I was faced with my mother, I couldn't do anything other than talk. It was others that saved me then, that were able to stop it, that were able to form a plan, that were able to do _something_, while I found myself unable to. So, tell me, how is this any different?" Jason told him quietly, and Will turned to look at him, searching his gaze.

Eidolon? Sciron? Jason's mother?

Will only vaguely knew about all that.

Nobody really talked about it, and he never asked, preferring not to pressure people into talking about things they didn't wish to talk about, unless it became apparent they had to let it out to move on.

Will had no answer.

Will hated not having an answer.

"Just because we can fight, that doesn't make us any better than you, Will. It doesn't make us immune to shock, it sure as hell doesn't protect us from freezing up in terror, and it doesn't make us capable of battling inner demons any more than you do. It doesn't change anything, Will. The only thing that's different is, that, once we get a grip on ourselves again, all we can do is attack and hope to wound and hurt and destroy, while your first instinct will be to preserve and heal and fix. And now try to convince me that's a bad thing, because I sure as hell don't see it." Jason continued, and Nico nodded against Will's back softly, as if in agreement.

Will didn't want to hear it.

Didn't want them making up excuses.

Didn't want to accept it.

It was his fault.

Nothing they said would change that.

They had to know it was his fault.

Why couldn't they just accept it?

Why couldn't they just say it how it was?

"But you're…" He started again, but then Jason leaned forward and kissed him.

Just like that.

"We're only human. Now stop blaming yourself." Jason said softly as he pulled back, and Will could only gaze at him in surprise, his lips tingling in response to the peck.

"But…"

"No." Jason and Nico both replied, and Will made a face.

Then he frowned, noticing Percy had been unusually quiet.

In fact, he was the only one who hadn't said a single thing at all.

He turned his head, and found Percy looking straight at him, still looking so unbelievably hurt.

"Do you regret it?" Percy asked softly, as if he had been waiting for him to look at him.

Maybe he had.

"Regret what?" Will asked back, uncertainty rushing through him.

"Choosing us. Instead of going with him." Percy elaborated, and Will's first impulse was to say yes.

But as he opened his mouth to reply, he found the word stuck in his throat.

He knew he _should_ have gone with Kyle.

He knew it would have been the sensible thing to do, the one thing that would have probably saved Clovis from Kyle's wrath, the one thing that would have ensured his guys were safe.

But did he _regret_ not going with Kyle?

Did he really?

In a way, yes.

In another, more selfish way…no.

He had seen the devastation on their faces, the uncertainty, the crushed hope, back when he had moved towards Kyle instead of them.

Would he have really been able to let them down?

To let them hope, just to crush them and go with Kyle, leave them behind, without even explaining why or saying goodbye properly?

Would he have been able to live with himself if he had done that?

Would he have _not_ regretted that?

Will opened and closed his mouth, but no words came out, the silence stretching on.

Percy gazed at him quietly, studying his expression similar to how Jason sometimes did.

Then, he moved closer, and as Nico slid off Will, Percy started wrapping himself around him, moving his arm as well as his leg over an around Will, tugging him against him and keeping him close.

"I don't regret it. I wouldn't want it any other way. I don't care how much this hurts, losing you like that would have hurt a hell lot more." Percy whispered against his neck, and Will's heart ached as he clung to him.

It hurt, holding Percy like this and being held by him this tightly.

But it also felt good.

Maybe it felt good because it hurt.

Or maybe it hurt because it felt good.

Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to muster enough confidence for his next words.

It wasn't as if he was ashamed or scared how the guys would react.

It was more that he didn't want to admit it out loud, because it would only make it all the more real for himself.

Not that it was really anything that wasn't already obvious.

"I'm scared." He whispered, and Percy pressed his lips against the side of his neck.

"Me too, sun-bug."

"It's okay to be scared." Jason said quietly behind them.

"It would be scary not to be scared." Nico muttered, and Will smiled bitterly to himself.

They were a mess.

(And it still was his fault.)

"I don't want to be scared." He whispered, and felt Percy smile wryly against his skin.

"That's because you're a fighter."

"Stubborn as usual." Nico agreed with a sigh, and Will felt his lips tugging upwards.

"That's the spirit, love." Jason chimed in, and Will felt a surge of warmth and affection coursing through him.

He didn't know how Jason could still call him that, after everything that had happened, after knowing about Kyle, after all of _this_, but right then and there he didn't want to question it, instead accepting it and letting it make him feel _good_.

Nico and Jason came closer from behind, and the four of them started snuggling together at horribly uncomfortable angles again, just so they could be as close as possible.

They were a mess.

But maybe, just maybe, things would be okay again someday.

...

"I'm scared of drowning." Percy said quietly, hours later, and he knew it was random, but it hadn't let him go.

Even though it had nothing to do with anything, least of all what had happened, it still felt as if he had to get it out.

And even though it was random and they should stare at him in confusion, none of them did.

Instead, Nico and Will leaned their heads against his shoulders left and right, Nico's hands on his arm, Will's hands on his thigh, stroking softly as if in consolation.

Jason turned his head to give him an understanding look.

Percy met his gaze for a moment, then looked down at his lap again, fumbling with his hands.

"I mean…I know it's stupid, because I _can't_ drown, what with me being son of Poseidon and all, but…back when I was on that mission with Frank and Hazel, there were those…that mud. It had a name, but I'm not good with that. It was technically water, but it was also…earth. And I couldn't…I couldn't…" He tried to explain, but was fairly certain he was failing miserably.

Will nodded against his shoulder.

"Muskeg. You couldn't breathe."

Percy shivered and nodded.

"Yes. It's just…it just suddenly hit me back then, that risk, that fear of drowning. I never had that before. The moment I knew I was son of Poseidon and could breathe underwater, I simply did it, and I never thought it would be any different. But then that happened, and I just…" He gesticulated vaguely, but then dropped his hands again, because there wasn't even a point to it.

"I still hold my breath every time I dive into water now, even though I _know_ I won't drown in it." He admitted meekly, and Nico's stroking stopped for a moment.

Percy knew he was thinking of his very not-scared behavior back in the water park and at the Salt Lake.

Then, Nico stroked over his arm again, placing a soft peck to his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"I never told." Percy said quietly, not looking around at Jason as he shot him a knowing look, undoubtedly thinking of that moment Polybotes had tried to kill Percy with poison, and Percy had just sort of let it happen, would have let himself 'drown' that way.

Percy pulled his legs up, even though that forced Will to pull his hand away.

"I'm…scared of a lot of things, actually. I mean, I try not to let it show, but…yeah…" He muttered, putting his chin on his knee and staring straight ahead, swallowing hard.

This…was surprisingly difficult.

Of course he had known it wouldn't be _easy_, but…he hadn't thought it would be quite this hard to voice it all out loud.

Especially with all three of them here.

If it was just Jason…Jason sort of knew a lot, already.

Percy used to mention things a lot at the side, and he knew Jason had picked up on all of them, even if he had never asked for him to elaborate or confide into him further.

Jason simply was like that, and Percy had no problems whining to him in an exaggerated way, or confiding his fears in a serious manner.

Percy's problem was that he didn't really want to admit these things in front of Nico and Will.

Especially not Nico, who used to think Percy was some sort of hero.

It felt as if he was letting him down.

Then again, hadn't Will said the same thing before?

That he hadn't wanted Nico or them to see him break down, to see him being 'weak', because he hadn't wanted them to see that side of him?

Percy had thought it stupid back then, laughable, even.

Now, he realized what Will must have meant.

He swallowed again, then hid his face at his legs.

"I'm scared that my mom might get hurt because of me. Or Paul. Or that she'll lose him because of all this mess. He _is_ only mortal, after all. And…you're probably going to think this stupid, but…I'm scared of not making it in school. That I'll fail again and again, until there's no school left I can go to, and that I'll…never amount to anything. Never find a job. I mean…what could I even work as? I've got ADHD, I'm dyslexic, all I can do is swing my sword if I'm lucky. Kill stuff. Great. But I hate fighting, you know? I _hate_ it. I like giving lessons, but do I really want to do that all my life? I mean, sure, I can talk to horses and understand sea creatures, but am I really just going to work in some sort of zoo or aquarium? I don't even like those!" He rambled, and felt a sense of shame coursing through him as he thought of all the options he _didn't_ have.

Percy rubbed his forehead against his knees.

"And I just…I'm just scared of messing up again. Of ruining everything. Of ruining things between Nico and me, of ruining things for you guys, of…of causing another apocalypse or something. My nosebleed did that. My _nosebleed_, guys. And I just…what if I hurt you? I just almost slaughtered Jason, just because I couldn't fight that guy out of my head! I hurt _Jason_! And I would have hurt Will, and I'd have hurt Nico, and I don't want to hurt _any_ of you. I don't want to hurt anybody, but least of all you!" He continued, and Will stiffened next to him, though he didn't speak up.

Percy stared at nothing, his forehead still on his knees, the silence stretching on.

Then he slumped slightly.

"And I'm scared of falling. Like…like when Annabeth and I…" He broke off, his voice cracking as he remembered _that_.

Not a good thing to think of, in addition to the whole mess they already had right now.

"I won't let you fall." Will said quietly, and Percy turned his head minimally, wondering why he said that of all things.

He could have said anything.

'Don't be stupid, Percy.'

'Everything is okay, Percy.'

'You won't mess up again, Percy.'

'You won't hurt us, Percy.'

'We'll think of something, Percy'

Instead, he said _that_.

"And I won't let you drown." Nico muttered on his other side.

"And I'll help you in school, keep you from failing your grade and drag you to any job place you'll be interested in. If they don't hire you, I'll borrow Mrs. O'Leary. It's a fool-proof plan." Jason insisted, and Percy couldn't help but snort.

This was a serious conversation, damn it!

"Percy, you didn't hurt me. That wasn't you, and I know that. I came much closer to hurting you than you did to hurting me." Jason added quietly a moment later, and Percy turned his head, trying to determine whether he was trying to pick a fight right there.

The way Jason's expression turned near exasperated told him '_Yes'_.

(Because Percy was Percy.)

"I could have cut you in two."

"You could have, but you wouldn't have. Everybody knows you love me, bro." Jason countered instantly, and Percy opened his mouth to retort – but couldn't think of anything to say to that.

Instead, he huffed and buried his face at his knees again.

"Fair enough."

Will and Nico sighed.

"I'm…I'm scared of darkness. I mean, I know you gathered as much, but…yeah." Nico suddenly started, and Percy glanced around at him, watching him shift uncertainly, as if he wasn't sure whether it was okay for him to continue.

But then, he did, anyways.

"I'm…scared of my powers, in a way. I mean…of losing control of them. In the beginning, I thought them horrible, just another proof of how messed up and _weird_ I was, abnormal and unlike others. Then I started training them and realized how much more control it took to make them do as I wanted, and it was…well, while I wasn't necessarily _proud_ of them, I still did what I could and tried to use them to help. I wasn't scared of them or losing myself in them until…well, until I almost faded. The thing is, I knew I was weakened and all, but I didn't even realize just how much the darkness had started to consume me, to _possess_ me, as if it was taking over and trying to tear me down with it. That only really occurred to me much later." He explained quietly, and Percy's heart ached as he remembered how stupid he had been back then, letting Nico take that dumb statue and sending him on that suicide mission.

It seemed like so long ago, it was scary to realize it had only been last year.

"I'm scared of losing Hazel again, after just having a sister back, even though it's not…Bianca. I'm also scared of losing my friends, of course, but that's…that's a bit different. She's…maybe not my only family, but…"

"It's okay. We understand." Will put in when Nico started struggling with his words.

Percy understood, too.

He wanted to hug Nico, wanted to let him know it was okay, but he didn't even move when Nico already pulled away, seemingly needing his space to speak, rather than physical contact.

So Percy didn't, instead waiting patiently with the others for him to continue.

"I'm scared of being alone again. Like, by myself. That I'll wake up alone in the morning, no matter if in this cabin or not, and I'll be alone the entire time, with nobody talking to me or even as much as acknowledging my existence. The same way it had been back when the Camp found out who my godly parent was. I'm scared of being shunned again, of people whispering behind my back and never looking past their prejudices, of always labeling me weird and evil and avoiding me. I…I don't want to be alone anymore." Nico admitted meekly, and Percy's heart ached.

He should have prevented that.

All of that.

He should have been a better friend for Nico in the past, made sure he had friends, made sure _he_ was his friend, and a good one, too.

Should have seen Nico for the amazing person that he was back then already.

Why hadn't he?

Gods, he had been so blind.

"And I'm scared of hurting people, of people getting hurt because of me, or my powers, or of getting hurt _by_ my powers. Of me being unable to protect them. To protect you."

Percy closed his eyes.

They all wanted to protect each other.

It was almost funny, just that it really wasn't.

Wasn't it sad though that four of them were so set on protecting, yet only one of them could actually patch them up?

He should tell Will that, by times.

They could 'protect' all they wanted, without Will, they'd fall sooner or later, anyways.

Yeah, he definitely had to tell Will that sometime.

"I'm…also scared of being put in the casino again. Of just losing everything I have now and when I'm back, everything will be different, and all the people and things I knew will be gone. Of…forgetting what I now remember from my past, after the Lethe. Of my dad repeating that, of making me forget everything up to this point. Of me forgetting you…" Nico whispered, and slumped into himself slightly.

Percy hesitated for a moment, and Will nudged him harshly in the side, mutely telling him to get a move on.

Was it really okay, though…?

He didn't have much chance to ponder it, because Will proved to have no patience whatsoever and immediately moved past him to wrap himself around Nico, letting him sob against his chest.

Percy followed hesitantly, and Will pulled him into the hug without comment, his eyes closed as he held them both tightly.

"Shh, it's okay, sweetheart. We got you. Nobody is going to dip you in the Lethe, and if anybody dares to mistreat you, they'll have to go through me, first. I can be _very_ imposing, you know?" Will insisted, and Percy couldn't help but roll his eyes.

He loved this guy.

Nico chuckled, then hiccupped, and Percy tried to nuzzle his face against his hair, but Will was too much in the way.

Not that Percy really minded.

"You just keep being you, and people won't have any choice but to love you." Will added, and Percy nodded in agreement.

Jason tapped him on the shoulder, and Percy tried to make space for him, but then Jason just sort of wrapped himself around Percy from behind, his chin on Percy's shoulder.

"Your father loves you, Nico. He wouldn't dip you in the Lethe again. And if that really happened, and we were still around, we'd work with you to make you remember again…or make new memories together."

Coming from anybody else, that would have probably sounded cheesy, sounded fake.

But it came from Jason, who shared that fear, himself.

Nico hiccupped again.

"I hate crying."

Percy smiled wryly.

Jason sighed.

Will chuckled.

"Welcome to the club. We should make a-…"

"IPOD." All three of them interrupted, and Will snorted.

"True, true."

The four of them sighed, then Nico hiccupped again, and Percy had to bury his face in his hair to keep the smile from spreading on his face.

This was not a moment to smile!

And he should not smile at Nico's dismay!

Nico hiccupped again.

Jason chuckled softly.

"Fuck you, Jason." Nico grumbled, then hiccupped again.

Percy started shaking.

"Percy is gonna lose it any moment now." Will gave him away cruelly, and Percy turned to glower at him, while Nico looked up with an affronted expression.

Then he hiccupped again.

Percy couldn't help it.

He laughed.

...

Annabeth came by around noon, then again around evening, but they sort of missed her both times.

Well, not exactly.

Around noon, Will had only partially been awake, and Jason and Nico had sort of flattened him into the pillow, fast asleep, so he had only heard her knocking and complaining, but not done anything about it until she had left again.

Around evening, Will had been a bit more awake, but too lost in his own mind to realize the knocking and the voice from the door was actually real.

(Sadly, the moment he had realized that, he had also started panicking, thinking for a moment it was _Kyle_ outside that door, not Annabeth, and the speed in which he had pushed back into Percy's arms and made them both crash into the wall behind him had been both impressive and kind of sad.)

He had a hunch she might have been there in the morning, too, but he couldn't remember.

Fact was, they had missed her, and she had left with a kick to the door and a yell of 'At least take the dumb food, you bunch of idiots! Di immortales!', which indicated she was pretty pissed.

Though he did think he heard her mutter a quiet 'We're worried about you, guys…' afterwards.

Will didn't know what to make of it.

He also wasn't sure what to make of the food outside the door.

He also wasn't sure why he had ever had the great idea of getting up and _moving towards that door_, because…

Well, now he was standing in front of it like an idiot, hand outstretched, but unable to open the door, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

The reasonable part of him knew there was no danger, that he just had to open the door, grab whatever she had left for the guys, and close the door again.

The unreasonable part of him was scared beyond belief _Kyle_ was standing in front of that door, just waiting to grab Will and take him with him – not to mention hurt his guys.

Which was stupid.

Kyle couldn't come back.

Chiron had banished him from the Camp.

Will still stood in front of the door unmoving.

There was rustling behind him, then silence again, then more rustling, and then he heard footsteps moving over slowly.

"Annabeth left food." Will whispered into the silence, glad he could at the very least talk.

Arms wrapped around him from behind, and Jason kissed the side of his neck.

"That's nice of her." Jason said softly, and Will lowered his still outstretched arm slowly, instead touching Jason's arms around him.

There was no questioning 'Why didn't you get it?' or chiding 'You could have woke me up, you know?'.

Jason simply held him for a while, kissing along his neck softly until Will started relaxing slightly.

"Do you want me to get it?" Jason then asked, and it was just that: a question.

No accusation, no indication Jason thought Will couldn't do it himself.

Will stared at the door a moment longer, but the unreasonable part of him won over in the end, and he gave a small nod.

Jason pressed his lips to the side of his neck again, affectionate as always.

"Okay."

He squeezed him for a moment, then moved past him, unlocking and opening the door slowly and poking his head out, before collecting a small carton off the doormat.

Will remained where he was, watching, worry and fear whirling inside of him, though he didn't call out for Jason to hurry up, and tried not to let it show.

Jason closed the door again and locked it, then turned around to press his lips against Will's forehead, before taking him with him back to the bed.

"Hey, Percy, food." Jason stated, nudging Percy with his foot as he nonchalantly stepped into the bed as if it was his own, before settling down against the wall and patting the space next to him for Will.

Will could only roll his eyes as he allowed himself to relax and followed.

"Mmh, what?" Percy hummed, only slowly sitting up before he turned towards them and spotted the carton Jason had placed in front of him, still untouched.

"Food?" Percy instantly piped up, looking and sounding adorably hopeful.

True, Percy was one of those people who tended to eat _more_ when stressed – or who stopped eating altogether for a little while, before _then_ eating at least twice as much.

"Annabeth came by to bring it. She…she said she's worried." Will explained awkwardly, and Percy shot him a curious look.

"You talked to her?"

Will pursed his lips.

Percy's expression changed, then he smiled at him softly, as if trying to reassure him, letting him know it was okay.

Will knew it wasn't.

"Nico. Hey, Nico. Are you hungry?" Percy asked, leaning over his boyfriend and using his nails softly at the back of Nico's neck, which promptly made him stir.

Hm, interesting.

Nico made a small complainant sound, then grumbled, then turned his back to Percy and pushed his head under the pillow.

"Not now, Percy. I'm trying to have a conversation."

Will snorted, suddenly feeling a lot better, while Percy made a face and looked like a kicked puppy.

"Guess he's busy negotiating, huh?" Jason remarked, and Percy pushed out his bottom lip, making Will want to either squish his face with his hands or kiss him senseless.

He probably shouldn't do either.

"Guess so. So, what's inside, anyways?" Percy piped up, looking curious again.

Jason shrugged.

"Haven't checked yet."

"What do you-…how could you _not_ check yet? Damn, you'd have made a great Pandora, Jason. If somebody gave me a carton full of food, that thing would be open the moment it left their hands." Percy remarked, while also trying 'sneakily' to tug the box away from Jason to peek inside.

_Dork_.

Will wasn't sure when the last time was he had thought that word in his head, but it felt wonderful thinking like that again.

They were still far from fine, but maybe they were getting there slowly.

In a way.

Maybe.

...

Percy was the only one of them who really ate, and then he happily invaded the little space between Jason and Will to get Will to pity him for feeling sick.

(Which resulted in Percy dozing off between them with his head on Jason's shoulder, because he apparently really liked having his stomach stroked. Seriously, that guy.)

Jason could only shake his head about that, though he hadn't really minded.

They had ended up eating the left-overs shortly before midnight, and then only because Will had urged them to.

Which was ironic, because Will had barely eaten anything, himself.

It was still more silent in the cabin than anything else, but Jason could tell they were slowly recovering.

He knew most of it was more of an act than anything else, especially with Percy, but they were trying.

Will was trying, too.

Jason gazed at him, watching him staring off into space again, his expression blank.

Yeah, he was trying.

He waited for a moment, to see whether Will would feel him looking, but when Will didn't react, Jason inched closer, the two of them still sitting on the bed with their backs against the wall, while Percy had gone back to actual sleep at some point of the night/morning.

"What are you looking at?" He asked softly, and Will turned his head slightly, showing he had heard, though he wasn't looking around yet.

"The sunrise. You can see it a bit from here." Will replied after a moment of silence, and Jason moved another inch closer, looking towards the window.

They had their curtains drawn except for one small gap, so Jason ended up moving his head to the side of Will's to see what he was seeing.

Which really wasn't much.

Jason didn't even know what time it was.

But if Will insisted this was the sunrise, then it was the sunrise.

"You want to try sleep a little longer?" Jason asked, knowing full well Will was the one who had slept the least.

He could only hope the nightmares wouldn't add to everything else.

Now _definitely_ wasn't the time for that, as well.

Then again, when was it ever?

Will shook his head.

"No. But kissing would be nice."

Jason blinked, then frowned, then blinked again.

Had he…just misheard that…?

"What…?" He asked uncertainly, and found Will's lips twitching, though his cheeks flushed ever so slightly, his freckles momentarily fully visible again.

"I…it's nothing. Never mind."

Jason hesitated, then licked over his lips, shifting slightly.

"Did you just ask me to kiss you?" He asked, and Will's blush deepened, before he waved his hand in Jason's face.

"I said never mind!"

He _had_!

Jason _hadn't_ misheard!

Suddenly, Jason could feel his heart thumping wildly (and rather happily) in his chest, and the realization he could feel that way after how he had felt _the past days_ was amazing.

More than amazing.

He grinned, wrapping his arms around Will from the side and nuzzling his face against the side of his head, just as Will wailed and buried his face in his hands.

"Will, I'd love to!"

"_Shush_."

"Wait, did I miss my chance?"

"_No_! I mean…_ugh_, shush. It came out wrong. I wasn't thinking. _Shush_!" Will lamented, and Jason's grin widened.

"You're quite the romantic, huh? Kissing, while watching the sunrise together?"

"Jason, I swear, if you don't shut up, I'm going to tell Percy you're making a move on me." Will retorted, and Jason cackled quietly.

"Oh, he already knows that. Granted, he'll kick my ass, anyways, but he already knows."

"What _doesn't_ he know?" Will asked drily, and Jason chuckled, resting his chin on Will's shoulder to stare at his profile from this close.

Will's skin was still rather pale where it wasn't flushed pink.

What got his attention was that adorable pout, though.

Will was pouting.

Gods, he was so adorable.

Of course Jason wanted to kiss him.

Then again, wait, _should_ they?

Jason pondered that for a total of maybe one whole second, then discarded the thought.

Who cared what they should or shouldn't do?

Jason had kissed him the past days, too, out of the desperate need and the urge to get closer, closer, _closer_.

He'd have probably kissed Percy and Nico, too, in all honesty.

…Thinking about it, he was pretty sure he _had_ pressed his lips against their necks at some point.

It didn't really matter.

Sure, Will and he would probably have to confront the whole 'Are we dating now?'-matter at some point, but that didn't have to be right now, right?

Kissing, however, sounded _great_.

"Gods, Jason, you're hornier than Percy gets when Nico drops a sexual reference." Will remarked dryly, though he wasn't meeting Jason's gaze, and Jason found his face warming.

"Am not."

"Are, too."

"Am _not_."

"Just kiss me already."

Jason didn't need him to tell him twice.

The moment Will turned his face to study Jason's expression with a faint hint of uncertainty, Jason already leaned forward and pressed their lips together for a short, quick, gentle kiss.

…Or so he thought, but then Will kissed back, and all thoughts of 'short', 'quick' and 'gentle' went right out the window.

Will sighed softly, his hands in Jason's hair, and Jason let out a small moan, pulling Will closer, until he was straddling his lap with a hungry gasp.

Gods, his lips were so soft, how could they be so soft?

Jason loved how he started pondering that when they were already busy letting their tongues run wild to play and explore and claim.

Will tasted of their midnight dinner.

Jason didn't care, pretty sure he tasted the same way, anyways.

Will was an amazing kisser.

Jason loved him.

He felt Will pushing against him and immediately let himself fall back, only dimly aware he had to watch out not to drop onto Percy, who was probably laying a tad too close for them to do this sort of thing.

But he didn't really care, too caught up in _Will_.

"Fuck, _Jason_…" Will breathed against his lips, and Jason found himself grinning, feeling inexplicably smug and rather euphoric.

"Yes?"

"Gods, you're too…" Will started, but then merely moaned, so Jason had no idea just what he was, but he didn't really care, Will's moan the most beautiful thing he had heard in what felt like forever.

In fact, he wanted to hear it again.

Jason started shuffling and shifting until Will caught the hint, adjusting his position on top of Jason until he was comfortably settled between Jason's legs, with Jason's arms tightly around him to keep him close, his teeth tugging on Will's bottom lip needily to get him to kiss him again.

Will instantly complied with a small gasp and a chuckle.

Gods, yes.

"Why am I always wearing a shirt…" He heard Will mumble to himself as he started kissing along Jason's jaw to his neck, and Jason grinned to himself, taking this as his cue to allow his hands to tease the exposed patch of skin on Will's lower back.

Will shivered and gasped against his neck – then he bit him.

There went Jason's plan of making Will moan again next.

There also went his plan of remaining dead quiet, because the groan he let out definitely could be heard throughout the room.

He risked a glance sideways, but Percy was still drooling into the pillow, so all was well.

"This is escalating, isn't it?" Will asked as he nipped on Jason's Adam's apple, and Jason wasn't sure whether he was asking Jason or himself.

"Depends on what you see as escalating…" He rasped, then gasped as Will started sucking on that _one_ spot he _always_ found.

"You, me, naked, sex, now." Will breathed back as he let go of his skin, his hand on Jason's forehead to keep him from leaning up as Will moved to kiss him senseless again.

Jason had no idea what he was talking about.

That list sounded _perfect_.

"Yes, please." He gasped, then moaned, and Will promptly thrust his hips downwards, causing Jason's hands to snap to Will's sides, trying to hold him there.

Holy-…

_Yes_.

"Stop tempting me, you horrible human being. I thought _Percy_ was supposed to be part siren?" Will complained, and Jason replied by wrapping his arms around Will's lower back and pushing him down again, making them both moan.

Then, he realized he had legs, which could wrap around Will _much better_ and allowed his hands to _touch_ again.

Which was a thousand times better.

Was Jason acting rather desperately?

Probably.

Did he care?

Not really.

"I love you." He breathed against Will's lips, and Will groaned and cursed in reply, grinding his hips down to cause more friction, though it was far from enough.

"I haven't even asked you out yet." Will moaned, falling apart on top of him as Jason's hands found his ears.

"You can ask me out later. You can ask me out now. Answer's the same, anyways." Jason replied, his heart pounding so hard and loud he thought it might have relocated in his head instead of his chest.

"Crazy. You're crazy. This is crazy. What am I doing, making out with you in Nico's bed, of all places…" Will muttered, then let his hands move over Jason's chest hungrily, anyways.

"Do you want to stop?" Jason asked, though he didn't even slow down as his hands sought out the spots he still remembered from their special night in the bathroom.

"Over my dead body." Will retorted instantly, then arched into his touch.

Gods, he felt so wonderful.

He also felt wonderfully hot.

Jason wasn't sure when the last time was Will had burnt like this under Jason's fingertips, but it must have been way too long ago.

It felt amazing.

"If the guys interrupt this time, I'm going to eat a cactus." Will remarked suddenly, and Jason snorted, before letting out a small mewl as Will's lips and tongue found his abs.

Damn, he had forgotten how nice that felt.

If the guys interrupted this time, Will wasn't only going to eat a cactus, but Jason was going to do a very Jason-like thing (not) and grab Will and drag him off to the bathroom to finish this.

Percy and Nico had done the same before, too.

Gods, now Jason understood how they had gotten so swept away before, so far gone they hadn't even really noticed the world around them anymore.

Will moved back up, humping him slightly as he started licking over his neck again, and Jason made a soft sound, not quite a mewl, but close.

Gods, yes.

Yes, yes, _yes_.

...

Percy stared at Nico's back, trying to make sense of what was happening, of _what the fuck he had just seen_, of what the hell he was supposed to do now.

Will. Jason.

Way too much exposed skin.

Thank the gods for Nico's Christmas blanket.

(Then again, _not_.)

Percy cursed himself for waking up.

He had _not_ needed to see that, had not needed to see the hungry, dazed look in Will's face as he moved down Jason's body, had not needed to see Jason pushing his head back into the pillow, had not needed to see what he just _knew_ had to have been Will _taking off_ Jason's boxer shorts.

Not to mention the _sounds_.

He hadn't known Jason could gasp and groan like that, much less _mewl_.

He also hadn't known just how nice Will's voice sounded when he was so breathless and gone in lust.

Gods, what were those two _doing_?!

Alright, Percy was pretty sure he knew _what_ they were doing, but why _here_? _Now_?

By all the gods, Percy was sleeping for _five minutes_ (or a few hours…) and they were all over each other?!

_Seriously_!

Percy heard Jason moan, and tried to block out all the sound, tempted to start humming to himself.

But he didn't, because he was pretty sure they'd notice that, and he had better things to do than feel their wrath.

Interrupting them in a sneaky sort of way by banging on the door or giving them a call was one thing.

Waking up next to them to them wildly making out and _then_ interrupting, however, was a different thing.

Then again: _What the fuck were they thinking, making out on Nico's bed_?!

"Fuck, Jason, you feel…" Will started, but luckily, _luckily_, the rest of that sentence was rendered incoherent as Jason gasped loudly and Will seemed to move his lips to either Jason's neck or some other body part.

Percy didn't want to know.

Well…okay, a small part of him _did_ sort of want to know, just out of curiosity, but the rest of him was vehemently _against_ peeking.

He did not want to see that.

It…it hurt to see that.

It was…actually, it was all a bit confusing.

It hurt, but he was also too confused to really be hurt, and a small part of him even felt sort of…well, _happy_, in a way.

For them.

It was just…

Percy wasn't stupid.

He knew they had it bad for each other.

He knew this had to have put much more of a strain on the two of them than himself, for example, since he and Will had never really crossed that _friends_-barrier.

(The Dare-kiss didn't count.)

(Nor did the dancing.)

(Nor did that neck-nibble-thing in the park.)

(…Never mind.)

He knew that it was a big deal to Will, to still be accepted by Jason, to still be _wanted_ by Jason.

"Shit, Will, _fuck_, I love you." Jason rasped, and Percy pursed his lips.

…And to still be _loved_ by Jason, too.

Damn, who'd have thought Sparky cursed in bed?

Will chuckled, his voice luckily still coming from somewhere close to Jason's, not…any lower parts.

Not that he really thought they'd go for blowjobs, given that they hadn't showered in…pretty much forever.

Oh gods, wait, what if they were going to have sex?

_…__Would they?!_

Should Percy very subtly lean over Nico and try get the lube and a condom?

They had provided that for Percy and Nico before, after all.

Wait, no, no way in hell, he was _not_ doing that.

First of all, those were Nico's and _his_ condoms, and he needed them himself, thank you very much.

If they wanted to use those, they had to let him joi-…no. Just no.

No, he hadn't just thought that.

Absolutely not.

Nope.

Jason uttered a series of curses behind him, and his eyebrows shot up.

Well, damn.

"Love it when you curse." Will moaned.

Well, _damn_.

"You're too good with your tongue." Jason breathed back.

…Too much info.

Or maybe not enough, because Percy caught himself wondering what _exactly_ it was Will was doing with his tongue no second later.

"And you're too hot beneath me." Will rasped, then there was more sound of skin-on-skin contact that Percy still tried to vehemently block out.

(He was failing.)

His voice sounded so-…erm…nice.

Yeah, nice was good.

Will gasped and _groaned_, and something inside Percy clenched painfully, need shooting through him before he could even comprehend what was happening.

Damn, Will was _loud_.

But also…damn…Will's noises…

Shit, Percy absolutely _shouldn't_ be listening to this.

He pursed his lips, trying to inch closer to Nico, who still had his back to him and seemed to still be asleep (lucky him).

The mattress started rocking, as if they were…humping?…and Percy used the chance to move the missing distance to Nico, very inconspicuously putting his arm around him to tug him closer, trying to block it all out by burying his nose in his boyfriend's hair.

Sadly, the moment he touched Nico, the Italian was freezing up in such an obvious and blatant way that all that did was make Percy's heart stop in his chest, realization washing over him.

Oh shit.

Nico was _awake_.

Oh gods.

Oh gods, oh gods, _oh gods_.

How long had Nico been awake?

What should Percy do now?

He had sort of thought he was asleep, so Percy had intended to just…well, snuggle up to him and either try to fall asleep again or act asleep until those two hormone-driven idiots behind him were done.

(Then again, did he _really_ want to witness that?)

(…Whether he really wanted an answer to _that _question was probably the better question.)

Gods, what were those two _doing_?!

And Nico was awake…

How was he taking it?

Was he like Percy? Confused, slightly irritated, slightly happy…and maybe slightly turned on, too?

Or was he that much over them already that he didn't care, that it didn't really faze him, and he was acting asleep to give them their privacy?

Percy tried to move his head slightly to peek at Nico's face, but Nico seemed to be staring straight ahead with a perfect poker face (though there was a dark blush on his face), so that didn't really tell him much.

Was he looking that way because he didn't care, or was he looking that way to _try and act_ as if he didn't care?

Jason and Will both moaned in unison, and something inside Percy clenched again.

Nico flinched slightly.

Okay, that couldn't be good, right?

Should he comfort him?

If so…how?

Percy felt very not-ready for this sort of situation.

Alright, this sucked.

Why couldn't Jason be in his position right now, he'd probably know how to handle this much better than Percy.

…Wait, wouldn't that mean Percy would be the one currently molested by a very hot and horny Will Solace?

Percy didn't want to, but he felt his dick twitch, anyways.

Oh gods.

No.

No, this was _not_ happening.

Not now.

Not with Nico this close.

Percy swallowed hard, unsure whether he wanted to tighten his embrace or loosen it, though he was glad Nico didn't move in either direction, either.

Will gasped, then mewled, and Percy felt himself shivering.

Nico did, too.

Percy wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Is that okay?" Jason asked, and Percy automatically wanted to turn his head, to know what he was talking about.

"Yes, yes, _yes_!" Will gasped rather loudly, and they felt the bed shaking again, the pace quickly picking up.

Shit, what were they _doing_?

No, Percy didn't want to know.

Or, well, he decided it was better for him if he didn't know.

Jason chuckled behind him, but it sounded way differently from his usual chuckles.

Percy was horrified when the sound seemed to go straight to his groin, too.

No, wait, this was _Jason_, he wasn't going to-…

"_Eager_." Jason remarked, his voice raspy and _oh gods, yes_, Percy was absolutely reacting to that.

"Shush, or I'll sell you out to Percy." Will retorted, closely followed by a low groan, and the bed started moving in an odd way again, though slower than before.

Damn…

Wait, what?

What were they even talking about?

"Oh no, what am I to do? He'll have my head." Jason joked, and Percy made a face, while Nico started shifting uncomfortably.

The moment Percy tried to pull his arm back though, Nico's hands grabbed hold of his frantically, so he stayed where he was.

"You can start by stroking me harder. I'm not made of glass, _blondie_."

Nico's nails started digging into Percy's arm, and he pulled him closer slightly, trying to give him some sense of comfort without letting their lower bodies meet.

He was not going to freak Nico out with that right now.

Percy was very well aware this definitely meant they had to have a talk, but that talk was most definitely not happening right now, with Will and Jason doing their handjob business behind them.

Gods, those two.

Seriously, why here? Why now?

Couldn't they have waited for a more…convenient…time? When they weren't still recovering from almost murdering each other/almost dying?

And, by the love of all the gods, couldn't they have done this _somewhere else_?!

The bathroom, for instance?

Will started moaning again.

Then again.

Then again.

He was getting louder, and his moans more chaotic, and Percy thought he could sense some sort of pattern in there for a moment, though it might have just been his imagination, too.

Then again, damn, it would be so much like Jason to have some sort of pattern, some sort of rhythm.

Percy wasn't sure why that suddenly seemed so appealing, but it definitely did.

Gods, what was he doing?

He should…he should…

Jason let out a quiet moan, closely followed by Will's needy mewl, and Percy buried his nose in Nico's hair, forcing himself to take a deep breath.

All he smelled was the smell of sex though, and that didn't help one bit with _anything_.

Nico was trembling slightly, though he sure as hell hoped Nico wasn't _crying_.

He would have risked a glance, but right now he preferred not to move in any way whatsoever.

"Jason! Jason…aah…" Will started crying out behind him, and that need shot through Percy again, the need to please, the need to _act_, the need to _do whatever it took _to make Will-…damn, Percy was screwed.

"Close?" Jason asked, and for a moment, Percy wanted to shake his head.

Then he wanted to bang his head on the headboard of the bed, because he was an idiot.

"_Yes!_" Will's voice was needy and desperate and strained, and for a moment, Percy remembered Will saying something about Kyle always having absolute control over everything.

The thought both sobered him up a bit as well as made him worry.

Did that also include…?

If so, did Jason know…?

Sure, Will was sort of on top of Jason, and by the sounds of it, they were both enjoying it, but…

"Jason, Jason, _please_…" Will started gasping, started pleading, his voice cracking again, and Percy stiffened.

_Did_ Jason know?

"What?" Jason asked, and Percy inwardly cursed.

He _didn't_ know!

But wait, how had those two done it the last time, then?!

Will started whimpering slightly, and the mattress started moving in oddly rapid, but cut-off movements.

Percy's heart was racing in his chest, and he felt Nico clawing his arm further, but his entire concentration was on what was happening behind him.

Shit, what should he do?

Should he say something?

Give Jason some sort of sign?

No, if those two realized he was awake, he'd never hear the end of it, and one of them might get the dumb idea of stopping.

Percy might be a dick, but he wasn't dick enough to ruin their climax.

Especially not since they did deserve it, and they had helped Nico and him out before, too.

But what if Will couldn't actually…

Then again, they had done this before.

…Unless Percy had misunderstood…?

"Jason! Jason, _please_! I _need_ to-…"

Percy started trembling.

He had to say something.

What could he say?

'Tell him to cum'?

'He needs permission'?

'Jason, you dick, tell him he's allowed to climax'?

First of all, they were going to murder him.

Second of all, Jason was going to be _pissed_.

Of course Will could cum.

Even _Percy_ knew Will could cum anytime he wanted, and he knew Jason thought Will knew.

To be honest, Will probably _did_ know.

Will probably couldn't make himself do it, anyways.

_Shit_.

"Freckles…" Jason started, and Percy was tempted to grab the pillow from under his head and smack him with it.

But then he realized Jason only broke off because they were kissing.

Which Percy only knew because he had turned his head.

Stupid Christmas blanket!

Wait…no, _great_ Christmas blanket!

Percy hurriedly turned his head again, hoping instinctively Nico hadn't noticed a thing.

Alright, he _definitely_ had to talk to him.

How, he had no idea, but he had to think of _something_.

"…you're the best. So beautiful, so amazing. Shit, Will, I love you. I love you so much."

The words both hurt and made Percy happy for Will, and the next moment, he heard him gasp and _cry out_, a sound which would probably be forever engraved in Percy's mind.

He felt his dick twitch traitorously, but it was nothing compared to the jolt that suddenly went through Nico, accompanied by a low gasp.

What?

What had just happened?

Nico's body was tense and he was trembling, then he suddenly slumped, and Percy blinked, feeling utterly confused.

Then Jason moaned, the sound louder and more absolute than any of the others he had made so far, and Percy's skin tingled as he realized he was witnessing them _climaxing_.

Seriously…

Percy wanted to act upset, but his dick twitched again, and all he could hope for was that Nico wouldn't notice.

Alright, he definitely had to talk to him.

"You're so clingy after you cum, Jason." Will remarked after a rather long moment of 'silence', with the both of them still panting loudly, and Percy rolled his eyes, wondering faintly whether Will always liked to complain like that.

Jason hummed softly, sounding rather pleased.

That sound, too, went straight to Percy's groin.

He decided to very subtly ignore it.

"You want me to let you go?" Jason asked, and _yes_, his voice was most definitely pleased.

"No. Never. Unless you're getting tissues."

Dorks.

Jason sighed gravely.

"If I must…"

"Unless you want to explain _this_ to _those two_?" Will asked doubtfully, and the next moment, Percy could hear shuffling behind him.

_Uh-oh._

Alright, he had to close his eyes, he was absolutely not ready to watch anybody walking naked to the bathroom or anything.

"Think they'll murder us if I touch the tissue box they have in their night-stand?" Jason asked curiously, and Percy made a face.

How did Jason even _know_ of their tissue box in the night stand?

And _yes_, he very much minded!

"Dude, they'll murder us either way. If they're even still asleep. I actually _really_ don't want to know whether they are. Which is why _you_ have to go get the tissues, Handsome."

Well, damn.

"True, Percy stopped drooling." Jason mused, then Percy could feel the weight on the mattress shifting as Jason seemed to lean forward, and he contemplated dropping his mouth open to at least act as if he was drooling.

Then he realized that, whatever he did, he just first at least _close his eyes_.

So he did.

It was the hardest thing he had ever done.

"I…think he's still asleep? I don't know. Know what, I don't want to know. We're so dead."

"Just for the record, it's all your fault." Will remarked, and Percy forced his eyes to remain shut as Jason leaned over him and opened their night-stand, grabbing some tissues.

_Thief_.

Percy was going to remember that.

"Sure is, Freckles. I seduced you, I admit to it all." Jason stated with an amused tone, then moved back to Will, and Percy could hear what he assumed to be kisses getting exchanged.

Weren't those two adorable?

Will hummed contently.

"Yes, you absolutely seduced me. No, seriously, just in case those two _are_ awake, I admit I did my part, too."

"Yes, you did."

"Are you just agreeing with me to agree with me?" Will asked dubiously, and Percy could practically _feel_ the smile on Jason's face.

"Yep. Now come here, you…"

Will squeaked, and the next moment, there was_ a lot_ of movement and rustling, before Will started chucking and Jason hummed in a rather satisfied way.

"I love you, you dork." Will said softly, and Percy's heart ached in his chest.

Nico seemed to stiffen slightly, but other wisely didn't react.

"I'm still waiting for the day you'll be able to say something nice _without_ insulting me in the same sentence." Jason remarked, though it sounded more amused than anything else.

"Yeah, yeah. I love you. You're still a dork."

"You're the worst." Jason chuckled, and Percy buried his face in Nico's hair, this time for real.

"I thought I was 'the best'?" Will teased.

"That, too."

Percy wanted to sigh.

He also wanted to groan at how cheesy and overly happy they were acting.

Then again, they deserved it, he guessed.

Didn't mean Percy couldn't sulk about it.

He snuggled closer to Nico once he noticed any immediate danger had passed, and found Nico cuddling into him almost immediately, his hands now stroking over Percy's arm, rather than clawing it.

Percy still didn't understand that part very well.

But oh well.

He'd have to talk to Nico at some point, anyways, and then it would probably make sense.

Or maybe it wouldn't.

Nico started shifting slightly, as if uncomfortable, and one hand disappeared from Percy's arm, though he didn't think much of it.

"You're so clingy during your afterglow. I love it." Will mumbled quietly, and Percy resisted the urge to look around to peek.

That did sound nice, though.

Well, _for them_, of course.

Nico and he were pretty close after their sexual encounters, too.

"Want me to hold you until you're sleeping, again?" Jason asked softly, and Percy's mind zeroed in on the 'again', though he tried not to dwell on it.

"Forever." Will remarked, and it almost sounded like an order.

Jason chuckled softly.

"Fine by me."

"I'll take that as a yes to my unasked 'Will you be my boyfriend'-question, then." Will muttered, and Percy blinked.

Wait, had they just done this _without_ establishing that first?

_Oh gods, these two_!

"For real?" Jason asked, sounding so horribly hopeful it made Percy feel like shit for ever being mean to him.

"Yes. I mean, if you really want to-…"

"Yes!" Jason immediately cut in, and a part of Percy wanted to smile, while the other one wanted to cry.

Apparently, he had not just witnessed those two climaxing, but he had also just witnessed them getting together officially.

About time…?

Congratulations…?

Percy tugged Nico tighter against his chest and huffed against the back of his head.

Nico gave a small huff in agreement.

Seriously, those two.

And seriously, had they really _had_ to do this in _Nico's bed_?!

...

When Percy next woke up, Jason had an arm draped over him and was snoring against the back of his head.

For a moment, Percy was neither confused, nor perturbed.

Then he remembered what he had witnessed earlier, and he instantly was wide awake.

How much time had passed?

When had he fallen asleep again?

Had he maybe actually just dreamed it all?

He wanted to turn around to check, but then didn't know what he'd actually have to look for.

If those two had managed to look unmarred in the past, they probably would now, too.

Percy contemplated turning around, anyways.

Especially because Jason was _way too close_.

Was this what Will had meant with 'clingy'?

If so…actually, Percy wouldn't really mind.

But, wait, Jason was confusing him for Will, right?

Probably because they were roughly the same height.

He shifted, and Jason promptly grumbled, pulling him closer against him.

The next moment, Percy felt his face heating and decided _not_ to turn around.

Because if he had just felt what he _thought_ he had felt…

Percy turned around, his eyes fixed on Jason's face, his hand hesitantly moving to Jason's side, before moving downwards ever so subtly, his teeth worrying his bottom lip as he held his breath.

Down, down, down…

His hand slid from Jason's hip to his thigh.

His bare hips.

To his bare thigh.

_Oh gods._

Oh gods, he was going to _murder_ those two.

"J-Jason…?" He asked, then cursed himself and turned around again hurriedly, half hoping Jason hadn't heard him.

Of course, no such luck.

"Hmm?" The blonde hummed, and Percy could hear Will humming behind Jason somewhere, probably still as undressed as Jason.

_Oh gods_.

"Are you…are you _naked_?" He asked, cringing at how high-pitched his voice was.

Jason was quiet for a moment.

Then he hummed.

"Yeah."

…

Percy hated this guy.

"I-is that so…" Damn, why was his voice so high-pitched, still?

Will made a small sound behind Jason.

"Jason, are you molesting Percy?"

Yes, yes he was.

In a very non-molesting way.

Jason hummed, his arm wrapping tighter around Percy.

"Yeah…"

Oh wow.

Oh _wow_.

"Is…Is Will naked, too?" Percy asked hesitantly, though he wasn't sure why he even bothered asking.

Jason was quiet for a moment.

Then he turned his head.

"Freckles?"

"Hm?"

"Are you naked?"

_By the gods!_

"Hmm…" Will hummed, then there was silence.

Then a sigh.

Then hands fumbling.

"Yes."

Jason turned towards Percy again, burying his nose in Percy's hair.

"He is."

…Terrific.

"Should I get naked, too?" He asked dryly – then, to his horror, Jason turned his head again.

No! Wait! He had been _joking_!

"Percy's asking whether he should get naked, too. Thoughts?"

By the gods!

Will hummed, and Percy wanted to bury his face in his hands, but couldn't, because Jason's arms held his arms down.

Cruel!

"Don't really mind. Ask him what Nico says to that, else sure." Will finally replied, and Percy felt his face _burning_.

_He had been joking_!

And what the hell, _Will_, _seriously_!

"Will says he doesn't mind. Go talk to Nico. You two have to talk, anyways." Jason mumbled with a sigh, but instead of letting him go or pushing him away, he pulled Percy _even closer_, practically wrapping his naked self around Percy.

_OH GODS!_

He was going to die.

This was it, he was _going to die_.

Percy looked around for his boyfriend, just to realize Nico wasn't there.

Wait, what?

Where was Nico?

How had Percy not noticed his absence until now?

Unless he was behind Will…?

Percy shifted and lifted his head, but when he looked around, all he could see were the two very relaxed and pleased looking faces of Jason and Will, and still no sign of his boyfriend.

He contemplated getting up to look for him, but Jason didn't let him go, instead moving his lips to the side of Percy's neck – and Percy froze, his heart suddenly in his throat.

"Stay. You're comfortable, Perce." Jason purred softly, and Percy felt his skin erupting into goosebumps, a shiver running down his back as Jason started freaking _nibbling on his neck_.

_Oh. Gods._

What was _wrong_ with Jason?!

"I…I…I…" He stammered, and Jason let out a soft, low rumble, like a chuckle, but not quite.

"Just stay."

"But…but Nico…" He whispered, but Jason dragged his lips lazily over Percy's skin, and he found himself unable to move even if he wanted to.

"He's in the bathroom, I think." Will mumbled from somewhere behind them, and Percy wondered just how _awake_ they actually were.

Then again, if they were awake-awake, Jason surely wouldn't be nibbling on his freaking neck.

Though that felt so good.

Wait, no, it didn't.

Percy argued with himself for a moment, then heard the bathroom door unlocking and relaxed promptly.

Oh, okay.

Nico had just been in the bathroom.

Everything was good, then.

Wait…

How would Nico react to find Jason nibbling on Percy's neck?

How would he react to find Percy _liking_ it?

How would he react to find Jason and Will _still freaking naked_?

Oh gods, did he know of that?

What if he moved the blanket and…and saw…?

Percy heard footsteps and tried to frantically think of what to do, what to say, what to act like.

Then, he spotted Nico – and he promptly acted asleep.

Oh gods, he was a coward.

Nico would probably look right through it, too.

There was a small sigh, then Nico seemed to sit down on the edge of the bed.

For a long moment, there was silence.

Then Jason hummed again and kissed Percy's neck, making his skin tingle so horribly pleasantly again.

Nico snorted, then sighed, then Percy could feel him climbing into bed, inching closer.

"Jason, that's _my_ boyfriend you're molesting." The Italian chided, and Percy had to admit he was…surprised.

There was no accusation in his voice, nothing that indicated 'Jason, what the fuck do you think you're doing?!' nor 'What the hell, why is Percy letting you do this?!'.

Instead, his voice was quiet and maybe even slightly teasing.

Jason, that giant idiot, merely hummed again, before wrapping his leg tighter around Percy, as if trying to show he was unwilling to share.

_…__Oh gods._

"Yeah, I know. He likes it."

He did _not_.

…Okay, maybe a little bit.

"Of course. Mind letting me have him back?" Nico asked, coming dangerously close.

No! Not now! Not with Jason this close!

"_Yes_." Jason deadpanned, now moving his face back to the back of Percy's head and tightening his grip on him.

_…__Jason!_

Nico sighed.

Just. Sighed.

Then he moved closer, and Percy inwardly cringed when his thigh rubbed against Percy's crotch.

Nico halted for a moment, but then wrapped his arms around Percy and Jason, anyways.

Oh gods, this was awkward.

Oh gods, this was horrible.

Oh gods, if Nico found out Percy was awake, Percy was going to move into his father's palace under the sea and stay there forever.

"Jason…?" Nico asked hesitantly after a long moment of silence.

Jason grumbled, more than apparently getting irritated by everybody talking to him.

"Hm?"

"Are you…are you _naked_?"

_Oh gods._

Jason let out a long, deep sigh.

"_Yes_."

Nico let out a high-pitched sound that Percy identified with on a spiritual level, then a head buried itself at his chest, and he could feel Nico's wildly beating heart against his hand.

Oh gods.

"Y-You…_oh gods_…" Nico whispered, and Percy half wished he could wrap his arms around him, and thanked the gods that Jason had him in such a tight grip to keep him from doing just that.

Yes, Nico.

He felt the same way.

The absolute same way.

Oh. Gods.

...

Will felt better than he had in forever.

He couldn't even remember when he had felt better.

Maybe after that special night with Jason, back in the Underworld?

That had been way too long ago.

Will hummed contently as Jason stroked through his hair, while Percy still shot them odd looks every here and there.

For some reason, Will had a hunch Percy might have been awake during his little…well, his handjob with Jason.

Gods, that had been _amazing_.

Will knew it had been rather short, and hadn't been nearly as nice and fulfilling as their special night in the Underworld, but need and despair had made them both rush and be rather careless about their touches, not to mention their noises.

It had still been amazing.

Sadly, he also definitely wouldn't be surprised if Percy had woken up, especially because of the noise.

Nico…seemed a bit odd, too, but that might just be because Jason had apparently already talked to them about Will and him dating.

At least they had talked about that when Will had woken up after what now felt like the best sleep in years.

Who'd have thought dreamless sleep could be this amazing?

He wanted that every night.

Will sighed, very well aware the peace inside him wouldn't last, but hell, who cared?

This was the best thing ever.

And he had a _boyfriend_.

_Jason_ was his boyfriend.

Okay, the way Will had asked him out had absolutely sucked, and he knew they probably should have settled that _before_ wildly making out under Nico's Christmas blanket (he _did_ feel a bit bad about that), but…well, Jason had said yes, and he had felt so hopeful and happy and elated, Will just knew he hadn't cared _how_ he was being asked, as long as Will _had_ asked him.

Gods, he had a boyfriend.

Will had a hunch he shouldn't be as happy about that as he was, should think about the complications, should think about what this meant for Jason, for himself, for Percy/Nico and their group, should think about _Kyle_…but he couldn't make himself, all the same.

Percy shot him an odd look again, and while his eyes said '_pain'_, the way his lips twitched said 'I'm happy for you'.

As usual, Will didn't know what to make of him.

Nico wasn't looking at them, still.

He barely looked at them, though he didn't seem upset.

Instead, he was staring down into his laptop, sorting through their photos so they could hook up the camera and get the 'new' ones on there, too.

But first, Nico had sacrificed himself to be the one to sort through the two thousand other pictures that had just suddenly appeared in their folder (they should seriously stop taking thirty pictures of the same thing) and put them into their respective folders, still sorted by date, though most of them were copied at least five times and moved into a special group folder, their 'Favorites' folder, and/or their respective folders with the pictures that still had to get printed for their photo albums.

Will wished he could show them his photo album.

Sure, Percy would probably be upset, because Will had started on that photo album with the mindset of not allowing him to be anywhere on the pictures, but Will just _might_ be in a good enough mood to let the envelope drop out of the back that _did_ hold quite a few pictures with Percy or the two of them.

Maybe.

But, well, his photo album was under his mattress in the Apollo cabin, and he wasn't going to go there anytime soon unless he could help it.

He might be better now, especially with _Jason_, but…

The thought of going _out there_ still unnerved him greatly.

Though Will knew it was the same for the guys.

He had been able to feel their reluctance when Nico had explained Annabeth might have come over in the morning, but how he had been unable to open the door for her, since he had been in the bathroom at the time.

Will thought he even remembered hearing somebody knocking on the door, too, but at the time, he had already been mostly asleep again, having just…finished up…with Jason.

A dirty grin spread on his face, and he leaned against his _boyfriend_, who was still stroking through his hair as they looked over Nico's shoulder to look at all the pictures.

Jason had been the one to get the food again, even though Percy had been the one with the grumbling stomach and the most complaints about 'starving'.

So, yeah, they still weren't quite as ready to face the world as they'd like to be.

Though Will knew he had to be the one with the most issues.

Nobody called him out on it, though.

Same as nobody called him out for being way too touchy-feely with Jason, since he hadn't stopped having at least some sort of physical contact with him ever since waking up.

Alright, in the beginning, he had more panicked because he had still been _naked_, but Jason had solved that issue quickly for him, so all was well.

They had even all taken showers after eating some of the breakfast (and letting Percy have all the rest).

Percy and Nico had surprised them by showering _alone_, but that had made a lot more sense when the bathroom door had been left ajar.

They really weren't all that well yet, all four of them.

But when they were together like this, it almost felt as usual, really.

There was Nico on his laptop, and Jason and Will huddling behind him, there was Percy at the side of the bed, hogging Mrs. O'Leary and watching them oddly…

Most of the strain right now seemed to come from Jason and Will suddenly dating (or them making out…), not because they were still in shock about…Kyle.

"That one is nice." Jason said quietly, and Nico stopped, opening up a picture he had just closed, which showed Nico and Will grinning into the camera together.

Aww, cute.

Will remembered taking that one, too.

Or he thought he did, but then he noticed he had no clue where they had been nor what they had been doing, he just remembered holding up the camera and urging Nico to take a picture with him.

Oh well.

"That's cute." He agreed, and saw Nico blushing slightly as he copied the picture and moved it into their printing folders.

Will glanced towards Percy, but Percy kept his distance.

Hm.

Usually, Will wouldn't say anything about that.

It was Percy's decision, and if Percy needed space, or wanted space, or just didn't know what to make of the situation yet, Will would be the last one to disturb him or force himself onto him.

However…

Percy didn't look as if he _wanted_ to keep his distance.

He looked more as if he wasn't sure how close he was allowed to get, and as if he wasn't sure whether he should get any closer at all.

Which struck Will as odd, but he decided to give him a little while longer.

…He still patted the space next to him tentatively, anyways.

For a moment, Percy looked as if he wanted to come closer, but then he hesitated, before shaking his head and remaining where he was.

Will sighed, then let his head drop against Jason's shoulder, and he watched Nico move the last pictures around, before fumbling with the cable to connect the camera.

"Percy, there's new pictures. You sure you don't want to see? From first glance, I'd say most of them are you and Nico." He tried, though that went against everything he had just agreed on in his mind.

Meh.

He was having a great day, and he wanted Percy to be a part of it, okay?

Percy, however, still seemed hesitant.

"Hey, look, there's one with you and both Nico and Will. Holding hands. Cute." Jason remarked, and Will watched in confusion how Percy seemed to _perk up_ at that, before he _actually came closer_.

What the hell?

He pouted, but then he felt Jason stroking over his side, rather than through his hair, and he glanced up to find Jason giving him a soft, reassuring look.

Hmm, fine.

Percy stopped right next to Will, as if trying not to get too close, and Will decided to give him a pointed kick with his foot – before reaching out and dragging him closer.

"Come on, or you won't see. Also: Delete those pictures, Nico. Look at the dumb face I'm making. No, they have to go. When did you take those, anyways, Jason? And here I thought you were my friend." He lamented loudly, and it had the desired effect of making Percy relax slightly, while Nico let out a small sigh, though his lips twitched.

Good.

At least one step into the right direction.

"I think you look adorable." Jason stated with a soft smile, not replying to Will's questions whatsoever.

Dork.

"You're just trying to make a move on me. Percy, protect me." He declared, and Percy sent him a wild, confused look.

"Isn't he, like, your boyfriend now?" He asked, and the way he genuinely seemed confused made Will laugh inwardly, though he tried for a serious, stern look, anyways.

"Yeah, so? You still have to protect me, Percy! He's still your bro, right?"

"Eh? Yeah, but…" Percy started, looking…slightly flustered, to be honest.

"I'll protect you." Nico suddenly murmured in front of him, and Will hesitated for a moment.

Unexpected…

"Awesome!" He exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Nico from behind, and Nico's lips twitched ever so faintly, though his eyes remained glued to the laptop screen.

Jason chuckled quietly, stroking over Will's back now as Will got comfortable behind Nico, knowing he could get away with it.

Plus, he was still trying to figure out what was going on with Nico, anyways, so there was that.

"And who'll protect me?" Jason asked, and Will turned his head to wiggle his eyebrows at him.

"I will."

Jason snorted, but didn't argue, instead running his hand up and down Will's back in that super nice way that made Will's eyelids flutter shut.

Percy's hand touched his back too, for a split moment, but then it flinched back again.

What?

What was it with him?

Jason halted for a moment, and Will knew without looking that he and Percy were having a little, mute 'chat'.

The next moment, Percy's hand came back, and Will smiled to himself.

That guy.

They both stroked over Will's back, and Will found himself humming contently, which made Nico glance sideways at him for a split second.

Then the Italian continued clicking through the pictures, his face flushing pink again.

What was it with him, anyways?

He felt…weird.

He was still a mess as usual, but now, it seemed more pronounced than before, though it didn't seem as if this was because of Jason and Will, per se.

It more felt as if Nico was struggling with something personal.

There was a lot of guilt, and a lot of uncertainty, and a lot of hopelessness in him, but it didn't well up when he was looking at Will or Jason.

It happened when he looked at Percy.

Which made no sense?

Those two seemed fine.

Will hadn't witnessed them arguing or even fighting, and they had snuggled up to each other throughout last night and this morning just fine, so Will couldn't see why Nico would feel this way now.

Sure, they hadn't taken showers together, but they had seemed far from upset with each other.

Also, they had never been quite as needy for reassurance and physical contact as Will was.

Nor as clingy and openly affectionate as Jason was.

Sure, Percy had _tendencies_ every here and there, and he did like and enjoyed to get touchy-feely and close to Nico, but it wasn't something that was quite as _necessary_ for them as it was to Will or Jason.

Especially Jason.

Jason was a very possessive and very clingy person, hogging anybody and anything and unwilling to let it go until persuaded otherwise.

Will clearly remembered him hogging Percy when they had drifted off to sleep, too.

Poor Percy.

Though Will _thought_ he could remember Percy talking, too, even if he didn't remember what about.

But Percy hadn't exactly seemed bothered.

Or maybe he had been.

Nico continued clicking through the pictures, until Will suddenly perked up and made him stop.

"Hey, wait, who took that one?" He asked, and Percy and Jason seemed to look around, too.

"Jason did." Nico mumbled, his face still pink.

Jason chuckled.

"Yeah, that was fun. You and Percy just randomly started talking in your sleep with each other. It was surprisingly coherent." Jason remarked, and Nico zoomed into the picture for him, allowing him to see Percy and himself snuggled up together on the floor, probably back at Sally's place.

A conversation, huh?

Did he _want_ to know what he had said?

No. No he didn't.

Nico clicked through the pictures slowly, and what started out as just Will and Percy snuggled up to each other _way too closely_, soon turned into Nico embracing Percy from behind, and Percy having an absolutely _pleased_ look on his face.

Aww.

Could Will say he wanted that?

"Can I have that one?" Jason asked, and Will shot him a pointed look.

"You're not even in the picture!"

"I know. But you three look so adorable. Especially with Nico glowering like that." Jason replied, and Will heard Nico huff quietly.

"I'd like that one, too. Will?" Percy asked, and…well, if Percy already _asked_, he might as well go along with it, right?

"Sure."

He watched how Nico sighed heavily and made a show of copying the file into their folders – then he caught him trying to very subtly copy it into his own without letting them see.

_Aww_.

Nico could be so adorable.

The Italian glanced sideways at him, and he quickly acted as if he hadn't seen anything, instead looking curiously at the next pictures, reaching past Nico to click ahead.

Nico let him, and they realized the next twenty or so pictures were practically the same thing, just that Nico started blushing more and more in each picture, until he hid his face at Percy's back.

So adorable.

Then, there was suddenly a picture with all four of them in it.

Will frowned, clicking ahead, then clicking back.

These didn't seem like timed pictures or anything.

The four of them did seem fast asleep.

But then who…?

"Who took those?" He asked, and found Percy and Jason shrugging.

Nico shook his head, and his hand touched Will's hesitantly as he took over the mouse again, clicking through the next some pictures.

But they were basically the same, with the four of them huddled together as usual.

Will was pretty sure he could spy Percy's hand on his bare thigh, too.

Seriously?

He wished there was a video on there that showed whether Will had seriously just gotten undressed in the middle of the night.

Then, there was suddenly a picture where _Nico_ was hogging Will to himself, even though in the ones before, Percy and Jason had been practically glued to him.

That photo gave all of them pause, and Nico clicked to and from between the two for a moment, before his cheeks turned a darker pink.

Somebody seemed to have shoved himself between the guys.

And to get at Will, too.

Yes, Will was _definitely_ pleased with that.

"I want that!" Percy and Jason suddenly both exclaimed behind them loudly, and both he and Nico jumped slightly.

"Damn, guys, what the-…" He started, but those two decided to be _idiots_.

"I said it first, Percy. You know I did." Jason insisted, but then Percy stomped his foot on the bed, making the mattress shake.

"Lies! _Lies_!"

Oh gods, and then they said Will was bad.

Nico snorted, and the two shared a look, before Will made to copy and paste the two pictures, assuming they wanted both for better effect.

Nico's hand was still on his.

Will wasn't sure whether he noticed, nor whether it mattered.

He _was_ dating Jason now…

Gods, he was dating Jason.

Will glanced behind him at his _boyfriend_, but could only see Percy throwing himself at Jason and tearing them both down into the bed, laughing and play-fighting.

Such dorks.

Will loved them.

Also, he was pretty certain this was their way of working out where they stood and what to make of the changes of their little group.

"Think Sally took these?" He asked Nico quietly as they looked through the rest, ignoring the kicking and thrashing and loud noises behind them.

"I assume so. Or Paul, maybe."

Will remembered the photo albums Sally had shown him with all the baby pictures of Percy.

"I think it was Sally. We should thank her when Percy calls her next. Also, in case I forget, ask her about Percy's baby pictures." He said with a small wink, and Nico blinked, eyeing him oddly from the side.

"Baby pictures?"

"Mhm."

They looked at each other quietly for a moment, and Will watched with a broad grin how Nico's eyes started practically _sparkling_.

"Baby pictures, toddler pictures, mini-Percy in front of his very first sand castle…" Will recounted, and Nico's eyes widened.

"_Must. Have_."

Yeah, Will had thought so.

"What are you two talking about?" Jason asked, showing up behind Will again, while Percy seemed to still be recovering from whatever those two had been doing, panting and laughing loudly from the end of the bed.

"Babies." "Percy."

Will and Nico replied at the same time, and Jason's eyebrows shot up.

"What about me?" Percy asked, still chuckling and looking rather disheveled and flushed, but seeming a lot better than earlier.

"They're talking about your babies." Jason notified him, and Percy moved his arm wrong as he moved over towards them, which resulted in him toppling sideways off the bed.

Oh gods.

"_W-What_?"

"NO!" Both Will and Nico exclaimed horrified, and shot each other wide-eyed, shocked looks.

"P-Percy, that's really not…" Nico started, while Jason started laughing.

Will turned towards him, poking his side with a stern, yet flustered look.

"_Jason_!"

His boyfriend merely cackled.

Dork.

Adorable, but also _evil_ dork.

...

They didn't leave the cabin that day, either, marking the third day they locked themselves up in here.

Nico wasn't sure what to think of that.

He knew they had to talk to Chiron, knew they had to tell him what had happened, so he knew of the danger, but at the same time, he couldn't make himself bring it up with the guys.

Especially not with Will and Jason…

With those two…

They were…

Gods, what had they _done_?!

Nico had been asleep, thinking of nothing bad, just enjoying the fact he _could finally sleep_, when he had suddenly heard…heard…

Them.

Moaning.

_Oh gods._

Nico knew he shouldn't think about it.

Knew it was over now, that he shouldn't have even witnessed that, that he should best act as if he _hadn't_ witnessed that.

But he had.

Gods, he had.

They had been so talkative.

Much more talkative than Percy and he were.

Nico hadn't even needed to look around to know exactly what they were doing, just by their sounds and their 'conversation' alone.

Gods, Nico shouldn't have listened.

Of course, it was _great_ that they were together now.

And it was probably also great if they had managed to…to…to _get_ _closer_ already, especially since that seemed to put them both in that rather happy and content mood.

Which was great.

Everything was great.

Except Nico, who was dying on the inside.

He _was_ happy for them, of course.

But he was also heartbroken about it.

He knew it was wrong, and he would never change anything or have it any other way, of course, but…

But it still hurt.

That wasn't his problem, though.

His problem was…well…

Gods, did they really have to do that right _there_, in _Nico's_ bed?!

When Nico had been right there…?

It _had_ hurt.

It _still_ hurt.

But more than that, it had…it had…their sounds, their words, the way they had…had moved against each other, the way the bed had rocked…

Nico buried his face in his hands where he sat on the edge of the bed, while Will was on his laptop doing whatever, and Percy and Jason were wreaking havoc on his DVD collection.

He had…he had…

He had reacted to it.

Nico had freaking gotten hard.

Because his two best friends had made out behind him.

He had gotten _hard_, to the point where he had had to claw Percy's arms in order not to touch himself, not to give anything away, in order to make it seem like everything was okay, and he was just confused about what was happening, just like Percy.

But it hadn't helped.

He had heard Will cry out, and the sound had just…

Nico looked down, glad Percy hadn't noticed he had changed his boxer shorts after that…whatever it had been.

Gods, what was _wrong_ with him?

People did not just cum without warning just from hearing their _best friends_ make out!

…Okay, Will and Jason were more than just best friends to him.

This showed it all the more.

What would Percy say if he knew?

Gods, what would have happened if he had noticed?

All he would have needed to do was move his hand downwards, and he'd have felt Nico's hard-on, would have felt it twitching, and would have felt the wet spot forming in his boxer shorts right after Will had gotten done making the freaking most amazing sounds in the world.

How dare he, anyways?

Doing that sort of thing _in Nico's bed_?!

…Nico hated that he wasn't actually upset about that.

He _wanted_ to be upset about that.

But he was more upset about the fact that Will and Jason had made out with each other, instead of _him_.

Oh gods, he was pathetic.

_What would Percy say?!_

Ever since then, Nico hadn't been able to look at the guys properly.

None of them.

Least of all his boyfriend.

He had to talk to him.

Nico was aware he had thought this countless times already, but this was definitely it.

He had to talk to him.

They had to figure something out.

Nico didn't want to even think about it, but maybe they really did have to at the very least stop sharing a bed now, so it would be Jason and Will in one of the other bunks, and Percy and Nico in this one.

…Nico _hated_ just _thinking_ that.

But maybe it was necessary.

He couldn't keep on doing this, it wasn't fair to anybody.

Least of all Percy.

"Hey! Percy, remember this?" Will suddenly exclaimed next to him loudly, and Nico jumped, glancing sideways at his laptop screen, though he couldn't see much.

Will clicked something, and music started playing, just as Percy came over with a curious look.

At the sound of the music, he stopped, his eyes widening.

"That's the song you played when-…"

"Yeah. Still remember your steps?" Will asked with a wicked grin, and Nico watched in confusion how the blonde jumped up to move to Percy, who suddenly looked very unsure of himself.

"I…I think so…? Are we going to…?" He asked hesitantly, and Nico frowned, not understanding a single thing.

Will wiggled his eyebrows at Percy, before making grabby hands at him.

Percy hesitated a moment longer, then seemed to resign himself to his fate as he stepped forwards and reached out to…what was he _doing_?

Nico blinked confused, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

Were they…going to _dance_?

Wait, true, hadn't there been something about them dancing at some point in their room in the Underworld?

Percy had mentioned that in Elysium, right? That Will had taught him some sort of dance to cheer him up?

Nico could only stare, anyways, watching how Will started showing Percy the steps again.

Were they seriously going to do that _now_?

Out of nowhere?

For no real reason?

Jason chuckled and made his way over to the bed, all thoughts of agreeing on a movie apparently forgotten as he took over Nico's laptop and started playing the song again from the beginning, while Percy and Will…danced.

Somewhat.

Percy had a bright red face and was more stumbling along than anything else, constantly glancing around at Nico and Jason, but Will didn't seem perturbed in the slightest, simply tugging him along with him.

They…weren't even wearing much, other than boxer shorts.

And, well, a shirt, in Will's case.

Wasn't it a bit weird for them to just…in the middle of his room…just like that…?

He looked sideways at Jason, but found him smiling at him softly, as if telling him it was okay.

…Apparently, it was just Nico.

Well, okay.

In that case…

Nico allowed himself to relax, looking back towards Percy and Will, and he found his boyfriend worrying his bottom lip as he tried to follow Will's steps, before he nodded vigorously and started taking the lead.

Nobody pointed out he was moving completely out of tune.

Maybe nobody but Nico noticed.

Jason replayed the song again, and Will allowed Percy to lead him through it, only resulting in them toppling over each other's feet _once_.

Actually…that didn't look half bad.

It looked like a lot of fun, actually.

"Hey, Jason, Nico, want to learn some steps, too? We could do some sort of crazy group dance." Will called over, and Nico shook his head by default, already trying to move further into the bed.

Sadly, Jason took one look at him and grabbed his arm, not having any of it, and the next moment, Nico found himself getting cruelly dragged out of bed and towards his boyfriend, who was looking sheepish and flustered, but also kind of pleased.

"What dance was that?" Nico asked, though the steps had seemed vaguely similar.

"The Hustle. You know it?" Will chirped, looking rather elated and happy, and all thoughts of somehow getting out of this evaporated as Nico realized how much healthier he looked again.

His skin color was back to normal, and the freckles as vivid as ever.

How had Nico not noticed that earlier…?

Will's moans and his raspy, breathless voice shot through his head, and Nico quickly averted his face with a small shake of his head.

Oh, _that_ was why.

"It's fairly simple, and one of my favorites. Do either of you know any dances already?" Will asked.

Nico did.

Not many, but a few of the basic ones.

Bianca and he had had to know those for the school balls and such.

He decided to remain quiet and Jason shook his head.

Will sighed loudly.

"Really? Oh well, nothing for it, then. Any dances you'd like to learn? We'll definitely be doing the Hustle. In fact, we can probably all dance that, and just switch through a bit every here and there. So, any other dances?"

They shook their heads, and Will clicked his tongue, his grin widening and his eyes gleaming as he tugged Jason and Nico closer and started explaining how they'd have to hold their arms and what they should pay attention to with their posture.

"You didn't teach me like that." Percy remarked dryly as he took his place next to Nico, apparently deciding to practice with them for good measure.

Will winked at him.

"That's because you're you, and they're them."

What was that supposed to mean?

"And because I wanted to watch you make a fool of yourself." Will added, and Nico sighed.

Okay, that made more sense.

"_You said I did a good job!_" His boyfriend lamented, and Will shot him a chiding look.

"Sweetheart, you _did_ do a _great_ job. You are a _natural_. Now let me teach your beloved and Nico, so we can all dance with each other like there's no tomorrow."

Nico raised an eyebrow and shot Jason a look, wondering how he'd react to being referred to as _Percy's_ 'beloved'.

But Jason didn't even blink, merely smiling at Will as if he was his entire world.

Nico wanted to cry.

"Ha-ha. Isn't Jason more like _your_ beloved?" Percy deadpanned, kicking at invisible dirt.

"Dude, you're _all_ my beloveds. Now, may I teach?" Will asked, and Nico would have probably wondered about that statement if Will hadn't been hopping up and down on his feet and looking almost desperate to get started.

Percy opened his mouth again, a scowl on his face, but Nico stepped on his foot.

"Yes. You can teach." He said loudly, and Percy's expression morphed into a pout, but he remained silent.

Will beamed at Nico.

"My hero!"

…Right…

Nico felt that fluttery feeling in his chest again but ignored it.

Will didn't mean it, anyways.

Plus, he was dating Jason now.

The two of them were finally utterly unreachable for Nico.

Nico wanted to sulk, but then Will was already tugging him forward, showing him how to hold his arms in case he was leading, and then in case he was not, and Nico found he had no time to sulk.

Will's face was pretty, especially with his freckles glowing so nicely, and Nico found himself getting far more distracted by that than his own thoughts, which made for a nice change – though Will didn't seem to like him getting distracted at all.

Let it be known, Will was a merciless teacher.

Once he let go of him and moved to Jason, Nico figured he'd have enough time to recover, but then his boyfriend was suddenly there, grinning down at him and moving his arms around him the same way Will had just explained.

"It's gonna get better. He's a pretty good teacher. And if I made it, you'll learn it in an instance." Percy told him, and Nico smiled at him, wishing that truly was what was on his mind right now.

"Oh, and I also hope you'll make a good lead, because I sure as hell can't get it right." Percy then added, and Nico snorted, not believing a single word of it.

"You looked just fine a moment ago when you were leading Will."

"That's because I cheated and checked where he was going with his feet." Percy admitted with a sigh, and Nico reached out to stroke over his cheek.

He loved him.

He really, really did.

Why couldn't he just _only_ love Percy?

Why did emotions have to be so difficult?

Why hadn't he stopped feeling this strongly for Jason and Will?

Was it because they were always around?

But he didn't want that to stop…

"What's wrong, love?" Percy asked softly, his hands moving to cup Nico's face, and Nico wished he could tell him something other than what he knew he'd eventually have to tell him.

_I love them, too_.

_I still do_.

_Please don't hate me_.

_But I love them so, so much_.

Nico shook his head quietly, smiling up at him, his heart aching in his chest.

"Nothing, just trying to make sure I don't forget anything."

He caught Jason looking at him, a thoughtful expression on his face for a moment, but then the blonde looked down at his boyfriend again, a soft smile spreading on his face.

He looked so happy.

He deserved to be that happy, too.

Nico wanted them happy.

He just wished it could have been…different.

Will suddenly moved away from Jason again and clicked his tongue, still looking so wonderfully elated, and Nico let himself get dragged over first for the actual steps.

He knew now wasn't the time to think about his feelings.

(When was it ever?)

Now was the time to dance and smile, to forget the world around them, as well as the concept of time, to learn what Will taught and to make that smile of his as radiant as possible.

Nico decided to concentrate especially on the last part.

Even if he wasn't Will's boyfriend, he could still do his best to make him happy, after all.

In any way Will would let him.

Even if it wasn't the one Nico desired.

...

They danced the rest of the afternoon until evening, though by then they had happily made up their own version of the Hustle and danced that to the most random playlists on YouTube.

It had mostly been an absolute disaster and not resembled 'dancing' at all, of course, but it had been _fun_ – which had been the goal behind it all, anyways.

Jason smiled, watching Will and Nico dance for the third 'last time', their movements slow and sluggish and both of them giggling rather adorably.

Those two.

Nico had been so quiet throughout the day, Jason had worried he was upset about Will and Jason finally being together.

He still thought that, in fact, and had pondered more often than not whether he should attempt a talk with the Italian, to talk it out, to clear things up.

But during Will's 'dancing lessons', Nico had visibly loosened up, had relished in the praise he had gotten from Will for picking up on the steps much quicker than Jason, and had shown several times he was enjoying himself, so Jason had left him to it.

Jason had also realized once more Nico liked to boast and impress every here and there, especially when he had gotten to do the actual dance with Will _and_ lead – _and_ managed to do so without fail, even giving Will an extra swirl and shooting Jason a look that might or might not have meant 'Bet _you_ can't do _that_'.

Jason surely hadn't minded.

He knew he had sucked at dancing, but he had tried his best, and if Will ever wanted to teach him anything else, Jason would be more than willing to learn.

It had still been fun.

He and Percy had mostly ended up _attempting_ to dance with each other, but Percy had refused to let Jason lead, so Jason had refused to let Percy lead, and the two had ended up more dancing _around_ each other than _with_ each other, but that had been fun, too.

It had also been fun when Will had introduced the whole concept of switching partners mid-dance – just to then end up being the one who had to switch between them the entire time, because suddenly _none_ of them had wanted to be the follower, all much more determined to lead.

Though Will and Jason had danced alone, too.

So had Jason and Nico – and it had worked out remarkably well, too.

Nico didn't seem mad at _him_ per se.

He just seemed generally upset about them being a _them_.

Though Jason knew that couldn't be all there was to it.

If it was just that, Nico would go sulk to his boyfriend, who was trying and failing to act as if it didn't bother him one bit.

(Jason was also pretty certain Percy had been wide awake when Jason and Will had had their little special moment, but that was a different story.)

If Nico was just upset about Will and Jason dating, he might avoid them, but he wouldn't avoid Percy.

He wouldn't avoid looking at Percy.

He wouldn't look so guilty whenever he did look at Percy.

Jason could only sigh at the on-going issue between those two when it came to that one big topic of 'Conversation'.

Not to mention 'Emotions'.

Had Percy still not comprehended how much Nico was struggling?

Had he still not managed to reassure him and tell him he wouldn't mind?

Because at this point, _everybody_ knew Percy didn't care whom Nico loved, as long as he loved Percy, too.

And, by all the gods in Olympus, had Nico _still_ not talked to Percy?

He had told Jason he would.

Sure, this whole mess with Kyle had probably interfered rather badly, but what about now?

If Nico decided _not_ to tell Percy, just because Will and Jason were dating now, then so the gods help him, because Jason wasn't going to let him put himself nor Percy through that.

Seriously!

He watched Nico trying to let the dance come to an end, just to have Will being the one to drag him in for another round, and he smiled at them, watching his boyfriend enjoying himself.

His _boyfriend_.

Will had actually asked him out.

Granted, they had first made out, but _he had asked him out_.

And so far, he hadn't seemed to regret it, either.

Jason glanced towards Percy, who was manning the laptop and had control over the playlist, and Jason had a hunch the fact he had just _intentionally_ started up Will's favorite song might have something to do with those two still eagerly dancing.

Nico seemed to have a thing for dancing.

At least he had gotten into it remarkably fast, and his stance had always been near perfect, if Will had been serious.

Jason of course had a hunch Nico _did_ know a bit about dancing, his smirks in Jason's direction had indicated that much, but he wasn't going to call him out on that.

He liked it when they were enjoying themselves.

"Hey bro." He greeted Percy as he slid over to his side, and Percy bumped his shoulder against his with a grin, his eyes still on the laptop screen, though he quickly clicked the picture folder away.

Somebody was looking at photos again, it seemed.

"It almost feels like everything is back to normal, doesn't it?" He mused, deciding to at the very least _act_ curious and sneak a peek at whatever Percy might have been looking at, and Percy instantly clicked on a thousand different things on the Desktop to 'throw him off'.

Dork.

"Well, next to the fact you finally got your beloved." Percy remarked dryly, and the hint of bitterness wasn't lost to Jason, though he knew Percy was trying to hide it.

"But yeah, things seem to be getting better. I'm glad." Percy then added quietly, and he seemed to mean it.

Jason smiled at him, and Percy turned his head to study his face for a moment, before he averted his eyes again, watching his boyfriend dance with Jason's boyfriend.

"Me too. Two days ago, I thought I'd never smile again, and here we are, dancing together like there's no worry in the world." Jason agreed, and Percy's lips twitched, before he picked up the camera to snap some more 'sneak pictures' of Will and Nico.

He had done that a lot ever since he had moved over to the bed.

"Indeed. I also thought I had heard enough about you two making out, when suddenly, bam, I _hear_ you two_ making out_." Percy grumbled, and Jason felt his face heating.

Alright, that settled it, Percy had been awake, alright?

"Sorry about that."

"You're really not."

Jason made a face.

"Yeah, okay, I'm not. I admit that. But…thanks. For…you know…"

"Not interrupting?" Percy suggested, and Jason decided only _Percy_ would actually mention this at all and force him into this sort of situation.

"Yeah. For not interrupting. Thank you." He said, trying not to think of what he and Will had said, of how loud Will had been, of how loud _Jason_ had been.

…Of how that must have really felt to Percy, who most definitely had a crush on Will, himself.

Percy snapped another picture of Nico and Will, not meeting his eyes, though he looked…thoughtful, rather than upset.

"I was thinking about it."

What?

Jason's immediate thought was 'Rude!', but something about Percy's tone was weird.

"Then I'm…glad you didn't?" He tried, and Percy remained quiet for another moment.

Then he looked back at him, studying his face.

What?

Why did it feel like Percy was thinking of telling him something actually _important_?

Then again, what could that be?

If Percy confessed his feelings for Will now, there was nothing Jason could do about that!

He was most definitely not going to play matchmaker, especially not when he had _just_ gotten Will to actually ask him out.

No. Way. In. Hell.

"He was asking for permission. At the end." Percy then said quietly, right when Will and Nico broke out into giggles, with Will tickling Nico right in the middle of the room.

Jason blinked, not understanding whatsoever.

Permission?

Permission for what?

Wait, what was Percy saying…?

Percy took a deep breath.

"Never mind. You two make a great couple, you know? I'm…I really _am_ happy for you two. Just…maybe try to tone it down a bit, okay? I'm pretty sure Nico would have said something if he had minded you two doing that _in his bed_, but personally, I'd prefer if I _didn't_ wake up to you two making out next to me. Seriously, bless that Christmas blanket, or I'd have been scarred for life, man." Percy remarked, but Jason was still hung up on what he had said before.

Permission…?

Permission for _what_?

If Will had wanted to do something, anything, he could have just done it, Jason had been so far gone he wouldn't have cared.

Did Percy mean sex?

Like, actual _penetrative_ sex?

If so, he was wrong, because Will had stated early on during their making out that he wasn't going to let them go quite that far until 'much later in their relationship'.

Not that Jason would have really stopped him.

He had long decided he was going to let Will set the pace for anything sexual.

Well, in fact, he had long decided to let Will set the pace for _everything_, but especially the sexual aspects.

Still…permission…?

Permission…permission…what could he have needed permission for…?

Somehow, Jason felt lost again.

Couldn't Percy have been a tiny bit more…straight-forward?

"We'll try. I mean, I can't _guarantee_ we'll never get carried away, Percy. Think of you and Nico, that was-…" He finally managed to reply, but Percy instantly held up a hand.

"I know. I know. Just…try. Please."

The way he said it, and the way he looked down, indicated the whole thing might have hurt him more than even Jason had first thought.

He moved his hand to Percy's thigh, stroking over it gently, and Percy instantly shot him a small, but fake, smile.

"Maybe you should talk to Nico." Jason said quietly, and Percy's smile slid of his face, momentarily replaced by an almost lost look.

Oh Percy.

Before he could say anything, though, Percy's smile was back, as fake as ever.

Percy was hurt.

Gods, Percy was _hurt_.

"I probably should. And maybe you should talk to Will." Percy chirped, his eyes looking as if he was dying inside, and Jason wished he could reach out and drag him into a hug same as he could with Will and Nico.

But Percy wouldn't let him do that unless he was one step away from a breakdown.

Him and his dumb pride.

"What are you two beauties talking about?" Will asked as he made his way over to them, and Jason was only mildly surprised when _his boyfriend_ climbed on his lap, wrapping his arms around him with a nonchalance that would make one think he had done nothing but all his life already.

"About us holding back our primitive urges." Jason notified him right after Will pressed his lips to the corners of his mouth, and Will's eyebrows shot up, both of them glancing sideways at Percy, who was very blatantly rolling his eyes – before getting up and moving to his boyfriend.

"Oh."

Yeah. That summed it up, alright?

Will made a face, then gave Jason a kiss on the lips, anyways.

"Well, alright, I'll try keep you in line, then, Jason." Will then stated seriously, and Jason snorted.

So did Percy, showing he could still hear them just fine.

Nico didn't say anything, though it struck Jason as odd, that, as soon as Will and Jason were on the bed together, Percy and Nico were anywhere but.

Hey, they were still a group!

The only difference was that now, not only Percy and Nico could kiss each other senseless whenever they felt like it, but Jason could smother _his boyfriend_ in kisses, too.

Actually, that seemed like a _great_ idea.

Damn, he shouldn't have agreed on holding back quite so fast.

Oh well, then tickling would have to do.

He looked back at Will, and Will seemed to feel his gaze immediately, already eyeing him suspiciously.

"Jason, whatever you're planning, don't even think about- _Jason_!" He squeaked, trying to get away, but by then Jason already had his sides, tickling him before letting them both flop sideways into the bed, unwilling to do anything borderline stupid like pushing Will down.

Will giggled, sputtered and laughed, and Jason cackled maniacally and entangled their legs so Will couldn't escape anymore.

Percy snorted from where he was still in the middle of the room with Nico.

"And there I thought they'd kiss."

Oh, Jason would have _loved_ to do that.

Sadly, he wanted to be considerate, too.

At least for now, to give Percy and Nico some time to get used to everything.

"Guys! Guys, _save me_! Percy! Nico! Nico, you _promised_ you'd protect me! Show it! _Prove it_!" Will wailed loudly between giggles, and Jason glanced towards the guys just in time to groan.

Oh, come on, they had never come to _his_ aid.

The next moment, he was flattened into the mattress by Nico, who made no qualms about whose side he was on as he started attacking Jason's sides, making him wail and laugh at the same time.

Percy, meanwhile, made straight for Will to keep him right where he was and suffering – which obviously didn't work out, and the next moment, Percy was suffering right along with Jason.

"That's what you get for picking your bro over me, you disloyal peanut! I thought you loved me!" Will exclaimed, and Percy looked almost affronted between giggles.

"Peanut? Who do you think you're calling a _peanut_?"

Oh gods, Percy…

Nico momentarily halted in his tickling to look over at his boyfriend, and Jason tried to use his chance to turn around and flee – which sadly didn't work out, and the next moment, he found himself pinned down by Nico again, his voice a purr against his ear.

"Where do _you_ think you're going, tesoro mio?" (_My treasure/My darling_)

Had he just said something in Italian?

Mean, Jason didn't know any Italian, he had no clue what he had just said.

Probably something mean along the lines of 'peanut', too.

"Far away, where I can't be found and tickled." Jason remarked, and Nico huffed in amusement, before moving his delicate, long fingers over Jason's sides and lower back, tickling him in all the right spots to make him crack up laughing again.

_Cruel_!

Suddenly, Nico's weight lifted off his back, just to get replaced by Will's, and Jason just knew he was done for.

"No! I'm sorry, Freckles, I shall never do it again!" He lamented, though he didn't really mean it, but it made Will cackle triumphantly, just as he had hoped.

"Your apology is five minutes late! Suffer, Handsome, _suffer_."

Jason whined and lamented some more, but inwardly, he felt warm and fuzzy and happy.

After the past two days, he thought they'd never be the way they were before.

In a way, they'd never get there again, either.

But they could do things like this again.

They could smile.

They could laugh.

They could feel good.

So that had to stand for something, right?

That meant they were going to be okay, right?

Jason surely hoped so.

Will's lips pressed against the back of his neck, and Jason hummed for a moment, before Will continued with his tickles and he had to succumb to laughter again.

Oh, he really hoped they'd be able to have some time to recover in peace.

Another day.

Another week.

Maybe a whole month or two or three.

Anything to give them a chance to enjoy themselves properly before life caught up to them.

He managed to turn around, but instead of making for Will's sides, he wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, which Will immediately returned with a satisfied hum.

Percy snorted next to him.

"Dude, if you got time to kiss, you got time to save me! Come on, _please_! Do _something_!" Percy lamented, and Jason sighed into the kiss, stroking over Will's cheeks for another moment, before reaching out to pat Percy on the shoulder in consolation.

Nico cracked up laughing, while Percy let out an indignant wail.

Yeah, they'd be okay.

He was sure of it.

...

It was shortly before 9pm when they finally decided to get into bed together, and Jason immediately took the possibility of anything turning awkward or weird by urging Will to take the spot against the wall, and ushering Nico into bed right after, which left Percy and him to settle on who spooned whom.

Which, obviously, would be Percy spooning Jason, because he wasn't going to feel a naked-or-not-naked Jason wrap around him again anytime soon.

Jason already seemed to know, since he was already making to get into bed, shooting him an odd look.

To be honest, things weren't all that…bad.

Percy had at first assumed Will and Jason would be all over each other, similar to how they had been in the Underworld, but they were kind of as always.

Sure, in the beginning, they had both been more than a little unwilling of getting out of bed, and the first conversation with Jason had been more than just awkward, but afterwards, things had quickly settled back into what Percy was used to.

Except for the kissing and the lingering touches, of course.

It had peeved him, at first, seeing those two kiss, seeing them making heart eyes at each other, seeing the way they touched each other – innocently, but with that hunger in their gazes that Percy knew he had, too, whenever he touched Nico in that special 'You're mine'-way.

Then he had started feeling bitter about it.

Then Will had suddenly made them all dance (which had been one of the funniest things they had ever done together).

Then he had had that _talk_ with Jason he still wasn't sure what to think of.

Then the tickling had happened.

And then…they had kind of just been as always.

Jason had told him he'd try to keep the sexual stuff down, and while Percy knew that wasn't what his problem was, it was good enough for now.

Other than that, the two really were as always.

No excessive hanging onto each other, no constant swooning or sappy lines.

Will had even danced more with Nico than with Jason.

They seemed so…

Oh, Percy didn't know.

It didn't matter.

Fact was, things were…okay.

For once.

Those two were happy, and Percy was happy if they were.

Though he was also still hurt.

How could people _feel_ so much?!

Couldn't he just feel happy and be done with it?

Or just sad?

Then he could do something to cheer himself up with and be done with it?

(Percy knew that wouldn't work out, anyways, but he liked to pretend it would.)

He sighed, fully intending to get into bed, but then he stopped, gazing at them a moment longer.

At the way they huddled together.

At the way it looked so _right_, seeing them all huddled together like that.

At the way all three of them looked at Percy with those soft, yet also expectant looks.

_He loved those guys._

He absolutely did.

They might not know just to what extent, but that was okay for now.

He wondered whether he should tell them.

Then again, the day had gone so nicely, given the circumstances, and Will had only just regained his coloring, Nico had only just started smiling freely again, and Jason had only just turned into his usual dorky self again.

He didn't want to ruin that with his weird realizations he always had at the worst moments.

Percy nodded to himself resolutely, then made to get into bed – just to halt again, thinking he had just heard something.

The next moment, he heard footsteps rushing up to their cabin.

Then a body colliding with their door.

Then a person frantically hammering against it.

"Guys! _Guys_! It's _important_! Open up! _Please_!"

_Annabeth_.

Will groaned, and immediately moved under the Christmas blanket as if to hide, while Nico stroked through his hair and let out a soft 'Shh, it'll be okay'.

Jason and Percy exchanged one hard look, then Percy moved over to the door, while Jason sat up again.

This couldn't be good.

Come on, they had only just started feeling better, there couldn't be anything bad happening _now_!

He opened the door, and there was Annabeth, panting heavily, her hair loose and all over the place, her eyes wide.

Oh shit.

"_The monsters are back!_"

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

_Why?_


	40. Chapter 40: We Are Will's Boyfriends

**A/N: **Hey Cupcakes! :D

Aaaand here it comes. _The last chapter._

Of course, there'll still be an epilogue - but as a warning, I'm telling you now to only read that if you're willing to get invested in the sequel to the sequel (lol I really gotta think of a name for that still)

I hope you'll enjoy the chapter :3

-Tári  
(This A/N is only so short because there's another one at the end ;P)

* * *

**Chapter 40: We Are Will's Boyfriends**

Percy barely managed any sleep.

The monsters were back.

They just wanted _a few days_ to recover, to get over the whole thing with Kyle, to get things worked out inside them and with each other, and now _the monsters were back_?!

Percy wished Annabeth could have waited another night with telling them.

But she hadn't, instead coming straight from Chiron, after one of their scouting groups had returned – just to announce they had found two of their other scouting groups _dead_.

Just like that.

By the looks of it, the monsters weren't just back, they had also appeared out of nowhere, and a lot of them, too.

Percy's insides clenched just _thinking_ about it.

Why?

Why now?

Why at all?

The monsters hadn't been around whatsoever since Gaea had been destroyed!

Why did they just suddenly reappear _now_?!

Percy would almost believe this was just happening to _mock them_, but he was pretty sure they weren't _that_ important to anybody to risk that.

He rolled onto his other side, just to notice shuffling next to him, behind Nico.

Will.

He watched quietly how Will turned onto his back, looking up at the ceiling with a lost, broken look.

Oh, sun-bug…

He had hidden under the blanket when Annabeth had come in, had already curled into a ball the moment he had heard her words, had started whimpering as she had told them of the deaths.

Nico had done his best to comfort him, moving under the blanket too to not stress him out any further, while Jason had seemed torn with the urge to go and comfort, as well as join Percy's side and talk it out with Annabeth.

She had at first shot them odd looks, and had even asked Percy to come with her to tell what had happened with _Kyle_, but then she seemed to have realized herself that they weren't going to leave that cabin unless they absolutely _had_ to.

And even then, only _together_.

She hadn't liked it.

He had seen it in her face that she hadn't liked it.

But she had also seemed understanding enough to leave them be, so Jason and he had recounted what had happened as quietly as possible, while Nico had tried to convince Will it wasn't his fault.

Chances were he still didn't believe it.

Just as Percy thought it, Will suddenly moved, sitting up and climbing out of bed, his expression scarily blank again, his skin pale once more.

He had only just gotten better.

Would they never get a break?

Had they already used up all their free days with their stay in the Underworld?

If so, he wished he had asked the guys out.

That way, he could have either enjoyed almost an entire month with them, or they'd have known and Jason and Will would have probably bonded over Percy's stupidity.

Either way, they could have had _more_ fun, and could have had said fun for _longer_.

Percy watched Will slipping into Percy's sweatpants, then he pulled on Nico's jacket.

Wait, was he…

The next moment, he watched in stunned shock how his blonde moved towards the door, hesitating one last moment, before he reached out, unlocked the door, and disappeared outside.

_What the-…!_

Percy was up and outside the bed in an instant, rushing through the room to grab his pants and a sweater.

"Percy, what…" Nico's voice sounded from the bed, and Percy looked around as he slipped into his shoes.

"Will went outside. I'm going to follow him. Maybe wake Jason, I don't know." He told him hurriedly, and Nico kept sitting their groggily for a long moment.

Percy didn't wait to check whether Nico actually understood his words.

Instead, he turned around and rushed out of the cabin, his gaze already flying over the Camp, searching for his blonde.

He spotted him trudging towards the forest, his shoulders drawn together, his body slightly hunched.

_Oh, Will._

Percy followed him, not exactly trying to be sneaky about it, but also not calling out or hurrying up too much, willing to give Will at least some space, and some time to think.

At least he wasn't moving towards the infirmary.

Percy wouldn't have been surprised to find Will suddenly thinking he had to go and help healing.

Then again, the only person that might still need healing was Clovis, and Annabeth had informed them last night he was already out of the worst, and quickly recovering.

All other patients were from training accidents, and Annabeth had emphasized that Will's siblings would be able to handle that just fine on their own.

For the scouting groups, all help had come too late.

It was a sickening thought.

Percy quickened his pace as Will entered the forest, unwilling to lose sight of him.

It was unlikely Will would get attacked here, but there was _always_ a chance for that, and Percy wasn't going to let him get hurt.

Not after Kyle.

Not after everything that had happened.

Not after everything Will had already had to go through.

But Will wasn't aiming to get deeper into the forest.

Instead, he walked as if he had a specific destination in mind, and Percy realized the further they walked that it seemed to be their clearing.

Though he was only entirely sure of that when Will _did_ reach their clearing, stopping there for a moment to just stand and stare, though Percy wasn't sure what he was staring at.

The water?

The trees near the water?

The other side of the lake?

Will shook his head softly, then moved towards the water, and for a moment, Percy almost dreaded he was going to do something horribly stupid like going for a swim.

Sure, it was warmer during the days now, the ice and snow had melted, and the water looked wonderful as ever, but it was definitely still _way too cold_ for swimming.

Especially for Will.

But Will didn't go into the water.

He sat down on a fallen tree trunk near the water.

Percy relaxed a bit, though that changed when he watched Will putting his face in his hands, still seeming so horribly lost and devastated.

Then he heard him sobbing quietly.

Will…

Why was he crying?

Why was he crying _alone_?

Percy knew he hated crying, but hadn't they shown him by now it was okay?

That he could cry around them?

That they didn't care?

They had all cried their share the past days.

Percy, especially.

Sure, Will had cried more, and he had cried before then, but hell, _Percy_ would have cried _rivers_ in Will's shoes, too.

What was Will doing, getting this far away from them to weep?

Percy stepped into the clearing, not trying to be silent whatsoever, so Will knew he was coming closer.

"Will…" He whispered quietly, but Will only shook his head, rubbing at his eyes and sniffling.

Percy came closer, anyways, sitting down next to Will quietly.

He wasn't looking at Will, instead looking out at the water, and he tried only to let their shoulders brush together, giving Will the option whether or not he wanted physical contact right now.

He just didn't want him to cry alone.

Nobody should have to cry alone.

Why was Will out here alone?

Gods, if Percy had woken up to find Will missing, he'd have probably torn the entire place apart.

Right before storming off to find Kyle and rip him and his dumb-ass scythe to shreds, and if it was the last thing he did.

Will sobbed, then buried his face back in his hands.

"This is all my fault."

Percy's heart ached.

It wasn't.

It really, really wasn't.

"It was Kyle. It had to be. I heard Annabeth talking to Nico. She said Kyle _knew_ where the monsters had gone. I bet he did. He must have known. Maybe he's in league with them somehow. Maybe he helped them hide. Maybe they were held back by something and he let them free. He must have known, Percy. He must have known, and because I made him angry, he let them free, so they can hurt us, can hurt you, can help destroy the Camps, just like he said he would!" Will wailed, and Percy shook his head frantically, trying to find the right words as he reached out to touch, to comfort, sliding off the tree trunk to kneel between Will's legs, trying to cup his face.

"Will. Will, we don't know that. What if he was just bluffing? He might not even have anything to do with this at all. Please, sun-bug, it's okay…"

"Nothing is okay, Percy. People are _dead_. They're _dead_. And the monsters are back to kill even more. What about all the satyrs and demigods we sent out to find new demigods? What about them? You think the monsters won't target them right away? We can't even warn them, Percy. They'll think everything is still okay, and suddenly they're dead." Will sobbed bitterly, and Percy stroked his tears away over and over again, stroking over his cheeks with his thumbs, shaking his head over and over again, talking back to Will.

But all that did was make Will nudge his hands away.

Only Will would _nudge_ his hands away like that.

Everybody else would shove him away, would slap his hands away, but even though Will was upset, was _hurt_, he couldn't hurt anybody around him.

The realization hurt.

Percy wasn't discouraged, instead snatching Will's hand, gently stroking over it with both hands, before massaging it gently, though he had no idea how hand massages worked.

Will humored him, anyways.

Or maybe he didn't notice, because his other hand was busy rubbing at his face, and he continued crying and sobbing and talking about people getting hurt, and about it being his fault.

Percy couldn't take it.

He whispered reassurances, then started kissing Will's hand, first the back of it, then his fingers, then his palm.

Will let him, the only reaction being a series of shivers, though he didn't seem off-put.

Percy moved to the other hand, repeating the notion.

Then he reached out to cup Will's face again, and Will didn't nudge him away anymore, instead looking at him out of teary eyes.

"But what if it _was_ Kyle, Percy?"

Percy shook his head softly, unwilling to reply with words.

Mostly because he was unwilling to consider that possibility, but he also didn't want to downplay anything or invalidate Will's fear.

It _was_ a possibility, after all, no matter how much Percy hated it.

So, instead of words, he leaned forward and replied with a kiss to his forehead.

A kiss to his left eye.

A kiss to his right eye.

A kiss to his right cheek.

A kiss to his left cheek.

A kiss to his nose.

A kiss to his lips.

Before Percy knew it, he was kissing Will, and Will kissed back hesitantly, leaning against him ever so slightly, and Percy sighed, stroking through Will's hair and drawing him in further.

His lips were so soft.

Fuller than Nico's, and so, so soft.

Percy liked it.

He hummed, and Will pushed against him gently, his arms moving around his neck as he moved closer to Percy, and Percy could feel his heartbeat, the wild thrashing in his chest matching his own.

Percy wasn't sure who of them initiated it first, but the next moment, they had their lips parted, and their tongues prodding each other tentatively, as if testing out the waters.

Will kissed way differently than Nico.

Percy knew that, of course, what with the Kiss-Dare and all, but…gods, he had forgotten how nice it felt.

He tilted his head further, and felt Will shiver as he deepened the kiss, their gentle and timid probing soon turning more into a mirror of their inner states.

Desperate, frantic, hungry for more.

Will pushed against Percy, and Percy let himself flop back onto the ground, unsure when Will had slid off the tree trunk, but not sorry for it, all the same.

Especially when Will moved close enough to straddle Percy's lap, his tongue insistently moving against Percy's, making him moan softly.

Hands fisted into hair, fisted into clothes, holding onto each other desperately, despairingly, and all they could do was trying to get _closer_.

It was the moment Will breathed 'Percy'.

It was the moment Percy let out the breathless 'Will' in reply.

It was the moment they heard each other's voices.

It was the moment they heard their names.

It was that moment they both seemed to truly realize what they were doing.

And suddenly, Percy's entire world stopped as realization washed over him, same as Will suddenly froze, his eyes snapping open.

They parted, their mouths still open, and a trickle of saliva still connecting them, but neither of them paid any mind to it, instead staring at each other in pure horror.

Oh gods.

Oh gods, what had Percy done?

Oh gods, what had he_ done_?!

"W-Will, I'm-…" He started frantically when Will pulled away, moved away, seemed to practically _leap away_ from him, but Will was shaking his head wildly, his hands slapping over his mouth.

Shit!

Shit, shit, _shit_!

"Will…" Percy tried, his voice cracking in his panic, and he moved to reach out, to take his hand, to apologize, to make him understand.

But then they both froze as they heard twigs crack and footsteps approaching quickly, and they looked around just in time to see Nico and Jason appearing at their clearing, both of them letting out loud, relieved breaths.

"Will!" Nico exclaimed, and made straight for him, wrapping him into a hug before Will could as much as open his mouth, should he have wanted to.

Percy just stood there, the panic still ever so prominent inside him.

Then, he forced himself to look at Jason.

Jason.

Jason, who was looking from him to Will and back with an odd look on his face, having stopped at the edge of their clearing.

Jason, whose eyes narrowed ever so faintly as he studied Percy's expression.

Jason, who was Will's _boyfriend_ now.

Jason, who looked as if he already knew what had happened.

Percy struggled for words, but couldn't find any.

What had he done?

He hadn't meant to…

He had just…

He had just wanted to…

He had just wanted to help…

Oh gods, what had he done…

Will was never going to let this go.

He always acted so tough and everything, but Percy knew he would never do anything that could even remotely be considered cheating.

Percy had just kissed him.

Percy. Had. Kissed. Him.

_What had he done?!_

He saw shoes stop in front of him, and forced himself to look up again, looking up into Jason's eyes.

He knew, didn't he?

Oh gods, what if he thought Percy was trying to take Will from him?

He wasn't!

He would never!

Then the blood drained from his face even further at the thought of what _Nico_ would say.

Nico, who was so sensitive when it came to the whole cheating-thing.

Nico, who was Percy's boyfriend.

Nico, who was Percy's _everything_.

He hadn't meant to…

Percy's shoulders slumped as he realized, that, in a way, he _had_ meant to.

It was the worst realization in his entire life.

Oh gods.

What. Had. He. Done.

Jason studied his eyes a moment longer, and Percy couldn't take it anymore, averting his gaze and spotting his boyfriend cupping Will's face, stroking over his cheeks and telling him _not_ to run off like that again.

Percy was pretty sure he wouldn't.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered, barely audibly, but he knew Jason could hear it.

Jason's arm moved, and for a moment, Percy flinched, half expecting to be hit.

But then, Jason's hand took his, and Percy flinched even harder.

"Let's get back to the cabin, guys. It's still pretty chilly out here." Jason said quietly, and Percy stared at him as he turned his back to him, though he tugged him along behind him.

What…what?

Jason stopped for a moment, and Percy half expected him to say something, to do something, but all he did was reach out with his other hand, and suddenly there was Will, almost colliding with Jason's side as he gripped firm hold of it, still looking stricken.

Oh gods, Percy had fucked up so bad.

Jason didn't let go of him.

Why didn't he let go of him?

Why wasn't he saying anything?

Ranting at him?

Punching him?

Percy had kissed Will!

He looked at Will, but Will averted his face the moment their eyes met, and Percy felt the guilt eating away at him.

Nico looked mildly confused, falling into step to Will's other side, though he kept glancing towards Percy.

Percy knew he had to tell him.

If he didn't, Jason and/or Will would.

Oh gods, what was he supposed to do?

What had he done?

Right when things were already difficult enough, and everything between the four of them already strained, Percy had just had to…

He had fucked up again.

There was no way to deny it.

Percy had _fucked up_.

...

Will was restless.

Jason sat on the bed, watching his boyfriend pace in front of him, 'waiting for the guys to return'.

They were getting breakfast.

Percy had all but jumped at the mention, more than eager to get away, so Jason had sent Nico along with him, to make sure he would come back.

He knew full well what had happened.

Even though Will hadn't told him yet, and Percy hadn't said it out-right, Jason knew things had escalated between them in that clearing.

Jason was assuming it was a kiss.

He doubted it was more than kissing, though he knew that was already more than enough to throw those two off entirely.

So…Percy had kissed Will, huh?

Jason wanted to smile bitterly to himself, but since Will was still pacing, he refrained from it.

He wasn't stupid.

It wasn't as if Percy had just walked up to his boyfriend and kissed him out of spite of Jason or anything.

He knew that, whatever had happened, it must have happened because Percy had wanted to comfort, to reassure, to make Will feel better.

Given how Percy tended to get all close and touchy-feely, and how Will generally craved physical contact and affection when he was upset, Jason wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if things had just turned from comforting to suddenly finding themselves kissing.

As a matter of fact, the more Jason thought about it, the more he realized that probably _was_ what had happened.

In a way, he couldn't blame them.

He had done the same thing the past days, kissing Will just because he knew he could, when he had known he had needed it, or when he had felt as if Will needed it, too.

But there was a difference.

He had known he could.

Percy should know he _couldn't_.

Not until he had talked to Nico.

Not until he had come forth and talked to Will.

Jason watched Will, taking in his still ever so struck face.

Should he say something?

Should he tell him he knew?

He knew Will was breaking his head over it.

It was unnecessary, of course.

Jason wasn't upset with him.

In a way, he wasn't even upset with Percy.

Disappointed, maybe, and he surely wasn't _happy_ about this happening _now_, when they certainly didn't need any more drama, especially not within their group.

But he wasn't upset.

Couldn't be upset.

Percy hadn't meant it bad.

Jason had seen it in his eyes, had seen the guilt in them, the pain, the horror as he had realized what he had done.

He had seen it in the way he had drawn up his shoulders, in the way he had flinched the moment Jason had moved, as if he had seriously thought Jason would hit him.

Rather than that, Jason had wanted to draw him into a hug and tell him it's okay.

It wasn't, not really, but Jason really had other worries right now than Percy kissing Will.

Will had left the cabin.

Just like that.

If Percy hadn't followed, if Nico hadn't woken up because of Percy, if Nico hadn't woken Jason up and told him…

When Jason had woken up and realized Will hadn't been there, he had immediately been wide awake – and also out of bed, already moving for his sword.

If it hadn't been for Nico immediately explaining, Jason wasn't sure what he'd have done.

They weren't okay yet.

They were still far from it.

And the fact Will had felt the need to _leave_ them, by the looks of it to cry by himself…

First of all, it hurt Jason to think of Will just leaving them like that.

Second of all, it made him wonder what they had done wrong to make Will feel the need to distance himself.

But all that didn't matter, because Percy had followed him and had kept him safe, and Will was okay, he was unharmed, and…

Well, he was going crazy about that thing with Percy, by the looks of it.

Jason shifted, and Will flinched, his gaze snapping to Jason, his eyes seeming almost _fearful_.

Jason inwardly cringed.

He wouldn't hurt him.

Wouldn't be upset.

Never at Will.

"So…" He started, trying to find something he could talk about, to maybe ease the tension, to make Will relax and get comfortable enough to confront the matter, should he really wish to talk about it.

Of course, Jason would prefer if Will in fact _did_ talk about it, but he wasn't going to push him, especially not since he already knew, anyways.

The moment he spoke, however, Will was already opening his mouth.

"I kissed Percy!"

Jason hesitated, blinking.

Oh really?

How come Jason doubted that?

"Okay." He replied, meeting Will's gaze straight-on to let him know he was serious.

Will's eyes filled with confusion.

"I…no, you don't understand…" He mumbled, sounding urgent, and Jason smiled at him softly.

"Will, it's okay."

"No! I…I kissed him. On the lips. Like…the way I kiss you!" Will exclaimed, looking uncertain and confused, and Jason wanted to sigh, wanted to groan, wanted to tell him to stop looking so lost and hurt, that he wasn't going to hurt him in any way whatsoever, ever.

But he had a hunch any of those things would make Will turn around and bolt.

So he merely patted the free space next to him.

"I know. Come on, it's okay."

Will looked at him as if he was crazy.

"You…you know? But Percy didn't…"

Yeah, Percy hadn't told him.

Percy had looked as if he was ready to break down, though, and Jason had been glad he had gotten him to the cabin in one piece, so there was that.

"No, but I could tell by the way he looked at me. Will, it's okay. He tried to comfort you, didn't he?" He asked softly, reaching out with his hands, and he watched Will eye him oddly for a moment longer, before moving closer ever so slowly, seeming…wary.

Oh Will.

"It was my fault. I…he was being nice, and I got carried away." Will muttered, not meeting his eyes.

Jason sighed.

How high were the chances Will was saying this to try and avoid Jason picking any fights with Percy over this?

Very high.

"Will, I'm not upset. Not with you, not with him. I know you wouldn't just kiss anybody out of nowhere, Will. I told you that before. Now, come here. Let me hold my boyfriend." He said quietly, and Will hesitantly moved into his reach, allowing Jason to wrap his hands around his arms and tug him closer, pulling him onto his lap and snaking his arms around him.

Will took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

He looked so pale again.

Had he looked that pale before Percy had kissed him, too?

If so, Jason could totally understand why Percy had done what he had done.

"You're not angry." Will whispered, sounding stunned as well as slightly disturbed.

Jason chuckled.

"I'm not. It's okay, Will. As I said, he did it to comfort you, didn't he?"

Will hesitated a moment longer, burying his face at the side of Jason's neck.

Then he nodded.

"He kissed my hands, Jason. Just like that. My hands, and then my face, and then…then…I don't know how it happened, Jason. I swear, I'd never cheat on you, but we just…I just…he…"

"He kissed you, and you returned the kiss." Jason summed up, placing a soft kiss to the side of Will's neck.

Will nodded again.

"I'm sorry…"

"Shh, it's okay. Will, I don't mind. I might not be overjoyed, but I know you'd never do anything like that on purpose, much less to cheat, Will."

It kind of hurt to know Will thought that way of him, but at the same time, Jason couldn't really blame him.

He didn't know _what_ Kyle had done in the past, but based on his talking alone, he was pretty sure he'd have accused Will of cheating the moment Will had said 'Hello' to someone the wrong way.

"But…but…we're dating for _one day_ Jason, and I already…I already mess up…"

Jason kissed the side of his neck again, tugging him onto his lap better so he could let his hands run up and down his back.

"Nonsense. I just said I don't mind, right? Stop tearing yourself down over it, love. Now, you know what's much more important?" He asked, and Will rubbed his face against him slightly.

"What?"

"Did you like it?"

Jason waited for the question to sink in, then Will suddenly surged back, staring at him in horror.

"Y-You can't just…Jason, _what the fuck_?!"

Eh, to be expected.

Jason raised an eyebrow.

"What? I'm trying to determine whether or not I'll have to smack Percy after all, if he didn't do a good job."

Will stared at him a moment longer, searching his gaze in disbelief.

Then, his face started turning pink, and he averted his eyes.

"It…it wasn't bad…"

"So you liked it?" Jason pried, stroking over Will's back in long, slow strokes.

Will shifted slightly.

"Yeah…"

Jason smiled at him, then leaned forward to give him a peck on the nose.

"Good. So…is he a better kisser than me? I _have_ to know, you know, so I can practice on Nico's Mrs. O'Leary Jr. if necessary." Jason asked with a serious expression, and Will snorted out a laugh, boxing his shoulder in the gentlest way possible.

"You're an idiot."

"Is that a yes?" Jason asked, trying to act devastated, and already reaching out to grab Nico's plush dog.

Will made a strangled sound in the back of his throat and snatched Jason's hand before he did anything stupid.

"_No_! I mean…erm…it's not…you two…._ugh_. You two kiss very differently. He's…I mean…"

Aww, wasn't Will just adorable when he was struggling for the right words to not hurt Jason's feelings while still being honest?

Jason felt immensely proud Will was at least trying to be honest.

Given that he had tried to bend the truth about who had started the kiss, this definitely felt like improvement.

"Will, I was just joking. Though you probably should tell me if my kissing sucks."

"It doesn't." Will replied immediately, and Jason grinned at him, before daring to wiggle his eyebrows at him.

"Oh really?"

Will's expression changed, turning unimpressed.

"You're horrible, Jason." He said, then he leaned forward and kissed him.

Jason wished he could grin and kiss at the same time, but settled for just kissing him back, his arms already snaking around him to deepen the kiss.

It felt weird, thinking that Percy had gotten to feel this, had gotten to press his lips against Will's, had gotten to pull him close and feel him against him the way Jason was now.

But at the same time, he found he really didn't mind all that much.

If those two had enjoyed it, even with the drama afterwards, then he was fine with it.

It wasn't as if Percy was going to do this on a regular basis now.

But yeah, he should probably talk to him.

Should clear things up, should explain to him he wasn't upset, and should emphasize he should finally talk things out with Nico.

What that would do, he didn't know, but he knew that conversation between the two was long overdue already.

Then again, who knew, maybe Percy would surprise him and he and Nico would come back from breakfast with that conversation already behind them, and everything worked out.

Will moaned against his lips, and Jason allowed himself to fall back into the sheets as he felt his boyfriend push against his chest lightly, his lips parting to allow Will's tongue inside.

Gods, Will was a great kisser.

"What the-…_seriously_?" Nico exclaimed, and Jason realized the door must have opened at some point.

_Oops_.

...

Nico didn't know what was going on.

First, he had woken up to his boyfriend suddenly fleeing the bed.

Then he had realized he had only fled the bed because Will had fled the bed and had somehow had the bright idea of leaving the cabin.

Then he had been left to make sense of that information, trying to wake up Jason, just to suddenly be confronted with a borderline _angry_ Jason trying to struggle out of bed to wreak havoc on the world and get his beloved back.

Then, the two of them had left to search for Will and Percy, finding them in their clearing (thank the gods Nico had thought of that), but…

Something was wrong.

At first, Nico had been too relieved that they were okay to notice, but thinking about it now, it had been more than strange, how those two had stood so far apart, how both of them had looked so panicked and shocked and beside themselves.

What had happened?

Had they been attacked?

No, they'd have told.

Plus, there had been no indicators for a fight or the like.

Will had let Nico hug and hold him, but hadn't met his gaze, and at first, Nico had just assumed that was because he was still struggling with whatever had made him leave in the first place.

But Percy wasn't meeting his gaze, either.

Nico didn't understand.

They sat together on the bed, Percy stiff and dead quiet next to him, far away from Jason and Will, and Nico thought he could feel Will shifting awkwardly every here and there, but other than that, everybody was eating in silence.

"Were there a lot of people in the dining pavilion?" Jason asked, and Nico corrected himself.

Everybody _but Jason_ was eating in silence.

Jason seemed entirely unbothered by the odd behavior of Will and Percy.

It made Nico wonder whether he might not just be imagining things, but…at the same time, he _knew_ there was something wrong.

"Not really. There were only two other kids, but they were still half-asleep and didn't even really notice us, so we just grabbed some food and drinks and left again." Nico replied when Percy didn't, and he watched with growing concern how his boyfriend merely pushed his toast around on his plate without really eating anything.

Was he sick?

Did they talk about something bad?

Did they _argue_?

They both weren't talking to each other, and weren't looking towards each other, what if they had actually had an argument?

"Oh, I see. Percy…" Jason started, then stopped when Percy flinched hard, making Nico momentarily worry he had somehow hurt Percy as he moved his leg.

But Nico hadn't even touched him?

What was _wrong_?

Jason cleared his throat.

"Percy, I was hoping you and I could grab our photo albums from our cabins together. I'd go alone, but I know you'd like to put the new pictures in there, too. Nico, Will, you two could start printing the pictures out, if you want." Jason suggested, and Nico frowned, not sure where that suddenly came from.

Was…was it just him, or did it sound as if Jason wanted to be alone with Percy for a while…?

He glanced sideways at his boyfriend, who looked uncomfortable and unusually pale, and was about to speak up and say he'd much rather have them stay here, but then Percy already nodded.

"Sure."

Well…okay…?

"Splendid. Will, do you need anything from your cabin?" Jason asked, turning towards Will, but Will shook his head immediately, his mouth a thin line.

Though whether that was because of Percy and Jason, or because of his cabin, Nico didn't know.

"Alright, when would you like to leave then, Percy?"

Nico glanced back towards his boyfriend, but Percy was only shrugging, not looking at any of them.

What was wrong with him?

Nico wanted to reach out, but he was scared he'd get brushed off.

Then again…Percy was his boyfriend, Nico should at least try, right?

Even if he was brushed off.

Nico pursed his lips and moved his hand, gently nudging against Percy's thigh, waiting whether he'd recoil.

Percy flinched, but didn't move away, so Nico placed his hand on his leg, stroking up and down tentatively.

His boyfriend gazed down at the hand with an odd look for a moment, but let him, and then Nico felt him shifting closer ever so slightly, brushing their shoulders together.

He seemed scared.

But scared of what?

Jason?

The thought was laughable.

But…maybe he and Will _did_ have a fight.

Maybe he wasn't scared of Jason, but scared the fight might affect their group.

Maybe Will had told Jason about it and Percy expected Jason to pick a fight next.

That…sounded stupid.

Nico frowned slightly, glancing around at Jason for a clue, but the blonde merely gave him a soft, reassuring smile, as if telling him everything was fine.

Well, it certainly didn't _look_ fine.

"Let's leave now, then. That way, we won't have to run into so many people." Jason spoke up, and Nico made a face.

Did they have to?

Percy didn't look in any condition to have an argument right now.

If that was what was going to happen.

Percy only nodded, and Nico glanced sideways at Will, but Will had his eyes fixed on his plate.

Nico didn't understand.

But he didn't like it one bit.

Yesterday had already been horrible enough, with starting out so badly, and everything so weird between them, only to then have Annabeth come with the worst news ever right when things seemed to be fine again.

They had to stick together now, not fall apart.

Then again, Nico had no clue what had happened.

Maybe it really was something serious.

He glanced back at his boyfriend as he got up, his fingers brushing ever so faintly against Nico's hand, before he stiffly moved towards the door to grab his jacket and shoes.

Jason sighed, then leaned sideways and kissed Will's cheek, before flashing Nico another reassuring smile.

"We'll be back in a bit, then."

Nico didn't really want them to leave.

But if Will let them leave, he had no choice but to go along with it.

He watched with an uneasy feeling how Jason made his way over to the door, seemingly unperturbed by Percy stiffly standing by the door and looking as if he expected to get beaten up any moment now.

Then, the two left the cabin without another word, and Nico turned towards Will.

"Did you two-…" He started, but then Will was already getting up, licking over his lips nervously as he put his plate to the others on the cupboard, before he moved towards Nico's laptop.

"No worries, Neeks. Everything is good. He loves you, you know?"

Nico stared at him in confusion.

What…?

Will shot him a small smile, carrying the laptop over and placing it next to Nico, before making his way to the printer to turn it on.

"Percy. He loves you. I can feel it whenever I touch him, you know? He gets all warm and fuzzy and happy when he sees you or somebody just as much as says your name." Will told him, and Nico was more confused than ever.

"I…I see. I love him, too." He said quietly, and Will grinned at him over his shoulder.

"Oh, I know. I can feel that, too."

Erm…okay?

Nico felt something clench inside him at the thought that Will might very well be able to feel Nico's feelings for Will and Jason, too, but he pushed that aside for now.

"So, you two…didn't fight…?" He asked hesitantly, and Will glanced over his shoulder at him in confusion for a moment.

Then he blushed.

_Blushed_.

"No! Of course not. Why would you think we fought?" Will asked, his voice a tad higher than usual, and he lingered near the printer for a moment longer, unnecessarily checking the paper again.

Nico frowned at him.

"Well, you two seem a bit weird. I don't know. I just thought maybe you had some sort of argument."

"No, nothing like that. No worries. Everything is…everything is good between us. I think."

The way Will added that 'I think' didn't sit well with Nico whatsoever, but then Will was already moving over and sitting down next to him, working on getting their picture folders up to get started with the printing.

"Well, if you say so…" He mumbled, and Will nodded exaggeratedly.

"Absolutely. I fear I might have freaked him out a bit, though. We had some…revelations, you know? But it's all good. Just give him some time, I'm sure he'll be his usual adorable self in no time."

Nico decided not to ask why Jason had to go with Percy, then.

He also decided not to point out Will had just called Percy 'adorable'.

"Now, let's print out these beauties, before the guys will come back and accuse us of making out, instead." Will then remarked, and Nico sputtered.

What the hell?!

That would _never_ happen!

Especially not since Will and Jason were dating now!

And Nico _was_ happy with Percy, he definitely wasn't going to do anything stupid _now_!

He wanted to say as much to Will, too, but then he saw Will's cheeks were slightly flushed, and his expression was borderline conflicted.

So Nico closed his mouth again, trying to battle the uncertainty welling up inside him.

Just what had happened between Percy and Will?

What did Will mean with 'revelations'?

Then again, if it was something really important, they'd tell him, right?

"Remember, you signed the IPOD-contract." He muttered, and Will blinked for a moment, before laughing.

"Don't worry, Neeks. Everything will be okay. You know us."

Yeah, he did.

Which was exactly why he instantly picked up on the 'will be okay', which indicated things _weren't_ okay now.

"If you say so…" He mumbled, and Will tugged him closer, squeezing him gently before gesturing towards the laptop screen again.

"I know so. Now, pictures?"

Nico merely nodded.

He still didn't know what was going on.

But if Will insisted things would be fine again, and Jason seemed to think the same, then Nico just had to believe it for now.

This was definitely a bad day, though.

Nico wanted to go back to bed.

...

Percy held himself together for exactly two minutes, then his brain gave up on him.

"Jason, I am _so_ sorry! I know you know, and you two probably talked, but _please_, you have to understand! It wasn't his fault or anything! Don't be mad at him, okay? Don't…I mean, I understand you must be pissed and you have every right to do my face in if you want to, but just…I didn't mean to…" He babbled, stopping dead in the middle of the Camp as he turned towards Jason, his body shaking as he tried to make himself understood.

Jason merely sighed, which couldn't possibly be a good sign.

Percy didn't understand how he hadn't done anything yet, or ranted at Percy, or said anything in general, but the fact he had made that excuse to get them out of the cabin and away from the other two just had to mean Percy's time was up.

He didn't want bad blood between them.

He hadn't meant to…to cause this mess between them all…

Gods, he could barely make himself look at Nico.

What would he think if he knew?

Percy had to tell him.

He knew he had to.

He felt sick just thinking about it.

There Nico was, always trying to reassure Percy that he wasn't going to cheat or do anything of the like, and then it was Percy who majorly fucked up.

To be expected, really.

Percy _always_ fucked up.

"Percy…" Jason said, and Percy flinched, already squeezing his eyes shut and waiting for the blow, no matter if physical or verbal.

The next moment, he felt Jason moving closer, and suddenly, Percy was engulfed in a tight hug.

"Percy, calm down. I'm not angry. I'm not upset. What is it with you two? Have I ever given you reason to believe I'd hurt you? Come on. Will acted as if I was going to murder you on the spot and kept rambling it was he who started it all to get you out of it, and here you are, rambling that I shouldn't be upset with Will. You two are such worrywarts." Jason remarked drily, even stroking over Percy's back, but Percy could only stand there and stare at Jason's shoulder in disbelief, trying to make sense of what was happening, what Jason was doing, what he was _saying_.

"But…but…I kissed him…"

"Yeah, I know."

"On the lips."

"I am aware."

"With tongue."

"Aren't you lucky?"

Percy didn't know what to say to that.

He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, but nothing came out, and Jason rubbed over his back.

"Come on, Percy, I kissed your boyfriend, too. You did it to comfort Will, I did it to ensure you three wouldn't weep all day long. And because I wanted to. Mostly because I wanted to, really. See? I'm just as bad as you. Now, did you hit me? Nope. You weren't even all that upset, and you know it." Jason reminded him, and Percy blinked.

Oh.

He had sort of forgotten about that.

That…was actually a pretty good argument.

Still…

"Does he hate me now?" He asked meekly, and Jason halted in his stroking.

Then he snorted.

"Are you crazy? Did you drink? Of course Will doesn't hate you. He's worrying sick because you're behaving as if you're about to have a mental breakdown, Percy. Nico is worried, too."

"I was scared I might have ruined things for you two…" He mumbled meekly, and Jason sighed again, rubbing over his back again.

"Nah, you're not _that_ great of a kisser. Though Will _did_ say you did a good job."

Percy pulled back, staring up at Jason in confusion.

"What?"

He must have misheard.

"Will said you're a good kisser. Not better than me, of course, but he did enjoy it." Jason said with a shrug, and Percy stared at him.

What the…

"Y-You talked about that?" He asked, feeling his face erupting into flames, while also feeling an oddly pleasant feeling surge through him, though he tried to ignore that.

"Well, yeah. I asked him. After all, I had to make sure you hadn't been too pushy or forceful. I mean, I knew it seemed to have happened out of the heat of the moment, but I have no clue about your kissing tendencies, and that one Dare-kiss seemed pretty intense." Jason told him with a shrug, then took him by the hand and tugged him after him towards his cabin.

Seriously, what the hell?

"I wouldn't have-…"

"I know, Percy."

"But you just said…"

"I said I had to make sure, not that I doubted you."

Percy let that sink in for a moment, though it still didn't make much sense.

"So…you're not angry?"

"No. Now, if Nico and I had stumbled in on you giving my boyfriend a blowjob, _that_ would have made me angry. I mean, how unfair would that be? I've been waiting ever since that night in the pillow corner for him to let me blow him again…"

"Jason!" Percy exclaimed, high-pitched and horrified, and Jason laughed loudly as he saw his face.

_This guy_!

"What? Come on, I know you guessed as much already, anyways."

Percy didn't say anything, but he could feel his face still burning.

This guy.

Seriously.

How could he even talk like that?

Didn't it bother him?

Percy was pretty sure the thought of Jason or Will blowing Nico would bother _him_ greatly…

Perc stopped in front of Jason's cabin as Jason went inside, and he tried to picture it for a moment.

His Nico, moaning and writhing and gasping, not because Percy was touching and pleasing him, but Jason or Will.

The thought was _weird_.

But…

Percy blushed, shifting on his legs as he self-consciously tugged on his sweater.

Jason came back out, glancing him up and down for a moment before barely suppressing a grin, holding up his photo album to show he had everything.

Then he grabbed Percy's hand again and tugged him towards the Poseidon cabin.

"Thinking of something in particular, sweetheart?"

Fuck you, Jason.

"Does it…does it really not bother you?" He asked instead, and Jason glanced over his shoulder at him.

"What? The fact that you kissed my boyfriend, or the thought of my boyfriend being happy with somebody other than me?"

How did Jason even know that, when Percy hadn't said a single thing about that?

Percy swallowed hard.

"Both?"

He really only cared for the second part at this point, but that sounded pretty rude and selfish, even inside his own head.

Jason chuckled.

"Percy, I just want him happy. Same as I wanted Nico happy. I don't…it's not like I don't _care_, because I do, and I do want him to be happy with _me_, same as I want Nico with me. But I know Nico loves you to bits, and I know that he's happy with you, so of course I accept that, and I'm happy for him. Of course it hurts, Percy. It's always going to hurt. And for a while, the thought of losing Will to you two hurt more than I could take. But now, I just really want him happy, you know?" Jason explained, but Percy wasn't sure he understood.

What did he mean, he was scared of losing Will to them?

It made no sense.

"So…you're okay with imagining him with…erm…I don't know, somebody else?" He asked, hating how his voice turned _disturbingly high_ at the last part.

Very subtle, Percy.

Jason shot him a look that said the same.

"Are you asking me whether I get turned on by the thought of you and Will making out with each other?"

No!

Well, yes, but…_did Jason have to say that out loud_?!

Percy sputtered something incoherent not even he was sure what it meant, and Jason grinned at him, nodding at the door of Percy's cabin to remind him they were standing in front of it like idiots.

Percy didn't want to, but he unlocked the door and moved past Jason and inside, trying to remember what he came here for.

"I don't know. Is that something you would be interested in, Percy? You, Nico _and_ Will? I've been wondering that for a while now. You know, you give the impression you're interested, but you tend to backtrack immediately again." Jason replied at long last, and Percy promptly hit his head on an opened cupboard as he leaned down to fetch his photo album.

_Ouch_.

And what the fuck, _Jason!_

"I…I…" He stammered, then broke off to weep quietly because his head _hurt_.

Seriously, it felt as if it was going to _split in two_!

Jason snorted, promptly moving inside to grab hold of his temples, studying the top of his head.

"That's going to be quite the bump. Might want to let Will take a look at it, just to make sure you don't have a concussion or something. But maybe add you hit your head, else they'll freak out and think I actually _did_ hit you, Perce." Jason stated, then blew against the forming lump, and Percy wailed quietly, his face still burning from the topic of their conversation.

Alright, he had hoped to one day get to this conversation and sort of find out Jason's view on the matter, but…

Maybe not quite like this, and not quite this out of nowhere…

"S-So you'd be…okay…with…with…" Percy stammered, and Jason snorted again, ruffling through his hair at the sides of his head.

"If Will and Nico are okay with it."

Percy tried to stomach that information.

Then he nodded quietly, reaching up to touch the lump on his head automatically, which promptly made him wince.

Jason snatched his hand away.

"Now, are you feeling better? Next to that bump on your head? All other worries regarding Will and me out of the way?"

Far from it.

Well, Percy guessed the questions swarming through his head _now_ had little to do with 'Will and Jason' and more with _Will and Jason_.

"Are we talking about just…just…" Percy started when it occurred to him Jason might have misunderstood, might be thinking this was just about sex.

Percy didn't want that!

Percy wanted…he wanted…

Percy wasn't sure what exactly he wanted…

He couldn't say it, either, so he just cleared his throat ever so subtly.

Jason hesitated for a moment.

Then he tugged Percy after him out of the cabin, and Percy was urged to turn his back to him for a moment so he could lock the door.

In a way, he almost expected Jason to be gone when he turned around.

But Jason just stood there, studying him for a moment.

"We're talking about whatever you wish to talk about, Percy. I don't mind either way. It's them you'll have to talk to about this. It's them you'll have to make it work with."

Something sounded weird with that statement, but Percy couldn't pinpoint it.

"But you'd be fine with it…? Even though it's…it's me…?" He asked hesitantly, not quite sure he understood it all correctly.

Gods, what if they were talking past each other?

What if Jason was thinking into an entirely different direction?

Percy didn't even want to know.

He didn't want to find out.

At the same time, he had to know.

"Well…I was sort of expecting it, in a way. That you and Nico would end up working things out between you and make a move on Will and all, you know?" Jason explained hesitantly, though he wasn't looking at Percy as he spoke.

Percy felt as if he had missed a step.

Then he realized he _had_.

The realization made him promptly stumble down the rest of the stairs, and Jason caught him instinctively, preventing him from landing face down in the dirt.

"Careful. Seriously, maybe you should lay down once we get back, Percy. Definitely let Will take a look at your head." Jason sounded worried.

It was amazing he could still worry about Percy's health when they were more or less talking about…possible…relation…ships…?

"I wouldn't…you make it sound as if you thought I'd have tried to…to take him from you or something…" Percy exclaimed, looking up at Jason and feeling pretty damn offended.

He would have _never_…

Jason smiled at him almost sadly, and Percy realized with a jolt Jason _really_ believed that.

The thought was both sobering and shocking at the same time.

"Jason, I saw how much you were hoping for more with him, and I saw how much he wanted to be with you. There's no way I'd have meddled with that, not even if he had been interested in…well, in Nico _and_ me like that. No. Definitely not. If anything, I want _the four of us_ to be a thing. You hear me?" He stated, glowering up at Jason and _daring_ him to look so sad and hurt again.

But Jason stared down at him with a stunned, speechless expression, and the silence stretched on for a long, long moment.

Then Percy felt his face burning as he thought over his words again.

Oh gods, what had he just said?

That had been _way_ too direct!

He tried to move away, to pull away from Jason and to walk off towards Nico's cabin with his head held high and all, but he only managed to take two steps away from Jason before a hand snatched his wrist, holding him back.

"The four of us?" Jason asked, his voice oddly quiet and laced with doubt, as if he thought he had heard wrong.

Percy stiffened.

Ugh, to hell with it.

"Duh. Come on, don't tell me you're actually surprised. I told you a hundred times already I want all four of us happy. I meant that. It's just that…I…I…"

Come on, this was Jason, he could tell Jason.

Percy took a deep breath.

Could he say it?

"I want…I want us to…to be happy _with_ each other…?" He forced out, though it sounded more like a question than a statement.

Jason still held his wrist, not moving, and not speaking, but not letting go, either.

Percy slumped slightly.

"I just thought…you know…it's just…in the beginning, I just felt so bad for you and Will because of the whole thing with Nico, and, while I _thought_ of the whole option of us all dating him, I sort of discarded it because I…I just wanted him to myself, you know? But then…then we all sort of started hanging out so much, and I just…I just started thinking…well, I was thinking it would be good for Nico. That it would make him happy, and it would probably make you guys happy, too. But then…then I sort of realized I was in the way for that, wasn't I? I mean, you and Will, you always got along so well, and you were so good with taking care of Nico together, I just figured that, if I was out of the picture, you three would make such a good couple. But I…I couldn't give up on Nico, Jason. I knew I was in the way, but I just hoped so badly it would be enough, that I'd be enough."

"Percy…" Jason started, but Percy shook his head.

He wasn't done yet.

"And I felt pretty shitty about it all, especially when Nico's dad and I had that talk. But then…then all this other stuff happened, with you and Will, and with Will running after me, with Elysium, and I still thought of _us_ being a thing, with or without me, but…but…it started…it started feeling different, Jason. It wasn't just for Nico anymore. At some point, I just realized that I started pondering that more and more because _I_ wanted that. I wanted the four of us to be together, not just to make Nico happy, but…but for myself, too…" He muttered, and he knew he wasn't saying it all, but he didn't know how else to say it.

For a long moment, there was silence.

Percy wanted to look around, but at the same time found he couldn't, unable to make himself see Jason's reaction.

It was strange.

They had _just_ talked about the whole issue, and Jason had clearly stated he didn't mind, but this felt different.

This was Percy actually confiding how much he wanted _that_, how he _really_ felt about it, and why he wanted it.

He wasn't just curious, he wasn't just doing this because he knew the guys liked Nico, or because it seemed like an interesting thing to do.

He wanted that because he…because he…

Because he liked them.

The way he liked Nico.

The realization was bitter and painful, though he knew he should have noticed before.

He probably had.

He remembered thinking to himself countless times that he loved them.

He just hadn't realized how_ much_ he actually loved them.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Jason asked softly behind him, and Percy shrugged, noticing he was trembling.

"I didn't know how. I wanted to, but then I didn't want to give you or Will false hope if Nico wasn't up for it. But I couldn't talk to Nico, because he kept insisting he didn't like you anymore, so I was scared I'd ruin things for us if I just suddenly brought _that_ up. The…the timing was never right. Plus…I…I kind of thought you'd…you know…not really want to…to have me in the mix…" He admitted meekly, already drawing up his shoulders, as if that really helped him hide.

Jason moved, wrapping his arms around him from behind, his hands stroking over his sides.

"You're an idiot, Percy."

"Fuck you too, Jason." Percy sulked, though he leaned back into Jason's hold anyways, glad Jason wasn't making fun of him or anything.

Then again, he had known Jason wouldn't.

Jason never did.

"You should have just told me. Bottling up such things is never good, you dork. You're just like Nico. Seriously, you two make a great couple, but also a horrible one, because you have the same problems. What am I to do with you?"

Percy saw a couple of kids stopping and staring at them, and realized dimly they were standing in the middle of the Camp again, and Jason was still holding him.

He didn't even want to know how this had to look to other people.

Jason seemed to notice, too, because he pulled away and tugged on Percy's hand again, pulling him along towards Nico's cabin.

"So…do you…did you ever think of…you know…?" Percy asked timidly, trying to hold on to that small glimmer of hope inside him.

"I did. And for the record, you were always 'in the mix', Percy. You're my best bro, I wouldn't leave you out like that." Jason replied quietly, shooting him a small smile over his shoulder.

Percy could only nod.

"Same."

Though now, Percy was dying to ask how Jason had pictured a 'them'.

Was it the way Percy had pictured it?

With the four actually all dating each other?

Or would Percy and Jason just be bros?

However, Percy didn't get to ask, because then they were already making their way up the front steps to Nico's cabin, and Percy proved to be an idiot again when he stumbled on the last step and almost rammed his head into the door.

Luckily, Jason caught him just in time again, and before he could say _anything_, the door was already opening, and Nico blinked at them in surprise.

"Oh, hey. We were about to go looking for you. What took you so long?" His boyfriend asked, apparently completely unfazed by the fact that Jason had his arms around Percy from the side, and Percy's hands were holding onto said arms as if his life depended on it.

"Percy hit his head on an open drawer. Will, can you take a look at it? He's been stumbling ever since." Jason explained calmly, as if nothing whatsoever had happened, as if they hadn't just had ground-shaking revelations, as if Percy hadn't just confided into him he wanted a 'them'.

Percy had to admit it more upset him than calmed him, and he knew it showed when he pulled away from Jason and shot him a dark look.

"I'm _fine_, Jason." He snapped, feeling hurt even though he knew Jason was just giving him a chance to make up his mind when and how to talk to Nico (and Will…).

Jason's eyebrows shot up, but Percy turned away from him, anyways, making to enter the cabin – only to somehow manage to get his foot _under_ the doormat and stumble _again_.

Nico made a strangled sound and reached out to catch him, while Jason let out a warning hiss – which didn't make much sense, until Percy's head collided with Nico's chest, and he howled out in pain.

Fuck!

That _hurt_!

…Alright, he had probably deserved that.

But _still_!

...

"Hold still, you idiot." Will chided, and Percy pouted as he slumped again, letting Will dab some cream on the lump forming on his head.

He had hit his head on a cupboard, huh?

Well, Will wasn't surprised.

Percy was as all over the place as he was.

Well, had been.

Jason wasn't mad at him.

It didn't make any sense, but he wasn't mad at him.

He wasn't mad at Percy, either.

Granted, Will had almost thought Jason had been the cause for Percy's bump on his head, but Percy had immediately started wailing about 'that dumb drawer that won't close', so Will fully believed Jason was innocent.

Percy felt a lot better, too.

Well, now he felt more in pain than anything else, but the panic had subsided greatly.

Now, he more seemed peeved about something that had to do with Jason, so Will was certain everything was fine, and those two were simply their old dorky selves again.

Nico patted Percy's thigh gently, still looking guilty for having caused him extra pain when he had caught him, but Will was pretty sure Percy would have minded falling much more than that.

Percy whined as Will dabbed some more cream on the lump, feeling around it gently.

Then again, maybe Nico should have just let him fall.

"It's all good. No blood, no concussion. The cream will fix it. If you do still feel pain in an hour or so, tell me, okay?" Will stated, patting Percy on the shoulder to show him he was good to go, and Percy let out a small huff.

"Thanks. See, Jason, I told you I was _fine_."

"Better safe than sorry! It looked _brutal_ when you hit your head, I first thought you were going to black out!" Jason insisted, and Will sighed.

Yes, that was _exactly_ what you should say, Jason.

If you wanted to_ agitate _Percy, that was.

"I was _not_! It's all _your_ fault for saying…saying…_that_, anyways!" Percy shot back, and Will rolled his eyes.

Right.

Did he want to know?

No. No, he didn't.

He nudged Percy over towards his boyfriend, knowing Nico needed reassurance right now that things were okay.

Percy, however, instantly winced and shot Will a worried look as he shifted away immediately, probably thinking something very stupid.

Will wanted to meet his gaze and let him know things were good, but…then he instead averted his face hurriedly, unable to look at Percy just yet.

They had kissed.

Just like that.

Will still didn't know how that had just suddenly happened.

He had been confused when Percy had started kissing his hands, had started wondering what Percy was even doing, and why he was bothering (and also, why the hell that had felt so _nice_).

Then Percy had moved to place soft kisses all over his face, similar to how he had done before, and Will had just…sort of melted into it, letting him do all that, and letting it comfort him.

And then, suddenly, their lips had been on each other, and Will had felt all warm and hot and fuzzy and ecstatic as he had kissed back, had pushed against Percy, had felt Percy pushing against him, had felt the awe and the amazement and the same warm and fuzzy feeling flowing through Percy.

It had felt amazing.

So much like their Dare-kiss, yet nothing like it, too.

But just like with their Dare-kiss, Will had just poured it all out, everything inside him, the hurt, the shock, the guilt, everything.

He had just let it out in that kiss, and Percy had moaned and taken it, eagerly kissing back and making Will overflow with emotions – _positive_ emotions.

Who knew how long they would have kissed if Percy hadn't said his name, if Wil hadn't said Percy's name, if they hadn't realized at the same time what was happening?

Will didn't allow himself to ponder that.

They had realized, and the guilt and panic had taken over _both_ of them, the fear radiating off Percy so badly Will hadn't even needed to touch him to know.

He had been so scared.

Will had been scared, too.

Especially when Jason and Nico had shown up, making the consequences all the more obvious and palpable

In a way, Will still couldn't believe it had really happened, though.

How could it have?

And how had Will _let_ it happen?

He knew he liked Percy, yes, but…

But he had asked Jason out just _yesterday_.

Had decided he didn't give a shit about all the risks and reasons why not to, and had asked him out, and Jason had said yes, and Jason was _wonderful_.

Will hated the fact he had almost destroyed that after just one day.

Even if Jason wasn't upset, it was still a shitty start for their relationship, wasn't it?

Jason had insisted he knew Will wouldn't cheat on him, but what would he think if it happened again?

Will glanced towards Jason, but Jason didn't look perturbed in any way, looking his way the moment he felt his gaze.

His expression was soft, gentle, reassuring.

Just as usual.

The next moment, Jason moved over to him, and Will found himself reaching out automatically.

Jason smiled at him, taking his hands and leaning forward to press his lips against Will's.

See? This was how it should be.

"You know, maybe we should play Truth or Dare again sometime." Jason suddenly announced as he pulled back, and Will blinked, taken aback.

What…?

Percy's head snapped around, his expression one of pure horror, and Will had no idea what _that_ was about, but he was beginning to think those two had talked about something important.

"Truth or Dare?" Nico asked dubiously, and Jason nodded, while also shaking his head slightly into Percy's direction.

Percy didn't relax.

Will eyed them both warily, not sure what to say.

While Truth or Dare sounded great, he had no idea what the use of it would be anymore.

Before, it had been a great way to fluster Nico and to get a chance at some forbidden kisses and touches or the like, but now…?

Now, the only things they could 'dare' each other to do was kissing their respective boyfriends, since there was no way anybody would agree to anything different, and Will wasn't going to risk anything that _would_ upset Jason in the end.

He hadn't even chided Will.

Hadn't even said anything like 'Don't do it again'.

Jason was an astounding person.

Will wondered faintly whether that was why Jason had seemed so unperturbed most of the time when Percy and Nico had started dating in the beginning.

Because he had figured he just wanted Nico happy, no matter what.

Will wished he could prioritize somebody else's happiness like that, too.

He had been able to smile, and it had stopped bothering him all that much after a while, but it had still hurt an awful lot to see Nico happy with somebody that _wasn't_ Will.

Will wanted to sigh.

Funnily enough, it felt like so many things would be so much easier if the four of them just tore down that last barrier and decided to just freaking date.

Seriously, half the Camp thought they were together, anyways.

And Will certainly wouldn't mind Percy's tongue down Nico's throat if _he_ got to do the same, too.

….And this was why Will wasn't allowed to be alone with his thoughts.

(Wishful thinking at its best.)

Something felt off today.

He was pretty sure he knew what it was, but he didn't like how desperate it made him.

Just because the monsters were back and he knew their time was limited now more than ever, didn't mean he should rush anything or do something stupid.

Sadly, he had already done the stupid thing and kissed Percy.

Or, well, let Percy kiss him, though he had certainly gone along with it immediately.

Truth or Dare sounded like it could be his next mistake, though.

One wrong-placed question and he'd mess up and the day was done for.

Did he want to risk that?

"Yeah. It's not like we're going to do anything else today. Annabeth said she'll come by if they need us, and until then, we still have our peace, so why not? Might make for some interesting revelations." Jason explained, and Will's blood froze in his veins.

Wait, was Jason trying to get Percy to talk to Nico about the kiss this way?

Some sneaky question like 'Who's the first person you kissed today'?

No, Jason wouldn't do that.

Then again, maybe he thought it necessary because of something Percy had said.

Maybe Percy had asked Jason to help him with figuring out how to talk to Nico about it to make sure Nico wouldn't think anything was wrong between them.

Percy looked oddly pale and kept shaking his head slightly, as if trying not to let Will and Nico see, but make Jason understand to _stop_.

Will wished he could say that strengthened his resolve to refuse to play, but sadly, it made him more curious than anything else.

Nico eyed his boyfriend oddly from the side, and Percy instantly stilled, blinking innocently at him.

Gods, Percy was such a shitty actor sometimes.

Which was weird, because sometimes he also _could_ act.

"What do you think, Will?" Jason asked, sitting down next to him, and for a moment, Will really considered saying no.

But then, Jason nuzzled his face against the side of his neck and nipped on his ear gently, and Will closed his eyes in bliss.

"Sure."

Anything to make him continue _that_.

Jason smirked against his skin, he could _feel_ it.

Then Jason nipped on the shell of his ear again, before moving to his earlobe to tug on it gently, and Will shivered.

Having a boyfriend surely was a great thing, especially if that boyfriend was Jason.

"Unfair! You're seducing him to say yes!" Percy wailed agitatedly, and Will opened one eye slightly to squint at him, not quite mustering a glare when Jason still had his lips at his ear.

"You're just jealous because Nico isn't seducing _you_."

Nico made a startled sound, while Percy just flushed scarlet and stammered something incoherent, both of them looking adorably flustered.

But then, Nico suddenly had one of those wonderful spurs that Will knew Percy adored.

"Well, excuse us for being considerate of you guys! Percy…" Nico started, and Will was already grinning before Percy even seemed to know what was happening, turning towards his boyfriend with a wince and a puppy face.

The next moment Will watched Nico tug him down and kiss him, and watched with greatest satisfaction how Percy's eyes widened in surprise, before he returned the kiss.

_Aww_.

Just as planned.

Jason smirked against his skin, kissing down his neck now, before he stopped to put his chin on Will's shoulder, watching them same as Will was.

He could tell they were only kissing to show off right then and there, but he also knew that would change in three…two…one…

Percy moaned, and Nico's hands started fumbling with the collar of Percy's shirt, before he started moving closer and tried to climb onto Percy's lap without breaking the kiss.

They _had_ been putting off for a while now, after all.

Which had mostly been Will's fault, because of all the drama with Kyle, and Jason leaving, and even more drama with Kyle.

"Eww, Jason, look at those two, all over each other and in love." He teased, and Percy held up his middle finger, before suddenly grabbing Nico and nearly throwing him into the sheets, following right behind to kiss him again, to touch him again, and Will was pretty sure he saw that hand going _under_ Nico's shirt.

Uh-oh, somebody was letting things escalate a bit too quickly.

Not that Will was one to talk, given that he and Jason had rushed through their little lovemaking yesterday, too.

"You know you just brought that forth, Freckles. And your smug smile tells me you're more than a little pleased about it, too." Jason replied with a grin, kissing Will's neck again.

As nice as that felt, they should probably get out of here, though.

While he was pretty sure that, if Percy had been awake, Nico had most likely been awake during his handjob with Jason as well, he was absolutely certain _he_ didn't want to witness anything of the like between Percy and Nico.

They probably also wouldn't appreciate that very much.

"Yeah, I know. Come on, let's go, before we see _things_, Jason." He remarked and made to get up, but Jason held him back for a moment.

The moment Will glanced at him in question, though, there was a knock on the door, and Percy and Nico parted with a groan.

"I swear, if that's Annabeth…" Nico grumbled, and even though Will and/or Jason would have been perfectly capable of answering the door, the Italian was already getting up and rushing over, looking as if he had just been deprived of…well, everything, really.

Damn.

There went Will's hard work of getting them to work off some steam.

But, well, at least he could say he had tried.

(He probably shouldn't even pay attention to that sort of thing between Percy and Nico in the first place, but meh.)

Percy sat up, still looking adorably disheveled and slightly dazed, though he seemed a lot less frustrated than Nico.

Will had noticed that before, too.

Percy could make do without sex for a lot longer than Nico, by the looks of it.

Interesting.

Then again, not really, but Will guessed he couldn't deny he was sort of curious about these sort of things, anyways.

Nico talked to whoever it was at the door, though there was no Annabeth rushing in, and Nico didn't open the door entirely.

Instead, he looked back at them with an odd look, and Will had a bad feeling when his gaze landed on Will for a moment, the conflict clearly visible in his warm, dark eyes.

What?

Who was it?

Did they have even more bad news?

Will partly wanted to strain his ears to make out the voice and words, but at the same time was scared of what he'd hear.

Jason stroked over his back soothingly, and Nico stuck his head back out the door, shaking his head.

"I don't think so, no. Maybe a few more days? Just let him come on his own-…" Nico said quietly, and Will's insides churned with dread.

The Italian couldn't get any further, though, because whoever was outside the door seemed to have had enough and shoved against the door, resulting in Nico gasping and _Kayla_ storming in.

"Will!"

Well, shit.

...

(**Careful, there's Trigger Warnings for this POV**. Please skip if you think/know this might trigger you.  
**Trigger Warnings**: Talk about abuse/rape/violence/possession of dreams, Talk about Kyle, Basically what happened to Clovis.  
**Please skip to next POV if you have to**.)

...

"You look horrible." Nico noted as he laid eyes on Clovis, and the boy huffed indignantly.

"Wish I could say the same about you, but you look as creepy as usual. How are the others?" He asked, and Nico sighed.

Now, what was he supposed to say to that?

Chiron swished his tail impatiently, which made Nico decide for a longer reply than 'It's okay'.

"Well, they've certainly seen better days, but at least we're alive. Mostly, it's Will struggling with the knowledge his crazy ex is on the loose, and the guys cursing the day they let it happen. How are you holding up?" He asked, and Annabeth shot him a look that told him she knew full well he was trying to draw out their conversation mostly to irritate Chiron.

His own fault.

Why did Nico have to come here _alone_?

He understood why it might be a bad idea to let Will come to the infirmary and talk to Clovis, Chiron and Annabeth, yes, but why couldn't anybody else come with Nico?

Then again, they were probably better off with Kayla and the rest of the Apollo cabin.

Nico would have liked to go there, too…

Especially to watch over Will.

His siblings were so overly attached to him sometimes, after all, and while he knew Percy would undoubtedly say something if things got too much, he also knew there was still something wrong between Percy and Will.

He hoped they'd be okay.

Everything had to be okay eventually…

"Eh, I guess I can't complain. At least I'm not bound up in the middle of a cold, dark forest anymore, slipping in and out of dreams to figure out what's going on. You know? Then again, now I was technically slipping in and out of life, which didn't feel all that much better either, I suppose…"

Yeah…probably not.

Nico felt the guilt gnawing at him, though he knew Clovis was mostly trying to irritate Chiron, too.

As a matter of fact, everybody who believed Will seemed rather pissed off at the centaur.

Well, it _was_ his fault for letting Kyle stay.

If Chiron had simply kicked Kyle out the moment Jason had beaten him up…

Nico shook his head slightly to himself.

There was no point pondering that now.

He had better things to do than to keep grudges, no matter how reasonable they might seem.

"Yes, things have been horrible. Now, could we get started, please? I know you're hurting, we all are in one way or another, but I'd really like to know what Clovis has to tell us, and he insisted he won't talk unless you're here, too, Nico. That's why I got you. The quicker we're done here, the quicker you can return to your boyfriends." Annabeth cut in, and he sent her a sour look.

They were all hurting, huh?

Well, last time he remembered, she wasn't the one with blood pouring out of her chest because Kyle had gotten to her.

She also wasn't the one who had nearly let the loves of her life kill each other right in front of her eyes.

And, in Jason's and Percy's case, she also hadn't been the one who had nearly _killed_ said loves of her life.

Nor had she had to face any crazy, abusive ex-boyfriend of hers that had apparently shown up just to torment her all over again.

Really, _she_ had no reason to talk about this whatsoever.

Was Nico being unnecessarily cruel and unfair?

Yeah, but he didn't feel like changing that right now, either.

Chiron sighed deeply, but didn't speak, waiting for them to finally start talking.

Nico exchanged a look with Clovis, then the son of Hypnos nodded and sat up a bit straighter, though that seemed to still cause him pain, if his grimace stood for anything.

"Well, I mostly wanted Nico here so I can apologize. I messed up big time. I shouldn't have told you to keep quiet, and I shouldn't have gone on my own. Nico, I really didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just wanted to help somehow. Since I saw Will's dreams, and all the memories that were riled up because of them, there was no way I could keep quiet and do nothing, after all. Not when that guy was still on the loose, and especially not if he posed a threat to others, too." Clovis explained, and Nico shook his head.

"I understand. If anything, I have to apologize for getting you dragged into everything. Seriously, I should have realized something was wrong when I couldn't find you anywhere at Camp, so there's that, too. Did you find anything out?" He asked, and Clovis huffed.

"Oh, _plenty_. Nothing very good, though. You see, once I told you to keep quiet about the whole 'Hey, by the way, Kyle can invade people's dreams'-thing, I left to gather more information on the matter. Which worked great in the beginning, by the way. I checked a few other cabins, realized there were a few people in each that had their dreams sabotaged in one way or another, and tried to fix the damage with gentle nudges every here and there…"

"What do you _mean_, he can 'invade other people's dreams'?" Annabeth snapped, but Nico shushed her.

"Did he hurt them, too? Or was it more of a-…" He started, but Annabeth cut in again.

"Nico, shut up. You two knew Kyle could possess people, and you didn't bother telling us about it?" She asked, and Nico scowled at her, generally disliking the idea of anybody telling him to 'shut up'.

"We didn't. Kyle invaded Will's dream and tried to _rape_ him, so Clovis got me to intervene. All we knew was that that son of a bitch was intent on hurting Will in any and every possible way. So, sorry of not informing _you_ of that, seeing as you need to know every single thing that happens at this Camp." He snapped back, and Annabeth threw him a dark look that didn't faze him one bit.

"Well, it would have been pretty helpful to know, since Piper and I are pretty much _the only people at Camp_ who actually seem to think logically about _anything_ here!"

Nico growled.

"You want me to think logically? Will was raped for _years_ and you didn't do shit about it, little Ms. Know-it-all. Will was hurt over and over again to the point where he sometimes can't let anybody as much as put their hand on his shoulder. Will was abused, and you, who obviously knows _everything_, you did. Not. Help."

Annabeth threw her arms up.

"Yes! I know I fucked up! I know I should have noticed, I know I should have run to Chiron and said something…" She started, but Nico huffed derisively, sparing the centaur one glance.

If he was already at it, he might as well.

"As if he'd have done anything. No, of course we don't have to believe Jason when he says Kyle is an abusive asshole that's a threat to all. Nope. Let's just let the freaking rapist stay at Camp for however long he desires. What could _possibly_ go wrong?"

Chiron's jaw set, his tail swishing again in agitation, but Nico couldn't care less.

"Nico, we know you're upset. But you and I, we talked about this! I told you all we knew about Kyle, I told you we know there's more to it than just him hurting Will…" Annabeth put in, and Nico's head snapped around.

"_Just_?!"

He wasn't sure whether it was his expression, or his tone, but she took a step back, anyways, her hands instantly up.

"No. I meant there's more to it than that. I did _not_ mean to invalidate what happened. Nico, calm down." There was an edge to her voice he couldn't quite place, but Nico decided to at the very least straighten up again, noticing he had crouched slightly, as if he had been ready to lunge.

He might have been, too.

Those were _his_ guys.

He had failed to protect them once.

He wouldn't fail again.

"Guys, enough. Anyways, Nico, to answer your question: He didn't hurt them. Not in the way he had hurt Will. Instead, it seemed he was more looking for information, though that already did enough damage. You need to consider that, while you sleep, your brain works a lot different than when you're awake, especially regarding your memory. Now, usually, you'd dream about irrelevant things, or things that happened throughout your day, or things that have been bothering you. However, when he invaded their dreams, he sabotaged them to show the most random memories. I've never seen anything quite like it. If it wasn't so scary, not to mention _dangerous_, I'd have probably even been impressed. But it was horrible, Nico. He forced them to go through so many things, and none of them nice. I tried to compare all the snippets I managed to catch, but couldn't detect any similarities. Back then, I seriously had no idea what he was even looking for, unless he was looking for the most miserable memories at Camp." Clovis explained, and Nico shot Annabeth a last dirty look, before moving to Clovis' bedside and giving a small nod to show he was listening.

So, Kyle had sabotaged people's dreams, huh?

That might actually really explain why people had been so split about everything.

"In the end, I decided I couldn't gather much from that, so I decided to instead get closer to the Hermes cabin, hoping to take a peek at Kyle's dreams. Usually, it's enough for me to be asleep to feel them and be able to take a look at any time, like with anybody else. In this case, though, there was something like a wall around Kyle. I couldn't access them. So I hoped I might be able to if I get closer to him." Clovis went on, and Nico found that sounded like a _horrible_ idea.

Clovis' expression told him he was right.

They both sighed deeply.

"Well, let's just say it worked for ten seconds, then Kyle noticed something was off, and I was caught." The son of Hypnos muttered, waving a hand dismissively, though Nico knew it must have been a lot worse than how he made it sound.

"Did you manage to find out anything?" Annabeth asked, and Nico considered scowling at her again for her lack of sympathy on the matter.

However, he then decided to simply act as if she didn't exist.

"So he took you to the forest?" He asked, instead, and Annabeth huffed behind him.

Served her right.

Clovis' lips twitched slightly, looking between the two.

"Yeah, pretty much. And no, I couldn't gather much, other than the fact that he was looking for Will, even though he didn't know it at the time." Clovis explained, and Nico's fists clenched.

So, in other words, Kyle had come to Camp because of those 'visions', huh?

Why?

"How so?" Annabeth asked, and Nico had no intention whatsoever of telling her anything.

Clovis, however, seemed to think differently.

"Will has been…getting nightmares. But of the godly sort. I can't say much, because he has to remember them by himself, but Kyle was pretty much looking for the person who had them. I couldn't manage to find out why before he already claimed my mind and brought me to the forest."

Nico could practically _feel_ Annabeth glaring daggers at him.

"How come nobody told us about this little fact?" She asked, but Nico merely turned his head, shooting her a cold look.

"To prevent certain assholes from figuring it out and coming after Will, maybe?"

That was totally not the reason, but it felt good making her scowl and think of something smart to reply with – especially when she then merely huffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Ha.

"Anyways, he first wanted to get rid of me, but since I knew what he was looking for, I knew he'd figure out it was Will sooner or later, if he decided to file through my memories. So, well, to keep you guys safe, I made him believe it was _me_ he was looking for. Since I saw what Will saw, it was easy to provide him with a proof, and he actually believed it almost instantly. He's…pretty scary when he thinks he has won." Clovis muttered quietly, drawing together slightly and looking down at the blanket.

Nico reached out to touch his shoulder in consolidation.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Clovis. I really am. I should have alerted more people to your absence and looked for you-…"

Clovis waved off, a small smile on his lips.

"It's alright, but thanks, anyways. I knew what I was doing, Nico. And I knew what I was getting myself into. Mostly, at least. Plus, if I didn't do that, I'd have been dead, so I figured I might as well try to gather as much information as I can while also planning a possible escape. Both of which…failed." Clovis explained, the last part followed by a heavy sigh and his shoulders slumping slightly, as if in disappointment.

"So you didn't find out anything?" Annabeth asked, and Nico bit his tongue not to snap at her again.

Of course, he knew she didn't mean it bad, and that she was just trying to make sense of what had happened and what would happen, but he still thought her way of going about the matter immensely rude and heartless.

Then again, Nico knew he'd have probably been the same way if this wasn't so personal.

"Well, I know he was acting on behalf of somebody else. I know you said he claimed to have been alone, but the glimpses I caught of his mind and memories definitely showed other people, and not just a few. Also, he has a very one-track mind. He came here solely to find the demigod that had the visions, and that's what he pursued the moment he stepped into Camp. Nothing else mattered to him, and there was nothing that could have possibly stopped him from it. Really, it's a miracle he ended up leaving without Will." Clovis told them, but something nagged at the back of Nico's mind.

"If he was so set on finding the person with visions, then why did he assault Will?" He asked once he managed to pinpoint what was bothering him about that statement.

Clovis seemed to hesitate, so Nico continued.

"I mean, wouldn't it have made more sense for him to stay low, to not cause trouble and to make sure he can stay at Camp – and _move freely_ in and around Camp – so he could find what he was looking for? Why would he assault Will in the very first hour he's here, then?"

He still remembered Kyle's words, about how that had 'helped' him by allowing him to leave without having to come up with any made-up story, but he didn't believe it.

Kyle could have just left overnight without a trace once he had what he wanted, and then he'd have still had the chance to come back at a later point, without people alerted to the fact he was a lying, abusive, evil bastard.

It just didn't make sense.

"Fear." Annabeth said quietly behind him, and he glanced around at her.

"What?"

"Fear. He did it to scare Will. I don't think he meant for Jason to catch him. So he went after Will the moment he retreated, assaulting him in order to scare him."

What?

Why?

"That doesn't make any sense." He replied, but Annabeth shook her head, her expression grim.

"It does, sadly. You see, Will knew he was a bad guy. Just think about it, Nico. What would have happened once you found out Will seemed beside himself with fear? You guys would have bugged him until he confided into you what had happened, and I bet you three would have either stormed the Hermes cabin to skin Kyle alive, or you'd have wreaked havoc on the Camp to get Kyle kicked out." She explained, and Nico stiffened slightly, though he couldn't deny the truth of the statement.

Then again, Kyle couldn't have known that, could he now?

He hadn't even known who Nico was, at first.

Much less Jason.

"He might not have known what you three would have done, but he must have known that there were people Will _could_ tell, and those people could get in his way. So he went after Will the first chance he had, to make sure he _wouldn't_ tell." Annabeth explained, and Nico's stomach churned.

"By raping him?" He asked, feeling sick all over again and regretting not letting Jason kill him, back when he had had the chance.

Annabeth sighed gravely.

"I don't know if he really intended to go all the way that day, but basically, yes. He knew Will was still afraid of him just from the fact he had run the moment he had seen him, so I don't doubt he knew it would be easy to get to him again."

Nico found anger bubbling up inside him instantly at the way she spoke about his Will.

Annabeth instantly lifted her hands, as if sensing how close Nico was to snapping at her again.

"It's true, Nico. You saw how much just _seeing_ him wrecked Will. Imagine what would have happened if Kyle had really raped him. If Jason hadn't come. Do you really think he'd have come crying to you right after and tell you what had happened?" She asked, and Nico scowled darkly.

Horribly enough, he knew she was right.

Will wouldn't have run to them.

If anything, he'd have run away, would have hidden somewhere, would have tried to hide from Kyle, from the world, from them, and would have probably cried himself to sleep.

They'd have looked everywhere for him, and maybe they'd have found him, or maybe they wouldn't have, but chances were they wouldn't have necessarily blamed Kyle for it.

At least not instantly.

And by the time they'd have found Will, he'd have either been in no state to tell them what had happened, or he'd have acted as if nothing had happened and as if everything was okay again.

They'd have probably been none the wiser.

Kyle could have moved around Camp freely, right under their noses, and they'd have never even thought twice about it.

Gods, just the thought made Nico want to kill something.

"She's right. He was livid about Jason interrupting him, and he hated being watched 24/7. It's what forced him to invade people's dreams in the first place. That was also why he invaded Will's dream. He knew his time at Camp was limited, now more than ever, and he couldn't risk Will babbling, after all. As long as it was just Jason and you guys making a fuss, he could still deny it and act innocent, especially because Will would never speak up against him while he was there. The only problem was that he knew it wouldn't last, and that you guys would persuade him to talk to Chiron sooner or later. So he invaded his dream to – once more – scare him. To keep him from telling. If Will was shit scared of being abused again, of getting hurt, or of you guys getting hurt, he'd have never talked. But then you came and made a cut through that plan, Nico." Clovis agreed, and Nico wished he could be glad about having made some sort of difference.

He wasn't.

Instead, he wished he had dragged his guys right back into the Underworld the moment Kyle had shown up.

He really should have.

Maybe he should still do it now.

No…he couldn't.

Will needed sunlight.

Percy and Jason did, too, but Will needed it the most.

He wouldn't do well in the Underworld, especially not for longer.

"He was beside himself with anger. It's what first allowed me to even get as close as I did, not to mention granted me those few seconds of access to his mind and memories, in general. After all, that could have ruined everything for him. Since you managed to 'save' Will, he knew there was a big chance he'd feel protected enough to risk it, that he'd come out to Chiron and get him kicked out. He hated it. One of the reasons he managed to catch me so quickly was just because he stormed out of the cabin, intent on hunting you guys down and getting rid of you in one way or another, just to stumble over paralyzed, little me." Clovis told them, and the hairs on Nico's neck stood up at the thought of Kyle actually moving to _get to them_.

They wouldn't have even known what was happening.

Nico had no doubts his father would have prevented Kyle from entering the Hades cabin, but knowing that Kyle could apparently possess people at will, he knew he'd have found a way to get them _out_ of that cabin.

The thought was scary.

Scary.

_Fear_.

Damn, Kyle had managed to even scare Nico, in a way.

He didn't like that.

He didn't like that whatsoever.

"Kyle knew instantly that I was nudging his mind, so he immediately attacked. I couldn't even blink, then he already had me by the neck and covered my mouth to prevent me from screaming, before we both sort of…dissolved? I don't know. I was in front of the Hermes cabin one moment, and in the middle of the forest the next, and I know I wanted to throw up my dinner immediately after suddenly feeling my limbs and weight again out of nowhere. Anyways, he first wanted to kill me, saying I knew things I shouldn't, in that sickly sweet voice of his. So, well, I played my cards, and he believed it." Clovis summed up, once more avoiding to go into detail about what he had said, but nobody pried.

Clovis sighed, looking down and playing with his bandages again.

"You should have seen it, Nico. He was so _angry_ one moment, and suddenly, he seemed absolutely _euphoric_. It was creepy. Not even just scary or weird, but _creepy_. I've never seen anything quite like it. Suddenly, he didn't care anymore whether Will would tell. He even said he hoped it would be soon, so he could leave with me. He taunted me countless times that we could very well leave right away, but somehow, now that he _had_ what he was looking for, he decided that he could allow himself to 'play' for a little while. I still don't know how he managed to get away from Simon so many times, because somehow, every time I was awake, he was pretty much there, taunting me verbally and telling me almost gleefully that it was 'only a matter of time now until the Camps would end'."

Nico's eyes widened.

"Until the camps would end?" Annabeth asked for verification, and Nico's mind spun as he remembered Kyle's words.

Hadn't he said something like that, too?

About Will – or the person with visions, at any rate – being the 'only hope' for the Camps?

"That's what he said. I hoped to get behind whatever it is he and whatever other people involved are planning, but no such luck. He sadly didn't give anything else away, either. All he said was that this was better than anything he could have ever imagined when he had first spotted Will again, after such a long time. He…talked about Will a lot." Clovis muttered, and Nico scowled.

That bastard didn't even deserve to _think_ Will's _name_, much less speak it.

He most definitely didn't deserve to speak of his Will.

At all.

Ever.

"That doesn't make any sense. He didn't know Will was involved in any way, after all. Why would he have imagined things to work out this way once he saw him here at Camp?" Annabeth asked, and Nico frowned, not having thought of that.

"Oh, but he didn't 'first see' Will here at Camp. He saw him outside Camp. I don't know where, but I saw it in his mind. Some sort of crowded street, I guess. Looked like a city, but people were running around in weird outfits every here and there. He saw Will talking to Jason, who was holding something like bags or whatever. I don't know. Guess he must have spotted you during your travels? Wherever it was, it pretty much made Kyle realize he had to go pay Camp Half-Blood a visit soon." Clovis mused, and Nico stumbled backwards, his mind reeling.

Crowded street.

Weird outfits.

Jason with bags.

_New Rome_.

He remembered Jason's words, about Will insisting he was 'fine', remembered Will's shocked expression, remembered the way he had glanced towards the entrance of New Rome with _fear_ flashing in his eyes.

Remembered the person he had thought he could make out there for a split second.

That hadn't been Kyle.

But Kyle could possess people.

What if…

"Annabeth." He exclaimed, and they shared a look that said she had come to the same conclusion.

Of course.

Kyle had been looking for the person with visions.

"If he knew of both the Camps, he must have known of the struggle between them, and must have undoubtedly heard of the oracle missing and nobody being able to foresee the future." Nico said, and Annabeth nodded.

"Naturally, he'd have checked Camp Jupiter for information first, since they document _everything_ in one way or another." She continued, and he felt his skin tingling.

"But because Will wasn't there, he of course couldn't find anything, at least not related to that. He must have tried to possess people in order to get information, but gotten frustrated when he found nothing." He went on, and she shook her head gravely.

"Plus, he'd have needed to cover up what he was doing, so of course he'd steal something every here and there, or make people do crazy things to throw the Camp into a craze."

"And to scare them. They didn't know who or what was causing all that mess, so of course they were scared." He added, and she nodded.

"Once he saw Will, he must have realized there was more travelling between the Camps than he would have thought. It must have occurred to him that there was a chance his missing information was here, if not the person itself. Will was something like a switch for him. Once he saw him, he knew that, even without the Oracle, there was a chance what he was looking for was here." She deduced, and he stared off into space.

"So he came here to find that, and he tried to manipulate Will into being quiet for long enough to let him work in peace, until he thought he had what he wanted by capturing Clovis." He muttered quietly, but something was nagging at the back of his mind again.

"Yes. Then he just stayed to mess with Will and to get a chance of taking him with him, after all. You saw the way he was looking at him, Nico. He wanted Will. He might even 'love' him, in his own twisted, sick way."

Nico didn't want to hear that.

He absolutely didn't.

"He can shove his 'love' up his-…" He grumbled darkly, but Annabeth hissed, and he swallowed the rest of his reply, though it was much more difficult than one might have thought.

"Don't. We all agree with you, but just. Don't." Annabeth reprimanded, and Nico huffed, but kept quiet.

For a moment, the room was completely silent, with Annabeth, Clovis and Nico exchanging telling looks.

Then, Chiron let out a deep, grave sigh behind them.

Somehow, Nico had almost forgotten he was even there.

His resentment came right back up at the realization Chiron _was_ still there.

He had let Kyle into Camp.

He had let all of this happen in the first place.

He could have ended it immediately, before anybody could have gotten to harm.

He could have _stopped_ it.

Instead, he had done _nothing_.

Anger, resentment and hatred welled up inside Nico, and a small voice in the back of his head reprimanded him not to start holding grudges again.

He'd have ignored it, too.

Unfortunately, that small voice sounded an awful lot like Will, and the next moment, Nico remembered how he himself hadn't done much, either.

What had he done to protect Will?

He had urged him to face his nightmare in the form of bringing him to breakfast.

He had let him out of his sight when Will had run off to talk to Jason.

He had kept him holed up in their cabins, when he could have brought him somewhere safer like the Underworld, as well as alerted the entire Camp to search for Clovis, which would have undoubtedly been better than just giving up again after a mere hour of looking.

He had let Will go to Chiron alone to face what had to have been his greatest fears, all by himself.

He had let Kyle hurt Clovis.

He had let Kyle hurt Will.

He had let Kyle hurt Jason and Percy.

He had let Kyle possess them.

He had almost let Kyle kill them.

In a way, because Nico hadn't been the one to stop him, he _had_ let Kyle kill them.

Because Kyle would have succeeded if it hadn't been for Annabeth, Piper and Chiron showing up.

If anything, Nico should be holding a grudge against himself, and he already knew Will would never let him hear the end of _that_.

Somehow, that thought made him smile to himself slightly, though it was short-lived.

"I'll call Reyna, and see whether our assumptions so far are correct. Nico, do you want to stay? Else you're free to return to your boyfriends. I'll keep you posted in case we find out anything else. There's still a lot that doesn't make sense, after all, but at least we know we ruined his plans of getting Will. Of course, on the downside, he knows exactly where Will is, and we are sort of stuck here now without knowing where Kyle and his people are, but…let's not think of that too much right now." Annabeth told him, and Nico instantly decided not to tell Will much about this.

Will was already struggling with enough other things, there was no need to either worry him further, nor make him feel as if this was his fault in any way.

It absolutely wasn't, after all.

But Nico just _knew_ what Will would think the moment he heard Kyle had spotted him in New Rome, just to decide to visit Camp Half-Blood right after.

No, he wanted his blonde to heal, not to suffer even more.

"I'll go back. Clovis, can I get you anything from your cabin or the like? Or anybody you wish to talk to?" He offered, knowing how dull it could get if one was stuck by themselves in the infirmary, but Clovis waved off.

"No worries, I'm good. All I want is to sleep for a fortnight. Please stay away with your dreams though. Seriously, I'm not going to judge, but…not even _Percy's_ dreams are that vivid, and that guy has got the weirdest things going on in his head at night…"

Nico's face seemed to explode with heat, and if he wasn't rendered speechless, he'd have probably cursed Clovis to hell and back.

Especially when he heard Annabeth snicker.

"That's the last time I'm being nice to you, Clovis." He finally pressed out, but Clovis merely chuckled, though that instantly made him wince and touch his heavily bandaged chest.

The sight pained Nico.

"Do you want me to get Will? He might be able to speed up the healing process." He offered, but Clovis shook his head.

"Let him recover in peace. I'm sure he'll start working here again soon enough, after all. I'll be fine."

Ever since Will, Nico had started disliking the phrase 'I'm fine' and any other possible form of said sentence.

But he knew Clovis was right.

Will would probably check up on him once he felt capable of coming here, anyways.

He'd probably insist on checking on _Simon_, too, who had been found knocked out and locked in a stall in the abandoned woman's bathroom a day after Kyle had been banished.

(Since he had apparently been dumped onto the toilet and still been there with all his bruises, Kyle's statement of 'He's…on the toilet' made a lot more sense now, too. Nico felt sick just thinking about it, not to mention guilty for not having sent anybody to check right away.)

Will would check on everybody, if he could.

He was a doctor through and through, after all, always intent to help and heal and fix.

Nico loved that about him.

Nico loved a lot of things about him.

Nico in fact loved _Will_.

He really had to talk to Percy about that.

Nico sighed to himself, saying his goodbyes to them and trusting them to tell him later what Reyna had said.

Maybe he'd even give her a call, himself, later.

With his guys.

Nico left the infirmary, and only noticed then that Annabeth had gotten away twice with calling the guys his 'boyfriends'.

Somehow, Nico couldn't make himself care, at least not right now.

He really just wanted to get back to his guys and wrap them into his arms and know they were there and were okay and everything was going to be fine.

No matter how much of a lie that may be.

He just needed them.

With him.

Why couldn't he?

Nico gazed up at the sky, wishing for anybody to have mercy on him just once and let a miracle happen, something positive, in these dark times that he knew were upon them, and all the even worse stuff he just knew was waiting for them in the future.

A miracle.

Now, wouldn't that be something?

...

Jason sighed, stroking through Percy's hair as he wailed quietly, having gotten whacked across the head upon entering the Apollo cabin with a guitar by accident.

Yes, by accident.

Alec had seemed _very_ enthusiastic when he had spotted Will entering with Kayla, and had apparently _originally_ intended to throw his guitar towards _Austin_, but Austin hadn't been looking, and Percy had sort of stepped between them, utterly oblivious, and…yeah.

Jason still wasn't sure whether this was a good idea.

Nico had been right in trying to hold Kayla off, but he could of course understand her, as well as the rest of the Apollo cabin, too.

They _needed_ to see Will.

Needed to make sure he was okay, just as much as Jason, Nico and Percy had needed to make sure he was okay.

They had made it obvious they were willing to give Will _some_ time to come to them, himself, but apparently, the return of the monsters had been the last straw for them.

Kayla had told them (as well as yelled at them) about how they had all been grounded for that scene in the dining pavilion, when the entire cabin had made it its goal to beat Kyle to a pulp (even though it hadn't worked).

She had been the only one allowed to leave, while the others had had to stay inside the cabin and sulk, though that hadn't bothered them as much as the fact that their 'baby brother' (Will was older than most of them, but nobody seemed to care whatsoever) hadn't shown up once.

So, after her begging, and their encouraging looks, Will had agreed to come here.

Jason _still_ wasn't sure whether this was a good idea.

There were so many kids.

He knew Will loved his siblings dearly, but he also knew Will wasn't as fine as his talking sometimes made it seem, and so many people at once hanging onto him didn't seem to be the best thing to go through right away.

But Will seemed to be doing fairly alright, so Jason decided not to say anything yet.

Instead, he was scratching Percy behind the ear, and Percy surprised him by actually _liking_ that.

Seriously, was there even anything Percy didn't like?

Then again…

Jason thought of the conversation they had had, and his heart fluttered slightly again.

Who'd have thought?

Alright, Jason had to admit, he had known they'd end up having some sort of talk about _something_ along those lines.

But…he hadn't quite thought it would be to that extent, nor that Percy would say any of the things he had actually said.

He wanted a 'them', huh?

A _real_ 'them'.

Not just the whole 'I want us to be happy'-thing he had been going on about for so long, but an actual relationship?

Between _all four_ of them?

Jason included?

It sounded too good to be true.

Though it also made Jason wonder whether Percy had _really_ thought that through completely.

He could imagine Percy thinking of Nico and Will in a sexual manner – in fact, he was _absolutely_ certain Percy had been thinking about that _a lot_ more than he might want to admit.

But at the same time, he doubted Percy thought of _Jason_ that way.

Maybe he should point that out sometime, before Percy got too much into the idea and got everything in motion (because Jason just _knew_ Nico and Will would be totally up for it, too, no matter what they might initially say), just to then realize that tiny fact and have everything fall apart again.

Then again, Jason and Percy didn't _have_ to be anything.

Jason should probably wait and see what would happen next, anyways.

He wouldn't mind a relationship with Percy and Nico.

It might be a little rushed, given that he had only _just_ really gotten together with Will, but at the same time…he wouldn't mind.

But he also wouldn't mind leaving things the way they were now.

The only issue was that he knew Percy and Nico _had_ to have their talk.

If they didn't have their talk, Jason couldn't see how much longer they'd make it work until guilt and uncertainty tore them apart.

And for them to have that talk _after_ that point…that might actually do even more damage and destroy things permanently.

Jason didn't want that.

Nobody would want that.

But Jason didn't know what to really do about it, other than to keep repeating to both of those dorks to speak up.

He couldn't do it for them.

He probably _would_, if they really _needed_ him to, but he still hoped they'd manage to work it out on their own.

They would have to, sooner or later.

Either with this conflict, or with another, but they had to learn how to _talk_ to each other about these things.

There was an uproar from the other end of the room, where Will had been dragged off to by his siblings so they could all wrap themselves around him in a sort of protective circle.

Catching tidbits of their shouting, Jason realized they had only now found out about Will having his guitar back.

Oh dear.

"And you didn't tell us that before?! Will, that's _great_! You _loved_ playing the guitar! Now we can all play together again!" Alec exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly, and Jason and Percy exchanged a telling look.

Will looked pained, but he smiled at his siblings as best as he could, anyways.

"I…don't know yet whether I'll actually start playing again." Will mumbled, and there was another uproar, with all of them talking and complaining and telling Will he _had_ to play again.

"What, do you think you'll suck at playing now, after all this time? We'll just teach you again, you'll be fine!" Alec insisted, but Will merely lowered his head and Percy stiffened next to Jason.

Jason sighed.

He wished Nico was here.

Percy had at first bristled when they had crossed the threshold of the Apollo cabin and hundreds of hands had reached out to grab Will and tug him inside (and away from them), but with the whole thing with the guitar and his head, he hadn't said another thing, and Jason didn't want to cross any lines by speaking up unless Will gave him the sign he wanted him to.

Nico had originally intended to come with, but then Annabeth had appeared out of nowhere and kidnapped the Italian because Chiron had wanted to talk to him (something about Clovis and dreams, which Jason hadn't understood), so he hadn't had much of a choice.

If Nico had been here, he'd have probably been able to help Will better, too.

Maybe Jason _should_ say something.

"Hey, _I_ want lessons! Back when I asked for lessons, you all claimed you didn't have the time to teach anybody how to play!" Percy suddenly exclaimed next to him, and Jason frowned.

Percy had wanted lessons?

Why? _When_?

Suddenly, everything went very quiet, and Will's siblings shot each other troubled, guilty looks.

Oh wow.

"I'm not _that_ bad, guys! Come on, don't you usually claim that _anybody_ can learn how to play a musical instrument? Why not teach _me_?" Percy lamented, and Jason saw the kids making faces ever so subtly.

Thinking about it, Jason couldn't remember Percy ever playing anything when he had been around, but he _did_ remember Annabeth complaining once that Percy had _zero_ musical talent.

"We…could teach Will, and he'll teach you, afterwards? It's just…the _basics_…you know…?" One kid put in tentatively, and there was a murmur of agreement.

Wow, that was just…

"Rude." Percy sulked, and Jason pursed his lips, running his nails up and down Percy's back quietly.

If he knew how to play, he'd teach Percy.

It would probably be a fiasco, but he'd try.

"I'll teach you, Percy." Will said quietly, and Jason felt Percy wince.

Apparently, that had backfired.

"Nah, it's okay, sun-bug. Guess I'll simply have to keep charming Nico with my atrocious voice." Percy waved off, and Jason halted, trying very hard not to laugh.

He did snort, though.

"Percy…"

Oh gods, he must have mixed up his words.

Jason spotted several of the other kids grinning, some even laughing to each other, and tried very hard not to laugh out loud, too.

"You don't mean 'astounding' by any chance, right…? Or, like, anything that doesn't mean 'extremely disturbing', you know…?" He asked tentatively, trying to bite back his laugh, and Percy's face turned scarlet, his lips parting to form a horrified 'O'.

Yeah…

The other kids laughed, and Jason tugged Percy closer gently as Percy wailed and buried his face in his hands, babbling something about ADHD and dyslexia and 'hating big words'.

Poor guy.

Jason glanced towards Will, and found him smiling, though he also nudged his closest siblings in the ribs pointedly to make them _stop_ laughing.

How nice of him.

"Well, at least you're being honest, Percy…" Jason remarked as he stroked over Percy's back, and Percy squeezed his knee in reply.

"Fuck you, Jason."

"You're being awfully nice to each other again, I notice." Will remarked, and Jason blinked, realizing Will was now moving out of the protective circle and making straight for where they were sitting on his bed.

"He knows I don't mean it." Jason said with a smile, just to get Percy's elbow in the ribs.

"No, you _so_ mean it."

Dork.

"Shh, shut up, Percy, I'm trying to get Will to not get mad at us." Jason hissed, not even trying to keep his voice down, and Will's eyebrow shot up as he sent him a telling, though amused look.

"No, you _so_ mean it. There I'm trying to be your bestest bro all the time, and you thank me like-…"

Oh _please_.

Who was the bestest bro here?

Definitely Jason!

"Bestest isn't even a word!" He exclaimed and Percy wailed loudly.

"See? This is _exactly_ what I mean!" Percy lamented loudly and pushed away from him, just to look up at Will with one of his best baby seal faces yet.

"He keeps being mean to me _all the time_, sun-bug! Can't you see? Seriously, how you could choose _him_ over _me_, I'll never understand!"

Oh gods.

Jason wanted to both bury his face in his hands and whack Percy across the back of his head.

They hadn't even told Kayla yet that Will and he were dating, much less the rest of the cabin!

Will stopped in front of them, both his eyebrows raised and his cheeks slightly pink, making Jason wonder whether he was thinking about that last part of Percy's statement.

Oh, if only he knew.

Maybe Jason should tip him off, just in case.

Since Percy had confided into Jason, he assumed that meant Percy was hoping for support on the whole matter, anyways.

In a way, Jason had tried that earlier, with attempting to make Will stay, even though things had gotten heated between Percy and Nico.

It had been risky, of course, since he had no idea how Nico _would_ react if they simply stayed, and he wasn't sure whether Percy would be comfortable with suddenly being thrown into having to come out with everything, but it had been the first thing Jason had been able to think of.

Next to that Truth or Dare game, of course.

That would be great.

It would give them a chance to solve _everything_.

Because everybody knew the guys managed to be a lot more honest and straight-forward with each other when there was a game involved.

Something that took the seriousness and the severity of their words away and allowed them to speak and act freely without needing to fear the consequences right away.

"True! We wanted to thank you for that, guys! Gods, how could we forget? Congratulations on getting together!" Kayla suddenly exclaimed, and Jason blinked, glancing towards her while the rest of the cabin suddenly chimed in, congratulating them on 'finally working things out'.

How…did they know…?

Had Will told them?

He looked towards Will, but Will blinked back at him, seeming as confused as he was.

_Percy_, however, suddenly started shifting.

"You got us good money into the cabin, I must say! Though it _could_ have gone better. Seriously, couldn't you four have made out at dinner just _once_? We had an extra bet running for that!" Alec complained, and Percy made a small, strangled sound that reminded Jason of a dying sea creature.

He turned to shoot him a long look.

What had he done _now_?

"It was an accident…" Percy whispered, shooting them rueful looks, and Jason let out a deep sigh.

Sure.

Did he even _want_ to know?

Still, what were they supposed to do now?

He contemplated correcting them, but then he realized they were all still congratulating them and cheering and exclaiming just _how much_ money they had made because of their bets, and how only the Athena cabin could proudly claim all members had won the bets, too.

Percy would _die_ if they found out.

He wanted to shoot Will a warning look to stop him from saying anything just yet, but his boyfriend was already speaking up.

"Oh really? How _exactly_ do you guys know?" Will asked innocently, and Percy cringed next to him, moving into his side further as if he was trying to hide.

Jason couldn't decide whether he wanted to let him or not.

"Why am I not surprised?" He asked quietly, instead, and Percy let out a sound close to a whimper.

"It was _an accident_, Jason. That asshole was talking some bullshit, and I just…"

Asshole?

Did he mean Kyle?

Oh gods, _Percy_!

Now it made much more sense why Kyle had assumed all four of them to be _lovers_, too!

Jason had wondered about that.

Alec started pushing past the others, looking at them like an overly excited puppy.

"Well, Percy kind of yelled it through the dining pavilion, didn't he? Gods, you should have _seen_ that! It was quite the scene! _Definitely_ got me to win the bet that it would be 'dramatic'. I mean, seriously, how he just turned around, all dark and dangerous, looking as if he was going to murder Kyle on the spot. And then all the glasses were _exploding_ and everybody was all '_Oh shit!_' and he just looked Kyle dead in the eye…" Alec started rambling, and Jason's eyebrows shot up, his eyes immediately on Percy again, who looked ready to sink into the ground and never come up again.

Seriously?!

He had made _glasses explode_?

Why did this remind him of the water park all over again?

"You could just _feel_ the tension, and everything went all quiet, and then, Percy just looked so _angry_, and he went…" Alec continued, but nothing could have ever warned Jason of the sudden _noise_ erupting in the cabin.

"_WE ARE WILL'S BOYFRIENDS!_" The entire cabin roared in unison, and Percy nearly leaped onto Jason's lap in terror, while all the other kids started cracking up and whooping and cheering and seeming all over the place.

Oh gods, Percy would be so _dead_.

They would slaughter him.

If it ever got out that hadn't been real, that the four of them _weren't_ dating, and they had to give all that money back (which apparently was already partially spent, too…), then Percy was going to be _massacred_.

"That's…certainly one way to come out." Jason finally managed to say, tempted to bury his face in his hands.

Percy clung to his side as if begging for him not to sell him out.

Oh, Percy.

Maybe Jason should emphasize once more that Percy had to have that talk with Nico _soon_.

Will sighed gravely, and Jason caught his gaze for a moment, giving a small nod.

"And there I thought we had agreed we'd go for a smooth, calm approach. Thanks a lot, Percy." Will joked loudly, and shot Jason another look, before moving Percy's arms out of the way and sitting down on his lap, making Percy jump and stare.

"Freckles, this is _Percy_ we're talking about. He doesn't do smooth and calm, you should know that by now." Jason remarked, putting his hand on his thigh to stroke over it.

He had a smart boyfriend.

Jason had no idea how they would be able to pull this off, especially with Percy looking like a deer caught in the headlights, but…well…

First of all, he didn't want to upset the entire cabin in one go, and this might give them a chance to come up with a plan in peace back in Nico's cabin.

Second of all, this might be the perfect situation for Percy to come forward with his feelings for real.

Especially when he had to explain to Will and Nico _why_ he had done that, instead of just stating Will and Jason were dating – which probably was what anybody else would have done in that situation.

(Unless they were crazy in love with Will, of course.)

(Like Percy.)

"Yeah, I know. So, _boyfriend_, how are we going to explain to my _other_ hot Italian _boyfriend_ that you outed us like that?" Will asked, emphasizing the 'boyfriend' much more than necessary and making Percy shrink back, looking scandalized.

Poor Percy.

"Do I even _want_ to know what I just heard?" A voice sounded from the door, and they all looked around to find Nico standing in the doorway, looking confused and disturbed.

Uh-oh.

Nico's eyes fell on them, and his eyebrows shot up, still standing in the doorway unmoving and unspeaking.

Jason realized this had to look pretty weird to him, what with the three of them on Will's bed like this, with Percy close enough to Jason's side to give the impression he wished to crawl _inside_ him, while Will was sitting on his lap with an arm around him.

Yeah, it probably did look very weird, even for their standards.

For a long moment, there was silence.

"I don't want to know." Nico then decided quietly, and to Jason's horror, he turned around again.

But then, much to his (and Percy's and Will's, by the looks of it) relief, Nico only closed the door, instead of marching straight back out.

_Thank the gods_.

Percy would have _never_ gotten up the courage to talk things out with Nico if Nico had just walked off like that.

Now, hopefully, they'd somehow manage to _soothingly_ let Nico know what had happened.

"We were just congratulating you four on getting together. We all bet on it. I mean, it was _obvious_ this was going to happen, after all." Austin exclaimed, and Nico froze at the door.

Well…that was a way to let him know, too.

Percy let his head drop against Will's shoulder, and Jason shot him a wry look.

He deserved that.

Couldn't he have at the very least _told_ them about this?

His words couldn't even be misunderstood in any way, so why hadn't he actually told them he had 'outed' them to the Camp?

Given them some sort of warning?

What would have happened if somebody had asked them at dinner or something?

What if Will had actually told his siblings ten minutes ago that he and Jason were dating now?

Nico turned to look at them again, and Will and Jason automatically pointed towards Percy, letting him know just who had gotten them into this situation.

"Percy?" Nico's asked, accompanied by a small sigh.

He didn't even seem surprised.

Now, that was just sad.

"It was an accident…" Percy wailed quietly, and Jason sighed, putting his chin on Percy's shoulder and rubbing up and down his back.

Percy looked ready to _cry_ now.

Come on, no matter what, it wasn't all _that_ bad!

"I'm sure it was." Nico commented drily, then moved past the still cheering and/or mumbling kids towards them.

Jason shot him a telling look, and, while Nico didn't look very _pleased_, he didn't look very upset, either.

If anything, his gaze seemed searching and a tad uncertain, so Jason patted his lap with one hand, his other one still running up and down Percy's back.

"It was awesome! I mean, it was obvious we'd win the bet, of course. We all knew you'd end up together. Well, _Kayla_ here doubted you for a moment, insisting Will and Jason would first get together before you four would work things out, but even then, she knew you'd make it work. I mean, it was _obvious_, wasn't it?" Alec exclaimed, and Jason had to admit he wasn't all that wrong.

Nico froze in front of them, his eyes widening slightly, and his cheeks flushed ever so faintly.

"Is that so?" He asked, his voice a tad higher than usual, and Jason bit the inside of his mouth.

Well…yeah.

As a matter of fact, it was.

He patted his lap again tentatively, and Nico shot him a conflicted look for a moment.

Then he sighed and sat down on it, making Percy gasp and stare.

Oh gods, Percy, get yourself together!

Of course they'd go along with this!

Will grinned at Nico and made to high-five him, and Nico complied with a moment's hesitation.

This was going to be interesting, Jason already knew.

"Well, yeah. You're always around each other, and we could tell from one glance how infatuated Will was with all three of you, so we knew it was only a matter of time until you guys came around." Alec explained with a wave of his hand, and Jason could feel Will stiffening on Percy's lap.

Well.

That was _one way_ to get outed.

Percy looked up from behind Will for a moment, looking absolutely _hopeful_.

Oh gods, Percy…

"_Infatuated_, huh?" Nico remarked drily, and Jason watched Will's face turning red, though he seemed to try and fight it.

"You wish. It was all because _Percy_ had the hots for Jason, and you know it, Nico. I told you about the butt-grab, right?" Will declared, and Percy and Jason wailed in unison.

_Not the butt-grab_!

The next moment, a loud and disturbingly melodic 'Oooh!' went through the Apollo cabin, and Jason nudged Percy in the side.

"Your fault."

This was _all_ Percy's fault.

Percy had the indignity to look _affronted_.

"My fault? How was that _my_ fault? _You_ made me grab your-…"

"Not that! _This_!" Jason hissed, but the rest of the cabin went crazy already, anyways, most of them cheering and laughing, the rest wiggling their eyebrows at them, and a few were even beginning to hum some love songs.

Seriously, these kids…

While Jason wouldn't have minded having more siblings next to Thalia, especially some that actually lived at Camp and in his cabin, he was also glad he _didn't_ have any siblings other than his sister.

At least _she_ didn't bet on his love life and went crazy like this.

In fact, he doubted she would really care much, as long as he was happy.

Though he did have to admit he found it nice how they seemed to care this greatly for Will, even if they made it sound like their interest had all just been due to material gain, rather than his happiness.

Jason knew they were really just happy Will was happy, especially after the whole mess with Kyle.

"Tell us how that happened! Tell us how you got together! Come on, we've been mulling it over for so long! Was it an accident? Who came out first? When did you get together? When you travelled? Or in the Underworld? Was it weird? Did you just suddenly find yourself in the middle of making out and realized your feelings for one another? Did one of you cry? Did you _all_ cry? How did you work things out between you?" Alec asked eagerly, and Jason made a face when several other kids chimed in, demanding details.

Uh-oh.

Percy stiffened again, his eyes looking at Jason in a pleading, desperate – but also near resigned way, as if he thought they'd sell him out now.

Oh, come on, Percy should know better.

"Actually…" Will started awkwardly, and Percy immediately hid his face at his back again, looking devastated.

Jason nudged his side, sending him a soft, reassuring smile, before stroking over his cheek, making sure there weren't actually any tears coming.

Then he inched closer to move his arm around him again, stroking over his back, while Nico leaned back against Jason, glancing at his boyfriend worriedly.

"Actually, we're not dating for very long yet. Nico was too insecure Percy would leave him if he knew, and Jason and I kind of thought they weren't interested, so it took us quite a while to catch on." Will finally stated after a moment of silence, and Percy looked up surprised, hope flaring up in those sea-green eyes again momentarily.

Therefore, Nico _froze_ on Jason's lap, and he had to tear his gaze and arm away from Percy to wrap himself around Nico, hoping he wasn't going to panic.

As far as he knew, Nico still thought they didn't know how he felt for them, next to the mild hinting at him liking Will, back when Jason and he had had their conversation in the park, after that Pocky-kiss.

"So you and Jason got together first?" Kayla asked hopefully, and Jason shot Will a curious look from the side.

He knew he should probably participate in the whole 'How did we get together'-story, especially because it didn't yet exist, but he was kind of hoping Percy might contribute if he didn't.

"Well, sort of? We went on a date when Percy and Nico celebrated their anniversary, and decided things might actually work out for us, but then Percy kind of crashed our date and showed he could be _jealous_." Will summed up, sending Jason an apologetic look, but Jason found himself relaxing.

Yeah, that worked.

They couldn't very well tell the cabin they had gotten together yesterday, when the four of them were supposed to have been together for a tiny bit longer than that, after all.

"I was _not_ jealous!" Percy remarked with a huff, then snapped his mouth shut again, as if he wondered why he was saying anything at all.

Jason and Will exchanged a telling look.

"Sure you weren't."

Jason had absolutely _imagined_ Percy trying to talk to Will in the middle of the movie, and it of course hadn't been Percy who had ultimately made them leave the theaters, because he had first been too loud, then too distracted.

Not that Jason had really minded either, but…yeah.

"But that's what gave us the necessary push, anyways." Jason continued, hoping his was what Will had been aiming for.

Will's small smile said yes.

"And then I decided to talk to Percy about it. That I…still liked the guys…" Nico said, his voice becoming more quiet as he continued, and Jason looked around at him hopefully.

Was this…was he trying to…

Alright, this might be a shitty timing, but still, this was _great_!

Jason glanced sideways at Percy, and found him looking at Nico with a definitely _hopeful_ look.

_Yes_!

Come on, Percy!

"And I told him I didn't mind. I'd never mind. I started dating him, knowing he liked them, and while it might have worried me in the beginning, because I was scared of losing him to them, I started being completely okay with it as time went on." Percy said softly, and while it wasn't quite what Jason had hoped for, it was still _something_.

He glanced back at Nico, and found Nico studying Percy's expression with a fearful, yet also hopeful expression on his face.

Could anybody believe these two, though?

How long had they danced around each other now?

How come they sometimes seemed to be able to read each other's minds at the weirdest times, but they had never figured out _this_?

"And, well, it _was_ Percy who had kept letting us hang out with him and Nico, even back in December." Will remarked pointedly, and Jason saw Percy blushing slightly, looking down in a rather adorable, flustered seeming way.

"Oh yes, it was. He was even the one who first brought up a possible foursome, because he 'wanted all four of us to be happy'. Remember?" Jason grinned, and Will laughed.

"How could I ever forget? We were just there, sitting on the bed, having a nice conversation-…okay, not so nice, but anyways – and then, suddenly, _bam_. The topic, just thrown into the room like that." Will explained dramatically.

Sadly, it had truly been like that, Jason could still remember it only all too vividly.

Percy let his head fall back against Will's back again, and Jason noticed off-handedly how it had gone dead-quiet in the Apollo cabin, the kids apparently glued to each and every word.

They'd really have to watch out, because Jason was pretty sure he could remember Austin mentioning Apollo kids were superb at detecting lies.

Then again, so far, they really hadn't been lying.

The things they had said had actually happened, after all.

Though…in all honesty, that should probably really make the four of them ponder just how much like a couple they had been acting all this time.

Jason just wasn't sure how Will would manage to pull it off to get to the whole 'Then we started dating'-part yet.

He knew they _could_ get there, though.

Yeah…it was a miracle they _weren't_ actually dating, Jason wasn't sure how he hadn't seen it quite this vividly before.

"Therefore, you were the one telling us it wouldn't work out romantically unless we were all at least a tiny bit in love with each other…" Percy mumbled quietly from behind Will, and Jason smiled softly, remembering that only all too well, too.

True, Will had done that.

He had looked so doubtful back then, too.

Jason wondered how Will would react now, if he knew this _was_ in fact what Percy wanted.

So much had changed since then, though.

Jason remembered thinking that would never happen.

That it had been a nice thought, especially coming from Percy, but nothing more, because back then, Jason hadn't exactly felt for them the way he did now.

He had liked the idea of being able to be with Nico, of course, but he had discarded the idea of them dating Nico, but not each other, since he hadn't wanted to outright _share_ Nico.

He'd have been fine if the idea had come from Nico, but telling Percy he was cool with anything like that had been a definite 'No' at the time.

Now, however…

Yeah, he could completely relate to what Percy had said about it all changing from 'wanting Nico to be happy and just dealing with it' to 'needing this for his own happiness, too'.

Remarkable, how much could change if given time.

"Yeah, well, back then, I wasn't that much into you, sorry. I mean, we kept trying to rip each other's heads off when nobody was looking, and Jason didn't even as much as _glance_ at me when Nico was around, so…" Will remarked darkly, and Jason huffed, feeling utterly offended.

He _had_ looked at Will, even when Nico had been around!

Just that…he hadn't exactly thought much of him until he had gotten to know him better.

Hey, it wasn't his fault, okay?

He was _demi_, he _never_ saw anybody and thought from one glance alone…well, whatever other people thought at first glance!

Jason wouldn't know, he had always been this way, after all.

All he knew was, that, at first, people were just people to him, and he could only tell after some time and after getting to know the person more and more, whether he'd actually like _more_ with that person.

It had been remarkable how fast he had fallen for Will, anyways.

Not to mention the intensity of his emotions.

Then again, Will _was_ a great guy.

"Lies. But, well, anyways, while I was gone, I _did_ notice I really missed the three of you, not just Nico." Jason said quietly, knowing it was true.

He _had_ missed them, having gotten used to having them around and laughing with them throughout December, as well as cuddling with them at night after New Year's Eve.

"And you guys got along so well I got worried I'd come back and you'd be dating without me." He added quietly as an afterthought.

Also true.

Though he still partly believed that, even with Percy's earlier exclamations.

"That would never happen, Jason. Even back then, Percy and Nico adored you too much to ever leave you out of a possible relationship." Will remarked, and Percy shot Jason a look that said 'There you have it!', though that was probably not what Percy should focus on right now.

Instead, he should probably correct Will on that statement of 'adoring' Jason, since Jason highly doubted he saw more in him than his 'bestest bro'.

Jason held up his hands, anyways, a small smile on his face, before he wrapped them back around Nico, who was looking between the three of them with an odd look on his face.

Jason even thought he could feel Nico's heart beating wildly in his chest, though it might as well just be his own.

"Well, I didn't know that back then. I thought Percy just saw me as a bro." He retorted, and Will and Percy both snorted.

…If Percy didn't want to confess his undying love to Jason the next some minutes, he should definitely shut up now.

"Oh please, he's been harboring a crush on you ever since he laid eyes on you. The whole bromance thing was just him trying to convince himself he was straight. Have you _seen_ him checking you out, Jason? It's a miracle he doesn't start drooling." Will waved off dismissively, and Jason watched with a raised eyebrow how Percy's face flushed scarlet, before he hid it at Will's back again and away from view.

What…?

Percy was checking him out…?

"Shush…" Percy muttered meekly, and Jason shot Will a searching look, trying to find out whether this was actually true or whether he was making it up for the sake of the story.

Will didn't look as if he was joking.

Well…

"You know it's true. Anyways, I think I was the first to actually crush on you guys for real." Will continued, and Jason wasn't surprised he was just fine admitting to this as long as he could argue it later.

Though Jason knew both Percy and Nico had to realize Will would never be able to _lie_ like this _to his siblings_.

So…in a way, Percy should have his answers right there.

Percy did look so hopeful, too.

Though he also looked absolutely torn.

"I think you and Percy fell for each other at around the same time, actually." Jason corrected, and he could see Percy sending him an alarmed look before glancing at Nico uncertainly, while Will blushed slightly.

Jason could only roll his eyes inwardly at that.

If they were already doing this, then they should put _all_ cards on the table.

"It doesn't really matter. Fact is, we slowly started feeling more for each other, and then the trip to the Underworld happened." Will continued with a light blush.

Jason huffed.

"Yeah, right. Leave out the best part with Percy making a faucet explode on Valentine's Day when we acted as if we were about to make out in the changing cubicle next to them."

It slipped out.

It really did.

Then again, Jason didn't regret it one bit.

"Yeah, that was bad." Nico commented, and Percy wailed quietly.

"I didn't…that was not…"

"You know it was." All three of them retorted in unison, and the rest of the cabin started chuckling.

"_Somebody_ likes making things explode to make a statement." Somebody commented, and Percy's cheeks flushed again, even darker than before.

Well…there was _some_ truth to the statement.

"And, I mean, I told you all about the Underworld and Nico's room, and it was just amazing there." Will reminisced, and Percy hummed in agreement, putting his chin on Will's shoulder absent-mindedly, probably thinking of their time there.

Jason was pretty sure he was especially thinking about that Jacuzzi.

The more Jason thought about it, the more it seemed like Percy might have actually been quite obvious with what he wanted from them…

With all his insistence on taking baths with them, and always wanting the guys to be around…

It was almost as if Percy had been low-key hitting on them all this time, and they had just been too oblivious to see it.

Therefore, Jason had seen _Will_.

"It brought us a lot closer together, and made me realize I was absolutely in love with a certain Will Solace." Jason said softly, and a chorus of 'Aww'-s went through the cabin, while Will glanced around at Jason with a clearly visible blush on his cheeks.

He didn't care how sappy he sounded.

He wanted Will to know.

Even though he knew Will already did know.

"And I was more confused than ever, because I had to admit to myself that I had freaking fallen in love with _three guys_. _At the same time_. I mean, who _did_ that?" Will lamented, and Percy grabbed hold of his sides out of nowhere, making Will glance around at him worriedly for a moment.

Jason saw the desperate, yearning look on Percy's face and reached out to stroke over his back again.

Oh Percy…

"Welcome to my life." Nico grumbled, and Jason sighed.

Trust him to be able to talk about it _now_.

This was _exactly_ what Jason had meant earlier!

These guys could confess their true feelings just fine – _as long as they could take it back afterwards_.

"You're both crybabies. Well, at least you could admit to it to yourselves. Percy was still clueless as ever, knowing full well he was having the hots for Will but unable to label it in any sort of way, because he was scared of how Nico might react. You need to consider, that, by this point, Nico had made it his life's goal to mess with Percy and make him think he didn't feel a thing for Will and me, anymore." Jason explained dramatically, and there were lots of gasps and 'Oh no!'-s going through the cabin.

"Yeah, that was bad. Poor Percy was so confused." Will agreed with a grave nod of his head, and Percy looked ready to bite his shoulder, shooting Jason as well as Will warning looks.

Oh, come on, as if they _hadn't_ noticed that.

In a way.

Jason looked away, and caught Nico gazing at Percy with a wistful look.

Oh gods, those two.

"But then we had a very entertaining game of Truth or Dare, resulting in Nico and I watching the hottest and wildest kiss ever." Jason told them with a crooked grin, and to his surprise, Nico nodded in agreement as there was another round of gasping and a few wolf-whistles.

"Oh yes, they moved through the entire room for that. I remember wondering whether this was going to be the moment Percy would leave me to date Will, instead. They certainly had the chemistry." Nico stated, and Jason pursed his lips, knowing he was honest.

That…must have been even harder on him than on Jason, back then.

Suddenly, Percy reached past him, stroking through Nico's hair softly, his expression gentle.

"Nico, of course I wouldn't leave you. I just wanted us to…you know…"

"Be happy." Both Jason and Will supplied ever so helpfully, and Percy nodded, looking down again.

The sad part was, they were still telling the truth.

This had all really happened, and they had known these things all this time.

How exactly had they _not_ connected the dots?

Was this the same sort of thing as with Will's 'secret'?

Jason had had all the hints, all the clues, but hadn't actually stepped back to look at them as a whole properly?

Seriously, damn.

"But then Elysium happened, and Will had a complete breakdown, and all thoughts of dating were right out the window as we made it our priority to be there for him." Nico said quietly, and Percy nodded.

Jason shrugged, thinking of those two holding Will's hands, and of that one time he had come back to find the three of them huddled on the bed together, fast asleep.

That moment when he had thought they had _really_ just started dating while he had been gone to talk to Hades.

"Well…" He started, but suddenly, Will hissed.

"Jason, we're not telling them about _that_." Will interrupted, and Percy made a face.

"Are you referring to whatever you two did in the pillow-corner?"

Nico froze.

So did Jason and Will.

"You did _what?!_" Kayla exclaimed, and suddenly, there was an uproar of chattering and whooping and wolf-whistling, while Jason and Will glowered at Percy.

"_Percy!_"

"You…you…the pillow…corner…" Nico whispered, his eyes wide, his expression one of utter disbelief as he looked at Will and Jason in turn, who immediately lifted their hands.

"Jason's still a virgin."

Fuck you, Will.

"I hate you, Freckles."

"_He's a what?!_" The entire cabin seemed to _explode_.

The four of them winced.

Oh _great_.

He was never going to hear the end of this.

"I wish we could continue this conversation someplace else than your cabin, Freckles." Jason muttered miserably, and Will looked as if he absolutely agreed.

"We wouldn't _have_ this conversation if we weren't here though." Percy pointed out, and the two huffed.

Yeah, right.

Only because Percy and Nico were both cowards, though.

"Anyways, there was _nothing_ in that pillow-corner you guys have to break your heads about. Shush guys, or we won't tell you the rest." Will tried to get his siblings to quieten down again, though Jason noticed how Percy suddenly studied Will's face from the side, apparently watching his freckles that had started glowing again.

Yeah, Will was absolutely adorable when his freckles glowed.

Then again, he always looked adorable.

Jason caught Percy smiling softly, probably coming to a similar conclusion.

"Aww, look how in love Percy looks. Never thought I'd see him making heart eyes at Will so openly…" Kayla cooed, and the Will and Nico immediately turned to look at Percy, who promptly blushed and looked away, as if he had _no idea_ what Kayla was talking about.

"That's his normal face." Will remarked, just as Jason said 'Yeah, he's always doing that.'.

This, too, should have probably made them think.

Oh well, nothing for it, he guessed.

"Guess you don't want to know the rest." Will said loudly with a shrug as the muttering grew louder again, and there was instant silence.

"Yeah, like how Percy and Nico were trying to be casual in holding Will's hand all the damn time. It was maddening." Jason put in with a loud sigh, and both Percy's and Nico's faces turned pink.

"Only because you kept excluding yourself, Jason." Will remarked with a huff.

That again.

He had not!

"Well, back then I was pretty sure Percy wouldn't want me around-…"

"I _always_ wanted you around." Percy snapped, and Jason shot him a dark look.

He just _loved_ how this idiot could speak up this way _now_, but he couldn't step forward and actually say 'Yes, I have a crush on Will, too. Nico, please, let's date them'.

"Well, I didn't know that. I thought you didn't want me in the mix, and you-…"

"Oh please, as if I ever left you out of anything, Jason. You were the one always acting all possessive, I was utterly convinced you'd be just fine with Nico and Will, if only I wasn't-…" Percy argued, sounding as fed up as earlier, when he had explained the same thing to Jason.

Jason still didn't understand how he had ever even though that could be true.

He also didn't really want to hear the rest, but didn't have the chance to cut in, because _Will_ did.

"Bullshit. None of us would have ever left anybody out, guys."

Well…_true_, but…

Ugh, whatever.

Jason made a face, and caught Percy making one, too, which made them both glower at each other, set on making the _better_ face.

…One of these days, Jason would probably have to sit down and ponder that competitive streak he seemed to only have when it came to Percy.

"So those two were happily leaving themselves out the mix. Gods, that must have hurt. How did you manage to get around that?" Alec asked transfixed.

They hadn't managed to get around that.

If Percy had told him this before, or if Jason had actually managed to _see_ this, they probably would have, though.

They still could, too.

All that needed to happen was for Percy to take Nico aside later and say 'I meant everything I said'.

Then they could give Will the necessary nudge…

Wait…

Were they actually going to get together?

Like, for real?

Jason blinked, for the first time actually realizing there _was an actual chance_.

"Yeah, it wasn't pretty. Though I didn't notice that too much. Did you, Nico?" Will asked, and Jason saw his hand moving to Percy's knee, his fingernails grazing over the fabric gently.

Percy seemed to shiver, but now, he kept his face buried at Will's back, apparently permanently.

Was he okay?

"Hell no. I didn't know about Percy even being interested in anything of the sort. Like, _at all_." Nico snorted, and Jason looked hopefully at Percy.

Come on, this was the moment he could admit to it!

But Percy only buried his face further in Will's shirt.

What was _wrong_ with him?

"I didn't know how it would all work out, but I just…wanted us happy. Together. Together-together. At first, I just wanted it for you, so you could be happy, but then…" Percy started, and Jason nodded encouragingly, but Percy didn't look around, and didn't move his head away from Will's shirt.

"Then you fell hard for Will." Jason finished when Percy didn't continue, but Percy merely shrugged.

"Oh, shush, Handsome. You're leaving yourself out again." Will chided, and Jason huffed, though he didn't speak up again, his eyes fixed on Percy.

"Well, anyways, we ended up not getting together in the Underworld, even though it's a real shame. I'd have loved to put that bed to better use." Will remarked with a cocky grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows, and Jason took that as his cue to move his hand back onto Percy's back, knowing that Will was only talking this way because something was wrong.

"Of course, Freckles. And Percy would have loved to get us to take that bath with him." Jason tried tentatively, but Percy didn't even react.

(Though the rest of the cabin did.)

(Loudly.)

Will and Jason exchanged a concerned look, then Will started moving.

"Jason, continue the story for me, okay? Percy, come on, switch place with me." Will said, and Nico's head snapped around instantly to look at Percy worriedly, knowing full well that something had to be up if Will spoke up like that.

It was weird, how attuned they were to each other.

Then again, Jason couldn't say he was surprised.

Percy got up, and Jason caught sight of a horribly blank look on Percy's face, seeming hopeless and resigned.

Didn't he see?

This was _great_.

This was his chance to talk about all the things he had dreaded to talk about for so long, and he could see Will's and Nico's reactions to know it was okay!

Apparently, Percy didn't see that.

Will grabbed hold of Percy's hips and turned him around to face him, before tugging him closer to urge him onto his lap like that, showing he wanted Percy to be able to hide his face from his siblings, as well as seek comfort in Will's hug.

Jason exchanged another look with Will, then nodded.

"Well, let's fast forward to Percy's and Nico's anniversary. We visited Percy's mom just in time for them to celebrate there, but since it was on such short notice, and they had both been breaking their heads over whether or not to ask the other whether they should celebrate in the first place – which is _just_ like them, by the way…" Jason continued, and Will's siblings chuckled again, and he could see Percy wrapping his arms tightly around Will, who seemed to be whispering into his ear softly, though Percy only shook his head minimally.

"So they went out on their date, and Will and I decided to go on a date, too. As we said before, things didn't go as planned when Percy decided to crash our date and the four of us suddenly found ourselves hanging out together again, instead."

"I tried to stop him…" Nico mumbled, and Jason snorted.

"I'm glad you didn't. The whole thing made you decide to talk to him about your feelings, after all." Jason put in, and Percy made a small, yearning sound.

…That was his problem, wasn't it?

He didn't believe this was real.

He thought they were making things up, and he wanted them to be real.

Gods, Percy, you _idiot_.

"Yeah, I really should have done it right then and there. But I was too scared. I didn't want to lose what we had. I mean, I knew he _probably_ wouldn't outright _hate_ me for not being over you yet, but I knew he had to be disappointed. After all, I was dating him for three months, already! Why was I not over you yet?" Nico exclaimed, sounding almost agitated.

"Because you love us." Will put in ever so helpfully, and Nico let out a loud sigh.

"But you intended to tell him, anyways." Jason put in, and he could feel Nico trembling slightly, despite the certainty in his words just now.

"That I did."

"Yep, and that's what counts."

Though Jason _did_ wish he had talked to Percy already.

It would have saved them quite some time, and would definitely spare Percy from the pain this must be putting him through.

"So how did you get together? How did it all come out? Come on, don't torture us like this, guys!" Alec tried to urge them on, and Jason chuckled quietly, while Will started peppering Percy's neck and shoulder area with light pecks.

Probably to keep him from crying.

Not good.

"Well…" Jason started, then hesitated.

How _was_ he supposed to wrap it all up?

"There was this bench. At the playground." Nico said quietly, and Jason felt him shift on his lap, while Percy seemed to stiffen on Will's.

The playground?

…True, that _had_ been a rather…eye-opening experience.

"Percy was being distant all of a sudden to think, so I joined him, and we ended up hugging because he seemed so hurt and upset, though I didn't know why. Then Nico and Jason kind of just came and joined in, and we were this happy little bundle, you know?" Will continued for Nico, stroking over Percy's back all the while.

"And then this family came by, and the father was making a dumb comment about us being there, you know? Four guys, huddled together, at a playground…" Jason continued, and Nico and Will snorted.

"What a nice way to put it. So, to spare you the conversation between that guy and his daughter, it ended with us deciding to do something super-gay. Something that would show him, something that would shock him." Will explained, and there were gasps and a few excited murmurs.

"And you made out on the bench!" A girl in the back exclaimed, and there was a sort of bubbling excitement in the air, as if they were all just waiting for the confirmation.

"Well, at first I was just hoping to get either Percy and Nico to kiss, or to maybe get a kiss, myself. But then, Jason here had an absolutely brilliant idea." Will explained with a broad grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows at Jason, and Jason rolled his eyes with a smile.

Yeah, yeah.

"What idea?" Several voices breathed.

Jason raised an eyebrow at Will.

Should he tell that part?

Will could surely tell it better-…

"He made Percy and me kiss, then he and Will sort of joined in, practically ravishing Percy's neck. I've never heard nor seen him that riled up before, it was beautiful to watch." Nico said softly, and Jason decided that was _the_ _best_ way to tell that part of the story.

"Tell me about it. I was surprised by how much I liked it, actually." Jason mused, and Percy moved his head maybe an inch or so, as if trying to sneak a peek at him to see whether he was honest.

Oh yes, he was.

They were all being honest.

He wished he could let Percy know without giving them away to Will's siblings.

"Guys, you have no clue what you're talking about. You should have felt your emotions. Gods, it was _wonderful_. Best. Thing. _Ever_. Seriously, Percy was just _so_ blissed out, and Nico turned from somewhat confused but allured to a hundred percent turned on, while Jason went from 'This might be interesting' to 'Holy shit I could do this all day'." The blonde exclaimed, and Jason could see Percy practically _clinging_ to him.

Oh Percy, come on!

"I'd like to do that again." Will said quietly, and both Nico and Percy seemed to jump slightly, with Percy pulling back and staring at him in disbelief, while Nico's head snapped around, his eyes hushing between Will's as if trying to see whether he was serious.

But Will was looking at Jason with an odd look, as if trying to read how _he_ was reacting to those news.

Jason inwardly rolled his eyes to himself.

Seriously, he should make it a habit to reassure Will on matters such as these on a daily basis in future, just to make sure he'd understand _it was okay_.

"Whenever you're ready for it, Freckles." He said softly, and Will relaxed slightly, showing the message was well received.

Now, all that was missing was Percy and Nico _finally_ taking the necessary step.

"I would…I would…if…if Percy was…was okay with it…" Nico started hesitantly, and Jason smiled at him softly, too, before they all looked at Percy in anticipation.

Percy, however, seemed to have lost track of where the conversation was going, if his puzzled look meant anything.

Oh gods.

Please, somebody tell Jason that Percy's ADHD hadn't been acting up _now_.

"Guys, no making out _here_!" Austin called over, sounding more than a little horrified, while Alec immediately shushed him with a 'No! Let them make out! Let me take pictures! I need proof to show the Stoll brothers! They're never going to believe this shit!'.

These kids…

Percy started sniffling, and Jason felt his heart clench in his chest.

Percy…

Oh come on, couldn't he see?

This guy was _the worst_!

Jason was about to speak up, but then he stopped as he watched Percy trying to hide his face at Will's neck again, though Will didn't let him, cruelly pushing him away by the hips and cupping his face a moment later again, stroking over his cheeks and whispering quiet reassurances.

Jason reached out and stroked over Percy's arm reassuringly.

"Percy…" He started, pretty sure that none of Will's siblings were paying any attention to what they were saying anymore, anyways, given that they were now loudly discussing whether or not 'taking pictures of them making out' would be considered an invasion of privacy, and whether they'd get away with it in either case.

Percy looked around at him, his eyes brimming with tears.

"IwantitIwantthisIwantitallandIwantitnowandIcanttakeit." He blurted, the words intermingling with each other and becoming an incoherent mess, but Jason could understand him just fine.

Jason also instinctively slapped his hand against his forehead with a groan.

Oh gods, Percy.

Percy, _why_?!

Will and Nico stared at him in confusion.

"What?" "Why are you crying, cuore mio?"

Percy pursed his lips, trying to wipe away his tears, but Will and Nico reached out to do it for him before he even had his hands up.

Jason knew they were waiting for him to repeat his words, to reply, to say _anything_, but Percy remained silent, before he merely shook his head meekly.

Oh no, he _wouldn't_.

"Percy, don't even think about it. You got yourself out of saying that _twice_ now, Percy, I'm not letting you backtrack a third time." Jason snapped at him, and Percy flinched.

Jason still very clearly remembered the past two times, and this time, since he knew Percy wanted _him_, too (in a way), he was most _definitely_ not going to allow him to backtrack.

Not when he was this close to tears.

Not when Jason _knew_ it would make Will and Nico think he had something _against_ all of this, rather than being all for it and having a breakdown because he couldn't wrap his pretty head around them actually _being serious_.

"What? What is it?" Will asked, sounding confused.

"I'm sorry, Percy. If this is about-…" Nico immediately started, definitely already thinking the worst.

"Percy. Say it." Jason interrupted Nico hurriedly, and Percy made a face, shaking his head stubbornly.

Jason wanted to strangle him.

He had no business being stubborn _now_!

"You told me earlier just fine, Percy. Now do the same with them. First of all, they deserve to know. _Nico_ deserves to know, don't you think? Plus, if you don't say it now, I most definitely won't help you out later. You can see for yourself how you're going to make it work, then. And until you'll get our courage up enough, I'll have you know I'll be dating the shit out of Will, and I won't take you into consideration _whatsoever_. You hear me? I'll date him. Alone. All by myself. I'll be the first face he sees in the morning, the first to kiss him awake, the one he'll walk to breakfast with, and the one he'll be with 24/7. I'll hold his hand, I'll kiss him, and I won't give a damn whether you're around or not. I'll be there for him, and I'll do whatever he wants or needs me to do, and we'll spend the nights being together, just the two of us. I'll move together with him, and we'll live on our own, and I won't give a single damn how you feel about it, Percy, if you don't fucking say it right _now_." Jason's voice was low, threatening, annoyed, and while he knew he was being unnecessarily cruel, and also knew he'd never actually go through with that, it felt good to say it, anyways.

Percy shivered, then cringed, then flinched, then made a face, looking as if he wanted to take one out of Will's book and run away.

But he didn't, instead holding onto Will for dear life.

"Jason, what the hell?" Will remarked, sounding confused and slightly reprimanding.

"Percy…?" Nico asked, his voice shaking slightly, the uncertainty and worry clearly audible.

Jason let out a long, drawn-out sigh when Percy still didn't reply.

This. Guy. Was. Unbelievable.

"I want this…" Percy whispered, the words slower this time, but therefore _entirely drowned out_ by the loud noises behind them.

Jason wanted to _strangle_ him.

"What was that? I don't think I caught that right, Gorgeous." Will replied, though his eyes were wide and his expression one of utter disbelief, so Jason had high hopes _he_ had at least understood.

Jason huffed, muttering something under his breath darkly.

Then he tugged Nico closer, hoping to give him at least _some_ sort of reassurance, because Percy was most definitely ruining everything right now, unless he spoke up once and for all.

He glanced back at Percy, just to find him looking so horribly lost again, a torn, scared look on his face – and all the anger inside Jason evaporated instantly.

"Do you want me to help, Percy?" He offered quietly, and Percy looked at him with a faint glimmer of hope in his gaze.

_Come on, Percy._

_Let's just get it over with, already._

Percy squeezed his eyes shut again and nodded.

Jason smiled, then made sure his hold on Nico was tight enough to keep him from bolting, just in case.

"Percy, do you have a crush on Will?"

...

At Jason's words, Percy's eyes snapped open in _horror_, and he caught sight of Nico almost falling backwards off Jason's lap, if the blonde hadn't had such a good grip on him, though he made a startled sound, anyways, while Will froze.

Why?

How could Jason have just…

This was already horrible enough, why did Jason have to…

Was he going to mention the kiss?

He was going to mention the kiss, wasn't he?

Percy wanted to howl in pain and horror.

This was _horrible_.

_Horrible_!

They were all talking like…like it was no big deal, as if they could _be_, and Percy _wanted_ to, he wanted it _so badly_, he couldn't even _breathe_!

He _needed_ this!

Needed those words to be true!

Needed _their_ words to be true!

How could they act like this, how could they talk about all these things that had _actually happened_, and made them sound as if they were together, as if it was all linked somehow, as if this was _real_?!

Percy wanted it to be real so, so badly, he couldn't take it.

He simply couldn't.

He wanted to leave, wanted to lock himself up in one of their cabins, wanted to sulk in the bathroom for hours, wanted to eat an entire giant, blue pizza all by himself as comfort food, wanted to cry in his corner for hours.

Instead, Jason just had to push him.

Jason just had to urge him to speak, to put himself out there, to admit out loud he had _meant_ all these things, that he _wanted_ all these things.

But it just wasn't fair!

And why…why did Jason have to ask…why _that_ question…?

Couldn't he have just told the guys that Percy wanted a 'them' and be done with it?

Did he really have to make Percy…

Percy looked at his boyfriend, feeling his heart beating somewhere in his throat, loud and hard and painful, the guilt gnawing on him, the fear and dread pooling in his stomach.

Nico's eyes were wide, disbelief written all over his face.

He hadn't known.

He hadn't guessed.

Percy wasn't sure whether he should be happy about that or disappointed.

He stared at his boyfriend for another long moment, though he knew he was just trying to buy himself time, trying to avoid answering.

Then, as painful as it was, he dragged his gaze away from Nico ever so reluctantly, instead looking straight ahead at Will.

'_Do you have a crush on Will?_'

Will stared at him with a similar expression to Nico's, though his hold on Percy's sides was surprisingly firm.

He stared into wide, blue eyes, stared at the freckles standing out on his once more sun-kissed skin, stared at the way his eyebrows moved ever so faintly as he studied Percy's gaze, stared at the way his lips were moving as if he wanted to talk.

Stared at Will Solace.

He stared at him, and he thought of what they had gone through together, from the time they had barely talked to each other, to just this morning, when Percy had kissed him, and Will had melted against him and moved his arms around him, and the world had been more than okay.

He stared at him, and he knew the answer, even though he had never said it out loud.

"Yes."

The next moment, several things happened at the same time.

Percy found himself not necessarily _shoved_ off Will's lap, but he _was_ thrown sideways and into Will's bed quicker than he could even open his mouth again to apologize.

Nico let out another surprised, high-pitched sound.

Jason breathed out another loud sigh.

Will was gone for the moment it took for Percy to hit the sheets, then he was suddenly back, pulling Percy upwards by the front of his shirt.

But instead of hitting him, he found Will crashing their lips together in a desperate, crazy, harsh kiss.

Percy _gasped_.

The rest of the cabin whooped.

Percy gasped again, his hands shooting up to touch Will's face ever so timidly, to make sure this was real, this was actually happening, Will was actually…but then what about this morning-…

He stopped thinking as Will pressed down against him and tilted his head further to deepen the kiss Percy only managed to then actually return, and Percy drew a sharp breath as he allowed his eyes to fall shut, feeling the warmth surge through him.

_Yes_.

Their lips mashed together, their bodies beginning to find a nonsensical, crazy rhythm of moving against one another, Will's hands now threading themselves through Percy's hair while avoiding the bump, though he did give his hair a hard tug as he wasted no time with prodding his tongue against Percy's bottom lip, instead pushing right in, and Percy felt himself trembling due to the heat, the texture, the sensation that was _Will_.

Gods this was even better than this morning.

This was just…

Percy _moaned_.

It was a surprisingly loud sound, even with the obnoxious chattering and whooping and _noise_ around them.

Will chuckled, pulling away ever so slowly, and Percy had to resist the temptation to drag him right back down, his eyes opening solely to gaze at Will's slightly swollen lips, confirming to himself that, yes, this had really just happened.

He wasn't dreaming

This was _real_.

Will sat up, and Percy found himself doing the same automatically, as if magnetically attracted to Will, already moving back closer tentatively, biting his lip as uncertainty came back, his insides a swirl of confusion and want and disbelief.

What did this _mean_?!

"Percy…" A voice next to him said quietly, and he turned his head automatically, gazing at Nico with an undoubtedly dazed look, while Nico stood there, staring at him with wide eyes, studying his expression.

_What would he think?_

Before Percy could even ponder that, the Italian already shook his head, moving forward to get one knee on the bed and cup Percy's face no moment later, drawing him into a kiss as if he hadn't just kissed Will seconds ago.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Nico asked breathlessly, though Percy had no idea when, because he could swear they were too busy mashing their lips together to talk.

Nico must have pulled back at some point.

Or maybe Percy was hearing things.

It didn't matter.

"I wanted to…but I was…I thought you…"

What was there to say?

What could he possibly say?

"I kissed Will this morning." He blurted, because he was an idiot, and for a moment, Nico froze on top of him, while Will let out a small gasp.

But then, his boyfriend only let out an almost relieved sounding sigh.

"_That's_ what happened, wasn't it? The thing that made you two so weird. I knew I wasn't imagining that. Percy, why didn't you tell me?" Nico asked, but Percy could only shake his head.

"I…I didn't want you to think I was…I would…I would never cheat, Nico, you have to know that…" He whispered desperately, and Nico stroked over his cheek for a moment, before leaning down and giving him a soft kiss.

"I know that, _idiota_. You should have still told me. I was worrying sick, you know? I thought you two had fought…"

Wait, Nico wasn't going to be upset?

Wasn't going to doubt his faithfulness?

Nico gazed down at him, the wonder and amazement still ever so vivid in those beautiful, brown eyes of his.

"No, not fight, no. I was just…I want this, Nico. I want the four of us to be…together. To be together-together. For real. I wanted to tell you, but you kept saying I'm your 'one and only', and I was scared you'd break things off if you realized I…I…" Percy whispered, and Nico shook his head softly, before moving their lips together again.

"So…you knew about this, huh?" They heard Will next to them, sounding a little peeved, and they pulled away slightly to glance sideways at the two blondes.

Jason had his hands up defensively, though he didn't look sorry whatsoever.

"It's not my fault you decided to act oblivious. Plus, Percy never actually said it out loud – and neither did you, Freckles, for that matter – so when I told Nico he should talk to Percy about it, I knew there was a 80% chance they'd start making a move on you, but also a 20% chance of Percy freaking out about it." He shrugged, and Percy glanced back at Nico.

"You wanted to…"

Nico blushed slightly, then nodded.

"I wanted to tell you I still…I still…I like them, Percy. I still like them. I was scared how you'd react, because, well, after all this time…Percy, I meant everything I said earlier…" Nico admitted, and that revelation made Percy dizzy as he tried to remember each and every word that had just been spoken inside this cabin.

"Duh. We _all_ meant everything we said. Percy, you're an idiot for even thinking anything but." Jason chided, and Percy tried to sit up, noticing he really _was_ dizzy.

"But…but…wait, you _knew_ Nico still liked you?! Why didn't you tell me?" He exclaimed, glowering at Jason darkly.

He could have told him!

Just earlier, Percy had _told_ him he didn't know how Nico was feeling about them, why hadn't Jason at the very least _hinted_ at there _being a chance_ for Nico to still like them?!

"Percy, _everybody_ knew that." Will deadpanned and Percy felt Nico stiffening to a board.

Will seemed to realize his mistake a moment later, looking around at Nico with wide eyes.

"I…I mean…Jason knew because you probably told him in one way or another and I…well…I could tell because I…I sort of…felt it…?" He admitted, looking away pointedly.

"Why didn't you tell me? I was breaking my head over this! If I had known Nico still liked you, I'd have asked him about a possible…you know…_relationship_…" Percy started indignantly, then turned sheepish, fidgeting awkwardly.

What exactly _were_ they right now…?

He had basically just admitted to having a crush on Will.

Will had kissed him.

Nico had kissed him, making it obvious he wasn't going to rip Percy's head off and break up with him.

Nico knew about his kiss with Will.

(Though he was now wondering whether Nico had really understood just what he meant be 'I kissed Will'. Maybe he had misunderstood? Maybe he thought Percy just meant something innocent…? He couldn't be fine with that! No way!)

But…what did that make them right now?

Were they…did this mean they _were_ a thing now?

Or was Percy reading too much into this?

Oh gods, what if this was all just a game, an act, for the sake of Will's siblings?

What if Nico thought he was just making things up and went along with it for now?

What if Nico actually _did_ mind, but didn't want to cause a scene?

What if all of this was nothing but an act?!

"And then you started dating! Oh gods, that's so amazing! I'm so happy for you, Will! Especially with all this horrible mess with Kyle and all…" One of Will's siblings exclaimed, and Will stiffened next to them, Jason's hand instantly taking his.

"Yeah…that kind of took us all by surprise. It…it of course complicates things quite a bit, but…" Will muttered hesitantly, and Percy made a face.

"No, it doesn't. You're still the same to us." He, Jason, and Nico stated at the same time, and Will looked away, looking between flustered and uncomfortable.

"He better be. I swear, if you guys treat him badly…" Kayla started darkly, and Jason instantly held up his hands.

"We don't intend to do anything but love him dearly, no need to worry. As we said, things are still pretty new, so it will take some time getting used to the changes, but I'm sure we'll manage."

"Oh, I don't doubt it for a second. You four had it coming for so very long, after all." Austin agreed, and Percy glanced sideways at Will and Jason.

Were they…a thing now…?

Percy had confessed, and Nico had sort of confessed (if he had been serious about that…), but next to the fact Will had just kissed him senseless out of nowhere (which had been awesome, and Percy wanted _more_), he hadn't exactly said anything like 'Oh yes, I'd love to date you two, too'.

Maybe he didn't.

Maybe he had just kissed Percy because of his cabin, because his siblings had been looking over and would have been confused by the sudden drama, because he wanted to get Percy back for the kiss this morning, because…

Oh, Percy didn't know.

He didn't _know_!

Should he ask?

Should he _ask them out_?

"So, sorry to ask this, but…does this mean you're having an open relationship? Or is it definitely and undoubtedly just the four of you?" A kid in the back asked curiously, and Percy scowled at the mere thought of any of them picking up anybody else at any given point.

Jealousy was pretty unreasonable, by the way.

"Just the four of us." The four of them replied instantly, and Percy heard a few kids snicker.

Seriously though, could they leave now?

He was still feeling rather confused.

He also felt the urge to kiss Will again to not let him forget they had just kissed, but he wasn't sure whether he should.

Not to mention he wanted to kiss Nico again (along various other things), and ask what the hell they were right now (though he had a hunch that courage would leave him the moment they left the cabin).

Jason caught his gaze and smiled, before turning to look at the horde of demigods around them again.

"Alright, I'm sorry, but we have to go now. As much as we enjoy bragging to you, there's still a lot of stuff we have to work out between us." He stated with a grave nod, and the room erupted into giggles and more or less hushed muttering.

Will shot them all dark looks as he hopped off the bed with Jason, gesturing for Percy and Nico to get going.

"Oh shush, guys. Get your mind out of the gutter." He told his siblings, but that only made them snicker more, wiggling their eyebrows at them.

"Hey, hope those condoms I gave you ages ago got put to good use. Remember to stay safe." A boy called over, and Percy buried his face in his hands for a moment.

"Sure did. We made wonderful balloons with them. Do you have some more?" Will retorted unfazed, and Percy promptly had a pack of condoms smacking into the side of his face.

Seriously, where did these kids even _get_ these from?

He was pretty sure there were no condoms being sold in the Camp store…

"Just don't be too rough, guys! And remember, if you hurt Will-…"

"We won't." Nico grumbled.

"I'd rather die." Percy huffed.

"He tops, anyways." Jason chirped.

…_Oh gods, Jason_!

All noise died, and Will let his head fall against the door with a thud.

The next moment, there was an oddly melodic and absolutely exaggerated and _loud_ 'Ooooh' going through the cabin, and Will's neck turned scarlet.

"Thanks a lot, Jason."

"No problem, Freckles." Jason chirped with a wide grin, opening the door so they could file out, and giving Will a kiss to the forehead.

The sight both made Percy hopeful and queasy at the same time.

Were they all dating now?

Were they not?

What _were_ they?

Was this even real?

Percy didn't know.

Percy was scared to ask.

Percy glanced sideways at Nico, who was looking up at him with that gleam in his eyes again, the same one he had had back on that bench at the playground.

Whatever this was, he hoped it was good.

He wanted this to be real.

_Please, this had to be real._

...

Nico was confused, his heart beating wildly in his chest, his hand sweaty as he held Percy's for dear life.

What had just happened?

What was going on?

They made their way back towards their cabin, and Nico wanted to ask, wanted to clarify, wanted to turn to Percy and ask him whether this was real.

Had Percy really just…

Had he meant it? When he had said he had a crush on Will?

In that moment, when Nico had seen Will practically _pounce_ on Percy, he had at first panicked, thinking this meant Percy wanted _Will_, not _Nico_, but then, it had suddenly struck him.

It had _all_ suddenly struck him.

The talk.

The way Percy had talked.

The way he had told Nico he didn't mind Nico still liking the guys.

The way the guys had said Percy had wanted 'them' to be happy 'with each other'.

And he hadn't thought.

He had stood there, next to the bed, watching Percy and Will kissing as if they were a couple who hadn't seen each other in months, and he had waited impatiently for them to part, so he could ask Percy what this was, what this meant.

But then, Percy had looked at him, his eyes unfocused and dazed, his expression wanting, but also slightly scared.

Nico hadn't thought.

Instead, he had grabbed Percy and claimed those lips, letting him know it was okay, _they_ were okay – while also asking _why the fuck_ this guy had never spoken up!

If Percy had at the very least _mentioned_ he had fallen in love with Will, Nico could have told him he still liked them, too!

Granted, Nico _probably_ could have done the same thing, but _still_!

Wait…

Oh gods, now it made so much more sense why it had always felt as if Percy was a tiny bit disappointed whenever Nico had tried to assure him he was his one and only.

Gods, Nico had been so stupid.

If…if this all was real.

Maybe he was dreaming.

Maybe all of this was a dream.

Maybe this was Clovis' way of getting back at him.

But Percy had said he _liked Will_!

That he wanted a relationship!

With Will and Jason!

The four of them!

This was better than any dream Nico had ever had.

Then again…his dreams had usually more been on the physical aspect of their relationship, but that….Nico was going to ignore that for now.

He glanced at Jason and Will, who were walking in front of them, their hands linked like Percy's and Nico's, and Nico could see Will glancing back at them over and over again, looking as confused and uncertain as Nico felt, though he always tried to mask it with an easy smile whenever their gazes met.

If…If Will had been honest, he liked Percy and Nico, too.

_Had_ he been honest?

But he seemed so in love with Jason!

They had even _made out_ in bed right next to Percy and Nico!

Then again…

Nico glanced back at his boyfriend, who was staring at the ground, his eyes hushing around as if he was reading something, analyzing something, trying to make sense of what was going on just like Nico was.

They had kissed.

Percy had blurted it, and Nico knew that, out of all the things that had been said, that was one of the definitely true ones.

It had been the way Percy had looked up at him, first surprised at his own words, then urgent and desperate and scared, as if he expected Nico to be mad.

Of course Nico hadn't been mad.

A part of him had stopped in shock, of course, because…well, this was his _boyfriend_, who had just kissed _Will_, even though _Will_ had a boyfriend of his own now, too.

And Nico _had_ felt a certain _something_.

But mostly, he had just been surprised.

Then relieved.

At least those two hadn't _fought_.

After Will had reassured him things 'would' be okay, Nico hadn't managed to stop pondering the matter, even though he had tried to brush it all aside.

So, when Jason and Percy had finally returned, and his boyfriend had seemed a little better (next to that mysterious head injury he had had), yet _still_ hadn't looked at Will, much less at Nico properly, Nico really _had_ worried something bad must have happened.

Finding out that 'something' had been a kiss…it had surprisingly enough been a relief to Nico.

At least at the time.

He couldn't deny he _was_ a little upset about it, of course, but the way Percy had instantly insisted he would never cheat, the way he had seemed so frantic and upset about it, himself, had immediately soothed Nico's rising worries.

Not that he had really had the time to worry for long, because he had had to confess to Percy, had had to say it out loud, once and for all.

He liked the guys.

No, he didn't just like them.

He _loved_ them.

Nico hadn't said it like that, had he?

Should he do that now?

But wouldn't that be a bit out of nowhere?

Then again, they sort of weren't talking _at all_.

Mostly because Will and Percy seemed to try to make sense of everything just as much as Nico was.

Jason…not so much.

He seemed pretty composed, walking towards Nico's cabin with a small, pretty happy smile.

Nico wondered what was going on in his head.

Had he known about all of this?

…Probably.

At least to some extent.

Then again, hadn't Jason said something about 'Percy telling him this just earlier'?

Was that what they had talked about when Jason had taken Percy with him to fetch their albums?

It occurred to Nico that Percy must have been that scared of Jason and the impending talk because of the kiss with Will, that he must have known Jason knew (which meant Will had probably told him? But then why hadn't Will told Nico?), and that he had feared Jason would be upset.

Apparently, Jason hadn't been upset, though.

At least he hadn't seemed upset in the slightest when Percy had blurted out he had kissed Will, and Nico had even caught him stroking over Will's thigh in reassurance when Will had gasped in shock.

Maybe Jason had been like Nico, too relieved it hadn't been anything _bad_.

Then again…

Nico remembered Jason's words, back in the bathroom in the Underworld, when he had confronted Jason about the whole 'What would you say if…'-matter.

Back when Jason had looked him straight in the eye and told him he'd try make it work with somebody else, if Will decided he liked somebody else next to Jason, too.

Maybe Jason simply was that way.

Plus…the more Nico thought about it, the less sense it made for them to just _randomly_ kiss.

This was Percy and Will.

If Will hadn't kissed Nico back in the infirmary nor on his birthday, when Nico had made it so horribly obvious he was more than willing to (as shameful as it had been), claiming he didn't want to get in the way of Percy's and Nico's relationship, then he certainly wouldn't just randomly look around at Percy and go like 'Oh yeah, sure, let's kiss and make out, no biggie'.

And…well, Nico knew how _close_ they had all gotten to kiss each other the past days, the past week, what with Kyle at Camp, and Percy and Nico reassuring and comforting Will.

He could only imagine all too well that Percy had done the same thing this morning, tried to comfort, tried to reassure, and things had simply…gone on from there.

So, yeah, as much as he might have wanted to be upset under different circumstances, he really wasn't.

But this still didn't explain what they were right now.

He had confessed.

Percy had confessed.

Will had pounced on Percy and sort of shown the feeling was mutual.

Jason had looked so relieved and happy for them all.

But…what did that mean now?

They had parted ways earlier as best friends, and Nico had walked into the Apollo cabin to find them playing boyfriends (which had shocked him to the core, might he mention), but what was it they had left as?

Were they something now?

Or were they still just best friends that had more or less crossed the lines of friendship?

He was pretty sure they definitely had to talk this out.

There was a hopeful fluttering in his chest, but he wasn't going to indulge in it and let the happiness spread through him until he knew it wouldn't get crushed in the next five minutes again.

"So, Nico, how did you talk with Chiron go? Is everything okay?" Jason asked, and Nico blinked, torn out of his thoughts, just to get forced to _think_ again.

About actually important things, other than his own feelings.

Chiron.

Clovis.

Kyle.

_Oh._

"It…went well. Clovis is awake now, and we tried to compare all the information we have on Kyle right now. It's all still work-in-progress at the moment, though." Nico replied hesitantly, and the guys nodded quietly.

"The dream I had…with Kyle…that was real, wasn't it?" Will asked after a long pause, and Nico cringed.

So he had figured that out, huh?

"I didn't want to freak you out, so I didn't tell you. I'm sorry, Will. Clovis sort of noticed and went to fetch me and…yeah…it was real…" He admitted quietly, and Will's shoulders sagged.

Oh gods, this was even worse than the whole situation between the four of them right now.

Percy and Jason looked confused.

"What dream?" They both asked, and Will shook his head.

"You know what, I can't even say I'm surprised. Isn't that just-…oh. _That's_ why you disappeared right when I was about to kiss you. _Figures_. Seriously, how did I not realize this sooner?"

Nico loved how he thought of _that_ right away.

He felt his face heating, especially when both Percy's and Jason's gazes snapped to him.

"That…Percy woke me up right there. It wasn't as if I-…I mean, we really shouldn't have, but I first thought you knew, and then I realized you didn't, and I…I would have told you, of course…" He stammered, trying to both tell Will he hadn't meant to leave right then and there, while also not saying it outright that he had _wanted to kiss him so badly_.

Percy's face suddenly cleared.

"Oh! You mean when I tripped over my shoes? I was wondering why you hadn't woken up before then, you were like dead! So, wait, you were in Will's dream…doing what…?"

Nico could see the uncertainty in Percy's gaze and immediately shook his head.

_Nothing like that_!

"He saved me. Kyle was…I was dreaming about Kyle. Then Nico showed up and saved my sorry ass." Will explained for him, and Nico winced at the accuracy of that statement.

Jason's expression became guarded, and Nico tried not to meet his gaze, so he wouldn't have to elaborate.

"Did he now? Nico, why didn't you tell me?" Percy asked, sounding slightly hurt, and Nico made a face.

"What was I supposed to say? 'Hey, Percy, Kyle just invaded Will's dream and tried to rape him, so I stuck my sword into his rotten heart and twisted it a couple of times until he was gone again'? Also, I _wanted_ to tell you, but then Clovis told me not to, and that he was 'trying to figure something out'."

Percy stared at him in surprise for a moment.

"You killed him?"

Duh.

"He hurt Will, of course I killed him. He didn't have a weapon, so it wasn't a very fair fight, but it felt good stabbing him, anyways."

"What did Clovis try to figure out?" Jason pried, of course picking up on that.

Will eyed Nico oddly, but didn't say anything.

"Well, that's what he told us now. It's…all a bit complicated. In general, he tried to figure out what Kyle was up to, but it ended up backfiring and got Clovis captured and bound in the forest. He didn't find out much, but a few important bits were in it, anyways. You'll hear about it at the next meeting for sure, once Annabeth talked to Reyna about everything." He tried to summarize vaguely, but Jason immediately eyed him oddly, and he cringed inwardly.

"Well, we did find out he was…looking for Will, even if he didn't know in the beginning." He added, and immediately cringed when Will flinched, even though Jason instantly moved an arm around his side and tugged him closer.

"Erm, didn't we all already know that, anyways?" Percy asked, sounding confused.

Nico shook his head.

"Not like that. Kyle came here to find who was having visions, Percy. He knew _somebody_ must be having them, so he ended up coming here to check."

He hated talking about this.

Hated talking about Kyle to the guys.

Hated talking about Kyle when Will was right there.

But at the same time, he deserved to know, too, and he'd probably be upset if they talked about such things behind his back.

(Because, unlike _other people_, Nico didn't want to leave his guys in the dark about anything _actually important_.)

(Not that he was still bitter about that or anything.)

…Didn't that contradict his plan of not telling Will anything that he might misunderstand, though?

"Long story short, Clovis ended up figuring that out and using it to his advantage, trying to make Kyle believe it was actually Clovis he had been looking for." He tried to sum it all up so they could change the topic finally, but, of course, the guys wouldn't have it.

Damn it all.

"So he got hurt because Kyle figured it out?" Will asked, his voice blank, and Nico cringed.

"No! Well…yeah…in a way…" Nico muttered, feeling absolutely uncomfortable.

Percy sighed.

"This is so fucked up."

It really was.

"I should check on Clovis. Apologize. Say thanks." Will mumbled, and Nico reached out without thinking, taking his hand in his own to squeeze it gently.

"He said he wants to catch up on all his sleep. Let's give him some peace and quiet for a while, okay?"

Will gazed at him quietly for a moment, then gave a small nod, before even managing the hint of a smile – then looked down at their hands awkwardly, and Nico found Percy staring, too.

He felt his face heating and tried to pull away hurriedly, but then Will's grip suddenly tightened.

"Don't…I mean…it's okay…right?" Will started, then looked more questioning than anything else, and Nico wasn't sure what to say.

"I don't know." He mumbled, glancing sideways at Percy, just to find Percy blinking surprised as they made eye contact.

"I…I'm fine with it!" His boyfriend exclaimed, much louder and more forceful than usual, and they all looked at each other for another moment.

Then Jason chuckled.

"How about we first get back to the cabin, before we address the elephant in the room?" The blonde suggested, and Nico felt his heartbeat picking up, while his stomach churned.

"Hannibal?" Percy asked, taken aback, and Nico couldn't help but snort, while Jason shot Percy a long look.

"It's a figure of speech, Percy."

"Oh. I knew that." Percy replied instantly, and maybe he had.

Maybe he had just said it to ease the tension a bit.

Nico didn't know, but he was glad for it, anyways.

"What is a Hannibal?" Will asked confused as Jason shook his head with a smile and tugged him along.

"Hannibal is an elephant from Camp Jupiter. True, you didn't get to meet him. Maybe next time we visit we should participate in the war games." Jason mused, and Nico wondered whether they'd even be able to visit Camp Jupiter anytime soon.

Then he wondered whether they'd even still have the war games going on when the monsters were back now more than ever.

He didn't point it out though, instead making his way swiftly towards his cabin.

Nico slowed down, however, when they were almost there, his gut still twisting.

How would they 'talk' about this, exactly?

What _were_ they?

And could they really just talk about that, when they had just talked about Kyle and…and Clovis…and Camp Jupiter…and…

Nico started slowing down more and more, until he found himself standing in front of his cabin door, and he could feel Percy's hand trembling in his, just as clammy as his own.

He urged himself to pull out his key and unlocked the door, pushing it open for them to enter – just to find that they all seemed to wait for him to go first.

For a moment, nobody moved nor said anything.

Then, Jason cleared his throat, before stepping past Nico and inside.

"Percy?" He asked, and Percy made a small sound next to Nico, stiffening for a moment.

But then, his boyfriend gave a small nod and stepped forward, and Nico let go of his hand.

What was this?

What were they?

Could this actually work out?

Had they been joking?

What would it be like, to date them?

Could he really do that?

Wasn't it selfish of him, though?

Would they all date each other?

What if Nico had misunderstood something?

What if Percy hadn't even meant it, but had just said it because he was worried Nico wanted that?

But he had seemed so genuine…

Nico should stop doubting.

He knew he should.

But Will was standing next to him, looking conflicted, too, and Nico wasn't sure whether he wanted to step in before Will did.

Stepping inside meant he wanted this, right?

So, if Will didn't step inside, that meant he _didn't_ want this, right?

But if Nico stepped inside, what if it made Will think he had to?

Will looked at him, uncertainty in his gaze.

What was Will scared of?

"This is crazy…" Will whispered, and Nico could only agree.

Percy gazed at Nico, a scared, yet hopeful look on his face.

"Guys, we don't have to be anything just yet. Let's just talk it out, okay? We can play Truth or Dare, if you like?" Jason offered, and suddenly it made much more sense why he had been so set on playing that game with them earlier.

It occurred to Nico that, even if that thing in the Apollo cabin hadn't happened, everything would have probably come out in that game sooner or later.

He wasn't sure whether he'd have preferred that or not.

It might have been less confusion.

But therefore, he might have never said the things he had said…

He had meant them.

Percy had said he wanted this.

Did Nico want this?

Yes, he did.

If there was a chance for them…oh gods, _yes_, he wanted that.

Nico took a deep breath and reached out automatically, clasping Will's hand for comfort and reassurance, before he stepped inside.

Will went with him.

...

"How…how are we supposed to talk about this, exactly?" Nico asked awkwardly, his voice oddly high-pitched, and Will shifted where he sat on the bed, fighting the urge to reach out and take his hand, the way Nico had held his until they had parted ways to sit at opposite ends of the bed.

This was so awkward.

Then again, this whole situation was just…gods, Will didn't even know where to start.

What had that _been_?!

Today was such a weird day.

First, Percy had kissed him.

Now, Percy had actually said he _had a crush_ on Will.

Was he for real?

How had Will not noticed anything like that?

He could feel emotions, damn it!

Sure, Percy had felt funny every here and there, but nothing like…not like…not really…or had he?

For some reason, ever since Percy had told him that, Will hadn't been able to make sense of _any_ emotions, least of all his own.

It was all an indistinguishable mess inside him.

Which was why he had loved holding onto Jason, because Jason had been like a beacon, a solid wall he could lean on and rely on, strong and composed and in control of himself and his emotions.

He seemed so cool with everything, too, it was almost unnerving.

Had he known about this?

About Percy liking Will?

Had this been why he had been so upset, all that time ago?

Had this been what he had meant when he had told Will he was scared of losing him?

Had he thought Will would rather date Percy and Nico than him?

That there was even a chance for that?

Will didn't know.

Will was too scared to ask.

So he just sat on the bed and waited for somebody else to ask, for somebody else to talk, for somebody else to figure out what they were to do now.

"How would you like to talk about this? I don't know, Nico. All I know is that we've been dancing around this for forever already, ever since the day Percy let us sleep with you guys in December." Jason said with a sigh, and Will just knew he was right.

"But…but that was…that was just because I…" Nico started, but broke off again, hugging Mrs. O'Leary Jr. tighter.

Good thing Jason had pressed it into his arms earlier, he really seemed to need it.

Will wished he had a plush toy to cling onto, too.

He knew he could also cling to Jason's arm, but he didn't want to seem quite that desperate just yet.

Though it was a near thing.

Will felt like this was going to be one of the most awkward conversations in his life.

Also one of the most uncomfortable.

"This can't be real…" He heard himself whispering, and Percy looked sideways at him again, an odd look on his face.

Jason sighed.

"Would it be easier if we played something? Truth or Dare? Guys, you three look like you're going to be sick any moment now."

"Well, sorry, but not everybody is completely chill with the idea of dating their _three_ best friends out of nowhere. _At the same time_. I couldn't even allow myself to think I'd get to date _you_, and you expect me to go around yelling I love _them_, _too_?" Will snapped at him, ever so patient and composed when he felt cornered.

Sadly, Jason didn't seem upset in the slightest.

Nor disappointed.

Instead, he turned to Will and shot him a soft, reassuring smile.

What?

"'_T-Them_'?" Percy asked, sounding surprised, the idiot that he was, while Nico's face was turning pink, his eyes fixing Will with a hopeful look.

Oh gods, those two.

"Percy, I don't usually kiss people I don't like, I'm just saying. Like, I don't know if this is going to be a shock to you, or-…"

"Freckles, he's been chewing my ears off with his whining about you _maybe_ still disliking him even after all this time. Don't be so harsh on him, okay? You're a superb actor, after all." Jason interrupted him, and Will huffed indignantly – though he did feel his ears burning, anyways, both at the thought of Percy talking about Will like that to Jason, and for the sort-of compliment on his acting skills.

Because Jason (that traitor) just knew how much Will loved praise.

"W-Well, it was sort of me kissing you this morning, and…and the other one was…was a dare, so…" Percy mumbled defensively, not meeting any of their gazes anymore, and Will shot him an unimpressed look.

"I was referring to the kiss earlier, you dork. But the other two work just fine, too. You think I'd have kissed back if I hadn't been into you at least a tiny little bit? Not to mention, for the dare, if I really hadn't liked you, I'd have given you a kiss on the cheek and shoved you off the bed right after to brush my teeth." He declared, and for some reason, his words made Jason chuckle, and Nico smile slightly, the tension easing in his shoulders a bit.

Which probably was good, given the situation, but at the same time, it made Will feel a teensy bit humiliated, not to mention…rather raw.

He knew they didn't mean it like that, but…

He didn't like admitting to these things.

It ruined the picture he had implanted in their heads of him.

Percy huffed quietly, his cheeks turning a rather nice shade of red.

"Mean. So…you…you really do…erm…l-like me…?"

Did Will have to spell out _everything_ for him?!

"Like, I mean, it's just…I was kind of…whenever I was thinking about…an '_us'_ like that, I kind of thought you and Jason would probably _love_ to be with Nico, and that the three of you would be a great couple, and that you could make Nico so much happier than I could, but I sort of…never thought you'd actually…well, _tolerate_ me? In a way? I was hoping that, if Nico still liked you, we could come to a sort of agreement, anyways, but…well…" Percy suddenly started rambling, and Will's irritation disappeared just as fast as it had welled up inside him.

Why had Percy never mentioned anything?

The way he had said it back in his cabin gave Will the impression he must have thought of this for quite a while already, so Will didn't understand why he had never at the very least _hinted_ at any of this.

Whatsoever.

In fact, Will had been pretty sure it would be _Percy_ against anything like this, against sharing his boyfriend, against-…

Will suddenly remembered Percy's constant insistence that Nico could do as he liked, that he didn't mind the guys around, that, as long as Nico was okay with whatever they were doing, so was he.

He remembered Percy's words about 'hiding in the bathroom' when he had thought Will and Nico were making out, and now, that suddenly made a lot more sense.

He also thought of the way Percy and Nico had been behaving around him, of the handholding, the way they had been there for him, the way they had been so gentle and caring and affectionate with him, the way Percy had peppered his face in kisses countless times, and of the way Nico had started giving him timid kisses out of nowhere whenever Will had found himself struggling with something.

…Fair point.

He guessed there _might_ have been _some_ signs that he had simply elected to ignore, but…still.

Then again, what would he have done if he had known?

What was he going to do now?

"'_Tolerate'_ you? Really?" He asked instead of replying, still not wanting to say it out loud like that.

It made it all so absolute.

Percy's blush deepened and he looked away.

"So, Nico…" Jason started with a sigh, and Nico jumped, looking at the three with wide eyes.

"No! Pick somebody else next, _please_!"

…Seriously?

Jason buried his face in his hands.

"Guys, please, cooperate with me at least a tiny little bit, will you? Okay, this is it. Percy?"

"…Yes?" Percy replied hesitantly, and Will decided this was _definitely_ the most awkward moment in his life.

"Do you want to go out with Will and Nico?" Jason asked sternly, and Will felt his face heating.

"Are you asking me out?" Percy asked instead of replying, sounding a tiny bit frantic and thrown back, his head tilted sideways.

"_By all the gods_…" Jason exclaimed, then put his face right back into his hands, letting out a loud and frustrated sounding sigh.

Will glanced towards Percy with a small grin, who smiled right back.

Then they quickly looked serious again as Jason looked back up, fixing them both with stern looks.

"Yes. Yes, I am. I'm asking you out. Do you want to go out with me?"

"But…but…" Nico suddenly put in, and Will breathed out in relief.

"Yes?" Both Percy and Jason asked, instantly looking around at the Italian, who turned beet-red in the face.

"Well…how do we…how would this even…I don't know anything about…" Nico started awkwardly, gesturing faintly, and not meeting any of their gazes.

"No idea." Jason said with a shrug, his tone way too casual for that sort of statement.

"I don't know. But…I do think we should…give it a try? I mean, only if you want to, of course!" Percy started hesitantly, then hastily added the last part, and Nico quickly lifted his hands, opening his mouth as if to say he did want to – but then he didn't say anything, his lips moving with no sound coming out, and his gaze hushing to Will uncertainly.

Will noticed a moment later the other two were looking at him, too, as if waiting for his reply.

Well…what was he supposed to say to that?

"Erm…it would…certainly take some work. I mean, I have…no experience…with having more than one boyfriend, and I don't know much about it. I can imagine there to be…issues that one might not encounter with just one partner…" He muttered evasively, and Jason sighed.

"Well, it will definitely be different."

That, indeed.

But wasn't this all a bit…rushed?

Out of nowhere?

Will had only _just_ asked Jason out yesterday.

He had hoped their relationship would last a little longer than just a day…

Then again, this wouldn't really be 'the end', but a completely new beginning…

Could he really do it, though?

"Well, you definitely couldn't be hypocrites anymore and chase Nico and me out of the room when we're making out on the bed, just to make out with Jason while we're sleeping…" Percy mused thoughtfully, and Will snorted.

"That's because all four of us will be busy making out with each other, you idiot."

Percy's face erupted into flames, while Nico let out a small sound, giving Will the impression this hadn't quite occurred to them just yet.

Who knew, maybe Percy had forgotten the whole…sexual aspect…of this.

"Wait, we _are_ talking about a relationship-relationship, right? Boyfriends, _lovers_, holding hands, saying sappy stuff, going on dates and whatnot, kissing, making out, having sex…?" He found himself asking, and found both Percy and Nico profusely blushing.

"H-how would that even…I mean…" Nico then started, swallowing roughly ten times just to bring that out, and if Will wasn't right in the middle of this mess himself, he'd have probably laughed out loud at the bizarreness of the situation.

He was sitting on Nico's bed.

With Percy, Nico and Jason right there, too.

And Nico had just asked him how sex between the four would work out.

At least that's what Will assumed his stammering to be about.

"Oh, there are many ways for that to work out, Neeks…" It came out as much more of a purr than intended, and Percy looked at him with a _definitely_ hopeful look.

His pupils were dilating, too.

_Somebody_ was picturing something they shouldn't be picturing right now.

Jason cleared his throat.

"I think that's one of those things we'd have to figure out as we go, Nico. We have time, though. It's not like we have to be all over each other the moment we agree to give a relationship a try." He said wisely, and Will gave a confirming nod.

"It's pretty much like when we started dating, Angel. We didn't know how things worked or what to do, but we just gave things a try and figured it out as we went. This would…sort of be the same thing, I guess..." Percy agreed, and Will nodded again.

"Communication will be important though, I can tell you that right now. Even more important than when it was just the two of you. If there's four people involved, especially with rather _selfless_ and _idiotic_ people like two certain somebodies, they're bound to try pull back and let the others have 'more' of each other, resulting in them not being happy. Everybody would actually have to speak up if something is wrong." Will put in, and instantly had the three giving him meaningful looks.

"Hope you're including yourself in that statement, love."

"Says the one who didn't even ask for verification on the whole 'You aren't invited'-matter."

"I'm not going to be the only bottom."

Jason, Percy and Nico stated, and Will would have probably brushed it all off, if it hadn't been for the last statement completely throwing him off.

He…what?

"I…I thought we just agreed we'd wait and see how that plays out!" Will exclaimed, feeling the heat creep up his face again as he realized now it was _him_ with the pictures in his head, not Percy.

"I know, but I'm saying now I won't be the only one to…I…oh my gods, what am I even saying, I sound like…_oh gods_…" Nico started out determinedly and strong, then suddenly broke off and buried his face in his hands, his voice feeble and shaking.

Will wasn't sure when he had moved, but he was there in an instant, putting an arm around Nico and tugging him against his side, stroking over his arm and side.

"Shh, don't you even think that. Remember, we'd be your boyfriends. So, next to the fact we'd never think of you badly, we'd also want to make you feel good, you know? We'd simply have to see what works for us and what doesn't, that's all."

The bed creaked as Percy and Jason started moving over, too, Percy wrapping his arms around Nico from behind awkwardly, while Jason took to his other side.

"Will's right. Plus, Percy can bottom. The gods know he's been dying to give it a try."

"Jason, I hate you."

Will snorted, and Nico's lips twitched slightly, too.

"Yeah, I was starting to think that, too."

"Can't believe you managed to resist that backside, anyways." Will remarked drily, and Percy fixed him with a surprised look, his cheeks turning scarlet again.

"I was…I didn't want to hurt him in any way. I'm not…I never…" Nico suddenly admitted, and Percy's face fell.

"Nico, why didn't you say anything? You said you weren't interested!"

"I said I'd give it some thought, but that I preferred things how they were! I never even _fingered_ you, and I didn't even know how to get around to that, so I wasn't going to just try anything _out of nowhere_, Percy!"

Will's eyebrows shot up, while Jason chuckled quietly, and Nico slapped his hands over his mouth.

They all looked around at Percy, who was now as red in the face as Nico usually got.

"I…thanks, Nico. Just…throw that out there. Right."

"You're one to talk. Who came running to me for deepthroat lessons?" Will remarked, and Percy made a shooing motion with his hands that Will blatantly ignored.

"That's _different_. I didn't tell you guys about anything we actually…"

"Of course not." Both Jason and Will interrupted with a small grin at each other.

Nico buried his face in his hands.

"This is the most embarrassing day in my life."

_Aww_.

"Tell me about it." Will and Percy sighed, and Jason snorted.

"Only because you make it that way."

Percy scowled darkly at the blonde.

"Well, excuse you, but we're at least talking as you asked us to. You on the other hand only ordered us around."

"You want me to talk?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow at Percy.

"Well, yes? You're trying to make us talk, after all." Percy retorted, though he now looked uncertain.

"That's because the three of you have been dancing around each other for forever. For Will and you, quite literally, too. I didn't really have any problems admitting my feelings to myself, you know? You should know that, Percy. I told you that I was in love with Nico, and I told you when I started feeling something for Will. But sure, if you want me to go first, I will." His boyfriend stated with a shrug, and for a moment, Will was awed by how easily the words seemed to come to him.

Then, he frowned.

"You told Percy…what?"

Jason shot him a small look, then smiled.

"You know I'm demisexual. Back when I came back, and I noticed I started paying more attention to you and feeling…well, _attracted_ to you, Percy promptly confronted me about it, being the jealous fool that he is-…"

"I was _not_ jealous." Percy promptly interrupted, but all three of them shushed him.

Even Nico.

"He confronted me about it, and I told him I was interested in you, and might actually fall for you. He…reacted by…"

"Don't say it." Percy muttered, but Will and Nico shushed him.

"…by shoving me against a tree and threatening to gut me, pretty much, and-…"

"He _what_?!" Nico asked horrified, while Will blinked and stared at Percy, who was scowling and seemed ready to disappear into the ground.

"'Not jealous', huh?" He remarked, trying to make his heart stop fluttering so much.

He should more feel upset that Percy had acted as if Will had needed his protection or anything.

He should definitely _not_ feel flattered.

"Well, yeah, it was pretty bad. But it showed me he did like you more than he wanted to admit at the time. We came to an agreement that I wouldn't make a move on you, and that I wouldn't do anything like play with your feelings just because I couldn't get Nico. Because, well, the whole world knew I love Nico, except Nico." Jason continued with a shrug, then smiled at Nico, who gazed at him in disbelief and wonder, his eyes sparkling, his face still so adorably flushed.

"I…I…" He stammered, but then glanced towards Percy uncertainly, just to have Percy gaze at him softly, giving him an encouraging nod.

"It's okay, Nico. Jason is right. We should finally let it all out, put all cards on the table, get Hannibal out of the room…such things. Yeah?" Percy said, and Will felt himself relaxing at his words, too.

They were seriously doing this, weren't they?

"I…I love you, too…" Nico whispered quietly, shifting a bit where he sat and not immediately lifting his gaze to meet Jason's, but then he did, and they both smiled at each other softly.

Will realized with a jolt his boyfriend even had a small blush forming on his face, creeping up from his neck.

_Aww_.

_Somebody_ wasn't quite as cool about this as it had first seemed.

Then Jason cleared his throat, trying to continue from where he had left off.

"So, yeah, I…I knew I was in love with Nico, and I quickly felt myself falling for Will, and Will and I talked it out after…"

"The pillow corner." Percy supplied, sounding a tiny bit bitter, and Will noticed he looked a bit odd, not meeting their eyes, instead gazing down at his lap quietly.

What?

"Well, yes, after that. And since I knew Will liked you two as well, it wasn't really that big of a problem for us. I thought for a long time that, once you two would have your talk, you'd surely figure out you both liked Will, and that you'd make a move on him then, so I-…"

"Excuse you?!" Will interrupted breathlessly, his earlier thoughts rushing through his head again.

So he had been right?!

Jason had thought he'd forget about their baby steps because of Percy and Nico?!

_Jason_!

His boyfriend winced, immediately holding up his hands.

"I just figured they'd be better for you!"

"Yeah, well, I decide myself what I deem 'better for me', you giant idiot! Is that why you ignored me that entire day? Because you were scared I'd up and leave the moment Percy batted his pretty eyelashes at me?" He snapped, and Jason winced, giving him away.

Though the glance he shot towards Nico also set off an entirely different set of memories in Will's head.

Particularly that one 'Nico said that…'-slip-up Jason had had when Will and he had 'talked things out' in that room so long ago.

Will's mind raced as he searched for an explanation, until he remembered…

He stared at Jason.

"Nico told you he'd talk to Percy! About how he feels! You thought that meant…"

Jason looked down guiltily, while Nico almost fell backwards off the bed.

"But that wasn't…I didn't mean…_no_! I meant I'd _tell_ him! I never meant to…I would have never…even if Percy had told me he…he liked Will, too, I'd have never actually…" Nico stammered, sounding devastated, but Percy already shook his head.

"I told him that already, Nico."

"I know better now. I just thought…yeah…" Jason muttered, looking rightfully ashamed of himself.

Though the sight didn't please Will one bit, and he moved forward to cup his face, drawing him into a long, soft kiss.

"You're an idiot. I love you." He said quietly, and Jason grasped his wrists, keeping him there a moment longer and looking him in the eyes quietly for another moment, before a soft smile appeared on his face.

"I love you, too. Sorry for hurting you. I really didn't mean to."

Will shook his head, giving him another peck, resisting the urge to climb onto his lap and stay there forever.

"It's okay. Just…leave the thinking to me, alright? At least with such matters. I'd have never agreed on starting something with them if you weren't in the mix, Handsome."

It was true.

Though Will still couldn't quite believe there was an actual chance for a 'them' – as in, _all_ of them.

It sounded too good to be true.

Granted, it would require some work, but…didn't all relationships?

Jason nodded, giving him a small kiss on the nose before letting go of him.

"Will do, Freckles."

"Such saps." Percy remarked, and Will shot him an unimpressed look – but then he halted, because Percy was looking down again in that odd way.

He almost seemed…sad?

But why…

Will caught him glancing towards Jason, then away again, and Will slumped slightly.

Oh.

Well…things between Percy and Jason…they were…different.

While it was easy to tell that Percy was at least to some extent infatuated with Jason, only Jason could say just how much those feelings might or might not be reciprocated.

Because of their 'bromance', a lot of things were meant in entirely different ways than how they would be for 'normal' friends, after all.

Which, to some extent, was Percy's own fault to begin with.

"Percy?" Jason asked, tilting his head slightly as he gazed at Percy from the side, undoubtedly noticing it, too.

Will wondered whether he knew what the problem was.

He looked as if he did.

"Hm?" Percy hummed, putting on an innocent smile and batting his eyelashes at him.

The next moment, without any further warning, Jason leaned forward and pressed his lips against Percy's, making Nico's eyes widen as he scrambled out of the way to give them more space, while Will blinked, but had to admit to himself he wasn't all _that_ surprised.

Percy seemed…stunned.

Yeah, stunned was a good word.

He sat there, his eyes still open, his body rigid.

Then, Will watched in amazement how his eyelids fluttered shut, and the tension left his body, his arms ever so slowly moving around Jason's neck, while Jason turned towards him properly and seemed to deepen the kiss carefully.

Somehow, Will hadn't expected them to be so…_soft_…with each other.

If he had ever entertained the thought of those two kissing (which he had of course _never_ done…), it had been more of a stormy, passion-fueled experience.

Instead, it looked as if Jason was even more gentle and timid with Percy than he had been with either Will and Nico.

And Percy, contrary to Will's expectations, seemed to actually be just fine with that.

"This is crazy…" Nico whispered next to him, and Will grinned at him for a moment, before looking back at the two transfixed.

"You think so? I think it's sort of hot…"

At least he could definitely feel his skin tingling and a certain something seemed to practically purr inside him as he watched his boyfriend gently pushing Percy back into the mattress, looking as if he was utterly gone.

He saw Percy initiating tongue first, their mouths moving together agonizingly slow.

How could they take it?

Will had no idea.

"Oh, it _is_. As disturbing as the realization is, it is hot. What…what does that say about me? If I…if I…like this…?"

Will glanced around at him again.

Why did it feel a bit as if Nico wasn't just asking about what they were seeing right now?

"That you're in love with your boyfriends to be? I don't know, you tell me. Other people get off on watching porn, you get turned on by watching your boyfriends kiss. I would certainly prefer the second scenario, I'm just saying."

Nico's face was still so adorably flushed.

Will kind of wanted to kiss him, too.

He had been wanting to kiss him for so very long already.

But at the same time, he was sort of scared of finally doing it.

That was one of those things that had seemed so unreachable for Will.

Having that now…it just made it all so much more…final.

Absolute.

Was he really going to say okay to this?

_Could_ he say okay to this?

"Okay. Yes. _Definitely_ yes." Jason breathed as the two parted, and Will tried to memorize their dazed faces, never wanting to forget those wonderful expression as they gazed at each other, both panting softly, before both their lips split into small smiles.

"Yes for you, too?" Jason asked, sounding the tiniest bit uncertain, and Percy pulled him back in.

Ah, yes.

Now _that_ was a real kiss right there.

Nico chuckled quietly.

"Still…this is so weird. Yesterday, I was panicking because I got turned on by hearing you and Jason make out, and I was so sure Percy would be upset if he found out I still liked you. Now, here we are, watching Jason and Percy make out as if it's the most normal thing in the world." He said quietly, and Will perked up a bit.

So Nico really had been awake, huh?

And wait…he had gotten _turned on_?

_Well_…

Wait, Percy and Jason were making out?

He glanced back towards his boyfriend, and found Percy's hands roaming under his shirt, pulling him in tighter as they tried to coordinate their legs.

Where Jason's hands were, Will couldn't say, but he certainly liked what he saw.

"Well, give it some time, and it probably _will_ be the most normal thing in the world." Will said softly, and Nico looked around at him with those oh-so-seductive, dark eyes of his.

"Do you…do you want to give it a try, then?" Nico's voice was hesitant, yet hopeful, and Will couldn't tell whether he meant the whole thing with a relationship, or a kiss.

Will's first impulse was to say yes, but then his thoughts drifted to _Kyle_, and he hesitated.

He had asked Jason out, telling himself to fuck his worries and doubts and just _do_ it.

Could he do the same now?

He wasn't sure.

What if they didn't work out?

The thought of losing Jason was already unbearable, but he'd at least still have had Percy and Nico as his _friends_.

This way, if he fucked up (which he knew he would), he'd lose all three of them…

"I…I don't know…" Will admitted quietly, though everything inside him screamed yes.

There was no way they could return to just friends after this, anyways, after all.

For that, Will would have had to backtrack back in the Apollo cabin already, but he hadn't.

Now it was too late to backtrack.

No matter what the guys said, they'd never be the same around each other.

But should Will really risk it?

_Could_ Will risk it?

"Can you…can you tell me why?" Nico asked cautiously, and Will looked down at his own hands.

It was oddly quiet.

Undoubtedly, those two idiots had stopped and were listening to every word they were saying.

Those freaking eavesdroppers!

Will didn't bother looking around to confirm his theory, instead keeping his eyes on his hands.

"It's…difficult. I…don't get me wrong, I'd _love_ to try. It's just that I know how I am. I want more than I can take, and then I end up panicking and trying to backtrack. Think of a small child at an ice cream parlor, ordering a giant waffle full of way too many scoops of ice cream. The kid is never going to manage eating all that, but it wants it, anyways. And then it will start crying because the ice is melting, and the ice is going to stop giving a damn after a while and simply melt and be gone. I'm that kid, and you're the ice cream." He finished, though he knew it sounded horrible.

Jason sighed, moving to wrap himself around him from behind, his chin resting on his shoulder.

"You and your horrible metaphors, love. First I'm a brownie, now we're ice cream…Will, you don't know that. You keep thinking you know how things will turn out, but…"

"Because I do, Jason…"

"You thought I'd leave you if I found out about Kyle." Jason pointed out unfazed, and Will flinched.

Well, in a way, Jason _had_ left.

"I know I was an idiot, Will. But you know I didn't leave because of that. And I won't leave because of it in the future, either."

Will wasn't convinced in the slightest.

Jason didn't even know what he was talking about.

"What if I can't do…_things_?"

It sounded a lot more scared than he would have liked.

Nico stiffened next to him, but Jason merely shook his head.

"We won't force you to anything, Will."

That wasn't the problem.

"It's not that, Jason. I'll _want_ to do something, anything, _everything_. I mean, seriously, you're presenting me with the opportunity to ravish Nico, of course I want to ravish him on the spot, I've been wanting to seduce him for _years_. But what if I mess up and panic, or try to blow things off? I get it that you'll say _now_ that it's no problem, but if that happens more than once, more than a couple of times, what are you going to do? You're going to get fucking fed up with me, _that's_ what you're going to do. And I can't blame you, either, because I'll be fed up with myself, too." He sulked, pulling his legs up and moving his arms around them.

"Did you feel that way when we…?" Jason asked, his voice quiet, but cautious.

Will shook his head.

"As I keep telling you, you're too considerate for your own good. The moment you notice I'm reacting in anything remotely negative, you stop doing it, Jason. Plus, that wasn't even-…we didn't get quite _that_ far yet, did we?"

Talking about this was a lot more difficult when Percy and Nico were right next to him, by the way.

"Sweetheart, that's what a partner is supposed to do. Why would I touch you where you don't want to be touched?" Jason asked, sounding so wonderfully, genuinely confused.

"Because you need to touch my backside if you want to push into it." Will deadpanned, and Jason stilled behind him.

"I thought you have no interest in bottoming?" His voice was cautious, careful, and Will cringed.

Nico next to him shuffled uncomfortably.

"I don't. I do. I…I can't…" He broke off, feeling his eyes prick and the memories come back, making him tremble.

Shit, not _now_!

"Shh, Will, it's okay." Jason soothed.

Another hand touched him, and he realized it was Percy, who was moving to his side and sitting down properly, his hand moving up and down Will's thigh.

"Is it really that big of a deal to you? Who tops and who bottoms?" His voice was quiet, without judgment or discernable emotion behind it.

Will still felt judged.

"I've only ever been a bottom, Percy. And, as horrible as it is, I did like it – in a way, anyways. Think of sex with Nico, with you…I don't know, being on top of him, looking down to watch him fall apart beneath you, enjoying you moving in and out of him. And now think of _never_ being able to have that again, because the moment you push into him, your entire past slams into your face like Jason's brick, and you find yourself unable to continue. How would that make you feel?"

Percy's hand stopped stroking for a moment, and Nico stiffened to a board next to him.

"Pretty shitty. But…Will?"

Will turned his head minimally, and Percy placed a chaste peck to his temple.

"Even so, that doesn't mean I can't please him at all, right? It's just as you said, I couldn't top, but I could bottom, right? I could still let Nico fall apart from being on top of him and letting him push inside me, right? And if it really bothered me that much, maybe we could try work together to make me overcome it. It would probably be difficult, maybe even impossible, but I think that, if it _really _bothered me, and I couldn't take it, I'd…I think I'd try. It's not like he'd think badly of me if I couldn't do it, right? We wouldn't judge you, Will. We wouldn't think badly of you. Will, we know what happened. It's not like I don't know what he did to you. But that doesn't mean-…"

"But then how can you still _want_ me?!" Will asked confused, bewildered, disturbed, trying to understand, to _understand_.

His voice broke as he spoke, betraying just how close to the edge he was.

Gods, this was the worst.

He was the worst.

"Well, first of all, because a relationship isn't all about sex, Mr. I'm-always-right. And second of all, because I really fucking love you, that's why." Percy deadpanned, and Will froze.

"Agreed. If I'm not allowed to freak out over the whole sexual aspect of this and how that's going to work out, neither are you, sole mio." Nico chimed in, and Will found himself huffing quietly.

"You know, I don't think you're going to get rid of us anytime soon, Freckles. I'm aware there will be bad days, and there's a good chance we'll mess up at least once, but I can guarantee you it won't be on purpose, and I'm utterly certain we won't blame you for it, nor get 'fed up' with you as you said. We'll just have to wait and see and be open and straight-forward with each other. Tell us what you like, and warn us of things you don't like, and we'll respect that. Am I right?"

Percy and Nico nodded instantly, and Will huffed to himself again, still trying to hide his face at his arms/legs, though his constant peeking at them certainly didn't go unnoticed, he knew.

"I don't like admitting to things I like and don't like." He muttered, just to spite Jason, and Jason snorted.

Then, that horrible human being _bit his shoulder_.

That horrible being was _extra horrible_, by the way, because Will only had time to gasp in surprise, before Jason's lips moved to his ear and gave his earlobe a gentle tug.

So, needless to say, instead of Will turning to glower at Jason and snapping at him for that stunt, he instead found himself falling back into Jason's arms with another small gasp and a soft, breathless moan.

_Again_! Gods, please, _again_…

"Well, I _could_ try to figure out what you like and don't like, too, if you prefer that. But I'd feel much more secure and confident if you told me beforehand of what's off-limits. And I'm not just talking about sexual things, Will. Talk to us about such things, let us know when something bothers you, let us know what topics make your skin crawl and what you definitely don't want to talk about. As you said, communication will be one of the most important things, next to-…"

"Do that thing again, that was amazing." Percy interrupted, sounding awed and completely ignorant of everything Jason had just been saying.

"Yes, what did you just do? He just turned from mildly annoyed to absolutely _gone_…" Nico chimed in, and Will snorted.

"There you go with your great- _oh holy_…" He broke off his snide remark in order to moan softly, his body shivering pleasantly as Jason's lips tugged on his earlobe again, sucking on it gently before nibbling on the shell of his ear ever so tentatively, sending jolts through his body that went straight to his groin.

What did he think he was doing?!

He had already done this _earlier_ for whatever reasons, but back then, Will had been in a bit more control and a tiny bit more composed than he was right now, so he had managed to keep his reactions down a bit more than…now…

"Alright, stop, you're turning me on." He grumbled, and Jason immediately stopped.

"Your _ears_? For real? I thought you were _acting_ when Jason did that during his Dare!" Percy exclaimed, and Will felt his face flushing at the realization they had just _really_ witnessed that.

Gods, alright, Nico was right, this was _weird_.

(Though they really should have noticed this before, just saying.)

Disturbingly enough, it didn't really bother Will quite as much as he'd have thought, though.

The thought of them knowing.

Same as Jason behind him with his legs wrapping around his midriff now (forcing him to sit properly again, how mean) didn't bother him quite as much as he'd have thought, given that it should have made him feel much more trapped than when Jason usually held him.

But it felt rather nice, actually.

He could see why Nico had decided to get between Percy's legs all that time ago in Nico's room in the Underworld, when they had argued about who'd sit where.

Thinking about it now, the fact that none of them had ever questioned the fact Percy would want Will and Jason close, too, sort of seemed like one of those subtle hints that Will hadn't picked up on whatsoever.

But, oh well, who cared?

"Ears are still better than a freaking pressure point on one's _foot_." Nico grumbled, and Will snorted.

"You think so? I think I'd prefer the feet."

"Want to switch?"

"I'd love to. Jason's sensitive spot is his neck, by the way." Will ever so lovingly gave away, shooting Jason a malicious grin that spoke of revenge.

Jason merely sighed and kissed the side of his neck the moment Will looked back at Nico, though.

"His neck?" Percy asked doubtfully, while Nico huffed.

"I'm not surprised. So, do I want to know how you two know that about each other, and I have yet to find an exceptionally sensitive spot on Percy? He seems to like _everything_."

"I'm right here, you know…" Percy complained with a pout.

"He doesn't mean it bad. Though he's right, you do seem to be able to enjoy a variety of things. Though I think I'm right in saying you like things a tad more rough, Perce. Could be because of your dip in the Styx making you momentarily invincible, or your rough life in general, but…" Will mused with a shrug, and Percy huffed meekly, while Nico perked up.

"What do you mean? Like, what…"

Will considered Percy quietly for a moment.

Then he looked at Jason behind him.

Then he grinned and leaned over to whisper into Nico's ear.

As expected, Nico's eyes widened and his face turned scarlet at his words, but when Will raised a questioning eyebrow, he gave a small nod.

_Ha._

If they ever got to the sexual part, it would definitely be interesting to watch _that_ unfold.

"What was that? What did you two just talk about? Jason, Jason, I don't like the way they're looking at me. Jason, _do something_." Percy exclaimed, starting to repeatedly nudge Jason's side again.

Jason sighed, then replied by turning his head and giving Percy a chaste kiss on the lips, making him freeze.

For a moment, there was silence.

"I meant with _them_!" Percy then exclaimed indignantly, and Jason grinned as if he had just won something.

"Sorry, but I always wanted to try that at some point." Jason admitted cheekily, and Will found himself smiling at him softly.

He wanted to say yes.

Could he say yes?

Then again, who was there to stop him?

The Camp already thought they were dating, anyways, and the guys were there, were _interested_, and it was all just…

It was so perfect.

Was it too perfect?

Will didn't know.

But could he just say yes and be done with it?

Could he allow himself to have what Sally had decided to have?

That special time of his life, no matter whether it was a lifetime, a year, a month, a week, three days, just that special time with his guys?

He had the chance.

Who else ever had the chance?

How stupid would he have to be to say no?

"Okay." He said quietly, and the guys stopped talking, looking around at him in surprise.

They didn't ask what he had meant.

They didn't ask him to repeat himself.

Instead, they started grinning, and the next moment, he found a surprisingly eager Italian jumping at him and throwing his arms around him, pulling him into an almost feverish, desperate kiss that had Will seeing stars.

"Oh gods, yes." He moaned as he returned the kiss, feeling _Nico_ for the first time in forever.

Maybe for the first time ever.

And then, Nico's tongue pushed against Will's bottom lip before he got to initiate anything, himself, and he was absolutely _gone_.

Yes.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, _yes_.

Best decision in his life.

Oh gods, he loved these guys.

His _boyfriends_.

...

Six hours later, Nico still couldn't quite believe it.

They were together.

Together-together.

The guys and him.

The four of them.

He felt lips against the side of his neck, teeth dragging over his skin ever so gently, and Nico closed his eyes with a quiet giggle.

Jason.

Jason was his boyfriend now.

Along with Will and Percy.

He still couldn't believe it.

They were dating.

_They_ were dating.

Nico simply couldn't wrap his mind around it.

Maybe because things still seemed so disturbingly like usual, so absolutely _normal_?

Back when Percy had come out as his secret admirer, things had sort of changed from one moment to the next, with the two kissing and being close to each other in a way they hadn't been before.

Now, Nico only just started realizing how _unusually_ _close_ the four of them had been before.

But…the kissing was definitely a nice change.

More than nice.

Nico loved it.

He hummed contently as Jason pressed his lips against the side of his neck again, placing small kisses every here and there, while Will and Percy chuckled to his other side, watching with dirty grins and matching wiggles of their eyebrows.

_Dorks_.

Nico moved up his hands to shoo them, and instantly had Percy clasping his hands and placing soft kisses on them, while Will let his face drop into the crook of Percy's neck with a small laugh.

It was…weird, in a way.

To think that they were more than friends, now.

It also felt weird to watch the others kiss.

Not bad weird, but…weird.

Was he supposed to feel that happy about it, but also feel that urge to tug them apart and get in the middle and kiss both parties?

Was that supposed to happen?

Was he supposed to not exactly be 'jealous', but at the same time crave to have them kiss him right after he saw them kissing each other, as if he needed confirmation they wanted him still, too?

Percy stroked through his hair softly, and Nico sighed contently, deciding he'd have to ponder that another time.

"This is so weird." Will remarked in what almost sounded like amusement, and they all looked around at him, though he still had his chin on Percy's arm, his hand playing with his navel absent-mindedly.

Percy seemed to like that quite a bit.

"Good weird or bad weird?" Percy asked, and Jason snorted, as if he couldn't believe Percy would really ask that.

"Good weird, duh. What, are you worrying already, Gorgeous?" Will asked amused, raising a cocky eyebrow at Percy, but all he did was turn over and stroke over Will's cheek gently, before tugging him closer to give him a peck on the nose.

"Nah, just making sure, sun-bug."

Then Will nudged him back into the sheets, curling up against his side like a cat and placing his head against Percy's chest.

See? They were so much like before, yet also nothing like then.

Percy had stroked over Will's cheeks like that countless times, had looked at him with that soft expression countless times, had kissed his nose like that before, too.

And Will had even had his head on Percy's chest like that before…though Nico thought for a moment he might have already been asleep at the time and not noticed.

Fact was, things still seemed so…normal.

Yet they weren't.

They absolutely weren't.

There was an ease between them he couldn't explain, because he had never noticed it hadn't been there.

There was that something in the way they gazed at each other, in the way they touched each other, in the way they leaned forward to kiss.

It was all so new, Nico knew he wasn't the only one trying not to overstep any boundaries right away.

Still, did they have the same problems as Nico?

Or were they already completely comfortable with the thought of them being _together_, now?

Was it just Nico who couldn't stop pondering it?

Who couldn't stop thinking about it, couldn't stop repeating to himself that this was _real_, just so he really wouldn't forget?

But how was he ever going to be able to wrap his mind around this?

How was he ever going to wrap his mind around Percy _not_ being upset about Nico liking the guys?

How was he ever going to wrap his mind around Percy actually _liking the guys too_?

Nico knew he had played with the thought of Percy and Will liking each other more than they might have wanted to admit, but it had never occurred to him that that could lead to anything else, anything _more_.

Thinking about it now, he wasn't even sure he had thought at all.

Because, seriously, how had he not seen it?

He had _known_ it was weird for 'friends' to be this way, the way the four of them were towards each other.

He had _known_ they were too close, that Percy let the guys stay over way too much, way too long, let them be there _all the time_, and he had known it was odd for Percy to actually _want_ it that way and get upset otherwise.

He had known _all of that_, and he clearly remembered wondering what that made them, what they should do about it, whether it was okay.

But he had never pondered the possibility of the four of them _actually_ ever ending up together.

For real.

Together-together.

Like this.

Jason nibbled on his ear, and Nico looked around at him with a small chuckle, just to find Jason grinning cheekily at him.

What a dork.

Nico rolled onto his back, and Jason instantly leaned down to place a chaste kiss to his lips.

It still felt so strange, kissing Jason.

Not just because it felt so different from Percy, or because he had sort of thought he'd never get to do that again, but also because Percy was right there and could see it.

Percy didn't say a word against it, though.

Of course he didn't.

They were dating, now.

Gods, this was so strange.

Was he the only one still thinking like this?

He probably was, in all honesty.

Jason studied him for a moment, his glasses threatening to slide off his nose.

Nico pushed them back up with one finger, smiling up at him softly.

"Percy, look, they're making heart eyes at each other. Get the camera." Will whispered, and they both looked around at the blonde with unimpressed looks, making him shoot them a cheeky grin.

Then Nico looked at Percy, doubts gnawing on him again, same as they had the past hours.

Was it okay for him to be this close to Jason?

Like…nearly _permanently_?

The two of them had sort of been this way ever since the four had dropped into bed together and gotten under the Christmas blanket.

Well, except for when Nico had left to fetch food real quick, of course, because then Jason and Will had actually shown just how comfortable they already were with this.

Which basically meant they hadn't had any sort of problem with going in for a _very_ heated kiss Nico was never going to be able to get out of his head again in his life.

Gods, the way they had moved together so fluidly, as if they had kissed a thousand times already, and with Will immediately tilting his head just the right way…

It had been nothing like _hearing_ them making out before.

It was a thousand times more intense.

And a thousand times _better_.

Especially because they were _his_ now, too.

(He had only left because he had felt himself hardening, and he _most_ _definitely_ wasn't going to be the one to turn things sexual first, absolutely _not_.)

But, for real now, was it okay for Nico to be this close to Jason?

Right away?

He had been dating Percy and solely Percy for so long, was it _really_ okay for him to just turn around and snuggle up to Jason and kiss him, when they were only technically dating for…six hours…?

What if Percy thought Nico hadn't actually wanted him, that Nico wouldn't have been happy with just him, what if he doubted Nico's feelings for him?

Nico did love Percy.

Maybe he should kiss him more.

How was this going to work out, anyways?

Would he have to watch out to give each of them the same amount of…affection?

What if Nico did something wrong?

At the moment, he was sort of just going along with everything and relishing in Jason's gentle pecks and kisses, with his hand stroking over Nico's body in slow, long strokes.

But what if that seemed dismissive of Percy and Will?

How did other…other couples deal with this sort of thing?

Nico wasn't stupid.

He knew this wasn't very…common.

He knew they'd probably get plenty of looks.

He knew they'd be judged even more than before, when all Nico had had to worry about was what other people thought of him being gay.

But if the guys didn't mind, neither did he.

It was weird, it was unusual, but right now, it felt absolutely perfect.

Just like Nico's dreams, yet nothing like them.

(Probably because they were still wearing clothes and rather being affectionate and cute with each other, instead of rolling in the sheets naked, but Nico was _still_ determined to never let the guys know of that, anyways.)

Still, this was okay, right?

Percy reached out with one hand, stroking over his cheek.

"You okay, love?"

Nico nodded, knowing he wouldn't be able to voice out his thoughts and worries, even if he tried.

At least not in a way that wouldn't sound stupid or weird or _bad_.

He wanted this.

Jason moved behind him, pressing gentle kisses to his neck again.

Oh yes, he definitely wanted this.

The only problem was that he had absolutely no idea what he should do, what he was allowed to do, what was okay and what wasn't.

He had a hunch this was exactly the sort of thing Jason had hoped to discuss with them before.

Jason seemed to know exactly what to do.

Jason also seemed to be the only one who hadn't been surprised in the slightest by all of them…sort of getting together.

Nico wasn't very surprised.

After all, this was _Jason_.

Considerate, attentive Jason, who had undoubtedly noticed the same things between Percy and Will that Nico had noticed, just that he had probably been a tad more sensible about it and actually connected the pieces, while Nico had been playing oblivious fool.

Then again, so had Will.

So had Percy.

So Nico decided to not feel _that_ bad for it.

Jason licked over his neck, and Nico bit his bottom lip for a moment, before getting lost in thoughts again.

Seriously, they were _together_.

They were _dating_.

He was dating Jason.

He was dating Percy.

He was dating Will.

Nico simply couldn't believe it.

Could he ask for another confirmation?

Jason bit his neck.

"Nico, you look troubled. Everything okay?"

How could Jason even tell?! He had his face at the side of Nico's neck, damn it!

Percy and Will both perked up, looking at Nico with questioning looks.

Great.

He could brush Percy off with a nod, but if Jason said something, they knew to pay closer attention.

_Mean_.

"Just…thinking. About…different things." He muttered evasively, trying to bribe Jason to lay off by turning sideways again and snuggling back into his hold.

"Like what?" Percy pried.

"Like…how different everything turned out from what I expected." He replied hesitantly, though it was the truth.

Will snorted.

"I feel you. But hey, a wise, old man once told me I should stop expecting certain things to happen or people to react a certain way, and instead be open to whatever is to come. Or something like that." The blonde remarked, and Jason huffed behind him.

"Who do you think you're calling a 'wise, old man', Freckles? _I_ told you that."

Will wiggled his eyebrows at Jason, and Percy and Nico shared an amused look.

"Oh, you know, I heard _stories_. About Hazel's mist and an old guy climbing a mountain who looked remarkably like you, just eons older."

Jason huffed again. "Who told you that?"

Nico and Will both looked towards Percy, who had told them that story while they had tried to comfort Will after Jason hadn't shown up for an entire day.

"Sorry, bro." Percy said apologetically, though he didn't look very sorry.

Then, he blinked, looking conflicted and confused.

"You can 'bro' me all you want, you know yourself you just had my tongue down your throat and liked it." Jason deadpanned, and Nico watched his boyfriend – Percy – turn red in the face.

"You liked it more than I did." He then shot back, and now Will and Nico were exchanging the pointed looks.

They were _so much_ like usual.

Suddenly, Jason moved, rolling over Nico towards Percy, and Percy made a small squeaky sound, apparently trying to get away.

It didn't work.

The next moment, Percy was pinned to the bed for the fourth time since they got together, and Jason had his lips on him in a hungry, _dominating_ kiss.

Nico wondered faintly whether Jason was going to kiss _him_ like that, too, one day.

But with him, Jason was still so very timid and gentle, similar to how he was with Will.

It was beautiful to watch Percy, though.

He looked so riled up, so into it, his hands on Jason's arms to keep him there, his competitive streak apparently absolutely forgotten.

Though Nico knew that could change within seconds.

During their second time doing this, Percy had been this exact way, just to then suddenly push against Jason and switch their roles, turning Jason into a panting, moaning mess.

Not that they had gone past that.

Nico still wasn't sure about _that_, anyways.

In his dreams…

No, he wasn't going to ponder that now.

Especially not while he was watching Percy and Jason kiss like that.

He wasn't sure how the guys reacted to seeing each other kiss, but he was pretty sure they weren't reacting quite as strongly as Nico was.

At least he didn't see them trying to forcefully look away and stare off into the distance in concentration to clear their heads and avoid any more awkward conversations or revelations for the day.

"Yes, I do." Jason purred, letting go of a dazed, but absolutely pleased looking Percy.

"Lies." He breathed, and Nico smiled to himself at the way they gazed at each other.

Who'd have thought those two would have such great chemistry between them?

"Now shoo to our _other boyfriend_, he's lonely." Percy then quipped and Jason snorted, giving him a last peck on the lips before moving back to Nico.

Hey.

Rude.

"Who do you think you're calling the 'other' boyfriend, here?" Nico remarked, then wondered whether he actually _was_ just 'the other guy'.

"He's just emphasizing we're all boyfriends because he still can't believe it, and he's too excited that it's real." Will explained with a cheeky grin, and Nico felt himself relaxing again, falling back into Jason's arms the moment Jason settled down behind him again.

Jason chuckled – then he leaned down and blew a raspberry on Nico's neck, making him squeak and laugh.

_Jason_!

He had _just_ kissed Percy senseless, how could he just go from that to _blowing raspberries_ on people's necks?!

"Aww, look, aren't they adorable?" Will cooed, while Nico was struggling to get away.

He was also trying to stop laughing.

Both of his missions failed, of course.

Shouldn't Will be weirded out by the fact his boyfriend he had only had for a little over a day was doing this sort of thing with Nico, instead of him?

"Oh yes, they are. Then again, what did you expect?" Percy replied softly, and Nico couldn't understand how he could be this fine with everything, either.

Nico finally managed to get Jason to stop, just to find his lips on his own the moment he wanted to retort something definitely not-nice.

Seriously…

Jason tried to pull away, but Nico tugged him back down, moving his lips against Jason's, wanting to feel the sparks again.

Kissing Jason always sent sparks through him when…

Jason's tongue nudged against his, and Nico felt the little jolts inside him, smirking against Jason's lips before wrapping his arms around him, pulling him in closer.

Yes, that was exactly what he had meant.

He heard and felt movement next to him, and was momentarily confused, before he realized what he was even doing.

Seriously, what _was_ he doing?

Could he really just go and kiss Jason like this?

Out of nowhere?

With the other two right there?

With Percy right there?

Wasn't he supposed to kiss him, first?

Then again, they _had_ just kissed right next to him, too.

They had _all_ kissed right next to him by now.

And none of them had been very subtle or innocent in any regard, either.

(Especially not Jason and Percy, though Jason and Will came close behind.)

Seriously, out of all of them, only Nico seemed to still be hesitant, it was almost sad.

He pulled away, and Jason raised an eyebrow at him, though he didn't initiate another kiss.

He also didn't move away from on top of Nico, though.

"You know this is okay, right?" Jason's voice was gentle, yet firm, as if he knew exactly what was going through Nico's mind, and Nico felt his face flushing almost instantly.

"I just…I was…I…"

Good job, Nico.

When in doubt, just start stammering nonsense.

Very helpful, yes.

There was shuffling next to him, and then there was Percy, eyeing him with an odd expression.

"Nico?"

Jason pulled away from on top of him, but instead of falling back down behind Nico, he climbed over Percy and Will to get behind him, which had Will loudly complaining about being smothered – though Nico could definitely see his arms reaching out to tug Jason over.

Percy's hand stroked over Nico's cheek, then his neck.

"What's wrong, love? Too much at once?"

Nico hesitated, then sighed and shook his head.

"It's just…I don't know. Unusual, I guess? I mean, just yesterday, I thought you'd be so disappointed once I told you I as much as liked them. And now, here we are…" He started, then found himself unable to continue.

Taking a deep breath, he tried again.

"It's all just…very new? I mean, I _love_ it, but…"

Percy sat up, motioning for Nico to sit up as well.

"Nico, I'd have never been disappointed. I mean, seriously, even if I hadn't hoped for more between the four of us, I'd have still understood completely fine. I guess it was my mistake of not telling you that before. Thinking about it, I should have reassured you more in that regard."

"Yeah, would have probably helped with a few things." Jason remarked behind Percy, and Percy shot him a dark look.

"You have no right to speak, Sparky. Do I have to remind you it wasn't I who ran to sulk in my cabin for forever because of a simple misunderstanding?"

Jason huffed.

Nico sighed.

"I should have told you sooner. In the beginning…in the beginning I thought I could get…get over it somehow, you know? So I could just be with you and you'd be happy and we'd be happy and everything would be okay. But when it…when it didn't stop, and I wanted to…to kiss Will, or kiss Jason, or both of them, or…other things…I just thought I was cheating. Even though I wasn't _doing_ anything, just the fact I was thinking of…_that_…made me feel so horrible. And I wanted to tell you, but I was scared you'd think I'm cheating, or that I didn't think you were good enough, or that I didn't love you, or…"

Oh gods, he was beginning to babble.

Somebody had to stop him from himself.

Percy seemed to be that somebody, moving forward and placing a finger to his lips, before pulling it away suddenly again to replace it with his lips.

It was a short kiss, but just as sweet and amazing as their kisses before, making Nico relax slightly.

He wasn't sure what he was scared of, exactly.

He was just scared.

Then again, was it even that?

"I'm sorry, Nico. I didn't know it would bother you this much. I thought you knew I didn't mind. I mean…I can't deny it might have bothered me a tiny bit in the beginning, but that was just because I couldn't believe you'd actually go out with me in the first place, and I sort of just waited for you to realize what a terrible mistake you have made and to dump me again."

Nico snorted in disbelief.

So did Will and Jason.

"And if it makes you feel any better, I've been thinking of kissing them before, too. Just that I actually _did_ kiss Will, while you didn't." Percy pointed out, but Nico wasn't convinced, anyways.

He had still _almost_ kissed him plenty enough times.

On his birthday, for example.

Or when they had been in the infirmary.

Or in Will's dream.

Or the countless times Nico had gotten so, so _close_ to kissing him out of the sheer _need_ to.

Especially when the whole thing with Kyle had happened.

"Nico?" Percy asked softly, and Nico looked up at him, though he hadn't noticed he had lowered his gaze.

"Let's be more open with each other from now on, okay? If there's something bothering you, or you feel this one thought nagging in the back of your head over and over, pull us aside and tell us, okay? No matter how stupid or trivial it might seem. I'll try do the same. What do you say?" Percy suggested, and Jason let out a loud sigh, accompanied with a rather elated sounding 'Finally!', which made them both glance at him with unimpressed looks.

"I'll try." Nico said finally, then thought to himself they were all hypocrites.

They had told Will this, had even put it in their IPOD-contract, yet they never managed to actually do it, themselves.

Nico was going to change that.

He was going to…

Nico took a deep breath, then looked up at Percy.

"I don't know what I'm allowed to do!"

…He had tried.

Nico had _intended_ for his voice to come out strong and firm.

He had _not_ meant to shout it out into the room in a high-pitched, squeaky voice that made him cringe inwardly.

_Oh gods._

He should have never opened his mouth in the first place.

Let Percy be the first to admit to something, to whatever.

Or Will.

Or Jason.

_Anybody_.

He stared at Percy, feeling his face erupting into flames, while Percy stared back at him, seeming stunned and speechless for a long moment.

Peeking over Percy's shoulder at Will and Jason, he saw them staring, too.

Then, they started _laughing_.

"This is it, I'm moving to the Underworld." Nico grumbled, feeling his whole body tingling and _burning_, and he didn't even want to see how he looked right now.

"No~, stay!" Will pressed out between chuckles, while Percy held him back by his wrist as Nico made to climb out of the bed with a huff.

He had been serious!

Alright, it had even sounded horrible to _him_, but _still_!

"Nico, it's okay. We're all as nervous as you. We're all still trying to get used to this, to wrap our minds around this." Jason explained, the first to catch his composure again, while Percy tugged him back into the bed and started pinning him into the mattress, still chuckling and looking at him with an absolutely amused look.

"No, fuck you all. Laughing at my dismay. Fine boyfriends you are." He sulked, then realized how nice the word 'boyfriends' sounded, especially since it was true.

What he didn't like was how his frustration instantly evaporated, because hey, he couldn't just let them get away with that!

At least he thought so, already puffing up his cheeks and all, but then, a wild Will attacked him with soft kisses he started peppering up Nico's arm to his neck, mercilessly shoving Percy aside, who merely laughed and rolled away.

Nico _wanted_ to remain upset, but instead, he broke out giggling, trying half-heartedly to get Will off him, but Will continued unperturbed, now peppering his face with kisses and satisfied huffs.

Then, he hovered over him, gazing down at him with a soft, pleased expression.

"I love you, Nico di Angelo."

Nico's eyes widened slightly, then Will leaned down and pressed their lips together, and there was an explosion of warmth and affection inside him as he wrapped his arms around the blonde.

He was kissing Will.

He was kissing Will, and Percy and Jason were right next to him.

He was kissing Will, and Percy and Jason were right next to him and watching.

He was kissing Will, and Percy and Jason were right next to him and watching and not bothered in the slightest.

It was so surreal.

Nico tilted his head and mashed their lips together hungrily, anyways.

Will's lips seemed to twitch for a moment, then he shifted on top of Nico, until he could move his hands up and down Nico's arms, then moving to his sides, instead.

"I've wanted to kiss you for so long, Nico." Will breathed against his lips as they parted for breath, and Nico found himself smiling stupidly.

Same.

"We kissed just earlier." He said instead, and Will snickered, before placing another peck on his lips.

"Too long ago. _Much_ too long ago. Now, what was that about not knowing what you're allowed to do?" Will asked, rolling off Nico to snuggle against his side, an arm already wrapping around him, while he used the other to prop his head up and look at Nico with a cocky grin.

Nico wasn't fooled, feeling Will's heart wildly beating in his chest, just like Nico's was.

Somehow, that realization eased the mess inside him a little bit.

"It's just…I'm not sure what is okay? Like, if I kiss you, does that mean I'll have to make sure to kiss Jason and Percy right after, too? I mean, Jason and I were sort of glued to each other for the past hours, and I loved that, but is that okay? Do I need to…I don't know…count kisses? Count touches? Have a timer? What if one of you thinks I like you less? What if I neglect somebody by accident?" He asked, half expecting the smile to slide off Will's face, but it stayed, warm and affectionate as always.

He even waited a moment, as if to see whether Nico had anything else to add, but that was about all he wanted to admit to right now.

The rest could wait.

One issue at a time.

(This was more than one already, anyways.)

"Hmm, I'm not surprised. Nico, it's okay. It really is. We're all sort of winging it right now, and we're all worrying about the same things you are. At least I know I am…"

"Me too." "Same."

Percy and Jason instantly piped up, poking their heads out from behind Will, and Nico found himself breathing out in relief automatically.

"But no, I don't think you need to count kisses or touches. That would probably get pretty difficult and close to impossible after some time, I'm certain. And we definitely don't need a timer, sweetheart. Just do what you want to do. If you want to hog Jason to yourself for hours on end, just do it. If you want to smother me in kisses and tell me how awesome I am, I'm ready. If you want to tickle Percy until he passes out, make sure he's on a bed so he doesn't hurt himself." Will explained, and Nico snorted, while Percy huffed indignantly.

"So caring."

"Of course. Wouldn't want my gorgeous boyfriend injured, after all." Will shot back smoothly, and Percy blushed slightly, his mouth snapping shut again, before he huffed once more and hid his face at Will's back.

Those two.

"But the point is, just do it, Nico. Try all the things you want to try, speak up if you're feeling ignored. Also, speak up if you _don't_ want something. Just like between Percy and you. If he did something you didn't want, you told him to stop, right?"

Nico nodded quietly, though he couldn't remember Percy ever actually doing anything he didn't want him to, much less himself telling him to stop it.

He did, however, remember sometimes pushing Percy away in the middle of the night when it was simply _too hot_, and Percy always leaving him alone then.

"Exactly. So, if I get too close, just tell me, or give me a sign to show me you don't want that right now. You know? Or if you don't like how Jason is kissing Percy so wantonly when he's only giving you the lightest pecks, kick him in the shin and tell him to man up."

Nico flinched, then felt his face warming again.

Wait, how did Will know that?!

Had that just been a random statement?

It must have been!

"Or you could simply tell me. You know, to avoid any injuries." Jason suggested, and Will snickered.

Nico opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to think of what to say.

Should he argue that?

Just admit to it?

He didn't want to make things awkward or anything.

Then again, Will _had_ just said he should just speak up, and just do it.

But…could he just…

"I'd like that." He stated, glad his voice came out correctly this time.

Therefore, his three boyfriends seemed to practically freeze, staring at him in surprise.

Nico tried not to blush, tried not to let their gazes get to him and remain serious.

It didn't work.

The moment he made to hide his face in his hands with a small wail, though, Jason was already moving over Percy and Will and flattened him into the mattress, causing him to gasp.

Jason didn't immediately kiss him.

Instead, he kissed along the side of his neck again, stopping at his ear.

"What would you like me to do, Nico?" He asked, his voice husky and low, and Nico found himself shivering.

Oh, he could so get used to this.

"Everything." He breathed without thinking.

He didn't regret it.

...

Percy gazed up at the ceiling, his heart still thumping wildly in his chest as he grinned to himself, stroking through Will's hair.

His boyfriend.

Percy glanced to his other side, where Nico was sprawled out over him and Jason.

Also his boyfriends.

Percy's grin widened and he looked back up at the ceiling, feeling utterly at peace for the first time in…in forever, really.

He remembered how happy he had been back in December, when he had come out to Nico, and Nico had become his boyfriend, and everything had seemed so utterly _perfect_.

This was like that.

Just that back then, he had quickly realized how unhappy Jason and Will were.

Now…

Percy looked around at the two blondes, who were both fast asleep, content smiles on their faces.

Now that wouldn't be a problem anymore.

Percy let out a long, happy sigh.

They were his boyfriends.

They were dating.

They had kissed…

Even Jason had kissed him, and they had agreed that, _yes_, there definitely was _something_ between them, extinguishing any lingering doubts.

Percy closed his eyes, tugging Will closer, and his blonde hummed, nuzzling his face against Percy's chest.

"Go to sleep, you dork." He heard him mumble no moment later, and had to suppress a chuckle.

"Let me reflect on my life in peace, boyfriend." He retorted, and Will grumbled something else, before pressing his lips to Percy's collarbone.

"Don't hurt yourself thinking, boyfriend." Will then replied, and Percy would have been offended, but he was too happy to feel anything but.

"Got my doc to nurse me back to health should the need arise." He instead shot back, and Will's lips curled into a smile again.

"Indeed."

Percy grinned, then moved his head to press his lips to Will's forehead, and Will hummed again, which made Jason and Nico shift and hum, too.

"I love you." He whispered into the room, because it was true.

"Love you too." Came back from three guys that should be – and still seemed to be – fast asleep.

Percy grinned so hard his face muscles complained, but he didn't care.

The world was still the same around them.

Kyle was still out there, planning whatever it was he was planning, with whoever it was he was working with.

The monsters were back.

They'd soon have to face all those responsibilities again they had pushed off for so long.

But for now, everything was okay.

He had his guys.

That was all he needed.

For tonight, everything was as perfect as it could be.

And that was more than Percy could have ever asked for.

* * *

**A/N:**

This is it, cupcakes! ;3

I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope it gives closure to everybody who does NOT wish to get invested in another sequel ;)

As I said, there'll be an epilogue, but that's really something you should only read if you're either very masochistic, like to suffer in general, or want to read _on_.

Before there'll be the sequel to the sequel, I'm planning to upload an in-between piece that will be readable no matter if you read the epilogue or not, though it can also be skipped, since it will probably only consist of fluff and smut.

It's pretty much a mini-fanfic about their relationship, really, and how they work things out between them, set in the time between now and the beginning of the sequel to the sequel. So not much plot. Just as a warning ._.

I hope you'll enjoy it when it comes ;)

And I sure as hell hope you enjoyed this story ;3

I learned a lot while writing it, and I'm hoping I'll be able to put that new knowledge to use one day when I'm writing on my own books.

I'd like to thank everybody again for all their kind words and praise and reassurances.  
You're the best :3  
(And that's an understatement.)  
(Because, let's be real, without you I'd have probably never finished this.)

So, again, I hope you enjoyed this story, and if you're up for more, get ready for the last cliffhanger in this story ;)

Thank you everybody for reading, and I wish you all the best.  
-Tári


	41. Epilogue: The Beginning Of The End

**A/N:** Hey there, Cupcakes :)

And here it is: The last _cliffhanger_! (In a way...)

Again, DON'T READ THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THE SEQUEL!

There are trigger warnings for this, but this time, there won't be a summary, because I can't think of any way to summarize this into anything that wouldn't also require trigger warnings :x

Thanks to everybody who stuck to this story up until now, and thanks for all the lovely reviews/comments and all the love ;3 You guys are the best!

Also, for everybody in tears because of this, there are some wonderful one-shots for the Solangacksonace / Jercicolace tag out now on AO3, written by oneshotcentral0 :D Make sure to check them out! :)

(Links:  
archive()of()our()own()org/works/7872625  
archive()of()our()own()org/works/7890178/chapters/18022528 (!)  
archive()of()our()own()org/works/7951138  
remove () for links to work.)  
:D Spread the love~

And now, here comes the beginning of the end.

Wish you guys all the best,  
-Tári

* * *

**Trigger Warnings:  
**\- Attacks/Running away from attacks  
\- Fear/Terror/Dread  
\- Life-or-Death-Decisions  
\- Lack of Will to live / Resignation in face of death (heavily implied)  
\- Injury inflicted by loved one  
\- MC death (implied, sorta)

* * *

**Epilogue: The Beginning Of The End**

Will was running, Percy right behind him, and the noises around him were _deafening_.

They ran and ran, past the trees, past the bushes, their clothes torn, their bodies full of scratches.

In Percy's case, there was also a nasty claw wound at his shoulder.

Always his shoulder.

Did this guy want to lose his arm?

When had he developed these tendencies?

This was _not_ how Will had trained him.

Will risked a glance over his shoulder, and decided that was a mistake.

"Hurry up!" He yelled at Percy, and Percy made a loud, frustrated-sounding noise, probably unable to speak when running like this, for so long, for so far, through this god-forsaken forest.

Will's eyes moved up and down Percy's body fleetingly before his head snapped forward again, maneuvering them past the blackened trunks and through the undergrowth.

Percy wouldn't be able to run for much longer.

He wasn't saying anything, but Will knew.

He could see it in the way his movements were becoming more and more sluggish, and he kept stumbling.

He could hear it in the wheezing of his voice and the small grunts of pain he let out over and over again, though he tried to keep them from Will.

He could feel it in the fatigue rolling off Percy in waves.

There was howling behind him, then screeching, then sickly humane laughter, and Will felt his skin crawl as the forest seemed to magnify the already creepy enough noises.

For how much longer would they have to do this…?

They should have never split up.

Will had known it was a horrible idea for Jason and Nico to go alone, for Percy and him to go alone.

He had _told_ them it was a horrible idea.

Had they listened?

_No_.

'We'll be fine, Will.'

'Don't worry, Will.'

'Everything will be okay, Will.'

Yeah, well, it _wasn't_ okay.

_Nothing_ was okay.

Will didn't even know where the others were anymore.

That's what happened when he listened to Percy and his dumb ideas.

Sure, his stunt with the puddles had lured the monsters away from their group, but it had also made most of the monsters come after _them_.

If only they could get out of the freaking forest…

"Sun-bug!" Percy suddenly yelled and Will reacted instinctively, reading the danger from Percy's tone of voice alone.

He stopped dead in his tracks and pulled his arms up to protect his face, and then his boyfriend was in front of him, pulling his sword up just in time before the hellhound could pounce on him.

He hadn't heard it.

Why hadn't he heard it?

He could hear _everything_.

Percy slashed at the hellhound, but Will was too busy looking behind him, hoping they had put enough distance between the mob of monsters and themselves, and hoping even further that the others were alright.

He also hoped Jason and Nico weren't going through similar trouble.

The hellhound howled and Will cursed, pushing his hand into his medic pouch, but then Percy already cut the beast in two and they waited a split second to watch it disintegrate.

Then Percy snatched his hand and pulled him after him, onwards, onwards, onwards.

Will felt a cold feeling of dread washing over him out of nowhere, just as they finally made out the edge of the forest, the _end_ of the forest.

Why…?

Will pushed past Percy, taking the lead again, straining his ears and eyes to pick up on whatever it was that was suddenly setting him off.

"Something's wrong!" He yelled over his shoulder, but kept running, anyways.

What else was there to do?

They couldn't very well stop just because he was having a bit of a stomach ache.

They broke through the undergrowth and out into the open, both of them stupid enough to look over their shoulders for a moment, instead of looking straight ahead.

It occurred to Will in that moment that the ominous feeling he was having was because his senses were dulled all of a sudden.

It occurred to Will in that moment that they were running towards something far more dangerous than the monsters behind them.

It all occurred to Will in that moment.

It all occurred to Will a moment too late.

"Percy, _watch out_!" He yelled even as he turned his head, even as his feet lost their footing as the ground seemed to disappear beneath them, even as he turned his body to shove Percy away with all his might.

Percy yelled and crashed into the ground, near the grass.

Will stumbled onwards, downwards, towards the edge of what almost seemed like a cliff, though that couldn't be, because there were no cliffs here.

Not in the middle of what looked like what might as well be a field.

Will tried to stop, then lost his balance and crashed into the dry, brittle ground, his shoulder giving a nasty _crunch_ at the impact.

Pain shot through Will and he cried out, but all his attention was on _making himself stop_.

But the edge came closer.

And closer.

And closer.

It was as Will was practically being _pulled in_.

"**_WILL!_**" Percy's voice was shrill and laced with _terror_, and Will managed to claw into the dirt, right as the rest of his body went over the edge.

He howled in pain because of his arm, because of the pain at his chest as he collided with the sharp edge of the hole that was just _there_, in the middle of nowhere; because of the pain shooting through his entire body as he dangled there, forced to somehow hold his weight with his arms alone, without even having a good grip on anything.

His mind was still too busy working furiously, trying to make sense of what was happening.

Percy rushed forward, his face whiter than Will had ever seen it, the dread rolling off him in waves.

"Don't come any closer!" Will yelled at him, already feeling his hold weakening, and already feeling the ledge crumble, causing even more of his body to slip.

Percy didn't listen.

_Stubborn fool!_

Will wanted to yell, but then the edge crumbled away, and so did he, and his hands lost their hold on the ground, and he-…

Percy howled in terror, throwing himself onto the ground, his hands grabbing hold of Will's the moment he threatened to go over the edge completely.

"NO!"

Will stared up at him, stared into his panicked, terrorized face, and the realization slowly sank in.

_No._

But how?

But why?

But why here?

It made no sense…

"Don't let go! I got you! I got you, Will! Everything will be okay! Oh gods, sun-bug, it will be okay!" His boyfriend exclaimed, his voice thick and cracking, and Will could feel the fear coursing through him, could feel his body trembling in terror, shock and exhaustion, but he tried to act so, so brave.

Will turned his head ever so slowly, to look down.

"Don't look down, love. It will be okay! I can pull you out!" Percy insisted, but Will already knew what he would see.

He gazed down, and his assumptions were confirmed.

Nothing.

There was _nothing_.

No end.

No _anything._

Percy pulled on his hands, trying to pull him up and out, but the edge started crumbling, and he let out a despairing wail.

Will looked up at him again, resignation washing over him.

Percy's bottom lip trembled, and he shook his head, the tears already falling from his eyes, landing on Will's face.

"It's okay, sun-bug. I can get you out. It will be okay."

Will could hear the despair in his voice, the silent plea.

But Will knew better.

_Nobody ever escaped._

Percy tried to pull him up again, but the ledge gave way once more.

This time, Percy's torso started slipping, too.

"Percy, stop." Will said softly, but Percy shook his head frantically, his hands shaking around Will's, though they held on tightly.

_Shock_.

Percy was going through shock.

And he was still holding him.

Will had a such a wonderful boyfriend.

Such a strong, brave, wonderful boyfriend.

"It's okay, Percy."

"Don't! I'll get you out, Will! Please! I'll get you out!" Percy pleaded with him, as if it was in Will's control.

Will could feel him slipping further down.

He couldn't let Percy fall.

Not again.

"Help!" Percy yelled over his shoulder, as if there really was anybody who could help.

As if there was anybody who _would_.

"Percy…"

"Don't! I got you, Will! I won't let you go! Forget it!" Percy cried, and tried to pull Will up again.

This time, he did manage to pull him out a little bit.

Then another section of the ledge broke off and Percy slipped, and Will slid even further down into the pitch black.

"Percy, please…" He whispered, but Percy shook his head stubbornly, now trying to move them towards the side, apparently hoping the ground would be more stable there.

Half his body was already over the edge.

But he could still pull out if he just let go of Will.

"I won't let you go, Will. I won't let you fall. I will get you out, and if I can't do that, then I'll go with you."

No, Percy.

Will gazed up at him with sad eyes.

Percy closed his eyes, refusing to see it.

Refusing to see the truth.

Jason and Nico needed him.

The Camps needed him.

Without Percy, they would never make it.

Will gazed down at the endless darkness beneath him.

He wouldn't let Percy fall again.

He had promised him he wouldn't let him fall.

He wouldn't let him jump, either.

"I'm sorry, Percy." He said quietly, but Percy kept shaking his head stubbornly.

"You're _forbidden_ from saying that, Will. We told you to stop saying that."

Will knew.

Will still said it every time, anyways.

He felt his fingers slowly slipping from Percy's grasp, but Percy tried to hold on, anyways.

"Don't let me lose you, Will. Please! We need you! _I_ need you!" Percy cried, and there was a jolt going through Will as Percy momentarily pulled him upwards and closer to his body with all his remaining strength, as if that really made any difference.

It didn't.

All it did was make Percy's grip on his left hand stronger, but because of the fading control over his right arm, his right hand fell to his side uselessly the moment Percy's hold on it had lessened.

Percy howled in horror.

Will wished he could comfort him.

Could reassure him.

Could stroke through his hair and tell him everything was okay, that this was just a dream, and nothing else.

"We should have listened to you, Will." Percy exclaimed, but Will shook his head softly.

"It's okay, Gorgeous."

"I'll pull you out!" His voice was so frantic, so scared, it hurt Will more than any wounds ever could.

He felt his own eyes pricking with tears, but there was no time for that.

The sun was rising in the distance, he could feel it.

And with it, his senses were strengthening again, even though they were still being dimmed.

He could feel the pulsing beneath him, as if the darkness was alive.

But he could also feel the tremble in the earth as something was fast approaching.

Footsteps.

Humans.

_Their group._

But they were still too far away.

Too far away to arrive in time to catch Percy and Will, to get them out.

Will gazed up at Percy, studying his face for what might well be the last time in his life.

_You're so beautiful, Percy._

He knew what he had to do.

_Such a beautiful, wonderful person._

Will concentrated on his right arm, moving it towards his medic pouch, even though every inch sent jolts of pain through him.

_I loved every second of being with you, Percy._

His fingers worked with the clip for a moment, but he managed to open it, even though he could barely even feel his fingertips.

_I'm sorry it has come to this._

His fingers pushed inside the pouch, trying to feel for what he needed.

_Be strong, Percy._

Percy had his eyes squeezed tightly shut, muttering to himself, and Will realized he was praying, even though they both knew no god would help them.

No god _could_ help them.

_I believe in you, Percy_.

His fingers closed around what he had been looking for, and the ground crumbled again, making Percy sink in even further.

Will could sense the footsteps coming closer.

They wouldn't make it in time for them.

But they could make it in time for him.

"Tell Jason and Nico that I love them, Percy." He said quietly, softly, and Percy sobbed, shaking his head frantically, his eyes still squeezed shut.

"And know that I love you, too, Percy." He whispered, but Percy kept shaking his head, trying to keep holding onto him with all his might.

Will gazed up at him for a last time.

"I'm sorry, my love."

Will forced his right arm to move upwards one last time.

_I wish I could ask for forgiveness…_

The scalpel struck Percy's hand, and he cried out in pain, his eyes shooting open to stare at Will in shock and disbelief and _terror_.

_…__but I don't deserve that, so instead…_

Will could feel the pain shooting through Percy as if it was his own, and Percy didn't want to, but his hand snapped open, giving Will free.

_…__all I can ask for is that you don't blame yourself…_

Percy was yelling, was screaming, was flailing with his arms to catch him, even though they both knew it was pointless.

_…__and that you'll keep moving, no matter how difficult it may seem at the time._

Will was falling, silent tears flying from his eyelashes upwards, his gaze on his boyfriend as he struggled, before he tried to follow him.

But arms shot out, kids grabbing Percy, keeping him from coming after him, keeping him from jumping, keeping him _safe_, right when the rest of the ledge broke off that would have torn them both down, and anybody who might have tried to save them.

Percy was safe.

Will smiled and closed his eyes, allowing the darkness to engulf him.

_Live, Percy_.

Will fell.

...

Will felt an all-consuming, _all-ending_ pain shoot through him, and he sat bolt-upright in bed, his eyes snapping open, his hands already clasping over his mouth to stifle his scream.

_No!_

He was shaking, the nightmare still fresh in his mind, the terror still coursing through his veins.

Next to him, his boyfriends stirred slightly in their sleep, oblivious to what had just happened, what Will had just dreamed.

His hand shot to his right shoulder, gripping it tightly and remembering the pain.

_Real_.

It had felt _real_.

_Too_ real.

_Much too real_ for a dream.

Will moved, climbing out of the bed and stumbling towards the bathroom, turning on the light to grab something to drink, before staring up at himself in the mirror.

His face was pale, his freckles almost invisible, and his eyes stared back at him with a wild, terrified look in them.

Too real.

It had felt too real.

Will could still hear the noises, the monsters cackling in the distance, Percy's heavy breathing, the footsteps of their friends.

Could still smell the dirt from around them, their sweat, the faintest hint of foulness coming from beneath him.

Could still feel the pulsing of the pit, the way it had seemed to _breathe_, the way it had seemed to _reach out_ to Will and draw him in…

_Tartarus_.

Will stared into the mirror, and his shocked, stricken self stared right back, the realization slowly sinking it.

That had been no dream.

Will put the glass down as if in trance, turning around to stumble back to bed, to where his guys were.

His hands were shaking as he touched them gently, moving over Jason's back, stroking over Nico's cheek, settling on Percy's chest, feeling their heartbeats, their values, the peace that flowed through them as they laid there, oblivious to what had happened.

Oblivious to what would happen.

Will gazed at them as he sat there, trying to imprint their sleeping faces to his mind, so he would never forget.

How much time did he have?

Percy stirred, cracking open one eye to blink up at him.

"You okay?" He asked groggily, already moving closer.

Will found his hands moving into Percy's hair automatically, stroking through it, before caressing the sides of his face as Percy frowned, propping himself up on one arm.

"Will?"

Will remembered his dream, his vision, remembered how Percy had looked, the way his hair had stood off more, had been longer.

He smiled softly at him, leaning down to press their lips together softly.

"I'm fine, Gorgeous. Just a bad dream. It's nothing. Go back to sleep, okay?" He whispered, and Percy eyed him skeptically for a moment longer, before giving a small nod, laying back down and holding up his arm, as if expecting Will to come and cuddle.

Will did.

He allowed Percy to wrap him into a tight hug, even though, under normal circumstances, Will would have barely been able to tolerate the closeness and the intensity of the embrace, especially from behind, especially when he was trying to sleep.

But now, he wasn't trying to sleep, and the shock from the vision was still too fresh and too deep for him to care about anything.

He snuggled back into Percy's hold and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, glad when it was the scent of _them_, rather than the dirt and the sweat and the grime and the impending doom.

Will had just seen a possible future.

And apparently, it wanted him dead.

But he still had some time.

Will thought of the length of Percy's hair, and thought of how fast it grew.

_Three or four months._

_At most._

"I love you, Will."

It was okay.

"I love you too, Percy."

He had time.

"Percy?"

He still had time.

"Yes?"

There was still time.

"Can you promise me something?"

He had time.

"What is it, sun-bug?"

It was okay.

Will turned around, whispering his request to Percy, and his boyfriend cracked one eye open to study him quietly for a moment.

Then he sighed and nodded, giving him a kiss to the forehead.

"Of course, sun-bug. I promise. Now, try and go back to sleep, okay?"

Will gave a small nod to make Percy close his eyes again, then he gazed at him quietly, a small, sad smile forming on his lips.

He still had time.

It was okay.

It was merely _the beginning_ of the end.

_The End_


End file.
